Just as Orland charged towards the enemy, Pavel's enchanted bowstring was drawn to its limit, and the arrow whistled through the air, flying towards the Knight's face.
There was a T-shaped opening there, which should be easier to damage than other armored areas, and it could also distract the enemy, forcing him to defend.
At this moment, Pavel made the best judgment as an archer.
The Knight riding the Dragon Blood Bicorn was indeed distracted, just as he had expected.
However, Pavel's attack seemed to be disregarded by him; with a gentle flick of his longsword, the magic-infused arrow was immediately cut into two.
It's not over yet!
Pavel had already anticipated this level of attack after their brief previous encounter.
So, after firing the first arrow, he immediately drew two more magic arrows.
A double shot!
Two arrows, one after another, flew towards the Knight's face again.
He merely tilted his head slightly, dodging the first arrow, while simultaneously blocking the second arrow with his longsword.
At this moment, Orland had already reached the warhorse.
He swung his sword, aiming for the Dragon Blood Bicorn's neck, intending to kill this powerful mount first.
However, what Orland didn't expect was that his action thoroughly enraged the Dragon Blood Bicorn.
Its red eyes flashed with a furious glow, and it abruptly lowered its head, thrusting its curved horns at Orland.
The sharp horns collided with Orland's sword, sparking like clashing metal, and the immense force directly knocked him back.
Orland stumbled back a few steps.
Are you kidding me?
If it were a charge like before, his being knocked back would be completely normal.
Because the warhorse's inertia during a charge is enormous, even he couldn't directly stop a galloping warhorse.
But now, this unknown mount merely lowered its head and bumped him lightly, yet he found it somewhat irresistible!
Without giving Orland any more time to think, the Knight immediately spurred the Dragon Blood Bicorn to charge at him.
This is going to be deadly!
Orland couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh in his heart, but now he had no choice; he swung his sword and met the charge.
Whoosh!
At this moment, Pavel's support arrived.
His arrow this time did not attack the Knight, but instead aimed at the mount beneath the Knight.
Clearly, Pavel also knew how dangerous a charging cavalryman was to a warrior; even if this arrow couldn't stop the strange mount, it could at least slow it down.
However, to his surprise, the Dragon Blood Bicorn showed no reaction to the arrow at all; the scales on its body emitted a faint glow, forming a magical shield over its entire body.
Pavel's magic arrow hit its head but caused no damage, simply bouncing off.
The attack infuriated the Dragon Blood Bicorn; while charging rapidly, it lowered its head, aiming its sharp horns at Orland like a bull.
Martial Skill · Crucial Fortress!
The moment he was about to be hit, Orland immediately activated his defensive martial skill, and his entire body glowed faintly.
If he used this martial skill, even if he couldn't completely block it, he could at least reduce the damage received, Orland thought to himself.
Then, with a bang, the Dragon Blood Bicorn's sharp horns slammed into his chest, directly creating two more piercing blood holes in his damaged armor.
Ugh!
Orland was sent flying like a rag, spitting out a mouthful of blood in mid-air, and finally, his entire body smashed into the wall of the blockhouse, even embedding himself in the wall due to the terrifying force.
Pavel, who was by the side of the passage, instantly widened his eyes, a look of horror appearing in them, and his gaze subtly shifted to the right.
Orland had flown past him too quickly for him to react at all.
This is bad!
Pavel thought to himself.
If Orland, as the vanguard, was directly defeated, then the enemy's next target would probably be himself!
With this thought, he immediately turned his gaze back to the Knight and the Dragon Blood Bicorn, simultaneously drawing his bowstring taut.
Although his reaction speed was fast, it seemed it was already too late.
The galloping Bicorn arrived with a rush of wind, and the Knight riding it swung his longsword, thrusting it at Pavel.
In this critical moment, Pavel could only use his bow as a weapon, trying to parry the opponent's thrust.
The enchanted longbow was harder than ordinary iron, but under that sword, it was still like a withered branch.
The longsword directly cut through the enchanted longbow, and the sharp tip pierced Pavel's right shoulder.
With the impact of the fast horse, the longsword lifted Pavel entirely until he also hit the wall of the blockhouse, where he finally stopped.
Pavel gripped the longsword, piercing his shoulder with both hands, the sharp blade tearing through his gloves, but this was the best way to reduce damage; otherwise, this sharp sword would probably cut off his shoulder bone directly.
"It seems you are only capable of this much," the Knight said flatly, then pulled the sword out of Pavel's body.
Pavel fell heavily to the ground, clutching his left shoulder, and looked up at the person who had severely wounded him.
"Your Excellency's strength is indeed very powerful. But it seems you've come to the wrong place; this is a military fortress! cough…"
As soon as Pavel finished speaking, a large number of soldiers rushed out from the blockhouse passage.
"Quick!!!"
"Surround him!"
The soldiers surrounded the Knight from both sides; the front row consisted of spearmen with long spears, behind them was a line of warriors with shields, and finally, archers with their bowstrings drawn taut, their arrows now aimed at the Knight.
"Invader! Don't move, put down your weapon, and surrender!"
The man in the middle of the soldiers shouted.
From his attire, he appeared to be a Commander of some sort.
At this moment, his face was a little tense, and he looked at the Knight and the Bicorn beneath him, who had appeared on the city wall, with a solemn gaze.
Facing the encirclement of a large number of soldiers, the Knight seemed to feel no fear or panic.
"You alone cannot stop me. Retreat, all of you; I am not here to attack this place."
"Then put down your weapon and surrender, state your identity and purpose," the Commander said sternly.
Regardless, the Knight's actions in attacking the soldiers had already violated the Holy Kingdom's military regulations.
Moreover, he was able to defeat two individuals of the Holy Kingdom's elite, possessing such immense power, which posed a huge threat to the entire outpost.
If he could comply and surrender, accepting custody, then it wouldn't be impossible to hear him out.
Facing the Commander's demand, the Knight did not cooperate.
He merely swung his longsword at the blockhouse behind the soldiers, and a huge sword qi shot out.
Crack!
The Commander and the soldiers were startled and immediately turned to look behind them; the upper part of the square blockhouse was directly diagonally cut off by the sword qi the Knight had unleashed, and under the pull of gravity, it began to fall downwards.
With a rumble.
The Commander and the soldiers were immediately frightened by the loud noise and retreated; if that sword strike had landed on them just now…
Imagining themselves being cut in half, the soldiers didn't even dare to point their weapons at the Knight anymore, and the entire scene suddenly fell silent.
"You are not yet qualified to speak with me. Report this information to someone who can make decisions; an envoy from the Sanctuary wishes to see the Holy Queen," the Knight said indifferently, then returned his longsword to its sheath. "Now open the city gate and let my subordinates in."
Hearing the Knight's words, the Commander's face showed hesitation.
Although there were no signs of a large number of enemies beyond the Great Wall at present, it didn't mean there was no such possibility.
Once he ordered the city gate to be opened, the enemy could potentially breach this defense line effortlessly, and then he would be beyond redemption.
"Hmm?" The Knight made an impatient sound, his hand once again gripping the hilt of his sword, as if he would strike again at any moment.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, a loud shout stopped the Knight's movement.
It was Pavel; he couldn't staunch the wound on his shoulder. He struggled to his feet and said to the Commander, "Sir, please order the city gate to be opened."
"Pavel!"
"Since he is an envoy, it wouldn't be good for us to refuse him entry, would it?" Pavel gave the Commander a meaningful look and said calmly.
Even with the strength he just demonstrated, we have no way to resist him. Someone who can easily defeat Orland and me is unlikely to be stopped by soldiers.
Someone who can destroy a blockhouse with a single sword, relying solely on the city gate, would probably find it very difficult to stop him.
Continuing the standoff would only result in greater damage.
Pavel's eyes conveyed this message; although the Commander couldn't fully understand it, years of working together allowed him to grasp some of it.
"...Open the city gate," the Commander said weakly, as if all his strength had been exhausted.
The soldiers looked at each other, and finally, the Commander's personal guards ran down the city wall to relay the order.
As the Great Wall's gate slowly opened, six of the knights' subordinates outside the gate rode their horses into the Great Wall.
Under the vigilant gaze of the Commander and the soldiers, until the city gate closed again, the attacking force they feared still did not appear.
The other party truly seemed to be just an envoy.
However, an envoy's retinue consisting entirely of Knights, without any ceremonial procession or prior official notification, still left his identity in question.
And what exactly was this 'Sanctuary' he spoke of?
At least the Commander could be sure that it was not a power existing in the form of a nation.
Three minutes later, a Holy Kingdom soldier riding a fast horse departed from this outpost, carrying a detailed report of this incident, and galloped towards the nearest city, Kalinsha.
It was this incident that brought the Holy Kingdom to a historical turning point, changing its fate of having half its cities destroyed, and leading it to an eternal era of glory and sanctity.
In later historical records, it was written: The Great Holy Emperor descended upon the border fortress of the Holy Kingdom in the morning light, beginning his epic of saving the kingdom in its time of crisis.
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