Chapter 29: Chapter 29: A ferocious charge
Early morning in Southeast Beltir....
....
In a dense green forest, two kilometers northeast of Nieza, a brown-haired youth in black leather armor is standing in an open space surrounded by eight individuals wearing light brown leather armor on all sides.
The youth in the middle released a sinister aura accompanied by a heavy murderous intent spreading around the encirclement. The men shuddered, feeling the younger man's killing intent, a man in the crowd even dropped to his knees stabbing his sword to the ground, while most placed their arms in front of their faces trying to shield themselves from the invisible pressure.
"Look at me directly! Make it a habit, a reflex, that when faced with a threat or with the unknown, always discharge aura defense and use enhanced eyes in an instant", the young man in the middle stared around intently with his threatening bright green eyes.
"Control your aura, make it dense enough to protect you from something like this, and keep your eyes on me! Don't lose sight of an opponent, especially in combat, you're dead when you do that! Slowly walked to me! Closer!"
A handsome young blonde, along with a man with long brown hair and a foreign-looking man with black hair tied to a bun started moving slowly, a few inches at a time.
Twenty meters away, three men in light armor are staring at the crowd.
"Is it true, the young viscount is a peak knight master?", a knight with gray hair and squared jaw asked the two knights at his sides for confirmation.
A bald knight with thick facial hair answered, "We only saw him fight once on our way back from the northeast, he easily dispatched a middle knight level tracker and two amateurs".
"Yeah, and like in a flash", the knight with black hair and round clean face added.
Moris stared at his lord in the distance and thought, 'an ambitious, high-level fighter for a lord, hmmmm. It has been long since I had been excited about what the future holds for me'.
While the three men are looking at their lord casually, a person walked past them by their side leisurely, like they aren't there at all. The three knights felt surprised thinking, 'shit! Who's this, I didn't feel him walking by at all'.
The knights are in the motion of drawing their weapons and making a stance whilst the tall person with white hair continued to walk in their lord's direction.
"Sir. Drake!", Norman cried out slightly, stopping everyone's movement.
Drake tilted his head a little towards them and gave a nod while continuing his strut.
"Is that him? The other knight", Moris asked after returning to his initial posture.
"Yeah, the other monster our lord brought", Norman answered with a prideful smile.
Eric noticed Drake approaching from a distance and withdraw his aura, "that's it for now, practice maintaining the minimum required dense aura while meditating". Spencer, Trim, and a guy named Brian are now lying on the ground four meters away from the young lord catching their breaths, while the others had made some kind of progress too.
Eric nodded to Drake, gesturing him to approach.
Drake stood in front of Eric in attention, when the young lord spoke, "you've improved again, almost there. Well focus on that with Keith later after this task".
"Thank you, Sire."
"Report."
"There are movements Sire, I believe, they are preparing to deliver the goods, probably around nightfall, milord"
"Perfect. So there leaving through the North gate of the town?"
"Most likely."
"Good, rest for now."
"....."
"Anything else?"
"I have a request my liege."
"Speak."
"I have been practicing my aura blade coating, will you spar with me?"
Eric looked at the man with a smile and thought, 'how diligent, my cute little assassin.'
"Alright."
....
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....
Nightfall...
At the North Gate of Nieza
A caravan of five big wagons covered with black clothe as roofs are leaving the town, guarded by two knights, some amateurs and trainees, 20 horsemen, 40 footmen, and around 30 hard labor workers or simply porters.
At the front of the caravan is a chubby man with blonde hair wearing a luxurious coat surrounded by two fully armed knights on horseback.
The chubby man spoke whilst not facing the knight beside him, "we have more goods piled up, than usual, Bruce?"
"Yes, milord. We weren't able to deliver it, since the Baron was busy with the affairs regarding Earl Lener of Murphory", a rough-looking blonde knight with a crooked nose answered.
"That scum of an Earl from the south really gave my brother a headache. Ptui!", the chubby man spit then continued.
"This will take us a lot longer".
....
In a wooded area in a distance, a person in a dark green cloak is scanning the caravan while standing on a thick branch of a giant tree, 'Hmmmm, two ordinary knights, five amateurs, and some trainees in the regular soldiers. Almost a hundred people.'
After a couple of minutes later, the man jump off the tree and disappeared into the dense leaves and branches.
....
After two hours of traveling northwards, the caravan reached a narrow road with thick trees and vegetation on both sides, with an uphill landscape at their right.
"Sir. Bruce!", one of the horsemen yelled, calling their commander's attention, and then pointed towards the uphill area.
The blonde knight stared in the direction his subordinate pointed to, "Huh? Some kind of light, a torch?", the knight realized something and made a worried look then yelled his orders.
"Halt! Into positio--."
He hasn't finished his orders when a volley of arrows rained down on them, instantly killing two horsemen in the knight's proximity.
"It's an attack! Formations!", the head knight ordered while grabbing the chubby man by his collar and placing him inside one of the wagons.
Four volleys of arrows, killing a total of nine men, the head knight looked at some of his men and realized that several arrows went through the soldier's thick wooden shield, he eventually used enhanced eyes which gave him a shock, aura coated arrows, 'master-level archer? Akkadea!'
The knight displayed a fearful look on his face until an amateur tapped him and reported, "Sir. Bruce! Riders coming! Approaching our rear".
"What?", the blonde knight was brought back from his thought.
....
A buff black-haired fully armored knight is at the rear of the caravan with five horsemen and ten footmen, the soldiers are in a formation with shields, spears, and swords while the horsemen are at the back of the line.
Thirty meters south of their position is a group of around thirty riders all wearing a hooded cloak and some form of face-covering with mismatch leather armors, are rapidly approaching with drawn weapons.
Charging at the front of is a gray-haired man armed with a glaive displaying a ferocious aura, beside him are two other men with their unleased firm looking aura's, "Knights!"
The galloping chargers collided with the defensive formation, the lead rider made a wide fierce swing instantly killing three soldiers at the front of the defensive line, opening a path for the cavalry.
The defending knight was unfazed and turned to face the leader of these attackers, but a wide downward slash is already coming for his head. The fully armored knight's face got distorted, with the attacker's momentum added to the strike, blocking it will probably break his sword and instantly kill him, that is why his body told him to evade by leaning backward, but his left thigh still received a deep cut which continued to his horse almost cutting the horse in half. The knight fell down from his steed and bump his head hard on the ground, he momentarily lost consciousness but due to adrenaline he recovered quickly and tried to stand up.
However, the knight wasn't able to stand straight due to his wound and used his sword as a cane, he looked around and saw most of his men now dead, trampled, and seriously injured, by the charge. The knight turned back and saw the head rider circling back towards him to finish the job. The knight thought that this is the end for him, but it seems like he's incapable of feel anything else, no fear, no anger, just the clear sound of his breathing, and heartbeat and nothing else around him, he looked up to the glaive coming down his neck.
Then there was nothing...
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone