The Paladin in the Abyss

"Brother, come help me!"

Before Lancelot could make a move, Bruto had already spoken up. Although dwarves don’t like having their opponents taken from them, that usually applies to one-on-one situations. Now he was surrounded by enemies, so asking his brother for help was only natural and didn’t cause him any psychological burden. Lancelot knew that leaving the remaining two enemies to the priest and the cursed swordmaster wouldn’t be an issue, so he let go of the enemy still struggling in the vines in front of him and turned to support the dwarf just ten feet away.

He lowered his long sword behind his back, and as he took a step forward and turned his body sideways, he looked like a catapult ready to launch. In the next instant, using his front foot as a pivot, he twisted his entire body forward like a pendulum, unleashing a powerful diagonal slash with his sword.

Lancelot’s attack was fast as lightning; the opponent didn’t even have time to react before being struck on the steel-helmeted head. The human knight didn’t use the Qingyuan Sword Technique because he knew this move could harness 120% of his strength. As long as he hit, the opponent’s neck would surely break, especially since the target was a skeleton without muscle protection on its bones.

However, the actual situation was beyond his expectations—the undead knight’s spine seemed to be made of mithril. Although twisted like a pouch hanging from its chest from the heavy blow, it didn’t break. Even so, his full-force attack wasn’t wasted; his sword spun rapidly in the air, returning above the human knight’s head before delivering a vertical slash again.

Lancelot intentionally used the part of the sword near the hilt to strike the opponent, effectively using the sword as a warhammer. The undead knight still couldn’t mount an effective defense. When the lightning-like strike hit again, the force that had reawakened it from death finally collapsed. The undead knight’s body erupted with a crackling sound like bamboo burning in a blazing fire, and its bones shattered into white powder instantly, while the armor and shield clattered to the ground.

Meanwhile, opposite him, the dwarf, unconcerned about his back, was focused on dealing with his own enemy. Just as he claimed, Bruto had indeed learned many knight-fighting techniques and how to maximize the height difference between himself and his opponents from training with Lancelot.

Being short did bring disadvantages in attack range and flexibility, but it wasn’t without benefits: firstly, a downward strike required the opponent to move their weapon a longer distance, often leaving them with limited ability to follow up. Additionally, attacks that were typical for a dwarf became difficult-to-counter middle and lower strikes for taller opponents, who usually couldn’t immediately retaliate after defending. Lastly, dwarves were inherently strong, and their lower center of gravity gave them a significant advantage in strength contests. If knocked to the ground in a fight with a dwarf, the battle’s outcome would be a foregone conclusion.

Realizing he couldn’t quickly break through his opponent’s defense, Bruto decisively chose a tactic that Lancelot found somewhat underhanded—a trip and grab maneuver. This technique, combining charging, rolling, grappling, and brute force, aimed solely to bring the enemy down as quickly as possible, and the dwarf executed it perfectly. As both he and his opponent fell, Bruto’s hands tightly gripped the opponent’s arms holding the weapon and shield, all the while launching a uniquely dwarven attack—using his helmeted head as a warhammer to repeatedly smash into the enemy’s face.

The attack worked.

In the moment his opponent died, Lancelot forcibly pulled Bruto away from the enemy, worried the dwarf might easily injure himself in such a stance. Meanwhile, Alamir and Tanya had also finished off their respective opponents, signaling the likely end of this intense yet brief skirmish.