Japa reacted swiftly to the blow, immediately adjusting his stance and raising his spear to block the greatsword. Ronan pressed his greatsword against the shaft and slashed upward with force, sliding along it straight toward Japa's hand. Japa could only release his upper hand, then turn sideways and raise the spear with his left hand, thrusting several times in succession.
The spear struck the armor around Ronan's waist and abdomen, but because the attack had been rushed and delivered with his left hand, the sharp spearhead only pierced about halfway through the armor and failed to injure Ronan's body.
The two pulled apart again, slowly circling each other with their eyes fixed on their opponent, each searching for an opening. But not far away, the Valantis soldiers could no longer withstand the assault of the Templar Knights and militiamen. Two had already had their throats pierced by the Templar Knights' cross swords.
Seeing the situation turn dire, Japa could no longer hold back and launched the first attack. He charged forward, then suddenly crouched halfway there and swept his spear across the ground, trying to trip Ronan. But Ronan had been prepared. His armor was too heavy for him to jump, so he simply drove his greatsword into the ground to his left, blocking the incoming spear.
Ronan then swiftly pulled out his greatsword and wrenched it aside with force. To keep his spear from being knocked from his grasp, Japa had no choice but to shift his body to the right and ease the force.
Clang! With a light ring, Ronan turned his head and saw that the two soldiers had already cut through one side of the iron chain. The other side was about to break as well.
With the situation worsening and time running out, Ronan could only take a desperate gamble. He charged at Japa, then suddenly hurled his greatsword with all his strength midway through. Japa clearly had not expected Ronan to have such a move, and in his haste, he could only leap sideways to evade it.
But Ronan closed in rapidly, pressing into his opponent's space. One hand seized Japa's spear while the other slammed heavily into Japa's mask. He then wrapped his arms around Japa's waist and forcefully threw him to the ground. Straddling Japa, Ronan launched a barrage of heavy punches with both fists.
Because of the angle and distance, Japa could not attack Ronan with the spearhead. He could only discard his spear and grapple with Ronan. But he quickly fell into a disadvantage. He was not as strong as Ronan, and Ronan had seized the initiative. After several heavy punches, Japa was already dazed.
Taking the opportunity, Ronan pulled a dagger from his backpack. When another heavy punch struck Japa's mask, he pinned Japa's resisting arm with one hand and gripped the dagger in the other, driving it viciously downward into the unarmored gap at Japa's neck.
Blood gushed out in torrents. Japa's exposed eyes were filled with disbelief, because he simply could not understand where Ronan, clad head to toe in plate armor, had pulled out a dagger from. Blood seeped through the cracks in Japa's mask, which Ronan's blows had damaged. Japa choked a few times, and the arm gripping Ronan's right wrist gradually went limp and fell away.
Ignoring the system notification that the mission had been completed, Ronan picked up the spear beside Japa's corpse and hurled it viciously at the two soldiers opening the city gate. By then, the two soldiers had completely cut through the iron lock and were removing the barricade.
The spear came whistling through the air, piercing through one soldier's back and pinning him to the city gate along with his corpse. His sturdy armor offered no protection at all, showing just how sharp Japa's spear was.
Thanking his luck that he had not tried to block Japa's spear with his armor earlier, Ronan picked up the greatsword that had fallen nearby and charged at the other soldier. Seeing Ronan rush toward him, the soldier immediately drew the shortsword at his waist and used it to block Ronan's savage downward strike.
But Ronan's immense strength forced him straight to his knees. Ronan's greatsword pressed against his shortsword, then Ronan extended his left hand to grip the upper half of the blade and pushed downward with force. The soldier resisted desperately, but the shortsword was still pressed lower and lower. Soon, his strength gave out. The greatsword pinned the shortsword directly against his neck, and Ronan gripped both ends of the greatsword and gave it a fierce wrench, cleanly taking the soldier's head off.
After helping the Templar Knights clear out the remaining Valantis soldiers still stubbornly resisting, Ronan led his team back onto the city wall.
Dawn was breaking. Valantis had failed for a long time to capture the wall or open the city gate. They had also dispatched another elite squad to raid the eastern gate, but Rexa personally held that side. They were slaughtered by Rexa before they could even get off the wall. Against Rexa, who was renowned throughout the Xinteland army, they had no chance whatsoever.
After fighting for half the night, Valantis finally withdrew. Ronan cut down the last enemy, and when he saw no more hostile soldiers on the wall, his hand loosened, allowing his greatsword to slide to the ground. Pushing aside a corpse leaning against the battlement, Ronan collapsed against it and sat down. When he removed his helmet, his hair had already clumped together from sweat and seeping blood, plastered to his scalp.
The clothes beneath Ronan's armor had also been completely soaked through with sweat. He had not noticed it just now, but once he stopped, he only felt the clothes clinging tightly to his body in unbearable discomfort. Ronan wanted nothing more than to strip them off and soak in a pool, but he was so exhausted that he did not even want to move a finger.
After fighting fiercely for half the night in a full suit of plate armor weighing dozens of pounds, even Ronan's astonishing stamina and the recovery provided by the Hundred Man Slayer title could not hold up any longer. His stamina had long since reached its limit. He had endured the latter half of the battle entirely through willpower. Thankfully, the metal can had provided comprehensive protection; otherwise, Ronan would have suffered at least some minor injuries.
As Ronan sat slumped against the battlement, catching his breath, Inella Phantom Feather walked over with two waterskins in her hands. This elven beauty, famous throughout Teldrasil for her stunning looks, was in a sorry state as well. Her combat robes were torn in many places, revealing the close-fitting garments beneath, and they were covered in blood. Her little face was smudged with grime, and her hair was clumped together.
She handed one waterskin to Ronan. As Ronan unceremoniously accepted it and began gulping it down, she bit her lip but ultimately said nothing before turning and leaving. After all, they were still rivals of a sort, representing different factions.
After Inella left, Mario walked over as well.
"I was wondering why I didn't see you during the latter half. So you came here to play the hero and save the beauty. Inella is a famous beauty in Teldrasil, though she is a little cold."
"She's just a dead tsundere!" Ronan sneered. A cold and aloof goddess, indeed. Though Ronan had not interacted with her much, he had vaguely seen through her true nature.
Mario smiled and did not continue discussing the matter. After calling over the nearby soldiers to help Ronan remove his armor, he supported Ronan back to the castle to rest.
After dinner, a hot bath, and a change into clean clothes, Ronan lay in bed and blissfully caught up on sleep. He was not worried that Valantis would launch another attack immediately, because they had fought all night as well and needed rest. They should not be that utterly insane.
Moreover, both sides had suffered heavy losses in this battle. The Taiwei Four garrison had suffered more than six hundred casualties, while Valantis had likely lost two thousand men. Their main force had also taken part in the battle, and its casualties were still unknown.
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