Compared with the magnificence of the day, Grand Lourdes under the moon has another style. The lights of thousands of houses and the stars in the sky reflect each other, like two deep mirrors, showing the distance that only belongs to the night. The meandering Xingchen River is like a blue silk, quietly flowing through the noise and luxury, quietly embellishing the city with a little distance.
But the elf girl was not attracted by the beautiful scenery, she cast her eyes on another place from time to time—the arena in the center of the city. Under the hazy moonlight, this ancient building that rises from the ground still gives people a heavy sense of oppression, like a giant dragon about to wake up.
"The moonlight tonight is really pleasant, and it can just bring out your beauty and elegance." Prince Ed said, slowly walking up to the terrace of the palace, "If the bard sees it, I'm afraid he can't help counting A hundred poems."
"The charm of elves is not as fascinating as it is said in the legend." The girl just smiled at the other party's compliment, and then cautiously changed the subject, "But my curiosity has always been very strong."
"Aha, my minister has sent a detailed report on that gladiator." The prince stood still beside Oluha, and replied triumphantly, "His name is Roland."
Oluha's whole body trembled for a moment, and the dark fire mixed with complex emotions could not be restrained in his eyes. After several seconds, she finally restrained her emotions, and then slowly opened her mouth: "So... where did he come from?"
"The imperial army captured him in a small seaside village. It is said that this stupid guy attacked the tax collector." Ed did not notice the subtle changes in the girl beside him, "and going back further, there is no There is no information, no record at all, he seems to have emerged from the sea, has no identity, no parents, no relatives." The prince shrugged, "Maybe Roland is a spy sent by Riddle, or a traitor. Maybe a member of the army. But those are not important, in short, since he has entered the arena, he will never have a chance to come out again."
"In addition, if you want to watch that wonderful swordplay again, I can arrange everything tomorrow." Ed approached the elf attentively, "You can let him deal with griffins, human-faced lions or even more exciting monsters, how?"
"Thank you very much for your kindness." Oluha forced a smile.
When the elf returned to the ball hall with the prince, the first thing that came into sight was Alberta with a serious expression. As if remembering something, the waves in Oluha's eyes gradually faded, replaced by the clear eyes of the past.
"His Royal Highness Oluha," Alberta stepped forward, seemingly not paying attention to the prince at the side, "everything is ready."
"Has it already started?" The elf girl confirmed in a calm tone, "Then it's time for us to take action."
"Start what?" Ed was obviously confused by this strange conversation, "What are you talking about?"
But immediately after, his inquiry turned into a meaningless grunt. After a few seconds, the prince of the Sofia Empire had already lay down on the floor of the palace ballroom, and fell into a deep sleep.
Not only that, but all the creatures in the ballroom and even the entire palace fell into a deep sleep—the nobles who were dancing just now fell to the ground, the soldiers started snoring on their spears, the canary in the cage stopped singing, Even the flowers that adorn the palace bow their heads.
Under the powerful prayer technique, the only ones who are still awake are Oluha and Alberta.
"The entire castle is surrounded by the quiet domain. Even if outsiders rush in, they will only fall into a deep sleep like them." Oluha looked at the silent hall under the influence of his power, "We have enough time to finish Task."
"Are you going to kill him?" The elf swordsman looked at the ugly sleeping prince at his feet.
"No... For the Sofia Free Army, his existence is not only not a threat, but can also be used. What we want to kill are those enemies who are cruel and know how to trick." The other party sighed faintly, "Hurry up and get rid of it Prince Caribeo and Prime Minister Shagru went out to join the main force."
Alberta nodded wordlessly, drew out the sharp long sword at his waist, then jumped over the sleeping people lightly, and swung two sharp wind blades towards the motionless target.
The roar of the explosion spell came from behind the wall again, and the huge magic power made the whole building vibrate slightly—for those who hid in it, this was an arduous street battle. But no matter how close the threat of death is, they have no room to retreat—if they can rush out, they will be free, and if they cannot break through the encirclement, perhaps death is the best result.
This is the long-planned escape plan of the Sofia Free Army-the rebel army in the royal family's mouth. This time, they not only have to rescue their imprisoned companions, but also eliminate the evil big nobles in one go. And now the battle will determine the life and death of all participants.
On the night of the end of the gladiatorial fight, nearly 3,000 fighters sneaked into Grand Lourdes. Relying on the inner line of the city, they cleverly bypassed the defense facilities where 30,000 regular troops were stationed, and directly attacked the gladiator prison on the side of the arena. When all the more than 2,000 prisoners in custody escaped, the Sofia defenders finally discovered that the city had been raided.
The guards immediately assembled as quickly as possible. Although the city gate was damaged and could not be closed, the supreme commander was still attending the ball in the palace, and the messengers who went to report the news never returned, but the well-trained soldiers still blocked it correctly, and relied on the power of the mage to hold it for several days. a traffic artery.
Now Roland and his party are at the crossroads near the arena, as long as they break through two more streets, they can escape from Great Lourdes. But in front of them were a large number of heavily armed Sofia guards and several high-ranking mages.
"These defenders are stronger than I imagined." Guerrero snorted, and looked around from behind the ruins where he was hiding. Immediately, several sharp arrows greeted him, forcing him to retract his head quickly.
"It's Sofia's officers, not the soldiers, who are in trouble." Wei Wo replied in the tone of a bystander, "If those officers who lack common sense hadn't been trapped in the palace, maybe our current situation would be better."
"Shut up." The orc growled in a low voice, and then turned to the free army fighters beside him, "Jerry, why haven't the mage hunters come yet? If we don't break through this line of defense, I'm afraid we will be completely surrounded. Hey, I I don’t want to be imprisoned as a gladiator again.”
"Our number is too small." The commander replied, "Even if all the gladiators are counted, there are only 5,000 people in total, not to mention that a considerable number of gladiators are just ordinary death row prisoners, and they don't obey the command of the free army at all."
"But the situation will be even more unfavorable if the stalemate continues." Wei Wo drew out his long sword as he said, "Let's be tough."
"Wait~!" A young voice came over, interrupting everyone's thoughts.
Roland walked forward slowly: "I will deal with those mages alone."
"Are you alone?" Several people shouted in unison. Even the orcs and Weaver couldn't hide their suspicious eyes—a well-trained regular army and Cyclops are completely different things. How could it be possible for one person to snipe and kill a well-defended high-ranking mage
"Yes, I am alone." The young man replied lightly, "Although I am very grateful to you for freeing me, I am not a member of the Freedom Army, so I am not obliged to obey the orders of the Freedom Army. You just need to wait until the spell stops and charge. Of course, if I'm dead, you'll have to figure it out on your own."
"You seem to want to put yourself in danger on purpose." Guerrero looked at him in confusion, "Why?"
"I don't know." There was a faint fire in Roland's pupils, and then he shrugged helplessly, "Perhaps only when I am fighting, can I realize my true self." He said, lightly Running out from the other side of the bunker, Swift's back was like a cheetah, deadly and silent.
"Could he succeed this time?" Wei Wo stared intently at the shadow that disappeared into the darkness, and then glanced at his old partner. "Or, he was originally a spy, and now he is going to report the news?"
"Who knows?" This time, the suspicious orc just replied in a low voice.
The Freedom Army fighters stayed behind the bunker for ten long and restless minutes, and then, the magic attack from the opposite side was interrupted, as suddenly as a snuffed candle, and the entire battlefield was plunged into darkness.
The leading raiders immediately seized this rare opportunity and rushed across the street. More than 3,000 Liberation Army fighters immediately seized the commanding heights and shooting points at the crossroads. The place that was the enemy's defensive position just now became the frontline position of the breakouts in a blink of an eye.
And when they occupied all the houses beside the crossroads, the scene inside one of them could not help but make these experienced soldiers gasp—there was blood everywhere, and even the ceiling was stained with a large piece of shocking blood. red. Two middle-level mages in red robes fell to the ground, one was cut in half, and the other was wounded from shoulder to waist. There was no sign of a magic explosion beside the corpse, indicating that the mages were killed before they could resist. Roland's sneak attack was obviously very successful.
However, this does not mean that the escape after the sneak attack was equally successful. Another half-open door and dozens of bodies of Sofia soldiers showed that the attacker had already revealed his identity and was fleeing in a panic.
"Damn, that guy..." The orc frowned rarely, "I'm afraid he can't join us now."
"But we can't stay here alone, Guerrero." Jerry on the side sighed, "We must retreat as soon as possible before the enemy forms an encirclement circle."
Guerrero thought for a moment, and finally nodded: "That's right, mission completion must be the top priority. Let the soldiers continue to move forward until they break through the last blockade."
But then, a crisp and pleasant voice interrupted the orc's words.
"The last street has also been controlled by us. Jerry, please lead everyone out of the battlefield immediately." Oluha said as she walked into the room, but the bloody scene made her stop immediately, and even her expression suddenly changed. Pale.
"Hey, haven't we seen each other for almost half a year? Miss Elf is still so delicate, how can she go to the battlefield like this?" The orc deliberately snorted.
"Guerrero~! And Weiwo~!" Oluha replied with a bright smile, "Great, you are all here~!"
"Long time no see, both of you." Alberta said with a smile.
The human swordsman leaning against the wall just nodded slightly, but his eyes were full of emotion. On the ever-changing battlefield, there may not be much time for people to taste the joy of reuniting their companions, but that moment is enough for the most outstanding leaders of the Freedom Army to establish a long-lost tacit understanding.
"Let's rush out now~!" Weaver broke the silence, and then patted the elf girl's shoulder.
"I'll open the way." The elf swordsman nodded and walked outside.
But when the two stepped out of the room, Oluha quietly held back the orc: "Guerrero, I have something to confirm with you."
"What?" The other party was obviously a little strange, and the girl's next question made him open his mouth in surprise.
"Do you know a gladiator named Roland?"
"Ro, Roland~!?" Guerrero repeated stammeringly.
"It's the one who defeated the Cyclops in the duel today, do you remember? Afterwards, you will fight together~!" There was a hint of anxiety in the elf's eyes, "I know it's unreasonable to ask, but you know he Which direction did you go after the prison riot?"
"He killed the two mages here...but he disappeared after raiding the crossroads. I'm afraid he is being chased by a large number of defenders now." The orc stared at the elf for a long time, "Oluha, do you know him?" That rascal?"
"There is no time to talk so much." The girl replied firmly, "I have to save him."
"But..." Before the other party could refute, an invisible barrier rose in the room, separating the elf from the stunned Guerrero. The orcs were helpless against the power of magic, and the only thing they could do was to watch the girl leave through the door on the other side.
"Don't worry Alberta, I will meet you when you are resting." Oluha's voice like a silver bell floated from a distance, and then she disappeared from Guerrero's sight.
Tonight, there are very few pedestrians on the street. In late autumn, the night wind in Greater Lourdes roars along the wide river, bringing a heart-warming cold wherever it passes. However, Roland's skin was cooler than the wind. His figure was integrated with the darkness of the street, and his breathing was even and natural, as if he wasn't breathing at all.
He has completely entered the fighting state, his eyes are sharper than the blade.
A person, a street, a bright moon shining brightly in the night sky. For the running youth, tonight is a time when death and mania interpenetrate.
When he discovered that Guerrero and Weaver were the leaders of the Freedom Army, Roland understood that they were two completely different types of people from himself. The opponent has a clear goal, and clearly knows the purpose of wielding the sword in his hand, and there is someone behind them who must be protected. However, I have nothing, not even a single fragment of memory.
who I am? Where do I come from? what should I do? Roland didn't know, and couldn't find the answer. Even with all the knowledge necessary for survival, the world is still unfamiliar to him.
The only moment that can feel familiar is the moment when you walk on the edge of life and death. In the blood-red arena, when he jumped on the back of the Cyclops and thrust down the broken sword with all his strength, Roland could clearly feel that his soul was clamoring.
A long time ago, that forgotten self must have fought like this. Youth is sure of this. So, he has to fight more, hoping to remember something and justify his existence.
After solving the two unlucky mages for the free army, Roland killed at least dozens of experienced knights on the way to escape. However, the feeling he expected did not appear. His heartbeat, consciousness and everything else were stable and abnormal, and there was no sign of awakening memory at all.
Maybe you have to put yourself to death to reproduce everything at that time, but in the face of more and more enemies chasing after him, Roland's heart shrinks - after all, if he is really dead, there is no chance to find the meaning of existence. will be lost.
"Damn it." The young man cursed in a low voice. He found that he was too deep into the city, and he knew nothing about the roads. It was very difficult to break through the siege of the defenders at this moment.
"Catch that fugitive~!" A sharp-eyed archer yelled, and then shot several arrows. Behind him, a whole patrol squad came into sight of the Lost Ones. Facing such a large number of enemies, Roland was not sure of retreating completely. What's more, the longer the battle dragged on, the more reinforcements the defenders would call in, so he had no choice but to push aside the flying arrows that were aimed at him, and then turned around and ran away.
"Surround him, he ran towards the water color square~!" Twenty defenders quickly drew their long swords and chased after him.
In this way, the two sides launched a pursuit battle on the streets of Grand Lourdes. Roland was wearing the leather armor snatched from the gladiator's arsenal. Although it was damaged in many places and its protective performance was greatly reduced, it was still a competent armor when he was running away. In addition, his speed is very fast, so none of the Sofia knights can catch up with him, let alone those soldiers.
But Roland knew that this situation would not last long. If a mage appears in the defenders, even the most common slowing magic can bring a fatal blow - once the speed of escape is slowed down, the pursuers will immediately knock themselves to the ground and stab twenty long swords .
what to do? There was a trace of sweat on Roland's forehead. He glanced at the alleys on both sides of the street hastily while running, but the bad thing was that most of them seemed to be dead ends.
If this continues...
"Turn left, now~!" A voice like a silver bell suddenly rang in the ear of the young man. Before Roland had time to think about it, he turned into the alley reflexively.
"After two forks, there will be a low wall on your right. Take advantage of the few seconds after the turn and turn away from the opponent's sight to turn over. The defenders should not notice." The second order came, and the young man leaped over fence. A large number of soldiers were still chasing desperately on the other side of the wall, not knowing that they had passed the target. The sound of armor colliding was noisy at first, and then gradually faded away.
Roland breathed a sigh of relief.
"Excuse me... who are you?" After hesitating for a while, the fugitive asked cautiously into the air. Just as he expected, the woman who was guiding him hidden in the night could hear these words clearly.
"Are you willing to believe me?" The other party asked back, "Even if you get rid of a wave of chasing soldiers, it won't help. The whole city is completely blocked now... I want to help you," the clear voice lowered, "But the next action It is very dangerous, even I am not sure about it, and if I am not careful, I will die."
"At times like this, names and identities can't bring trust and tacit understanding, and it's not too late to talk about those until we meet." The girl sighed deeply, "I just want to simply confirm that you are willing to risk your life Entrust it to me?"
After thinking for a few seconds, Roland nodded: "I see, I will follow your arrangement from now on."
"Is it really okay?" The girl asked eagerly.
"Of course," the young man pretended to laugh easily, "Under the current situation, I can't imagine any worse ending, so I might as well take a gamble."
"Okay~!" The other party's voice contained a strange firmness. At that moment, Roland couldn't help feeling inexplicable familiarity and longing deep in his heart.
According to the route planned by this mysterious guide, Roland must immediately head towards the heart of the city, and finally arrive at the cross-river bridge over the Star River. Although he didn't know why the guide let him fall into the area where the defenders were most likely to encircle, but since he had agreed to obey the command, the only thing he had to do now was to go in that direction with all his strength, no matter how many enemies he encountered along the way.
A Sophia knight yelled and slashed his epee down, but immediately after, the fugitives circled around him like a ghost. The moment the opponent's attack failed, Roland's sword had already penetrated the target's neck, so the captain of the patrol team fell down while spraying blood. After killing dozens of pursuers, the young man did not move forward immediately, but first adjusted his breathing and reconfirmed the location of the bridge.
Under the guidance of the girl, the bridge across the river is just around the corner. The four steel cable towers standing upright stretched out their black tips like bones, silently piercing the gloomy sky. They are intertwined like intertwined fingers. From a distance, it looks like a shadow falling on the ground, looking back at those who observe it maliciously.
You only need to go one more street to reach your destination, but before that, there is still an inescapable battle waiting for the fugitives—a high-ranking mage is stationed at the bridgehead, and beside him are four knights who came from the cloth. Judging from the armor full of traces, they are all powerful warriors who have experienced many battles.
Roland didn't hesitate - if he didn't move forward, the pursuers would arrive soon, and he had no choice at all - he lowered his posture and rushed up like flying.
"That idiot who doesn't know how to live or die." The high-ranking mage narrowed his eyes, and he opened a clenched hand as he said, blue arcs swam between his knuckles. The knights had drawn their sharp swords, but they didn't rush forward—in the face of powerful magic, enemies who couldn't get close would only become targets. All he needed to do was protect the mage behind him, and there was no need to make a move at all.
However, at the moment when the chain lightning pierced through the air, Roland's sword also came before the mage's eyes—to everyone's surprise, he threw the weapon in his hand directly. The light of the lightning prevented the knights from catching the flight trajectory of the sword in time, and the overconfident caster did not cast a physical barrier on himself, so the long sword accurately pierced through the high-level sword after drawing an arc in the air. Mage's chest.
"That bastard..." The leading knight turned his head and stared blankly at the mage's bloody chest, uncontrollable anger suddenly surfaced on his cheeks.
"Kill him~! Kill him~!" The Sophia knights howled and rushed towards Roland who escaped the lightning.
The young man only saw a flash of white light in front of his eyes, and he immediately jumped back, making the first thrust of the stab miss, but the second thrust came one after another. The four long swords of the four high-level knights fluttered in the air, like the four long legs of a poisonous spider, staring at the vitals of their prey, ready to stab at any time.
However, Roland flashed all these swords.
The youth who have lost their weapons have no chance to fight back, and the only option is to retreat. However, in the process of fighting, no matter how hard the knights tried, they were still unable to surround him. On the contrary, facing this erratic enemy, the formation of the four knights became chaotic, often crowded together.
At this time, Roland finally got a complete attack opportunity - a knight was rushing towards him, but behind him, the other three were blocked, which meant that there were several seconds to deal with the single enemy in front of him. The moment the long sword slashed down, the young man stepped aside briskly, then grabbed the opponent's hand holding the sword, and then exerted a lot of force, breaking the knight's forearm with a snap.
Before the wounded could let out a shrill cry, Roland wiped his throat with the sharp blade he had snatched, and then stabbed the second knight in the chest. The high-ranking mage's personal guard team was reduced by half, and the remaining two knights showed fear in their eyes, subconsciously put on a defensive posture and began to retreat slowly.
Just as the two sides were in a stalemate, the sound of metal clashing came from a distance again, and the light of countless torches faintly appeared at the end of the street. A large number of defenders who had been abducted in the streets and alleys just now were coming, and Roland's eyes couldn't help showing a trace of haze.
"Leave them alone~! Hurry up to the bridge." The guide's voice sounded again, so Roland waved his sword in a feint, turned around and ran away.
Seeing the prey running towards the center of the encirclement, the surviving knights couldn't help showing joy, and they immediately turned their heads and loudly ordered the chasing soldiers to block the bridge. In the blink of an eye, the heavy infantry armed with tower shields lined up in five rows, completely blocking the entire street. The archers behind them occupied the commanding heights of the buildings on both sides, and aimed at the center of the bridge with their bows and arrows. Several high-ranking mages chanted lengthy incantations, summoning sawtooth crocodiles one after another in the River of Stars that were more than five meters long.
Roland stood alone in the middle of the cable bridge across the Great Lourdes River, motionless.
He has nowhere to run. When the road behind him was blocked, a large number of defenders suddenly poured out from the other side, blocking him in the same way. Coupled with the crocodiles baring their teeth and claws in the water and the archers on the roof, Roland couldn't escape even if he could fly or swim. The entire bridge has been imprisoned in the perfect three-dimensional cage built by the defenders, without any gaps at all.
"It's really a big battle." Roland muttered to himself, and smiled wryly, "What should we do now?" But this time, the mysterious and pleasant voice didn't answer.
Did something happen to her? A wave of uneasiness passed through the young man's heart, but then, a rough voice amplified by magic interrupted his thoughts.
"Listen to the condemned prisoner standing on the bridge, you are completely surrounded now~!" A high-ranking knight waved a bright sword and roared loudly, "Surrender immediately, or you will die. I will give you ten Think about the time in seconds~!"
"Ten~!"
"The void summons the ruler of the elements here, majestic tide hunter, use your power to protect the important person in my heart, and clear away all obstacles in front of me~!" The elf girl opened her beautiful eyes, Let the body dance together with the turbulent undercurrent.
"Three~!" The mages muttered an attacking spell.
"Two~!" The archers tensed their bowstrings.
"One~!" Roland raised the long sword in his hand, and ignited a cold flame in his eyes.
In the next instant, the calm Xingchen River boiled in an instant.
Several sawtooth crocodiles of You Ge were thrown into the air by a huge momentum; the violent vortex shook the granite river bank; stood up.
The Great Lourdes Chain Bridge has a drop of at least 35 meters from the water surface, but this giant, whose waist is submerged in the water, is a full head higher than the bridge deck. When he got close to Roland, the other party could even clearly see the muscles and veins made up of streams of water, as well as the fists and skin covered with layers of ice. And on the right hand of this huge monster, the young man suddenly saw a beautiful figure.
"Jump~!" The elf girl with beautiful eyes shouted to Roland.
Roland came back to his senses—the elf in front of him must be the one who guided him here—he jumped out of the guardrail without hesitation, and then jumped to the water surface. The blue giant immediately caught the brave fugitive lightly. But when Roland regained his balance, he couldn't help but hold his breath—at this moment, the phantom-like girl who controlled unparalleled power was standing in front of him.
"You are... this is magic?" Roland looked around blankly. The Sophia defenders have fallen into a state of hysteria. The archers are shooting arrows frantically, but no matter whether they are iron arrows or broken magic arrows, they are all shot down by the big hands of the water giant. And the fireballs and lightning of the mages couldn't break through the defensive net woven by the flying water at all. No matter how they attack, everything is in vain.
"That's right, this is Rima, and I'm a Rimagata." Oluha said, a gratified smile appeared on his face, "You must have a lot of questions to ask? Don't worry, wait until you leave After finishing the pursuit, I also want to have a good chat with you, can you?"
"Of course..." When the elf stared at him intently, Roland couldn't help but his face was burning hot, and he quickly lowered his head.
"However, it's not okay to leave as soon as you come. Let me give them some gifts. In return for these nobles who usually bully the common people." Jumped up, and then rushed towards the troops on both sides of the strait.
The heavy infantry array disappeared at the moment of impact, and the archers who occupied the commanding heights were also swallowed by the rushing water along with the houses under their feet. The panic-stricken mages hurriedly used the flying technique to try to get out of the position, but at this moment, torrents spewed out of the water one after another quickly, binding them like ropes, and then dragging the screaming prey into the bottomless abyss again.
At the same time when Sophia's defenders suffered annihilation, the huge water element carefully picked up the two people in the water bubbles, and silently dived into the ancient Star River, and soon melted into the azure blue.