Even the Water Ghost King realized this problem. Its most prized strength couldn’t defeat this Knight; it had no chance of victory anymore. So, the previously swaggering and proud leader forcefully hurled its massive Wolf Fang Club towards Laine, then abandoned its weapon without hesitation and fled in disgrace. The sight of its huge figure scrambling away was rather comical.
Laine blocked the flying Wolf Fang Club, halting his momentum just for a moment. But this was nothing difficult for Laine; he had seen this kind of scenario many times in battle. He reached to his belt and pulled out a throwing knife brushed with yellow blade oil.
This was the "legacy" left behind by his former teammate.
"My knife is a Poison Blade smeared with venom!"
Laine gripped the handle of the throwing knife, his pupils shrunk to a point. With a flick of his wrist, the knife flew from his hand. Read full story at Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
"Taste the justice of my flying knife!"
The gleaming blade spun in the air several times, slicing through the sky, and directly pierced the Water Ghost King’s right knee from behind. The Water Ghost King fell headfirst, rolled a few times on the beach, then struggled to get up. But by this time, Laine had already rushed to its side.
The man tossed the two-handed warhammer aside, reaching out to pick up a standard longsword that had fallen to the ground.
Like a cornered beast, the Water Ghost King struggled and swiped its claws towards Laine. But the sword’s edge met no resistance, slicing off the Water Ghost King’s forearm, releasing a gush of green blood before it could even scream. The cold sword edge pierced through its chest.
The Water Ghost King’s body struggled a few times before completely ceasing to move.
"Victory!!!" "Victory!!!" "Victory!!!"
When Villarld led his army to the docks, what he saw was a battlefield already concluded. The bodies of the Water Ghosts were scattered over half of the docks. Soldiers were counting casualties and cleaning up the battlefield. In this skirmish with the Water Ghosts, three dock guards died, and a dozen were injured, with two losing their arms. Even if they healed, they would have to retire.
The militia suffered fewer casualties, which Laine didn’t find surprising. The most useful aspect of the militia is rallying and increasing morale. In battle, they prioritize ensuring their safety before launching attacks. It is almost impossible to make them charge and fight to the death unless the battle is one-sided.
Without proper leadership, the militia would almost immediately rout in battle.
"You’re an excellent warrior, Laine, just like your father when he was young." Villarld approached with a war axe: "Thank you, Laine. If not for you, many fathers and husbands would have died in this battle."
"No problem, just remember to calculate my share of the two percent price of Water Ghost Fang, it’s my due." Laine nodded with a smile and sheathed the picked-up two-handed sword.
"Of course!" This is an unwritten rule, a conventional rule on the Continent where the person who provides crucial intelligence and the one who kills the enemy leader each receive a twenty percent share of the battle spoils.
Ignoring Banda, who was being treated on the ground, Laine walked over to Teresa: "Teresa? Are you alright?"
Despite a fierce battle, Laine’s clothing was not in the least bit damaged, only stained with some green blood. The female sorcerer didn’t let any Water Ghosts come within twenty meters of her. Seeing Laine return, she raised her hand cannon: "I thought you’d settle the battle faster."
"I should have, but as you may have noticed, there’s something wrong with these creatures. Their eyes are blood-red; I can sense the Blood God’s power within them. The Water Ghosts were controlled and driven to attack the docks. If Mr. Villarld hadn’t issued the maritime ban..." At this thought, Laine felt a trace of fear.
"Then we’d encounter this group of Water Ghosts at sea, and the ship’s bottom would be punched through, forcing us to fight these creatures in the water!" The female sorcerer reacted quickly; the mere thought of such a possibility made her shudder.
Fighting Water Ghosts in the water is a very foolish idea, as humans are not inherently good swimmers.
"We best not let the lord know these Water Ghosts might have been summoned by us, so we can start our journey sooner." Laine whispered to the female sorcerer, receiving her affirming response. Villarld led soldiers in cleaning the battlefield. The Water Ghost’s teeth are an alchemical material, and passing casters always go to the lord’s residence to recycle these things. Some things, Laine felt, should best be kept from Villarld.
Though the Blood Axe Mercenary Corps was the first to arrive, it was the last to join the battlefield. Besides the few at the forefront like Boris and Viert who managed to slay some Water Ghosts, most of the Mercenaries hadn’t even bloodied their weapons before the battle ended.
Because of this, there was a fierce argument over the distribution of spoils between the militia and mercenaries.
"Everyone took part in the battle, why are we only given this little!" A mercenary wielding a short dagger and carrying a longbow argued endlessly with the militia. He had short golden curly hair, quite a few freckles, and a scar on his face, but if you overlooked these, he was rather handsome.