Capturing the Barbarian

The sudden battle seemed to be winding down.

But Ye Weian didn't think so. His gaze shifted to the bandits' leader, the bare-chested Barbarian.

Seeing things go south, the man had already swung his sword to knock aside a guard blocking his way. Now he was sprinting toward the riderless horses in the distance, clearly hoping to escape.

"Knight Cain! Stop him!" Ye Weian ordered at once. "I want him alive! The same goes for the rest of them. Capture as many as you can!"

There were too many suspicious things about this attack. He needed to find out what was going on.

"Understood!" Cain didn't hesitate. He dug in his heels and charged over to intercept the Barbarian, calling to two nearby guards with shields, "Help me surround him!"

Seeing his path blocked, the Barbarian's eyes flashed with menace.

"Get out of my way!" he roared, swinging the heavy greatsword in his hands with a terrifying rush of air.

Bang! Bang!

The two guards who tried to close in with their shields were struck as if by a battering ram. The force sent them stumbling back several steps, shields and all, and they nearly fell.

Knight Cain thrust with his longsword, but the Barbarian knocked it aside with a backhanded slash, numbing Cain's arm.

The leader was incredibly strong. Like a cornered beast fighting for its life, he proved too much for Cain to hold back.

Ye Weian frowned.

Purple Dragon Knight was a Fighter subclass. At the same level, Lv.3, a Purple Dragon Knight was better at command and fighting in formation. In a contest of strength alone, he couldn't overpower a plain Barbarian.

Besides, the Barbarian still hadn't used his trump card, Rage.

It seemed Cain and the guards wouldn't be able to keep the bandit leader here. Ye Weian would have to step in himself.

But Spellfire alone wouldn't be enough to stop the Barbarian in front of him.

Spellfire was too deadly. It would be bad if he accidentally burned the man to death.

To capture him alive, he had to coordinate with Knight Cain.

Fortunately, with Telepathy, he didn't need to worry about whether they could coordinate smoothly.

Ye Weian focused his thoughts, trying to send them to the knight locked in combat.

(Cain, can you hear me? It's Ye Weian Xiaxing. I'll support you with magic, so watch for my signal.)

A familiar voice suddenly rang out in the knight's mind. He was startled, and nearly took a blow from the Barbarian's blade.

He barely managed to block the incoming greatsword, then turned in shock to look at Ye Weian on top of the carriage.

Ye Weian gave him a slight nod.

(That's right. This is what my magic does. If you want to reply, just think your words.)

The knight understood at once. A Wizard's methods were never easy to predict. This must be some kind of communication spell.

He steadied his breathing, fending off his opponent as he replied in his mind.

(I understand, Young Master Ye Weian. Please hurry. He's incredibly strong, and I can't hold out much longer!)

With that settled, Ye Weian turned his attention back to the bandit leader.

The knight's brief distraction had given the Barbarian an opening. After a short windup, he unleashed a full-power, heavy slash.

Clang—

Cain barely blocked the blow. The impact numbed his whole body, and his movements slowed for a fraction of a second.

The burly man seized the fleeting opening, twisting to charge toward the horses—

This man was far too cunning to be a Barbarian.

Fortunately, Ye Weian had already finished preparing his spell.

"Silver Light Sharp Tongue!"

The next moment, a mysterious glimmer of silver appeared without warning at the edge of the Barbarian's vision.

The light held a bewitching power, drawing his gaze aside despite himself. For an instant, he was dazed.

(Now!)

The knight felt the numbness in his arm from the impact of the block suddenly fade. At the same time, a strange "intuition" took hold of him. He could clearly "see" the opening his distracted opponent had exposed.

"That's it! Now!"

With a roar, Cain thrust his longsword. It slipped through the Barbarian's guard, pierced muscle, and plunged straight into his lung!

"Ugh—gah!"

Only when the pain hit did the bandit leader realize what had happened.

He had overestimated the effect of his heavy blow. The knight, stubborn as a burr, had recovered far faster than he'd expected—and had seized on the instant of distraction with perfect precision.

The wound through his lung brought searing pain and left him gasping for breath, but it also ignited the savagery in his bones.

At this point, all thoughts of schemes and retreat vanished from his mind. The fury in the Barbarian's blood erupted. His eyes flooded with red, and a beastly growl rumbled in his throat. Ignoring his wound, he raised his greatsword in both hands and brought it down at Cain with all his strength, intent on chopping the damned knight to pieces!

Under the power of his fury, Cain had no chance of blocking that blow.

Unfortunately for him, once Ye Weian had learned his class, he'd been prepared for the Barbarian's Rage.

He had warned Cain before the Barbarian flew into a frenzy.

The knight had already retreated out of range.

The furious blow shattered only the air and a few blades of grass, carving a deep furrow into the ground for nothing.

"Raaaagh!" The bandit leader's fury only grew when his blow missed. He lunged forward, trying to press the attack.

But then he felt something wrong underfoot!

He looked down. At some point, the ground beneath him had been covered in a slick, glistening layer of grease.

"Grease!"

This was the second time Ye Weian had used the spell today.

The enraged Barbarian had no time to shift his weight. His massive body lost its balance and crashed onto the greasy surface with a heavy thud, splattering grease everywhere. His greatsword flew from his hands and clanged against the ground.

"Gah... you bastard!" He struggled to get up, but the slick ground gave him no purchase.

"Use your spears. Keep him pinned down!" Ye Weian ordered at just the right moment.

Several of the quickest guards dropped their swords and shields, grabbed the spare spears beside the carriage, and closed in. Staying outside the Grease spell's area, they leveled their spearpoints at the struggling Barbarian.

"Just keep him off balance. Don't kill him," Ye Weian warned them.

The guards followed his orders faithfully. Whenever the Barbarian tried to stand, several spearpoints jabbed at him—not aiming for vital spots, but thrusting at his arms and shoulders, or simply shoving and striking him with the shafts.

"Get away!" The Barbarian swung an arm in a rage, batting aside one spear, but more spearpoints jabbed at him from other directions.

He managed to push himself upright, but a spear shaft slammed into his side, knocking him off balance. He fell face-first onto the slick ground again.

He got up, and they knocked him down. He rose again, and fell once more.

Trapped within the Grease spell, the Barbarian was like a beast mired in a swamp. He had terrifying strength, but nowhere to unleash it.

His wound was bleeding, and every roar and struggle drained him further.

His angry bellowing gradually turned into ragged, pained gasps. The redness began to fade from his eyes, and his bulging muscles slackened as if they'd gone limp.

His [Rage] state ended, and weakness and pain took its place.

He gasped for breath, each breath sending stabbing pain through his wounded lung. His vision darkened, and he no longer had the strength to get up. He could only lie in the cold, muddy grease, smeared with his own blood.

Knight Cain walked over and made sure he could no longer fight before nodding to the guards.

"Tie him up. Make sure he's bound tight."

The guards rushed in and used the ropes they'd prepared to capture the Barbarian.

Although they hadn't killed him, Ye Weian still received an experience notification.

[Defeated Lv.3 Barbarian. Gained 400 experience.]

The battle was over.

The attacking bandits were dead or had fled. Even their leader had been captured. Their force had been all but wiped out.

The guards who had chased after the fleeing bandits began returning from the distance.

Most of them came back with the spoils they'd collected. Two guards were escorting a bandit underling.

"Young Master Ye Weian," one of them said, his face alight with excitement. "We followed your orders and captured one alive!"

Seeing the demon who had burned more than a dozen of their comrades to death, the captive immediately lowered his head.

Ye Weian glanced at the captive, whose face had gone ashen, and nodded. "You did well."

The soldier's face lit up at the praise, and he unconsciously straightened his chest.

According to the original owner's memories, the guards hadn't treated him this way when they'd come to escort him.

Back then, they'd been reasonably respectful, but their every action had been perfunctory. Even helping him move his luggage had been a slow, grudging affair. That was nothing like the sincere awe they showed him now.

In this world of the strong devouring the weak, only strength could win people over.