28: Chapter 28: Raid on White Cliff Territory! Slay the Bloodthorn Knight!

Midnight, dark clouds obscured the moon.

The silhouette of the Black Pine Forest was like a crouching giant beast.

Over thirty riders, like ghosts emerging from the shadows, their horses' hooves wrapped in thick cloth, swept across the wilderness silently and swiftly, heading straight for White Cliff Castle.

Ulysses led the charge, his dark red cloak fluttering behind him, bloodthirsty light dancing in his eyes.

Under the cover of night, the castle resembled a sleeping gray boulder.

The drawbridge was raised high, and scattered torches and the silhouettes of patrolling soldiers could be seen atop the walls.

"Disperse! The first team will launch a feint attack on the west gate to draw attention. The second team follows me; we'll use grappling hooks to climb the cliff wall on the east side! Be quick!"

Ulysses gave the order in a low voice, and the Crimson Knights immediately split up and moved as if they were extensions of his own limbs.

However, just as the first wave of Crimson Knights approached within ten paces of the castle's outer wall...

Hum!

A low hum suddenly rang out!

Centered on White Cliff Castle, a thin, pale blue film of light rippled out instantly like water disturbed by a pebble, passing over the charging knights!

"A Warning Array!" Ulysses's pupils constricted, but he didn't panic. "As expected, that mage left a trump card!"

He beckoned with his hand.

Several Crimson Knights immediately took short spear-like black cones from the sides of their horses and threw them forcefully at the pale blue film of light.

The tips of the Mana-Breaking Spikes glowed with a dim light. Upon hitting the film, they made a sizzling sound; the film fluctuated violently, its color fading rapidly before shattering like glass with several crisp cracks!

"Charge!" Ulysses squeezed his horse's flanks, leading the charge toward the east wall of the castle, which was beginning to fall into chaos due to the alarm and the attack on the west gate.

The knights behind him threw out grappling hooks, catching the battlements and climbing up vigorously.

Inside the castle, the piercing alarm bell had already resounded through the night sky!

Rowan snapped his eyes open in his bedroom.

A flash of confusion passed first, followed by a sharp focus.

Butler Henry ran in, his face pale:

"My Lord! An enemy attack has been spotted on the west wall! It seems to be the Crimson Knights! There are many of them!"

"Go! Send the signal for the militia from the surrounding villages to converge on the castle!" Rowan spoke rapidly.

As he spoke, he picked up the Frost Sword and strode toward the west side, where the sounds of battle were loudest.

On the west wall, the battle had already broken out.

The Crimson Knights who had climbed up were incredibly fierce, their bodies shrouded in a faint blood-colored aura. Their strength and speed surpassed ordinary men, making them difficult for the common guards to resist; several had already fallen with screams.

But the guards of White Cliff Territory were also seeing red. Relying on their familiarity with the terrain, they stubbornly blocked the gaps, launching frantic counterattacks with spears, swords, and even stones.

When Rowan arrived, he saw a Crimson Knight grinning as he impaled a young militiaman.

His eyes turned cold. He didn't reach for his bow but instead lunged forward like a phantom!

At the same time, his right hand gripped his sword.

The blade left its scabbard inch by inch, the sword light like a streak of icy spring water, its trajectory nearly invisible under the torchlight.

The Crimson Knight only felt a chill at his throat before boundless cold swallowed his consciousness, the wound sealed by Frost.

Rowan didn't stop. He wielded his longsword with ease, executing various techniques flawlessly. Every strike was precise and cold, and with every swing, a Crimson Knight fell in a spray of blood.

His battle qi was bone-chillingly cold, greatly slowing the enemies' movements and creating opportunities for the surrounding guards.

"My Lord!" The soldiers' spirits were greatly lifted.

Just then, a thick scent of blood and a heavy sense of pressure came from atop the wall.

A dark red figure leaped onto the battlements like a large bird; it was Ulysses Quinn.

He glanced at the battle on the wall, his gaze finally locking onto Rowan, and he licked his lips with a scarlet tongue.

"Rowan? Interesting. You have some skill."

Rowan stood with his sword, his expression indifferent. "The Blood Thorn Knight, Ulysses?"

"You actually know me?" A flash of surprise crossed Ulysses's eyes, but then the blood-red light in them intensified. Without another word, he attacked.

He crushed the wall bricks underfoot, his dark red longsword piercing toward Rowan's heart with a shrill sound of breaking air!

Blood-colored qi swirled around the blade, faintly forming distorted phantom spikes, as a reeking wind blew in Rowan's face!

Rowan didn't dodge. Blue-white battle qi flowed in his pupils as his [Insight] trait quietly activated.

In his eyes, that lightning-fast thrust of Ulysses's—and the slight opening in the sword technique left for recovery due to underestimating the opponent—became clearly discernible!

He moved.

His footsteps shifted subtly to the side, letting the blade miss by a hair's breadth. Simultaneously, he slashed his sword upward at an angle, accurately striking the node of Ulysses's power!

"What?!" Ulysses's wrist went numb, and his sword's momentum immediately veered off. He was horrified.

This kid has such eerie eyesight!

Rowan pressed his advantage relentlessly, his sword strikes continuous like a rain of light, specifically targeting the weak points in Ulysses's battle qi circulation that appeared glaringly obvious under [Insight].

Ulysses grew more alarmed as the fight progressed.

The opponent's strength and speed far exceeded his expectations, and that freezing battle qi was incredibly difficult to deal with; every time it invaded his body, it caused his blood and qi to stagnate.

One must know, he was a Senior Knight.

How old was the opponent?

Even more terrifying were the opponent's combat instincts and swordsmanship; it was as if he could see through every intention, with every strike hitting Ulysses's most vulnerable spots.

This was definitely not the level of someone who had just become an Official Knight!

This swordsmanship, this battle qi trait...

The intelligence was severely flawed!

"Crimson: Storm Dance!" Ulysses roared, finally unleashing his ultimate move.

Blood-colored qi surged around him as his longsword transformed into a scarlet storm. Countless phantom blood spikes exploded outward, covering a vast area, using offense as defense!

Facing this violent strike, Rowan's eyes remained cold. While retreating rapidly, he finally took the longbow from his back.

He didn't aim deliberately; relying solely on the extraordinary tracking ability provided by [Insight], he drew the bow in an instant!

Winter Curtain: Silent Funeral!

A distorted trajectory, almost invisible to the naked eye, pierced through a gap in the scarlet storm, heading straight for the flaw in Ulysses's throat that had been briefly exposed during his ultimate move!

Ulysses was scared out of his wits. He forced his body to twist, bringing his blood spikes back for defense.

Puchi!

The Ice Crystal Arrow pierced his left shoulder. Terrifying cold instantly froze half of his arm and began eroding toward his heart!

"Ah—!" Ulysses screamed, his movements stiffening. He twisted around, attempting to flee.

Now!

Rowan discarded the bow and lunged forward with his sword, concentrating all his battle qi at the tip of the blade. That point of deep blue extreme cold shone as bright as a star!

Vow of Freezing: Winter Tremor!

He directly swept aside Ulysses's protective battle qi.

A flash of sword light.

Ulysses was still in a parrying stance, but he was frozen in place, motionless.

Shock and disbelief were still frozen on his face.

A moment later, a line of ice spread down from between his brows, instantly covering his entire body.

Crash... The ice sculpture shattered, and along with the frozen flesh inside, it scattered across the ground.

The dark red longsword fell to the ground with a clang.

"Lord Blood Thorn is dead!!!"

Seeing this, the nearby Crimson Knights were scared out of their wits. Their will to fight vanished, and they began to flee in panic.

Rowan drew his bow again, accurately picking off the leaders who were trying to escape or put up a desperate resistance.

The militiamen's morale soared as they wiped out the remaining enemies.

The battle ended quickly.

Of the more than thirty attacking Crimson Knights, including their leader Ulysses, most were annihilated. Two or three survivors who were too injured to run were taken prisoner.

At that moment, Butler Henry stepped forward.

Rowan asked him to count the militia casualties.

After a while, Henry returned with the general situation.

On the side of White Cliff Territory, seven militiamen were killed and twelve were wounded. The cost was not light.

Rowan thought for a moment and ordered that the families of the fallen be compensated and supported by the territory.

Meanwhile, he prepared to personally interrogate the prisoners.

...