Chapter 6: Meeting (Part 1)

As soon as Ezekiel rushed out of the fortress gate, he heard a loud cry, “Save me!” Looking up, he couldn’t help but smile—it was that woman calling for help. He turned around and rushed over, appearing before the group of soldiers in an instant. “Go on with what you’re doing,” he said. “I’m just here to watch…” Before he could finish speaking, a soldier beside him swung an axe at him. He didn’t care whether they were there to watch or not; anyone who came was an enemy.

Ezekiel had gotten too excited. He had thought that not intervening was already a huge favor—who would dare to act recklessly? Wouldn’t that be seeking death? But he hadn’t considered that those soldiers had no idea how powerful he really was. So, if they weren’t going to attack him, who else would they attack?

Clang!
The axe struck like it hit precision steel. Ezekiel didn’t budge, but the soldier suffered greatly, his hand covered in blood as he was severely injured by the impact. He stared in disbelief at his axe, then at Ezekiel, his mouth falling open as his heart pounded wildly. He knew how heavy that axe was—it should have split even stone.

Ezekiel had intended to watch the chaos, but he was suddenly attacked with an axe, right to the head. He immediately became furious and slapped the soldier in the face.

Pfft! With a soft sound, the soldier’s head exploded like a split watermelon, red and white fragments flying everywhere. This enraged all the soldiers, and someone shouted, “Kill him!”

All the soldiers charged at Ezekiel, driving him to fury. He had originally wanted to watch Yadlan’s misfortune, but instead, he ended up being the one in trouble. Yadlan breathed a sigh of relief—she could no longer hold on, her spiritual energy exhausted. Relying solely on her physical strength was impossible. Seeing the soldiers rush at Ezekiel, she had no interest in watching anymore and immediately ran back toward the fortress.

A shadow flashed at the corner of Ezekiel’s eye. He knew Yadlan had escaped, but the soldiers were closing in. He was truly enraged now—instead of capturing a beautiful woman, they came to annoy him. Did they really think he was easy to bully?

Bang! Bang!
Two punches shattered two heads. Ezekiel went berserk. Like a fierce dragon, he moved wildly through the crowd of soldiers, his speed so fast it created afterimages. Wherever he passed, no one survived. In just a few moments, he wiped out the entire group of soldiers, including several minor leaders.

De Da and the others also rushed to the fortress gate. By then, Pinata had already arranged her troops in battle formation outside the gate, with numerous archers rushing up onto the walls. There were still a few arrow towers behind the walls, now filled with archers as well.

Guo Shier also arrived at the entrance of the fortress. At a glance, he saw De Da and Yadelan. The two ran over immediately upon seeing Guo Shier. Guo Shier turned around and said, “Eisen, you’re still the fastest runner…” Eisen gave a wry smile. He was the last to leave, and he realized something was wrong even before entering the forest, so of course he ran the fastest.

Yadelan was panting heavily. The battle just now had nearly cost her her life. Fortunately, Aizek came to her aid. Though that guy had ulterior motives, he gave her a chance to escape. She said, “My men are half dead, my lord…”

Guo Shier nodded and asked, “Who are they?”

Yadelan replied, “It’s the army of the Duke of Ek.”

Guo Shier said, “So… Chiskar’s army is finished? They came all the way from the Shibah Grasslands. This means…” He pondered for a moment and said, “This means the Grand Duke of Ek has arrived.”

More and more soldiers rushed out of the forest, while Aizek slaughtered along the edge of the forest. Once he went into a frenzied state, not even Guo Shier could stop him, and of course Guo Shier wouldn’t try to stop him either.

After fighting back and forth along the forest edge, killing at least seven or eight hundred people, he terrified the army of the Duke of Ek. Aizek was simply too powerful. None of the officers or soldiers who charged at him could withstand even a single strike from him, including many experts at the castle level.

After two rounds of fighting, Aizek also vented his anger. Since his opponents were too weak, he didn’t bother continuing. He leaped back to the entrance of the fortress, joined Guo Shier, and said, “I won’t deal with things below anymore… Everyone who could be saved has been saved.”

Yadelan stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Thank you, my lord, for your help.”

Aizek was extremely embarrassed and stammered, “Uh… this… that… you’re welcome…” He hadn’t intended to save her, even though she was saved in the end. He thought to himself, “You’re just lucky, girl.”

About five or six thousand soldiers rushed out of the forest. To their surprise, the enemy had already formed battle formations, relying on the large fortress.

Guo Shier said, “There are quite a few… Pinata, what do you plan to do?”

Pinata’s expression was grim. He already understood that the army sent by the Duke of Chiskar was finished. They were probably the last batch. He hadn’t expected the Duke of Ek to be so bold. The number of troops here was about two-thirds of the Duke of Ek’s forces. If their cleanup operation on the Karabaza Trail failed, then the Duke of Ek’s army would be finished as well. But it seemed they had won now.

Without Guo Shier and Ezekiel around, Pinahta’s team would still be unable to hold back. Pinahta said, “My lord…”
Guo Shier hesitated for a moment before saying, “Alright, I understand. I’ll ensure you leave safely, but you probably won’t be able to go back. With such heavy losses, I doubt Duke Chiska will spare you.”
Pinahta was pragmatic. He said, “Let’s focus on staying alive first. We can worry about the rest later.” For now, he was content to make it through each day; as long as he survived, he believed he could live a life as a noble.
Guo Shier thought it made sense. Pinahta was realistic—he probably would have done the same. He said, “Fair enough. You were once my subordinates. Before I leave, I can at least ensure your lives are spared.” He added, “Ezekiel, let’s go up and talk to them, hehe.”
Ezekiel said, “You go alone. One person is enough.” He didn’t want to move, knowing that with Guo Shier’s strength, he didn’t need to worry about the enemy troops. Once one’s strength reached a certain level, more soldiers meant nothing.
Guo Shier shook his head and stepped forward, quickly reaching the open space in the middle of the opposing armies. He called out, “Please, let Duke Ek come out.”
A burly man who seemed to be a leader stepped forward from the ranks and said, “Who are you? How dare you ask our duke to come out?”
Guo Shier replied, “Me? I’m a peace envoy, here with a peaceful intent. Well, you’re not Duke Ek, and you can’t make any decisions. Have your duke come out.” He wore a smiling expression, thinking there should be a halo of compassion above his head to make his words more convincing.
The man shouted, “Peace? There’s no peace! You either surrender or die!”
Guo Shier said, “Sin, sin… I told you, you’re not qualified to talk to me. Go back, go back. Have your duke come out.”
Both armies stared at Guo Shier in shock, not understanding what he was doing. Ezekiel asked curiously, “Hey, Pinahta, what’s he doing?”
Pinahta gave a bitter smile. He had no idea what Guo Shier was doing. What was the point of talking now? The enemy armies were ready to fight, and it was unclear why Guo Shier still wanted peace—there was no such thing as peace in this world.
The man shouted, “Seeking death!” He raised his greatsword and charged straight at him.
Ezekiel laughed, “He really is seeking death.”
Guo Shier roared, “Stop!”

The man gripped his two-handed sword tightly, paused for a moment, then realized why he should listen to this guy. He swung his sword and ran fast, reaching not far in front of Guo Shier in just a few breaths, before shouting, “Kill him!”
Guo Shier said indifferently, “A fool who doesn’t know fear!”
The man raised his sword high and swung it down, but halfway through, he was struck by a violent tremor. An invisible force enveloped him, making him feel as if he were trapped in mud. Worse still, the mud suddenly hardened, and his sword stopped just a foot away from Guo Shier’s head, unable to strike further.
Guo Shier smiled slightly and effortlessly took the two-handed sword from his hands. The man remained in his slashing position, like a statue—except for the sweat pouring down his face. He was terrified, unable to believe he was immobilized, even though he tried to use all his brute spiritual power to no avail.
Guo Shier waved his sword and, holding it in one hand, shouted, “Call Duke Ek here!”
The two armies fell silent; it was utterly bizarre. Pinata murmured, “What is this?” He had already recognized the man trapped by Guo Shier—someone of castle-level skill, yet completely helpless. The man still held his hands up, but his sword was now in Guo Shier’s possession.
Guo Shier grew angry and shouted, “Duke Ek, if you keep hiding among the crowd, I’ll kill this guy!” He swung his sword, pressing the blade against the man’s neck. The man’s sweat increased, and his whole body trembled slightly. He was on the verge of going mad, deeply regretting having come here in the first place. If he had ordered his soldiers to attack, he wouldn’t have been so at a disadvantage.
Someone shouted, “Stop!” A few people rushed out of the ranks—a middle-aged man, an old man, and two strong men—who rushed onto the open ground and surrounded Guo Shier as if facing a formidable enemy. Guo Shier frowned and said, “Is it ever going to end? Hurry up and bring Duke Ek out! Don’t be shameless!”
The four of them shouted, “Kill him!”
Guo Shier sighed and said, “I’ll cut off your head…” With that, four more statue-like figures appeared. With a kick, one of them was sent flying three meters away, still holding his weapon. The two armies were in an uproar—this was too strange, far beyond their imagination.

The soldiers of the Duke of Ek showed fearful expressions on their faces. If Guo Shier had killed these five, they wouldn’t have been afraid, but the fact that he had silently taken control of five castle-level experts filled them with extreme terror. At that moment, another man on horseback appeared and rode forward. Guo Shier asked, “Are you the Duke of Ek?” The man replied, “I am Delong Ek, a nephew of the Duke of Ek. The Duke is not in the army.” Guo Shier asked, “Can you make decisions on behalf of the Duke of Ek?”