Chapter 88: Gareth Deres

For several seconds, none of the closest enemies moved.

Roderic remained standing still, his gaze sweeping across them all.

’’Tsk,’’ he muttered, clenching his blades. ’’Who are these fuckers?’’

Just then, something far in the distance caught his eye.

At the opposite side of the battlefield, an unknown person held a torch far over his head.

Three men stood underneath the light, calmly observing the situation.

Roderic’s expression twisted as he recognized the man in the middle.

’’Gareth!’’ he said, gritting his teeth.

The eldest son of Baron Deres calmly watched the battlefield, without a sign of his previous injuries.

Two heavily armed knights stood on either side of him, both radiating peak One Seal aura.

’’Son of a bitch!’’ Roderic cursed. ’’I’m going to fucking kill you!’’

For a split second, his gaze flickered across all the enemy soldiers and knights in his path.

They easily numbered in the high twenties, most of whom violently attacked his people.

Roderic gritted his teeth with fury in his eyes.

’I have to stay calm,’ he thought, forcing his fury down. ’My people are the top priority.’

But there were just so many attackers spread out over such a large distance...

That’s when something flashed through his mind.

’If I take Gareth hostage... won’t they all be forced to stop?’

Blue aura instantly flickered to life around his legs.

Only a moment later, he shot forth across the battlefield.

Two soldiers immediately snapped out of their daze upon noticing his approach.

’’HE’S COMING THROUGH!’’

Despite their fear, both moved to block him.

Roderic’s eyes narrowed.

But he didn’t slow down in the slightest.

As he closed the distance, aura flashed around his blades.

’’AHHH!’’

Both soldiers swung their swords down with all their might.

Roderic lowered his body slightly before bursting forward.

SHHK! SHHK!

His Azure Blades cleanly sliced through both their weapons.

The soldiers’ eyes widened.

But it was already too late.

SHHK! SHHK!

Roderic cut straight through their necks.

Blood sprayed into the air while two heads flew several feet high.

Roderic didn’t pay it any attention.

He rushed past their collapsing bodies, his gaze locked on the three figures in the distance.

But he had barely made it another ten meters when several nearby attackers noticed what was happening.

’’FUCK!’’

’’THE TARGET’S HERE!’’

The shout immediately drew more attention.

Many abandoned their previous fights and rushed towards Roderic.

Roderic’s eyes swept across them.

’Ten,’ he thought. ’Six soldiers, four knights.’

That’s when his gaze landed on his own, who’d finally gotten a chance to breathe.

But even now, they seemed extremely confused, likely unsure what to do next on the battlefield.

’’Damn it!’’ he shouted. ’’WHITEMANE, RETREAT TO THE CARRIAGES!’’

The command immediately snapped the confused knights back into action.

But Roderic didn’t have time to watch.

His opponents had long formed a formation, waiting patiently for him.

’No time to waste,’ he thought, clenching his blades.

A bright golden aura began forming on the sharp edge of both blades simultaneously.

As he closed the distance, the enemy knights suddenly began shouting commands.

’’SURROUND HIM!’’

’’NO MATTER WHAT, DO NOT ENGAGE ALONE!’’

All ten of them moved at the same time.

Several began rushing past Roderic while the others held his attention at the front.

But before they’d managed to execute their plan, Roderic stopped running, using his momentum to slide forward instead.

His eyes lit up instantly as the golden aura around his blades grew brighter.

’’Now!’’

He swung his blades in opposite directions, releasing two massive golden arcs.

The attackers’ expressions changed instantly.

’’BLOCK!’’

Several desperately raised their swords, the knights even covering them in aura.

Those who’d been trying to run past Roderic didn’t even get that chance.

Not that it made a difference.

SHHHHK! SHHHHHK!

The golden arcs tore through everything surrounding Roderic.

Swords snapped in half, armor split apart until finally, their bodies were cleaved straight through the middle.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Body parts fell on the grass all around, blood already pooling beneath them.

Not a single one of the ten people had been able to survive.

Roderic slowly lowered both blades.

He let out a deep, strained breath, never having performed the move to this extent before.

’Fuck,’ he thought, shaking his head. ’That consumed quite some aura too...’

If he’d released those attacks before his breakthrough, he probably would’ve collapsed on the spot.

Roderic didn’t think much about it though.

His gaze had long settled on Gareth again.

Only this time, Gareth was staring back at him.

The calm expression on the young man’s face had completely vanished.

His eyes moved across the bodies surrounding Roderic before finally settling on him.

Blood and gore covered Roderic from head to toe, yet the furious grin beneath it all was still clearly visible.

’There you are.’

BOOM!

Roderic kicked off the ground and shot straight towards him.

But the two knights beside Gareth reacted far more seriously.

Both felt the powerful aura radiating from Roderic’s body.

Their expressions darkened almost simultaneously.

’’He’s broken through,’’ one said, his voice low. ’’It was recent, but he’s still become a two seal knight.’’

The other nodded slowly beside him.

Gareth’s head snapped towards the two in disbelief.

’’What?!’’

The first knight took his eyes off Roderic, glancing down at Gareth.

’’Young lord, we have to retreat,’’ he said seriously. ’’This is far beyond what we can handle.’’

Gareth’s face twisted immediately.

’’Retreat?! NO!’’ he shouted. ’’We’re not fucking retreating!’’

The two knights exchanged uneasy glances.

Gareth pointed furiously towards the approaching Roderic.

’’He’s already slaughtered over a dozen men! He has to be exhausted by now!’’

Neither knight looked convinced.

They knew better than Gareth just how large the difference between One Seal and Two Seal could be.

But Roderic was rapidly approaching.

There simply was no longer any time to argue.

CLANG! CLANG!

Both knights drew their swords and pulled a shield off their backs.

’’Take the young lord and prepare the horses,’’ one ordered the torchbearer.

Then the two stepped forward together.

Blue aura erupted around their bodies as they placed themselves directly between Roderic and Gareth.

Roderic’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’’Come on then!’’ he said through gritted teeth.