Fighting the Second Hand (2)
Sir Winstin flexed his grip on his glaive and twirled it. With two distinct dings, he knocked two of them out the air. The third was closing in on his arm! Yet, he was not done. By perfectly timing his strike and power, he accurately knocked the third one off course with one of the deflected throwing knives! An instant later, the three perfectly missed his body. With a single move, he destroyed the technique! That revealed an absurd level of awareness, perception, and confidence that only a near Half-Instinct Realm could achieve! This allowed him to continue unimpeded. His speed did not slow down at all!
On the other side, Sir Sebastian used the broadside of his claymore and swept down. Like swatting a fly, he crushed the first throwing knife out the air. Using the sheer air pressure created from his slash, the other two deviated and elegantly split past him. The power behind his attack was frighteningly high. Despite that, he slowed down a hair when compared to Sir Winstin! That perfectly represented their current difference in capability.
Captain Julian pounced on Sir Winstin. His dagger dove into the opening created from earlier. It was headed straight for Sir Winstin's chest! It was timed perfectly, allowing him to take advantage of this minute gap. Yet, the knight snorted as he saw through everything already. Twirling one wrist, he swung the glaive in a strange manner to swing upward, switching sides in an instant! The opening turned into a trap. The massive glaive blade was about to slice apart his opponent when Captain Julian focused and forcefully diverted directions! Unlike before, his constitution had been strengthened, allowing him to control the Twin Flicker without severe backlash. He threw one knife, accelerated and moved to a new location, and appeared at Sir Winstin's side. One attack from in front, another from behind! Captain Julian could flank Sir Winstin by himself!
Sir Winstin noted that Captain Julian's ability increased substantially. After all, he fought with the assassin a few hours prior, so he had an excellent grasp on the assassin's abilities. Sir Winstin became slightly disgruntled. If Captain Julian was holding back before, then it was truly insulting! He was the strongest knight in the kingdom! Although he was not arrogant enough to call himself the strongest warrior, to be looked down upon by a mere assassin made his blood boil. Captain Julian might exhibit combat power on par with a Perception Realm Expert now, but it was not enough! Sir Winstin was a true bona-fide Perception Realm Master! Moreover, he had an uncountable number of battle experiences, far more than any scheming assassin!
As expected, the knight did not panic under the attack. Although the knives were thrown at extreme close-range and high speed, such that they could bridge the distance to him instantaneously, could Captain Julian throw them so secretly? Long before the assassin threw them, his muscles tensed, and his arm wound up. Every action was like a book, explaining in detail exactly what he was planning. Using his superior Martial Perception, everything became clear to Sir Winstin! He dodged the first knife and spun on spot, swinging his glaive with frightening momentum the instant Captain Julian appeared behind his back!
The assassin gritted his teeth and backed up, allowing the glaive to slice through his clothes. A deep cut emerged on his arm and chest! While his physique had indeed been strengthened by Lord Wenmord, there was a limit to it after all. Previously, he and his vice-captain could pin down Sir Winstin. Now, he felt confident that they could suppress Sir Winstin and possibly defeat him! That was the kingdom's strongest knight! It was easily the greatest achievement that anyone could gain. But times had changed. Currently, they were facing against the combined might of Sir Winstin, Sir Sebastian, and Lady Valentina! Even with poison… It did not matter if they could not land a hit!
Sir Sebastian fought Vice-captain Julie on the side, hacking down with his massive claymore. It looked like it could cleave her in half, should she receive it! Moreover, it was deceptively fast! It lacked the immobility from a two-handed weapon. He wielded it as freely as any other one-handed weapon! Vice-captain Julie might be a bit mentally unhinged, but she was not fearless enough to face the attack head-on. That would be suicide! But playing it safe was not her style either. She loved the thrill of battle, the splash of blood, and the threat of death!
She twisted on her heel, changed directions, and accelerated once more in a bizarre zigzag. The claymore narrowly missed her body by a hair. The display of bodily mastery was extraordinary! Like her captain, thanks to Lord Wenmord, she could perform such complex movements without facing severe backlash. She aimed to stay as close to Sir Sebastian as possible, to increase her odds of killing him! She needed a single cut for the poison to seep in. Vice-captain Julie was confident that she could get at least one hit in! Wielding two daggers in each hand, she entered close-range in an instant.
Sir Sebastian sneered. Indeed, that was the normal thought. A two-handed weapon would lose against a one-handed weapon in close combat. But… How could Sir Sebastian not know this? It really felt like she was looking down on him as well! His muscles bulged to twice their size before he arced his claymore toward the woman. He matched her speed easily and accelerated beyond that! He thought she was naïve for thinking she could enter his range! The claymore sliced through the air like butter and created a small shockwave. The wind pressure pressed against Vice-captain Julie and she felt the edge of his blade cutting her face! She laughed manically. This was what she wanted!
The woman managed to dodge, but the blade left a deep graze on her cheek. Blood had yet to spill. That was how fast-paced their battle was! She spun in a circle and stabbed twice, aiming for the tiny joints in between Sir Sebastian's plate armor. The level of eyesight required was not something that anyone could duplicate. Vice-captain Julie deserved her reputation was one of the most feared assassins in the Whispering Shadow! Her attacks were shockingly smooth and quick, such that there was nearly no transition time! Despite that, Sir Sebastian narrowed his eyes and brought his claymore back, blocking the two strikes consecutively with his broadside of his blade. Much like Sir Winstin, they had a plethora of battle experience. This allowed them to consistent maintain the advantage!
Vice-captain Julie clicked her tongue and retreated with her captain. However, how could it be so easy? Lady Valentina instantly appeared like a ghost behind them. She had been waiting for this opportunity! Flicking her rapier, her eyes turned cold as a dozen sword flashes burst out with deadly light! Even in this extraordinary high-speed battle which lasted a few seconds, she could unleash so many attacks nearly simultaneously! Although it was a far cry from Cardinal Hui's Simultaneous Strike technique, which compounded destructive power together, her deadliness could not be underestimated! Using a rapier, her speed was increased even further. It was truly like the Twin Flicker technique! Every strike became fatal!
The two assassins admired and cursed her ruthlessness as they hurriedly tried to raise their defenses. Using a combination of the Twin Flicker technique, their daggers, and their dodging, they managed to avoid most of the strikes. Unfortunately, Lady Valentina was no pushover. She chose to attack at the time precisely because their guards would be at their weakest. Furthermore, she timed it perfectly, making it physically impossible to dodge all her attacks! No matter how strong these two assassins were, they would inevitably reveal openings. And Lady Valentina grasped them perfectly. In a battle as fast as this, it revealed the power of a Perception Realm Master!
Captain Julian was stabbed in his arm, gut, and leg, while Vice-captain Julie was stabbed in her chest and shoulder. They wanted to retaliate, but Lady Valentina zipped around like a fairy. She wove in and out of their range in a heartbeat. Moreover, all their injuries were deep and painful, severely impacting their combat strength. They could feel their condition worsening by the second. They fell into a dangerous situation! Lady Valentina wanted to wash away the humiliation of letting them go previously. Now that she had the opportunity, she would naturally not hold back. She burst out with her full strength! What poison? She would not give them the chance!
The woman pulled back her rapier, strained her body, and added another twenty attacks! The attacks from an instant prior had yet to disappear when another storm rained down. Cuts started appearing across the two assassins. But one had to admit, they were not completely helpless. They saw a chance! Enduring several hits with their bodies, they forcibly broke out! However, Lady Valentina hounded them from behind, unleashing blow after blow. She would not give them a break!
Sir Winstin and Sir Sebastian did not let this chance go either. One had to admit, although they rarely fought together, their coordination was excellent! The three of them jointly attacked the two assassins. The slow and heavy claymore, the fast and light rapier, and the all-encompassing glaive… The beautiful combination of flowing attacks destroyed any chance for defense, much less retaliation. Under the full assault of the three strongest knights, it was simply too one-sided! The two assassins were like a pair of beggars running for their lives. Their appearance had none of the semblance of proud master-level assassins!