It was a windless night, and the surrounding plants seemed to have stopped breathing. The silent trees entangled their branches and leaves together, weaving an overwhelming curtain, cutting off the connection between the ground and the moonlight, and the miasma took the opportunity to grow rapidly until it filled the entire jungle, making everything soaked in a moist and quiet atmosphere. in the darkness.
But the death knight in it is very clear that the motionless stagnation is just an appearance. Under that, the power from the nether world is violently rampaging, causing the world to ripple like ripples on the surface of water that has been awakened.
It feels exactly the same as in Belial Village... Somewhere not far away, the demons of the Twisting Nether have come to the world. Roland thought about it, and of course he could deduce what this meant—Katori and the others must be nearby, because the demons had no reason to come here other than her.
The Stantyr Hills were not Belial Village. There were neither buildings nor residents here. Not only that, the dense forest was also very suitable for concealing one's whereabouts. Although there seem to be more demons this time, if you want to escape, you should be fine. The death knight recalled the battle seventeen years ago and made a judgment based on it. But the next moment, the corners of that cold mouth curved slightly, outlining a self-deprecating smile.
Why... I actually think about her subconsciously... When facing Katoli, not only will the sword in my hand hesitate, but even my eyes will be attracted to her? Like an iceberg emerging from the water, that snowy morning seven years ago once again flashed into Roland's mind. It was the same that time, when the trembling Katori threw herself on Dilicia in order to protect her, my sword also hesitated.
The blood of the person I hate the most flows in her body, not only that, but now she has to fight Ishutori according to Louise's will. She is my enemy~! How could I be attracted to her
"The descendant of the enemy? How interesting, the word hatred still has a binding force on you now? Or is it because I don't know what expression to use to deal with it, so I voluntarily resort to the past of hatred?"
"Think carefully about yourself. If you can truly understand your heart, maybe one day Ishutoli will let you know everything."
Richard's rebuttal and advice rang in the death knight's ears again. As if to shake off the hesitation in his heart, Roland shook his head vigorously: "Wait until we meet to make plans, after all, the initiative is in my hands, I can choose to fight or hide, and before that... face With such a large number of demons, whether she can get out of the Stantyr Hills is still unknown, so there is no need to think about it now."
However, the death knight's thoughts were quickly interrupted, and Roland immediately stopped his light steps, and drew out the great sword behind him. The mournful roar from the depths of the jungle and the groans of trees falling to the ground awakened his warrior instinct quickly, and quickly spread throughout the nerves and muscles of his body. But even with his impeccable defenses, the death knight was taken aback when the berserk Cerberus came into view.
There is actually an unarmed human lying on the back of that demon~!
The appearance of the Cerberus is very frightening. The unmelted ice arrow is still stuck in its left head. The completely dead head has been stained red with blood, and the left eye of the head in the middle has been gouged out. The half-shrunk eyeball still hangs around the red and swollen eye socket due to the sticky body tissue. Not only that, the wound on the Cerberus's body is still spurting blood, making the places it walks glaring scarlet, which looks extraordinarily weird under the moonlight.
The resulting pain caused the demon to crazily charge everything it could touch, plowing the ground under its feet with its sharp claws. However, Roland was not overwhelmed by this scene. He quickly made a judgment—first kill the demon first, and then slowly decide whether the person on its back is worth using.
The highly skilled undead warrior immediately started to move. He gracefully avoided the rushing and scratching of the hellhound, and quickly entered the distance of the confrontation. The moment the opponent showed its flaws, the sharp blade of the great sword immediately flew up, and cut off the front paw of the hellhound at the moment the cold moonlight was reflected.
The demon who lost his balance whimpered and fell to the ground. Roland rushed up to repair the sword again—this time piercing through its chest, and the tip of Frost Lamentation accurately crushed the demon's heart. Accompanied by the crisp sound of glass shattering, the Cerberus's body stopped struggling immediately, and the jungle became silent again. The victorious death knight turned his attention to the human - now lying motionless on the ground like a rag. Roland walked over cautiously, and turned the opponent over with the big sword in his hand. When the familiar face came into his pupils, the death knight frowned involuntarily.
The person who tried to control the Cerberus was Katoli's companion, Ren, who was also a sea blue paladin. And since he would make such a crazy move, it is not difficult to deduce the girl's current situation.
Does fate like to play tricks on me so much? Roland sighed.
Ren finally regained consciousness. The first thing he saw was the dense branches covering the sky, covering the top of the paladin like a net. This scene not only prevented the moonlight from getting in, but also blocked Ren's thoughts . After a long time, he finally remembered what happened just now—he planned to use that crazy demon to break out of the encirclement—it seemed that this reckless fight was successful now, but... all his companions were still in the Fakhdod’s house. in the camp.
"Katori~!" Ren sat up from the ground at once, and his injured body immediately protested. The pain flowed through his body like an electric current, and he couldn't help snorting.
"Are you awake? How do you feel?" The witcher's voice sounded from the side, "I thought you had to be splashed with water to wake you up."
"It's you... Kaos?" Ren turned and looked at Roland, "Why are you here?"
"Because I'm a demon hunter, where there are demons, there are me." The death knight lied perfectly for himself, but Ren didn't bother to listen to his explanation.
The paladin stood up, and for the first time at this face-to-face distance, he began to look at each other carefully. Although only a few rays of moonlight leaked from the forest, it was enough to clearly outline his face. The silky blond hair was tied neatly behind the witcher's head, setting off Roland's exquisite facial features and eyes that seemed to be surging with clear spring water. The paladin had to admit that using the word beauty to describe him was much more appropriate than handsome.
But Katoli will definitely not care about you for such a boring reason. I have been with her for five years, and I know this better than anyone~! Ren subconsciously twitched the corner of his mouth while avoiding the other party's sight.
"What's wrong with you? Are you not injured?" Roland was a little surprised at the silence of the other party. "Also, where are Katoli and the others? There are many demons around here, and the situation seems to be not optimistic."
How bad the situation is, Ren knows better than Roland. If he could get the assistance of this powerful demon hunter, things would definitely become a lot easier. However, when the prepared words reached the paladin's throat, they were pulled back by some thoughts hidden deep in his heart.
If Kaos is asked for help, he will probably leave a deeper impression on Katori... Maybe she will invite this demon hunter to join the team again... How great it would be if I could solve the immediate crisis alone~! Then Katoli will definitely look at her differently~!
"Maybe I'm overthinking. If there's nothing else, please forgive me." Seeing Ren's hesitation, Roland showed a reassuring smile, "But remember to ride a hellhound next time. Be careful." The demon hunter patted the opponent on the shoulder, and then walked into the depths of the jungle without looking back.
Ryan you idiot, what the hell are you doing? Hearing the sound of footsteps gradually going away, the paladin's lips trembled. Not to mention weapons, you don't even have a stick in your hand, how can you fight those Fahdoud knights? How to fight against sword fighting spirit? If you still want to be brave now... Katoli might die~!
No matter what happens in the future, even if I ask that person for help, I can't let that happen~!
"Wait... Kaos, please wait~!" Ren shouted loudly.
"Is there anything else?" The death knight stopped, staring at the young man who was subtly hostile to him.
"Please forgive my gaffe just now, but it is because of the importance of the matter, I hope you can understand." The paladin lowered his head deeply, letting the darkness hide his expression, "Mr. Kaos, I hope you can Get your help, otherwise, my companion may be in danger... "
"Then, to make a long story short, tell me the current situation." Roland nodded.
While speaking, Ren had already healed the bruises on his body with the holy light technique, but the paladin's movements could not keep up with the demon hunter at all when he was running fast. The other party's pace seemed to be gliding, that vigorous figure shuttled through the luxuriant forest, like a ghost under the refraction of the moonlight, light and quiet. Ren was the complete opposite. In order to keep up with Roland's speed, the only thing he could do was to open a path through the jungle with brute force just like the hellhound just now.
This level of reflexes...is he really human? The paladin felt incredible.
"You just now have a sword master among the Fahdodods?" Roland's voice floated from the front, interrupting his emotion.
"Yes, he can use sword fighting spirit. If we had known earlier, we wouldn't have had a direct confrontation with him." Ren's tone was filled with regret, "That kind of attack power can't be resisted with a sword at all, just Even magic barriers can't defend against it."
"That is a very rare sword technique. It originated from the continent of Canados. It has extremely strong destructive power and is the first choice for face-to-face killing." weakness."
"You mean... you can beat the Juggernaut~!?" The voice of the young paladin immediately rose an octave.
"There is nothing certain on the battlefield, but since we want to save people, it is inevitable to confront him." Roland pulled out Frost Whisper, "Anyway, let's try it."
The camp of the Fahdods is already in sight, and the flames caused by the Balrog are rapidly spreading from the east of the camp. The towering wall of fire is like cascading waves, rolling violently on the ground, blocking the Devour everything in front of you. The outermost tents were all caught in the crimson light, and they were making crackling noises at this moment.
And against that eye-catching background, the clashing sounds of metal weapons and sharp teeth, the shouts of knights, and the angry roars of demons were completely intertwined, and finally turned into scorching wind.
"Some people are retreating, and the knights are responsible for defending against the demons. The tactical thinking is correct, but it seems that the battle situation is very chaotic," the demon hunter said to the paladin beside him. At this moment, the two were hiding in the bushes and observing the surroundings. The situation, "is a good opportunity, this situation is very beneficial to our actions."
"But how should we find him? Where is Katoli? You know, Xiuyin suffered a blow from the sword and is unable to move until now... He has no self-defense ability at all..." Ren looked at the scene in front of him worriedly.
"This is a cage formation, a camp specially used by the Fahdods to detain prisoners. This kind of camp is very weak in defending against external attacks, so these knights are in such a mess now." Roland carefully observed the tent or The location of the remains of the tent, and then concluded, "But it's no wonder, they probably never dreamed that there would be demons here."
"So what if it's a cage formation?"
"This kind of camp is equipped with tents in a double-circle radiation manner, the purpose is to guard and isolate the captives most effectively - Katoli and Xiuyin must be in some tents in another center, as long as they go there, We will be able to find them." Roland explained.
"But they may have been taken away~!" Ren raised an objection.
"If that's the case, according to my way of action, I will definitely meet the escort team halfway," the death knight replied in an unquestionable tone, "Go pick up a sword now, and follow me~!" As soon as he fell, he jumped out of the bushes and lightly landed on the battlefield. Against the backdrop of the firelight at this moment, the golden hair of the witcher looked extraordinarily brilliant.
The angry roar reached the girl's ears, followed by human screams and the muffled sound of sword cutting flesh.
It's demons... Cerberus, and Balrog... Has the Fahdoud's defense line been defeated, what happened to Ren, Xiuyin and Josephine? Katoli guessed, and frowned a little uneasy. However, she still sat quietly on the chair, and she didn't have any thoughts of running away—the knights outside were still sticking to their posts, and Katoli could hear their fierce arguments, and the shackles on her feet were too heavy. Acting now may well lead to irreparable consequences.
Losing patience when there is no hope will only drive away hope that may come, the girl warned herself. In order to calm down her restless mood, she began to chant the prayers dedicated to Luvis. However, only halfway through the reading, Katoli involuntarily stopped—the quarrel outside the tent disappeared~!
Should I rush out? When the girl was hesitating, the heavy curtain was lifted, and a thin figure was reflected in her emerald eyes.
"Josephine~!" Katoli's expression changed from surprise to joy, "You're not injured, are you? How did you escape?"
"It's a long story about the escape, but fortunately, we didn't encounter any dangerous battles along the way." The ranger smiled, "Captain, I'm not too late, am I?"
"It's time~!"
"Use this to remove the shackles first, and then we will go to Xiuyin." Josephine said and handed over a throwing axe, "Pry off the center shaft of the hinge, so that the shackles can be released from the feet, just now It is exactly what I have done."
Although there is still a lot to say, the girl is very aware of the preciousness of time. She just nodded and knelt down to start her homework. The paladin also received a considerable degree of education in mechanics, but the mithril product was much stronger than ordinary fetters, and after a few minutes—this time was enough for Katoli to remove the two fetters—it was bitten on the left foot The shackles were finally loosened.
"We were lucky, no one noticed that the guards here were killed." Josephine said, the ranger was also not idle during this time, he had already dragged in the two knights who had fallen outside the door. This not only minimizes the attention-grabbing here, but also solves Katoli's weapon problem - although the two-handed sword of the knight is not the best for her, it is at least better than facing the Fahdodus and demons with bare hands. Much better.
"Okay, pry off the left foot~!" Katoli took a breath, and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.
"Don't worry, take your time, the initiative is in our hands now." Josephine wanted to try to make the atmosphere more relaxed, but when he peeked out again from the gap in the door curtain, the figure who fell into view But it made Ranger's heart tighten.
The man who defeated them a few days ago, Austin, the sword fighting qi user, was slowly walking towards the tent.
I must protect Katoli well, and not let her fight against the Juggernaut, otherwise something will happen~! Josephine bit her lips in silence. After thinking for a few seconds, he walked to the place opposite to the door curtain, and cut a big hole in the tent with the long sword in his hand.
"Josephine?" Katoli stopped what she was doing.
"An enemy is coming, you should find a place to hide first, and loosen the shackles on your right foot by the way." The ranger explained, and handed her a sword, "I can deal with it here."
"But... I can already fight, two people are better than one~!"
"Believe me, this pair of shackles is heavier than you imagined. If you don't take them off your feet, you won't be able to exercise vigorously." Josephine pushed her out of the tent without any explanation, "You go to Xiu Yin first, There are not many enemies coming, I will get out and come to you as soon as possible."
"Is it really okay for you to be alone?" The girl was a little worried and asked again.
"Of course, otherwise, how could I reach the agreement with you?" You Xia raised his mouth slightly, "Don't worry."
"Be careful, then I'll go find Xiu Yin." Katori nodded with determination, and that slim figure quickly blended into the night that was dyed red by the flames. Watching the girl go away, You Xia finally let go of his heart, but at the same time, another voice sounded behind him.
"From the enemy's point of view, you did really well, Josephine, the son of the forest." When Austin saw the big hole in the tent, he immediately understood everything, and the two sword eyebrows immediately knit together.
"Thanks for your compliments, Austin, Fahdod's Chief Knight Commander." The ranger slowly turned around and stared at him, "Before the undead war broke out, your troops and mine had confronted many times, but I didn't expect to meet my old opponent on the battlefield under such circumstances."
"If I could have solved you a few years ago, there wouldn't be so many troubles now," Austin's tone was mixed with the cold breath of death, "But I think there is still time to remedy it, right?" Juggernaut said Then he pointed the long sword in his hand at the ranger, and the sharp blade reflected the flickering candlelight, like the bloodthirsty fangs of a ferocious beast.
As Josephine said, the mithril shackles are very heavy, and even if the feet are not restrained, they cannot move freely without completely getting rid of them. After running for a while, Katoli, who was out of breath, finally decided to remove the shackles before continuing to search for her lost companion. Soon, she found a relatively secluded place among the tents, and the girl immediately bent down and began to dismantle it.
Katoli had to move quickly, she knew very well that the situation in front of her was the most dangerous. Without the cover of her companions, she who was half kneeling here was like a living target, but what was worse was that when she was worried, there were hurried footsteps not far away.
How dare you come here at this time... You will be able to unshackle me in five minutes~! Thinking of how unlucky she was, Katoli couldn't help crying. However, as the voice gradually approached, the paladin gradually calmed down—she was still not sure of victory, but her body naturally assumed the best posture for a surprise attack. The girl's back was pressed against the surface of the tent, and all the nerves and muscles in her body were tense. She was like a trap that was about to explode, quietly waiting for the prey to arrive.
Relying on her listening skills, Katoli judged that the enemy had already moved to the side, and as long as she moved a little further, she could see herself stuck to the tent. She leaned out from the cover like lightning, swung the long sword in her hand, and slashed at the opponent's upper body. Even if this blow could not cut off the target's head, it was enough to cause fatal damage.
In the next instant, the crisp sound of metal rubbing against each other resounded in the air.
"Catori?" Roland, who took the attack with Frost Lament, was a little surprised, but soon a mocking smile appeared on his face, "You are much more energetic than I imagined."
"...Kaos?" The girl couldn't believe her eyes.
On the side, Ren Wei, who was carrying a high-ranking mage on his back, could only stare at the scene in front of him dumbfounded.
"In short, we have rescued Xiu Yin." After a few brief explanations, Roland concluded. The death knight then carefully swung his sword, and the sharp edge of Frost Lamentation precisely split the mithril bound on the girl's ankle into two.
"I really didn't expect to meet you at this time." Katoli's expression was a bit complicated.
"Where there are demons, there will be demon hunters. This is a natural reason." The corner of the demon hunter's mouth rose, "Let's go to Josephine first, and explain the rest slowly." The death knight said walked forward.
Don't sneak away this time. Looking at the back of the other party, the girl thought secretly.
"Katori, it's great that you're fine." Ren smiled knowingly, and the high-ranking mage on his back nodded weakly to the captain.
"Well, thank you very much this time, Ren." Katoli stared at the other party and said seriously, "Without you, we would not be able to get Kaos' help at all, and maybe we would not be able to get out of the encirclement... Thank you .”
"It's nothing, I just did what I should do." Under the watchful eyes of those emerald eyes, the face of the young paladin suddenly flushed red.
"It's not like you to be so humble." The girl laughed, "Come on, as long as you find Josephine, the team can move forward~!"
"Yes." Ren nodded.
That's right, everything will be back to normal soon, and you can continue to complete the tasks entrusted by Luvis. And... this time, I must persuade Kaos to join our team~! Thinking of this, Katoli really couldn't hide her mood at the moment, a smile bloomed on her face unconsciously.
All you need is to find Josephine. Now he has dealt with those enemies, right? The girl speculated, but the next moment, the scene in front of her was like the coldest storm in the Northland, freezing her smile for an instant.
How could this be... Wasn't it agreed with me... Katoli subconsciously covered her mouth with both hands to avoid shouting.
The scorching flames brought by the devil are already close at hand. The twisted and twisted wall of fire is like a big snake spitting out a letter, making a hissing sound, slowly rolling over the dry and cracked ground, and opening its mouth to lick the black night sky.
Austin stood right in front of this giant python, surrounded by countless golden sparks flying in the air, which not only made the edges of the black cloak more clear, but also reflected the beast-like frenzied light in the Juggernaut's pupils. Josephine's broken body fell six meters away from him. There was only a protruding broken bone in the place where the right arm used to be.
"Josephine~!" The girl rushed forward recklessly, helping the unconscious ranger. It wasn't until now that she discovered the extent of Josephine's injuries. Not only was his right arm below the shoulder joint amputated, but a deep and wide wound was cut on his upper body from his left shoulder to his right abdomen, and his thigh was also cut by someone. A hole was pierced by an extremely savage force—without a doubt, this is the masterpiece of sword fighting qi. At this moment, these terrifying wounds were extracting the ranger's little blood without hesitation, and spraying it out vigorously. In the blink of an eye, Katoli's clothes were dyed red.
"Ren, put down Xiu Yin, come and help me, hurry~!" the girl quickly ordered.
"How did it become like this~! This, this is a fatal injury~!" Ren knelt beside the ranger, his tone of voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Stop talking nonsense~! Don't think about anything else, calm down and concentrate, so that you can exert the greatest power of the Holy Light~!" Katoli replied briefly, "No matter what happens, I must Bring him back from the brink of death~!"
Accompanied by the ups and downs of prayers, golden warm currents poured out from the hands of the two paladins, gently wrapping the dying Josephine.
No matter what... I must save my companion from the mouth of death~! The girl stared at the scene in front of her, pursed her pale lips tightly, not even daring to relax her breath.
When Katoli and Ren tried their best to use the holy light technique, Roland took a step forward and stood between them and Austin. The believers of Luvis are the enemies of the undead army, but now I am not the death knight, but the demon hunter Kaos—there is no need to hesitate, since I have already agreed when accepting Rennes' help, then what to do There is only one thing.
"Are you the Juggernaut?" Roland looked at him vigilantly. There were many traces of flame friction on Austin's coat - obviously, he had fought against several Balrogs before and won all of them. —and that's not good news for the witcher.
"I'm Austin Stewart," said the other party with a hint of arrogance in his voice, "Report your name~!"
"I am Kaos, this is really a nostalgic etiquette," Roland replied sarcastically, "Are we engaging in a noble knight duel?"
Austin was not irritated by such words, he still kept an appropriate distance from the death knight: "It seems that I am really unlucky today, demons, mercenaries...everyone is here to join in the fun, I will give you five seconds to get out of here immediately." Disappear in front of my eyes, otherwise, die~!"
"It's impossible for me to leave." The demon hunter raised the big sword in his hand and replied calmly.
"Then I have no choice but to kill you. Now that the matter has developed to this point, I don't care how many people will die. Anyway, as long as one is left alive, it will be difficult to manage if there are too many prisoners~!" The sword danced in the hands of the Juggernaut, "You will soon become a shattered rag like that ranger~! You should be honored to die under the strongest swordsmanship in the world~!"
"That's not the strongest swordsmanship in the world," Roland said.
Austin didn't answer, his sword was the answer. The strong wind and anger condensed and shrank on the long sword, and then turned into an extremely sharp air blade, with a sharp whistling, it rushed towards the target in front of it.