"Protect His Majesty the Emperor!" The guard was shocked and angry. As he shouted, he urged his horse to rush toward Commodus.
He did not expect that someone would be bold enough to attack the emperor less than ten miles away from the military camp.
Fortunately, there were not many assassins disguised as Jews. There were less than twenty of them. The Imperial Guards had an absolute advantage in terms of numbers, but they were spread out, which put them at a disadvantage. Besides, this group of assassins was also very skilled. When they attacked together, they quickly killed the Imperial Guards at the front and approached Commodus's carriage.
On the other hand, the Imperial Guards who rushed over were often killed by them before they could even get into formation.
Sebutul broke out in a cold sweat when he saw this. He suddenly realized that his horse seemed to be running a little too fast. Although he had some combat experience as a civilian protector, he had mainly relied on the strength of his family to get to this position. Moreover, as a general, he did not need much personal courage. Sebutul now regretted not practicing his swordsmanship properly.
Fortunately, the Imperial Guards that he led this time were well-trained, and the two assistant centurions were also very capable, especially Herto, who was the closest to the assassins. He led his team to stop the assassins, and even though he couldn't completely stop them, he successfully slowed down the assassins' advance and bought time for the other teams to line up. However, it wasn't the Imperial Guards who changed the tide of the battle.
Zhang Heng noticed the abnormality of the Jews earlier than the guard, but he did not do anything after that. It was not until the group was about to reach Commodus that Zhang Heng jumped off his horse and drew out his two Persian swords.
One of the assassins also noticed the situation here, but he did not pay much attention to this guy who was obviously not dressed like an imperial guard. He casually waved the short sword in his hand, trying to drive this annoying guy away.
But he did not expect that this simple action would cost him his life. Zhang Heng's body leaned back slightly to avoid the assassin's attack. Then, he took advantage of the moment when the other party swung his arm and opened his chest. Zhang Heng quickly stabbed the Persian short sword in his hand into the assassin's heart.
One hit, one kill!
The assassin who was killed did not even realize that he had been stabbed. Zhang Heng, on the other hand, gently pulled out his Persian sword when the corpse fell backward and walked towards the second assassin.
Learning from his companion's mistake, the second assassin was obviously more cautious. He had also noticed that the gladiatorial champion of the Amphitheatrum Flavium was standing in front of him. Just when he was thinking about where to attack, Zhang Heng had already taken the initiative to attack him.
Zhang Heng slashed at the second assassin's neck, but the latter reacted quickly. He immediately raised the short sword in his hand and accurately blocked Zhang Heng's attack. The assassin was overjoyed, thinking that the gladiatorial champion was nothing more than this. However, his joy only lasted for less than half a second. The next moment, he saw a flash of cold light. Zhang Heng had used another sword to slit his throat.
In just a few breaths, Zhang Heng had killed the two assassins at the front. It was almost effortless. When he stopped the third assassin, the two squads of imperial guards behind him had also completed their formation and were charging at him.
At this point, Commodus' men had completely gained the upper hand. The remaining assassins were either held back by Herto or bumped into the two imperial guards who had already adjusted their formation. They were pierced by the spears that came from all directions, turning them into sieves.
Just when everyone thought that the outcome was a foregone conclusion and that this group of assassins who had appeared out of nowhere were about to meet their end, no one expected that the donkey cart owner, who had been holding his head and trembling in fear, would suddenly take out a bow from the side of the overturned donkey cart.
When the imperial guards saw this, they immediately used their bodies to shield Commodus. However, the donkey cart owner's arrow was aimed at "Altrus" on the other side.
The military guard cursed inwardly. This group of assassins disguised as Jews was just bait to attract their attention. Their real target was Altrus, who was following behind them.
But by the time he realized it, it was too late. Altrus was shot by the sudden arrow, and his body swayed and fell from his horse. The donkey cart owner immediately put down the bow and arrow in his hand and jumped into the river beside him.
"Get out of my way!" Commodus's angry voice came from the crowd.
The military guard quickly advised, "Your Majesty, we don't know if there are any of them nearby. You should …"
But before he could finish his words, the young emperor interrupted him, "I have to know if my best advisor is alive or dead."
"… I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I'm afraid Advisor Altrus is beyond saving." The one who spoke was another centurion. He was right next to Altrus. After Altrus was shot, he immediately stepped forward to check on Altrus, confirming that the arrow had hit Altrus in the chest. Although Altrus was wearing a helmet, he was not wearing any armor. And before he fell from the horse, his heart had stopped beating.
And as soon as he said that, there was an uproar among the crowd.
That was because it was too unexpected. This was supposed to be the day Altrus walked out of the darkness into the light. His appearance was enough to change the political power structure of the upper echelons of Rome. However, no one expected that he would be assassinated only half a day after his appearance.
This change caught everyone off guard. Even Clint, who had always wanted Altrus to die earlier, was stunned. He couldn't believe what he saw.
And after something like this happened, Commodus was no longer in the mood to inspect the barracks. With the last two assassins he captured alive, he hurriedly returned to Rome. The young emperor vowed to make the murderer who killed Altrus pay the price. In fact, after returning to the palace, he immediately ordered Clint and Zhang Heng to interrogate the captured assassins. They must find out the name of the mastermind from the assassins' mouths.
After leaving the palace, Clint looked at the moon above his head and took a deep breath. He could no longer hide the joy in his eyes. "Fate is really an interesting thing, isn't it?"
This was also the first time Clint took the initiative to talk to Zhang Heng today. However, Zhang Heng did not answer him. Clint, however, did not mind and continued, "I have underestimated you. You are more mature than I thought. I have to admit that you have a good eye for choosing sides. You chose a side that is almost impossible to lose. I almost lost, but things are unpredictable, aren't they?"
After that, Clint patted Zhang Heng on the shoulder again and laughed. "Let's go. We have a lot of work to do tonight."
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