The timeline that Lann is in now is still very early. In theory, the Scoia'tael should still be rising in a small area and has not yet swept across the North. At this time, the Scoia'tael should still be a formal "guerrilla force" with no more than a hundred people. Who gave them the courage to attack the Haji Fortress with a large army stationed there?
As Lan was thinking this, his sharp ears suddenly caught a hint of movement other than the human shouting.
He suddenly looked up and gazed into the distance.
The moonlight was dim and nothing could be seen.
Without hesitation, Lan took out the potion "Cat" from the "Inventory", bit opened the wax seal and drank it all.
All the colors in front of him faded away in the blink of an eye, like a black and white photo, but the lines gradually became clearer, outlining a whole new world for Lan.
Dark shadows were approaching from the horizon, and there were dozens of them at a rough count, including the fork-tailed dragons and griffins that Lan had encountered, as well as other similar subspecies.
And under these flying monsters, there are several figures constantly running away - no, not "running away", but consciously "leading".
The fastest of them rushed into the military camps around the fortress, desperately throwing gunpowder and powder that Lann couldn't call out;
As for those who ran slowly, they were torn to pieces by the monsters on the spot.
"Are they the Scoia'tael?"
The snake-faction demon hunters stood behind Lann, veins bulging on each of their faces and bright pupils, obviously having drunk the [Cat].
"I was wondering why we encountered a fork-tailed dragon and a ghoul on the road at the same time. It must have been them who did it."
Kolgrim folded his arms and watched a Scoia'tael being hacked to death, but in his last moments he desperately threw things around.
"What a horrible bunch of dead men—I bet there was blood and sage in the stuff he threw out."
Oakes added: "Maybe there's also the egg white of some monster flying in the sky."
Lann did not comment leisurely: "Something is wrong. They summoned the monsters in such a high-profile manner, which could only cause some chaos, but could not shake the army here. But now they are showing such a desperate posture, which obviously means something else."
"It's a dark and windy night, creating a riot." As a professional assassin, Reso gave his professional opinion, "I think this is a preparation for an assassination."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the Snake Sect nodded.
With a loud "boom", the soil at the edge of the military camp suddenly rolled up in huge amounts.
In the eyes of the demon hunters, a tall, thin, decayed, ancient body slowly walked out of the dense forest.
The monster looked like a strange tree that had come to life, with its trunk covered with bark patterns; but its tree-like body had limbs and anthropomorphic body curves, and even tattered clothes on it.
It had a weather-beaten apron around its waist, with a hemp rope randomly wrapped around it as a belt, and a few skulls of unknown animals on it as decorations.
There is also a human skull on its shoulder, and new shoots like sprouts are growing out of the eye sockets of the skull, firmly connecting this ornament to the body.
The most terrifying thing is the monster's head, which is actually a complete and huge deer skull, but with strong antlers growing on it.
The breath of vitality and decay entangled this body at the same time, making it look weird and depressing.
Lann's eyes, which had been strengthened by the potion [Cat], became brighter.
After hearing the noise, the soldiers in the barracks split into groups and rushed towards the monster, but they were unable to form an organized response.
Whether it was an infantry formation or a cavalry formation, they were all stretched to the limit in dealing with a monster that could fly and evade the ground and make horses go crazy with just a roar.
As night fell, the archers were unable to effectively suppress the monsters with ranged attacks. Instead, some nocturnal monsters became more ferocious in the darkness.
The four countries' armies lacked sufficient experience in dealing with monsters. They would be able to wipe out all of them after paying some price, but before that they would need to pay enough lives as tuition.
"Go help!" Lan thought for a moment, turned around suddenly and gave the order.
"House, you lead the team. We are few in number, so stay behind the main force. Don't be too aggressive. Shoot a few arrows from a distance and let the soldiers of other countries take the lead. Be smart."
"I only have one request. I want the mutation-inducing substance of that 'Deer-Headed Spirit'!"
"Yes, sir!" The attendants and soldiers responded with a roar. They would fight for what the Earl asked for even at the cost of their lives.
"That's not just any 'Deer-Headed Spirit'." Lei Suo suddenly said, "Judging from its size and the power of the spells it casts, it's an 'Ancient Deer-Headed Spirit'! The decoction made from it has a significant effect on strengthening the seal, and it is indeed very suitable for the Griffin School."
"It must be obtained by the lord!" The subordinates became even more excited after hearing what Lei Suo said.
Lan nodded in satisfaction.
"One more thing." Lann suddenly said, "Just deal with the monsters. Don't get involved in the fight with the Scoia'tael unless they take the initiative to show you their weapons."
"What do you think?" Reso also had a strong political sense, but he seldom thought about things from this perspective. At this time, Lann's order gave him some associations.
"They've been useful to me," Lane said simply. "A lot of use."
After saying this, Lan drew out the Sword of the Lady of the Lake and strode out the door.
"Where are you going? You're not going demon hunting with us?"
"I'm going to go check on the king the Scoia'tael are trying to assassinate first!"
"Do you know who the Scoia'tael are going to kill?"
Lann chuckled: "Who else?"
…
"Call for help, call for help quickly, there are enemies. Protect the king!"
A guard wearing a unicorn emblem rushed to the top of the fortress desperately, intending to send a signal to his comrades stationed at the border to come and rescue the monarch.
But then he was suddenly kicked away by a foot.
The owner of this foot had a pirate-like beard and small thief-like eyes that flashed with flames of anger.
Henselt, Lord of Kaedwen.
"Idiot, they are just Scoia'tael and the monsters they summoned! There are armies from four nations stationed here! Are you asking for help now? Do you want to surrender to Scoia'tael? Do you want to make Kaedwen a laughing stock?"
"Your Majesty!" The guard knelt down with a plop. "The situation is critical. Your safety is the most important!"
The loyal guard was about to give his advice to the monarch, but an arrow flew out of the darkness and suddenly pierced his neck. The huge impact force sent him flying, almost bending his spine.
"collapse--"
The dull sound of the bowstring being released lingered for a long time, and as soon as you heard the sound you knew that this was definitely a strong bow.
"Your Majesty!" A quick-reacting guard immediately threw Henselt to the ground, and the next second an arrow appeared in his back.
Pointy-eared Iorveth emerged from the darkness.
He seemed to have endless energy, and seeing that there was no way to kill Henselt quickly, he immediately turned his target to Henselt's guards. He quickly killed the third and fourth people, and then a knight raised his shield and approached him.
More Scoia'tael took advantage of this gap to climb up. The Scoia'tael was organized into assault groups of twelve, and there were three groups of thirty-six people in front of them.
"How is it possible? The fortress is heavily guarded. How could you sneak in through such a tight siege? Damn Scoia'tael!"
The Kaedweni knights were furious.
Indeed, even if the small troops brought by Lann and Queen Miwei were not counted, there were armies from four countries stationed in Haji Fortress, and it was heavily guarded.
But it was precisely because of the presence of the "Four Kingdoms" army that they had many grievances with each other. The armies of different countries focused more on guarding against the human kingdom armies around them, and never thought that there would be a new force coming.
In addition, the Squirrel Party had been lying in ambush here for a long time, even earlier than most of the participating countries, and they knew the surrounding terrain very clearly. At this moment, they actually took advantage of the trick to reach the top of the fortress.
The Kaedwen knights acted decisively: "Blow the horn, and ask the other kings in the fortress to come to our aid!"
“Woo——”
The rear was calling for help, and the Scoia'tael and the guards were already standing in a group in front.
"Your Majesty, rest assured that these Scoia'tael will not disturb you again." The knight turned back to Henselt and assured him firmly, "And now--"
He turned and shouted to the king's guards, his voice suddenly overshadowing the sound of trumpets and fighting:
"Everyone, now is the time for us to fulfill our oath!"
"oh!!!"
The number of the Squirrel Party exceeds that of the King's Guards, but most of them are wearing light armor; while the humans are all covered in full armor and charge forward without restraint.
“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—”
Arrows kept shooting from the direction of the Scoia'tael, most of which were blocked by thick shields. When a knight was about to rush to Iorveth, he suddenly felt his helmet shaking wildly, and severe pain and dizziness surged up at the same time.
A round stone that was big enough for a fist drew a graceful parabola, passed over the shield, and directly hit his helmet, making a dent.
The half-orc pitcher at the back of the team was loading his slingshot without stopping, without even aiming, and soon another stone bullet flew out of the gun.
Halflings are thinner than dwarves, but they have a talent for throwing that they cannot match. Stone bullets may not fly as far as bows and arrows, but they can produce an effect that cannot be ignored within a distance of about ten steps.
Even if the opponent is a fully armored knight.
The second stone hit the previous dent again, causing the charging knight to fall on his back. Iorveth took the opportunity to pull out his dagger and stabbed it accurately into the gap of his helmet.
More Scoia'tael crossed Iorveth and engaged in a battle with the Kaedweni soldiers, with swords flashing and blood and flesh flying everywhere.
Seeing that something was wrong, Henselt tried to escape in a panic, but suddenly tripped. Looking down, he saw the body of a Henselt guard.
The king kicked the obstruction away in a rage, and when he looked up again, he suddenly found two elves blocking the road ahead. The hatred in those four eyes almost turned into blood.
“Swoosh—”
Arrows came.
Henselt's favorite thing was to personally hunt down non-human races. Years of fighting gave him a good reaction speed. The moment he saw the elf, he rolled on the ground with his head in his hands, and narrowly avoided the vital points, only to have two more "decorations" on his thick armor.
After getting up, the king frantically tried to find guards for protection, but found that all the guards and knights he brought with him were dead.
There were only twelve people left in the Scoia'tael at this time.
The king, who appeared to be powerful but was actually weak, took a deep breath and straightened his back, unable to tolerate himself being in such an embarrassing state in front of the non-human race.
Knowing that he could not escape, he suddenly drew the long sword from his waist:
"If you want my head, come and get it yourself, damned Scoia'tael!"
Iorveth wordlessly pulled the weapon from the fallen knight, and moved his feet, pouncing towards Henselt like a cheetah.
However, no King in the North was destined to die tonight.
Because someone didn't allow it.
Once Henselt dies, Kaedwen, without an heir, will be in chaos. Once Kaedwen is in chaos, the momentum of the North's united front against the outside world will be lost, and the results of this northern meeting will be wasted.
So no matter how much Lann hated Henselt, and even though he had already planned how to deal with him in the future, he still had to take action at this moment.
Henselt could not die, at least not now, not before Cintra was reconquered.
He can only die when Lann decides to let him die. And Henselt's death will surely open the curtain of a new drama.
Looking at the two Scoia'tael blocking the door, Lann sighed, raised his left hand slightly, and made a gesture -
[Alder Seal]!
The fluctuations of mental power turned into a solid wall that kept moving forward, pushing the two elves out into the air and spinning several times on the ground.
Although they were attacked suddenly, the experienced elves still stood up quickly after the impact was dissipated by rolling, drew their swords and became alert.
The seal didn't seem to cause them much harm, which was the result of Lann not having the intention to kill them.
As for the Scoia'tael, Lane also had something he wanted to talk to them about.
Although not now.
…
In the eyes of the two elves who had just stood up, a blond knight in gray-black armor rushed out from the darkness, his momentum was like a lion. They drew their swords to meet the enemy, but were slashed in the face by the knight's sword and flew away.
The view suddenly became wider. In front of Lann, Iorveth of the Scoia'tael was holding his sword high against Henselt, the hatred in his eyes seemed to have become real.
Lann flipped his left hand and took out a crossbow from the [Inventory].
With a light pull of the trigger, the arrow, with the help of the [Sharpshooter] talent, bit the high-speed moving blade as accurately as a snake, deflecting Iorveth's sure-fire attack.
Steel collided, and the crossbow arrow shaft broke under the tremendous pressure. Sharp wood chips flew everywhere, cutting a bloody wound on Iorveth's cheek.
“Human!”
The Scoia'tael roared angrily.
Lann rushed forward quickly like a hunting beast, the sword of the Lady of the Lake in his hand flashing with golden light. With a light spin, he opened another deep and shallow scar on the side of Iorveth's waist.
In a place that no one could see, the chaos magic power in Lann's body jumped slightly and flowed along the rune sword into the body of the leader of the Squirrel Party.
This is the mark used for the [Teleport] skill. It can teleport the marked person to Lann's side, and it can also take Lann to the marked hiding place.
After doing all this smoothly, Lan raised his foot and kicked Henselt, who was in the way, aside without any hesitation.
There was a "whoosh" sound of breaking wind, and Lann tilted his head to avoid a terrifyingly large stone. It was a sneak attack by the halfling.
He raised his hand and steadily blocked the second sword from Iorveth. With Lan's current physical strength, the elf's blow was not much stronger than that of a teenager.
“Human!!”
Just as the evil king who massacred the non-human race was about to be beheaded, his plan was ruined by the sudden appearance of Lann. The remaining squirrel party rushed towards Lann desperately.
Lann sighed. If he took the lives of the Scoia'tael now, it would be difficult to talk about it later.
So he deflected the tip of his sword, changing from a slash to a strike, and the spine of the sword hit Iorveth's shoulder, knocking him back, leaving a gap for his next move.
Holding the Sword of the Lady of the Lake in his right hand without changing position, Lann reached behind him with his left hand again and pulled out the [Alice] scimitar whose handle had been recast into a lion-head hilt.
This behavior stunned the elves who were approaching.
This person actually wants to wield two swords?
The Squirrel Party is in high spirits, and Lane is also very powerful at this moment. Facing the large number of Squirrel Party, Lane is determined to put out their anger by force first!
…
When facing multiple enemies, the best approach should be to use the terrain and positioning to create a one-on-one situation as much as possible.
But at this moment, Lan En did the opposite. He lowered his head and rushed into the crowd as if he was looking for death.
Stretch your feet, twist your hips, turn your shoulders, swing your arms—
[Whirling Sword Dance]!
The golden light of the rune sword mixed with the red light of the black magic scimitar, making it particularly dazzling on this rare night when the moon is not visible.
“Ding ding ding ding——”
Lann kept spinning, drawing his sword, and moving among the crowd.
Unlike his previous sword dances that were always able to easily circumvent the enemy's weapons and strike directly at the vital points, this time, each of Lan's swords was almost a head-on collision with the enemy's steel-level weapons.
With the blessing of his enormous power, even the light slash of his sword was like the heavy chop of a giant axe. Every Squirrel Party member who confronted him head-on was struck by lightning and retreated repeatedly. They could only roar and attack again after taking several breaths.
Just like that, Lann stabbed out dozens or even hundreds of swords with dazzling light and shadow effects, and the sound of steel colliding continued to ring out.
During this process, not only did no one die at the scene, but Lan even had the leisure to use the force of the collision of weapons to spin faster and faster and draw his sword more and more quickly.
On the other hand, the Squirrel Party was finding it increasingly exhausting in the constant clash of weapons, and many of the Halflings who were harassing with short weapons on the edge could not hold on to their weapons after just two or three strikes.
Iorveth on the side was stunned. He was a commander-type talent, his fighting skills were only outstanding but far from being a superman.
Did I just fight a swordsman like this and survive?
Iorveth thought absurdly, but his calm mind quickly brought him back to his senses. While Lann was being "dragged" by his companions, he cast his eyes of revenge on Henselt.
There was a sudden sound of a long sword breaking through the wind, and Iorveth raised his sword to block as a conditioned reflex, blocking a scimitar that was glowing red.
Lan seemed to have discovered Iorveth's intention. He suddenly rushed out from the crowd again, and attacked Iorveth with all his strength left.
Not only that, seeing that Iorveth was being held back by him, Lann, in order to prevent him from attacking Henselt again, actually waved his hand and attacked again and again. The storm of blades forced Iorveth to retreat continuously until he and his fellow Scoia'tael huddled together and joined forces.
Then - keep turning!
“Ding ding ding ding——”
The whirling sword dance continued to envelop the ten elves and two halflings, fighting with great fanfare and excitement that excited the listeners.
[What is this human knight doing? What is he doing? Is he playing a trick on us? ]
Iorveth roared madly in his heart.
But the commander's rationality made him calm down quickly. Thinking carefully, if the opponent had tried to kill him, he would have died more than once.
Such a calm, resolute and powerful knight cannot be someone who likes to play tricks on the enemy. A swordsman who likes to play cat and mouse will never have a chance to grow up and will die in a corner of a battlefield or in a dark alley.
Then there is only one answer, the opponent is holding back and wants to let him and others go.
Why? On a battlefield of this level, why would a human knight risk his life to let go of the Scoia'tael who were trying to kill the king?
Iorveth couldn't figure it out. But he didn't have much time to think, as he could hear the footsteps of a large army coming from behind him. It was obvious that support from the kingdom was coming.
He had to make a choice: should he take the opportunity to retreat when the swordsman showed mercy, or continue to assassinate Henselt regardless of his life?
"Scoia'tael!"
The roar of the soldiers came from the darkness, and knights wearing armor with different emblems rushed over together. First came Aedirn, then the United Kingdom of Lyria and Rivia, and finally Redania and Temeria.
Then they were stunned by the scene of Lan fighting ten people alone.
"retreat!"
When Iorveth saw this, he knew the situation was hopeless and decisively gave up the mission.
With the help of Lann, they had reached the edge of the fortress platform. At a command, they retreated along the way they came. With the help of ropes, they disappeared into the darkness after a few ups and downs.
Then, a series of loud and sharp whistles like bird calls sounded rhythmically around Haji Fortress. More slender figures rose and fell in the darkness, running away from the military camp towards the forest, leaving behind only the monsters that were still fighting with the army.
"Lan!" Queen Miwei, who had sneak put on her gold-studded armor again, strode forward and ordered her knights to surround Lan to prevent any attack by the Squirrel Party.
"How is it? Are you injured? Where is your witcher? Where is your servant? Where are your soldiers?"
Lann shook his head, took two breaths to calm his breathing, and put the Alice scimitar back into the scabbard, leaving behind the Sword of the Lady of the Lake that attracted everyone's attention.
"I asked them to help the soldiers below. Normal people have no experience in dealing with these monsters, which would only result in more casualties. My people can barely be considered veterans."
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