Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Bloody Battle (Part 2)
Zhao Xingyang’s charge, like that of a Celestial God, terrified the bandits. Their morale plummeted, and they scrambled to get out of his way.
The fact that he had killed their second-in-command with a single blow, skewering the man on his longspear like a rag doll and lifting him high for all to see, sent the bandits scattering in terror.
Another Third Training Martial Artist had considered stepping forward, but the sight chilled him to the bone, and he quietly slipped back into the crowd.
Zhao Xingyang let out a sharp cry. With a flick of his spear, he sent the corpse flying, knocking down another group of men as it landed. Then, he returned to the Escort Team’s formation.
"Boss Zhao!"
"Boss!"
Zhao Xingyang let out a breath, his voice heavy.
"Prepare to break through."
"Boss, Xiaolinzi and the others..."
Seeing the pained look on Zhao Xingyang’s face as he slowly shook his head, the men’s expressions all fell.
They had suspected as much the moment the bandits appeared, right after Zhao Xingyang had left.
Just as the group prepared to use the bandits’ hesitation as a chance to break through with the carriages, dozens more men came surging down the hillside, surrounding the convoy on all sides.
Zhao Xingyang’s expression soured. ’They’re too fast.’
He waved his hand. The Escort Team halted the carriages, their eyes fixed warily on the enemies surrounding them.
Boss Song stepped forward, crossing his arms and sneering.
"Master Zhao, where do you think you’re going?"
Zhao Xingyang glared at him, his eyes like ice. Without answering, he turned and gave an order to his men.
"Topple the carriages! Form a defensive line!"
The men moved with practiced efficiency. They tipped the carriages over one by one, following the Escort Agency’s standard procedure to quickly form a series of large barricades. Then they drew their bucklers, caltrop spears, longspears, and longbows, preparing to make a last stand.
Now that they had fortifications and were no longer fighting on open ground, the Escort Team could focus on defense, greatly increasing their combat effectiveness.
Boss Song’s brow furrowed. He saw Zhao Xingyang look his way and say coldly,
"Song. I will kill you."
Boss Song scoffed and pointed at the Escort Team.
"On your own? You think hiding behind a few broken carriages will save you? Heh. It’s useless. Not a single one of you is getting away today. The goods are mine, and so are your heads!"
With a wave of his hand, nearly a hundred bandits began to slowly close in.
Seeing this, Zhao Xingyang took a longbow from a nearby Darts Master and nocked an arrow.
SWISH! The long arrow pierced the throat of the bandit in front, its momentum carrying it straight into the chest of the man behind him.
Two lives with one arrow. The bandits faltered for a moment, only to hear Boss Song roar,
"Don’t be afraid! There are only a few of them; they can’t do a thing to us! Charge in and take their valuables! An escort this large must be guarding a fortune!"
Zhao Xingyang snorted coldly and said slowly,
"Even if I can’t kill all of you, I guarantee that the first thirty or forty men to charge won’t live to tell the tale. Come on, who wants to die first!"
He loosed another arrow, killing a bandit who had been inching forward.
After hearing this, the bandits exchanged glances. No matter how much Boss Song urged them on, none of them dared to be the first to move.
Zhao Xingyang watched them with cold detachment. He had dealt with bandits countless times and knew their weaknesses inside and out.
’Greedy yet cowardly, a contradictory and foolish combination. They’ll risk their lives for a chance at profit, but a direct threat will make them cower like frightened quails.’
Seeing the stalemate, Boss Song chuckled.
"Master Zhao, you certainly have a sharp tongue. A pity that clever words can’t save your brothers."
Zhao Xingyang’s face was impassive.
"They are my brothers in this life, and they will be my brothers in the next. If I could, I would gladly trade my life for theirs."
"But you, Song, you call all the men in your stronghold ’brothers,’ yet you’re in such a hurry to send them here to die."
At these words, the bandits’ expressions shifted, clearly having second thoughts.
Boss Song’s face turned grim. ’I can’t let him keep playing these mind games,’ he thought, ’or we might actually fail to take this Escort Team today.’
He took a step forward and then charged.
"Brothers, charge with me!"
At the sight, Zhao Xingyang had his men loose a volley of arrows. But even as the shafts rained down, Boss Song batted them aside one by one. The few that slipped past were completely ineffective against a Fourth Training Martial Artist!
Zhao Xingyang’s brow furrowed, and he took a sharp breath.
’The art of war dictates that attacking the mind is the highest form of strategy. A pity that Song caught on so fast. If I’d had a little more time, I might have been able to break this siege.’
’But now...’
Resolve filled Zhao Xingyang’s eyes. He raised his longspear and charged!
In the blink of an eye, the two collided with a BOOM.
Boss Song caught the longspear with his bare hands and threw a punch. The impact sent a tremor through Zhao Xingyang’s entire body, and a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.
There was a vast gulf between the Third Training and the Fourth Training.
Boss Song sneered.
"You’re overestimating yourself."
His fists then fell like rain. Zhao Xingyang struggled to parry, but he miraculously blocked every single blow.
But his face was flushed crimson and blood began to seep from his pores; it was clear the effort was immense.
Seeing this, the bandits’ morale surged. Their third-in-command immediately bellowed,
"Charge, brothers! Take down this Escort Team, and we’ll be set for life!"
The horde of bandits surrounding the Escort Team began to move. Braving a hail of arrows and stones, they ran faster and with more abandon, until they crashed into the Escort Team’s defensive line in a spray of blood and gore!
The battlefield instantly turned into a slaughterhouse. The escorts could no longer spare a thought for Zhao Xingyang, desperately fighting the enemies in front of them.
Yet even with the advantage of position and equipment, they were facing wave after wave of frenzied enemies. Men fell one after another, and their defensive line continued to shrink.
The stench of blood filled the air. Blood flew in the chaotic melee, and men died with every passing second.
Even while facing an overwhelming assault, Zhao Xingyang noticed the plight of his men, and his eyes began to turn red.
Boss Song’s punches seemed casual, but each one was immensely powerful and heavy. He wasn’t holding back at all. He laughed.
"What’s wrong, Master Zhao? Thinking about your brothers again?"
Zhao Xingyang took a deep breath.
’This can’t go on. We’ll lose at any moment...’
’I can’t lose. If I lose, how can I ever get revenge?’
’I cannot lose! Today, I *must* kill this monster!’
The Blood Qi throughout his body surged and then suddenly erupted.
A sudden, immense strength flooded into Zhao Xingyang’s arms. With a single swing of his longspear, he actually forced Boss Song back.
Then he slammed the butt of his longspear into the ground. The earth beneath his feet cracked and splintered, sending up waves of dirt.
Zhao Xingyang let out a long roar. From within his body came the sound of bones cracking and popping. A fine layer of blood beads seeped from every pore, covering him and turning him into a man of blood.
Boss Song’s eyes flickered with shock and uncertainty.
"’What the hell is this? Does he think he’s the hero of some story? A breakthrough in the middle of a fight? Is that even possible?’"
But then he saw Zhao Xingyang’s body shudder as a bloody mist rose from his skin. The spear lunged.
This thrust was far faster than before. Startled, Boss Song tilted his head just enough to dodge it and began trading blows with Zhao Xingyang.
This time, Zhao Xingyang gave no ground, attacking with his full power. For a moment, he was actually evenly matched with Boss Song!
Boss Song’s eyes sharpened. Seeing that Zhao Xingyang had truly broken through to the Fourth Training, he switched tactics, becoming far more cautious and drawing him into a prolonged fight.
Before long, he felt Zhao Xingyang’s strength begin to wane slightly and laughed.
"Master Zhao, so what if you have the talent to break through in the middle of a battle? Your men aren’t you. They can’t hold out against my boys. Besides, you forced this breakthrough; you can’t keep this up for long, can you? Heh heh. I’d say in less than an hour, your entire Escort Team will be annihilated!"
Zhao Xingyang’s expression was grim. He knew Boss Song was right.
He had forced the breakthrough, and the strain was immense; he couldn’t defeat his opponent quickly. Meanwhile, his men were suffering heavy casualties and finding it increasingly difficult to hold the defensive line. They were about to be overrun.
’I can’t finish him, but his men are about to slaughter my entire team. Once they do, they’ll surround me, and I won’t be able to escape either.’
’Unless I can have another power-up... but this breakthrough was only possible because I’d been stuck at the peak of the Third Training for so long. What chance is there of another one?’
Hearing the cries of his men as they were wounded and killed, Zhao Xingyang’s focus wavered in the heat of battle, and he was nearly struck.
’Is there truly no escape today?’
’Good thing I arranged for the Yin Yang Darts. I hope Xiaoxie made the delivery safely.’
’Then again, if Xiaoxie were here today...’
’...it would just be one more loss for the Escort Agency. It’s good that he didn’t come.’
’That kid... In the future, he should be able to avenge the Escort Team.’
Zhao Xingyang found the sunlight increasingly blinding. He squinted, and in his daze, he thought he could almost see him—the boy in whom he had placed so much hope—standing right there on the hillside.
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