Chapter 71: Turn of the Tide
As the leader, Toruviel understood very well the danger that distraction posed to combat. She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her uneasy thoughts. But after rushing through a few more segments, a fresh wave of irritation welled up in her heart.
At first, she thought the barriers were merely flashy. Only after crossing several did she realize their sinister nature. This barrier, which provided no defense and merely muffled sound both inside and out, was not technically sophisticated.
But the mere five-meter gaps directly nullified the elven team's advantage in ranged combat, forcing them into a sword-to-sword brawl. Although elves' skill in swordplay was far superior to that of ordinary humans, even a fool knew that the risks of close combat were much higher than trading blows from a distance and the elves could no longer afford to lose anyone.
A faint, metallic scent wafted from the air ahead. Toruviel's steps checked, and pain flashed in her eyes it was the smell of elven blood!
Iorveth had been wounded!
Suppressing her grief and rage, she gestured to signal that the enemy was just ahead, adopting an external flanking tactic.
If a bird were looking down at that moment, it would see two elves dart out from both sides of the corridor almost simultaneously. They sprinted a few steps along the edge of the corridor before sharply cutting back in, their trajectories synchronized almost like reflections.
Toruviel wasn't very lucky; the point she chose to breach put her right in front of Zoltan.
The Dwarf let out an excited grunt, his sharp axe slicing downward with a rushing sound, aimed diagonally at the elf's chest.
Toruviel deftly tapped the ground a few times, easily evading the Dwarf's diagonal slash.
"Let go!" The elf hooked the crossguard of her longsword around the back of the axe head and forcefully wrenched her arm back. Zoltan immediately stumbled.
'Little Dwarf, I'm sending you back to the arms of the earth!' Seeing that the Dwarf would rather lose his balance than let go of the axe, Toruviel became murderous. She gave a small shout, thrusting her arm forward, driving the sword straight for Zoltan's brow. But the Dwarf ducked his head, darting under her armpit. The sword merely cut a few strands of coarse, stiff hair.
"Y-yah!" Toruviel attempted to pivot and follow up with another strike, but a powerful shove from behind her butt pushed her forward, nearly causing her to fall. It was Zoltan, who, while flashing past, had used the butt of his battle-axe to strike back viciously.
Toruviel knew she had benefited from her tall stature if that had been a normal-height human, the blow would have struck her kidney area, instantly paralyzing her mobility.
"You little runt, you want to die!" Toruviel was furious and humiliated. She lashed out with her longsword, alternating between slashes and thrusts at the Dwarf. Were it not for the restricted movement of his right leg, Zoltan might have been instantly wounded.
Zoltan parried a few blows with his axe, feeling the opposing elf's attacks grow faster and faster. Realizing he was about to be overwhelmed, he yelled out: "Help! This pointy-eared wench has gone mad!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the thick wooden axe handle was severed by a sword strike, leaving him feeling vulnerable.
Toruviel's eyes were sharp. She was about to finish off the Dwarf who had dared to assault her rear, when she felt a malicious gust behind her head something was being hurled at her.
She swung her sword, batting away the incoming object, but then felt a hot sensation on her face, and a bloody stench filled her nostrils.
"Iorveth!" Toruviel cried out in grief. Only then did she see a headless body slumped on the ground next to the caged wagon, hemorrhaging blood. Her impetuous companion had finally paid the price for his recklessness.
Toruviel forcibly suppressed her sorrow and rage, glaring at Arthur, who was leaning on his Temerian Blade, panting: "Why? Why would you insult his corpse?!"
Arthur let out a cold laugh, resting his greatsword on the ground ahead of him: "He's dead; why all the fuss?" He was annoyed and amused; the elves had started the attack, yet now they wanted to stand on the moral high ground and lecture him. It was truly shameless. Besides, only a few seconds separated Iorveth's appearance from the arrival of the other elves. Even if he'd wanted to desecrate the body, he hadn't had the time!
Zoltan, having circled back to the rear of the carriage, chimed in: "Exactly, exactly! That pointy-ear got his head chopped off purely because he struck a too perfect pose!"
"Agh! Die, all of you!"
Hearing her companion's death being mocked, Toruviel's eyes reddened. She swung her longsword and charged at Arthur.
"Excellent!"
Arthur forced his spirits high, thrusting his sword straight at the elf's left flank. The female elf dodged with a slight limp, returning a thrust, but the sheer length of the greatsword meant her attack fell short, hitting only air.
Phew, mental fatigue really affects swordsmanship…
Arthur clearly saw that his previous thrust had been too direct, allowing the elf to easily avoid it. He was about to call for the Dwarf's help in dealing with the current enemy when he heard Zoltan shout:
"The Witcher isn't doing so well! I'm going to help him!"
The Witcher is being overpowered in swordsmanship?
Doubt surfaced in Arthur's mind, but the Dwarf had already disappeared to the other side with his hand-and-a-half sword. Arthur had no choice but to brace himself and continue the standoff with the elf before him.
"Your swordsmanship is too crude. You won't win against me." Toruviel tried to apply psychological pressure on Arthur, but he merely shook the greatsword in his hand:
"My sword is longer than yours."
Toruviel grimaced, exposing her small, sharp teeth: "I've been practicing swordsmanship for longer than you've been alive. You don't stand a chance."
Arthur remained unmoved: "My sword is longer than yours."
Toruviel instinctively twisted her body, trying to alleviate the stinging pain in her right hip: "I will cut off your head, just as you did to Iorveth."
Arthur continued his monotone reply: "My sword is longer than yours."
"Enough!" the female elf snapped. "Is that the only thing you can say? Is a longer sword really so impressive?"
Arthur badly wanted to rub his throbbing temples, but he had to maintain a façade of ease. He glanced toward Iorveth's corpse:
"I imagine your friend thought so."
"How dare you!" The female elf, who had been trying to wage psychological warfare, instantly lost her composure. She screamed and rushed forward, her longsword turning into a blur of motion, almost a flower, in the air.
"Excellent swordsmanship!" Arthur mused. The elf's technique was graceful yet sharp, almost a match for his own when he was fully rested.
A chilling light flashed. The Temerian Blade swept forward with a sound like wind, covering the elf's line of attack like a fan. Arthur refrained from using his Battle Cry, as one elf was still unaccounted for.
'Hmph, too early, no variations, useless apart from raw power!' Watching Arthur's simple horizontal slash, Toruviel was filled with resentment. Had the Dwarf not crippled her leg, she would have been confident of dodging the attack with pure footwork. But now, she could only grit her teeth and forcibly block.
Blinding sparks erupted where the two swords met. Arthur felt a wave of disorientation. He suspected the battle had been going on for three or four days; why else would he suddenly experience such severe ringing in his ears?
A moment later, he realized it was the high-pitched, thin shriek of the longsword.
Toruviel stumbled backward, her arms trembling uncontrollably, her pale hands smeared with blood. Lying on the basalt slab road was an elven longsword. However, the delicate weapon was bent and twisted from the force of the strike, rendered completely useless.
......................
I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to those who support me on this journey. Your contribution make a real difference!
As a patron, you unlock:
Exclusive Access: Get advanced +120 chapters ahead of everyone else.
👉 Join now: P-a-treon/Chaos_God
(Just remove the- hyphen to access normally)
Thank You so much For your Support and for Reading!