Bear School Astartes

Chapter 903: Chapter 885: Combat Technique: Arrow Step

”Crack!”

The Losric Knight’s Greatsword was imbued with the glow of [Blessed Weapon], its enormous and razor-sharp blade.

Cutting through the air in a straight and sharp arc, it sliced through the bodies of three enemies in front like a hot knife through butter.

As if cutting through three scarecrows.

Losric, originally a land of dragon slayers, had knights capable of slaying dragons as its military backbone.

But for some unknown reason, they started aligning with dragons.

This did not make them weaker.

The specifications of the Losric Knight’s Greatsword clearly showed it was a weapon prepared for slaughtering giant creatures.

Each slash of this sword brought with it a cracking electric sound and arcs of golden lightning.

This meant that during its forging, the greatsword was endowed with supernatural thunder power aimed at the Dragon Race.

”These guys don’t seem to have anything unusual.”

Lann, behind the Knight Captain, swung his sword to fend off an enemy attempting a sneak attack from behind, then pressed half his body forward to pin the enemy against the stone wall, restricting movement and struggle, while the blade pierced into the body during the pressure.

However, the relatively mild battle situation did not make the Knight Captain and Lann feel relaxed.

Because their initial goal was to find the reason why these attackers were unafraid of Dragon Breath.

But these enemies attacking the gatehouse... were simply too normal.

The gatehouse on the city bridge was structured like a small city gate, with an archery platform and walkway connected by a narrow staircase to the bridge.

Attacking enemies would find it almost as difficult as storming a castle.

The attackers’ skill level was generally higher than ordinary soldiers, thus allowing them to advance fiercely even in disadvantaged terrain.

But this ’high level’ of combat capability did not fall into the ’unusual’ category.

”I don’t know!”

The leading Losric Knight Captain shouted without turning his head, while continuing to advance down the staircase.

”It’s too chaotic here, too little can be seen!”

The current situation was truly chaotic.

Attackers climbed the stairs, while originally guarding Losric soldiers retreated step by step, and the Knight Captain and Lann tried to counterattack downwards and gather intelligence.

Many people panicked and clustered on this battlefield of blades and death.

Their cries, screams, and the chaotic clash of weapons, unable to distinguish friend from foe...

In the absence of preemptive precautions, the effect of a surprise attack was thus remarkable.

”Dammit!”

Having struggled past panicked allied soldiers, finally, with no longer obstructing allies around, the frustrated Losric Knight Captain could not help cursing loudly.

The narrow staircase and allied forces earlier had entirely restricted his movements.

But now...

”Huff~”

The action seemed to draw air, producing a whistle.

Losric Knight Captain raised the greatsword to his shoulder while pressing forward in a bow stance.

Leaving behind a slightly delayed trace was a conspicuous supernatural white phantom following his movement.

[Combat Skill: Arrow Step]!

A standard posture honed through countless practice.

The prelude to this action mirrored that of the Church Knight, but the subsequent attack differed significantly.

Logically, performing a move with such large, vulnerable action in a throng of enemies would not be wise.

However, during the use of [Combat Skill], simultaneous utilization of Soul Power ensured the move continued regardless of enemy attacks.

Moreover, during this process, enemies’ attacks were substantially weakened due to the use of Soul Power by the performer.

Though the timing was short and challenging to seize, skilled and battle-hardened warriors could alter the battle with even a moment’s opportunity.

As expected, the instant the Knight Captain posed, surrounding enemies instinctively attacked him.

However, the attacks that should’ve deformed armor merely drew some blood from the flesh beneath the armor at that moment.

The next moment... ”Stab!”

The sword hilt dropped from beside the shoulder, and the two-meter blade began sliding along the ground from behind to the front.

The greatsword’s blade scraped against the stone surface, shooting out visible sparks!

Then, it seemingly accumulated power in this ground-hugging glide.

”Snap!” A thunderous explosion!

Finally, the sword dragged forward by the Knight Captain exploded with all its might!

On this narrow staircase, it cleaved with a perfect upward slash from below!

The power of this upward slash differed starkly from the Knight Captain’s usual strikes!

Before this, the Knight Captain, although a formidable Warrior in Lann’s eyes, had not used any Combat Skills.

Yet, before, when he struck a long rectangular stone block with a cross-section as large as a basin, he could only cleave halfway through.

But now, with this one execution of a Combat Skill, his Greatsword not only directly swept away the remains of at least seven or eight enemies, creating a rain of blood.

He even overturned a large section of the stone-brick staircase beneath his feet!

The entire bridge into the city is constructed of these stone bricks, each with a basin-sized cross-section.

The force of the stone block lifted by this upward slash was nearly equivalent to that of a catapult’s blow.

The enemies on the staircase below had no good way to deal with the stone blocks shooting towards them; they could only produce a series of muffled sounds of bones breaking within flesh, along with cries of pain.

In one use of a Combat Skill, combined with the narrow, single-file staircase, the Knight Captain nearly cleared all the enemies ahead in an instant!

As for the remainder, during the process of their companions dying and naturally rolling downwards, they couldn’t maintain their footing.

”Alder!”

With a ’boom,’ a transparent air shockwave passed over the Knight Captain, sweeping towards the scattered attackers below.

This final impact thoroughly sent everything on the lower staircase tumbling downwards.

Fragments of stone, bodies, remains, and rolling living men...

”Force Burst? Are you from Catalin?”

As he walked downwards, the Knight Captain asked, somewhat surprised.

Lann, behind him, did not speak; it seemed the Knight Captain confused the effect of the Demon Hunter’s Magic Seal with something else from this world.

”I thought the knights of Catalin only drank heavily and sang in those ridiculous armors. You’re quite the reticent one.”

As if about to reach the bridge deck, the Knight Captain continued downwards while joking about the Catalin Knights in a relaxed tone.

Following his principle of ’speak less, fewer mistakes,’ Lann simply nodded silently.

The entire upward staircase being cleared was, to these attackers, no small calamity.

They couldn’t immediately spare manpower to continue the attack.

Lann and the Knight Captain quickly descended the stairs, just in time to see two Dragon Riders in the air, controlling a dragon to sweep the area with fire.

They flashed by in the sky, their view restricted. They could only routinely breathe fire towards the bridge.

To prevent harming friendly forces, they did not extend the coverage of Dragon Breath towards the stairs and the gatehouse above.

The two descending the stairs quickly saw the attackers knocked off to the bridge surface being ignited by Dragon Breath.

The flames from the dragon’s mouth not only bore heat but carried immense explosive force.

Lann witnessed firsthand the attackers, not yet risen, being slammed into a wall by the Dragon Breath.

What followed were shrill screams and the crackling of flesh rapidly burning.

Burning to death is one of the most painful ways to die.

By estimating the temperature of the Dragon Breath, Mentos already simulated the likely consequences for a regular person being burned by a dragon.

These attackers did burn somewhat slowly under the flames.

However, Lann understood that in this world, the close bond between flesh and soul couldn’t be judged by the standards of ’ordinary people’ in other worlds.

And so, he kept silent, watching to see the Knight Captain’s reaction to this situation.

The Knight Captain’s expression behind a partially lifted visor was indeed one of confusion.

The effect of burning on these attackers driven down the stairs was, in this world, considered normal.

”Seems I need to go to the bridge to find those attackers who can withstand Dragon Breath.”

The Knight Captain spoke seriously.

”There’s no need for you to tag along, but thank you for your assistance.”

”Saying such things... can those Dragon Riders see you?” Lann asked with a frown. ”Can they control the dragon not to include you in their Breath range?”

The Demon Hunter had a feeling from the Knight Captain’s words that he was about to ’venture a risk.’

The Knight Captain shook his head silently; evidently, the Losric Dragon Riders hadn’t yet achieved such precise control over dragon’s breath to specifically bypass one person.

”But someone has to do this; leaving a small mess unchecked will turn into chaos. It can’t be delayed any longer.”

Lann looked at this Losric Knight Captain; he had already encountered many willing to sacrifice their lives for something.

This was clearly another.

Such people can’t be reasoned with.

The Demon Hunter shook his head and stretched his left hand towards a Shield scattered on the distant bridge.

The mechanical claw grapple on it activated.

The Shield was a kite shield, tossed skyward by a Dragon Breath, its convex side touching the ground, shaking unstably.

The precise claw grapple latched onto the fixed handle inside the Shield, pulling it over.

Though ornate carvings graced the Shield’s surface, after several rounds of Dragon Breath, it was now coated in black ash.

As the mechanical hook retrieved it, Lann grabbed the Shield and handed it to the Knight Captain.

”I know I can’t stop you, but at least carry something for protection. That sword offers little in the way of defense.”