Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1062 - 177: Interceptor

Chapter 1062: Chapter 177: Interceptor

"Baa~~~~" The suddenly accelerated team startled the leisurely herd of sheep on the prairie. Instinctively, the rams corralled the lambs and ewes behind them, lowering their heads with long, thick horns pointed toward the direction of the team, heavy panting emanating from their nostrils. However, the sheep soon realized these strange bipedal beings were not a threat, and quickly returned to their leisurely ways.

But the very next moment, the sheep that had just calmed down suddenly went mad, as if provoked by something, and the entire herd, led by a few rams, started to flee rapidly. Countless hooves pounded the ground, the roaring sounds making the earth tremble.

Not far from their original resting place, the ground’s grass suddenly shook violently; several snow-white figures flickering in and out of sight among the bushes. Before these white figures, pairs of blood-red eyes twinkled through the grass, revealing bloodthirsty and indifferent emotions. These eyes did not pay attention to the fleeing sheep but coldly stared fixed at the expedition team’s retreating figures, their sharp teeth reflecting in the cold light through the corners of their mouths.

"Squeak, squeak," the calls of the Arrow Mouse were soft, audible only to nearby creatures. As the strongest Arrow Mouse made its call, the surrounding few managed to restrain their impulse to fire thorns, grouping together around the strongest one. These Arrow Mouse faced different directions, mouths agape but without making any noise; however, shortly after, a disturbance arose throughout the prairies, with Arrow Mouse climbing out of their burrows and gathering towards the direction of the stampeding team.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak." The strongest Arrow Mouse habitually gnawed on the tender roots beside it. When its mouth was free, it occasionally let out a series of sharp, metallic-like grating sounds, piercing and shrill. If anyone heard it, they would surely have covered their ears, but it seemed they intentionally suppressed their voices to avoid being heard by the departing expedition team.

"Something’s not right," Flare, while running, made a hand gesture to Alcmene to lead in front, opening the way, while she herself slowed down slightly, dropping back to Pannis’s side and said, "Many Arrow Mouse nearby have already woken up, but they haven’t attacked us yet. Normally, Arrow Mouse have even stronger territorial instincts than brown pythons and would be relentless in attacking any creature that invades their territory. It shouldn’t be like this, watching us pass through."

"There’s only one exception." Pannis said with a grim face, "The most troublesome kind."

"Are you saying there might be a Rat King among them? Well, given the size of this prairie, it’s certainly possible," Flare hesitated, slightly conflicted, "But if there really is a Rat King, then we are in big trouble."

"The only consolation is that we’re now very close to the border," Pannis nodded, "Even if there is a Rat King, it couldn’t amass enough forces to encircle us. If it’s just a hundred or so Arrow Mouse, we can still safely pass through. Don’t forget, we have knights in our team. Once..." "Stop!"

At that moment, the advantage of an experienced team showed. Two seconds after Pannis shouted to stop, the high-speed advancing team halted abruptly, without hesitation or question, the command perfectly executed. As the team stopped, a low buzzing sound emitted from ahead and in an instant, the sky darkened, as if the sun were obscured by clouds. In reality, the sunlight was not blocked by clouds but by hundreds of long, dense spikes, their speed as fast as lightning, arcing through the air and silently embedding deep into the ground like raindrops.

The team’s stop was incredibly timely; a few more meters forward and they would have entered the range of the spike rain, instead of just barely dodging out of range of the Arrow Mouse’s attack.

"This is the vanguard. It seems they want to hold us back," Pannis frowned and shouted, "Continue the charge, try to close the distance. Dodge if you can when they attack; if you feel it’s too fast, block with the shield. Be careful to avoid vital areas; their thorns have too strong penetration."

Before his words had even finished echoing, a second wave of thorns shot out from a hundred meters away. The rain of thorns mainly fell directly in front of the troop, so as long as they did not advance, they would not be hit. It seemed, just as Pannis had imagined, under the command of the Rat King, the enemy wanted to slow their pace to allow the subsequent troops to surround them in time.

"Such a nuisance," Pannis muttered discontentedly and raised his voice to call, "Catherine."

The young knight-girl was slightly startled. Although she had lived with Pannis for several years, Pannis had always provided support from behind, allowing the girls to control the rhythm of the battle themselves. He had never coordinated as intensely and tightly as he was doing now. Thus, she did not immediately respond when her name was called.

However, when their gazes met in the air, the years of tacit understanding finally came into play. Seeing the look in Pannis’s eyes, Catherine suddenly understood the thoughts he hadn’t yet voiced, as if there was a telepathic connection between them. Facing Pannis’s gaze, the knight-girl smiled confidently, nodded at Pannis, drew her one-handed sword and pointed it skyward as she shouted loudly, "Legion, assemble."

A prolonged horn sound faintly echoed around Catherine. In the void behind the girl, there seemed to be towering banners fluttering in the wind. Behind the banners, ghostly knights emerged from thin air—the knight spirits who had fallen over the centuries, summoned by the battle horn, crossed the boundary between life and death, and rallied behind their Commander. Beneath the square banners, the spectral knights, fully armored with sharp lances, neither the knights nor their horses showed a flicker of movement.

"For victory," Catherine’s sword tip traced a semicircle in the air and she thrust it forward sharply, shouting, "Legion, charge."

On the open plains, the thundering sound of hooves echoed across the sky. The expressionless knights lowered their visors, raised their lances, and faced the overwhelming third wave of thorn rain, launching a resolute charge without fear.

Since the girl had advanced to Legendary status, with the increase in her strength, the summoned ghostly knights all uniformly possessed Gold Rank capabilities. Gold Rank Aggression surged on the surface of the knights’ bodies, lighting up the plains like golden flames.

The rain of thorns was shot out, the knights charged, and a fierce collision occurred between the arrow rain and the valiant knights.

"Follow," Pannis waved his hand, and the team was set in motion again, closely following behind the charging knights as they rushed towards the blocking horde of rats.