Chapter 26: Knightly Etiquette Means Crushing Straight Through
This chapter is still being revised, please don't read it for now.
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Amidst the ever-growing blizzard of wind and dust, warhorses galloped, the charging formation advancing relentlessly. After breaking through wave after wave of obstacles, Joshua and his men finally crossed the edge of the beast tide and drew closer to the central area.
Compared to the thick-skinned, brute-force beasts on the outer perimeter, the monsters here were somewhat more fragile in body. However, the magical energy fluctuations emanating from them were several times greater than those of their earlier counterparts. Upon sensing the knights' approach, these frenzied beasts immediately opened their mouths or other energy-gathering organs, unleashing wave after wave of magical breath attacks at their enemies.
But since this was the Northern Lands, most of these breath attacks were ice or water attribute, with few of the difficult-to-dodge lightning attribute. These slow-moving breath attacks were easily evaded by the knights galloping on horseback. Even if one was occasionally struck, the dense barrier of battle qi, combined with armor and shield protection, meant there was basically no serious harm.
"Crush them!"
Joshua declared loudly. His left hand swung, and the massive steel lance vanished in an instant. Then, with a single tremendous boom, an invisible shockwave mixed with a gale that cut against the blizzard not only shattered several breath attacks aimed at him but also pierced through and flung away all the frenzied beasts before him. Countless splatters of purple-black, foul blood fell to the ground, freezing into crystals.
Then, seizing the rare gap, he finally had time to ask his Divine Mechanism what she had meant by what she said earlier.
"Ying, what did you say just now?"
"Master, those monsters you just killed—they were Wild Gods."
From within the silver-white greatsword came Ying's psychic fluctuation. The girl's voice sounded very excited: "This beast tide is definitely problematic. There are actually Wild Gods mixed in among them, and the magical beasts aren't attacking them!"
"Those were Wild Gods?"
Because he was still constantly charging forward and slaughtering monsters, Joshua could only spare a bit of attention to recall the conversation with his Divine Mechanism: "They didn't feel very strong. I didn't even get a chance to see what they looked like... Also, do magical beasts normally attack Wild Gods?"
"These Wild Gods are newborns, seemingly born less than a month ago."
Ying was very familiar with this kind of question, as all information about Wild Gods had been stored in her soul core from the very beginning. She spoke rapidly and clearly through psychic fluctuation: "They need about one or two years to grow into adult Wild Gods, at which point they have strength around Silver High-rank... And since Wild Gods are ultimately invaders from another world, even the will of the Black Forest resists such monsters. Magical beasts and Wild Gods are irreconcilable enemies—this has been proven."
"In that case, there's definitely a problem now. It seems this beast tide isn't just about the schemes of the Black Erosion Dragon or the Five-Colored Dragon Clan. There must be minions of Chaos involved."
Summarizing, Joshua finally understood what that sudden, inexplicable recovery earlier had been about—the description on the Azure Orb, [Blood of Chaos, Source of Ignition], was indeed not just empty words. As long as he killed a Chaos monster, it would provide a corresponding replenishment of power.
(So I don't need to kill Gold-rank monsters to get mission rewards? No, that should just be the mission objective. It seems this is an effect of the Azure Orb itself.)
This thought flashed through his mind, and Joshua suddenly understood something that had puzzled him before. As a warrior, he was confident that his strength was absolutely unmatched among Gold-rank fighters, with no one able to rival him. But even so, he wouldn't dare claim he could simultaneously face dozens of same-rank frenzied beasts or Wild Gods that knew no fear. That was simply too much to ask. Not to mention anything else, the sheer stamina drain would be enough to exhaust any expert.
And according to records, every time the Wild Gods broke through the seal, when successive heads of the family entered the temporal narrow passage to suppress them, the pressure they faced was roughly this great. Yet each head of the family always succeeded... Presumably, it must have been due to the Azure Orb's feedback that those predecessors, far weaker than Joshua, could face so many Wild Gods alone and slay them one by one.
A warrior with inexhaustible stamina could accomplish many things.
"My Lord."
Heavy, ragged breathing came from not far behind. Joshua didn't turn around—he recognized the voice of a knight riding in the second rank behind him: "A flying stone from an exploding breath attack just injured my mount's front leg. It looks like it can't hold out much longer."
The knight's voice had originally sounded tense, but by the end it had grown calm. His tone was resolute: "Let me stay behind as rearguard."
"I know what you mean."
Without saying much more, the warrior shook his head, his back still to him: "As long as I'm here, this injury is nothing."
"No one will fall behind."
To deal with this very likely contingency, Joshua had long prepared many skills. He wasn't some greenhorn who had never been on a battlefield—his planning was very thorough.
Just because a horse's leg was injured, he was going to stay behind and die? Hah, wanting to die a tragic death—it wasn't that simple!
Hearing their lord's response, the knight could only continue galloping on the battlefield atop his horse. But indeed, as he had said, his speed, which had kept him in the lead, was now slowing, forcing him to gradually trade positions with others.
Joshua, meanwhile, had adjusted his breathing technique while killing monsters and was about to use another skill to help the knight with the injured mount when suddenly, a change occurred in the heavens.
The sky, originally covered by dark clouds and pitch-black, underwent a violent and obvious transformation. The curtain-like cloud layers were peeled away layer by layer by some force, then slowly dissipated, finally forming a nearly perfect circular void like a concentric ring. The magnificent sky and beautiful stars appeared in the distant firmament, moonlight mixed with starlight shining straight down.
"This is..."
Gold-rank, the flavor of Glory Force!
Sensing the essence of that power in the sky, Joshua didn't pay attention to its subsequent changes. Instead, he immediately shouted loudly: "Everyone, slow down. Increase your battle qi protection."
"Prepare for impact."
Clatter!
Obeying their lord's command, all the knights slightly reduced their charging speed. Some raised their shields, others erupted with stronger battle qi radiance. Though they couldn't sense the fluctuations of Glory Force, these men weren't blind. As Silver-rank knights who had experienced many magical wars, they naturally understood what the celestial phenomenon meant.
Not long after, just as Joshua had predicted, a tremor appeared in the circular vacuum within the dark clouds. The starlight flickered violently. Countless magical energies, guided by some powerful soul, converged upon the reflection of the starlight, then transformed into an endless barrage, descending upon the world like white rain of light!
In an instant, massive explosions and flashes were like meteorites striking the earth. Even Joshua and his men, far away, could clearly feel the howling heat and shockwaves, causing the endless tide of magical beasts to momentarily stall. Because the knights had already prepared their defenses, they were much less affected.
Now!
"Everyone, the fortress is supporting us with all their strength."
Amplified by battle qi, Joshua's command thundered like thunder across the battlefield: "Don't let their expectations down—"
And at that moment, the warrior, who had already prepared, changed his breathing rhythm. The red light that had only blazed around his body began to spread, merging with the radiance of the fifty Silver-rank knights behind him, creating a sky-full of brilliant light.
This brilliance enveloped not only the men but also the warhorses beneath them, merging even more closely. To achieve this, the Gold-rank warrior's vast battle qi was also being consumed heavily, until a strange luster appeared on everyone.
Fifty men and horses—that was indeed a bit much... But still, just a bit.
The warrior let out a light breath, then revealed a wild and bold smile: "Hear my command—full speed, full power, CHARGE!"
"Yes, sir!"
Amidst the collective roar, the ultimate essence of the Centaur Warwalker's [Ultimate Essence · Charge Impact] erupted!
Time seemed to slow. The moment Joshua exerted his full power and unleashed this ultimate essence, a blood-red light like a pillar of radiance enveloped the entire formation. White airwaves surged, and a fierce wind pressure swelled violently in an instant, swirling around everyone like a shield.
Whoosh—
Like a gale, even faster than a gale, the knights' steel-like triangular formation suddenly accelerated, reaching a certain limit of meaning, and directly crashed into the front ranks of the beast tide that had turned around due to the explosion and was surging back toward them!
But beyond everyone's expectations, even the wind pressure from the impact alone threw the magical beast army into chaos, let alone the actual warhorses colliding with them at a frenzied and inhuman speed. In an instant, flesh and blood flew everywhere, and wails filled the surroundings!
Amidst the great sounds of bone cracking and blood bursting, all the magical beasts that dared to face Joshua and his men were as if crushed by a real steel fortress. Skin and flesh splattered, broken bones shot out, and remains were trampled into mud. The dense beast horde suffered heavy losses as if experiencing a violent explosion.
First layer, second layer, third layer, fourth layer... Under such a fierce impact, countless layers of the beast tide collapsed in an instant. Magical beasts whose physical strength was no less than solid rock were scattered like tofu before the charging knight formation. Yet the knight formation, amidst the sky-filling blood and gore, advanced at a gale-like, surging speed toward the fortress!
"HOOOAAAHHH!"
In the blink of an eye, they had crossed several kilometers. Except for Joshua, everyone was too slow to react, instinctively erupting with battle qi to ensure the red luster surrounding them didn't dim. But accidents always happened. Right in front of the formation's charge, several enormous figures appeared, blocking the path of advance completely!
Among these frenzied beasts were bears, wolves, giant snakes, and deer. But they all shared one thing in common: their entire bodies were shrouded in thick, almost black purple mist. Their eyes flickered with bright, almost starlike purple-blue light—the most obvious sign of Mad Dragon transformation.
Silver Peak?
"No need to slow down—continue charging!"
Sensing that someone behind him seemed to have slowed down out of fear, Joshua commanded with a shout, then revealed a fierce grin. He spurred his horse's flank: "Black!"
As if possessing intelligence, the black dragon-blood warhorse quickly understood its master's intent. With countless streams of red light pouring into its body, it neighed, then its muscles bulged all over as it entered a berserk state, its speed increasing even further.
Merely Silver Peak—
Black-red light enveloped the silver-white blade and the steel lance, as if burning, reflecting a luster like red crystal. And Joshua, having entered his purest combat burst state, was like erupting lava. His muscles swelled wildly, and an unmatched aura expanded and boiled.
The Mad Dragon-transformed magical beasts charged head-on toward the black-armored warrior. They showed no fear. As representatives of complete rampage, these monsters had lost any emotion that could be called fear. They swung their massive paws, claws, fangs, horns, and tails simultaneously, intent on smashing the insignificant human before them into a pulp.
Riiip—
The silver-red blade light flashed. As if frozen in time, the knight formation suffered no hindrance and galloped straight through. At the giant bear's neck, a high-pressure water-jet-like stream of blood burst forth. The great serpent's black body was severed into four sections, writhing continuously. The frenzied deer demon's head fell off, dying on the spot.
As for the remaining three-meter-tall giant wolf, Joshua pierced its gaping maw with his lance. Its eyes bulged, and with a stunned expression, it was skewered and lifted into the air.
Ahead lay the city wall, covered by the corpses of frenzied beasts.
"My Lord?! Do we continue charging?"
"Of course!"
With this brief exchange, the cavalry formation, shrouded in red light, ignored the terrain. With the aid of battle qi, they defied gravity at their most frenzied speed, galloping straight up the gray-white vertical city wall of Moldova!
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To the book review section's friends, Ashes Starlight and One River Smoke, and others
Also regarding inheritance issues
To my friend Ashes Starlight in the book review section:
Everything you said is correct—they are excellent suggestions. It's my fault for writing poorly... Mainly because I have limited time, so my mind has been focused on moving the plot along, and I didn't add enough details. Especially regarding the part about trust in the protagonist—your suggestions are great. I'll go revise now and incorporate what you said as fragments. If there are some points that are too jarring to fix, I can't help it. I don't have the energy to rewrite now. My apologies.
As for small groups of magical beasts—there are none. The Mad Dragon summoned 'all' the magical beasts; there isn't a single one left near Moldavia. As for the terrain, I have a map here. I know the topography of the entire Northern Lands and Moldova, but it's hard to explain... Anyway, going around from the safe side that doesn't require breaking through the magical beasts would mean crossing several mountains, and there's definitely no time. The protagonist and his group took a mountain path along the edge of the Black Forest, cutting sideways as a shortcut. So they appeared between the Black Forest and the fortress, blocked by the beast tide.
As for the formation of over a hundred thousand magical beasts being vast and mighty—when they first appeared, I mentioned through the patrol officer that each layer only has one or two thousand. There are dozens of layers of beast tide attacking in succession. I didn't pay much attention to describing that each wave consists of different types of magical beasts, but most are sturdy on the outside with magical artillery on the inside. This is an army commanded by the Mad Dragon, not a naturally formed beast tide.
As for camping—there is none. I specifically mentioned at the beginning that the protagonist could travel for 17 days without rest, only closing his eyes for a few hours to rush to the Northern Lands. At that time, he was Silver Peak. Now, with a 50-man knight order all at Silver-rank, if it's just a few days, they can probably do something similar. The dragon-blood warhorses have enough stamina.
As for the head maid suddenly disappearing—the knights are suspicious in their hearts, but they just guess she got off midway or is a personal guard skilled in shadow concealment. No one thought of her turning into a weapon. In fact, many people barely paid attention to Ying at all. Most of the time, Ying is in spirit form anyway. So if she's gone, she's gone. If the lord doesn't say anything, it's not a big deal.
As for why she transformed from the start—war leaves no room for hesitation. You have to go all out from the beginning. And for the charge, the protagonist is confident he can break through directly. Even if an accident occurs, he has various means to turn things around. As for the commanding magical beasts—according to the plot, they are still undergoing transformation... I won't spoil it. I'll write the next section of the plot properly and not rush it.
(A bunch of people said I was padding the story—how dare I write such detailed plot...)
To my friend One River Smoke in the book review section:
I have indeed written too much about the protagonist's personal combat strength... But to be honest, I originally wanted to write a hero of personal heroism. Still, I should use it less and not be so frequent...
As for the main plot, it's probably because I didn't make it clear early on. The protagonist is a battle-crazed maniac, and his greatest goal is to fight the strong... If the original title were "God-Hunting Lord," you'd definitely be able to see what the main plot is...
It's probably because I have an outline... I personally feel that all the plot points are pointing toward what the main plot is.
As for the issue with the family cemetery, I think I wrote it quite clearly... The old steward died long ago.
He is a Divine Mechanism. He should have died together with the protagonist's father. But because he was entrusted with the Azure Orb and the energy core, he lived for an extra ten days, bringing the protagonist's father's ashes back to the family cemetery (Volume 1, Chapter 4). The Divine Mechanism core is made from a part of the master's flesh and blood, so it also has a bloodline imprint and a Divine Mechanism contract. Naturally, it can enter and exit the cemetery.
As for why the Azure Orb was wrapped in just a piece of paper—that's simple too. The protagonist's father fought desperately to drive back a group of Gold-rank Wild Gods. Having paper to write a suicide note was already good enough. Since it was a suicide note, Fan wouldn't disturb it. After setting up the tombstone, he placed it in front and quietly returned to his original weapon form.
As for the family cemetery being in a temporal narrow passage—without permission, no one can enter. There are also sealing forces around it, safer than any vault. Even if someone killed the protagonist's uncle, they still couldn't get in. That place has only heaven and earth, no wind, let alone rain (Volume 2, Chapters 13, 14, 15).
I've written all of this out. At most, I just haven't explained it as clearly as I am now... Logically, there shouldn't be such misunderstandings...
I'll leave this chapter up for a few days, then delete it.