"Yes." The woman responded, her figure flashing and disappearing from the spot in an instant.
A Knight! This unremarkable-looking woman was actually a formal Knight, and she was also capable of activating Battle Aura. However, unlike Dawu, her Battle Aura was more restrained, yet when it erupted, it was even more fierce and ruthless, just like an assassin in the night.
Ayu’s weapon was a dagger. Her movement technique was mysterious and ever-changing. All one saw was the cold light flickering as she worked with her companion to maintain the upper hand.
Caught between two Knights, Dawu lost his guard for a moment, and a gash opened up on his leg from the dagger. His complexion changed drastically. The cut was not large, but what was strange was that the robust body of a Knight still couldn’t stop the flow of fresh blood. In the blink of an eye, his entire pant leg was soaked in blood. As his blood drained away, so too did his strength wane, making resistance increasingly difficult.
"Leave him alive," Brey said with a cold smile. "It’s possible that others are manipulating things behind the scenes to make a Knight commit assassination. After capturing him, interrogate him thoroughly."
"Yes," Ayu responded. Even as she replied, her actions did not stop, evidently still having plenty of strength to spare.
"AH!" Dawu roared. His long sword suddenly transformed from a defensive stance to large, wild swings, as if he intended to fight the two of them to the death.
"Don’t panic," Ayu said, her expression calm, her eyes locked dead on Dawu. He’s trying to escape.She had seen this tactic—intimidating an opponent into retreating to create an opportunity to flee—far too often. Seeing this, Ayu not only did not back down, but her offense became even more urgent.
Dawu swung his long sword wildly, desperation apparent in his eyes. In his heart, he deeply regretted his impulsiveness.
Just then, an immense, invisible pressure suddenly surfaced across the entire scene. Not only the three combatants, but everyone else’s complexion changed dramatically, as if a catastrophe was about to descend.
"Be careful!" The middle-aged Guardian beside Denis had a grave look in his eyes. He grabbed Denis and retreated continuously.
In the next instant, BOOM! The roof of the tavern collapsed and shattered. A three-meter-tall metal giant, accompanied by broken bricks and chunks of wood, crashed down heavily. The whole second floor trembled because of it. The giant was covered in iron armor from head to toe; only a pair of cold, brown eyes was visible.
"Brey!" the metal giant spoke in a muffled voice, sounding like rolling thunder in the clouds. The invisible pressure made hearts race. Even Dawu and the others instinctively stopped their fighting, all tightening their bodies as they looked toward the newcomer.
"Brey Foster!" Carl shifted his gaze to Brey, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Is it you?"
"Who are you?" Brey’s throat moved; he stepped back involuntarily. "I... I haven’t offended you, have I?"
"Hmph!" Carl snorted coldly, his gaze falling on Gerry as the murderous intent in his eyes suddenly intensified. "Die!"
With a tremor beneath his feet, countless floorboards instantly shattered as Carl’s massive frame charged at Gerry like a squat mountain. With a swing of his massive hand, a Gale rose from the ground.
Gerry didn’t even have time to scream before he was slapped away. His body flew through the air, countless bones broken, and he died instantly. The corpse smashed against the tavern’s thick walls, creating a dense, spiderweb-like network of cracks, then slowly slid to the ground.
"Master!" Ayu cried out. "Get out of the way, quick!"
But after the single blow that killed Gerry, Carl spun around, his sights set on Brey. The color drained from the faces of the guards in front of him. They charged forward with bolstered courage, but to no avail. In the face of the metallic giant’s terrifying power, they were like playthings overestimating their own strength. They were unable to withstand even a single blow.
The terrifying force blasted through the second floor, tossing several silhouettes high into the air. However, as the youngest and most favored son of the Foster family, there was always a Knight guarding him. While Carl was busy flinging the others aside, a sharp glint of sword light suddenly appeared, aimed at the giant’s throat.
At the same time, Ayu and another Knight left Dawu behind and charged towards Carl. Three Knights teamed up to attack, and they went all out!
Facing the oncoming trio, Carl remained expressionless, only slightly crouching, as the life force within him burned like a furnace.
A shockwave, visible to the naked eye, radiated from Carl at the center, repelling everything around him. An invisible power swept across in all directions in an instant. It was as if a high-explosive bomb had detonated. The tavern’s exterior remained relatively intact, but the interior was completely tossed into disarray by the shockwave. The second floor was utterly destroyed.
The three Knights spat out blood and fell back, their spirits instantly dampened, unable to even hold their weapons.
"We have to get out of here!" The Guardian beside Denis wore an expression of terror as he pulled him back, escaping the tavern in a few quick leaps.
"Uncle Fred..." Denis took a deep breath and asked, "What was that just now?"
A person? Who could be that huge? There are rumors of a Giant kingdom to the west of Kolon, but they’re just rumors; I’ve never seen one before.
"It’s a person," Fred muttered. "He must have used some kind of Secret Skill to enlarge his body. In terms of strength alone, that person could probably be compared with an ordinary Great Knight."
HISS... Denis took a sharp breath. "You mean even you couldn’t stand against him?"
"Definitely not," Fred said with a bitter smile. "Even at the peak of my strength in my youth, I wouldn’t have stood a chance against him. It’s not just the strength..." He thought for a moment, then continued, "The Martial Arts he deployed just now were also extraordinary, at least at the level of a legacy from Great Knights, or even..."