Being a knight is not easy

Chapter 194 Armor-Piercing Arrow

Before the morning mist in Poplar Valley had dissipated, Robin had already climbed to the highest observation tower at the valley entrance.

Beneath their feet was a winding valley, its walls sheer and sharp, with only five people able to walk side by side at its narrowest point—this natural "throat" was the noose he had prepared for the Earl of Minnesota.

"Arrange the barricades in a triangular pattern along the valley!" Robin swung his dragon-slaying spear, drawing a crimson trail on the ground. "Every ten steps, a group of three zhang apart!" The craftsmen toiled, sweating profusely, driving the sharpened wooden stakes into the soil. The pine resin coating on their surfaces gleamed in the sunlight, ready to burst into flames if ignited.

He turned to look at the militia formation behind him, their long spears trembling slightly in the wind: "Remember, when the enemy cavalry charges to the third set of barricades, heed my command!" Robin took out the Knights Guild's magic detection scroll, runes spreading out in the air like a spider web, "The black wizard's spells will arrive first, I will counter them in advance!"

Robin's pupils contracted sharply when the Earl of Minnesota's banner appeared at the mouth of the valley.

The enemy cavalry raised clouds of dust, and the lances of the three hundred knights danced like silver snakes. The figure of a black-robed wizard could be faintly seen in the infantry formation behind them.

"Release the arrows!" He swung his spear fiercely, and instantly, more than a thousand arrows swept across the valley like a swarm of locusts, only to turn into sparks upon contact with the enemy's magical shield.

"As expected, there are protective spells." Robin sneered and raised his hand to ignite the oil on both sides of the valley.

Flames shot into the air, turning the narrow valley into a chain of fire.

The count's cavalry were forced to slow down in an attempt to break through the barricades.

Just then, Robin pointed his long spear to the sky: "Raise your spear!"

Three thousand long spears were raised simultaneously, reflecting a dazzling, cold light in the sunlight.

The moment the cavalrymen crashed into the barricades, the militiamen in the front row thrust forward in unison, their spears piercing precisely into the gap between the horse's leg and the rider's protective gear.

Amid screams, the warhorse crashed to the ground, and the cavalry behind it, unable to stop in time, were thrown into a chaotic heap.

"Second row, cleave!" Robin's roar pierced through the smoke.

The second rank of militiamen raised their long spears high and cleaved them down like axes, cutting through the reins and armor.

The knight who lost his horse fell in the chaos and was immediately grabbed by the throat by Lago's follow-up move.

The long spear formation, like a sophisticated war machine, used thrusting, slashing, and pulling techniques in a repetitive cycle, pinning the enemy to the valley.

At this moment, the enemy black wizard finally made his move.

Purple poisonous mist billowed from behind, but was dispersed by Robin, who was already prepared, using a wind magic scroll.

Robin's compound pulley bow hummed incessantly, and his specially made arrows streaked across the battlefield like meteors.

Each tremor of the bowstring was accompanied by a wizard's scream.

Before the meticulously drawn incantations could be completed, a precise arrow pierced through his brow.

The dark purple magic shield was as fragile as glass under the rain of arrows, and in less than a minute, the enemy's magic line completely collapsed.

"Change formation! Goose formation!" Robin threw the empty quiver on the ground and slammed the Dragon Slayer Spear heavily into the ground.

Three thousand long spears writhed like living things, and the militia on both flanks quickly charged forward, surrounding the chaotic cavalry in the center.

Robin's twenty knights seized the opportunity to charge, the crisp sound of knights' swords slicing through armor and the muffled sound of long spears tearing through flesh intertwined, and the battlefield was filled with smoke and the smell of blood.

High in the watchtower, the Earl of Minnesota's gold-rimmed glasses slipped down to the tip of his nose as he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

When he saw his most elite knights fall one after another to Robin's arrows, the count's face turned a deep shade of purple: "Martin! You personally take the bow and cut off that archer's head!"

From the shadows, a knight clad in heavy silver armor slowly raised his head. A low, cold laugh emanated from beneath Martin's visor, and the greatsword at his waist hummed, drawing in the surrounding magic, its blade gleaming with an ominous purple light.

The legendary knight activated his life force and leaped directly onto the cliff face, like a giant black panther, climbing the almost vertical mountainside towards the watchtower.

Robin keenly sensed the disturbance, and he quickly reloaded his arrows, his pupils reflecting the approaching shadow.

Martin's life force formed a purple barrier, shattering the incoming arrows.

When the legendary knight was only ten meters away from the watchtower, Robin suddenly switched to black feathered arrows.

"Just in time." Robin's voice, accompanied by the roar of boiling dragon blood, shook the watchtower so much that bricks and stones fell off.

The compound pulley bow in his hand gleamed with eerie blue magic patterns, and the specially made meteorite iron arrows emitted a jet-black light; these were armor-piercing arrows that he hadn't used in a long time.

As soon as Martin leaped onto the cliff top, he felt a blinding cold light.

He roared, and his two greatswords ignited with purple flames, while a barrier formed by his life force burst open in front of him.

But the moment the arrow touched the barrier, it was as if a hot iron had met thin ice; the seemingly indestructible life force shattered like a bubble.

The iron arrow pierced through layers of armor, blasting spiderweb-like cracks in the legendary knight's breastplate.

"Impossible!" Martin's roar came to an abrupt halt.

The arrow, with its penetrating force, sent him flying, his back slamming through the watchtower's railing as he plummeted in a crimson arc.

Silver armor shattered into pieces, and blood splattered in the air like tragic flowers.

His screams, mixed with the cracking sound of bones breaking, slammed heavily onto the barricades at the bottom of the valley. The sharp wooden stakes pierced through his body, nailing this once-arrogant legendary knight into a twisted, bloody puppet.

The Earl of Minnesota's longsword fell to the ground, striking the stone slab with a jarring sound.

He gazed at Robin standing atop the tower in the distance. The boy's hair fluttered wildly in the blood-red wind, and his spear leaned to one side, poised to fire an arrow, like a war god descended to earth from mythology.

"Close the net!" Robin's dragon-slaying spear ripped through the sky, and golden runes enveloped the battlefield like chains.

The enemy troops, who were originally trapped in the goose formation, completely collapsed. The militiamen's long spears formed a cold, dense rain of light, and each thrust precisely reaped a life.

The flames on the barricades burned ever brighter, turning the valley into a living hell.

The Earl of Minnesota staggered backward, his back hitting the flagpole.

He watched as his once-proud army crumbled under the steel noose, finally realizing that this war was never a fair contest from the start.

The seemingly ordinary pulley bow in Robin's hand was more deadly than any legendary weapon.

The Earl of Minnesota staggered as he mounted his horse and fled in panic, surrounded by his personal guards. The dust he raised behind him gradually swallowed the mess on the ground.

"Why did you let him go?" Alina's voice came from behind her. She was very curious. With his strength, he could easily break into the enemy ranks and kill them.

Robin gazed at the darkening horizon in the distance: "The screams of the dead don't travel far; the fear brought back by the living is the best deterrent."

He turned to look at the training ground, where three thousand militiamen were clearing the battlefield in an orderly manner, their shadows stretched long by the campfire.

"When the remnants of the Minnesota army spread the news of the devastation at Aspen Valley throughout the Middle Kingdom, those restless nobles would have to think twice about whether their lives were tough enough."

(End of this chapter)