Translator: CinderTL
"ROAR!"
A deafening roar ripped through the battlefield. The Winged Kobold threw back its head and unleashed a chilling howl that sent shivers down the spines of the mercenaries and adventurers.
Before they could react, it swung its rusty greataxe, the blade glinting with a bone-chilling coldness in the sunlight.
Swish!
The sound of air being torn apart filled the air. The Winged Kobold abruptly spread its wings and swooped down like a grim reaper, targeting the densest crowd of mercenaries and adventurers.
The greataxe swept across the ground with the force of a thousand tons.
Pff! Pff!
Fountains of blood erupted as limbs flew through the air. In a single strike, a pile of mangled corpses littered the ground.
From above, the Winged Kobold resembled a farmer harvesting wheat, while the mercenaries and adventurers were mere stalks of grain, utterly defenseless against its scythe.
A few quick-thinking mercenaries and adventurers instinctively raised their weapons to block, while others ducked low, attempting to counterattack.
But...
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their weapons struck the Winged Kobold's scale-covered body, only sparking a few sparks and failing to leave even a scratch.
Despair spread like a plague.
"This... this is a monster we can't possibly defeat!"
"Its scales are harder than steel! Our attacks are completely useless!"
"Retreat! If we stay here any longer, we'll all die!"
"Its scales are harder than steel! Our attacks are completely useless!"
"Retreat! If we stay here, we'll all die!"
"Damn it, did this thing crawl out of hell?"
Witnessing the Winged Kobold's brutal slaughter, the mercenaries and adventurers' morale crumbled instantly.
They abandoned the loot they had been about to claim and scattered in terror, leaving the battlefield in chaos.
Meanwhile, the Winged Kobold hovered low, its single wing slowly flapping. Its crimson eyes gleamed with bloodlust.
Like a predator toying with its prey, it leisurely pursued the fleeing humans, each dive accompanied by a piercing scream.
The demonic beast horde, previously suppressed by the humans, surged with renewed vigor.
They howled excitedly, brandishing crude weapons and joining the one-sided massacre.
As for Roland...
The moment he saw the Winged Kobold's true form, he calmly put away his short bow and retreated silently.
His steps were swift and agile, carrying him far from the center of the battlefield in moments.
He ignored the screams echoing behind him.
He had saved Darco in the forest because the young noble was the sole son of Baron Forslin.
His life or death was directly tied to his own.
But what about these mercenaries and adventurers?
They were nothing more than a bunch of greedy, profit-driven opportunists. Their fate held no significance for him.
With Roland's current strength, using Momentum Slash would indeed give him a chance to kill the Winged Kobold in a single strike.
But what then?
Would he, weakened and vulnerable, truly expect these desperate, knife-licking outlaws to show gratitude?
The answer was obvious.
Therefore, staying clear of this conflict was the wisest choice.
"Too bad," Roland muttered, his steps never faltering. "I'm only three kills short of the warrior promotion requirement."
He calculated rapidly in his mind.
The sound of dry branches snapping under his feet was deliberately kept to a minimum, each step precisely placed on the most stable footing.
"But it doesn't matter."
"Master Hawk gave me a long vacation. I can just stay in Pine Wood Town a few extra days. With that kobold around, the demonic beasts in the area are sure to remain restless."
As his thoughts raced, his pace quickened.
Suddenly, a sharp clang of metal on metal pierced through the howling.
Roland frowned.
Someone was actually holding their own against the Winged Kobold?
And judging by the frequency of the clashes, they weren't even losing ground?
It wasn't that he underestimated the mercenaries.
After his encounter with the Bloodscale Kobold, Roland knew all too well the demonic beast's terrifying power.
Its scales were impervious to blades and spears, its strength far surpassed that of ordinary humans, and now it had the added advantage of mobility from its wings.
Back then, even John and his fellow regular soldiers had struggled to hold their own against the Bloodscale Kobold. How could this ragtag group of mercenaries possibly stand a chance?
The clashing of metal suddenly intensified, faintly punctuated by the demonic beast's pained roars.
But Roland's pace didn't falter out of curiosity.
Whoever was holding the monster at bay was buying him precious time to escape.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion erupted behind him, and Roland instinctively turned his head.
A dark shadow hurtled toward him like a cannonball, its speed so great it left afterimages in the air.
Seeing this, Roland's body instinctively dodged to the side.
The shadow brushed past his sleeve, slamming into a tree ahead.
The thick trunk groaned under the impact, its bark exploding into wood splinters that scattered in all directions.
"The Executioner?"
Though it was only for a fleeting moment, Roland recognized him.
The Executioner's signature black robe was tattered in several places, revealing a slender figure clad in leather armor beneath. His pale fingers still clutched tightly to his iconic slender sword.
Before Roland could regain his footing, a bone-chilling cold pierced his neck.
His sharp combat instincts compelled him to duck and roll without hesitation.
Crack!
The rusted greataxe whistled past his hair, cleaving a massive oak tree—thick enough to embrace—clean in two.
Amidst the flying wood chips, Roland rose to his feet, his iron sword already drawn and arcing through the sunlight in a chilling silver flash.
But in the next moment, the Winged Kobold abruptly changed its target.
The executioner, who had been leaning against the tree trunk, slowly sliding down, had now risen to his feet and was charging with lightning speed toward the kobold's back.
Clang!
The greataxe roared through the air as the Winged Kobold spun and swung it horizontally.
The executioner's slender figure was flung backward like a falling leaf.
The axe blade brushed past his nose, then abruptly changed course mid-swing, colliding with the rapier.
"Cough!"
A muffled groan escaped from beneath the black robe.
The executioner knelt on one knee, his rapier plunging into the ground, carving a long furrow before finally halting his retreat.
When he looked up, the Winged Kobold was already lunging at him again!
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The rapier transformed into a silver storm of strikes, each aimed with deadly precision at vulnerable points like the eyelids, ear canals, and wing membranes. But all were deflected by the kobold's scales.
The Winged Kobold grinned cruelly, enduring every attack and swinging its weapon with all its might.
Boom!
The axe blade slammed into the ground, instantly spiderwebbing the surface with cracks.
The executioner hastily rolled aside to dodge, but the fierce air pressure tore half of his black robe away, revealing a pale jawline and a few strands of silver hair.
Before he could regain his footing, the Winged Kobold raised its axe again, the second strike whistling through the air as it descended.
There was no way to dodge.
The executioner's azure pupils narrowed sharply, reflecting the icy glint of the axe blade.
"Get out of the way!"
At the critical moment, Roland's roar exploded.
Moving like a cheetah, he dashed forward, his iron sword slicing through the air in a cold arc, aimed directly at the Winged Kobold's unprotected single wing.
However, the Winged Kobold reacted swiftly, twisting its wrist to redirect its downward swing into a brutal horizontal slash!
Clang!
A shower of sparks erupted as axe met sword.
Roland felt a tremendous force surge through his blade, instantly numbing his entire arm and sending him staggering backward several steps.
"Stronger than the Bloodscale Kobold, and faster too."
He gritted his teeth, inwardly alarmed.
"Thank goodness for adaptive training, which raised my agility to seven points. Otherwise, I doubt I could have kept up with its movements!"
On the other side, the executioner slowly rose, leaning on his slender sword.
Caught between two enemies, the Winged Kobold ceased its attack. Instead, it cautiously flapped its wings and swiftly retreated.
Its crimson eyes darted between the two figures, scanning until it confirmed both were within its field of vision. Only then did it abruptly halt, assuming a defensive stance.
"That..."
Roland's gaze locked onto the white object clutched in the Winged Kobold's left arm. A strange sense of familiarity surged through him.
But he quickly pushed aside these irrelevant thoughts, focusing on the cautious enemy before him. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease.
During the executioner's struggle with the Winged Kobold, Roland had had an opportunity to escape.
But it was clear the executioner was no match for the demonic beast.
Had Roland not intervened in time, the executioner would likely have been decapitated by now.
And if the executioner died, Roland knew he wouldn't get far, given the Winged Kobold's speed and maneuverability in flight.
Weighing his options, Roland concluded that joining forces with the executioner was the best strategy, rather than fighting alone.
But...
The executioner had just indiscriminately slaughtered mercenaries, adventurers, and demonic beasts alike.
Roland needed to ensure this temporary ally wouldn't suddenly turn on him.
"Let's take down this demonic beast together. You won't attack me too, will you?"
Roland stared intently at the kobold, his voice low and firm.
The executioner's silver hair fluttered as he shook his head.
The next moment, his slender sword was already drawn, his body moving like lightning as he charged toward the enemy, leaving his back completely exposed to Roland.
Seeing this, Roland immediately followed suit, his own sword raised.
"Attack its wings! Give me an opening!"
This confident declaration caused the executioner's movements to falter momentarily, but he quickly adjusted his steps, nimbly dodging the monster's sweeping axe and maneuvering behind it.
Roland seized this fleeting opportunity, his iron sword transforming into a silver arc.
In an instant, the forest echoed with the continuous clash of steel.
Perhaps because they shared a similar level of combat skill, Roland and the executioner, despite being strangers, displayed astonishing teamwork during the battle.
However, perhaps due to his earlier injuries, the executioner's footwork gradually became more erratic as time passed.
The Winged Kobold, keenly aware of this weakness, repeatedly missed its chance to strike a fatal blow due to Roland's timely diversionary attacks. Its crimson eyes burned with growing fury.
And just as the demonic beast, heedless of the consequences, swung its axe in a desperate clash with the executioner...
"Now!"
Roland's eyes blazed with intense focus, instantly activating his [Focus] trait.
With a sudden stride, he leaped into the air, his longsword held tightly in both hands, flashing a sharp, cold glint in the sunlight.
Seeing this, a flicker of mockery crossed the crimson eyes of the Winged Kobold.
With a powerful blow, it clashed its rusty, battle-worn axe against the executioner's slender rapier.
Once it saw the executioner spit blood and collapse to the ground, the Winged Kobold swiftly turned and raised its axe horizontally across its chest.
In its eyes, the human who had leaped into the air was already a lamb awaiting slaughter.
A mere twist of the axe's blade would be enough to bring him down!
Clang!
But at the moment of impact, the monster's contempt froze.
A terrifying force surged through the axe handle, numbing its claws and forcing it to emit a sharp shriek.
Feeling the strength surge through his arms like a tidal wave, Roland gritted his teeth and slammed his sword down with all his might.
"Momentum Slash!"
With the roar of his inner fury, the previously impenetrable blood-red scales now felt as thin as paper.
The longsword sliced through without resistance, arcing diagonally down from the axe handle and aiming directly for the Winged Kobold's left flank.
Thud!
The dull thud of Roland's feet hitting the ground echoed through the air.
The Winged Kobold remained standing, seemingly unharmed.
But in the next instant, a crimson line slowly emerged on its body.
Pfft!
Blood gushed forth like a fountain.
(End of the Chapter)
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🔓 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦 — 13 Series (7 Ongoing) | 14+ New Chapters Daily | 7,200+ FREE