Chapter 106: Not Moving a Muscle
Chapter 106: Not Moving a Muscle
Just as Rain was about to leave, he remembered that the man used a heavy hammer and seemed to recall something. He approached the two halves of the Hammerman's body and began searching.
Soon, in addition to a light bag of coins, Rain discovered a thin booklet.
This made Rain pause, and he thought to himself, "Lately, everyone I've met seems to be fond of keeping diaries."
Upon opening it, he realized he had misunderstood the Hammerman. The man was actually a serious researcher of hammer techniques.
The booklet in his hand was a detailed record of his time as a youth, studying under a hammer technique master named Tokkar, titled "Tokkar's Hammer Technique Outline."
Rain nodded to himself, feeling 'rewarded' for his efforts in battle, and was naturally delighted to have gained something from the 'hard work.'
"I have the core skill 'Hammer Expertise,' but I've been unable to utilize it due to the lack of a suitable hammer technique. Finally, I've found a combat technique for the hammer! Excellent!"
But as Rain glanced at the heavy hammer he had severed, his mouth twitched, and he shook his head helplessly.
What a waste!
After putting away the booklet and the bag of coins, Rain felt his muscles begin to ache, a sign that the 'aftermath' of his full-power burst was setting in.
However, he had intentionally reserved attribute points for moments like this.
After some thought, Rain added a point to his Constitution, reaching 13 points and becoming the strongest attribute at that moment.
In an instant, Rain felt the soreness, numbness, and pain throughout his body vanish!
His physical condition was instantly optimized.
Feeling invigorated, Rain quickly caught up with the other Night Watch members.
He saw that Mateo and the rest of the Night Watch were keeping a safe distance behind the enemy caravan, refraining from launching an attack.
The enemy, on the other hand, didn't seem to be moving too far away, either due to their trust in the strength of their leader, the Hammerman, or for some other reason.
This saved Rain the effort of tracking them down.
Rain's appearance gave Mateo and the others a much-needed boost of confidence.
"Is it done?" Mateo and the other Night Watch members couldn't hide their astonishment.
They had witnessed the Hammerman's strength firsthand.
Could Rain have defeated him so quickly?
Rain had arrived just a minute after they left, and now the formidable Hammerman was gone?
The elite Night Watch members couldn't wrap their heads around it.
If they knew that Rain had eliminated the Hammerman in just ten seconds and spent a full fifty seconds cleaning up the battlefield, what would they think?
"Cough, he wasn't as strong as you imagined. Although he had the strength of a Knight Apprentice, his hammer was too slow, and I managed to seize an opening and strike decisively," Rain explained, seeing the intense gazes of the group.
The group thought about it and agreed.
Rain was relatively small and agile, so if he could catch the Hammerman during a slow moment in his heavy hammer swings and exploit that opening for a decisive strike, it was plausible.
However, the seven men on the other side were shocked to see Rain catching up while their leader hadn't. They exchanged glances, their faces filled with terror.
"What about our leader?" Chainman squeezed out a question from his throat.
No one answered; the answer was obvious.
"Damn it! This can't be!" Chainman slammed his heavy chain hammer onto the ground in frustration.
They were well aware of their leader Kyles' strength, even among the Wilderness Brotherhood, he was one of the top-ranked fighters. But now, their leader hadn't returned, and the short guy had come back.
The implications were clear.
The group exchanged glances, each seeing the gravity of the situation in the others' eyes.
The two wagons came to a halt.
They knew that if they didn't deal with the Night Watch and that man, they might not get away.
"The guy in plate armor seems off. Let's take care of the Night Watch first, then we'll avenge our leader together!" said the burly man holding a curved blade.
"Yeah, I'll hold him off first. Then you guys attack from both sides, finish off the Night Watch, and then we'll surround and kill him," Swordshield thought for a moment and nodded.
After saying this, Swordshield turned to the only one with a large bow, Chainmail, and said, "You take care of the Night Watch with your arrows, but be ready to support us."
Apart from Swordshield and Chainman, the other five were all in chainmail, and they couldn't completely ignore the arrows of the elite Night Watch.
"Alright!"
Rain and Mateo's group, seeing the sudden halt of the enemy, also immediately focused their attention on them.
There were two remaining Plate Armor-clad Knight Apprentices, one with a sword and shield, and the other wielding a heavy chain hammer.
The other four wore chainmail and held a one-handed hammer, a one-handed axe, a curved blade, and a short sword.
The last one, in leather armor, was an archer aiming at them.
Seven in total.
Apparently, except for the archer, the rest were all melee fighters.
Rain thought for a moment, then turned to Mateo and said, "I'll go up front and draw their attention. If all goes well, they'll all swarm me, except for the archer. That's when you can rescue the children."
"Oh, and take out that archer while you're at it!"
Before Mateo and the others could object, Rain began walking forward at a leisurely pace.
His composure and confidence were palpable.
The other Night Watch members couldn't help but trust in him, though they didn't know why.
"Pfft! Damn it, I don't believe he can take down our boss. I'll shoot him first!" The archer on the other side spat on the ground, glaring at Rain as he approached calmly.
He prepared to shoot an arrow at Rain's arm, where his plate armor didn't cover, but the Swordshield stopped him.
"Don't!" Swordshield raised his hand.
He knew that if they fired the first arrow, the twenty-odd archers on the Night Watch side would surely retaliate, and with four of their own men in chainmail, they couldn't completely avoid the arrows' damage.
Such a move would only put them at a greater disadvantage.
"He's coming forward alone, clearly intending to draw us away from the carriage and engage in close combat. His goal must be to rescue the demon children in the carriage."
Swordshield quickly understood why Rain was approaching alone.
This was a bold and transparent strategy!
But since Rain had defeated Kave and was so confident, was it unfair for six of them to take on one opponent?
Should they follow the rules of a knight's duel and take turns fighting him one by one?
That was ridiculous!
And he didn't believe Rain could defeat all six of them alone.
Led by Swordshield, Chainman and the other chainmail-clad men quickly formed a semi-circular formation around Rain.
The scene unfolded exactly as Rain had predicted, but it also made the elite Night Watch members feel uneasy.
"Is Rain being too overconfident?" one of the elite Night Watch members frowned, seeing that Rain was about to face six opponents.
"Yes! Those two in plate armor are probably Knight Apprentices!"
"The other four are likely Knight Squires."
"Oh, Goddess! Can Rain really handle this?"
". . ."
The Night Watch members looked at each other in disbelief.
"I believe in Rain!" Mateo had an inexplicable faith in Rain.
"Should we interfere with the ones in chainmail?" someone asked.
"Not yet. Let's stick to the plan. We'll keep an eye on their archer and look for an opportunity to rescue the children."
Although Rain was surrounded by the others, he didn't see it that way.
With six people surrounding him, it was the perfect formation for him to use his 'Roar Strike'.
In other words, even if the six opponents were scarecrows, and he could position them however he wanted, Rain couldn't have asked for a better formation.
"If he doesn't let out a roar, even the Goddess might not be able to bear it."
"Perfect! With my Level 2 Roar Strike, they won't stand a chance."
Swordshield noticed that the Night Watch members were slowly moving towards the two carriages, and his expression turned fierce.
They couldn't delay any longer. If they won against Rain but the demon children were rescued, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves to Mort.
"Charge!"
Swordshield signaled the others to attack, but he himself cautiously held his shield in defense, swinging his Knight's Longsword with his right hand to stab at Rain.
Almost simultaneously, Chainman raised his chain hammer high and glared at Rain's Knight helmet, ready to smash it with all his might.
Axeman aimed for the gap between Rain's helmet and plate armor, intending to behead Rain with a swift strike.
The man with the half-sword was the most vicious, aiming his stab at the cross-shaped gap on Rain's faceplate, trying to blind Rain and pierce his brain in one fatal blow.
The man with the curved blade aimed for Rain's unarmored area, ready to strike.
Suddenly, the man in the middle of the group emitted an intense aura, causing all six of them to feel a sense of alarm.
It was as if a dormant volcano had erupted, or a slumbering dragon had awakened.
His chest swelled, straining the already loose Knight chestplate, and his neck muscles bulged, thickening noticeably.
The six men felt a sense of foreboding.
"Haaahhh!!!"
A roar like a dragon's echoed in their ears.
Instantly, the six men, weapons at the ready, froze in place, unable to move.
It was as if they had been struck by lightning, and time stood still.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
