Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 386 Airflow
In the blink of an eye, Kaman approached the green-eyed blond man with a speed Winters could barely react to, and pointed his sword at the latter's Adam's apple, forcing the green-eyed man's last words back down his throat.

In a moment of urgency, he delivered another merciless elbow strike, shattering the green-eyed man's sternum.

Only then did the sound of Ernst Fuller falling, now without support, reach the ears of the others.

Similarly, it was only at this moment that Winters, his guards, and the four masked men regained consciousness and made their next move.

Kaman had already made his move, and Winters entered a spellcasting state without hesitation.

However, the feedback from the third hand was not the familiar phantom pain, but a kind of indescribable, unbearable tearing pain.

The sudden, unbearable pain seemed to tear Winters to shreds. He convulsed and fell to the ground. Another Dusak guard cried out in alarm and immediately drew his sword to help Winters up.

Winters trembled and struggled to get up, but within seconds his clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

"Leave me alone." Winters, bracing himself on the ground and gritting his teeth, shoved the guards aside and pointed desperately in the direction of the masked man: "Kill them."

Nine times out of ten, the masked man is a court sorcerer. The duel between spellcasters can happen in a split second, and Winters doesn't know if he'll have enough time.

However, he witnessed a bizarre scene: all four masked men were lying on the ground, clearly suffering immense pain. The one in the worst condition was emitting a suffocating scream while convulsing continuously.

Meanwhile, Kaman was grabbing a masked man by the collar and cleanly smashing the man's Adam's apple with a single punch.

More chaotic footsteps approached, not from the direction of the hotel—the green-eyed man had other helpers.

Winters staggered to his feet, feeling a slight return of strength to his limbs. He drew his staff and sword, and sternly ordered his men, "Go back!"

The guard hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth and nodded, then strode towards the inn.

Meanwhile, Kaman was already "dealing with" the third masked man.

Winters' limbs were still somewhat unresponsive, but his mind was clearer than ever before. In the time it took to breathe, he had figured out what was going on and hurriedly shouted at Kaman, "Leave one alive!"

Kaman looked up at Winters, his gaze sharp as an eagle's, his voice filled with rage: "Not a single one can be spared!"

Before he finished speaking, he snapped the neck of the third masked man.

Winters roared in frustration and drew his sword to meet the approaching enemy.

All these changes happened in an instant. Before old Schmidt and Fuller could even react, Winters was already engaged in close combat with the enemy.

Only when the blood splattered on him did Fuller realize he wasn't dreaming. The chubby man instantly sobered up and screamed frantically, "Murder!!!"

This shout immediately attracted the attention of others.

Old Schmid was so angry that he slapped Fuller's son hard across the face, grabbed him by the arm, and staggered towards the lakeside hotel.

Besides the four masked men, the green-eyed man also brought more than a dozen swordsmen. As soon as they realized something was wrong, these swordsmen, who had been lying in ambush to prevent the target from escaping, immediately surrounded them.

Winters immediately realized that his enemies were all skilled fighters the moment they clashed swords.

The swordsman met Winters's attack with powerful arms and ruthless strikes. Relying on the length advantage of his swift sword, he completely ignored Winters's counterattack and thrust directly at Winters's vital points.

Winters' staff-sword lacked a guard to lock onto the opponent's weapon, and Winters had no time to entangle with the opponent.

In a flash, Winters "seized" the fleeting opportunity, using his cloak as a cushion to grab the opponent's sword.

He gripped the sword tightly in his hand, not letting it move an inch.

The opponent was startled at first, but instead of discarding his sword, he drew it and retreated.

In a split second, Winters suffered a horrific wound on his palm, while his staff-sword pierced right through his opponent's chest.

Winters didn't linger in the fight. Before the other swordsmen could get close, he quickly created distance, leaving his opponent clutching his wound and collapsing to the ground.

More swordsmen surrounded him, and Winters desperately needed to regain his spellcasting ability, but he dared not easily enter a spellcasting state.

Just then, Kaman dealt with the last masked man and rushed to Winters' aid.

Unlike Winters, Kaman didn't probe or confront; his fighting style was simple, brutal, and direct. His movements were as agile as a big cat, but the power contained in his fists was as terrifying as a bear.

As the opponent's swift sword thrust towards him, Kaman deflected it with his arm, then closed in with unparalleled speed, shattering the opponent's sternum or Adam's apple with a single punch.

It seemed like he was trading injury for life, but Kaman seemed completely unconcerned about the injury, simply avoiding certain vital points.

By the time Winters had taken down the second enemy, Kaman had already dealt with three swordsmen—unarmed.

Witnessing Kaman kill his comrades one after another with his "fighting style that disregards the cost" and "unimaginable hand-to-hand combat skills," one of the swordsmen suddenly realized what was happening and screamed frantically, "You are...you are..."

Before he could finish speaking, the swordsman was struck hard in the jaw. He was knocked unconscious on the spot, and then Kaman kicked him, breaking his neck.

The surviving swordsmen have discovered that they cannot deal with those wielding swords in a short time, nor can they handle those who are unarmed.

No one has the courage to finish a battle they are certain to die in.

One swordsman turned and ran away, and the others followed suit without hesitation, rushing off in other directions.

Winters and Kaman didn't say a word, and split up to give chase. Kaman moved with lightning speed, taking down two fleeing enemies in quick succession.

"Can I use magic now?" Winters roared.

Kaman roared, "That's enough!"

The enemy had already run out of the casting radius of the Disintegrate spell. Without hesitation, Winters tore off two buttons and fired two Arrows at the back of the nearest enemy, who staggered and fell to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, he hurled his staff and sword at another fleeing enemy. The swordsman, who had already run more than ten steps away, was pinned to the ground.

While the Baron and his private priest were fighting for their lives with the strangers, old Schmid grabbed Fuller and ran desperately toward the brightly lit lakeside house.

However, old Schmid was no longer as strong as he used to be, and Fuller was quite fat, so he was caught up after only a few steps.

Fuller, the chubby man, heard the footsteps getting closer and closer and knew he couldn't escape. He suddenly broke free from "Uncle Schmid's" arm and rushed towards the swordsman, wailing loudly—also fueled by alcohol.

"The forge is gone!" Fuller howled. "I'm not going to live anymore!"

Caught off guard, the swordsman was knocked hard and fell to the ground. His swift sword pierced Fuller's thigh and emerged from the fat.

Fuller immediately let out a bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered.

The swordsman tried to push away the fat man who was pressing down on him, but suddenly he was hit hard on the head and let out a painful growl.

Old Schmid held up the triangular stone he had found on the lakeshore and struck the swordsman hard on the head, cracking his skull.

Then the old blacksmith helped Fuller's son up, and they stumbled and fled towards the stone building by the lake.

There was another series of footsteps, but this time it wasn't the pursuing swordsmen, but Winters who had come to protect the two.

Upon seeing the Baron approach, old Schmid seemed to lose all his strength, collapsing to the ground, panting heavily. This fall aggravated Fuller's wounds, causing him to scream again.

"Quiet!" Winters snapped at Fuller. He cut open Fuller's trousers and examined the area in the dim light. "You're lucky, Mr. Fuller, the arteries shouldn't be damaged."

Fuller, with snot and tears streaming down his face, asked, "What...what do you mean by 'should'?"

Winters stopped wasting words with Fuller and instead looked at old man Schmid: "Sir, are you alright?"

Somewhat dazed, old Schmid shook his head blankly, then suddenly seemed to snap out of it and pointed at Winters' left hand: "Are you injured?"

Winters shook the blood off his left hand and casually used a sliver of cloth from Fuller's pants to tie his wrist: "It's nothing."

A low groan came from a few steps away. It turned out that the swordsman whose head had been split open by old Schmid was still alive and was making faint noises.

Winters walked over and saw that the swordsman's brain matter had already spilled out. He judged that the swordsman was beyond saving, so he used the Disintegrate spell to give him a quick death.

He controlled the sword with precision, causing minimal damage. The swordsman shuddered, his eyes losing their luster. Winters sighed, reached out and closed the dead man's eyes, then rose and walked towards old man Schmid and Fuller.

Fuller looked at Baron Granah, whose upper body was stained with blood and whose left hand and forearm were stained red, and finally understood what the guard had said—"Within five steps, no one is a match for the lord." Old Schmid stood up shakily, his Adam's apple bobbing, as if he wanted to say something.

Over there, after confirming that all the corpses were completely dead, Kaman walked over with his sword.

Kaman walked over to the swordsman Winters had just "released," and although the latter was obviously dead, Kaman still stabbed him in the heart before walking toward Winters.

"How is Churin?" Winters asked Kaman—Churin was the first guard to encounter the enemy.

Kaman shook his head.

Winters' heart sank, and he let out a painful sigh.

He looked at Kaman, wanting to ask a thousand questions, but he couldn't bring himself to speak in front of others. Finally, he nodded to Kaman: "I'm so glad you were here today."

But it was this simple thank you that instantly ignited Kaman's passion.

Kaman dropped his sword, stepped in front of Winters, grabbed Winters' throat with his right hand, and immediately seized Winters' wrist with his left.

His shoulders trembled uncontrollably, his eyes blazing with fiery passion. He stared intently at Winters, gritting his teeth as he asked, "Do you know who they are?"

That familiar feeling returned—that inexplicable sense of oppression and pricking sensation.

The last time I felt this way was in the mountains outside Steel Castle. That time, Kaman also gripped Winters' throat and wrist tightly, forcing him to answer questions.

Kaman himself admitted that he had no magic to distinguish between truth and lies.

But Winters had no doubt that if he told any lie, Kaman would immediately crush his throat.

“I can probably guess who they are,” Winters answered honestly and as concisely as possible, “but I’ve never seen them.”

Silence, suffocating silence.

Kaman almost bit her lip until it bled, but she didn't move.

Then he asked his second question: "You used me against His Majesty's men?"

“No.” Winters stared directly at Kaman. “Never.”

Kaman stared intently into Winters' eyes for a long time before suddenly letting go.

The oppressive and pricking sensations disappeared, and Winters was freed from the imminent danger of death.

However, Kaman's eyes were filled with endless regret and remorse, as if a child had finally realized the magnitude of the disaster he had caused. He staggered back a few steps, collapsed weakly to his seat, panting heavily, staring blankly at his blood-stained hands.

“There were no survivors,” Winters said.

Kaman looked at Winters and laughed miserably, the laughter gradually growing louder as if he had heard the funniest joke ever.

Old Schmidt and Fuller suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.

The laughter stopped abruptly, and Kaman stood up, numbly walking towards Fuller and old Schmidt.

Fuller swallowed hard. "I won't say anything."

But Kaman seemed not to hear him and silently approached Fuller.

Fuller tried to beg for mercy again, but his tongue wouldn't obey him. Overwhelmed with grief, he burst into tears.

As he was crying, Fuller suddenly felt a chill on his leg, followed by excruciating pain.

Kaman pulled the sword from Fuller's leg, wiped the blood from the wound haphazardly, then pressed the wound and chanted softly.

After the ceremony was completed, Kaman went to Winters, checked Winters' left hand to make sure that no tendons or bones were injured, then took out his holy water jug ​​to rinse it, and then began to chant in a low voice as well.

Under the watchful eyes of Fuller and old Schmidt, Winters' wound on his left hand slowly shrank, eventually leaving only a faint red mark.

Fuller couldn't help but touch the wound on his leg—it still hurt a little, but the wound had disappeared.

After sitting there for a few seconds, Fuller suddenly lunged at Kaman, grabbing the hem of Kaman's clothes and kissing it frantically, repeating frantically, "Saint, miracle, Lord..."

Kaman, like a lifeless, breathing zombie, numbly accepted the worship.

Winters asked Kaman with concern, "What's wrong with you?"

Kaman remained silent.

Winters pulled up Kaman's sleeve and found that some wounds were still bleeding, while others had healed completely.

Winters thought to himself that a priest with self-healing abilities and superb martial arts skills was simply the nemesis of spellcasters.

The firelight and footsteps rapidly approached the lakeside building and the location of the group—reinforcements had arrived.

Soon, Winters saw Anna's anxious face.

"It's alright," Winters reassured Anna with a smile. "Don't worry."

Anna bit her lip, trying not to show her panic and sadness, and nodded repeatedly.

Winters immediately pointed to two people: "Charles, go to the legion's camp outside the city and tell Colonel Berne what happened here, and ask him to send someone over."

Without saying a word, Charles took off running towards the stables.

"Koch!"

"exist."

“Go to the outskirts of the city, find Pierre, and have him bring everyone into the city to find me.”

"Yes, sir!" Koch raised his hand in salute and strode towards the stables.

Two fast horses galloped past the crowd, one after the other, disappearing into the night.

Noise was also coming from the main building of the hotel. It seems that the hotel's staff and guests have noticed the strange occurrence outside. It won't be long before someone comes to investigate.

"Send out sentries," Winters ordered methodically. "No one is allowed to approach. Anyone who dares to force their way in will be killed on the spot. If questioned, say you are acting on orders from Colonel Bern."

"Yes." The remaining guards responded and dispersed.

Winters reached out to Anna: "Help me up."

Anna used her slender shoulders to support Winters' arm and slowly helped him up.

"I'll help you back," Anna said with concern.

“No. You go back first, I still need to examine the body.” Winters stopped, leaning on his cane, and said in a low voice, “The night isn’t over yet.”

Before the words were even finished, the sound of horses' hooves, which had just receded into the distance, quickly returned.

Koch burst through the night, dismounted before Winters, and strode forward to report: "Your Excellency, the old town is in chaos!"

"It's getting chaotic?" Winters frowned.

"It seems like there was a group of people looting and vandalizing."

Upon hearing this, Winters looked toward the old town of Steel Castle, which was separated by a long lake shoreline.

The wind carried faint cries and shouts, and in the distance, the outlines of houses could be vaguely seen with scattered lights.

The night isn't over yet.

[The incomplete chapters were so frustrating, so I rushed to write tomorrow's update.]
[This is tomorrow's update, tomorrow's update, tomorrow's update... so it's normal if there's no update tomorrow...]
[Priest Kaman's true abilities, he himself had actually let slip several times before.]
[For example, once when Kaman was angry, she asked Winters very directly, "Do you think that just because you're a magician, I can't deal with you?"]
[Also, when Father Kaman said, "Steel Castle is dangerous, and it's not safe for Winters to go out alone," he wasn't actually referring to the danger to the others...]
[It's really wrong of me to spoil the plot (OrZ), the most wonderful moment is when the readers see it and smile knowingly.]
[However, because online novels have a long writing cycle, readers may not remember some of the foreshadowing and subtle clues from earlier parts. So please allow me to presume to write this for you (facepalm)]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, rewards, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
(End of this chapter)