It's been three days since Sirius joined the convoy.
He was quite displeased to stay in the wagon, not able to move, and not able to train his martial arts, but he loved talking with his two new friends, so he bypassed any complaint.
He, with the blonde guard, Saelira, relayed themselves every three nights. As mid-stage Self Vision martial artists, two nights a week is the optimal amount of sleep, while one night is still enough, but one can end up tired.
So every three nights, one sleeps, and the other protects the ten persons even harder.
It was currently the night when Saelira was sleeping. Sirius was discussing with Caelan and Aurelia. they are staying a little longer because Saelira was resting, and Sirius would be alone.
Sirius, talking with the brother and sister, was not as alert as he should have been, but he was still someone at the mid-stage, ready if something happened.
And indeed, something happened.
An arrow touched a wheel of the wagon. The wagon, destabilized, began to shake, close to falling.
Instantly, the twenty guards stayed alert. Sirius awakened Saelira. They were all ready to fight.
The convoy stopped. Bandits were blocking the road. It appeared that the convoy was surrounded.
Sirius hoped that they didn't have any Completion realm martial artists, or one at most, because if they had several, and plenty of Self Vision martial artists, it would be even more complicated to flee—
not to mention fighting.
Around forty bandits surrounded us. Twenty versus forty…
If they didn't have any Completion realm martial artists, it would still be hard. Twenty Self Vision is stronger than a Completion.
"It seems that the merchandise is quite protected. Give us everything, and we'll let you pass, without killing anyone."
The bandit who seemed to be their chief started talking with us. That was... a good sign.
If they were confident they could kill us easily, why would he ask?
They already knew that Marn is at the Completion realm, since he's a convoy chief,
so it seemed that they had none, or one at best, a Completion realm martial artist.
Marn, who knew the gang of bandits, smiled widely.
"If it's not the Wolf Gang. My answer is no. I'm not afraid of you at all."
Marn knew the Wolf Gang and was sure they were able to win.
And so the battle began.
I and Saelira were staying close to the VIP merchant and the two noble persons.
Our job is to make sure they remain unscathed, no matter what.
A bandit just killed someone at the early stage on my right, and was heading toward me, trying to kill the merchant.
Cycle-Ending Bloom, first movement, Falling Edge.
The bandit, who seemed to be only at the early stage, failed to react, and his right arm was instantly cut.
I then kicked him, sending him flying.
Even if they were bandits, I was extremely displeased about the idea of killing someone.
But I knew that I would probably need to, if my friends' lives were in danger.
A second arrow was heading toward the head of a merchant, and I cut it just before he was touched.
The merchant screamed.
"O-Oouuaaahhh. G-God, please, save me!"
Both merchants and nobles were scared by the attack.
Caelan and Aurelia were wearing swords. They seemed to be martial artists too—only novices though.
An attack came on the wagon's left side. Sirius looked at what had happened.
Saelira had just cut the head off a bandit, and the corpse fell to the ground, bumping the wagon.
At the same time, on my right, the bandit I had kicked died too,
cut in two by a late-stage martial artist who was close to the wagon.
Sirius wanted to vomit.
Death was everywhere.
Three people just died in a mere ten seconds, and the battle had only just begun.
Marn was fighting the bandit chief, who seemed to be at the Completion realm too.
For the whole convoy, the bandits seemed to be at a lower realm than the convoy's martial artists, at best a late stage,
but there were twice as many.
The scream of a guard echoed through the combat. His legs had been severed. The bandit was playing with him before killing him.
At the end of the convoy, another scream could be heard. A guard had a sword planted in his abdomen. He would die soon.
Sirius looked with horror at that sight.
Everyone was dying—be it guard or bandit.
At least ten people had already died.
A bandit was attacking him. He swung his immense zhanmadao, destined to cut Sirius and the wagon at the same time.
Sirius successfully blocked the zhanmadao, but fell on his back in the wagon.
The bandit was starting another swing.
He would die.
But...
Saelira cut the head off the bandit.
"Sirius, stand up! We have to continue—we'll win! definitely!"
Sirius, totally shocked by this spectacle, just wanted to go somewhere—elsewhere—and bury himself.
Yet, he had no choice but to stand up for his friends, for his life.
And there is at least a good news.
Marn seemed to slowly take the advantage in the fight. They just had to hold on long enough.
A bandit with a giant warhammer was coming closer, in the same side as the zhanmadao's holder bandit..
Sirius had to react.
He had to kill him to survive.
Cycle-Ending Bloom, eighth movement, Split Flow.
Sirius swung his saber, cutting the head off the bandit.
His heavy warhammer fell on the ground, crushing the head of the bandit who had a zhanmadao.
Sirius… killed the first person in his life.
He never thought I'd need to kill. Not like this.
He wanted to vomit.
He wanted to take a rest.
But he couldn't.
Among the forty bandits, twenty remained.
And only seven guards were alive.
I, Saelira, the third at the peak stage, and two are at the late stage.
Everyone else had died.
Except Marn, who was still struggling with the bandit.
It seemed he was coming close to victory.
The bandits had stopped attacking the merchants.
They decided to kill every guard first, and then kill the merchants and the mundane people.
A bandit with a katana was coming close to Saelira.
His katana cut her bastard sword in two. Destabilized, she was about to fall.
And the bandit was going to kill her.
Cycle-Ending Bloom, seventh movement, Chain Thrust.
I pierced five times through the abdomen of the bandit.
He had a big hole in his abdomen, and he fell in the wagon—dead.
Aurelia screamed at the sight. Caelan closed her eyes, but was shocked too.
A third arrow came close to us, hitting my left leg. The pain was immense. My left leg bent to the ground.
I was now a free target.
I put down my right hand somewhere in the wagon, trying to stand up,
But I accidentally placed it on the head of the dead bandit.
And I vomited. This was too much.
Saelira, who had stood up, cut two more arrows that were coming for my head.
That was…
How a battle looked.