Chapter 134: Noble Bloodline
Just like Knight Wolf had said, he walked alone toward Forth Town.
Clad in full armor, his head was covered by a helmet. Only at the back of his neck, a few strands of nearly silver-white hair emerged through the gap between the helmet and the armor.
From a distance, Nyx suddenly remembered that Knight Wolf’s age wasn't that much different from his own.
However, he was now already in his twilight years, while the other, clad in armor, was walking alone toward the town.
Even if the people of the Forth Territory reacted slowly, by the time Knight Wolf had already brought his army to the outskirts of the town, they should have been able to respond.
The knights stationed at the town's outer wall stood on the ramparts, commanding the warriors to set up defensive formations along the wall.
"Knight Berna,"a voice called out.
"Lord Dino,"Knight Berna looked at the other.
Dino Leonard, the eldest son of Viscount Youn.
His arms were particularly strong, appearing unbalanced compared to the rest of his body.
Three fully armored guards stood beside him, while he himself held a bow.
The bow was entirely brown, and embedded along its shaft was a row of black gemstones.
"It's less than three hundred people. Is it necessary to use Hunting Fang?"Dino hesitated, his gaze fixed on Knight Wolf who was approaching from afar.
He was alone.
And in the far distance, one could vaguely see the neatly arrayed army waiting.
"Lord Dino, the other party is Knight Wolf, who possesses a Holy Relic,"Knight Berna looked at Dino and said.
"Only a Holy Relic can counter a Holy Relic—that is also your mission."His gaze was cold. Only when looking at Knight Wolf did it carry a hint of weight.
"..."Alright, I’ll do it. Is the task to shoot and kill Knight Wolf?"Dino eventually said.
"No. Can you shoot farther than that?"Knight Berna pointed at the army behind Knight Wolf.
"He is a knight who possesses a Holy Relic. You only have one shot. No one dares guarantee that one shot can kill him."
"Therefore, kill the soldiers he brought. Even if this wall cannot ultimately stop Knight Wolf, Forth Town has more than six thousand people. If he tries to massacre them all alone, it would exhaust him to death."
"Moreover, at that time, he would truly be alone."
"And one man is different from an entire army,"Knight Berna said gravely.
Lord Dino was a weak man.
Knight Berna understood that even if one could draw Hunting Fang, it didn’t necessarily mean one could kill the fierce and ruthless Knight Wolf.
And since the enemy dared to directly attack Forth Town, he surely had some assurance.
So Knight Berna would not gamble on whether that arrow could kill Knight Wolf, but rather would use that arrow to eliminate the warriors Knight Wolf had brought.
If it was only Knight Wolf, even if they couldn’t ultimately keep him outside the city wall, if he was alone,
he still wouldn’t be able to kill that many people.
The coalition of nobles had several thousand men. In a pure contest of slaughter speed, could Knight Wolf really compete with thousands of warriors?
Besides, Holy Relics were not something that could be used frequently.
"That distance is three times beyond the normal range of a conventional bow,"Dino squinted his eyes, estimating the distance.
"But Hunting Fang is not such a low-grade Holy Relic,"he said.
"I can shoot that far."
Knight Berna nodded.
"When he reaches the midpoint, draw the bow."
"When he enters within three hundred meters, kill those warriors."
Dino nodded. The hand with which he held the bow trembled slightly.
Berna didn’t look at him, but said,"You need not worry about what comes after."
"As long as those warriors are killed, you will be credited."
"When the Viscount returns, your wife and children will receive a rich and bountiful fief."
"It’s even possible to arrange for your child to gain a Lord’s title."
The power of Hunting Fang was naturally formidable, but its activation conditions were also rather harsh.
Each time it was drawn, it had to absorb the flesh and blood of the archer.
Moreover, this flesh and blood had to possess noble bloodlines.
That is, the bloodline of nobles.
Dino was the eldest son of Viscount Youn, but he was also an illegitimate child.
Due to the nature of Hunting Fang, Viscount Youn had many illegitimate sons.
And from the moment those male illegitimate sons were born, archery training had been arranged for them.
All of this was to allow them to draw the bowstring of Hunting Fang when needed.
Dino understood that once this arrow was released, he would most likely die.
But this had been a mission decided for him from the moment he was born.
"I only hope that my child can have a manor—that would be enough,"Dino said.
A Lord was still a noble, still one of the exalted.
Dino did not want his child to be bound by such a predetermined future.
His child was of the third generation, lacking noble blood.
"I will speak for him,"Knight Berna nodded.
He was one of the knights who had followed Viscount Youn from the very beginning and was a deeply trusted knight.
Dino had no choice but to trust him.
While the two spoke, Knight Wolf had already walked to the midpoint.
"Hoo———"Dino exhaled deeply, raised Hunting Fang, its bowstring still bare, and slowly drew it.
The bowstring cut through Dino’s fingers, and blood flowed as if being sucked, dyeing the string red, and then slowly condensing into a crimson arrow.
Dino clenched his teeth; the sensation of blood being drawn was extremely painful.
Yet the blood he spilled seemed to awaken Hunting Fang, as the row of black gemstones along the bow suddenly glowed, as though eyes had opened.
The end of the bow seemed to come alive, stretching slowly, then like a fang it bit into the arm holding the bow.
"Argh!"Dino let out a scream of agony, his bow arm trembling.
That fang embedded in his arm brought pain worse than a blade piercing flesh.
And it sucked his flesh and blood like a straw.
He felt as though all the flesh and blood in his body were being greedily devoured by Hunting Fang.
"Lord Dino, do not forget your mission,"Knight Berna’s deep voice called out, awakening a sliver of Dino’s rationality.
Remembering his child, Dino endured the pain and continued pulling the bowstring.
Outside the town, Knight Wolf, who had just adjusted his breathing, suddenly sensed something. He looked toward the town wall—toward the person drawing a bow.
His figure paused, then continued forward, only reaching to draw the short sword Erebus.
His breathing grew heavy, and a layer of gray mist seemed to veil Knight Wolf’s eyes. He felt as though some kind of force was being drawn from his body, constantly feeding back into himself.
He felt his power being steadily enhanced.
Around his body, red mist slowly swirled, as crimson as blood.
"Ngh~"Knight Wolf let out a moan tinged with pleasure, then suddenly widened his eyes. A wave of will swept along the crimson blood mist, crashing toward the one drawing the bow.
Dino trembled violently. He felt as if some figure formed of blood was charging toward him with a spear, as though thick blood poured into his nose, suffocating him.
Screams echoed in his ears—like the wails, howls in tears, and curses of the slain in their dying moments.
He felt cold in his limbs, and the flesh and blood that had been drained now seemed to solidify.
"Useless fool! You were actually struck by killing intent from four hundred meters away,"Knight Berna’s furious voice snapped him back to awareness.
"..."Only then did Dino realize that his hand had already left the bowstring, and the fang that had pierced his arm had been withdrawn. The bow returned to its original form.
His bow arm, once muscular, had been sucked dry—now reduced to skin and bones.
Dino suddenly felt a strange relief that Hunting Fang hadn’t completely devoured him—he was still alive.
"Yes, with only a quarter of the string drawn, you can barely stay alive,"Knight Berna’s voice was deep and cold.
He drew his sword, then swung it— and chopped off Dino’s head.