The assailant was a Tigerman wearing a black cloak. It was huge, and even though most of its body was covered by the cloak, one could still make out the distinct lines of its muscles.
If Gerald had been a Player, he would have been able to tell that it was a Boss from the name 'Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior' over its head, which was different from the other Mountain Tigers!
Even so, Gerald was aware of its power even if he wasn't a Player, and knew that he was no match for the Tigerman.
After all, though Marni's armor was aesthetically strange, its combat ability and sturdiness had left a deep impression on Gerald, and it was a guarantee — the Hyena-men who were hammered into mosaics along the way could attest to that fact.
And yet, the terrifying Marni couldn't even put up a semblance of resistance before being instakilled by the Tigerman. His armor was also directly torn apart, and even though the neck should have been the more vulnerable part, it was clear how powerful the Tigerman was.
Be that as it may, Gerald charged forward without hesitation.
He couldn't tell what he was feeling or why he was putting on a brave front against such a powerful foe. Perhaps he was feeling guilty for not being able to protect the one he was protecting, or perhaps he was enraged at witnessing Marni's death when he saw Marni as a friend, or perhaps he was simply hysterical from sheer fear.
Be it his courage to face a powerful foe without fear or recklessness in a moment of hot-bloodedness, at the very least, his actions had changed many Players' opinion of him, and they no longer had a simple impression of him as a yellow-named neutral unit that mingled among the Players.
Naturally, rage didn't improve ability, and Gerald could only be described as helpless rage. His blade was easily parried by the Lancaster blacksmiths, with the craftsmen of the Lancaster smiths claiming that they were forged from top-grade jade steel and were only produced once every three hundred years, and that they weren't the smiths of swords, but the Lancaster smiths simply snapped his sword in two with a twist of the Lancaster smiths' hand.
Looking at the ferocity of the Tigerman right in front of him, Gerald knew at once that he was finished.
But just as the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior's cauldron-sized fist was about to strike Gerald, a tome bound with chains and a metallic cover flew out of some corner and agilely wrapped itself around Gerald, pulling him back and evading the Tiger Warrior's mighty punch.
But just when Gerald thought that he had escaped death, the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior suddenly opened his mouth and breathed a crimson ray of breath.
That should be some kind of spell ability. The power of the breath was needless to say, but it was also quite fast. It was about to blast Gerald into pieces in the blink of an eye.
At this moment, a figure descended from the sky.
Gerald recognized the youth who was around his age and dressed in mage attire. His name was Edward, and just like Marni, he was one of the leaders of the believers who called themselves Players.
Shielding himself in front of Gerald, he brandished Happy Flames and activated a spell similar to a shield, forcibly stopping the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger's breath.
"T-thank you …"
It was only then that Gerald came to his senses after escaping death. He scrambled to free himself from his chains while thanking the person who saved his life, only to find that it was a quiet little girl around eleven or twelve years old who was brandishing the book as if it were a meteor hammer.
"Don't mention it. Uncle Marni had told us to take good care of you if anything happens to him (and if he couldn't be revived in time)."
The young mage named Edward said sonorously.
Gerald dropped to his knees and stared blankly at Edward, his face filled with disbelief.
"He … actually said something like that?"
He was clearly Marni's guard, and he did not fulfill his duty as a guard until the very end, watching as Marni was killed by the barbarians. Even so, Marni specifically told his friend to take good care of him before he died.
There were so many believers like him, and yet he did not take special care to protect them. Only he …
A different kind of emotion rippled in Gerald's heart, along with the profound guilt and regret of not being able to protect Edward.
When he remembered that he had doubted Marni's intentions, believing that Marni only wanted him to be his meat shield and keep him safe on the cruel battlefield … The guilt in Gerald's heart became even heavier.
Now that he thought about it, while Marni did ask him to protect him, Marni had always taken the lead on the battlefield. Even when Gerald knocked out some of the Hyena-men, Marni would help him deliver the final blow, as if it was so that his hands wouldn't be stained with blood …
What kind of spirit was that!
Gerald had not cried since he was five years old. Having undergone strict training every day, he knew very well that tears and sobs were useless, and would only make the instructors more strict.
Although he had grown older, he understood that his parents had the instructors of his family train him so strictly for his own good. After all, from a certain point of view, his family was a companion of the Lancaster mayor's faction.
There was no meaning in the existence of worthless tribesmen. That was why he had been working so hard.
Having been like that since he was young, Gerald never felt that anything was wrong. It was only now that he realized that he was crying unwittingly.
Edward suddenly felt that Gerald might have misunderstood his words when he saw him kneeling and sobbing.
After all, everyone else was a player. It wasn't a big deal if they died. Who hadn't died at least two or three times?
Only Gerald was a heretic. He was truly dead after he died, and the clerics' resurrection spells were ineffective against him.
Moreover, Gerald was a Lancaster noble, and there was no way he could explain himself to the Lancaster mayor and the others if he were to die in such a place. It might even lead to a diplomatic incident, which was why he was naturally treated differently.
However, he didn't expect that the other party would misunderstand and kneel on the ground while covering her face and crying. She seemed extremely regretful and felt that she had lost her place in the world, causing Edward to feel slightly guilty.
But just as Edward was about to explain the misunderstanding so that they would not be so sad, the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior who they had intercepted twice was roaring angrily and charging towards them.
Tip: Type "Panda Literature" into the search engine to find this site. Thank you.
Chapter 260
Self Strategy
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
