While Jize the One-Eyed Knight was fighting with Bui the Orc King, Gi Zu Ruo, and Ra Gilmi Fishiga the Hero of Ganra, Shumea had led most of the rest of the army halfway down south.
“Damn it. The pursuers got to us too fast.”
Having to use their strongest trump cards because of Jize’s pursuit was a huge miscalculation on her part. Despite that she continued to act the fool and encouraged her soldiers.
“Run now while your bosses are buying time!”
The orcs and the goblins were worriedly looking at the camp, but Shumea ordered them to go. She led them down south. The border guards that have been following her from the start had no problems listening to her, and the other platoons listened to her as well, albeit reluctantly.
They were able to destroy the legs of the enemy, the cavalry, as planned, but one of the enemy’s strongest powers, the holy knight, came charging at them sudednly. The penetrative power of that knight was beyond anything Shumea had expected.
“Seriously. That thing is a monster in and of itself.”
She muttered to herself as she thought that the holy knight might be able to give the Goblin King a run for his money. Although it was to allow them to escape, being forced to use three of their trump cards here was a huge miscalculation. If things went as planned, they were supposed to burn the whole thing along with the fortress, but now they had to revise their plans a little.
They had left behind Gilmi, the general of the Bow and Arrow Army (Fanzel), so they have no choice now but to be flexible. This was by no means going to be easy on her. The forces of Germion Kingdom were bound to chase after them now, so they will have have to keep retreating while maintaining a reasonable distance.
They’ve inspected the routes that they would be using to retreat many times. But that knowledge isn’t very reliable when they’re actually being pursued. Shumea felt like she could still see that holy knight with overwhelming power approaching, causing her to shake a little.
“Hmph. This isn’t a joke.”
Shumea tried to fight her body shaking by forcing herself to smile.
Bui and the others may have carried out their plan to allow them to escape, but the fact that they’re the ones most in danger of all still held true. Compared to them, their situation was still better. Shumea told herself that. Shumea fixed her grip on her short spear and narrowed her eyes.
“Come and try me, Holy Knights!”
As Shumea spoke sharply, she could see smoke billowing out from the camp.
◇◆◆
“GURUUuuOOOAAA!!”
“GURUuuOOooOoAaa!!!”
The howling iron spears attacked from both directions.. Bui the Orc King alone was already strong physically, and now even Gi Zu was around to thrust out his spear. Gi Zu’s physical strength and body were both extraordinary among goblins. The attack unleashed by the two monsters was undoubtedly a killing blow. If a normal human were standing here, he would surely be blown away along with his head.
“Hmph!”
But this was Jize the One-Eyed. Not only was he able to brush off their attack, he even sent out an attack of his own.
He rested the blade he used to receive their attack a little and allowed his body to sink, then he ran away from the trajectory of the spears. In the same moment when he ran away, he had already prepared to unleash his own attack. That movement that was executed in practically an instant was a testament of his masterful technique and his abnormal courage. It was also proof of the training that he had beaten into his body many times.
Jize’s swordsmanship that was supported by his experience and training could be considered at a superior level even among holy knights.
Even the way he shifted from a stance to an attack was polished. He chipped of the waste and focused only on swinging his sword. Using the least movement to cause the greatest effect, Jize’s blade grazed Bui’s side and caused blood to spurt out.
His fighting style that was gradually starting to inflict deeper wounds without burdening his blade showed that he had experience hunting monsters alone. With the exception of someone like Vine the Mad Blade, who would use enchantment magic to strengthen her sword, normal adventurers would usually bring a lot of weapons with them when hunting alone and change them continually.
To the common man it was not easy to hold back against monsters that had superior physical abilities. The body of monsters is their weapon itself.
Claws and fangs to tear apart their enemy. Hard skin to protect their body. Just trying to damage that hard skin would damage one’s weapons. As such, it was a given for adventurers to bring multiple weapons.
But, at the same time, there was another approach to this problem.
This approach argued that one should instead target the weak points of monsters.
At first, it might just be a scratch, but if you attack the same place many times, the wound will deepen and the skin protecting the innards will be ripped open. Of course such a thing was generally impossible when one is risking his life against monsters and fighting an already difficult battle, but it is true that the chance of losing one’s weapon while fighting against monsters is extremely high.
If an adventurer is put in a situation with no weapons left, then he will no longer be able to fight. On top of that, adventurers had to bet their survival on the trump cards they possessed and had to fight with them, if they can’t do it they will die. The one who was able to succeed with that approach after much training is the man known as Jize.
