The group of Michael joined the commotion and already killed seven of the bandits. The knights regained their courage and started to fight back, killing three more.
Three bandits threw themselves at the group but was sabered by Michael who was just passing by. Two men tried to slash their blades at the standing Michael but he didn't feel threatened. Because there's a buried dagger in their eye sockets through the brain, an instant death.
Four of the six remaining bandits decided to withdraw fighting with the knights and attack the lone Michael instead. All four them are the elite members of the band with an average Level of 170. They dashed at high speed and unleashed sword techniques aiming at Michael's vital areas.
"Thrust!" Aiming his heart.
"Overhead Slash!" Targeting his head.
"Horizontal Slash!" His open back.
"Double Slash" Towards his sides.
One used Level 1 while the other three used two. Being barraged at all directions are difficult to deal with. But not for Michael.
"Shadow Blade." His cold voice resonated around the road.
"Wha— Ack!!!"
By just a fast swipe of his blade, Michael formed circle and easily repelled all the waves of swords. But that's not all. After a beat later, the bandits made a crimson fountain out of their own throats by something like a shadow following the line of Michael's blade.
Level 5 Shadow Blade is a sword technique that creates a secondary strike of the swords attack. Having the same speed and momentum with the initial attack, it's no wonder why it easily cut off bandits' necks.
Seeing the picture of falling bodies, the bandit leader finally made his move.
"You truly managed to piss me off! Spirit Boost!" He yelled a Level 5 Martial Art technique before unsheathing his mithrill blade naked.
He launched his 25% enhanced body straight forward to Michael full speed. With right as his sword hand, the muscular ruffian swing his blade all might with an intent to kill the man in one blow.
"Power Swing!"
Clank.
A sharp sound of colliding steels reached the ears of the remaining sentient on the highway. As the knights and Michael party members inspect the scene, the figure of two men of different physique stood with crossed swords unfold in their eyes.
"What?! How did you manage to block a Level 3 technique barehanded?!"
"Hmph." Michael scoffed. 'If you give your all, I'll give you a handicap."
"You dare making fun of me?!"
Fueled by rage and humiliation, the bandit begun to rain Michael waves of swords attack. Each blow of his blade are strong and fast enough to cut a tree with low effort.
But despite his size and weight advantage, he couldn't land a hit on Michael no matter how fast and mighty his attacks were.
The leader of the bandits was a former B-ranked adventurer of the empire. He was consumed by greed and gradually fallen unto delinquency. The guide do not tolerate his behavior and immediately kicked out of the Adventurers' Guild.
He trained his body, mastered some techniques and gained strength to the point he reached Level 294, almost the strength of a S-ranked adventurer.
Judging from the age of the man he is facing, he is certainly sure he trained his body and has more battle experience than Michael. But he can't fathom and have a vague understanding of the situation he is experiencing now.
No matter where he strike his longsword, which already took many lives, its was evaded, parried and blocked by Michael's glistening saber. Michael used neither techniques nor skills, nor even basic Martial Art techniques, as he repelled each of the powerful blows. It was as if he could see all the future attacks and counter it precisely with his perfectly honed swordsmanship.
The man slowed down the pace of his attacks as he starting to felt the strain of the martial art he used. He was confident with himself and never felt overpowered or humiliated. But now, he felt both the feelings.
At first glance, his size and momentum already gave him huge advantage against his slender and weak-looking opponent. In addition to his numbers and innate abilities, victory is undoubted.
"Power Swing!!!"
With all his remaining strength, the man shouted his last shot at the tops of his lungs. The last heavy overhead strike flew faster and stronger compared to his first attack before. To answer his strike, Michael lifted his saber horizontally with blade over his left palm and firmly blocked the mighty swing.
"Damn! Why are you so strong?!"
"Done already? Now my turn."
"Oof!!!"
Michael deliberately ignored the bandit's barking and deliver a hard front kick on the man's stomach. The man blasted and plow the earth for several meters. The man staggered his feet as he slowly stood up from the kick.
As the man glanced at Michael, he saw him brandishing his blade. Knowing what it means, the bandit desperately racked his exhausted brain and came up with a high-risk idea.
"W-wait, can we just talk it out?"
"…No."
He tried to settle the situation by negotiating with the other party but Michael flatly refused his offer. Instead, Michael dashed himself forward to the negotiator.
Michael didn't stop his forward and slashed his naked blade as he crossed path with the rattling man. The blade hurled down on the bandit's chest at unimaginable speed.
"W-wait! Nooo—!"
The ruffian couldn't do anything but watched the blade tore his tough flesh through his hard ribcage as he stood in the verge of death. It's a strike without the power of a sword technique, just pure speed, strength and talent.
"Blegh!"
The man spat out deep red blood from his mouth as the blade pass through his broad back. He fall on his knees before his body toppled flat on the ground. With just one strike, the duel has been concluded.
"What an amazing duel…" one of the observing knights expressed his honest thoughts.
As the two were fighting, the escorting knights watched the entire fight. All of them, including their captain, opened their eyes and mouth in awestruck witnessing the intense battle between the two men.
The captain, Van, amazed by the swordsmanship of Michael. Michael already learned a Level 5 Sword Art technique despite in his twenties, which Van took over twenty years of vigorous training.
It's piqued him quite but that's not important right now. Then he rushed towards the carriage to check the condition of the people they protected with their lives inside.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
The duel of Michael and the bandit boss has been concluded. Since his blade wasn't enchanted with Blood Life, Michael swing his saber to get rid of the blood. He turned around and saw his party members approaching him as if going to a picnic.
"Well done, Michael. This one tried to escape so I tried to catch him for being the lone survivor. The rat that had been hiding the whole time has been disposed of."
"Good job, Sister. You can leave it to the knights."
Lucy praised Michael while pulling the rope wrapping around an unconscious bandit. The figure of Gabrielle and Uriel can be seen behind Lucy.
The sounds of rattling metals reached their rapier ears. When they turned their head to the source of the noise, they saw a middle-aged man in armor rushing to them.
"Thank you for helping us to fight the bandits. We cannot thank you enough for your assistance."
"No problem. We just happened to pass through." Michael replied to the bowing knight.
"Pardon. How rude of me for not introducing myself to our saviors." He raised his upper body then put a fist on his heart. "My name is Van Wenth. The Knight Captain of the Viscount Gracier of the Dixon Empire. Nice to meet you, our saviors." Then Van bowed again.
"No need for a noble like yourself to lower their head upon us." Michael raised his hands in embarrassment but remained his calmness.
Van's name consists of a surname, indicating he's either a noble or a baronet, a knighted warrior. Although he heard of Gracier Earldom, Michael remembered that there's no noble family Wenth in the empire so he can conclude Van is a knight who granted peerage.
"Even so. You all saves our lives. Besides, I'm just a baronet, so there's no need to formalize yourselves at me."
"I understand—no, I got it."
Van appeared to be a man in his late forties. His face was bearded and wrinkles lined on his forehead. Red hair sits atop his scalp like a lion's mane. His pose would be great except for the strips of red lines drawing all over his body from the ambush prior.
"Seems like you suffer injuries from those bandits." Michael take heed of Van's slash wounds. "How about prioritizing on healing your injured first?"
Van straighten his posture after hearing Michael's suggestion. But there's a problem. "Even if we wanted to, the bandits targeted our magic casters first, including our cleric." Van said in a sad manner.
Wounds can be healed, but it will leave scars depending on the healing spell used. But the cleric of the escort team died first before them.
But no matter how powerful the healing spell is, it cannot revive a dead. Level 10 Light Magic: Resurrection is the only known spell that can relive the dead, but the body must be in pristine condition or deceased at most a day.
"…Condolences to their souls." Michael grieved while putting his palms together, same as his colleagues. "Since the capital is to far from here, let us treat your injuries."
"No need to go that far. We already owed you a lot."
"It's not a problem. Besides, it's hard to travel with strains on your bodies."
"…You're not wrong about that." Then Van let out a sigh. "Okay, I agreed. Please heal our injuries." Van plead, lowering his head.
"Got it. Gather the injured."
"I understand."
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