Chapter 80: Robin (Combined Chapter)

For me, the world in my eyes, at the instant the pink iridescent light reflected in my pupils, fell into stagnation.

Different from once facing the basilisk's "petrifying gaze," where I could clearly feel the sinister energy seeping from skin pores into flesh and bone.

And through my own will and body, stubbornly resisting its petrification effect.

The pink orb of light Ingram released seemed to have roughly similar effects—both made someone fall into an immobile frozen state.

But in my perception, compared to "petrifying gaze," it was almost two completely different things.

I didn't even know through what means to resist this energy.

Just pink light flashing before my eyes, the next second, I'd completely lost the ability to move.

Vision wasn't affected—I could clearly see everything happening before me; brain consciousness also remained active, countless thoughts surfacing in my mind.

But coming to the bodily level, although I could clearly feel the slight coolness of breeze brushing skin, the shrub branches and leaves pressing against my trouser legs...

I couldn't move even a single finger.

Soul and flesh seemed to be separated in this instant.

I practically watched with my own eyes as the sheriff knocked off Tim's head with one hammer strike, then expressionlessly pulled the other party's spine from his back, carefully and properly placing it in the magic circle.

Then with a face covered in bloodstains and a cold expression, gripping a mace glinting with metallic cold light, he walked toward me.

I'd thought this would be disastrous.

But unexpectedly, that pink iridescent light that I fundamentally couldn't resist.

After completely fusing into my body and transforming into a pink light layer covering my skin's surface.

Suddenly changed its perception mode, as if shifting from illusory to tangible.

Making me able to feel that layer of restraint on my skin.

"Seems like... it might work!"

The attribute points granted by my specialty and secret realm encounter made my physical fitness obviously superior compared to those bottom-tier adventurers who similarly hadn't obtained professional levels.

Determined will, exerting all my strength to control body muscles.

The pink-violet restraint winding around actually trembled slightly accordingly.

"Ten seconds, no! Just five seconds!"

"Give me five more seconds and I can break free!"

My estimation was very accurate.

That 【Hold Person】 stored in a sleeve with holy light as shackles, although a genuine second-circle spell.

Was ultimately without spellcaster magic power support, just a consumable item.

With my current physical fitness,

Five seconds—maybe I really could break free.

Of course, the premise was no external interference.

5, 4, 3...

"Crack."

The branch on the ground was mercilessly trampled and broken.

The shadow of the burly body under sunlight's reflection shrouded his face.

When I counted to the third second in my heart.

Ingram had already arrived before me.

Without any waste of words, not wanting any communication.

Just raising high the mace in his hand, aiming at the vital point of my skull...

Fiercely smashing down!

Whooom—

The imagined sound of blood and bone exploding didn't appear, nor did the iron hammer's handle transmit the resistance of penetrating flesh and blood.

A reddish-brown semi-transparent light shield, in the second before the mace fell on my head.

Abruptly appeared in the air!

That was from the only magical accessory on my body, the additional effect of the "Deadline" ring—

【Deflection Force Field】!

Like missing a step, the metal hammer face slid down along the reddish-brown shield, its originally attached vigorous force also silently dissolved by the force field.

Golden hair strands swayed with the wind, Ingram's expression stunned.

Clearly hadn't anticipated that although the other party had already lost mobility under 【Hold Person】's effect, this strike of his could actually miss.

"A magical item!?"

No time to think much, no chance to follow up with another hammer strike.

Because at the very instant the force field light shield disappeared, the pink magic particles on the black-haired youth's skin before him also collapsed accordingly.

Sizzle—

Sharp dark light pulled at the dissipating light fragments, amid the dense sword sound, whistling toward him head-on.

Suddenly raising his head, footsteps retreating urgently!

"Tap, tap, tap!"

Three footprints were stamped in the moist, soft ground.

Golden hair strands broken by the sword wind floated leisurely down.

Looking down and glancing at his chest plate armor, at that deep scratch.

Ingram raised his head, his deep blue eyes gazing at Xia Nan ahead who'd just broken free from 【Hold Person】's restraint.

His expression slightly grave.

In his impression, this adventurer with sharp facial features before him had a combat skill with decent proficiency, and the wooden sword in his hand seemed to be some kind of enchanted weapon with damage bonus against undead creatures.

But that was about it.

Not some experienced veteran adventurer, the armor equipment on his body also looked just ordinary, plus the other party's own highly deceptive face that wasn't even twenty years old.

Compared to himself, he was still far behind.

He just hadn't expected that although the other party clearly looked young, dressed unlike someone from a wealthy family, he could actually carry life-saving defensive magical items on his person.

And being able to break free from the second-circle 【Hold Person】 so quickly also represented his physical fitness was far stronger than he'd imagined.

"Where did he come from again?"

Ingram muttered inwardly.

In his line of sight, Xia Nan, having just recovered bodily mobility, wasn't rushing to attack.

His pitch-black eyes turned, gaze sweeping across the halfling not far behind the sheriff who was still in a controlled state.

Also taking the opportunity to glance at the fairly spacious field around.

Both eyes tightly staring at Ingram before him, vigilant of his every move.

At the same time, his hand movements were extremely fast.

The 【Qingsong】 wooden sword with its cold-radiating hilt instantly sheathed, iron-gray sharp light flashing briefly in the air.

In the blink of an eye, the beheading longsword was already firmly gripped in his palm.

To the side in the woods, a silver-white robin quietly perched on a treetop, its bird eyes reflecting the two people on the scene holding weapons in confrontation.

Tilting its head,

"Bang!"

His feet kicking up mud!

The first to launch an offensive was Ingram.

His sturdy body suddenly displayed explosive power far exceeding ordinary people.

The nearly ten-meter distance between them was easily crossed in a few large strides.

The mace in his hand reflected forest sunlight, from top to bottom, fiercely smashing down.

"Clang!"

Sparks scattered!

The iron-gray sword body firmly blocked the hammer face.

I only felt both my forearms numbed by the subsequent reactive force. Not daring to be careless in my heart, I gathered all my strength and forcefully pushed forward with the sword body.

The sheriff's originally forward-leaning body after exerting force was pushed by me to step back two paces.

Creating space.

【Whirlwind Slash】!

Sizzle—

Iron-gray sharp arc light flashed past in the air.

The sense of extreme danger suddenly surging in his heart made Ingram instinctively turn his body aside.

"Screech!"

Like fingernails scraping a blackboard, a sharp, grating sound rang out in the woods.

On the sheriff's standard plate armor, another sword mark had appeared, even extending downward, leaving a bleeding wound at the position near the thigh below chest and abdomen.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sound of metal collisions rang densely on the field.

And almost at the same time, they restrained and ceased.

My chest rose and fell slightly. After intense combat, my stamina remained abundant.

Compared to the body, what was fatigued was my heart.

Since I'd crossed to this world, 【Whirlwind Slash】 practiced to max level could be said to be invincible facing those low-tier magical beasts and bottom-tier adventurers.

No creature could gain any advantage under my sword edge.

But just now in those several rounds with Ingram, it was exceptionally awkward.

Aside from that first 【Whirlwind Slash】 when we'd just engaged, afterward I didn't even have a chance to use this combat skill I was most proficient with.

The sheriff in combat seemed to deliberately maintain some kind of tricky positioning, such that if I used the combat skill regardless of everything, the brief gap after exerting force would expose vital points on my shoulders completely before him.

One instant's flaw was enough for that iron hammer glinting with cold light to fall on my forehead.

At the same time, on the other side, Ingram with sweat covering his forehead obviously no longer had his earlier composure.

The wound on his thigh transmitted waves of pain.

He gazed at the black-haired youth ahead, his gaze sweeping across that iron-gray longsword in his hand.

Feeling extremely thorny in his heart.

He'd only seen Xia Nan's battle with skeletons before, and his attention had been completely attracted by the enchanted wooden sword on him, so he hadn't realized the other party's actual combat power.

Not to the point of looking down on him, but also hadn't attached too much importance.

But after those several rounds just now, he'd genuinely felt Xia Nan's difficulty.

Seeming to clearly know the advantages and disadvantages of a two-handed longsword, the other party in combat was particularly vigilant in maintaining distance from him, while frequently flashing sword light and sharp wind left him fundamentally unable to approach.

Many times, what was clearly just a seemingly ordinary slash seemed like the next second it would exert force and extend into that rather dangerous combat skill.

Making him fundamentally unable to grasp the initiative in the battle situation, only able to lean toward passive defense.

"Can't continue like this!"

The corner of Ingram's eye swept across the violently trembling skeleton bones to the side. The surface of the mace in his hand lit up with brilliant golden light.

His burly body transformed into a phantom, his entire person instantly charging at Xia Nan!

He seemed to have absorbed experience from the earlier battle, positioning extremely trickily.

Making me fundamentally unable to directly use 【Whirlwind Slash】 to force him back.

My brain operated at high speed, also following combat instincts.

I suddenly turned my body aside, while maintaining an offensive posture, dodging the other party's hammer strike as much as possible.

My wrist turned, the longsword changing from slash to thrust.

Step forward!

Sizzle—

Ingram's left elbow was instantly pierced by the blade, blood splattering.

And at the same time, the mace tightly gripped in his right hand also grazed across my waist and abdomen.

Bang—

Brilliant golden holy light exploded like small explosives!

I only felt a burst of scorching force suddenly transmitted from my abdomen, even pushing my body backward.

My gaze instinctively glanced down, only to see the outer clothing originally covering the chain mail shirt had turned to ash, and the metal links used for protection were also red and smoking.

Where my waist and abdomen were grazed, I felt a burning stinging pain.

Without stopping at all.

Even though his left hand, under the beheading longsword's thrust, was already bleeding and hanging powerlessly at his side.

Ingram's face showed no expression of pain or fear.

His lips moved, an obscure, difficult-to-understand short incantation ringing in the air.

"Buzz buzz buzz!"

Using blood as a lure, dense swarms of insects emerged from shrubs and undergrowth, fluttering insect wings, charging straight at me head-on.

The first image that surfaced in my mind was many days ago, in Mist Forest facing scorpion insects surging like black water, the fire oil bomb guard Wood had thrown.

My left hand quickly reached back toward my waist pouch, pulling out from inside a palm-sized brown ceramic jar.

Forcefully, throwing it forward!

Boom—

Ink-black oily viscous liquid, along with wildly splashing turbid powder, exploded instantly in firelight.

Transforming into raging flames, engulfing countless tiny insects.

As early as during the second mission process, I'd been unable to forget Wood's throwing technique.

Later during those fifteen days resting in River Valley Town, I'd bought three jars at the general store, usually carefully placed deep in my waist pouch for emergencies.

Right now, facing the same scenario, it was time for them to play their role.

"Crack pop!"

Firelight burst forth!

Without Mist Forest's mist suppression, the scorching surging flames almost instantly spread through the woods.

Even a few sparks fell around the ritual center's magic circle, rapidly approaching the pale skeleton within.

Ingram's expression immediately darkened, a trace of rich fierce light flashing in his eyes.

Not caring about the scalding pain from underfoot, treading on flames, his robust body tearing through burning wind, charging straight ahead.

The iron-gray sword body reflected orange-red flame light under the surrounding fire.

Blade forward, pitch-black eyes reflecting that burly figure ahead.

I took a long breath.

Moving my feet,

Faster and faster!

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Flame tendrils twisting and climbing with high-speed bodily movement, leaf fragments flying in the air with burning sparks, brilliant golden holy light like the sun on the mace's surface, and...

That silver-white robin suddenly flying up from the treetop.

"Twang!!!"

The sharp, harsh sound of a lute string snapping suddenly rang out in the woods.

At the clothing corner were scorched traces.

At some unknown time, the halfling had already broken free from 【Hold Person】 due to the scorching pain of flame burning.

Beside his feet, the lute with snapped strings lay quietly on the ground.

Alton stood in the flames.

Eyelids lowered, expression devout, lips moving as if silently reciting something.

Then slowly raising his head,

Toward the sky, once more tossing up his brass-colored lucky coin.

Spinning,

Flipping,

The portrait and cloak on both sides of the coin alternately replaced each other.

In the reflection of the forest firelight, dotted with sunlight filtering through canopy gaps,

The robin flapped its wings and flew past.

The coin landed face-up, the long-haired woman with indistinct features, silver-white light faintly flickering.

Falling down,

Landing in the halfling's palm,

Five fingers tightly gripped.

Sizzle—

Accompanied by footsteps and roaring that came to an abrupt halt,

Was the resistance of a sharp blade penetrating flesh and blood.

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