Amber Sword
Chapter 117: Scene 49 Swordsmanship_2

Chapter 117: Scene 49 Swordsmanship_2

The remaining guards finally came to their senses and immediately retreated out of the doors. Some were even so scared that they almost dropped their bows and arrows, barely stopping short of stripping off their armor and tossing it away.

This scene made Apuno feel a bit disheartened. "Damn it, these noble lords are such a hassle—" he cursed, then turned around and picked up the follower who had fainted on the ground. With two slaps, he brought the person out of their terror-induced stupor and roared, "Go report to the barracks inside the castle, sound the alarm, got it?"

"Sound the alarm? But the Lord Duke said that’s only for warning the whole city," the follower stammered.

"Bull! If the guest dies, we’re all finished, understand?"

The guard hesitated for a moment, then quickly nodded.

*********

This follower had to be said to possess some cleverness. Fearing that there might be accomplices, he didn’t dare to use the inner spiral staircase but instead sneaked down alone via the kitchen’s rope ladder. Although it took him a bit more time, he deemed it to be the safest route.

He knew Apuno was relying on the barracks on the other side of the castle, where a squad of White-Maned Infantry was stationed to support the castle guards. Including their squad leader, there were seven of them. Though they usually looked down on each other, at this moment, they were all hoping to see each other as soon as possible. But before the follower could reach them, he was horrified to find the bodies of two sentries in dark blue uniforms lying in the middle of the courtyard—there were indeed accomplices, he immediately realized.

This follower reacted quickly, turning back almost instantly.

But it was still too late. A white light shot out from the second floor of the barracks, piercing through his chest. The powerful Magic Arrow carried his body seven or eight meters forward before it crashed into a pine tree and stopped.

Char stood by the stone hole window, staring outside for a long time. Only when he confirmed that the man was dead and had no accomplices did he withdraw his gaze. He took out his pocket watch and checked the rope hanging down from the bell tower—it was five minutes until the time agreed with Brand.

*********

Apuno didn’t know that the person he sent to report had already been killed, nor that the squad he was counting on from the White Mane Legion had been entirely wiped out. He was now placing his hopes on the few people he had left to hold out for a while, long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

They were guarding the staircase leading from the third to the second floor, with the guest room directly behind them. They had nowhere left to retreat. Although he usually looked down on them, he now somewhat envied the servants and attendants who could at least find some place to hide in terror. But as the Guard Captain, he had no such luxury.

If that Count died under his protection, he would probably have to change his name and flee to the mountains to become a bandit.

The young swordsman soon appeared in his line of sight.

Brand estimated the time; there were about a few minutes left. However, he shook the blood off his sword, thinking it should be enough. He looked at the defensive line formed by more than ten guards ahead and found it a bit strange—were these guys really so weak? He had expected a tougher fight.

He also noticed that at least the Guard Captain had the skill level of a Black Iron Knight, which theoretically should have given him an advantage.

But Brand had miscalculated one point, which was the advantage of skills. He had naturally assumed that he could acquire inherent skills from the initial level and the first Level 5, so others should be the same. But Brand, used to dealing with players, had forgotten that skill acquisition was a unique privilege for them.

Most of the guards here were former local militia members who had learned some crude swordsmanship before joining mercenary ranks, and the rest had gained battle experience through practice. Like Apuno, who came from a military background and learned Erune military swordsmanship, he knew nothing else beyond that.

Of course, even if he understood this, he wouldn’t show mercy. He knew what the protected guest meant to these people, so neither side had any choice.

The guards drew their bows and fired a volley of arrows.

Brand raised his Protective Gloves and casually deflected the arrows. In reality, he only needed to block Apuno’s arrow, as the powerless arrows from the others posed no threat to him.

"First squad, advance!" Seeing that the arrows had little effect and the enemy was getting closer, Apuno could only grit his teeth and order his men forward.

He organized seven men, who cursed their opponent’s shamelessness in their hearts. Why didn’t he go first in this situation? They thought they were bound to die, but as soon as they charged, they felt a shadow flash by them.

Instinctively, they turned around, startled to find that the killing god had already bypassed them and reached their captain—

Apuno realized something was wrong when he saw Brand’s figure vanish from his sight. He had fought Sun Knights before and knew that the kingdom’s knights had a skill called Charge, which could boost their speed instantaneously. His scalp went numb as countless battle experiences made him step forward and raise his sword. Sparks flew as the two swords clashed—

"No wonder he’s at the Middle Rank of Black Iron."

Brand thought, realizing that Apuno’s strike had no forewarning, which in the game would mark him as a seasoned swordsman. He remembered suffering greatly at level twenty because of NPCs who had risen through real combat.

But that was then, and this was now.

Not giving his opponent a chance to breathe, Brand launched another Sword Pressure attack. This time, it was a Power Burst. Apuno was almost scared out of his wits. He couldn’t help but wonder what divine being this kid was to wield court swordsmanship, knight skills, and Berserker-like power bursts.

Though Apuno was knowledgeable, he couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart. Truly, if it were anyone else, they might have already died without knowing why.

Apuno originally wanted to counterattack, but seeing this strike, he abandoned any thought of it and instead adopted the most defensive stance he could. After the swords clashed, both swords bent to their limits, emitting a grating, piercing sound as they did. Brand was fine afterward, but the Guard Captain stumbled back seven steps, nearly sitting down on the ground.

Apuno’s Black Iron Middle strength should have overwhelmed Brand with over 9 energy levels, but the situation was the opposite.

Such is the power of skills—

Apuno’s retreat snapped the guards from their daze. They rushed forward, trying to launch a sneak attack. Brand swung his sword backward casually, a Wind Blade slicing through the air, sending a head flying.

Then he moved forward again, prompting Apuno to decisively drop his sword and shout, "I surrender!"

Just as he finished speaking, the alarm bell outside began to toll—

"If you surrender, drop your weapon and get lost!"

Brand shouted in a low voice.

The guards, as if granted amnesty, dropped their weapons and fled. They were already terrified and, seeing their captain surrender, they lost all will to fight.

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PS: Sorry, I went out for a meal today and got back a bit late.