Chapter 124: Counterattack
The recent fog had already put Duane and his men on alert. When the roaring and battle cries erupted from below, they knew with absolute certainty that Garrot and his men had come back.
However, aside from Duane and the other leaders, most of the soldiers had no idea what was going on.
At this moment, Kaelon stepped forward.
He quickly explained the situation, then raised his arm and roared, "For the Baron, charge!"
The soldiers began to understand. The Baron had ordered night training as a pretense to ambush the enemy.
They admired their Baron’s foresight—he had seen right through the enemy’s intentions. At the same time, their own anger flared to life.
Jack, Michele, and the others had been humiliated by this group the other day. Although Duane had stood up for them, whipping one of the men and securing an exorbitant compensation of one Gold Coin for each of his injured soldiers, they still couldn’t stand this arrogant bunch.
And now, they had dared to come back to kill their Lord. This was unforgivable.
Thus, one hundred Guards and two hundred members of the Militia moved to surround the courtyard.
Of course, they didn’t charge directly into the courtyard. Instead, they employed their long-range siege weapons.
Nine catapults and over a dozen Archers began to let loose a barrage.
Those without ranged weapons all picked up rocks and hurled them into the courtyard.
With the fog still thick and visibility low, aiming was practically out of the question.
But since there were no friendly forces in the courtyard, they could fire without restraint.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Rocks and Arrows tore through the mist and rained down into the courtyard.
The invaders who had charged in couldn’t see what was happening outside. Startled by the sudden battle cries, many of them began to panic.
Facing a barrage of rocks and Arrows from unseen directions, some panicked and were unable to dodge in time.
Screams of pain erupted. Some were wounded by the falling rocks, while a few unlucky souls were struck and killed by Arrows.
Only the most agile Warriors fared slightly better.
"Watch out!"
Brison threw a punch, and his Fighting Qi shattered a massive boulder hurtling toward Selena.
Selena’s face went deathly pale. She had never expected the situation to turn out like this.
Having never experienced a real battle, she acted on instinct, casting the Magic Clear Wind Technique to blow away the fog.
In that instant, Duane spotted Garrot climbing in through a window and quickly drew his Longbow.
With a sharp TWANG, an arrow tore through the air.
Garrot had been assessing the situation in the courtyard when a sudden sense of mortal danger washed over him.
’Not good!’
He hurriedly circulated his Fighting Qi to form a protective barrier, simultaneously unleashing a Fighting Qi Slash that snapped the arrow in two.
As expected of a battle-hardened Earth Tier Warrior, his reflexes were incredibly fast.
More than that, Garrot’s eyes followed the arrow’s trajectory and instantly locked onto Duane.
Now that he was caught in an ambush, there was no path of retreat.
Garrot gathered Fighting Qi in his legs, then kicked hard off a roof beam, his entire body swooping down on Duane like a great bird of prey intent on a kill.
"Die!"
But Duane remained unflustered, for Kaelon had already moved to block the attack.
"Invader, you’re the one who is going to die!"
The moment the two Earth Tier Warriors met, their powerful auras erupted. The force from the clash of their Fighting Qi generated a powerful gale that knocked down an old wall.
When experts clash, they can quickly gauge their opponent’s depth.
After a few exchanges, Garrot understood the level of Kaelon’s power.
"You’ve only just reached the Earth Tier. How can you be a match for me?"
Kaelon grunted but didn’t reply. His job was simply to hold this man back.
Garrot seemed to sense his opponent’s intention and shouted:
"Blake! Hall! Cameron! Attack together! Kill Duane first!"
The three men charged toward Duane in unison, only to be intercepted by others.
Without needing any specific orders from Duane, Simone directly engaged the Human Tier Warrior, Brada.
Raymond and Gaius, in turn, took on Hall and Cameron.
Among Duane’s warriors, Gaius was at a disadvantage, Simone was evenly matched with her opponent, and Raymond was completely overwhelming Hall.
As for the remaining Middle Level and Basic-level Warriors among the invaders, they were steadily beaten back by the combined assault of Hardy’s group of Middle Level Warriors and the sheer weight of numbers.
Garrot and his men had staked everything on a single gamble: beheading Duane.
If they could accomplish that one goal, the rest would be easy.
But by the same token, if they failed, they would be the ones trapped in a hopeless situation.
Perhaps they had been overconfident, thinking their plan was seamless. They had never imagined this outcome.
Duane scanned the battlefield, his gaze finally settling on Selena and Brison. He walked over to them.
"Selena, I never expected we’d meet again under such circumstances. It’s truly a pity."
Selena said nothing. Her Magic Power was nearly exhausted.
Brison drew his Longsword. "Don’t even think of harming her until you’ve killed me!"
He charged at Duane.
Garrot, who was busy suppressing Kaelon, couldn’t help but grin when he saw this scene.
"Your Baron is finished. Brison is the second-strongest person in our group."
Kaelon unleashed a Breaking Army Slash. The sharp beam of light from his sword destroyed buildings in its path, but Garrot countered it with a Combat Technique of his own.
A figure shot out from the cloud of dust kicked up by the collision of their Fighting Qi, a cold Longsword thrusting straight for Kaelon’s head.
Kaelon twisted aside, barely dodging the blow. Their Longswords locked, and the two began to grapple, pitting their strength against one another.
The veins on Kaelon’s hands bulged as his opponent’s immense strength forced him back step by step.
He gritted his teeth and hissed, "You people... are seriously underestimating the Baron!"
At that moment, Duane and Brison clashed.
Brison was worthy of his title as an Advanced Peak Warrior. His Sword was incredibly fast and his attacks were fierce. Combined with his flexible use of Fighting Qi and Combat Techniques, his fighting prowess among Advanced Warriors was likely on par with Raymond’s, perhaps even Simone’s.
Unfortunately for him, his opponent was Duane.
Whether in terms of Body Skill, Swordsmanship, or the power of his Combat Techniques, Duane outclassed his opponent in every way.
After just a few exchanges, Duane’s Storm Greatsword parried Brison’s blade and plunged straight into his shoulder.
With no Armor for protection, the blow struck true.
’So strong!’
Brison’s face contorted in pain. He’d never expected this young man’s methods to be so ruthlessly seasoned.
The Swordsmanship he was so confident in had been completely dismantled in just a few exchanges.
Even his diligently practiced Fighting Qi Slash was utterly crushed by Duane’s.
’Why isn’t a young genius like him in the Nobility’s intelligence network?’
’Why is our information on Duane a complete blank slate?’
Having landed a successful strike, Duane pressed forward and viciously kicked his opponent in the abdomen.
THUD!
Brison was sent flying like a sandbag, crashing onto the steps behind him.
Duane showed no mercy. His sword began to glow as he prepared to unleash his most powerful attack—the Breaking Army Slash—to end his opponent’s life.
But just at that moment, he caught a glimpse of a purple glow in his peripheral vision.
Duane snapped his head around to see Selena casting a spell.
She was slowly raising her hands, as if cradling a mass of purple energy.
Guided by a Spell Model, this energy rapidly coalesced into three diamond-shaped purple missiles.
It was the Level 3 Magic, Multiple Arcane Missiles.
Selena stared at Duane, her eyes resolute. She had to stop him to save Brison.
ZING!
An Arcane Missile shot forward, its speed was simply outrageous!
It was Duane’s first time facing such powerful Magic. He had no time to think; he simply redirected the Breaking Army Slash intended for Brison toward the missile.
BOOM!
Two completely different types of Extraordinary Energy collided. The resulting shockwave was like a fierce gale, causing Selena’s robes to billow wildly.
The Breaking Army Slash was powerful enough to destroy the Arcane Missile, and its residual energy continued on toward her.
ZING!
The second and third missiles shot out. With two consecutive impacts, they finally managed to block the Breaking Army Slash.
Selena had estimated that two missiles would be enough to block the attack, leaving the third free to strike Duane.
She hadn’t expected the power of his Breaking Army Slash to far exceed her calculations.
A Master Level Combat Technique was far more powerful than one used by an average practitioner.
WHOOSH!
A fierce wind blasted her. Selena, whose Magic Power and Spiritual Power were both depleted, couldn’t keep her footing and was sent flying by the shockwave.
"Selena!"
Brison rushed over to her.
But Duane was faster.
Empowered by Swift Step, he appeared between Brison and Selena.
He didn’t go after Selena—he had a use for this Mage. He only attacked Brison.
Brison was already no match for him. Now, with his left shoulder wounded and his left arm useless, he was at an even greater disadvantage.
In a single move, Duane slashed open Brison’s chest, leaving a long, bloody wound.
Amid a spray of blood, another of Duane’s punches sent him sprawling to the ground.
Even with the powerful physique of an Advanced Warrior, he couldn’t take any more punishment.
Duane’s Longsword came to a stop, its tip hovering over the other man’s heart.
"Wait..."
Selena pushed herself into a sitting position with her hands. She didn’t have the strength to stand, but she used the last of her energy to make her plea:
"Baron, we surrender! I beg you, please, spare his life!"