126 – The Strength and Valor of Elite Earth Knights
The screams were heartbreaking.
However, after falling to the ground, the two retainer knights still managed to climb. Obviously, there was no serious problem. It was a good response to diffuse the powerful magic. They practiced counteract routines to counter the magic beasts they could meet in the Thorns Ridge.
And the Thundertusk Boar was one of them!
The purpose of ‘retreat' was to wait for Thunderbolt Flash to dissipate. Thunder-attributed magic had the most serious dissipation of magic, its power weakening with the distance. Besides, it took the Thundertusk Boar fairly long time of preparation to release Thunderbolt Flash.
The purpose of ‘approach' was to disperse Thunderbolt Flash struck against a single target.
The purpose of ‘raise s.h.i.+eld' was to expand the area of Thunderbolt Flash and protect the body.
The purpose of ‘insert sword' was to channel the power of thunder-attributed magic into the ground.
The purpose of ‘release qi' was to use qi to dispel the remaining power of thunder-attributed magic.
Although two retainer knights were sent flying, yet the group of Apprentice Knights managed to dispel the strike, the strategy was already successful.
“Everyone, head my command, strike at will! Stall the Thundertusk Boar, wait for me to join you!” Marcus finally managed to momentarily take away his attention from the strikes of the Violent Dog's Rockthorns before hurriedly ordering the retainer knights.
As the battlefield commander, he had to coordinate the whole situation.
“Sir, there's still one magic beast left!”
“Leave this one to me!” Liszt's voice was cold. With Magic Eyes, he was much safer than others, “It's just a snake magic beast!”
After being attached with fire-attributed qi, the Redblood Sword gradually released flames.
He was already rus.h.i.+ng to the northwest to intercept the snake magic beast. There were no records of snake magic beasts in the Thorns Ridge. Regardless, Liszt still had to face this snake.
Tremblingwoods couldn't be counted on. After consuming the Bloodline Fruit, it crumpled to the ground, appearing to have fallen into a deep sleep.
“Fire Dragon Pierce!” With Magic Eyes locked on the opponent, Liszt launched an attack without hesitation. The Redblood Sword turned into a blood-colored arrow and pierced at the snake magic beast's weak point.
The weak point was obviously the confluence of magic power that he could perceive via Magic Eyes. It was the snake's weakest place, striking at which would certainly result in death.
The snake magic beast evidently sensed a fatal threat, as it twisted its stocky body into a circular shape and evaded the strike. Simultaneously, it opened its maw and spat out its magic power.
Liszt quickly jumped away and evaded the magic attack.
In the place he had stood on just a moment ago formed a pitch-black whirlpool, rapidly eroding the withered gra.s.s and dead leaves on the ground into dregs.
“Black Magic Whirlpool! So it's a Shadow Snake!” He swiftly identified the snake magic beast he was facing as a Shadow Snake.
The Shadow Snake was a darkness-attributed magic beast that mostly lived in swamps and dark, damp woodland. The magic it released was called ‘Black Magic Whirlpool'. Darkness-attributed magic power had a corrosive property to itself. Once hit by Black Magic Whirlpool, a person's body could be instantly corroded into nothing. Its magic beast was very vicious, yet its body was fairly weak.
If it was Marcus instead, then he might have lost his legs just now and then be devoured by the Shadow Snake.
But the one it came across was Liszt, who could easily dodge its magic. Its death was just a question of time.
“Heart of Fire Dragon Drill!” He started with the special move, enveloping the Shadow Snake in a rain of flames, forcing it to coil itself and giving it no chance to release its magic. Liszt's motto was to do his utmost even when dealing with a minor problem, his style being to either stay at the rear or madly attack at the front line.
Sqwelp!
The Shadow Snake's skin went up in flames.
The pain prompted the Shadow Snake to roll on the ground in order to extinguish the flames. Whether it was because the flames disturbed its judgement or whatnot, but the Shadow Snake recklessly released its magic within a small area, releasing Black Magic Whirlpool three times in a row, yet to no avail. Liszt was far away.
Facing the Shadow Snake which had lost its reasoning, Liszt gave a relieved smile, then raised his Redblood Sword high into the air, aimed at the snake's weak point, and explosively brandished the sword downwards.
Sqwis.h.!.+
The strike chopped the Shadow Snake in two halves. The lower half squirmed madly while the upper half was still, just that snake's maw still opened and closed.
It could no longer release its magic and the only thing left for it was to die.
“Haaaah…” Liszt exhaled a breath of turbid air. He was absent-minded for a split second. Not too long ago, he was just a good-for-nothing, yet now, he easily killed a magic beast.
Admittedly, the Shadow Snake wasn't very strong, but it was still a low-level magic beast, it was comparable to an Earth Knight strength-wise.
Yet in front of him, it could only be beaten, be chopped in half in under ten moves: “I'm really strong, I'm already comparable to an elite Earth Knight.”
Magic Eyes, which could discern things clearly, and the Redblood Sword, which could increase his power, were enough to prove that Liszt's fighting strength had changed.
This feeling of ruefulness only lasted for a moment. In the next moment, despite the chopped in half Shadow Snake still twisting, he went to Blackdragon with the Bloodred Sword in hand, mounted it, and then made a beeline towards the Thundertusk Boar. Some magic beasts had to be dealt with infantry, while others were suitable to be dealt with cavalry. The Thundertusk Boar had a large, resilient body, it had to be hunted down with the help of a warhorse.
“Charge!”
With man and mount as one and qi gus.h.i.+ng out, the Redblood Sword pierced through the air, issuing piercing noise.
When he rushed into the battle scene, the Thundertusk Boar was just about to release its magic, yet it was sent flying by Liszt's move ‘Raging Conflagration Sever', spraying the site with its blood and interrupting the release of its magic.
But with its resilient body, the Thundertusk Boar didn't took much damage. It stood up and rushed at Liszt while groaning.
But after only taking two steps, it was sent flying again. Marcus, who had already settled the Violent Dog, charged at it with man and mount as one. His left leg was wounded, with blood flowing from it. Apparently, he was sc.r.a.ped by the Violent Dog's Rockthorns. However, that didn't affect his charge on horseback.
“Sir, joint attack!”
“I'll take the left and you take the right, let's alternate in charging at it, listen to my cue, don't let it release its magic!”
“Alright!”
The two men exchanged a few words. Next, Liszt launched another charge, knocking the Thundertusk Boar away once more. Before the Thundertusk Boar climbed up, Marcus launched another charge as well, knocking to the ground the still unsteady Thundertusk Boar.
Two elite Earth Knight alternated in charging at the Thundertusk Boar.
With them gradually getting the hang of it, the Thundertusk Boar no longer got a chance to climb back up or release Thunderbolt Flash. Like this, it kept issuing stifled howls as the injuries on its body stacked up. Before long, its fur and the the mud on the ground were dyed blood red and black respectively.
The originally exhausted from being battered by the Thundertusk Boar retainer knights successively ignited torches and surrounded the battle scene in order to prevent the Thundertusk Boar from breaking through the encirclement and escaping.
When they looked at the two Earth Knights toying with the Thundertusk Boar, their blood boiled. They wished they were the ones to trample on the magic beast.
After a dozen charges, the warhorse underneath Marcus was too tired to lift its hoofs, Blackdragon was panting heavily, and the Thundertusk Boar finally groaned no more as it lied on the ground, no longer breathing.
“We finally killed it.” Liszt breathed heavily. The Thundertusk Boar did not pose a great threat to an Earth Knight as it was clumsy, and its magic release speed was slow and easy to dodge, yet its thick hide made it so that one could only kill it by pestering and wearing it down.
Marcus' complexion was pale and his left leg bled a bit. Evidently, his strength was impaired, yet the first thing he did was still to shout: “Everyone, stop daydreaming! Hurry up and clean up the battlefield, we're leaving!”
Finished speaking, he dismounted his mount, ready to dress his injury.
However, Liszt suddenly urged: “Teacher Marcus, we're in trouble. One, two, three… We are being surrounded by a total of seven magic beasts.”