Gray grunted and was thrown into the air. His Hard Armor was ripped open with a large, gaping hole, through which one could see intestines and internal organs writhing among the mechanical structure.
He endured the excruciating pain as he adjusted his body in mid-air to prevent the added weight of the breastplate and arm armor from breaking his neck upon landing.
The knight in silver armor was relentless, spurring his horse forward and aiming at Gray's target, his lance already poised to pierce his chest.
"Bang!"
Gray's body curled up slightly, and he slammed onto the ground, rolling half a circle to dissipate the force.
Just as he adjusted to a half-kneeling position, preparing to launch another attack, the silver spear, gleaming with a cold light, had already pierced through his undefended front.
"Pfft!"
The silver spear pierced Gray's left chest and emerged from behind.
Fresh blood dripped down the gun barrel, splattering onto the yellow-green grass, nourishing the mutated lower plants.
Fragments of the heart and deformed mechanical parts flew out as well. Gray's bearded face turned deathly pale. He opened his mouth and moved weakly a few times before closing it again, as if he had lost the ability to breathe.
Even so, he did not give up the fight.
Just as the knight was about to draw his lance and stab a few more holes to ensure the monster in front of him was completely dead, he found that the bearded man in front of him had already gripped the front of his lance tightly with his hands, which were covered in heavy arm armor.
The hand armor on his arms seemed to have barbs, locking his spear firmly in place.
The knight suddenly exerted his strength to try to pull out the lance, but felt as if his lance had become one with the monster and could no longer be separated.
At the cost of his own heart, Gray finally unleashed his advantage in strength.
Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate over the spears, the rustling sound that had been permeating the battle and serving as background noise suddenly stopped.
The wilderness fell into a deathly silence.
The next moment, the timer on Gray's left arm armor suddenly popped open, and a delicate brass bird shot out from the space below. This lifelike bronze bird swayed left and right twice, opened its beak, spread its wings, and made a crisp sound:
"Cuckoo~Cuckoo~"
The dark observation window on the knight's visor instantly spewed forth killing intent, and a very ominous premonition rose in his heart.
Gray, his face deathly pale, forced a smile:
"Time is up."
"What time?"
The knight shouted his question, but received no response other than mockery.
Instead of making any rash moves, he abandoned the idea of drawing his gun and calmly entered an unprecedented state of alertness. Then, he heard a rhythmic series of "bang bang" sounds.
In the knight's memory, only two things make such a sound: one is the mooring rope used to anchor a sailboat when it comes ashore, and the other is... a fully drawn crossbow.
He looked up abruptly and was startled to see a cold glint of light behind the observation window on the second floor of the mobile fortress directly in front of him...
Brass mechanical composite crossbow, an essential weapon for merchants Graycast Corridor.
Gray's bow was modified by his teacher, with two longer-reaching metal hard bows added.
Even Gray, wearing arm armor, could only draw the crossbow a little bit, so he used machinery to modify it into a ballista, which was then fixed to the ceiling behind the observation window on the second floor, with a huge iron bolt always placed in the slot.
From the moment he pulled the lever before leaving the mobile fortress, the powerful crossbow had already begun to build up its power.
And so, in Gray's already fading gaze, the silver-armored knight and his warhorse were pinned to the ground by a long iron arrow, the sound of the armor Shattered even faster than the sound of the crossbow string snapping back into place, and the aftershock of the arrow hitting the ground even caused blood to trickle from the corner of Gray's mouth.
The knight, who had held an absolute advantage just a moment ago, and his horse died without even a groan or a howl.
Gray emerged victorious, but his win was far from easy.
The knight's strength far exceeded his expectations, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with his tactical arrangements.
Mobile fortresses are somewhat effective against large, disorganized groups, but they're a joke against powerful individuals.
At times like these, hiding in the fortress will only lead to greater losses and a quicker death.
Gray's lips curled up slightly, but he quickly regained his serious expression.
He had to save himself quickly, or he would be next to die.
After catching his breath, Gray forced himself to stand up and pulled the knight's silver spear from his left chest with both hands.
He tossed the silver spear aside and Gray down to see his heart, which had stopped beating.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood, first throwing off the heavy gauntlets and arm armor on his hands, then quickly pulling out several safety pins located at his waist and back.
After pressing a hidden valve, the gas in the pressure relief valve began to change its flow direction, and the half-armor that was fixed in front of him by hooks and mechanical structures was "snap" away and landed on the ground a few meters away.
Gray examined his severely damaged body, manipulating the complex mechanical structures with both hands to stop the bleeding and compensate for the damage, while wondering if his savings would be enough to cover the repair costs.
After finishing this task, he took a deep breath to confirm that the damaged part had been repaired, and then began to forcefully rotate the large brass keychain that was exposed on his right chest.
The crisp "click-click" sound of winding the clockwork rang out, and Gray's blood supply was restored.
Fortunately, he has two hearts.
But before he could return to the Graycast Corridor, he had to wind up his heart every twelve hours.
Having dealt with all that, Gray turned his gaze to the silver-armored knight who was now pinned to the ground at an angle.
Although it had large holes in both the front and back, this bright silver armor still had collectible value. It was suitable to be added to one's junk warehouse, and then, during some business trip, it would be bought by some sucker for a price far exceeding the market value.
"Then let me see your true colors."
Gray limped over to the knight's corpse, his left hand gripping the soft armor around the neck, while his right hand forcefully ripped open the visor that had only a slit for observation.
The first rays of midsummer sunlight fell on Gray's dark brown beard, but brought him no warmth whatsoever.
At that moment, Gray felt his hands and feet were ice-cold and his hair stood on end; he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
Because beneath that gleaming silver mask, forged from refined iron, lay darkness, pure darkness.
Inside the armor, there was nothing.