Battle Under the Moonlight Part II

Under the long-missed moonlight, Adam had been in Roya for nearly two months.

For an ordinary person, this might just be a small chapter in life, but for someone being hunted, this time spent seemed excessive.

Adam awoke from his doll and checked his own body.

"Spell models are running normally, the life cycle is stable, and mental power reserves are sufficient." Adam's inspection relieved him somewhat.

Tonight, there might be a battle. It would be disastrous if his doll body malfunctioned at a critical moment.

"It seems I need to research long-distance mental power transmission soon," Adam thought, adjusting to the strength and speed of this body.

Though the reserves of mental power were sufficient, they were still just reserves.

Because of his ability to control weight, Adam was accustomed to having a large amount of mental power at his disposal. Situations requiring careful calculation of mental power were rare for him.

After getting used to the body, Adam sank back into meditation.

Time passed quickly. Moonlight fell, and all was silent as if everyone had entered a dream.

At the edge of the forest past the slums, a convoy of wagons quietly passed through a side gate of the garrison's fortress. Once they left, the gate closed.

"Be careful. As we passed the fortress, a soldier gave a signal. Someone is targeting us," said the leader, a man with both lips cut open, revealing yellow teeth as he spoke, making his voice sound eerie and frightening.

"There will be someone to meet us inside. The third brother will be there."

"Got it, boss." A man in a leather cap followed behind him, his expression fierce. He drew a short blade from under the wagon and signaled the others.

Smuggling was not for the faint-hearted. Betrayal was common, and without some skill, one might lose both cargo and life in a foreign land.

These were all desperados.

The most dangerous time was when leadership changed at the border of the Lokan Kingdom. Without prior information, they almost got slaughtered as spies.

It was the boss who, offering all their goods and a speech about honor, caught the leader's attention. Although his mouth was split by a sword, it bought them time to survive.

Even in such dire straits, the boss led them out alive, earning their unwavering loyalty.

"They're here!" the boss said softly, standing by the horse and exhaling lightly.

His perception spread out into the night. He clasped his hands together, each hand reaching into the opposite sleeve, grasping something.

In the next moment, arrows flew toward them but snapped mid-flight.

Something seemed to flutter in the dark before everything fell silent again.

The boss squinted. Was this just a test?

His eyes widened as a two-meter-tall man, clad in full armor and wielding a greatsword, charged out of the darkness.

"Damn!" the boss cursed.

As a knight, he knew the terrifying combat power that armor could bring, especially in close combat. A good suit of knight armor could be a family heirloom.

"Spread out!" the boss shouted, crouching low and charging at the armored giant.

The armored giant, moving like a bear through the forest, kicked up leaves and swung his greatsword.

The sword wind sliced the leaves in half, generating sparks in the dim moonlight, making them conspicuous.

The boss clutched three half-meter-long saw blades in each hand. As the giant swung, he stepped on the greatsword, passing by the giant.

The saw blades scratched the giant's armor, leaving only minor marks.

"Sam is invincible!" the giant grinned beneath his visor, shouting as he turned and swung again.

The greatsword's ferocious wind tore everything apart.

"A knight with extraordinary physique at stage five..." The boss quickly retreated, deducing Sam's situation.

Sam, after that swing, ignored the boss and charged towards the cargo.

"A unique physique?" Adam's doll remained hidden, observing the battle.

With Adam's fine control over his aura, he was like a lump of clay, unnoticed by others.

Sam's situation intrigued Adam. Sam's larger physique naturally granted more life force, making his strength as a knight formidable.

"And that is the life force field of a stage-six knight?" Adam then focused on the man with split lips.

At stage five, a knight's physical and self-healing abilities improved, but they couldn't extend their life force outside their body.

At stage six, knights gained more distinctive abilities.

The most notable was the life force field.

The life force in the knight's fate chart radiated outside, forming a protective field that could enhance their weapons, turning attacks into "sword skills."

Adam pondered how to counter a knight with such a field. Some fate charts were known to strengthen this field.

"My thread spells might not penetrate his life force field," Adam mused.

As he thought, the situation in the forest changed.

Rupert's men, armed and some with bows, flanked from a side path, evidently investing heavily to seize the cargo.

"But Mansra's men are also coming," Adam sensed.

Mansra had planned to wait in the forest under the guise of hunting, but he had concerns.

Arriving early would expose them, allowing the enemy to plan accordingly or change their goal to capturing him.

"Rupert has been corrupted by commoners, using such crude methods," Mansra had said.

So Mansra let Rupert make the first move, letting his smuggling team take the risk while he hid to respond.

Fortunately, the forest blocked most of the moonlight, and torches were unsuitable, as a fire could draw out the nearby garrison.

"Riel, go support your brothers. Someone will assist you," Mansra said after a whisper from his aide.

Riel, wearing chain mail and eager to aid his brothers in the smuggling team, rushed out.

"Are you sure you want me to act there?" Jin leaned against a tree, asking. The proximity to the garrison risked exposure.

"Any problem with that?" Mansra, wary but unhurried, asked.

"No, just more pay," Jin smiled, following Riel into the fray.