20demayo Chapter 128 A Thousand Changes in an Instant
Chapter 128 A Thousand Changes in an Instant
Chapter 128 A Thousand Changes in an Instant
"Braided Brown" Jarl has been staking out the village of Fingertips for three days.
As Jarl's hostage, Kathy had no choice but to stay by his side.
He had figured out Jarl's plan: Jarl was trying to lure out the criminal he was hunting by staging a copycat murder.
As it turned out, Jarl's plan was very successful.
He and Jarl hid in a secluded corner, monitoring the target house day and night without rest.
Of course, Kathy got some rest, but Jarl didn't seem to.
Just now, a little girl walked into that house in the darkness of night.
Jarl's target suspect was a young woman, and this girl had come to the "murder" scene at such a suspicious time. Even Cassie felt that she must be connected to the case.
Jarl immediately drew his axe and silently moved toward that direction.
He was incredibly fast, yet made absolutely no sound.
Normally, the sound his armor made would always draw disapproving glances from those around him.
Only now did Kathy realize that Jar had simply been too lazy to control the noise.
Judging from Jarl's attitude, Kathy deduced that a fight was likely to break out inside the house.
Although Casey had practiced swordsmanship, her skill level was terrible. If she were to get involved in the battlefield, Casey probably wouldn't even be able to guarantee her own safety.
But he immediately slipped out and ran toward the house.
Just now, by the faint moonlight, Cathy had already vaguely seen the girl's figure.
She was a small, thin girl, probably only eleven or twelve years old, or even younger.
However, through her previous conversation with Jarl, Kathy learned of Jarl's thoughts: under certain circumstances, Jarl might choose to kill the girl.
Kathy felt that while Jarl wasn't exactly a good person, he wasn't completely devoid of conscience. While Kathy didn't particularly like this tall man, she didn't dislike him either.
Jarl lost his chance to obtain a knighthood because he killed a knight who attempted to harm children.
Therefore, Kathy did not want Jarl to eventually stoop to killing children.
Kathy thought that if she went there herself, she might be able to persuade Jarl to give up the idea before he could even think of killing her.
Even if his words have only the slightest effect, that's fine.
He had already arrived at the door of the house.
Jarl had already placed an axe against the girl's neck, issuing a low warning:
"Don't move!"
Faced with the sharp axe, the girl naturally dared not move.
The girl was short, even shorter than Cathy by a head.
She had her hair tied in a ponytail and was dressed in thick clothes, as if she had just come from a frigid region.
The most eye-catching thing was the glasses.
Kathy had seen glasses before, but never this color and style, as if deliberately obscuring her eyes, making it impossible to see her pupils beneath the lenses.
However, just a second later, Kathy realized something was wrong.
The room, which should have been dim, suddenly became much brighter.
Kathy quickly realized that the light was coming from behind the girl.
The girl's hands were behind her back.
What Kathy could notice, Jarl would naturally notice even sooner, and he immediately gave the order:
"Bring your hands in front of you!"
However, the girl remained unmoved, and the light continued to flash.
Jarl continued to threaten, "Stop what you're doing right now, or I'll slit your throat."
But the girl remained unfazed and showed no sign of stopping.
In an instant, Cathy sensed that something was wrong.
He knew that Jarl was about to make his move.
So Cathy immediately shouted, "No!"
But as soon as he spoke, Jarl twisted his wrist and swung his arm.
The battle axe pressed against the girl's throat would easily slit her neck, causing blood to gush out.
However, all Kathy saw was a sudden shower of purple-red diamond-shaped crystals in front of the girl.
Those chips seemed to form a shimmering curtain, separating the girl from behind.
Combined with those impenetrable glasses, the girl seemed like a mysterious being from heaven.
Kathy was very surprised that the girl was not injured.
He looked at Jarl's axe and then understood why.
The upper part of the battle axe was inexplicably missing, leaving only a smooth, flat notch.
The missing part could not be found in the room, as if it had been erased from the world.
The next moment, the girl turned and fled into the depths of the house, and Jarl drew another axe and gave chase.
The girl was being forced into a corner, but there should have been a solid wall blocking her way. However, for some reason, a large hole had appeared there!
As if she had expected it, the girl decisively crawled out of the hole, and Jarl followed without any hesitation.
After they had all left the room, Cassie belatedly realized that the hole in the wall and the chip in Jarl's axe must have been made by that girl!
Furthermore, the flashing light and the purple chip are most likely derivative phenomena of the girl's actions.
He also came to understand the meaning of Jarl's words earlier: Never underestimate any opponent!
That girl looks small, but in reality, her strength may far exceed what Cathy imagines!
Hesitation when fighting a girl can indeed have fatal consequences.
Kathy stepped out of the door, went around the outer wall, and saw the two people chasing and fighting.
Although the girl had already created some distance, Jarl was extremely fast and caught up with many people in just a few steps.
But the girl suddenly turned around and extended her right hand toward Jarl.
Kathy saw a circular pattern flashing white light suddenly appear in front of the girl's palm.
He had seen something like this before; it was a magic circle!
Both Goringburg and Reggie's Whitewood City employ several mages.
However, their skill level seemed quite poor. Pegasus said that those people could only use the most basic magic, and the strength of it was not high.
A mage of this caliber can offer little help to the castle and the lord.
But they are indispensable; at least when necessary, these people can be consulted.
So, that girl was a magician?
Just as Kathy was pondering this, the magic circle suddenly stabilized and emitted a dazzling white light.
But Jarl suddenly stopped and jumped backward with force.
A moment later, purple crystals began to drift again from where he should have been.
Kathy knew that the girl was using her power again.
He thought of Jarl's battle axe; if that power could swallow hard metal as easily as milk and bread, then the soft human body was even more formidable.
That girl intends to kill Jarl!
Although it may have been a stress response caused by Jarl's previous verbal threats.
But this just proves Jarl's point: on the battlefield, one must never hesitate or back down, or one will be the one to die!
The fact that Jarl was able to detect and dodge the girl's counterattack before it happened suggests that there must have been some warning signs before the girl's attack.
Or perhaps Jarl can sense murderous intent.
Kathy guessed that if the girl had chosen to attack Jarl instead of destroying the weapons while they were inside the house, Jarl would probably have sensed it earlier and swung the axe sooner.
So right now, this girl is probably already a corpse.
Jarl bypassed the areas where purple chips had fallen and continued the pursuit.
Meanwhile, the girl was also building a new magic circle as she ran away.
Seemingly realizing that she couldn't directly harm Jar, the girl changed her target to the ground this time.
As the magic circle emitted a white light, Cassie saw a square area appear behind the girl, dozens of feet wide, like a mirror with colors surging on its surface, or like a large pit.
Seeing this scene, only a fool would choose to step inside.
If Jarl were to take a detour, his pace would be slowed down, but even with his immense strength, Jarl, clad in heavy plate armor, would not be able to jump across the crater.
However, instead of changing direction, Jarl went to the edge of the pit.
Suddenly, he swung his double axes, the axes spinning around his wrists before returning to his hands.
Then Jarl swung his arms, leaped upwards, and then brought his arms down heavily.
During this process, he actually jumped over the huge pit!
The axe struck the ground with a loud thud, and two deep cracks were carved into the road in front of him.
Above the crater, two parallel, blood-red streaks of light shone brightly in the darkness, like a bridge spanning the two ends of the crater in a perfect arc.
Throughout the entire process, Jarl's movements were incredibly smooth and fluid, demonstrating his exceptionally rich combat skills and experience.
Of all the people Kathy has met, perhaps only Pegasus is above Jarl in terms of ability.
However, after landing, Jarl rolled several times to the right before regaining his balance.
Kathy noticed that the weapon that Jarl had destroyed was the one on the right.
It seems that the damage to the weapons has had a significant impact on Jar's combat effectiveness.
Kathy ran a few steps toward them so she could see them more clearly.
When he arrived at the battlefield, he found that Jarl had closed the distance considerably.
Moreover, the girl's stride length and pace became smaller and slower.
The little girl was ultimately no match for the professional warrior in terms of physical strength.
She could only run at full speed for a few minutes before reaching her limit.
However, Cathy has no right to judge others, and he's not much better than that girl.
Moreover, while running, the girl was also constantly distracted by constructing magic circles.
Whenever the magic circle in the girl's palm glowed, Jarl would inevitably stop or take a detour to avoid it, but he was never harmed.
But Kathy could tell that the girl's moves were extraordinary.
Even someone as powerful as Jarl would likely die if he were hit by just one of his attacks.
The girl, being only human, couldn't withstand Jarl's powerful axe blow.
Neither side can afford to make a mistake; the side that makes the first error will inevitably lose!
However, although the girl's methods were powerful, they seemed to be used without any method or strategy.
Pegasus and Robert had both instructed Kathy on this point: on the battlefield, one must learn to read "sword stances".
The so-called "sword stance" refers to the opponent's fighting habits and style.
Once you grasp the opponent's sword stance, your attacks can more accurately pinpoint their weak points.
Similarly, one must also avoid being controlled by the opponent's sword stance, therefore one should never make a move casually.
Of course, sword stance doesn't necessarily require wielding a "sword". Any fighting style has a "stance", it's just collectively referred to as sword stance.
Right now, this girl is just attacking randomly.
There was no connection between the moves; they seemed to be just instinctive counterattacks.
The girl's swordsmanship is currently quite rudimentary, leading Casey to speculate that she likely lacks combat experience, at least not having fought against highly skilled opponents.
Kathy is actually a little proud of this.
Although his swordsmanship was terrible, he still managed to exchange quite a few blows with top masters like Pegasus.
In contrast, Jarl moved steadily, dodging the girl's attacks while gradually closing the distance.
Kathy was completely unable to see through Jarl's swordplay, though this might simply be due to Kathy's limited skill.
However, Kathy understood that the scales of victory were slowly tipping in Jarl's favor.
Pegasus once said that witchcraft and magic are often magical and powerful, and once used in battle, they can most likely catch any opponent off guard.
However, wizards and mages often lack excellent physical abilities.
The way they use force is not as direct as wielding a knife.
Once a martial artist gets close, they could be killed instantly.
Now, the girl is close enough.
Just then, Kathy heard Jar suddenly shout:
"Listen, stop and surrender immediately, and I promise I'll spare your life—at least I won't kill you."
Since Jarl had made the promise, Kathy knew he would definitely keep his word.
However, if the girl is indeed involved in the disappearance of the slave king, she will likely be handed over to the group that found the slave king by Jarl.
As for the girl's fate, Kathy expressed concern, but Jarl certainly didn't have to kill her with his own hands.
However, the girl remained silent, reconstructed the magic circle, and launched an attack on Jarl.
Seeing this, Kathy immediately guessed that Jarl was planning to retaliate.
Moreover, once he makes a move, he will most likely not show any mercy.
But Casey didn't speak up to stop it; he didn't have the right.
In a battlefield where life and death are at stake, if you don't kill your opponent, they will kill you.
Kathy had already discerned the murderous intent in the girl's moves, and under these circumstances, he could no longer persuade Jarl to show mercy.
Sure enough, the next moment, Kathy felt that Jarl's aura changed drastically.
Jarl rotated the axe blade in his right hand half a circle in his palm, then contracted his upper body, bent his legs slightly, placed his right hand in front of him, and raised his left arm behind his back.
He then suddenly exerted force, kicking towards the girl and twisting his body.
Then, wielding his double axes, Jarl spun forward.
Where the axe blade swept, it left a red afterimage in the air, like a spiral of blood mist frozen in mid-air.
In less than two seconds, Jarl was already in front of the girl.
It was still spinning and moving forward, the axe blade aimed directly at the girl's body.
Such a short time was completely insufficient for the girl to construct a complete magic circle.
Kathy saw the girl frantically back away and quicken her pace in constructing the magic circle.
However, this only led to chaos in the midst of the chaos. Before being attacked by Jarl, it was her own ability that bit off a large chunk of flesh from her left shoulder, causing her to let out a sharp scream.
Staring at the scene before him, Casey felt the air grow cold, and a sense of desolation rose in his heart.
He felt sorry for the girl.
I also feel sorry for Jarl.
But he didn't look away, thinking he had to at least witness this scene.
"when!"
Just when Casey was certain that the girl was going to die, she heard a sharp metallic clang.
Kathy looked closely and saw that the girl was unharmed.
Jarl, who was spinning forward, suddenly stopped just before he was about to strike the girl.
But suddenly, a man appeared beside them.
The person had medium-length hair, and their features were not clearly visible, but judging from their demeanor, they should be quite young.
He wore a light leather armor set, but the neck guards and wrist guards seemed to be made of iron, reflecting the moonlight.
At this moment, he is maintaining a posture with his right body forward, shoulders down, and arms leaning forward, as if he is chopping with one hand.
Kathy then immediately confirmed that he was indeed chopping.
His right hand gripped a slender wooden handle, the other end of which was fitted with the pommel of a single-edged straight knife.
This is a battle blade.
At this moment, the battle blade was pressing heavily on the back of one of Jar's axes, causing the blade to embed itself deeply into the ground.
Meanwhile, the red marks behind Jarl were rapidly dissipating and dispersing.
Kathy couldn't guess who the man wielding the battle blade was, but judging from the fact that he could interrupt Jarl's moves, this person must be extraordinary.
He had no idea what was going on, but he guessed the same about the three people on the battlefield.
They maintained that position for a full three seconds.
But Jarl reacted first; he drew his axe and used another axe to chop at the girl.
The girl immediately retreated to avoid him, while Jarl continued his pursuit.
Such a distance was extremely dangerous for the girl, but the man who had joined the fray immediately intervened, disrupting Jarl's pursuit.
After the girl created some distance, she immediately constructed a magic circle and launched a counterattack against Jarl.
Jarl had to dodge, but the man's blade thrust at him again, so he immediately raised his axe to parry.
Now, Casey finally sees the situation clearly.
Jarl is now facing a two-on-one battle.
As the intensity of the battle increased, Cassie realized more and more that Jarl was no ordinary person.
Jarl seemed to have gotten into the rhythm, and no matter how much the man harassed him, Jarl continued to pursue the girl relentlessly.
Kathy understood Jarl's thinking: once the girl was in a safe location, she could focus entirely on casting the spell.
This will undoubtedly pose a huge threat to Jal.
Therefore, he couldn't allow the girl to create space.
While the man's swordsmanship was swift and fierce, Jarl seemed to be very good at fighting samurai, and he handled it with ease.
Jarl's swordplay remained perfectly steady, and Casey sensed that he was gradually gaining control of the battlefield.
After this continued for a while, the man, as before, used the length of his weapon to probe and harass the woman.
However, Jarl suddenly turned around and faced the man.
Despite the great distance, Kathy seemed to sense the intense killing intent that Jarl released in that instant.
Suddenly, Jarl threw his left-hand axe forward. The man nimbly and calmly dodged it, and the axe spun forward, cutting into the ground behind the man.
Jarl immediately grabbed the end of the axe handle with his free left hand, switching to a two-handed grip.
At that moment, the blades of Jarl's two axes simultaneously emitted a blood-red light.
Jarl charged toward the man with incredible speed, as if being dragged forward by the axe in his hand.
The axe embedded in the ground behind the man seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, spinning and chopping towards his back.
But the man was no ordinary person; he sensed the danger behind him.
He swung his battle blade to deflect the axe behind him, then turned around, raised his blade, and attempted to block Jarl's attack, which had come close and was swinging his axe horizontally.
However, Jarl's attack was too swift and fierce. How could a piece of wood withstand such powerful slashes?
The blade was sliced in two, and the man's leather armor was easily torn open.
Judging from the man's retreating figure and the way he clutched his upper abdomen in pain, Kathy knew that Jarl's move had already injured him.
The axe that Jar held in both hands was the broken axe that the girl had destroyed.
If it were a good axe, the man might have already been chopped in two.
Now was the perfect time to pursue, but Jarl suddenly rolled forward.
In an instant, purple crystals began to fall from where he had been standing.
Jarl rolled twice more, and as he knelt down, he picked up the fallen axe.
Kathy couldn't help but sigh, "Jar is truly an outstanding warrior."
He chooses the perfect time to strike, and he never hesitates; every move he makes is effective.
Just when Casey thought that Jarl could suppress the two opponents by himself, Casey suddenly felt that the man's temperament had changed.
He discarded the broken blade and instead drew the armored sword from his waist.
He gripped the sword tightly with both hands, raised it above his head, and pointed the tip at Jarl.
This "starting stance" is called the upper sword stance, which describes the characteristics of this person's sword stance, namely, being good at luring the enemy to counterattack.
Pegasus said that this was a very academic approach, so Kathy speculated that this person must have studied at a knightly school.
Those who can use this technique are either of mediocre talent, haven't found their own fighting style, or haven't learned rarer fighting techniques.
Either you have a very solid foundation, you don't need fancy tricks, and you've practiced the simplest moves to the extreme.
Kathy then realized that this man had not used any martial arts techniques so far.
Since this person was able to exchange a few blows with Jarl, Kathy didn't believe that he couldn't even use martial arts techniques.
Are men more skilled with swords? Or were they simply too careless before? Or were they holding back their strength?
Regardless of the outcome, this battle is likely to last a considerable period, and the outcome remains uncertain.
Thinking of this, Kathy suddenly opened her eyes wide.
Wait! Kathy thought to herself in surprise, if Jarl gets dragged here, wouldn't that be a perfect opportunity for me to escape?
Kathy was unable to influence the battle in any way, and he had originally intended to persuade Jarl not to kill the girl, which was why he chose to leave the hiding place.
But now he realizes that his idea of saving that girl was incredibly naive.
Since that's the case, and there's an opportunity to escape right in front of him, why doesn't he choose to save himself?
With that thought in mind, Cathy didn't hesitate at all and immediately started running towards the road leading away from the village.
After running for a while, Cathy felt her heart beating faster.
Sure enough, my physical strength wasn't much better than that girl's.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly felt a strong pulling sensation from behind, and his neck was being strangled.
Kathy's mind was in complete chaos; she felt as if she had been lifted up and then thrown to the ground.
He turned over, and a heavy pressure instantly pressed against his chest.
Kathy then realized that it was Jarl who had stepped on her.
He took a deep breath and couldn't help but marvel at how monstrous Jarl was.
In the midst of such a tense battle, he was still able to keep an eye on Cassie's movements and rush over to stop her from escaping!
Jarl stretched out his axe, pointing it at Kathy's face:
"If you dare to wander off again, I'll kill you."
Kathy said, "I swear to the Knights, I will not return until my mission is accomplished. You will take me as ransom, but you will not kill me."
"Indeed, I must assure you you're not a dead man."
Jarl, who was grinning from behind the helmet, suddenly sharpened his gaze.
"But no one requires you not to be disabled."
Kathy frowned, Jarl's thick, brown braided beard swaying in front of his brow.
He understood what Jarl meant; Jarl would cut off his legs.
However, at that moment, several small black shadows suddenly darted out, flew past Kathy's face, and rushed straight towards Jarl.
One of the dark figures landed on Cathy's chest.
It was a mouse, and Casey recognized it; it was Little Red.
The remaining shadowy figures were also those horde of demonized rats.
Little Red stayed with Cassie, while the rest attacked Jarl.
Kathy found it unbelievable that they had actually followed her here.
But why haven't they shown up yet, even though Cassie has been captured by Jarl for so long?
Kathy recalled the previous times the rats had appeared.
He suddenly realized that during those times, someone had pointed a weapon at Casey!
Just now, Jarl's axe was held up in front of Kathy.
"I see." Looking at these ominous monsters, Cassie couldn't help but laugh.
Little White bared its sharp teeth and bit off Jarl's braid in one gulp.
The brown braid fell onto Cathy's face, making him feel uneasy.
Having spent so much time together, Kathy knew how much Jar cherished his braid.
He propped himself up and saw, sure enough, Jarl's anger, which couldn't even be contained by his helmet, radiating into the night.
Jarl wielded his double axes and killed all the monsters in less than five seconds.
Seeing the mice that had protected her so many times reduced to such a miserable state, Cathy was filled with sorrow.
He wanted to cry, but he couldn't.
But he should be more afraid than sad.
Jarl seemed to be blinded by anger. He stood in front of Cassie, but his eyes were either looking at the little red thing on Cassie's shoulder or glaring at Cassie's legs.
Just then, Jarl suddenly jumped back several feet.
The next second, a translucent purple crystal fell in front of Casey.
The scene was so beautiful, it looked like stars falling from the sky.
Then, the man with the sword caught up with Jar and attacked him.
Jarl parried with his axe, and although he himself was unharmed, the two large trees behind him were cut in half.
Kathy was right, men can also use martial arts!
He got up and looked at the rat's body on the ground.
Although they eventually became monsters, Kathy still wanted to treat them as friends.
He wanted to bury them properly, but he understood that what was more important was not letting them die in vain!
Even if it's just for them, this time, Cassie has to escape!
Cathy forced herself to be strong, telling herself that she was a duke.
The lords of the plateau will not easily retreat or give up!
Jarl's battle continues, and Cassie still has a chance to escape.
Moreover, he now has a clearer goal.
He remembered where Jarl had parked the horses; as long as he got on, he was sure he could escape!
Kathy successfully found the horses, and this time, Jarl did not catch up.
Kathy climbed onto the horse, praying that she wouldn't be thrown off.
He tightened his grip on the reins and gently patted the horse's neck.
The horse started running.
Kathy was delighted, a smile spreading across her face.
He kept running along the road, but after a while, even though his back was very tired and sore, he didn't dare to stop.
Kathy rode her horse continuously for more than a day and a night.
He felt like he was about to faint, so he led his horse into the woods to rest for a while.
Yes, he wanted to persevere, but the horse also needed to eat grass and sleep.
Cathy leaned against the tree and quickly fell asleep.
When he woke up, at least several hours had passed.
He was still very tired, but he dared not stay any longer.
After eating some of the dry rations placed under the saddle, Kathy continued on her journey.
In order to reduce the burden on the horses, Kathy removed the horse armor.
Before long, he arrived outside a fortified city.
After making some inquiries, I learned that this place was Jingtu City.
The road forked in the city of Gentu, but Cassie didn't know which way to go.
Suddenly, he noticed a mouse on his left shoulder.
Ha! Little Red is with me again! Cathy thought happily, this time it didn't hide!
But at the same time, I also feel sorry for Xiaohong.
Its brothers and sisters are all dead now.
However, after hearing from Master Jode that monsters seemed to have no feelings, Cassie felt a little better.
But if Cathy could still cry, she wanted to cry for Little Red.
"You and I are both alone, without family either," Cathy said to the mouse. "Why don't you come with me?"
The rat didn't speak, but simply wrapped its black, misty tail around Cathy.
Even now, Xiao Hong is still trying to assimilate Ke Xi.
Kathy smiled, trying to find humor in the midst of hardship.
Then he noticed that Xiao Hong was stepping on his left shoulder, and he immediately decided to walk on the left side of the road.
They continued their journey slowly, and it took about five days before Cathy finally felt a little more at ease.
He thought to himself, "Having run so far, Jarl shouldn't be able to catch up, right?"
At this moment, he is riding a horse along the coastal road.
The sea was azure, and the sea breeze was a bit chilly, but fortunately, Cathy was dressed warmly.
He suddenly saw a ship anchored on the sea not far away.
Since I also have the blood of the ocean flowing in my veins, Cathy couldn't help but wonder if one day I would be able to sit on a longship?
Just then, Kathy suddenly heard the horse neigh in pain, and then he fell to the ground along with the horse. He had no idea what had happened. When he slowly got up, he saw that the horse had been shot with an arrow, the wound was bleeding profusely, and the muscles were twitching uncontrollably.
When Kathy turned her head, she saw a large group of people emerging from the woods beside the road.
These people, with smiles on their faces, gathered around.
One of them took out a rope, pushed Cathy to the ground, and tied him up in a daze.
Kathy felt as if someone was carrying her on their shoulders.
The sea rises and falls, and the world shakes.