The Three of Us Seem to Have Some Strength

"Are you getting old, deaf, senile, and unable to understand human speech?

I told you, you're running in the wrong direction, and you're still running blindly.

Now the pursuers are all here. If I can't escape, you'll be haunted by me in the next life!"

"Can you shut your damn mouth?

I really can't stand you babbling in my ear. I didn't listen to you, took the wrong path, wasted time, and attracted the green-skins?

Is that why you keep chattering in my ear?"

"Are you speaking human words!?"

"Who the hell knew you could actually see through illusions?"

The noise of the argument sounded familiar to Kuru.

It didn't know why the two humans cared so much about "mother," kobolds never cared about such things.

But as soon as they realized the identities of the two outside the tent, the curtain was hastily lifted, and Tang Qi and Black Snake burst in as if they had fallen.

Several arrows followed closely overhead, piercing a few holes in the canopy. Fortunately, they dodged in time, letting them fall to the ground.

"You didn't escape?"

Even Tang Qi hadn't expected to see the one person and one dog again.

With just one glance at the mage lying in a pool of blood, he guessed what had happened:

"You were told to hold the knife, so you stayed hidden in the tent, waiting for the rabbit?"

Kuru was a smart kobold, aware of its own weakness.

It knew that escaping now wouldn't necessarily lead it to find its way or survive in the treacherous forest.

But no matter how smart it was, its nature was deeply ingrained.

They were naturally cunning and timid.

But they held grudges.

They often habitually buried their hatred in their hearts for survival.

They would lie in wait, brewing resentment, until the opportunity for revenge arrived.

This opportunity had come.

But it would inevitably come at a price--

Now, there was no time to escape.

No one gave them a chance to regroup.

Two orcs with axes in hand, pig-like faces, and tusks almost protruding from their cheekbones, followed closely, smashing through the curtain and barging in.

These were the scouts Black Snake had run into after getting lost in the fog.

Their muscles were thick and strong, and they swung their axes with such force that they created gusts of wind.

There was no technique, just brute strength.

In Tang Qi's eyes, it even looked like a clumsy brawl.

They didn't care if there were two people or three "people" in front of them.

Their scarlet pupils seemed to hide a ball of flame.

Burning their meager sanity, they only cared about tearing apart everything in sight.

"Throw the knife over!"

The moment Black Snake asked, Kuru threw the curved saber.

It understood that killing New Star was due to its own painstaking efforts to lie in wait.

In terms of strength, it was no match for anyone.

If it wanted to break through the encirclement, Black Snake was the only force it could rely on.

The double axes swung like a full moon, whistling through the air.

Black Snake's waist and back were as flexible as a snake's. He bent backward like a bridge, easily dodging.

As he flipped, his toes kicked the hilt of the curved saber. When he stood up straight, the black saber had already drawn a circle in the air, landing steadily in his hand like a circus trick.

He didn't dare to delay, and with a flick of his wrist, the saber fell.

The curved saber was like ink, concealing its sharp edge in the dim night.

The orc's eyes barely followed his blade.

But its body couldn't react in time.

The curved saber dragged across its solid muscle, but it was like slicing through a piece of paper as thin as a cicada's wing.

Blood gushed out like a pillar, yet not a speck of dust could be seen on the blade.

Tang Qi's vision was limited by the darkness, but his Alertness warned him of the incoming axe from another orc.

Driven by his survival instinct, he leaned back, his hand axe swinging past him, mere inches away.

Even so, he still felt a sting on the bridge of his nose.

Warm blood trickled to the corner of his mouth; his skin had been grazed by the wind.

The orc brought its twin axes together, like chopping wood, about to cleave into Tang Qi's chest.

The curved blade had already sliced through its neck.

It fell faster than the axe in its hand.

"This blade is still good," Black Snake murmured, weighing the Snake Kiss in his hand.

Orc skin was naturally rough, hard as steel.

If it were an ordinary curved blade, it would likely have been nicked just from striking their skin.

He subconsciously reached out to Tang Qi.

By the time he reacted and tried to pull his hand back, Tang Qi had already used his arm to stand up.

He offered no thanks, but his tone was no longer as harsh:

"From now on, listen to me."

"When is it your turn to command me—"

Remembering his previous foolishness, being blinded by illusions, Black Snake coughed twice.

"Just this once."

Taking back the initiative, Tang Qi knew there was no time to waste and no room for ambiguity:

"Kuru, take this mage's staff and cast an illusionary figure to walk out."

Previously, the lack of a casting tool had made Kuru completely useless. Now, they had to utilize every resource possible.

Kuru had already thoroughly searched New Star's corpse. Holding the staff, about an arm's length long, it quickly chanted a guttural incantation.

An illusion identical to Tang Qi, accompanied by a flash of light, flickered into existence before them.

Silent Illusion, Kuru's only first-circle spell.

It directed the "Tang Qi" to walk out of the tent.

In almost the time it took to take two breaths, a roar came from outside the tent, along with the sound of a giant axe swinging, reaching their ears simultaneously.

"Now!"

Fearing there were more pursuers hidden outside the tent, Tang Qi used the illusion to buy a moment of respite.

Black Snake rushed out of the tent first, killing the orc outside before it could fully recover from swinging its giant axe.

Tang Qi followed closely with Kuru, using Black Snake to clear the path, trying to discern their escape route—

Only to see the remaining goblins and a few advancing orcs blocking their path forward, intending to surround them.

"Stay close to me!"

Black Snake gritted his teeth, his black blade like a snake, slithering around the goblins' necks, blood spurting with every pass.

He also kicked the rusty curved blade that had fallen to the ground towards Tang Qi's feet.

Alertness rang like a bell, and cold sweat soaked Tang Qi's back.

He lunged forward, rolled, and picked up the curved blade, raising it just in time as the goblin's blade swung down behind him.

With a clang, sparks flew from the blade, temporarily blocking their backstab.

The unique "chich" sound of Dragon Tongue sang out, and icy blue crystals instantly slashed through the night, accurately striking a goblin's abdomen.

The spreading cold froze its blood, and as the goblin slowed, Tang Qi couldn't afford to hesitate.

Almost by muscle memory, he swung the curved blade.

With a thwack, the curved blade struck the goblin's chest, killing it precisely.

However, due to misjudging the force, the blade became embedded in its sternum.

"Damn it!"

Tang Qi tried to pull out the blade, but in this perilous situation, the enemy wouldn't give him a chance to react!

As he drew his sword, a silver-white edge flashed in the firelight, gleaming coldly!

Alertness clearly informed him of the danger's direction.

But Tang Qi's movements were not swift enough, his body not agile enough, and his experience far too limited.

He couldn't react as calmly as Black Snake to the incoming blade.

He couldn't dodge in time!

"Get out of the way—"

Realizing Tang Qi was in danger, Black Snake had no choice but to sprint backward.

Now, flashing forward, he slashed a knife at the goblin's nape, then kicked away the corpse that was stuck on Tang Qi's blade, unable to help but curse:

"Idiot! Stop swinging your saber like an axe, you need to drag and cut with the blade, drag and cut, understand!?"

To use an axe masterfully doesn't rely entirely on brute force.

But even using it this way, while simple and direct, would be remarkably effective.

Sabers, however, have their own unique advantages.

Compared to axes, they are much lighter and more versatile. When used properly, they can often yield twice the result with half the effort.

But they require extremely precise control of distance, and one must fully utilize both edges of the blade to unleash its full potential.

Another goblin lunged forward. To prevent the novice Tang Qi from making another mistake, Black Snake twisted his waist, pivoted his hips, and swung his arm.

With the most standard motion, he drew a curve with his blade, precisely slicing across the goblin's throat.

Tang Qi's mind understood, but his movements were still unavoidably stiff.

Fortunately, he had [Alertness] to assist him; otherwise, he would have already died from the goblins' chaotic attacks.

The battlefield is always the best teacher.

Since Black Snake blocked most of the attacks for him, Kuru would occasionally interject with a Frozen Ray.

With the three of them cooperating, Tang Qi actually found his saber becoming more and more comfortable in his hands:

"Are the three of us actually a bit capable?"

Black Snake's mouth twitched, and he almost lost his grip on the saber handle—

If it weren't for the fact that only this bastard could see through the mist, he would have already fought his way through the encirclement and escaped!

Now, burdened with two dead weights and pursued by enemies, they were barely able to move.

Even though the vanguard fell one by one during the pursuit, the orcs' war cries grew clearer and louder in their ears.

"Hoo, ha!"

"Hoo, ha!"

"Hoo, ha!"

The noisy footsteps pounded the ground, and the leaves in the forest trembled precariously, like the rapid breaths of the earth.

The towering phantom that had been lurking in the mist finally revealed its true form as it slowly advanced.

Tang Qi was about to turn around to look.

[Alertness] suddenly sounded.

Two consecutive dull explosions rang out first.

Tang Qi felt danger approaching, but the impact was faster than his nerves—

"Not good..."

"Bang!"

He was sent flying backward, head thrown back.