Chapter 202: He's Actually a...

Chapter 202: He's Actually a...



"Clang!!!"

A dazzling spark ignited in the darkness where the two weapons clashed, followed by an ear-splitting metallic clamor that reverberated through the air. Everyone's eyes widened, and even though tears streamed down their faces from the intense sparks, they didn't blink as they witnessed the spectacle. Although they couldn't make out much of the fight, the sheer intensity of it left them exhilarated.

After a lightning-fast exchange, both Ren and Parix were sent flying backward.

Parix's legs plowed two furrows over ten meters long in the ground of the front yard. His right hand, which held the axe, trembled incessantly, and the next second, a cacophony of 'cracks' and 'smashes' filled the air.

His right hand, encased in plate mail gauntlets and arm armor, burst open, revealing a right arm that was already a mangled mess of flesh and blood. Anyone could tell that his right arm was rendered useless in the short term.

Ren wasn't faring any better! His pig-headed hammer was knocked away by Parix's mana-infused axe, and the powerful blow still had enough force to cleave through Ren's brand-new Water Film Steel Advanced Knight Chestplate.

At that moment, Ren felt a searing pain in his chest.

"However, I'm more interested in what you said about someone wanting to get rid of me through you."

"Hmm?" Hamadi and Hamilton both looked at Ren with bewilderment.

He believed that even if Parix was a Great Knight, he wouldn't be able to withstand the injuries of having all his limbs and joints shattered.

"Who is he?"

Ren wasn't afraid of getting injured.

As expected, when the spell 'Blazing Light' was successfully cast, Parix's face contorted in horror, and he instinctively closed his eyes.

Before he could finish speaking, Magis jumped up from his chair and said, "What is he doing here? How dare he come to me with such fanfare?"

Apparently, Ren had narrowly won this round! However, Parix seemed to have heard Ren muttering something under his breath.

"Is there another one over there?" Hamilton pointed at the kneeling hulk and asked.

After returning to his room, Ren glanced at the system prompt: 【Your skill Great Bear Sword Technique has improved. Experience +878】

Since his family and the lady were not proficient in martial arts, even though they were concerned about Ren and wanted to check on the fight, they couldn't make out anything in the dim night. The battle between two Great Knights was beyond their comprehension.

At this moment, the twisted plate mail became an obstacle, hindering the natural healing of his wounds.

Ren's mind raced as he tried to deduce which prominent figure in the county city could have beaten Parix to such a state.

Although Great Knights had highly adaptable bodies, their acute vision was more severely affected than the guards by their side.

Nevertheless, he couldn't help but glance at Ren with lingering resentment.

Due to the high-quality materials used in the outer walls of noble manors, the walls were constructed from stacked granite slabs. Despite the tremendous impact of Parix's collision, the walls remained intact.

Immediately, his confidant arranged for an informant within the City Guard to investigate.

Although the wound on his chest was just a shallow cut, it still bled. However, when Ren looked up at Parix, seeing his almost completely disabled right arm, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Additionally, Parix's severe injury meant that if Ren used his spellcasting abilities, it would be a sudden and decisive blow.

"He's with the guy lying on the ground!"

"Viscount Hamadi, Lord Hamilton." Ren looked surprised. It wasn't unusual for Hamadi to be here, given the severity of the security incident in the county city.

Previously, he had repeatedly sent messages to Parix, asking him to eliminate Ren.

It had to be this way.

Teams of City Guards or Night Watch patrols escorted captured bandits, one by one, through the building's entrance, where a sign with the words 'Master County Prison' was displayed.

Ren thought for a moment and pointed at Parix on the ground, saying to the Viscount, "Viscount, perhaps this man is the enemy's accomplice."

A low-lying yet heavily guarded building was illuminated by bright lights.

Each of Ren's hammer blows caused severe deformations in Parix's plate mail armor.

After some thought, the confidant realized that Ren no longer needed to go to the stronghold, as the leader of the stronghold was already here.

Ren glanced at Hamilton, who nodded slightly with a smile.

"Yes, he should be sent to the infirmary first, as I believe the Captain's injuries are severe."

Parix, with the robust vitality of a Great Knight, lay on the ground like a heap of mud, his body still twitching uncontrollably. Of course, this was thanks to Ren's decision to avoid striking his vital organs and head.

Suddenly, a flash of insight came to him, and he thought of the spell 'Blazing Light,' which was perfectly suited for use in this situation.

The confidant quickly arrived at the infirmary and learned from the City Guard escorting Parix that he had been brought from the Aristocratic Quarter.

After a moment's consideration, Parix's eyes lit up.

However, this wasn't a concern for Ren at the moment.

Additionally, even if Parix was at a disadvantage, wouldn't he have a retreat plan? How could he have been unable to escape? Magis couldn't understand why such a bizarre situation had occurred! As he pondered the possibility of it being true, Magis's scalp tingled. After pacing back and forth in the room several times, Magis regained his composure and asked the confidant again, "Are you sure the one who was brought in is Captain Parix?"

The position didn't sound lowly... Just as Ren was about to go and 'question' Parix, two familiar figures leading a large group of Night Watch guards in black leather armor approached.

The hell!

A thought flashed through Parix's mind. Could it be that the man's quick rise was merely a feint to conceal his true injuries? His previous strike should have damaged the man's vital organs.

His confidant was also stunned for a moment.

"That doesn't matter," Ren said, glancing at him.

Captain?

"Boom!!!"

Although Parix was a bit puzzled as to why this was the case, at this moment, his right hand had almost completely lost its combat effectiveness. Therefore, Parix decided to retreat immediately.

A few minutes later, his confidant entered with a grim expression, saying, "Sir, these captured bandits are from the Wolf Hill Ridge gang, and it's rumored that an organization is backing them."

But even if Parix was overly confident, he shouldn't have attacked these people, right?

He looked down and saw that the thick Knight's chestplate had been sliced open with a narrow slit at least thirty centimeters long. Through the slit, he could see a distinct red line on the chest, and fresh blood was slowly seeping out.

Soon, the news reached the ears of Magis's confidant.

In less than half a minute, Ren learned of the burly middle-aged man's identity from his subordinate's mouth.

Immediately, the confidant knocked on Magis's room again.

Parix, with his extensive combat experience, felt a sense of danger approaching in the next second despite his nearly blinded eyes. He immediately turned and ran towards the location of the street as he remembered it.

This was because Parix's High-Grade Knight Plate Armor, without the inherent Mana defense of a Great Knight, couldn't withstand the power of Ren's Heavy Hammer on its own.

Viscount Hamadi looked around and saw that there were only two of them. He added, "The enemy's main force probably hasn't arrived yet. We need to stay vigilant!"

"Hmm? Did the organization's operation fail tonight?" Magis's expression also changed, immediately thinking of something.

The purpose was likely to cast this Spell.

Only a donkey kick to the head would make someone do such a stupid thing!

"Thud!"

Could it be that Ren wasn't seriously injured?

In other words, if he could quickly gain 2 more skill points, he could immediately change jobs to [Weapon Master (Legendary)].—That evening, in Master County.

After all, the stronger the organization, the more noise they would make, and his influence among the nobility in Master County would also increase as the organization's liaison. He would naturally have an easier time.

"After all, if he did this without consulting me, it would make me lose face among the nobility in Master County. People might think our organization suffered a defeat."

Just now, he was awakened by the commotion in the middle of the night, and immediately sensed something amiss. The entire prison seemed unusually lively.

That's more like it!

[You have experienced a battle, Wizard Apprentice (Beyond Normal) Experience Points +5]



He saw the man pounce on Parix like a leopard launching a sudden attack. Midway, he reached out and grabbed the Pig-Head Hammer that had fallen nearby.

Magis thought for a moment and waved his confidant away, saying, "Contact the base and ask Captain Parix what he's up to."

"Capture him!"

The final conclusion was that the most likely culprit was a master from the Goddess of Wind and Sea Church, as many of Captain Parix's injuries were caused by crushing blows from a hammer.

"Sir, I'm certain of this. Captain Parix has met with me many times, and his polished boots have a distinctive look that I wouldn't mistake," the confidant affirmed, nodding confidently.

After this battle, the Knight (Beyond Normal) reached level 6 (354/3000) and gained 1 skill point and 1 attribute point as rewards.

At this moment, Parix's entire state was quite pitiful. He was embedded in the granite wall, more than ten centimeters deep, and his body was still convulsing. However, his strong will to survive made him want to struggle free and escape from the wall.

While his confidant was investigating, Magis also 'passed by' the infirmary and glanced inside, seeing Captain Parix's miserable state.

But as he hesitated for a moment, a gust of wind rushed from behind, and he could only barely turn to block it! Ren rushed forward with a swift stride, his arm muscles bulging, and swung a dark hammer shadow from bottom to top, striking Parix's lower abdomen! It was the pose of the secret technique 'Rising Dragon Hammer' of the Thunderclap Hammer Technique!

What about his dignity? "Well done, Baron Ren, I suggest you hand him over to the Empire."

He had thought it would be an easy capture, but it turned out to be quite thorny!

But logically, Hamilton should still be fighting the bandits in Shiny Gold Town. How did he appear in the county city? "Baron Ren, it seems you've thwarted the enemy's attack."

Although judging from his skills, he was a senior knight, his morale was low, and he was stopped by a group of night watchmen.

It had been a long time since he encountered such a situation, greatly beyond his expectations.

"If you cooperate, I'll let you leave without pain later, so you won't have to endure the current suffering."

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground rang out!

Suddenly, he felt as if a sun had risen in front of him! His eyes were momentarily blinded by the intense glare, and tears streamed down his face. However, being a seasoned fighter, he quickly realized why Ren hadn't attacked earlier.

Sigh! Better report to Magis right away! A few minutes later.

"A Great Knight?" Hamilton's eyes widened, and a flash of brilliance appeared in them. "This man should have valuable information under torture. He's not dead, right?"

This was the Captain Parix I was supposed to contact! How could he end up like a dead dog, being carried into prison?

When Parix saw that Ren could actually get up, his pupils shrank, and his face showed disbelief. Clearly, his Knight's chestplate had been torn open by his strike, but Ren didn't take too much damage.

"He should've been disemboweled, how could he only have such minor injuries?"

Before long, the two informants tasked with the investigation located the site of the battle near Ren's manor. The area was filled with large and small craters and ravines, resembling a battlefield between two colossal beasts rather than humans.

"So, I immediately came to the County City and reported this news to Viscount Hamadi. I didn't expect to encounter an attack on your manor."

"It's still unclear, but none of the captured are from the bandit gang. They're not part of any organization, as far as I can tell."

The power of the opponent's axe exceeded his expectations. In Ren's mind, his master-level hammer technique, combined with the core skill 'Hammer Mastery Level 3', should have been enough to match the opponent's strength.

At this moment, both of them realized that under the dim streetlights, the ground behind Ren was filled with ravines and craters, and the front yard of the manor was in ruins.

This doesn't make sense! The information we sent out was about Count Habus, who isn't in the County City these days.

Upon hearing the report from his subordinate, Magis stood frozen as if struck by lightning, his mind filled with shock and disbelief.

Moreover, the opponent's injuries were far more severe.

"Bang!"

Parix felt a powerful impact on his abdomen, and his entire body folded in half. His limbs stretched out, his tongue unnaturally protruding from his gaping mouth, and his eyes bulging as if about to pop out of their sockets. At the same time, his body was sent flying seven or eight meters away, slamming into the wall of a nearby villa like a falling meteor.

Count Habus was said to be out of the County City. Could Parix have gone to attack the Goddess of Wind and Sea Church?

"Come in!" Magis shouted.

However, a Great Knight is no ordinary person, which is why Ren didn't directly kill him.

But before he could make a move...

"That's right! Ren, I recently learned from a bandit leader who attacked Shiny Gold Town that the mastermind behind their operation is the Zalar Resistance Army, and they plan to attack the County City."

However, the opponent's axe, after knocking away his warhammer, still had enough power to break through his Water Membrane Steel Chestplate and 'Iron Skin Level 3', causing injury.

His remaining attribute points recovered to 5, and his skill points reached 3.

"Could this be a feint? A new tactic of Captain Parix?" Magis's heart calmed down upon hearing this. If there were no organization involved, it became intriguing.

Perhaps in this world, such injuries could be healed, but it was evident that it couldn't be naturally recovered with the physical resilience of a Great Knight.

Each heavy hammer blow caused a crisp sound of shattering bones from Parix's joints, accompanied by unnatural twists.

He forced his tearful eyes open, only to see a white blur in front of him, along with a wave of dizziness, making it impossible to determine the direction of the street.

Since the boss wasn't certain, he decided to start with the underlings.

At that moment, Ren also made his move.

But just a few steps out of the prison gate, he spotted a familiar figure being carried by several people towards the prison's interior.

"Yes, sir."

Ren's toes dug into the ground, and with a burst of speed, he quickly closed the distance to Parix, embedded in the wall. He unleashed a series of heavy hammer blows on the man's arm and leg joints, producing a series of cracking sounds: "Smash! Crack! Crack!"

"This can't be possible!" Parix muttered.

The subordinate's face showed confusion, and after a moment, he organized his thoughts: "Sir, I just saw Captain Parix at the prison gate."

Half a day ago, when Magis received the report from his subordinate about a major operation by the organization that night, he was quite excited.

On the contrary, if the organization were weak or had been crushed by the Empire, he would have no status to speak of, perhaps even losing his very reason for existence.

Viscount Hamadi's face lit up with joy.

"What?" Magis, usually adept at concealing his emotions, could no longer hide his astonishment and exclaimed in surprise.

Currently, his Kadar Martial Arts had reached Level 5, and he had 3 skill points remaining.

The prison was unusually bustling, which was odd. Magis immediately summoned his subordinate and asked, "What's going on? Why are there so many prisoners being brought in?"

Parix struggled to lift his head and looked at Ren, letting out a maniacal laugh filled with mockery and other emotions. At that moment, Ren heard the sound of a fight coming from the end of the street. He looked up and saw that the burly man was trying to escape, but the night watch had surrounded him.

Parix, clad in a crooked set of Knight Plate Armor, didn't struggle this time. Gravity pulled him down from the wall he was embedded in, and he fell heavily to the ground.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

"Sir, please wait. I'll investigate." The subordinate also looked like he had just woken up.

Ren stood up and approached the man, taking a few seemingly slow but quick steps. With just one punch, he sent the man flying half a meter into the air, and he immediately assumed a kneeling position, curling up on the ground and retching.

Ren had intended to launch an attack the moment he stood up.

A few minutes later, "What? You're saying Ren beat Captain Parix into this state?" Magis' face showed disbelief.

"Sir! Sir! It's not what you think. Captain Parix was defeated, and he's been brought to our prison gate. It seems they intend to imprison him here."

"He plans to take advantage of the night and chaos to immediately leave the city and make contact."

"That's the only reasonable explanation!"

He couldn't help but be curious, so he pricked up his ears and listened intently. The next second, his expression changed abruptly as he recognized the incantation of a certain spell. "Fuck, this Ren is actually an Apprentice Wizard."

"I'm not dead. I deliberately avoided his vital spots," Ren nodded.

"Hmm? Why did you come back?" Magis asked in surprise when he saw his confidant suddenly return.

"Okay, you go to the infirmary to check on the situation, and I'll cover for you. Also, arrange for someone to investigate what's going on here," Magis nodded and instructed.

After a few seconds, Ren stopped his actions!

"No, it's not possible!" Magis immediately shook his head.

All he could hear was the incessant sounds of combat: 'Bang! Pa! Dang!'

"He's said to be the leader of the Zalar Resistance Army in Master County, a Great Knight."

"Huh? You mean you're from the Zalar Resistance Army, and you're the new leader in Master County, Commander Parix?" Ren raised his eyebrows and asked in return.

Hamilton glanced at Parix, who was lying on the ground like a dead dog, and said, "But... in a way, these bandit gangs are also potential forces that the organization can utilize. It's not appropriate to just hand them over to the Empire like this." Magis muttered.

Magis' room.

[You have experienced a battle, gaining 47 experience points as a Knight (Beyond Normal).]



Parix's curses were still unfinished.

His confidant's eyes widened in shock. If he hadn't covered his mouth, he would have surely exclaimed aloud! Peering through the crowd, he took another good look.

Both of them turned pale, and after a round of inquiries from the City Guard colleague on patrol nearby, they learned the general situation.

These busybody cultists!

When Parix's gaze landed on Ren, he let out a soft exclamation.

"The technique I just used was a Quasi-Obligatory!"

After leaving the rest of the matters to these two, Ren returned to the mansion to comfort his parents, sister, and Lady Jennifer.

Ren had indeed just cast the spell 'Blazing Light'.

Ren slowly walked up, crouched down, and said in a low voice next to Parix, "Perhaps it's time for me to send you on your way."

Could it be the work of the Goddess of Wind and Sea Church?

"Yes, sir! I'm on my way!" The confidant, despite his fatigue, bowed slightly and soon left the room.

This... is truly baffling!

Although the experience rewards for Thunderclap Hammer Technique and Great Bear Sword Technique were quite substantial, they were still a fair distance away from reaching level 10 and skill promotion.

"So, he's been brought in?"

What the hell is going on here? In Master County, he couldn't think of anyone other than Count Habbs and Bishop Sean who could defeat Parix.

Could it be that Count Habbs set up an ambush?

So, Ren nodded and said, "Yes, Viscount Hamadi, I'll leave it to you, then."

Otherwise, how could he explain why his Quasi-Obligatory strike didn't inflict more severe injuries on his opponent?

[Your skill Thunderclap Hammer Technique has improved, gaining 1051 experience points.]



However, these words sounded a bit off to Hamadi and Hamilton. Looking at the pitiful sight before them, even though it was said that the vital spots were avoided, it still seemed too cruel, especially since the opponent was a Great Knight.

"Recently, there have been signs of resistance army activity in various counties of Minster Province. At this critical juncture, capturing the leader of one of their counties will undoubtedly earn you a substantial merit points reward."

It's been quite exhausting for him to shuttle back and forth between the prison and the organization's new base during this period.

Ren observed the other's expression, and it seemed like he wasn't lying.

"Rest assured, I'll send him to the county prison and keep him under tight surveillance. When Count Habbs returns, he will likely personally interrogate him," Viscount Hamadi said with a smile in his eyes.

"Don't let him escape!"

"Impossible!!!" Magis slammed his fist onto the desk, instantly shattering the wooden desk and sending it crashing to the ground.

"Yes, sir," the burly man replied, still in pain, clutching his stomach.

Hammer users are commonly found among the Temple Knights of the Goddess Church, and even more so among the higher-ranked Avenger Knights.

Because when he saw Ren quickly stand up, he didn't immediately pick up his weapon and charge at him.

However, Magis wasn't concerned.

The enemy's main force?

Now, Parix had made his move, but it backfired, and he was taken down by Ren. Fuck! Magis felt like he was going crazy. If Parix had been killed in battle, it would have been fine, but now he's been captured alive! Magis had spent over two years in prison and knew how terrifying the torturers' punishments could be. He didn't think Parix could withstand several rounds of punishment. "Sir, shouldn't we think about a way to rescue the Commander?" The confidant suggested with 'sincerity'.

Magis was taken aback and stared at his confidant for a moment before saying, "You're thoughtful. However, Parix will be heavily guarded and closely watched."

"With just a few of us, the rescue operation would be too difficult."

"Sir, with us as inside help, the rescue wouldn't be that challenging. But after leaving the prison, we'll need a powerful person to receive us. Sir, is it possible to contact the higher-ups in time?" The confidant thought for a moment and asked again.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end