When Narrow Paths Meet, the Brave Prevail! Battle and Slash

"Kill them!"

Colin's furious roar had barely rung out when the Black Robe Walking Corpses under his control began to move.

"Roar!"

Aside from the two Black Robe Walking Corpses holding Old Man Rottus, there were six others. After letting out short roars, they lunged forward together.

"Parr, be careful."

After giving that warning, Old Man Jack stepped forward and shielded Parr. With only his right arm, he turned his body slightly, took a deep breath, and let out a red-faced roar. Veins bulged on his forehead as he swung his One-Handed Sword in a wide arc.

"Hah!"

Whoosh! The sound of whistling wind reached Parr's ears. Then, to his surprise, the six charging Black Robe Walking Corpses were all knocked back a step by Old Man Jack's strike, their bodies stiffening.

"Now!"

Old Man Jack did not need to remind him. Parr knew this was a good opportunity. Taking advantage of his small stature, he slipped beneath Old Man Jack's still-raised arm. His loosely held right hand instantly clenched around the hilt of the Black Short Sword and drew it.

"Upward Flick!"

Rip!

Parr used the leveled-up Wind Wolf Basic Swordsmanship. This time, it did not fail. Though it was not as smooth as cutting down ordinary Walking Corpses, the sharp blade still split one Black Robe Walking Corpse's head in half from bottom to top.

Ding, detectable Life Energy Points found. Absorb? Ding, detectable Mental Energy Points found. Absorb? "Yes!"

Ding, absorbing...

Ding, absorption complete. Obtained 5 Life Energy Points and 1 Mental Energy Point.

"Could it be that no matter how powerful a Walking Corpse is, it's still brain-dead?"

"Roar!"

The other five Black Robe Walking Corpses had recovered from their stiffness. They roared in unison again and lunged at Parr, who was closest to them.

"Get lost!"

Old Man Jack stepped forward and blocked Parr again. With a low growl, he exerted force through his right arm and swung his sword once more, driving back the charging Walking Corpses and sending them into another brief period of stiffness.

"Upward Flick!"

Taking advantage of the brief moment to sheath his sword, Parr slipped beneath Old Man Jack's arm again, drew his sword, and killed another Black Robe Walking Corpse.

"Roar!"

The remaining four Black Robe Walking Corpses did not learn their lesson. Once the stiffness wore off, they continued charging.

"Get lost!"

Parr and Old Man Jack, a father and son who had never fought together before, worked together with exceptional coordination in the face of death.

Whenever Parr used the Sword Drawing Technique and sheathed his sword, and the Black Robe Walking Corpses recovered and charged, Old Man Jack would always step forward in time, swing his One-Handed Sword, and knock them away.

Parr could also seize the opportunity, slip beneath Old Man Jack's arm, draw his sword, and kill a Black Robe Walking Corpse.

The six Black Robe Walking Corpses were all taken down by the father and son.

Bang! Pfft! As the final Black Robe Walking Corpse fell, Old Man Jack dropped to one knee as well. Trembling all over, he spat out a mouthful of old blood. His flushed face turned pale at a visible rate. If not for his right hand bracing himself against his One-Handed Sword, he would have collapsed long ago.

"Dad!"

Having just sheathed the Black Short Sword, Parr turned around and hurried over to support Old Man Jack as he began tilting to the left.

"Are you all right?"

Parr's little face was filled with worry. After supporting Old Man Jack, though, he did not know what to do next.

"Cough, cough, cough."

After a bout of coughing, Old Man Jack tilted his head to look at Parr and said weakly, "I'm fine. I just overexerted myself and aggravated an old injury. Parr, take this chance and get out of here. We're no match for the cultist anymore."

"No! I won't give up."

Parr shook his head and slowly lowered Old Man Jack to the ground. Then he stood and looked at the cultist Colin, who was walking over while clapping. His right hand once again gripped the hilt of his sword.

Clap, clap, clap! "What a touching scene! Such deep father-son love? I'm so moved!"

Looking as though he had just enjoyed a splendid performance, Colin walked over while applauding. Behind him followed two Black Robe Walking Corpses and Old Man Rottus, who was being held up by them.

Colin stopped not far from Parr and looked him over. Parr appeared exhausted, and even the hand gripping his sword hilt was trembling nonstop. The corners of Colin's gray mouth curled upward, revealing a sinister smile. "What a pity! You are destined to die tonight. But after you die, I can turn all of you into Walking Corpses. That way, father and son can be reunited. Little brat, wouldn't you say I'm merciful?"

"..."

Parr did not respond to Colin's malicious words. His attention was entirely focused on the Status Panel.

Life Energy Points: 71 Mental Energy Points: 36 Just as Parr had expected, once his Life Energy Points exceeded fifty, the realm section on the Status Panel lit up again. That meant he could level up. It meant his strength could increase. It meant he had one chance to fully restore his condition.

Parr did not level up immediately. He wanted to save this opportunity for the most critical moment—like now. The fodder had been cleared out, and the boss had finally entered the field himself.

After a brief consideration, Parr came up with a plan. He would feign weakness and look for a chance to kill with one strike. He did not even need to pretend at his current state; one look was enough to tell that he was weak.

"You villain! Let Old Man Rottus go right now, or I'll chop you to death just like I chopped them!"

It was time to show off his acting skills. The transmigrator who had inherited Parr's memories easily slipped into the role of a stubborn little brat. He widened his eyes, glared furiously at Colin, and shouted his threats. But his trembling body exposed the truth. After one battle, he had already reached his limit. The fact that he could still stand without falling was enough to make Colin see him in a new light.

"Hahaha..."

Parr's utterly unthreatening words amused Colin. Then the God of Death cultist narrowed his eyes, had the Black Robe Walking Corpses behind him bring Old Man Rottus to his side, completely ignored Parr, and turned to ask Old Man Rottus, "Uncle, this little brat seems to care about you a lot! Is he your biological grandson? Or perhaps your son?"

"..."

Old Man Rottus turned his head away and remained silent.

"Hehe!"

Colin did not care. Rubbing his palms together, he walked toward Parr.

"Uncle, whether he is or not doesn't matter. What matters is that this little brat cares greatly about you. You must have a good relationship, right? I'll capture him and let him keep you company."

"Hey!"

At that moment, Old Man Rottus, who had been watching Colin's back, suddenly raised his head. His entire body shook, and he actually broke free from the two Black Robe Walking Corpses holding him. Strength surged anew from his aged, dying body. Old Man Rottus gathered that strength in his fist and threw a standard straight punch at Colin's back, shouting, "Parr, run!"

Bang! Before the words had even faded, the punch had landed. Old Man Rottus's final, flash-of-life punch struck Colin's back.

The result... was that it was blocked by a translucent shield that suddenly appeared around Colin's body.

Crack! Crack!

Several cracks appeared on the shield, but a block was still a block.

"No, Parr, don't..."

Old Man Rottus was not focused on the failure of his final strike. He had been watching Parr the entire time. When he saw that Parr not only failed to flee but instead took the opportunity to draw his sword at Colin, a despairing roar burst from his throat.

Ding, consume 50 Life Energy Points to raise realm to Elementary Knight Apprentice? "Yes!"

Ding, 50 Life Energy Points consumed. Realm upgraded.

This was the opportunity Parr had been waiting for! He had not expected it to come so soon. Without hesitation, he raised his realm. In an instant, a warm current appeared in his heart and flowed through his entire body. His strength increased by nearly half. Before drawing his sword, Parr glanced at the Status Panel.

Name: Parr Tianxing Gender: Baron Race: Human Race

Age: 10 (20)

Realm: Elementary Knight Apprentice (0/100)

Stamina: 100/100 Mental Power: 10/10 HP: 100/100 Talent:

Prompt Wake-Up LV1 Skill: Wind Wolf Basic Breathing Technique LV5 Basic Wind Wolf Swordsmanship LV5 Life Energy Points: 21 Mental Energy Points: 36

Immediately afterward, Parr, restored to full condition and greatly strengthened, stepped forward and drew the Black Short Sword.

"Horizontal Slash!"

Crack!

Colin's shield shattered beneath a single strike. A broken transparent gemstone ring fell from his finger, and the shattered shield erupted with a shockwave that pushed Parr and Old Man Rottus away.

That was somewhat beyond Parr's expectations, but this was not the time for surprise. After retreating several steps, he struggled to steady himself, sheathed his sword, and charged toward Colin.

"What?!"

A shocked expression appeared on Colin's face. He had never expected Parr to break through at this moment, reaching the same Apprentice-level as him.

"Chains of Death!"

Facing the charging Parr, Colin raised a hand and pointed without thinking. A wisp of gray mist appeared at his fingertip, instantly condensed into a chain as thick as a finger, and coiled toward Parr.

"Upward Flick!"

It was already right before him. Parr had nowhere to dodge, nowhere to retreat. His only choice was forward. When narrow paths met, the brave prevailed!

So Parr used the Basic Wind Wolf Swordsmanship again. The Black Short Sword flashed from its sheath and struck directly at the incoming Grey Mist Chain.

Slash! The Grey Mist Chain was utterly fragile before the level-five Basic Wind Wolf Swordsmanship. Parr cut it in two with a single strike. It collapsed into a wisp of gray mist and dispersed into the air.

"Attack!"

Taking advantage of that opening, Colin retreated two steps, opened the distance, and ordered the two Black Robe Walking Corpses behind him to surround Parr.

"Don't even think about it!"

But there was still one person in the field—Old Man Rottus. With his rich combat experience, he exhausted the last of his strength to throw himself forward and grab the two Black Robe Walking Corpses by the legs.

"Parr, now!"

Whoosh...

With a twist of his wrist, Parr sheathed his sword. He quickly took two steps forward, caught up to Colin, and drew the Black Short Sword before Colin's terrified eyes.

"Upward Flick!"

Slash! Colin wanted to block it. Gray mist had already appeared between his fingers, but the consequences of a caster without a shield being approached by a warrior were self-evident. So he died.

Bang!...

Beginning to reduce the contents of the Status Panel.