Bai Shi gripped Torrent's reins with his left hand and swung his straight sword in a graceful arc with his right.
The first soldier to charge was instantly decapitated, falling to his knees.
"This is awesome!"
Torrent was incredibly fast. Bai Shi could feel the wind pressure on his face.
The jostling of the ride did not affect Bai Shi's attacks in the slightest.
Using Torrent's superior mobility, Bai Shi slowly picked off the infantry.
Every swing of his sword drew blood.
If a soldier raised a greatshield, Bai Shi would strike down on their helmet from above.
If they raised a spear, he would pull back, out of range, and sever the shaft.
If he was surrounded, he would leap out of the encirclement and charge back in.
In just over ten minutes, the Gatefront had been turned into a battlefield of flying flesh and scattered limbs—a veritable hellscape.
Soon, only one enemy remained standing.
This soldier's attire was noticeably different from the others. He wore a thick helmet with a narrow, cross-shaped slit for vision and a gray plume on top.
His bi-colored tunic was the same as the others, but his shoulder and arm guards were much heavier.
On his left breast, he wore a huge, shield-like metal emblem with the image of a twin-headed axe.
All the soldiers Bai Shi had killed so far were mere grunts. Now, he was facing a formally anointed knight.
In the Lands Between, feudal class and strength were synonymous.
While a knight was at the bottom of the noble hierarchy, their power was incomparable to that of a common soldier.
Throughout the previous fight, every time Bai Shi tried to attack the knight, he would subtly shift his greatshield to block the blow.
And his long spear had almost hit Bai Shi several times.
Thankfully, Torrent was intelligent enough to sprint on his own, shaking off the spear every time.
Bai Shi knew he couldn't break through the knight's defense on horseback, so he pulled back, dismounted, and gestured for Torrent to stay away.
"Come on. Let's see what a knight can do."
Bai Shi drew the ceremonial dual straight swords he had taken from the Grafted Scion. He had felt the blades thirsting for blood during the fight.
The moment he gripped the hilts, it was as if he had become the Grafted Scion himself. All sorts of moves flowed into his mind.
Weapons in this world carried the fighting spirit and life of the warrior who wielded them. As long as a person's stats met the requirements, they could inherit the skills.
The one point of Dexterity Bai Shi had just added was enough to meet the requirements.
The Godrick Knight was already charging with his spear.
But Bai Shi didn't panic. He crossed the dual swords, focused his mind, and a surge of energy from an unknown source within him flowed into the weapons.
As a golden mark of the ancient Golden Tree appeared, the blades began to glow.
Ash of War: Golden Vow.
This was not just a flashy special effect. It was a holy buff that dealt additional damage.
With the buff applied, the enemy was almost upon him.
The Godrick Knight held his greatshield in front of him, revealing only the spear in his right hand. He charged forward like a dump truck.
He took a large step with his right foot and twisted his torso, thrusting the spear forward.
This thrust, propelled by the charge and the full force of his body, was irresistible. It would surely pierce a man's armor and body.
But Bai Shi was prepared. He quickly crouched down. The powerful thrust missed him by a hair.
Because the knight's hips and shoulders were twisted, his shield moved back, exposing the right side of his body.
Taking advantage of the enemy's recovery frames, Bai Shi lunged forward and quickly stabbed with both swords, piercing through the chainmail under his tunic. Blood gushed out.
But after only two stabs, the knight's spear suddenly changed its movement and came down in a chop.
Bai Shi had to roll to the left, but what came next was the blunt force of a greatshield.
Bai Shi had just gotten up from his roll and was still unsteady. The blow sent him flying to the ground.
'This is bad.'
Bai Shi didn't stay down. He immediately rolled to the side. The next second, a great spear stabbed into the spot where he had just been.
Using the momentum of the roll, Bai Shi propped himself up with his right hand and slashed with his left, grazing the Godrick Knight's helmet.
The defense of the helmet was too strong. The slash only left a shallow dent.
But as a feint, the attack had served its purpose.
The Godrick Knight felt the hit on his head and was momentarily stunned.
The attack had also dealt holy damage, and the energy swirling in his helmet forced him to stop his pursuit.
He pulled back his spear and raised his shield, waiting for the pain in his head to subside.
Bai Shi used the opportunity to get to his feet, holding his dual swords in a defensive stance.
Bai Shi licked the blood from his nose. After that exchange, while he looked a bit disheveled, he had the upper hand.
Aside from being hit by the shield and getting a bloody nose, he was unharmed.
His opponent, on the other hand, had been stabbed twice in the torso and slashed on the head. Although holy damage didn't have a specific weakness against these golden-blessed people, it was still a type of elemental damage that had some effect.
'A knight is a knight for a reason. They're the army's best. He's very skilled at changing moves and finding opportunities.'
'But that's all he is.'
Bai Shi went from defense to offense, charging forward. The Godrick Knight saw this and shifted his weight, bending his left knee to brace his shield and stepping back with his right foot to stabilize himself, firmly holding his greatshield in front of him.
Bai Shi's dual swords rained down a storm of alternating thrusts. The knight was so overwhelmed by the speed of the attack that he could only focus on defending, with no room to counter.
This fast-paced assault didn't last long. For a brief moment, as if from exhaustion, Bai Shi's movements slowed.
The Godrick Knight didn't let this opportunity pass. He swung his shield to push aside Bai Shi's attack, took a powerful step forward with his right foot, and put all of his body's weight into his long spear.
Betting on his honor as a knight, he was sure this thrust would pierce his enemy!
But Bai Shi showed no sign of panic. Instead, a dangerous smile appeared on his face.
Bai Shi simply let go of the straight sword in his left hand, letting the sacred blade fall into the dirt.
He caught the spear with his left arm, clamping it in his armpit. Ignoring the way the spearhead sliced through his gauntlet and the chainmail under his armpit, he gripped the knight's hand on the spear shaft.
"Got you."
Bai Shi's right foot firmly pinned the knight's outstretched right foot. He then pulled hard with his left hand, yanking the knight out from behind his shield.
The Godrick Knight's body spun halfway around and he was pulled to the ground, falling on his back at Bai Shi's feet.
The blade in Bai Shi's right hand descended, mercilessly plunging into the eye slit of the helmet.
The Godrick Knight's body went stiff, twitching twice before falling still.
Bai Shi pulled the still-glowing ceremonial straight sword from the knight's head, as gracefully as a young king pulling a holy sword from a stone. Only the blood dripping from the blade made the scene less majestic.
He casually shook off the remnants of brain matter and blood. Bai Shi sighed in relief. Everything was under control.
The Godrick Knight saw Bai Shi's mistake and couldn't pass it up.
But this vulnerability was a trap set by Bai Shi. He wanted to trade a minor wound for the knight's life.
When changing from defense to offense, a weapon like a long spear required the same side foot to step forward and become the pivot foot, with the body moving forward along with the spear. This allowed for a longer and more powerful thrust.
With his pivot foot pinned and his body already leaning forward, the Godrick Knight couldn't regain his balance and was easily pulled down.
With the fight over, all the enemies at the Gatefront were annihilated. It was now time for the happy ritual of looting.
Note: When you get a new weapon, what's better than trying it out at the international training grounds? O.o?
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