Infinite Hunter

The man sat bored in the camp. After the main armies of both sides moved in, it would be at least three or four days before the fighting began. Forget sneak attacks or assaults on castles. After decades of fighting, such tactics had already been used. With both sides on guard, it was no longer effective. "The armor rate is really high," Cheng Yijiu said, looking at the Alliance Knights camped in the distance. This army, called the Red Eagle Knights, was fully armored, and both infantry and cavalry wore full plate armor.

Even their auxiliary soldiers wore half-body armor, and the support staff at least wore chain mail. All wore helmets, each decorated with a magnificent eagle with outstretched wings. The only difference was the appearance of the eagle. The auxiliary and support staff's light helmets featured an upright eagle with outstretched wings, about the size of a finger. The main force, the fully armored infantry and knights, had the eagle with outstretched wings as the entire shape of their helmets.

The top of his head is flanked by wings, while the eagle's head transforms into the entire visor and forehead ornament, looking rather abstract and freehand, yet also quite beautiful. Cheng Yijiu's light helmet, on the other hand, is less ornate, its polished exterior only passable at best; it would have needed a lion skin to be more presentable. Cheng Yijiu also lacks a throat guard, so the frontal protection of his neck is still lacking, but he's after lightness, so it doesn't matter.

The Purple Heart Mercenary Group was short on archers, whether they were wielding bows or crossbows. There were only a dozen or so of them, and it was unclear why. These dozen had to be split into two teams, as bows were more projectile and crossbows were more direct fire, so mixing them together wouldn't work. Cheng Yijiu had observed the Purple Heart Mercenary Group over the past few days and felt it was more like a few strong players with a bunch of cannon fodder, who were there to protect the captains.

Those captains were truly formidable, especially in terms of strength. Cheng Yijiu had seen Captain Ma Youfu wearing full plate armor all day, moving about and doing things as if it were normal. This wasn't just ceremonial armor; it was truly beautifully decorated combat armor, with lion head reliefs on the helmet, shoulders, and waist. Cheng Yijiu estimated the thickness to be about the width of a finger. This thing weighed at least 50 kilograms, and yet this captain could wear it all day and move around freely, so his strength and stamina were undoubtedly extraordinary.

The captains of the regiment were similar, either wearing armor or weapons that were quite different from ordinary people, yet these guys could use them daily without any problems. Cheng Yijiu himself was no different. Although he wore light armor, with the lion skin, his mail, arm armor, greaves, and crotch guards only weighed a dozen kilograms, and his sword weighed only six kilograms, not very heavy.

The warhammer in the captain's hand weighed an estimated twenty kilograms. One end was a square hammer, the other a sharp pyramid. It could easily punch a hole in armor. But when it came to strength, Cheng Yijiu felt that at 5 feet 4 inches tall, he wasn't much behind the captain, who was over two meters tall. That was his feeling.

The Red Eagle Knights had more than 4,000 combat troops and an equal number of auxiliary troops. After their arrival, they began to assemble siege weapons. Then the trumpet sounded, and Captain Ma Youfu led the Purple Heart Mercenary Regiment to prepare to form a battle array on the left wing. As a mercenary group, they existed as cannon fodder, so they formed a battle array in front of the left wing of the Red Eagle Knights, and behind them were the Red Eagle Knights' light cavalry.

Cheng Yijiu was at the corner of the battle line, right at the corner of the spearmen on the first line. The order he received was to launch an immediate charge and break the formation once the spears began to cross. For this purpose, he was paid directly before the battle. His colleagues were also scattered among the spearmen on the first line, and some stood in the second line, ready to cross the front and charge when the battle started.

The spearmen of the Purple Heart Mercenary Group were relatively uniform in their equipment: half-body armor, long helmets, and spears, with no shields. Their styles were also relatively uniform. Cheng Yijiu, wearing a golden lion skin, was indeed the most handsome guy on the front line.

With the sound of the horn, the army began to move, and the enemy also formed their ranks - there was no way they would hide in the city and defend it to the death. The only result would be death. The enemy was also in a variety of colors, and it seemed that they would also push the mercenaries forward to consume them - there was no other way, they had been paid to fight for their lives, so they had to fight for their lives.

From the heights of the castle, archers began to fire arrows. Cheng Yijiu didn't see any crossbows, but strong men on the castle walls were firing arrows with powerful bows. The arrows flew across several kilometers and landed less than twenty meters from the first battle line. Cheng Yijiu wasn't the enemy's target, so he could only guess where they would land.

After advancing about fifty steps, the entire team paused to regroup before continuing forward, stopping every thirty to fifty steps to regroup and catch their breath. Cheng Yijiu followed the group silently. He could clearly see the nervousness of the spearmen around him and even in the distance. Some were even crying as they walked. "They've become mercenaries, and they're still like this?" Cheng Yijiu himself wasn't too nervous; he had witnessed such medieval battles before.

The Red Eagle Knights had artillery, and the mercenary group also had five musketeers - but they used matchlock guns, and the barrels were not very long. The artillery was simply some short and thick copper tubes placed on a wooden four-wheeled cart. It looked similar to a bucket and fired shotgun shells. Whether it was the musketeers or the artillery, the range was not far. Cheng Yijiu had never seen their power, so he was not sure.

The two sides gradually closed to about 120 meters. By then, the archers on the wall had already fired more than a dozen rounds, but in total, they had fired less than a hundred arrows—there weren't many such archers, and the enemy's formation wasn't positioned close to the castle wall, with some distance between them. These arrows caused casualties among the middle formation, perhaps a dozen or so mercenaries from other mercenary groups, while no one on Cheng Yijiu's side was injured.

They advanced another thirty steps, pausing to gather themselves. The archers began advancing and, on command, launched their slingshots. The opposing force was also mercenaries, and their numbers were limited. Their lethality wasn't great, but behind them were the regular army's archers, perhaps hundreds of them. The light cavalry behind the Purple Heart Mercenaries lacked archers, and horse bows weren't nearly as powerful as foot bows.

The spearmen stopped and began to shake the upright spears in their hands. Their long helmets could protect their necks. As long as they lowered their heads or put down their masks, they could avoid being shot by arrows falling from above their heads.

Chapter 7: Breaking the Formation

Cheng Yijiu was also bombarded with arrows. He was wearing a lion skin and didn't care about those things at all. He just needed to use his sword to deflect the arrows that fell on his face. There would be no arrows that could penetrate the lion skin on this battlefield, unless he met Aba Ying, the magic archer from the New Eagle Group...

With the horn sounding, the exchange of fire between the two sides came to a halt. The Red Eagle Knights ordered the mercenaries to continue their advance, and the wounded and dead mercenaries were dragged aside or simply left where they were. Cheng Yijiu was of course unharmed. The few arrows that struck him simply deflected away. He didn't even feel the impact.

He could already clearly see the faces of the people on the other side. Like the mercenaries around Cheng Yijiu, their faces were pale, and many of them were covered with tears of fear. Cheng Yijiu didn't have any. He knew how cruel this place was before entering it, and he had already made sufficient mental preparations. Moreover, he was not a spearman filling the battle line, but a swordsman with more freedom. In theory, if he turned around and fled now, as long as he was not caught, he could also make a comeback in another place.

Mercenaries are so free...

At the command, the spearmen lowered their muskets, and the rear-row soldiers placed their spears above the shoulders of the front-row soldiers, forming a formation like a hedgehog. The pace of the troops gradually slowed to small steps, their spears colliding and then intersecting bit by bit. Cheng Yijiu's breathing paused. He knew full well that the next ten seconds would be all it would take before a hellish exchange of stabbings would ensue. He wondered how many would bleed to death in those few seconds.

This was the moment when he was about to demonstrate his abilities, but the danger was certainly immense. If he misjudged his opponent, he could be stabbed like a sack. Fortunately, Cheng Yijiu was extremely confident in himself. With a flick of his body, he flung half of the lion's skin from his back to the front. Just as both sides were on the verge of a deadlock, all the two-handed swordsmen moved—and it wasn't just Cheng Yijiu; the other side also had two-handed swordsmen.

Cheng Yijiu launched an attack instantly, and the flashy swordsman on the opposite side also rushed over - the two people had to decide the winner in the shortest time possible, because the time left for them was very short. Once they delayed for a while, the two people would most likely be stabbed to death by the spears of both sides - even Cheng Yijiu had to pay attention to the spears behind him, because in a combat situation, most of the spearmen would stab wildly and forward without carefully choosing their targets.

Both men advanced quickly, exchanging blows with a single blow. The swordsman on the other side already had the style of a European swordsman, but unfortunately Cheng Yijiu was in his complete form, so after a single blow took his opponent's life, he leaped over the fallen body and slashed horizontally with his two-handed sword—the sharp cold iron sword directly severed two spears and pushed the remaining six or seven spears aside. These spears all had long iron sheaths, and the sharpness of the cold iron directly cut through the first two.

Cheng Yijiu then charged into the opposing formation, calmly dispatching the spearmen in front of him. The spearmen behind him quickly followed suit, widening the gap. Cheng Yijiu had ample space to unleash his swordsmanship. He slashed left and right at top speed, not necessarily killing them, but simply injuring them enough to shake them. The real slaughter could be left to the spearmen who squeezed in. Cheng Yijiu simply pressed forward, expanding the gap to the left and right.

The enemy's formation made it difficult to turn around, so after a few minutes, the entire formation began to collapse. Cheng Yijiu saw retreating archers, and the enemy regulars further back were also ready. This time, they were axe spearmen in full plate armor. Judging from their helmets and decorations, they should be from a knightly order. Cheng Yijiu took a step back. An archer shot directly at him, so Cheng Yijiu crouched down and protected himself with the lion skin.

Through the gaps, Cheng Yijiu could see the archers quickly disperse after firing their arrows. They not only killed the advancing enemy troops, but also forced the defeated front line to stop charging the Knights' formation. Cheng Yijiu stood up, unharmed. Not even a single arrow had been left on the lion's hide, truly invulnerable. The opposing Knights began to advance, and the Purple Heart Mercenaries' spearmen's formation became disordered.

The Knights faced a line of about twenty axeman. They had lowered their masks, so Cheng Yijiu couldn't see their faces. They strode forward and quickly thrust their axes and spears. Cheng Yijiu blocked them with a flick of his wrist, but almost all the spearmen around him were stabbed. "Completely different level," Cheng Yijiu sighed. The other side had better equipment and personnel, especially these soldiers, who were almost as tall as him and at least half a head taller than the Purple Heart Mercenaries.

Then he drew his spear, slashed upwards, and then slashed downwards, killing another group of Purple Heart mercenaries, and the mercenary spearmen were scattered. At this time, accompanied by roars, Captain Ma Youfu and the captains attacked. They were just like Cheng Yijiu now, easily cutting in. Cheng Yijiu swung his cold iron sword and pierced the helmet of the axe wielder in front of him from the front. The sharp sword tip pierced from the back of the helmet, and after it was pulled out, the axe wielder fell to the ground and died.

Captain Ma Youfu's presence was far more formidable than Cheng Yijiu's. He wielded a massive shield in one hand—an object likely half the height of a man, adorned with, unsurprisingly, a lion's head. With his right hand, he wielded a massive warhammer, charging directly into the formation as if his heavy armor were nonexistent. His two-meter-tall frame leaned against the shield, charging forward. Even Cheng Yijiu happily held back his aggressive charge. He was just a new swordsman earning a double salary, a middle-class income, not the captain of a mercenary group. Of course, he was just watching the directors' actions unfold.

Cheng Yijiu's sacrifice was enough. In a short time, he killed the axeman around him. Four of them fell beside him. Judging from the wounds, they were all killed in one blow. Cheng Yijiu's sword either penetrated the gap in the mask or penetrated the throat guard from the front of the neck and decapitated them. These were all technical victories. Now, he held the sword in hand, watching the leader charge leisurely and contentedly. The other mercenaries were also fighting, so Cheng Yijiu's laziness went unnoticed.

The swordsman carefully observed the captain-level mercenaries in combat, assessing their skill. "Brute force is impressive. Technically—I'm not very proficient with the warhammer, but at least the captain handles his shield well enough," he commented. Captain-level knights soon appeared on the opposite side, each dressed slightly differently, their weapons more refined and distinctive.

Chapter 8 Meditation

These knights were tall, if not quite tall, then at least strong, and their armor and weapons were naturally unique. The tallest of them all, with his full armor and visor removed, resembled a standing bear. He wielded a massive heavy sword and took down Captain Ma Youfu. The others also faced their respective opponents, engaging in a fierce battle of attack and defense.

Indeed, in Cheng Yijiu's view, it was a shot in the dark. While both sides employed techniques of force release and slippage, attempting to cause their opponents to lose their balance or leave them vulnerable, the fundamental cycle remained one of attack-block-counterattack, unable to escape the mold of past experience and habit. Although Cheng Yijiu was slacking off, he was also keeping an eye on the main battlefront. The central army was also in a stalemate, and his left wing had been essentially destroyed simultaneously.

The Purple Heart Mercenary Corps' spearmen on the left wing had been routed, and the enemy's axemen had almost been lost. The Red Eagle Knights' light cavalry, who took this opportunity to launch a surprise attack, encountered the enemy's extremely close-range artillery coverage during the assault - they were too unlucky, and happened to run into the artillery group that had not been dragged to the front. In Cheng Yijiu's view, these were more like early artillery pieces used to carry water barrels, which originally fired shotgun shells. Now, six artillery pieces fired in turn, directly knocking down dozens of light cavalry.

Of course, along with the dozen or so mercenaries who hadn't been able to escape in time, they all tumbled to the ground, their bodies tumbling to the ground. However, the artillery was almost useless, apparently because the cannon carriage had fallen apart. Cheng Yijiu was also slacking off to deal with his opponent—a knight appeared before him, wielding a shield and a one-handed axe. Cheng Yijiu didn't focus on fighting him, but instead used his greatsword to keep him at the periphery.

The knight was quite excited, because in his opinion, he and the two-handed swordsman in the lion skin were fighting fiercely. Cheng Yijiu dealt with this guy for a while and then gave up, feinting a move and then retreating directly. He had no intention of being particularly prominent, especially now that it was obvious that the fight was losing and everyone was expected to disengage.

The Red Eagle Knights were truly exhausted. They were clearly unable to break through the enemy's defenses and directly attack the castle—this was perfectly normal. Today's battle was merely a test. Traditionally, a full-scale, intense engagement wouldn't occur until multiple units arrived on the battlefield, a week to a week and a half later. Prior to this, the Red Eagle Knights would conduct one or two such exploratory engagements, while the mercenaries would launch daily attacks to deplete the enemy's manpower and supplies—the opposing commander would do the same.

Anyway, it's all about consuming the lives of the hyenas of war - the mercenaries. This way of fighting has been going on for decades, twice a year.

Captain Ma Youfu and his men were also familiar with these tactics, so they gradually withdrew from the battlefield. This was a simple test—in fact, there was no need. Everyone was already familiar with the mercenary groups operating in the area, and it was basically certain who would accept the employment of which party. When the Purple Heart Mercenary Group returned to the camp, the battle loss statistics were also available. One-fifth of the spearmen responsible for the battle were killed, another fifth were injured, and the rest escaped. "The casualties are quite heavy," Cheng Yijiu judged.

This was a heavy loss of life, but the captain and his men didn't seem to care at all—rightly so. The dead didn't need to be paid, and the injured could be dismissed with a sum of money. They wouldn't have to undertake as many combat missions after this—they were short of manpower. They could then collect a week's salary for free and send other mercenary groups to test the waters. Cheng Yijiu left the camp every day to watch the battles, hoping to see the apostles.

Perhaps it's because the fighting here isn't as intense? There are only about ten thousand soldiers and mercenaries on both sides engaged. Even if the main forces of both sides arrive, the combined strength of the combatants would be around twenty thousand, perhaps even less. The intensity of the fighting, what could be expected from a regular battle twice a year? And the front lines haven't been broken in years... It's fair to say that the generals on both sides are cautious and renowned.

Cheng Yijiu also went to ask the captain. Due to his previous performance, Captain Ma Youfu also valued this guy very much, so he answered very patiently. Cheng Yijiu got a key piece of information, which is that the battles here usually have less than a thousand casualties. In the past two years, the casualties combined were only 400 to 500. Everyone is united in the pursuit of mercenary money and military expenses. As for places where they can get higher commissions, Captain Ma Youfu smiled and said, "Those places have too many casualties, we won't go there."

So Cheng Yijiu also understood what was going on, and everyone laughed.

There will be no apostles here.

Cheng Yijiu decided to leave after this battle and go to the front line between the Mitlan Kingdom and the Yoda Empire - mercenaries are free, especially mercenaries like him who have no equity, and they can leave after the battle is over.

He had already obtained a map and a general understanding of the world's true situation, and was confident in his ability to navigate alone. The ensuing battle was indeed similar—the casualties were primarily from the mercenaries, who suffered approximately four to five hundred casualties, again the combined casualties from both sides. Once the main forces of both sides arrived, the war became a sit-in war, with only the first day seeing relatively intense fighting, which resulted in casualties equal to the entire casualties of the previous week.

Well, the tasks of the generals on both sides were completed. After a week, Cheng Yijiu's supplies were almost exhausted, and everyone began to retreat...

At this time, Cheng Yijiu had received all his salary, so he said goodbye, signed a few documents and officially withdrew from the Purple Heart Mercenary Group. However, his name had been included in the union list - almost all of the mercenaries here were mercenaries with some skills and wealth, of course most of them were pseudonyms, and many of them might have died but had not been refreshed.

Cheng Yijiu bought a donkey—it could handle roughage better than a horse, and if that wasn't enough, it could eat grass. He didn't ride it, but instead had it carry his luggage and rations, which made things easier for him. Traveling alone in this area, it was best to be fully armed. Villagers passing through could turn bandit at any moment, while towns were relatively safer because they maintained order. So, even when traveling in a hurry, Cheng Yijiu wore chain mail and a lion skin. He could hang his weapons from the donkey and retrieve them when needed.

Chapter 9 Travel

Cheng Yijiu had a map in his hand. Although it was incomplete, it would definitely take him to the Kingdom of Mitlan. He led his donkey along and walked slowly along the road. "If we enter a town, I can try to join the caravan. That way, I can even borrow a carriage." He thought that caravans needed guards, and they usually hired some reputable mercenaries in addition to their own guards.

This thought was fulfilled after he entered Kasha City. Indeed, a caravan was heading to the Mitlan Kingdom via the Continental Highway, and then to the Yoda Empire. They were also passing through the city's Mercenary Guild—mercenary guilds exist in almost every city, some large, some small, and some not entirely separate organizations. Some are called guilds, while others are called agencies, but their functions are the same. Cheng Yijiu was charged an agency fee for introducing him to this caravan.

The caravan consisted of over a hundred people, possessing forty four-wheeled wagons and protected by twenty guards. To ensure their safety, the merchants also hired around twenty mercenaries. That was just enough; the merchants themselves had some military prowess, and their trusted guards were more than enough to manage this number of mercenaries. Any more and there would be no trust. Cheng Yijiu passed their assessment—probably due to the combined effects of the lion skin and his appearance.

A hunter blessed by Apollo possessed a sunny disposition, and the magnificent golden lion skin at least proved the mercenary was wealthy and capable; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to protect the lion skin. Such mercenaries typically wouldn't turn into robbers, so the merchants hired him. Cheng Yijiu was thus able to embark on a leisurely journey—he no longer needed to wear armor constantly, and he had a carriage to carry his luggage.

The most important thing was that the caravan servants would set up a tent for him every night, or he could sleep comfortably in the cart, and they would also provide three meals a day. He only needed to wear armor when on duty, and he could also sit in the cart.

For the first three days, there were no problems. The few villages they passed along the way were also relatively safe, not entirely dominated by banditry. After restocking their water, the caravan continued on their journey. On the fourth day, something seemed amiss. "Someone's following us, and they're not the kind of travelers who want to share the journey," Cheng Yijiu heard another mercenary say to the caravan leader, and he himself noticed it.

When passing through villages and towns, some lone or small groups of travelers would join the caravan. They wouldn't enter the inner area of ​​the caravan, but they could rely on the caravan in case of trouble and buy food—this was a small act of goodwill, a common practice among caravans across the continent. For a little extra money, they could even sleep inside the caravan, sheltered by the carriages.

There were over a dozen such travelers, and the one following them was definitely not one of them, and definitely not a traveler—those who should have joined had already done so. As a mercenary, Cheng Yijiu was responsible for handling such matters, so he took the initiative to walk back and "check out the situation" with the other three mercenaries. They were most likely bandits. With wars raging everywhere these days, bandits were everywhere, so it wasn't surprising to see them.

But banditry depends on the situation. This caravan was quite large, and a group of just 20 or 30 bandits wouldn't be able to feed them. Larger groups of hundreds of bandits, however, would have a hard time surviving if they had to worry about food. "Could it be a passing mercenary group? Or a bandit gang?" Cheng Yijiu was unsure as they continued along the forested terrain on either side of the road.

As a hunter, Cheng Yijiu quickly spotted traces: human footprints, broken branches, and the marks left by weapons slashing through trees, intentional or unintentional. "At least five of them," Cheng Yijiu thought. "Everyone, be careful. They outnumber us. And they shouldn't be far away," he said. One of the mercenaries smiled and said, "I think they..." Just as he said this, an arrow suddenly pierced his head, pinning his head and helmet to the nearby tree trunk.

"Damn it! It's a bandit gang! Enemy attack!" The mercenary beside him shouted, no one knew how he confirmed it. Cheng Yijiu had already jumped forward without a word. When the other party fired the arrow, he also saw the enemy. He saw all five of them. Their clothes were tattered, but their armor was wiped clean. "Half-body armor, and even a complete disc-shaped helmet." Cheng Yijiu only had time to think about this before his body jumped over.

The golden lion skin made his movements as majestic as a lion. While jumping, Cheng Yijiu also grasped the big sword. "The cry of a new era." He muttered, and in his left hand was a double-barreled short shotgun - this was the most advanced weapon he brought in. The oil-soaked paper shell fixed loading made the loading speed much faster. It is estimated that it will take at least a hundred years for humans in this world to develop something similar.

But none of this transcended the technological limitations of the era. Both the paper-shell fixed-load ammunition and the firing method remained the same—after the gun was closed and loaded, the needle blade inside the barrel would cut through the paper shell, releasing the gunpowder. Pulling the trigger, a spring activated the hammer, and the flint inside struck the fire pit, igniting the gunpowder and firing the bullet. Cheng Yijiu pulled both triggers. Two thunderous sounds and flashes of fire erupted, and the archer, who had fired a powerful arrow, shuddered backward and fell to the ground.

Two lead bullets struck his torso. Although protected by chain mail, the impact still easily tore through his body, creating two huge holes. Then, with a flick of his wrist and a flick of his arm, Cheng Yijiu thrust his pistol back into his hand. He swung his sword in his right hand, piercing one of the bandits' skulls with a direct strike. The other's weak sword brushed against the lion's skin and passed through Cheng Yijiu's shoulder, leaving him unscathed.

Then, he simply advanced and slashed, killing the swordsman in front of him with another diagonal slash. He advanced again, slashing, and while the opponent was frantically slashing at him, he quickly slashed the man's neck. The last one tried to escape, but Cheng Yijiu stabbed him in the back. Before his two teammates could come to help, Cheng Yijiu had already killed all five. Now, even his teammates didn't dare to come over. They had never witnessed such lightning-fast killing speed...

They also looked at Cheng Yijiu in horror, the man in lion skin. "It's nothing. I didn't pay attention to leaving anyone alive. Now we can only be more careful when we go back." Cheng Yijiu shrugged and said.

Chapter 10 Night Raid

The two men were more experienced, so Cheng Yijiu sent them to search the bodies—he couldn't identify anything special about the items they were carrying. This time, they found nothing. They weren't from any reputable band of thieves, and there were no markings. "Perhaps this is a newly formed gang," they could only assume. The deceased mercenary was carried back, his equipment divided, and his body given a blanket for burial.

Cheng Yijiu had no desire for the dead, and he disdained to do so. After he came back, he let the two mercenaries explain to their employer, and he just nodded, took a shovel and started digging a hole in the woods by the roadside. When he dug a meter and a half, he came up directly, and together with others, wrapped up the dead mercenary and put him in, then covered him with soil and stepped on him - this could be considered sympathy, "Life is like a floating duckweed." No one else could understand his sigh.

Cheng Yijiu sat in his own cart, relying on the brightness of the sun to clean the barrel of the double-barreled short shotgun - during the battle, you can just open it and empty it before inserting new bullets, but it is better to clean the barrel when you have nothing to do. Although the bullets are wrapped with oil-soaked flammable paper, there will still be ash remaining in the barrel, not to mention the residue of gunpowder. Although Cheng Yijiu uses granular modern black powder, there will still be residue.

On the other hand, the lead bullets weren't a big problem, since this was a smoothbore rifle. He only needed to clean them with a cleaning rod. After scraping them a few times, Cheng Yijiu rinsed the inside of the barrel with water, wiped it dry, and oiled it. He also repeatedly cranked the hammer to check the spring. After ensuring everything was working properly, Cheng Yijiu closed it and hung it at his waist. He also carefully checked the bullets to make sure they were not damp. Cheng Yijiu placed them in a leather box, which he divided into grids.

Afterwards, Cheng Yijiu took out a rag and began to wipe his cold iron sword. Although the cold iron sword did not seem to be stained with blood or fat to the naked eye, he still carefully wiped the sword body with the rag, and checked the blade and the tip of the sword to see if there was any problem. Finally, he took out a metal bottle and poured out a little oil from it - this is anti-rust oil. This thing is mineral oil, but Cheng Yijiu had already proved that this thing can be brought to the Middle Ages.

He meticulously cared for and oiled his weapons. When he was finished, he removed his armor and began cleaning it as well. He turned his helmet upside down to allow the moisture to escape, and wiped the leather straps inside with a dry cloth, though he didn't need to grease them. He also simply wiped his chain mail clean, and later, when he had the chance, he would soak the entire thing in grease and dry it. He had to take good care of the things he depended on, otherwise he would be doing himself a disservice. After all this maintenance, it was already afternoon, time to set up camp early and have dinner.

The cart was surrounded, and Cheng Yijiu leaned against the outside. Mercenaries were like this, only being allowed inside when fighting broke out. The fire was blazing, and everyone present was a little nervous. The situation during the day was still unclear, and there was no telling if there would be a nighttime attack. Fires were lit everywhere, and Cheng Yijiu also put on his armor and sat on the cart to rest - mercenaries and guards took turns resting.

The flames had a significant impact; the flickering of light and shadow was actually quite disturbing to one's vision. Cheng Yijiu didn't mind it at all—his eyes no longer resembled human eyes. Although they looked the same, he could see very clearly at night, even though it was grayscale vision. So he wasn't bothered by the flickering flames. It seemed the same was true for the enemies...

Cheng Yijiu grabbed his broadsword. He was ready. "They're coming," he said, standing up. A mercenary on the other side blew a whistle, and almost everyone jumped to their feet in a short time. The bandits charging at the people looked quite ferocious—their eyes glowed red in the firelight, bulging out of their sockets, their eyelids seemingly nonexistent. Their faces were distorted, their teeth bared, and saliva dripped uncontrollably from their chins.

The skin on their foreheads wrinkled noticeably, and they retreated as if stretched tight. They made strange breathing sounds and ran towards them, weapons in hand. Their movements were a bit strange—like a dog trying to run on two feet, but without slowing down at all. Cheng Yijiu smiled. He unhurriedly drew his pistol, loaded two bullets, and snapped it shut. He then bypassed the fire and took the initiative to meet the strange-looking bandits.

The mercenaries outside were also startled and rushed towards the bandits with weapons drawn. The lone tourists frantically ran inside, trying to get closer to the carriages, while the guards thrust their spears out from the gaps between the carriages, warning the tourists not to charge the defenses. The mercenaries were used to chaotic fighting, so they first dispersed and let the tourists pass. Then Cheng Yijiu took the lead with a sword swing, directly slicing the head of the bandit running in front of him.

His attacks were fierce and menacing—never blocking, always striking simultaneously, and Cheng Yijiu displayed a fluidity. He chopped off heads and severed limbs with ease, thrusting like he was training on a wooden target. In the blink of an eye, he had already killed four bandits, while the other mercenaries had only just engaged. Cheng Yijiu wore a lion skin, and he was as fierce as a lion. The golden skin reflected the light of the flames, as if the lion had come alive, standing and wielding a blade.

Many people even thought they could hear the roar of a furious lion. A massive lion leaped into the night. The cold iron sword reflected no light in the moonlight and firelight—its surface was a matte gray, with only the blade gleaming brightly. Cheng Yijiu wielded the sword like a lion's fang, crushing one opponent after another. He fought with unbridled energy; the lion's hide allowed him to ignore his opponent's attacks, and his attacks always resulted in the first kill.

This time, the mercenaries fought very smoothly, each of them killing the opponent in front of them - these people's movements were very strange, and even two mercenaries were killed because they were not familiar with them. Fortunately, the others successfully killed their opponents, and most of the bandits were taken care of by Cheng Yijiu. He killed one by one with his sword. By the time the others killed their opponents, he had already killed eleven bandits and was shaking off the blood on his sword.

These bandits were fearless and undaunted, not even making a sound when being hacked to the ground, which was a bit strange. The bandit who rushed over next was truly terrifying—this man was completely naked except for some cloth around his crotch. His muscles were bulging beyond recognition, his skin stretched to reveal the red flesh beneath. In one hand, he held a staple hammer, in the other a greatsword. His heavy steps stomped onto the ground, but the vibrations resonated within the mercenaries watching him.

Chapter 11 Little Giant

Cheng Yijiu was focused on the man's face. "He doesn't look human anymore," he sighed. The man's face was also cracked, and his muscles were abnormally arched. The extremely developed muscles looked like eels coiled around his skull. "The style is so weird, it looks like Baki." Cheng Yijiu laughed as he recalled the weird comics he had read. His mood had improved considerably, and of course, he realized that the changes in these bandits might bring him a Behelet.

What else could possibly cause such a bizarre situation these days? Besides the apostles created by Behelet—this era and this world are full of demons, though this era has to be pushed back a bit. Before a certain point, apostles were almost nonexistent, or most of them were just "legends." But after a certain point, apostles were everywhere... demons and monsters...

There really were legends. Cheng Yijiu had heard many of them among the mercenaries, from the legendary mercenary "Zuo De," who had roamed the battlefield for hundreds of years, to the century-old Moonlight Knight, who occasionally appeared at knight tournaments. There was also the terrifying giant heavy-armored knight "Dragon" in northern legends... and the man before him, with his muscular body mutated, was most likely the "Apostle."

Cheng Yijiu tended to think he was probably not, because he felt that if he was an apostle, he would be stronger and less "inhuman." This guy wasn't very fast, and although he looked extremely powerful, Cheng Yijiu didn't think he was that dangerous. Of course, this only applied to him. As for the other mercenaries, if they went up, they would probably die immediately.

He didn't rush forward, but retreated with the other mercenaries to a more spacious area with multiple fires, just outside the carriage wall. The guards' crossbows might be able to make a difference. "Shoot him!" a mercenary shouted. The guards with crossbows were already ready. Their crossbows were winded with a capstan, slow but powerful, and could easily penetrate a helmet or breastplate at effective range.

Cheng Yijiu had seen many crossbows, from those that could be wound barehanded to those that could be wound with a trigger, and the capstan crossbow was probably the most powerful of the handheld crossbows—similar to the trigger crossbow, it was wound with a lever. The little giant approached slowly—yes, although his muscles were exaggeratedly bulging, he was only about two meters four. He was tall, but not yet "inhuman."

The little giant certainly put a lot of pressure on the guards. After the mercenary shouted, they also pulled the trigger, and the steel-tipped arrow shot out, accurately hitting the little giant about twenty meters ahead. Cheng Yijiu saw it very clearly. Even with muscles that swelled to the point of bursting the skin, it still couldn't stop the arrow that could penetrate the steel armor. However, the arrow only penetrated about half the depth, which was about fifteen or sixteen centimeters - "Is this considered a fatal wound?"

The little giant's steps stopped visibly, but he did not collapse and die as everyone expected - Cheng Yijiu saw that the arrow that shot into the little giant's head was probably less than three centimeters deep, that is, the depth of the arrowhead. The crossbow arrow that could penetrate the iron helmet could not penetrate the skull after breaking through the flesh, and it was seen sliding down from the monster's head.

The little giant stopped, but didn't fall. Cheng Yijiu watched as the arrow lodged in his body was gradually pushed out, landing on the ground with a clang. The little giant began to advance again. "The arrow isn't lethal enough!" someone shouted. Others raised their bows, their arrowheads flaming, to see if they could burn them—but of course, they failed miserably.

The burning arrows struck the monster, only to be extinguished by the sticky blood it oozed. The monster, about ten meters away, began brandishing its weapon—the roar of the wind was so fierce that it was hard to muster the courage to stop it. But it had to be stopped. Otherwise, if it reached the carriage enclosure, with its size and strength, the carriage would be shattered, resulting in a bloodbath.

The strongest of the guards was about to take the stage. This one hadn't been seen often before. His name was Pierre. He was barely two meters tall, but his width and thickness were quite exaggerated. To Cheng Yijiu, he looked like a refrigerator. He wore a suit of thick full-body plate armor. With the visor pulled down, he looked like a Cyclops. The weapon in his hand was a solid iron rod.

The iron rod was nearly two meters long, about the thickness of a duck egg, with a hexagonal cross-section. Thirty centimeters of one end were studded with sharp, four-sided spikes. It was definitely a heavy, formidable weapon. Cheng Yijiu felt that this approach wouldn't work, as the opponent before him was clearly a powerful, slow-moving type. Pierre should not wear thick armor to fight, but rather rely primarily on blocking and dodging.

Of course, this was Cheng Yijiu's own opinion. Pierre's heavy armor didn't seem to matter much; he could even run. He attacked like a hammer against an iron bar, blocking the monster's hammer with the large iron bar. The sound of the collision was so sharp that Cheng Yijiu simply stood by and watched the show—this kind of brawny brawl between heavily armed men was rare.

This little giant clearly lacked any combat intelligence; his fighting style relied solely on strength, and his body had undergone a transformation that supported this. While the recoil from a block would normally cause a person to become stunned, this monster didn't. He simply wielded his hammer and greatsword in a flurry of slashing, smashing, and sweeping attacks. Cheng Yijiu considered Pierre's skills to be average, but he still had an advantage in long-range weapon blocking and attacking.

Pierre kept his distance, swinging his iron rod at the monster. Cheng Yijiu thought he was hitting a rubber tire—the iron rod clearly bounced off the little giant, and it looked bloody and mangled, but it quickly regained its shape. The little giant also let out a strange roar and struggled to get closer to Pierre, using his warhammer and greatsword to smash him into a pulp and chop him into pieces. As the ironwork continued, Pierre's movements noticeably slowed.

Even if he were wearing heavy armor, a hammer strike would be unfortunate. After watching for a long time, Cheng Yijiu shouted decisively, "Back off, let me take over." He had seen through this monster completely. If it were truly an apostle, would he have fought Pierre for three minutes? In three seconds, he would have smashed the guard leader into a pulp. Cheng Yijiu had no idea when the apostle behind this would appear, but letting them continue to waste time was definitely not an option.

Chapter 12: The Apostles

Pierre probably didn't hear it, perhaps the intense battle had completely absorbed his attention. Fortunately, Cheng Yijiu didn't pay any attention to it. He threw off the lion skin wrapped around him, letting it fly wildly behind him. The swordsman, wearing the lion skin and a lion-jaw helmet on his head, strode forward and blocked the little giant's attack with a single sword strike. "Back off!" His voice was so decisive that Pierre, whose ears were ringing and his hands and feet were a little numb, noticed it.

Seeing this lion-skinned mercenary willing to come forward, the head of the guard breathed a sigh of relief. Cheng Yijiu's sword slashed directly at the little giant's wrist. If the little giant really had little intelligence, he would have lost a hand. But this monster clearly had some intelligence. With a flick of his wrist, he used the sword in his hand to block. Cheng Yijiu didn't give him a chance to block, and directly withdrew his sword without making contact.

Cheng Yijiu had absolutely no desire to engage in a head-on confrontation with the little giant. He had no desire to test the toughness of his cold iron greatsword, as clashing with the little giant's hammer and greatsword would damage the blade. Relying on his nimble steps and body to dodge the little giant's attacks, his attacks were synchronized with the little giant's, and his first strike shattered the opponent's arm. Due to the height difference, Cheng Yijiu's sword slashed through the little giant's right arm, which had been swung in vain.

The war hammer was slid aside by Cheng Yijiu, and at the same time, the cold iron sword with the power to destroy dark magic chopped into the opponent's arm, but the blade slipped on the bone. "I'm too careless." Cheng Yijiu thought, and slashed it open, directly picking the muscle on the opponent's arm along the bone. When Cheng Yijiu roared at the little giant to stop - this was his instinct after being injured, when he instinctively stopped, he raised the blade, and a long muscle separated from the bone and fell to the ground.

The little giant also followed the basic rules. After the muscles on his arms were removed, he had no strength to hold the war hammer, let alone swing it - Cheng Yijiu's brutal sword was cut from the palmaris longus of the forearm to the biceps... The attack was continuous, Cheng Yijiu advanced and retreated like the wind, and dodged the sweep of the little giant's left-hand sword with the flash of lion's fangs, and chopped the little giant's right leg with a sword.

The cold iron sword had shown to be unusually sharp, and Cheng Yijiu was of course very clear about the reason. "The dark magic has caused this person to mutate, just as I thought." He slashed the sword from above the kneecap, cutting off the little giant's kneecap in one stroke and severing all the joint ligaments at the same time. Even if he wanted to regenerate, it would not be so easy, not to mention that the injuries caused by the cold iron magic sword were not so easy to regenerate.

The little giant lost its mobility and considerable strength—a broken leg meant it couldn't exert force, and its strength was more than halved. This time, Cheng Yijiu could leisurely cut into the middle of the beast and cleave the little giant's skull with a single, sharp blow—and he actually did it, decapitating it with a single blow. Blood spurted high from the monster, and as its head rolled on the ground, it began to shrink, and the monster's body seemed to shrink as the blood gushed out.

The man who finally fell to the ground was nothing more than a shriveled, skinny, pale-faced bandit. From the moment Cheng Yijiu took on the fight until he killed his opponent, Pierre hadn't even had time to get back to the defense line... Now it was clear who was the strongest man in this caravan...

Cheng Yijiu used his sword to move the corpse, "Is this an apostle?" Cheng Yijiu raised his head and looked towards the woods. Applause came from inside, "What a pleasant performance." A voice sounded, and a young man in a long robe came out. He did not look like a bandit. The man had a very strange temperament. Cheng Yijiu felt a very deep malice from him.

Cheng Yijiu felt he had found his target. This man must be the Apostle, so he must possess the Behelet—all Cheng Yijiu needed to do was kill him. "Behelet will appear before the right person. This is their inevitable fate," Cheng Yijiu muttered. He approached the young man, bracing himself for his transformation. The young man had a weapon at his waist, a simple longsword.