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(132) The Oath (Ellio Lorante)

The outer city wall of Jinyan City is thirty meters high and the thickest point is over fifteen meters. It is made of diorite that is abundant nearby. Whenever the sun sets, the less dazzling sunlight falls on the west wall, and the rocks in the

The many fine crystals shining with golden light have become the best reflection of the name of this fortress.

However, the scene inside the turret of the city wall is no different from other fortresses the young knight has seen. As a close relative of granite, diorite has excellent hardness and thermal insulation properties - which also means that at this moment in late winter, even though the sun is shining outside

, the inside of the city wall is still damp and cold.

Elio breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his cold hands hard to keep his fingers flexible enough. He poked his head towards the corridor, once again confirmed that the area was temporarily safe, then turned around and looked at the old man sitting on the old wooden floor.

In front of the table, there is a slender girl with light brown hair wearing a heavy coat.

It was also the goal that he swore as a knight... well, as a future knight.

Yes, he had promised to protect each other for the rest of his life. But the young man couldn't help but think about how long their "life" would be? Decades, years, days, or just a few hours——

Fimmel Stark had already arrived at the city, and everyone who stayed in the city had been on the battlefield, even An. With their strong city walls and the momentum of a last-ditch fight, they repelled hundreds of enemy attacks, but they paid a great price for it.

Tens of thousands of lives were lost. Among the dead, there were many warriors stronger than the boy - and maybe next time, the goddess of fate will no longer favor these two people.

For most people in the coalition, the only remaining hope lies in Kailo's promise and Tiana Weiss Marr who appeared in the mortal world that day. Unfortunately, Ann told him personally not long ago that if "Earth"

Lord" and Lily Nono compete head-on, and the winner... must be their leader.

The crisp knocking sound interrupted the young man's thoughts. He straightened his body like a reflex and saw the girl closing the book and walking to his side softly.

"Come up with me and have a look." An wrote, her expression focused and without a hint of fear.

"Okay." The young man nodded without hesitation. He took off the scabbard from his waist and slowly pulled out "Parsifal". The silver-white metal reflected the cold light, like a mirror; Elio pursed his lips and pulled out the sword.

The body and oneself look at each other calmly.

"Don't worry, An." Somehow, the young man suddenly remembered a scene in the tent on the outskirts of Youlin City a long time ago, "No matter what, I will definitely die in front of you." He saluted solemnly with his sword, "A knight will never break his promise.

."

An smiled silently and bent over. She lightly hit Elio on the shoulder, then took the young knight's arm and held it with his free palm.

This was not the first time that the girl had done this. Elio clenched his left hand and felt the warmth from his palm. The two walked side by side, slowly climbing up more than a hundred steps to the top of the wide city wall. At this time, it was...

In the evening, the setting sun cast a long shadow from the city wall, covering the enemy troops below the city.

It would be great if that wasn't a shadow, or if Golden Rock City could fly, Elio thought to himself. He would smash all those enemies to death, leaving no one behind. He knew that it was just a daydream. But in such a situation, it would be unreasonable to dream.

What does it count?

At least it's more reliable than expecting Captain Lily to change his mind or Leonos to fall from the sky.

Compared to the room in the turret, the noise everywhere was more than ten times louder. The messengers in armor, with their faces covered in dust and blood, hurried past them; the non-commissioned officers shouted, while the wounded soldiers fell aside and groaned;

The secretly enhanced bed crossbow slowly opened

The bow string projected the burning giant arrow a mile away; the huge wooden barrel fell straight to the ground from above the city wall, exploding with violent fireworks and roars; nearly a hundred spiders as tall as a person jumped onto the city wall, opening and closing their fangs, leaping

To the nearest human being——

Most of the warriors raised their shields in time to block the not-so-ferocious attack. The other soldiers who were closer rushed over and pierced the spider's belly with their spears, spilling thick green juice. The insects struggled a few more times and were gone.

Losing vitality, he was thrown to the foot of the city wall.

The mouthparts of this group of spiders are poisonous, but the muscles in the eight slender limbs are not. Some time ago, someone was responsible for cooking and drying those tough meat strips to replenish the military ration inventory. Eliot has eaten a few, except

Apart from being a bit hard, it tastes pretty good.

However, as the number of people defending the city dwindled, the surviving soldiers no longer had time to do those things except resting and defending against enemy attacks.

Another group of insects climbed up the city wall. The enemy seemed not in a hurry to start a decisive battle, but used continuous attacks to wear down the will of the defenders bit by bit. Two spiders surrounded Elio on the left and right, and the eight jointed limbs danced and jumped.

Make a short arc and pounce on the prey in front of you——

The young knight did not panic. He hid An behind him, and the sharp blade in his hand was like lightning, easily cutting a spider into two pieces. Almost at the same time, he kicked the other spider in the chest, causing it to fly out for more than ten kilometers.

Chi, curled up into a ball and stopped moving.

They're just a swarm of insects - more than a hundred times worse than Sir Hector, the young man thought with disdain.

He saw a group of soldiers not far away who were being attacked from a flank. He quickly ran over and killed several spiders from behind. However, one person was still unfortunately injured. The soldier fell to the ground, his face pale, his limbs twitching, and his body

He couldn't stop shivering.

"Cold..." The soldier tried to open his eyes wide and struggled to make a sound, "I...why...cold..."

The girl's slender figure crossed Elio and knelt down in front of the soldier. She pulled out the dagger from her waist, opened the soldier's arm, skillfully cut open the wound left by the spider's fang, and squeezed out the greenish-green liquid.

blood.

Another soldier ran over quickly to help An suppress the restlessness of the wounded man. The young man stayed by his side as always, alert to danger coming from any direction.

A flash of light from below the city attracted his attention. The young knight followed the path and saw nearly a hundred dark metal spheres rushing into the sky, drawing parabolas, and crashing toward the top of the city where they were with a roar.

It's a legacy from the Federation, the Heavy Artillery Golem—damn it, the boy thought.

Compared with trebuchets or mortars, these war golems have a longer range and more accurate bombardment, which naturally means greater trouble. He heard from An that they can absorb pure elements from the inner world and generate infinite

Endless ammunition; and the souls bound in their bodies, originating from the inner world, protect them from being harmed by most secret arts.

Half a day ago, the "Gods of the World" launched an attack on the south side of the city, leaving the Elna wizards with no time to pay attention. And at a distance of nearly two liters, the crossbows and trebuchets had no effect. If it weren't for the feet.

The rock wall was strong enough, and they had no city to defend. Even so, each round of heavy artillery salvo made the defenders' already low morale worse.

The other soldiers also saw this scene, and they immediately ran to the nearest battlement, or lay down directly on the ground, covering their heads and faces with their arms. In the previous battles, many people had paid for this with their blood - and even their lives.

valuable lessons.

Elio didn't do that.

He glanced at An who was still treating the wound, handed the long sword to his left hand, leaned down, and snatched a spear from the lying soldier. Then the young man raised his head, narrowed his eyes slightly, and pushed his body and arms back violently.

Looking up, like a fully drawn bow——

“Ahhhhhhh——!”

The spear turned into a ray of light and hit a metal projectile accurately. The tip of the spear penetrated deeply into it. The cannonball immediately changed direction, rolled and hit the outer wall of the city wall, exploding into a harmless fire.

The next second, the remaining cannonballs landed on the top of the city wall, and the roar immediately drowned out all sounds. Another projectile landed more than ten meters away. Elio took a step forward, blocking the straight line between the cannonballs and An with his right hand.

Tight long sword——

He didn't intend to use his body as a shield, it was just the final insurance. Several sharp fragments roared towards him, and he didn't use his eyes to see them. He just waved his arms based on instinct and shot them all down.

There were whispers of exclamation from beside him. Elio turned around and saw the soldiers looking at him, with expressions of happiness for surviving the disaster, as well as disbelief, admiration and admiration. He suddenly realized that after passing by Hector

Thanks to Sir Er's training, his strength has already surpassed that of ordinary soldiers and even ordinary knights. If he were to face Ariel again under the current situation——

Maybe he can teach her a lesson, the young knight thought.

An finished processing and bandaging the soldier, stood up, and told him the situation of the other party with gestures. It was the 'language' that An had created by himself before, and only the two of them could understand it. Since leaving his hometown and embarking on the journey, only in the

The girl communicated with him like this when she couldn't write.

"The spider's poison is not fatal, but it will make him weak for a few days... I think this is quite fatal. You'd better be careful." Elio relayed the girl's words and added his own point of view, "You two

Carry him to the wounded barracks, and Miss An and I will go see the other wounded!"

He knew that the girl didn't want to rely on him all the time, but occasionally she would feel a little regretful, as if she had lost a common secret. Of course, if Lily's promise could come true and the girl could regain her lost voice, this kind of

It’s okay not to use the language that only belongs to two people.

Anyway, An has already made other promises to herself, right?

He didn't have time to think too much. After the last meeting, An had handed over the command, but the soldiers still trusted their "general" - and maybe himself as a guard and commando captain. The boy followed

An quickly walked through the entire section of the city wall, checking the condition of the wounded, giving instructions and encouragement, or handling several enemies smoothly.

He saw the soldiers cheering up because of An's arrival, but he understood that it was just the end of the war. They also met Bell on the way. In the nearly a year since they came here, the Bellon people have not shaved their beards and have grown it to ten years old.

A few centimeters long - at this time, the beard was covered with mottled blood, like a ball of dirty seaweed.

The team he led was still intact. He only shouted about how many enemies he had killed and how much he wanted to have a good barbecue, which made Elio feel at ease a little.

When the two came to the other end of the city wall, the sun was setting in the west. The girl stopped, stared at the plain to the northwest, and held his hand again.

"Reinforcements are coming soon," she said, "if everything goes well for 'him'."

She was referring to Kailo, and the young knight couldn't help but look forward to it. "With reinforcements, can we win the war?"

"It's hard to say, probably no one knows." An responded, "Let's go back, there are still things that need to be done."

Elio nodded and led the girl down the city wall to the turret where they lived. Not many people were seen in the city. The last group of radiant knights had completed their preparations and left the city to meet the enemy earlier today. Elena was among them.

.

He heard from the traveling nun that the elite knights of the Theocracy can cast a small amount of lower-level magic, which is enough to ensure their and horses' daily diet. The cavalry is of little use in defending the city, so they join the battle line in batches and try to

The enemy's rear turned the tide of the battle.

As for how many people can come back alive...life is indeed precious. If this war fails, it may be worthless.

Before Sir Hector set out on the battlefield, he told him these words himself. The young man kept them in mind, but every day before going to bed, he prayed silently three times, hoping that Sir Hector and Elena could return safely.

The two walked down the spiral staircase again and returned to the cold and damp stone room. Elio closed the door, picked up the earthen jar, poured two glasses of water, drank one of them, and let out a long breath.

"Speaking of which, Ann, what else did you just say -"

The boy's unfinished words were stuck in his throat, and the water he just drank seemed to have frozen in his stomach. A familiar figure stood by the door, with shining armor and dazzling eyes. She raised her head slightly and stared at the young knight, her eyes sharp and

It's refreshing and contains no trace of impurities.

An was sitting silently in the corner of the room, with the holy white light blades piercing her shoulders and holding her firmly in place. The girl frowned, raised her face, and conveyed brief words with gestures.

"...I believe in you, my knight."

Courage rose from the boy's chest and quickly dispelled the chill in his heart. Elio picked up his usual light shield, held the long sword firmly, turned his body sideways, and locked his eyes on Ariel's every move. He felt his body trembling slightly,

The experience on the battlefield these days, as well as Sir Hector's teachings, seemed to be all for this moment.

He lunged forward, and "Parsifal" was like a shooting star, striking directly at the right chest of the Caleb Heavenly Clan. The Caleb Heavenly Clan also stepped forward and raised their swords to meet him.

The long sword split the air and hit only a ray of lightning. The silver lightning climbed along the long sword, crawled over the entire arm, enveloped most of the young man's body, and then exploded.

The young knight staggered back. He felt as if his right arm was immersed in boiling oil, and his chest felt like being hit by a heavy hammer. All that was left in front of him was black and white. Lightning flashed behind him in an instant, and the Celestial Clan swung his giant sword and slashed across the young man's waist -



An instinctively closed his eyes, but only heard the whine of metal hitting each other. The young knight released his right palm first, grabbed the sword with his left hand, and blocked the almost fatal blow from the Tian Clan from behind. He took advantage of the situation.

Roll forward, turn over and jump up, leaning against the wall and taking a stance.

"Ariel..." The young man stared at the Celestial Clan, feeling more shocked than angry, "What are you doing again?!"

"For my lord, you need to die." Not far away, a clear voice responded, "If you don't want to accept it, just defeat me."

Elio didn't answer. In the battle at Golden Spike City, Ariel was obviously merciful - but just now, if he had reacted even slightly less, he would have lost his life with that sword blow.

She is an enemy now, there is no doubt about it. Only by killing the other party can An's life be protected, the young knight is so convinced.

The thunder and lightning made his head stand up, but after only two gasps, the paralysis in his right arm had dissipated. He silently thanked 'that dragon', then concentrated his mind, calmed his breathing, and raised the sword again.

The battle begins again.

The two circled in the small stone room, and the harsh metal clashes continued. Both Elio and Ariel deliberately avoided the area where An was, so the girl was still safe and sound - except for the first two "swords"

.

"Only a ghost would thank you for this..." The young knight gasped and muttered in a low voice, "Even if you are with Captain Lily, you are dead now——"

Unfortunately, reality is not that simple. The sword in Ariel's hand is half a foot longer than "Parsifal", and the speed of swinging the sword is a little faster. The giant sword turned into countless lights and shadows, and the young knight tried his best to fend it off.

An attack aimed at the vital part; and his counterattack either hit the air or scratched the opponent's armor, leaving only a shallow mark.

The solid diorite absorbed the sound of the two fighting very well, or maybe the noise outside covered everything up, and no one noticed the situation here. There is no need for those people, Elio thought, unless Jazz can come from the front line

Come back, otherwise a few more soldiers will just be a waste of lives.

The giant sword swung again, and he raised the shield to remove it, but the angle was slightly off. The sharp blade passed by at an angle, and the steel shield was immediately divided into two halves. He threw away the remaining half of the iron, took a step back, raised the sword with both hands over his head,

Block a thunderous slash.

However, the giant sword and the long sword were separated at the first touch - it was just a feint. The sharp blade then drew an arc, faster than vision and reaction, tearing open the skirt and mail, and slashed firmly at the young man's waist.

International.

The violent force knocked him away and hit him hard against the wall, but the expected pain did not come. Elio looked at his waist, and a layer of translucent cyan scales was slowly disappearing. At the same time, there was a warmth.

The flames quickly spread all over the body, dispelling fatigue, pain, and even a little fear.

"Is it a promise from ancient times... You are lucky, Elio." Ariel stopped her hand for a rare moment, raised her head, and glanced at the sky blocked by the rock wall, "I wonder if Master Leonos had any foresight.

What about this matter?"

Elio did not miss this opportunity. He jumped up and charged with all his strength. He was several meters away in an instant. The long sword enveloped the opponent's head and turned into a storm, piercing his eyes and throat——

But the sword plunged into a flash of lightning again. The young knight tried his best to roll sideways, barely avoiding the killing move that followed. The giant sword passed through his lower back, splitting the armor, and brought out a string of bright red blood beads.

"If you lose your cool," Ariel said, "you can't win."

"You don't need to teach me a lesson!" Elio was a little annoyed, but this did not help change the situation. The Celestial Clan's attacks seemed to be getting sharper, and the giant sword swept across his thighs, arms and even his back one after another, leaving a trail of blood marks.

That's not enough to affect his actions, but if this continues, failure will only be a matter of time.

He still underestimated the strength of his opponent. However... maybe there is still a chance of winning, Elio thought to himself.

The ability of the Jialeb clan to turn into thunder and lightning is terrifying, but the opponent does not use it often. It may be because he does not want to consume too much physical energy, but it is more like the skill itself is defective. The warrior's instinct tells him that the next time the opponent uses this

One method is his last chance.

The arduous battle continued. In just over a minute, Elio received more than a dozen wounds on his body, but fortunately none of them were fatal. He spotted Ariel's oncoming sword, turned sideways to avoid the vital points, and raised the sword

Stabbing straight, seems to be exchanging injury for injury——

Just as he expected, the Celestial Clan's body turned into thunder and lightning, pulled out arcs of light, and flew behind him.

Probably because he had predicted it, the Celestial Clan's movements seemed to be a bit slow. Elio withdrew the false stab, turned around faster, spotted the intersection of the electric light, held "Parsifal" with both hands, and used all his strength

The whole body fell with all his strength.

Then he struck the thunderbolt.

Thunder and lightning penetrated his torso, jumping and galloping between his limbs, several times more violent than the previous two times. The current imprisoned all his movements, taking away vision and touch, and even the brain seemed to no longer work. The severe pain suddenly became

The whole world, he shouted loudly, but he couldn't hear any sound.

Then the pain began to subside, and the five senses returned to the body again. Elio lowered his head subconsciously and saw the silver-white giant sword piercing the left chest, revealing a full two feet of length. Blood overflowed from the chest and slid along the blade.

Leave a trace.

So that's it, Elio thought to himself. The Caleb Celestial Clan is good at all kinds of offensive magic. He forgot this and fell into the opponent's calculation.

Regarding the defeat and death, the young knight has corresponding awareness. To this day, he only has one concern left -

Her eyes turned halfway across the room and landed on the corner next to the door. The girl lifted her head gently, her expression calm, with a teardrop in the corner of her eye. She clasped her hands together and conveyed silent words.

"You have kept your oath, my knight... I will accompany you. Don't be afraid."

His consciousness gradually faded away and he closed his eyes. He really wanted to go home.

:.:


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