Battle

In a flash, Diao Ling drew two hiltless short blades from her sleeves. Blue ghostly light glimmered along them, reflecting off her seductive face.

Diao Ling happily gathered up her long black hair with one hand, looking utterly intoxicated by herself.

Allen suddenly understood. The one who had secretly ambushed Xiulunte's guards back then had probably been this adorable little mommy standing before him.

Toying with the short blades in her hands, Diao Ling said, "Xiulunte is the kind of man who always retaliates. Second Young Master, as long as you can leave Outpost County, the Grand Duke will definitely avenge you. The Child of Chaos is just something they made up. Those Church charlatans are all liars. Oh, and do you think my chin is a little too pointy?"

"Why, thank you so much, sis!" Allen pointed speechlessly at the Earth Dragon Legion soldiers packed three layers deep around them and rolled his eyes.

You really have a big heart. They've got us surrounded like turtles in a jar, and you're still discussing that influencer face of yours with me.

Outside the gates, Xiulunte's eyes practically spat fire. This was already the second time someone had suddenly appeared and interrupted him. Could they show him a little respect?

"Lackey of the Grand Duke of the Kingdom of Locke!" Xiulunte snorted coldly. He looked around suspiciously, and only after seeing that none of the legion soldiers had reacted did he slowly raise his right arm. His heart was trembling. Why were all these people from the Kingdom of Locke so rude? They never showed up early or late; every time, they appeared just as he was about to give an order and interrupted him.

He cautiously waved his arm, and Xiulunte smiled. At last, no idiot had popped out recklessly again.

"Diao Ling, you stupid woman! Didn't we agree that you'd ambush Xiulunte from the shadows?" The furious roar instantly froze the smile on Xiulunte's face.

That roar also caught the attention of the crossbow squad. Xiulunte had been interrupted for the third time.

The crossbowmen had started getting jumpy too. They had been drawing their bows and nocking bolts for ages. Why hadn't the Legion Commander given the order yet? Their arms were going numb.

Were they supposed to fire or not? They had held on for so long. If they weren't going to be allowed to shoot, they could at least be allowed to rest for a while.

Rockhammer, who had been hiding in the distance and pretending to be a fool, could no longer stand by and watch after Diao Ling revealed herself. He roared and, by pure coincidence, interrupted Hulun just as he was preparing to give the order.

The blacksmith shop owner cast aside his previous foolishness and became ferocious beyond belief.

He grabbed a warhorse with both hands and hurled both horse and rider at Xiulunte.

The crossbowmen beside Xiulunte could not dodge in time. Their bolts flew wildly, accidentally wounding many of their comrades, while several crossbowmen were smashed to the ground by the enormous horse.

Rockhammer grabbed two infantrymen, one in each hand, and slammed them together with all his strength. The two unlucky men had their faces turned into bloody pulp and passed out cold.

With a vicious expression, Rockhammer held the two unconscious infantrymen in front of himself as shields and charged through the crowd until he reached the Old Castle gates.

Behind Xiulunte stood a gaunt old man in coarse linen clothes, barefoot. Just as he was about to move forward and stop Rockhammer, Xiulunte shook his head and said, "Take them all in one sweep!"

The gaunt old man stepped back and fixed his gaze on Rockhammer.

After rushing to the Old Castle gates, Rockhammer looked up at the spikes atop them and sighed softly.

He did not possess Diao Ling's skills. Left with no other choice, he slowly began climbing, carefully rolling up his trouser legs as he did so. Like a stupid bear climbing a tree, he clambered up inch by inch.

At Xiulunte's signal, none of the legion soldiers took the initiative to attack or stop him.

After finally jumping down from the gate, Rockhammer hitched up his trousers, ran before Allen, and dropped to one knee. Only then did he say, "Royal Guard, under the Grand Duke's orders, I am here to protect you. Rockhammer greets you, Second Young Master."

Allen's face twisted in displeasure. He held out his right hand, palm up, toward Rockhammer.

Rockhammer looked at Allen in confusion, his expression growing a little awkward. Slowly, he placed his rough, callused hand gently into Allen's open palm.

Smack! Allen slapped Rockhammer's paw away and cursed, "What are you thinking? I mean the ten Gold Coins Dina gave you. Give them back."

Rockhammer stood up and returned to his honest-looking self. "Being a Royal Guard is just my hobby. Blacksmithing is my real trade. Sorry, Second Young Master, but there are no refunds."

Allen was completely speechless. Diao Ling ran an inn and provided girls purely to conceal her identity; protecting members of the royal family was her actual profession.

But this guy was the opposite. Being a Royal Guard was just his hobby, while blacksmithing was his main profession?

This was the first time Allen had heard of someone using the identity of a Royal Guard as a cover to hide the fact that he was a blacksmith.

Where had his cheap father found so many weirdos?

Seeing that Allen did not seem to believe him, Rockhammer smiled sheepishly and pointed at Diao Ling. "I wouldn't lie to you, Second Young Master. If you don't believe me, ask her."

Diao Ling nodded helplessly. "Rockhammer is right. He really is a blacksmith, and he has already reached the Third Tier of Battle Aura."

Sakre cried out in surprise, "Impossible! You don't look older than forty, yet you've reached the Third Tier? Isn't that the same level as me?"

That was the thing about honest people: when they roasted someone, it hurt even more.

Rockhammer rubbed his shiny bald head and answered honestly, "You flatter me, Count. I am already over fifty."

Sakre finished showing off and looked exceedingly pleased with himself. Several lackeys played along with their master, exclaiming, "As expected of Count Sakre! A Battle Aura genius!"

Rockhammer continued, "I reached the Third Tier of Battle Aura when I was eighteen."

Sakre nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Still shaken, he asked, "You haven't advanced a single step in all these years?"

When Sakre was eighteen, he had been naked in an arena with a bunch of old men, tearing into each other.

Of course, he was still better off than a certain someone, who had been receiving a mixed-gender beating from his cheap parents when he was eighteen.

"No. Third Tier Battle Aura is enough for blacksmithing." Rockhammer gave an honest smile and delivered the final fatal blow to Sakre.

Sakre felt that he should never show off again. Every time he did, someone crushed him in return.

Comparisons really could kill a person.

Even Allen had to admit defeat. This guy truly stayed grounded and never forgot his roots. He had come from the Royal Guard, yet he had trained all the way to the Third Tier of Battle Aura just to become a blacksmith. Maybe Rockhammer really was a Sword Saint whose talent had been wasted on blacksmithing.

Just like Sakre—a joke master whose talent had been wasted on Battle Aura.

Rockhammer pointed at the growing number of Earth Dragon Legion soldiers outside and asked awkwardly, "Um, Second Young Master, after the battle ends, can their weapons all belong to me?"

"They can," Allen said solemnly. "If I'm still alive."

Rockhammer was delighted, feeling that his blacksmith shop could finally reopen.

Big Babylon walked over with the look of a hero meeting another hero and said in a deep voice, "Your head is really round."

Rockhammer replied with the expression of someone who had finally met a kindred spirit, "Yours isn't bad either. It's really shiny."

Then the two ran off to the side to study each other's heads, chatting endlessly about curves, brightness, and the angle of reflected light. They seemed not to care in the slightest about the densely packed Earth Dragon Legion soldiers outside.

"What a pair of idiots!" Diao Ling toyed with her short blades, her eyes locked tightly on Xiulunte's throat.

Xiulunte had learned his lesson this time. He did not wave his hand. Instead, he directly shouted, "Attack! Crossbow squad, fire! Infantry, breach the Old Castle! Kill the Child of Chaos and rescue Candidate Saintess Dina! Kill anyone else who resists as well!"

"Earth Dragon Legion, spread the Holy Father's light!" Other than the crossbow squad, every infantryman and cavalryman raised their weapons high and roared their battle cry.

Then... then great nets fell from the sky, covering several hundred infantrymen and cavalrymen from head to toe.

A short figure darted across the surrounding low rooftops with a huge bundle strapped to its back.

Allen said speechlessly, "Another thief whose career as a Royal Guard got in the way?"

Xiulunte was finally enraged. His Battle Aura-infused sword sliced through the falling net, and he charged toward the Old Castle gates at the head of the force.

Two barefoot ascetics exchanged a glance and began chanting spells.

Old Laixi watched the ascetics with a grave expression and said to Allen, "It seems magical self-detonation won't work. The two ascetics are joining hands to cast Holy Light Magic and prevent the elements from colliding."

"I didn't want to use it anyway." With that, Allen seized the Dragon Slaying Halberd and charged at Xiulunte.