ALL NOVEL Chapter 25
Chapter 25: Fiery Blossom and Shadow Guardian
The lion-men and tiger-men that landed atop the castle showed for the first time in front of Miss Vilyric the immense power of beastmen.
No one was using weapons; they were battling purely with their solid bodies and sharp claws, sometimes even biting at their enemies’ vital spots like true beasts.
The combat styles of these two races were quite similar; speed, strength, defense, and endurance were all well-rounded, making them comprehensive combat warriors.
Ordinary human soldiers couldn’t inflict significant damage on them; a spear might only leave a bleeding cut at best, but once the claws of the lion or tiger-men struck, even with armor, the best outcome would be serious injury.
Only high-ranking experts like squad leaders or battalion leaders could stand against them, but if all officers engaged in battle, it was uncertain whether they could win, and the entire castle’s defense would immediately lose its mobility, becoming semi-paralyzed, fulfilling the beasts’ goals.
“Die!!”
A middle-aged man in the standard armor of a lower-ranking officer of the kingdom swung his sword desperately, decapitating an already injured tiger-man by his side, only to hear the wind whooshing by his ear as another lion-man took advantage of his open position, swiping at his head!
There was no escaping!
Charles felt a twinge of bitterness; he was just an ordinary squad leader of the copper rank, and it was already tough for him to face powerful beastmen warriors alone, and now he had exposed a gap to kill an enemy…
As a veteran soldier of several years, Charles was not without resolve to die; as long as Wanku Fortress remained, his wife and children in the city would be safe, and he would obtain a hefty compensation for sacrificing himself on the battlefield…
Nobody wants to die, but if it comes to that, at least one’s sacrifice should hold value!
On the brink of life and death, countless thoughts flashed through Charles’s mind, crystallizing into a mournful roar.
“F*** you! A bunch of uncultured, beastly bastards!!”
Not dodging, not evading; even if it meant death, Charles decided to strike back fiercely, creating an opportunity for his teammates, even if it meant not making it out alive!
“Haahhhhhhh!!!!”
Swish.
In a desperate swing, his blade struck emptiness, and the anticipated shattering claw never came; instead, an arrow from afar shot through the lion-man’s hardest skull, sending it flying and killing it on the spot.
“Huh?”
Charles stared blankly at the lion-man that had fallen nearby, only to see a young woman with short, fiery red hair ghosting around the area, her short bow occasionally shooting arrows that blossomed like flames, taking at least one beastman’s life each time.
And when I say at least, it’s because sometimes those powerful arrows would even pierce through one beastman and hit another unfortunate soul nearby, but never harmed any human soldiers.
“A master… a legendary… master?”
Though Charles was just a squad leader, he wasn’t entirely without knowledge; he knew very well what a bowman bursting with crimson flames represented in the United Kingdom.
The inheritor of the Red Lotus Archery, a national legend, who had crossed the limits of humanity at just nineteen to become a legendary great adventurer, one of the three Guardians of the City of Courage—Fiery Blossom.
Fiery was her title, Blossom was her name; those who respected her loved to call her simply Fiery Blossom.
In the time it took Charles to blink, the valiant girl had finished clearing the area and swiftly vanished into the distance.
But he knew he would never forget that dazzling figure for the rest of his life, not out of love, but the purest admiration and gratitude.
Within half an hour of the first wave of lion-men and tiger-men breaching the castle, these thousands of powerful beastmen were entirely annihilated, and during that process, Miss Vilyric also caught a glimpse of the so-called “Shadow Guardians.”
The Shadow Guardians were not the strength of Wanku Fortress but Liliya’s most elite trump card—dedicated warriors groomed in various ways from a young age. Only a hundred in number, but each one was at least a master of the Ink Steel rank.
Being a princess, Liliya had spent a large portion of her resources on this elite force, essentially arming them to the teeth.
From the perspective of [Phantom World], each of these warriors wore a full suit of the lowest blue-grade gear, and the ones that looked the toughest wielded even purple treasure-grade weapons.
What does that even mean?
One should know that even the West Guard, which claims to be one of the kingdom’s most elite forces, only has soldiers adorned in white-grade armor; according to Vilyric’s observations since arriving in this world, many villages, towns, and even small cities’ guards barely reach even the lowest levels found in games.
Or one could call it “ragged xxxx,” not crafted by a professional blacksmith but rather piecing steel sheets into clothing or tightly wrapping it around wooden sticks—they’re painfully shabby to behold.
In this world, blue-grade armor is already regarded as top-tier equipment crafted by masters, and higher-level purple treasures are termed magical weapons.
Magical weapons are typically crafted only by powerful mages or through special means, rare and hard to come by, like the fragments of the [God’s Jewel] Vilyric pilfered from that small town when she first arrived.
Such high-grade items are usually only accessible by royal families or super families of great influence; for instance, the ring Liliya possesses is a magical item, similar to Vilyric’s item slot, with storage capabilities, though its capacity is far from comparable.
Going further up, golden spiritual artifacts here are referred to as spirit treasures or spirit gear, generally referring to those that have developed simple sentience or even more powerful magical weapons or equipment.
Such items could be considered national treasures; other countries might not yet be aware, but Liliya mentioned that there are only three spirit treasures in the United Kingdom, all deep within the royal treasury.
Thus, when Lester received the golden-quality [Soul Shield of the Dark Knight] with transformation abilities, he was ecstatic—but at that time, Vilyric still didn’t grasp these details, or she would have likely pondered more…
As for equipment even above golden spirit treasures, those are relics left behind by gods.
Liliya had never laid her eyes on such items, so she couldn’t render a judgment.
Therefore, Vilyric still couldn’t determine whether the relics in this world referred to the higher-tier holy artifacts in [Phantom World] or real artifact-grade weapons like her [Eternal Staff: Heart of the World] and robe [Feather Garb: Gloraria].
However, Liliya said that each of the three Saints of the Holy Empire possesses a legacy artifact that protects the nation, and if Vilyric’s interested, she could inquire further.
Miss Priestess secretly noted this information in her mind.