"These little brats were hidden really well. If we hadn't happened to search along the lakeshore, we probably never would've found them."
One of the soldiers spoke between heavy breaths.
The moment the commander heard that, his spirits lifted. He raised his head and looked toward the doorway.
Piercing screams rang out as terrified boys and girls cried in panic.
A soldier stepped into the room, a girl who looked barely a dozen years old slung over his shoulder.
Her face was soaked with tears, her body shaking uncontrollably, her eyes filled with terror and despair.
This place had once been the warmest refuge, but today it had turned into a nightmare. The commander frowned.
The soldier who had been smiling just moments ago felt that smile stiffen, until it froze completely on his face.
At that moment, a knight clad in heavy armor strode forward. Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his hand and slapped the soldier hard across the face.
A sharp crack rang out. The soldier staggered, losing his balance, and the girl behind him was dragged down as well, crashing heavily to the floor.
"You worthless piece of trash! Is this your first day following the commander? Hurry up and bring a boy over here!"
"Yes, yes, right away!"
The soldier snapped back to his senses. Scrambling up in a panic, he stumbled and half-crawled as he bolted out of the hut.
The knight didn't spare him a glance. Instead, he turned and walked straight toward the girl lying on the ground.
Rubbing his hands together, he smiled ingratiatingly at the commander.
"Sir, this girl…"
The commander only cast a casual glance at the girl. She did look decent enough.
But he felt no interest at all. With an impatient wave of his hand, he said, "She's yours."
At those words, the surrounding knights were instantly overjoyed. Just as they were about to voice their thanks, a faint sound suddenly came from outside the half-open door.
Immediately after, a clear metallic clatter followed, the distinctive sound of armor brushing against armor.
Everyone turned toward the noise. A dark figure stood quietly outside the door, half concealed.
Though the view was obscured, a bone-chilling cold radiated from that figure, spreading rapidly into the room.
"Put the girl down."
"Let this little brat go? Who do you think you are? Do you even know who we are?"
The knight shouted as he moved to shove the door open. Laughter immediately erupted around him, but even as they laughed, some began to feel that something was off.
For someone to dare interfere like this meant he wasn't with them. But then why hadn't anyone reported it?
"Yes," the voice came again. "But that isn't enough."
"Ha! Not enough?" The knight finally snapped, murderous intent bursting forth as he roared, "Hiding in the shadows, and you think you're enough?"
"Yes. Not enough, because all of you are going to die. Yes, just me."
As the words fell, a blue-robed knight burst through the door.
Everything happened in an instant. A flash of silver light tore through the air.
The Cuckoo Knight was seasoned by countless battles and instinctively leapt backward, but the figure was faster. Blood-red light flooded his vision.
Sword light rained down, sharp and merciless. Blood sprayed outward, scattering like vivid flowers blooming in midair.
The once-noisy room fell dead silent in an instant, the stillness so heavy it was chilling, as though the air itself had frozen.
The Cuckoos standing nearby pressed their lips tightly together, teeth chattering uncontrollably. They couldn't even bring themselves to speak.
At the center of the crowd, the commander sat with his face twisted into a grotesque mask. Fear trembled in his clouded eyes.
It was as if an invisible hand had seized his throat. With great effort, he forced out a hoarse, panicked voice.
"A Carian Knight? You… how are you here?"
No wonder no one had reported it. They hadn't brought many men, and no ordinary soldier could escape a monster like this. But still… how had there been no sound at all?
The commander suddenly sprang to his feet, and the knights who had followed him for years swiftly drew their swords.
"Kill him!"
With a furious shout, the knights swung their blades. Nolan swept the girl into his arms and flashed behind them in a blur, the Carian Greatsword slashing diagonally toward the commander.
The commander raised his sword to block. Sparks burst from the blade as it was knocked aside by overwhelming force.
Nolan didn't slow for even a moment. He drove the attack through, tearing a massive wound across the man's upper body. Flesh split from the chest, barely held together by a strip of skin along the back.
Everything happened far too quickly for the surrounding knights to react.
The first thought that crossed their minds was that they had stumbled into catastrophic misfortune, running into such a terrifying monster here.
The commander had drilled only one rule into them when facing a Carian Knight: use shield thrusts. But there were no greatshields here.
"What are you standing around for? If you don't fight back, you'll all die!"
The blood-soaked sight finally jolted the knights into action. They surged forward and surrounded the enemy, yet none of them dared draw too close.
Wait until someone else goes in, then run. Otherwise, six knights without shields were nothing more than targets waiting to be cut down in a few swings.
They were veterans who had fought side by side for years, and there were young men among them whose consciences were not yet dead.
But none of them were those kinds of people, and none of them would survive.
Before he ever struck, Nolan had already decided to kill everyone in the room.
The second swing came down. The Cuckoos scattered in panic, but one was a step too slow, his body instantly torn apart.
"You lunatic!"
Only five knights remained. Their terrified shouts rang out as one on the right suddenly charged forward, as if driven mad.
But the moment he raised his sword, a magical sigil bloomed in front of him, releasing a surge of blue crystal shards.
So… so fast!
Crystal Burst!
Glintstone embedded within the Carian Greatsword flared to life. Nolan cast the spell without hesitation, coldly watching as the knight was shredded by the crystals.
Armor was pierced, flesh torn apart. The explosive Crystal Burst reduced him to a heap of mangled remains in an instant.
The remaining knights were stunned. Crystals that pierced straight through their bodies left wounds large and small, yet not a single one cried out in pain.
Without greatshields, there was truly no way to resist.
Thud. Thud. Thud!
Dull, heavy sounds echoed as nauseating chunks of flesh dropped to the ground.
The surviving knights stood frozen in shock, staring blankly at the "Carian Knight." What they saw next was a second magical sigil, flickering with blue light.
Nolan tightened his hold on the girl, then his body dissolved into countless tiny blue particles, vanishing without a trace, without leaving behind even a single extra word.
Magic Downpour!
The glow of a floating magic orb lit up the ceiling. With a "Carian Knight" blocking their retreat behind them, the Cuckoos were trapped, unable to advance or flee.