Victory Through Battle

On the hillside.

Xia Tong rode Torrent downhill, followed by two Fanged Imps and two Stray Wolves.

One of the Stray Wolves had suffered wounds too severe earlier. Its spirit had already dispersed and could not be summoned.

Inside the camp before the gate.

The Godrick Knight was still pacing slowly, his heavy plate armor grinding with each step. "Clank, clank"—the sound was deep and powerful.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he whipped around and looked to the left.

Woooo—!

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The bleak, urgent horn blast instantly echoed throughout the camp.

Every Godrick Soldier in the camp converged in the knight's direction.

However, thanks to Xia Tong's deliberate "attrition tactic" earlier.

Including the knight, only eight soldiers remained in the entire camp.

"Interesting."

The wandering merchant Kale sat on a distant hillside, picked up his stringed instrument, and began to play a gentle melody.

The mournful music drifted over the battlefield.

Below the hill, the battle had already begun.

Boom! Boom!

The Fanged Imps struck first, hurling two dark-brown Magic Pots hard against the Godrick Knight's shield.

Magic erupted, and shockwaves swept outward.

The formation of the Godrick Soldiers preparing to assemble immediately fell into disarray.

"Now!"

Seizing the moment, Xia Tong pulled a faintly glowing clay jar from his robes—a Sleep Pot.

Using Torrent's momentum, he hurled it forcefully at the Godrick Knight's feet.

Smack!

The clay jar shattered.

Pale violet radiance instantly spread through the area, and a hazy, cloying scent filled the air.

The murderous Godrick Knight suddenly slowed, his eyelids seeming to weigh a thousand pounds.

Thud.

Not only him—three nearby soldiers also crumpled to the ground as if their bones had been pulled out, falling into deep sleep.

In an instant, only four of the eight combatants remained awake.

They were farther away and had not been affected by the Sleep Pot.

Xia Tong ignored the four awake soldiers. He dismounted, gripped the Lord's Army Spear, and charged toward the three sleeping ordinary soldiers.

This was a battlefield. There was no mercy.

Stab! Stab! Stab!

The spear pierced their throats with precision.

Three sprays of blood burst forth in succession, and the three soldiers fell silent in their sleep.

Five remained!

Looking at the Godrick Knight lying on the ground and snoring thunderously, Xia Tong did not greedily attack him.

He knew elite enemies had extremely high resistance. The sleep would not last long, and any attack would immediately wake the knight and send him into a frenzy.

He turned to the other four awake Godrick Soldiers.

"Get them, boys! Hold them back!"

The two Fanged Imps and two Stray Wolves had already rushed forward.

Besides the four sword-wielding Godrick Soldiers, the enemy also had two tamed military wolves.

A chaotic melee was about to erupt.

Xia Tong's thoughts raced.

He spotted an isolated soldier, gripped the Lordsworn's Straight Sword with both hands, and held its tip level.

Skill—Square Off!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

He stomped forward three steps, each one heavy and forceful.

Then he suddenly swung the longsword upward!

Heavy attack—Upward Cut!

Clang!

The Godrick Soldier raised his shield to block, but the strike was too powerful. It smashed through his defense and sent his entire body flying!

Blood gushed from his chest and abdomen.

Xia Tong knew the strike had not killed him outright.

He immediately leaped high into the air, pointed his sword downward, gripped the hilt with both hands, and drove it down with the force of gravity!

Squelch!

Straight through the heart.

The Godrick Soldier twitched twice and collapsed, a stream of Runes flowing into Xia Tong's body.

59 Runes!

Clank! Clank!

At that moment, the heavy collision of armor suddenly sounded behind him.

Xia Tong spun around.

The Godrick Knight had already risen to his feet!

His eyes were bloodshot. Clearly, being forcibly awakened had made his temper even worse.

A gentle melody rang by Xia Tong's ears.

At some point, the wandering merchant Kale had ridden his donkey to the nearby high ground.

He played a sorrowful tune while watching the battlefield like a bard.

The battlefield was now split into two parts.

On one side was the melee between the spirit ash squad and the ordinary soldiers.

On the other.

Xia Tong faced the Godrick Knight!

The knight planted the enormous shield emblazoned with a golden lion before him, the white plume on his helmet whipping wildly in the wind.

Through the narrow slit in the helmet, that cold gaze made Xia Tong feel a chill down his back.

Boom!

The Godrick Knight moved in an instant.

He carried a heavy gilded greatshield in his left hand and held a sharp knight's spear in his right.

Clank! Clank!

His heavy steps made the full suit of armor screech unpleasantly, and like an iron-clad rhinoceros, he charged at Xia Tong.

Whoosh!

The heavy, straight spear suddenly thrust forward, tearing through the air with a terrifying shriek.

Xia Tong hurriedly retreated.

Then, without pausing, the Godrick Knight stepped forward and thrust again!

A deadly chain of thrusts!

This time, Xia Tong dodged desperately to the left.

Rip.

The fabric on the left side of his thigh was torn, and his skin was pierced open.

Fortunately, it had only grazed him and had not struck an artery.

"That was close!"

Before Xia Tong could react, the third thrust was already upon him!

This time, Xia Tong did not retreat. Gritting his teeth, he rolled straight forward and slipped inside the knight's reach.

The sharp spear scraped along his spine, bringing a searing pain.

"An opening!"

Xia Tong rose, gripped his sword with both hands, and thrust upward at the Godrick Knight's right shoulder!

Thud!

A dull impact rang out.

The sword struck the heavy shoulder plate, throwing sparks everywhere.

The Godrick Knight staggered back a step.

Xia Tong now had a full 17 points of Strength. The blow was powerful enough that even the knight could not completely ignore it.

However, the Godrick Knight possessed exceptional combat instincts.

Without a hint of panic, he used the gilded greatshield in his left hand like a wall, smashing it down at Xia Tong from above with its massive surface!

Shield Bash!

Bang!

Xia Tong could only raise his sword to block, and the tremendous impact sent him flying.

Dirt and grass clippings scattered everywhere.

At that moment, the wandering merchant Kale's music also stopped.

Clearly, their intense battle had completely captured his attention.

Xia Tong rolled awkwardly across the ground and retreated at high speed, widening the distance between them once more.

The two began circling each other in a standoff.

If the midpoint between them were the center of a circle.

Then at that moment, they slowly moved along its circumference.

In an inhuman, mechanical motion, the Godrick Knight heavily planted the gilded greatshield, wider than a door, onto the ground.

Thud!

The dull sound seemed to strike Xia Tong directly in the chest.

Looking at the faded golden emblem on the shield, Xia Tong gripped the Lordsworn's Straight Sword even tighter, his palms drenched in sweat.

The Godrick Knight steadily extended his spear through the gap beside the shield, its tip aimed directly at Xia Tong.

He tucked his entire body behind the shield, turning himself into a mobile, impregnable steel fortress.

This was the most shameless tactic—hiding behind a raised shield.

Xia Tong took a deep breath.

He could not drag this out. His stamina could not outlast the opponent's.

He made a probing sidestep, then swung his straight sword at a tricky angle toward the Godrick Knight's right shoulder, where he had struck before.

Clang—!!

A piercing clash of metal rang out.

Xia Tong felt his grip shake violently as the blade was easily knocked aside by the greatshield, which had shifted slightly in angle.

At the instant his old force faded and new force had yet to rise!

Whoosh!

The knight did not even move his shield. With a mere flick of his wrist.

The spear shot out from behind the shield like a striking venomous snake!

Shield Poke!

Xia Tong's pupils contracted sharply!

The instincts honed through so many days of battle made him retreat at once.

But he was still a step too slow.

Squelch!

A searing pain flared in his left arm. The spear had viciously torn open a wound there, and blood poured out.

"What a fast thrust!"

Xia Tong steadied himself, his heart tightening.

This was the knight's most shameless and most lethal move—Shield Poke.

Offense and defense as one, without a single opening.

Without time to think, Xia Tong pulled out the Crimson Tear Flask and took a hard gulp.

The warm liquid entered his stomach, and the wound on his left arm began to stop bleeding and slowly heal.

Seeing this, the Godrick Knight seemed to be enraged.

This time, he did not wait any longer.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

With heavy steps, he charged at Xia Tong again like an enraged bull.

The difference in strength was too great. Xia Tong did not dare take the charge head-on.

He judged the timing and nimbly rolled to the side.

Whoosh!

Wind swept past him.

The Godrick Knight's charge missed, and the tremendous momentum made it difficult for him to stop, exposing a brief opening at his side.

Now!

Xia Tong did not greedily press the attack with another slash. Instead, he stopped short in an instant and assumed that strange center of gravity.

He gripped the sword with both hands, lowered his stance, and raised the tip.

Combat skill—Square Off!

He poured all his strength into the blade, aiming at the gap in the knight's waist armor—the weakest point exposed by the charge.

He unleashed that fierce, powerful Upward Cut from below!

Break... for me!!

Clang!!

A teeth-grating sound of metal tearing apart rang out.