The Devouring Knight

When they arrived, they saw a familiar face standing outside the gate, his expression filled with worry.

"Elder Shen, you came sooner than we expected. Did something happen?" Lumberling called out.

"Lord Lumberling, please help us!" Elder Shen pleaded as he bowed. "The other elders and disciples are fighting right now. We need your strength to save them!"

"You don’t need to bow, Elder Shen. Take us there," Lumberling said, gripping his spear. He already had a feeling that another battle was waiting for them. "Thank you, my Lord. Please, follow me!"

Liraeth turned to the soldiers and gave her orders. "Strengthen the defenses while we’re gone. Inform Lumberling’s captains and Vaenyra’s mages to follow us as soon as possible. We may need reinforcements."

"Yes, Viscount!" The soldier saluted before quickly running off to carry out her orders.

Lumberling nodded, then he and his lovers followed Elder Shen into the forest.

As they ran, Lumberling glanced at him. "What happened to you all?"

"The Viking King came and attacked our city."

The moment Elder Shen mentioned his name, everyone’s expression turned serious. None of them had expected the Viking King to appear so quickly after Sigvar was killed.

’So this was the danger Liraeth was talking about.’ Lumberling’s eyes narrowed as he continued running.

"Those Viking bastards nearly wiped us all out," Elder Shen said, his voice trembling with anger. "Duke Hadric and Knight Corven sacrificed themselves so the rest of us could escape."

His hands tightened into fists. "We were too weak to help them. We could only run while they stayed behind and fought."

He took a shaky breath before continuing. "Those bastards even sent three of their elites after us. There were only three of them, but we couldn’t fight them at all. That’s why the elders sent me here to ask for your help."

Lumberling’s expression darkened. He had only spent a short time with Hadric, but the old Duke had treated him well. Hearing that he was dead left a bitter feeling in his chest. He nodded, his expression growing colder. "Then we’ll deal with them."

He increased his pace, and the others quickly followed.

Before a full hour had passed, Lumberling and the others finally arrived at the battlefield.

They weren’t too late, but the scene before them was still grim. Corpses were scattered across the ground, and only a dozen people were still breathing.

Even the two elders Lumberling knew, Elder Hanxu and Grand Elder Tian, were covered in blood and badly injured.

"Elder Hanxu! Grand Elder Tian!" Elder Shen shouted as he rushed over to help them.

The ones responsible for the massacre stood nearby. Three tall, tattooed men stood in the middle of the battlefield, each wearing half armor. A strong presence came from their bodies, making it clear that they were far from ordinary Vikings.

After fighting Vikings several times, Lumberling could easily tell their strength. They weren’t even trying to hide it. ’Wyrdforged... equivalent to Knight Three.’

His eyes narrowed. ’He was willing to send three people at this level just to hunt down these survivors. That Viking King really doesn’t plan to leave anyone alive.’

Lumberling’s expression turned cold. ’He’s more ruthless than I thought. If he’s sending people this strong after them, there’s a good chance he’s looking for us too.’

But he quickly pushed those thoughts aside. Right now, saving the injured elders came first.

Clang! A sharp sound rang out as Lumberling’s spear struck against a Viking’s weapon, knocking it aside just before it could pierce Grand Elder Tian.

"Heh! Who are you, brat?" the Viking sneered. "Adults are fighting here. Know your place and mind your own business!"

The tattoos covering his body suddenly glowed as he swung his weapon toward Lumberling.

"Get back, Grand Elder Tian!"

Tian gritted his teeth and pulled himself away, quickly moving out of the attack’s range.

Lumberling didn’t retreat. He tightened his grip on his spear and met the Viking head-on.

’Spearheart Thrust! Thundering Lunge! Triple Fang!’ Three spear skills erupted at the same time, their power joining together as Lumberling thrust his spear forward.

Boom! The two spears collided tip to tip.

The sound of metal scraping against metal rang across the battlefield as a powerful shockwave spread through the area.

When the dust finally cleared, the Viking was still standing in his original position. Lumberling, however, had been pushed several meters back. His feet dug into the ground as he steadied himself.

’So I’m still at a disadvantage against someone at the Wyrdforged level.’ A grin slowly appeared on his face. ’Good.’

He lowered his body and rushed forward again. He wanted to know exactly how far he could go against an opponent on the same level as a Knight Three.

At the same time, Thessalia and Aurelya moved into action, each taking on one of the remaining Vikings while Liraeth rushed to check on the injured.

Lumberling continued exchanging blows with his opponent. The longer they fought, the more he realized something. Even though he could match the Viking’s speed and strength, he was clearly losing when it came to actual fighting skills.

His strongest skill was the Low-Level Spearheart Doctrine Lv.9. Although it was getting close to the Intermediate level, it was still only at the level of a Knight One. The gap between that and a Knight Three was simply too large.

’So this is the difference between stages.’ Lumberling gritted his teeth as he blocked another attack. Until now, he had relied heavily on his physical strength to crush his enemies. But against opponents at this level, brute force alone was no longer enough.

’If I want to fight people like this, I need better skills.’

"Do you need my help?" Vaenyra’s voice suddenly came from behind him.

The three Vikings, who were already struggling against their opponents, finally noticed her.

The moment their eyes landed on Vaenyra, their expressions changed as fear spread across their faces. Without saying another word, all three turned and tried to flee.

Lumberling’s opponent was already giving him trouble. Since their strength was close, Lumberling couldn’t stop him from running if he decided to escape.

"Vaenyra, help me here!" Lumberling shouted without hesitation.

"Tch! Shameless bastard!" the Viking cursed. "You need a woman’s help to fight me? If you’re a man, fight me one-on-one!"

Lumberling didn’t even bother answering. ’Shameless or not, who cares?’

He had no reason to make things harder for himself just to protect his pride. ’As long as I win, that’s all that matters.’

Vaenyra moved beside him, and the Viking’s face turned pale.

Meanwhile, Aurelya and Thessalia were already overwhelming their own opponents. Aurelya quickly gained the upper hand, while Thessalia took a little longer to bring hers down.

As for Lumberling’s opponent, he was the most unlucky of the three. He now had to face both Lumberling and Vaenyra. There was no way he could escape.

After a short struggle, the three Vikings were finally beaten down and knocked unconscious. Lumberling lowered his spear and looked at the unconscious men. ’Wyrdforged, huh?’

A small smile appeared on his face. ’Looks like I still have a lot to learn.’