Ives took a step back, then said, "Now it’s my turn."
He took a deep breath, then a rumbling sound came from within, and he transformed into a shadow and charged out.
Kaleem reacted swiftly, almost instinctively moving his Giant Sword, but still, a blossom of blood burst forth.
The next moment, Ives appeared at Kaleem’s side, and there wasn’t a trace of blood on the Longsword in his hand.
Kaleem glanced down, noticing a bloody hole at his ribs, with blood flowing out.
His heavy Armor was pierced right through; even Kaleem hadn’t clearly seen Ives’ sword strike.
Clutching his wound, he endured the pain and flashed away from his original position, leaning against the wagon behind him.
Ives praised, "Quite the reaction, or should I say, your instinctive response is impressive. Your eyes probably couldn’t catch my strike, but your body’s instincts sensed the direction of danger, so you dodged the lethal position and barely survived."
Kaleem spat out some bloody froth, then without a word, clutched the Longsword with both hands and took the initiative to attack, slashing at Ives.
Due to the wound still bleeding, as he leaped, the blood from his wound gushed out more quickly.
This strike was even more powerful than before, and Ives could only parry this attack by gripping his sword with both hands.
The next second, Ives vanished, and immediately after, a wound appeared on Kaleem’s left wrist, his Armor again pierced through.
Ives seemed in no hurry to kill him, holding his Longsword and laughing, "Killing you with one sword would be such a waste. After all, for a man of your caliber, I usually don’t even get a chance to flatter you."
With that, another slash, and Kaleem’s knee was injured again.
Kaleem immediately fell to one knee, using the Giant Sword to support himself upright.
Ives seemed displeased seeing Kaleem in such a state, and promptly struck another blow to disable Kaleem’s other leg.
This time Kaleem could no longer support himself, and he knelt completely to the ground.
Breathing heavily, Kaleem didn’t utter a word.
"If you had agreed to invest a little money in the project I mentioned back then, not only would you not be dying now, but you’d also get a share of these goods." Ives spoke in a relaxed tone, as if chatting with a friend.
Meanwhile, the battle between the army and the merchant caravan continued.
The caravan’s guards were starting to struggle, with defenses in some areas already broken, allowing a large number of soldiers to rush in, killing anyone they saw amidst screams and wails.
"I won’t collude with you, has Duke Theodore also joined?" Kaleem raised his head, using the Giant Sword to stabilize himself from falling.
Ives shook his head and said, "Of course not, he looks down on small businesses and disdains doing such business."
"Let those..." Kaleem was speaking when his eyes suddenly widened; he looked down to see the blade of a Longsword protruding from his chest.
Ives withdrew the Longsword, coldly watching Kaleem fall weakly as his eyes gradually lost their luster.
He sneered, then shouted to the soldiers around him, "Hurry up, don’t let any of them escape!"
Herag stood calmly behind a wagon, wearing Light Armor, still chewing on smoked fish.
Ed squatted on the ground, terrified: "My lord, we should run away!"
"Run?" Herag laughed, "Look around; we’re already surrounded, and there are Archers outside. Run out and you’ll have your head shot through immediately. If it’s a skilled Archer, he’ll shoot an Arrow into your eye, and then the Arrow will mash your brain into pulp."
As he spoke, he tore off a piece of fish flesh from the smoked fish and quickly devoured it.
"What... What should we do..." Ed, seeing Herag still in the mood for fish, was anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
Herag naturally wasn’t worried, as these people posed no threat to him; he could leave whenever he wanted.
He had witnessed the fight between Kaleem and Ives earlier, and also saw Kaleem’s death.
Herag didn’t step in to help; if it weren’t for Kaleem’s foolishness, the caravan wouldn’t have lost so many people—there was no way he would rescue him.
Luo Kui, being a merchant familiar with industry rules from years of business, understood that if the goods were left, at worst they’d suffer a huge loss, but at least their lives would be spared, and the people in the caravan would survive.
As long as they’re alive, there’s a chance to earn it back.
But Kaleem, the fool, recognized Ives and blurted it out publicly.
This forced Ives into killing them all to silence witnesses.
Initially, Ives just intended to take advantage to gain something without intending to kill everyone, as that would only create more trouble for him.
But now, because of Kaleem’s blunder, Ives was forced to take the dangerous route of massacre.
Some Adventurers in the caravan saw the situation turning bad and attempted to escape in the chaos.
However, as soon as they sprinted in one direction, a volley of Arrows rained down, turning them into pin-cushions on the ground.
This time, Ives was determined to kill everyone; he wouldn’t let a single person escape.
If what happened here became known to Duke Theodore, Duke Theodore would definitely execute him in public to protect his own reputation.
Herag was still enjoying his smoked fish when the line of defense behind him was breached, and a group of soldiers poured in.
They spotted Herag, who was eating fish, and their faces showed strange expressions, then they rushed toward him with various weapons.
Herag sighed, "Ice Shield! Mana Shield! Dark Energy Shield!"
Three Shields instantly enveloped him, the blue, white, and black swirling around, fully encasing Herag. Fresh chapters posted on novel★fire.net
Herag drew his Longsword and gazed at the soldiers.
He had no intention of using Magic; conserving a bit of Mana wherever possible was prudent—why waste Magic Power when a sword could solve the fight?
The soldiers halted in their tracks, unsure of what to do as they looked at Herag encased in Shields.
Herag didn’t care what they thought, charging forward with his sword with incredible speed, toppling a large swath of soldiers on the spot.
The soldiers launched a counterattack, but their swords and blades had no effect on Herag, unable to even crack a Shield.
A round of arrows was also fired, but they bounced off Herag’s Shields without any impact.
In just a few seconds, the ground was littered with soldier corpses.
The other soldiers, witnessing Herag’s deadly efficiency, began to fear.
Most of them were unaware of Wizards’ existence and had never seen Magic firsthand.
Seeing all their attacks ineffective against Herag, a sliver of despair surfaced in their hearts, swiftly followed by thoughts of retreat and withdrawal.