Barricade Shield

Xia Tong exerted a little force and found he could not pull it off at all. So he used the Lordsworn's Greatsword to laboriously pry open the Night's Cavalryman's iron faceplate.

He then pried the entire deformed helmet out from around the man's shoulders.

Only then was a complete head revealed before Xia Tong.

He had not been able to see clearly during the battle, but now, with a torch lit and brought close, he could finally make out every detail.

Judging by his features, he was probably in his forties or fifties.

But after going so long without sunlight, his skin had taken on a dull, lifeless lead-gray color.

There was a deep sword wound in his neck where Xia Tong had stabbed him. The blood that had flowed out was not the bright red of an ordinary person's, but nearly a thick, reddish-black color.

"There is a fluctuation from an Ash of War on him."

Melina materialized beside him, staring at the dead Night's Cavalryman as she spoke softly.

"An Ash of War?"

Only then did Xia Tong recall that Night's Cavalrymen would most likely drop Ashes of War.

So he began removing the armor.

He stripped every piece of armor from the Night's Cavalryman, yet found nothing.

Then his gaze fell upon the Night's Cavalryman's somewhat shriveled skin.

Right in the center of his chest was a gray crystal the size of a fingernail.

"That is the Ash of War."

Melina's voice was gentle yet certain.

Xia Tong pulled a short knife from his trouser leg, carefully pried off the crystal, wiped it clean, and examined it in his hand.

The gray crystal was dull in color and rough on the surface. It looked utterly unremarkable, like an ordinary stone by the roadside.

"This is an Ash of War?"

Xia Tong looked at Melina and asked in confusion.

"Take out the thing you found in the underground chamber at Gatefront. Then use it to gently touch this crystal."

"You mean... the Whetstone Knife?"

Xia Tong did not carry that thing on him because it was too heavy. He had left it in the pack on Torrent's back.

He dug it out, picked up the unremarkable little stone knife carved with ancient inscriptions, and lightly touched the gray crystal with it.

Buzz!

The instant they touched.

A faint glow began to flow across the surface of the Whetstone Knife.

Xia Tong felt a strange resonance form between himself and the crystal before him.

The once-dull crystal lit up at once.

At the same time, Xia Tong's head buzzed, and his vision went black.

His consciousness was forcibly thrown into an ancient battlefield.

The endless clash of weapons and cries of battle surrounded him.

Before him, blades, spears, swords, and halberds came at him from every direction, every strike deadly.

Yet he was not panicked.

In his field of vision, he held a tower shield half a man's height, firmly raised before him.

All the strength in his body slowly twisted toward his left arm, and even the breathing around him became distinctly clear.

A mercury-like sheen rippled across the shield's surface.

The clang of metal rang endlessly in his ears.

Countless sharp swords slashed down. Warhammers, great lances, and crossbow bolts crashed toward him in a dense storm.

Every impact brought thunderous roars and violent tremors.

Yet he remained unmoved.

Every muscle in his body served that shield, perfectly channeling the force of impact into the earth.

He maintained a half-crouched stance, yet his spine stood as straight as a mountain peak.

Skill—Barricade Shield!

Immovable as a mountain!

Boom!

The scene abruptly shattered.

Xia Tong suddenly came back to his senses, and everything before him became clear once more.

The Night's Cavalryman's corpse still lay quietly on the grass before him, as though nothing had happened.

But Xia Tong's palms were drenched in sweat.

"That is an Ash of War."

Seeing the shock on his face, Melina explained:

"These Ashes of War contain the will of the great warrior their host was in life. Simply put, they are living fossils of combat skills."

"Whenever a powerful warrior honed their craft, their spiritual power would resonate intensely with their life energy—that is, Runes."

"After the body perished, their deepest muscle memory and understanding of their craft did not dissipate. Instead, they attached themselves to some medium."

For the Night's Cavalryman, that medium was naturally the gray crystal embedded in his chest.

Xia Tong stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Then how do I use it?"

"Hold the crystal carrying the Ash of War in one hand, and the Whetstone Knife in the other. Carefully perceive the spiritual power within the Ash of War."

"Then use the knife to carve its unique pattern onto your weapon or shield."

Melina paused before adding:

"However, once you carve the pattern onto a shield, the spiritual power within the gray crystal that bears the combat skill will transfer with it. At its core, the crystal is merely a container."

Xia Tong understood.

So this was the true nature of the Ash of War system from the game.

He could put this on the Brass Shield later. It would definitely be an incredible tool for clearing areas.

After putting away the Ash of War, he went to inspect the massive weapon that had dropped—the Night Cavalry Flail.

He gripped the end of the handle with both hands and gave it a few swings.

After trying it casually a few times, he found it did not feel right in his hands.

The inertia of those three spiked iron balls was too great. It did not feel flexible enough, and it would be easy to injure himself by accident.

Based on his experience from his previous life, it was probably because his Dexterity was not high enough.

Xia Tong's Dexterity was currently 13, which was indeed a little low.

Most of his Runes had gone toward improving his Focus and health.

"Lord Xia Tong, are you all right?!"

In the distance.

Irina approached with the merchant Moen supporting her.

Guided by sound, Irina jogged toward Xia Tong's position, her face full of anxiety.

She was very smart.

She could sense that this battle had been far more dangerous and much longer than the earlier fight against the Misbegotten squad.

This was the legendary Night's Cavalry!

When she was little, she had heard her father tell stories about the Night's Cavalry. Every one of them was a masterful warrior, and many heroes had died beneath their iron hooves.

"I'm fine. Still in one piece."

Xia Tong chuckled, stepped forward, and naturally smoothed out Irina's wind-tousled hair.

It had to be said that Irina was very good at making people feel valued. She made him want to protect her.

"Just now, I thought you would die at the Night's Cavalryman's hands."

After this battle, the wandering merchant Moen's respect for Xia Tong increased greatly.

In the Lands Between, the strong were respected.

"I just got lucky and survived."

Xia Tong laughed it off without offering any further explanation.

During this battle, Xia Tong had not drunk from the Crimson Tear Flask. He had only routinely taken a sip from the Cerulean Tear Flask to replenish the Focus Points consumed by summoning Spirit Ashes.

Ever since arriving in this world, Xia Tong had deliberately avoided drinking flasks in battle.

Because in the midst of fierce combat, drinking a flask was an extremely dangerous thing to do.

Of course, he had Spirit Ashes to draw attention for him, which greatly reduced the risk.

Even so, Xia Tong avoided drinking whenever he could.

Unless the battle was over and a flask could heal his injuries. That was another matter entirely.

"Brother Moen, thank you for looking after Miss Irina just now."

"Don't mention it. I did not really look after her at all. Besides, the Night's Cavalryman's target was you from beginning to end."

Moen waved his hand.

"To show my gratitude, let me see your wares. Perhaps you have something I need."

"Brother, you're finally willing to give me your business!"

Moen was overjoyed.

He led Xia Tong over to his little donkey and untied the bulging cloth sack.

Clatter.

It was filled with a dazzling array of goods.

Xia Tong looked through them, then had Moen introduce them one by one.

Then he made a sweeping gesture.

He spent several hundred Runes on some Kukri. These throwing weapons had an extremely potent bleeding effect.

He also spent 600 Runes on a Cracked Pot.

Finally, he spotted an ash-gray key in the corner.