Crossover Anime: I Became Invincible Starting as an Ajin

Chapter 154 The Premature Siege

Several years flew by amidst the ups and downs.

Gambino's mercenary group has grown slightly, and the missions they receive are becoming increasingly dangerous.

Now, they are employed by a minor nobleman eager to expand his territory, participating in the siege of a castle.

The air was filled with the smells of damp earth, rust, and a faint stench of decay.

Dark, heavy clouds hung overhead, as if they might crash down at any moment.

The castle was built against the mountain, its stone walls riddled with arrow holes and charred marks, and the moat had long been filled in, leaving behind muddy attack routes.

Six-year-old Guts and Wang Bai wore protective gear that was made from old leather armor but still looked too big, and they held tightly to a wooden spear that was much taller than them—the safest equipment that Gambino could provide them.

They were assigned to the second echelon of the attacking force, tasked with following behind the adult mercenaries.

Their role is to finish off enemies, create noise, and, when necessary, act as bait to draw enemy fire.

Wang Bai took a deep breath, trying to calm his heart, which was racing with tension.

On the night Sith died, Wang Bai had exhausted all the power of the Imaginary Tree.

As a result, the tree of his imagination withered once again.

This situation caused Wang Bai considerable distress and surprise. Logically speaking, even after Wang Bai lost consciousness and fell into a coma, the Imaginary Tree should have instinctively survived and expanded.

However, the situation is quite the opposite now. The Imaginary Tree was severely damaged after its last battle with the Hand of God and has not yet recovered.

After several years of research, Wang Bai understood why the Imaginary Tree had not recovered.

This world seems to have its own will. Ever since Wang Bai arrived in this world, the entire world has been silently trying to destroy him.

However, the existence of the Imaginary Tree has always hindered the world's rejection and attacks, which has caused the Imaginary Tree to continuously consume its own power and be unable to recover for a long time.

Furthermore, Wang Bai's significant investment of power at the time of Sith's death, in an attempt to reverse Sith's fate, only exacerbated the already dire situation for the Imaginary Tree.

But Wang Bai was completely unaware of the abnormality of the Imagination Tree at the time. It seems that this world had already influenced his consciousness when he was reborn and asleep as an infant.

He set up an obstacle similar to a "barrier of perception" in his mind. So it seems that the fact that Sith used the power of the Imaginary Tree extensively actually helped Wang Bai get rid of this barrier of perception.

In a way, it can be considered a blessing in disguise.

But if it weren't for the unseen forces of other worlds whose despair was overwritten by the Imaginary Tree, providing a steady stream of power, the Imaginary Tree would probably have been unable to sustain Wang Bai's survival long ago.

Realizing this, Wang Bai became extremely wary of the world.

But he was just a toddler who had just learned to walk, and this was a world where human life was cheap.

This made Wang Bai slow down his chance to escape and stay with the mercenary group, which was temporarily considered safe.

However, he suddenly realized that Wang Bai had come to his rescue when Gus rolled down a hillside while playing.

At that moment, the Imaginary Tree became slightly active for a brief instant.

Wang Baiming realized that Guts, as one of the main characters, might have his tragic fate "overwritten" during his growth process.

This massive redemption and change might directly restore the Imaginary Tree to its peak state.

On one hand, there was the option of escaping, with no idea when things would recover; on the other hand, there was the option of bravely facing fate, rescuing Guts from a hopeless future, and thus allowing the Imaginary Tree to fully recover. Without hesitation, Wang Bai chose the second option.

His body, after several years of conscious training and the subtle influence of the Imaginary Tree's energy, is much stronger than his peers. In addition, due to the battles in the past few worlds, Wang Bai has never even revealed his demi-human characteristics.

He has become a star in the mercenary group and is known as "Raka, the Son of the God of War".

He glanced at Gus beside him.

Besides tension, Gus's eyes gleamed with an almost beastly excitement and ferocity.

He gripped the spear tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, his body leaning slightly forward, like a young wolf ready to pounce and tear at any moment.

The hardships of his childhood and the cruelty of his surroundings had already etched a premature adaptation to violence into his very bones.

"Listen to me, you two little brats!"

Gambino rode up to them, his voice rough and carrying an undeniable command, "Stay close to the men in front! Don't fall behind! If you see someone fall, friend or foe, as long as they're not completely dead, give them a final blow to the throat or chest! Don't hesitate! Hesitation means you'll all die! Do you hear me?!"

"I heard you!" Guts almost roared in response, his eyes burning with fire.

Wang Bai nodded in agreement.

Gambino gave Wang Bai a serious look: "Laka goes without saying, his skills are already on par with mine, but Gus, you are not as good as your brother next to you."

Gus was not angry when he heard Gambino's reply. Instead, he looked at Wang Bai with admiration.

Gus, who grew up with Wang Bai, considers his older brother Raka to be the closest and most reliable person.

Especially in a mercenary group where you never know if you'll die tomorrow, the sense of security that your brother Laka provides is unparalleled.

However, his brother Laca's outstanding performance also put Guts under tremendous pressure.

I want to become a mercenary as good as my older brother, and I don't want to hold him back.

Guss is even more hardworking than Wang Bai imagined, and gives the impression that he is even stronger than in the original work.

During a training session, Gus was provoked by Gambino and nearly severed Gambino's arm. As Gambino retaliated, Gus nimbly rolled on the ground, completing a full circle.

The iconic knife mark on the brow bone that we saw in the original work has never appeared.

Faced with a future that had been slightly altered, Wang Bai had no regrets whatsoever.

In his view, the real thing is being able to avoid hardship, not the butterfly effect of having one's fate altered.

Wang Bai's reaction to this was to kill anyone who stood in his way.

Seeing the two children's response, Gambino said nothing more, spurred his horse, and charged towards the front of the column. With his command, the bugle call for attack rang out fiercely!

"kill--!!"

The first wave of mercenaries and hastily conscripted farmers roared and surged towards the castle walls like a flood bursting its banks. Instantly, arrows rained down from the walls like locusts, mixed with stones hurled from catapults! Screams, the clanging of metal, and the wails of the dying filled the entire battlefield!

Wang Bai and Gus's second group also began to move forward. The muddy ground made running extremely difficult, and the strong smell of blood in the air was almost nauseating. Wang Bai forced himself to calm down, and the power of his inner energy flowed laboriously through his young body, helping him filter out some of the mental shock and maintain his observation skills.

He saw a mercenary fall with a scream after an arrow pierced his thigh; he saw a farmer's head explode like a watermelon after being struck by a falling rock; he heard the dull thud of the battering ram slamming into the city gate, and the piercing screams caused by the scalding golden liquid (possibly oil or excrement) poured from the top of the wall—

This is the battlefield, a naked, life-devouring meat grinder.

"Raka! Look over there!" Gus suddenly shouted, his voice sharp with excitement.

Wang Bai looked in the direction he pointed and saw a fierce battle taking place near a breach in the city wall. A wounded enemy soldier, lying on the ground, was struggling to stab the calf of a mercenary running past him with his short sword.

Without almost any hesitation, Guss let out a low growl and charged forward, holding the wooden spear that was taller than him! His movements carried a natural, unruly ferocity, like a wild beast pouncing on its prey.

"Gus! Watch out!" Wang Bai's heart tightened, and he immediately followed.

The wounded soldier saw that the two children were rushing towards him. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes, which then turned into a ferocious expression as he swung his short sword to block.

"Clang!" The wooden spearhead was easily severed by the short sword!

But Guts' strength was extraordinary, and the impact caused the soldier to stumble. Just as the soldier attempted to attack again, Wang Bai arrived!

Instead of charging forward like Guss, he focused more on pace and timing.

Using his short stature as an advantage, he nimbly circled around to the soldier's side and thrust the sharpened broken spear in his hand fiercely into the soldier's unarmored armpit!

"Pfft!"

Although it was a wooden gun, Wang Bai's precise exertion and understanding of human weaknesses still caused considerable damage.

The soldier cried out in pain and froze.

In that instant, Guts, like a maddened cub, dropped the broken spear and pounced forward, biting the soldier's wrist with all his might!

"Ah!!" The soldier cried out in pain, and the short sword slipped from his hand.

Wang Bai didn't stop. He pulled out the broken spear and stabbed the soldier in the neck again!

"Ugh—" The soldier's throat was pierced by rough wood, blood and tears gushed out, and the light in his eyes quickly dimmed.

Guss opened his mouth, which was full of blood. He was panting heavily as he looked at the fallen soldier. There was no fear in his eyes, only a primal excitement, like that of someone who had just completed a hunt.

Looking at the dead soldiers and then at Gus, who seemed to be going mad, Wang Bai felt a mix of emotions.

This is the world they live in; it's either you die or I die.

"Well done, you little bastards!" A passing mercenary saw this, rudely patted them on the shoulder, and continued charging forward.

The battle continues.

Wang Bai and Gus worked together to survive the chaotic battlefield.

Wang Bai relied on calm judgment and extraordinary strength and skills, while Guts relied on beast-like intuition and fearless ferocity, even creating a void on the battlefield.

Even when the surrounding enemies were in a frenzy of killing, they instinctively avoided the two brothers.

Such behavior will naturally deal a significant blow to morale.

With low morale and weak combat strength, the final outcome on the battlefield was quickly determined.

When the castle gates were finally broken down and the defenders began to crumble, Gambino's mercenary group rushed into the castle along with the fleeing soldiers and their allies.

Burning, killing, and looting are the "rights" of the victors.

The castle gates were wide open, symbolizing the end of resistance and the beginning of a hellish carnival.

The victorious mercenaries and soldiers, like hungry wolves breaking free of their chains, charged into the castle with bloodshot eyes. Their targets changed from the enemy to all living things that could move and all valuables that could be carried.

Screams, pleas for mercy, maniacal laughter, and the sounds of smashing objects mingled together, replacing the previous clamor of battle.

The stench of blood began to mingle with a stronger smell of alcohol and smoke—they set houses on fire, seized wine cellars, and chased after panicked servants, women, and even children.

This is the law of war in this era: the victors have the "right" to decide the life and death of the vanquished, and plunder is the main reward for mercenaries who risk their lives.

Gus stood at the edge of the chaotic square, panting heavily. He looked at everything before him, his beast-like eyes reflecting the firelight and the crazed figures.

He didn't fully understand what this meant, but the atmosphere of the environment affected him, making the violent impulses within him stir. His hand holding the broken gun trembled slightly, as if he also wanted to join this "hunt".

However, Wang Bai, who was beside him, remained unusually silent.

Wang Bai watched as an old servant was hacked to the ground, a young girl was dragged into a burning house, and soldiers stabbed each other to death over a bag of silver coins.

His eyes were cold, devoid of excitement or excessive sympathy, only displaying a profound understanding and detachment beyond his years.

He knew that this was the "common sense" of the world, the distorted survival logic of those struggling at the bottom.

He has neither the right nor the power to criticize the entire era. But he can choose what he does.

"Guss," Wang Bai's calm voice broke Guss's attention, which was drawn into the frenzied atmosphere, "Let's go over there."

He was pointing to a relatively secluded storage area and small chapel in a corner of the castle, which had not yet been completely affected by the fire.

There were some mercenaries searching there, but the level of chaos was slightly less than that of the main square and the lord's mansion.

Gus was somewhat puzzled, but he still subconsciously followed Wang Bai.

In his simplistic understanding, Laka always thought more and was more "correct" than he did.

They made their way through the chaotic crowd to the storage area.

A mercenary had just dragged a small bag of wheat out of a cellar, grumbling that there wasn't enough.

Wang Bai noticed a faint breathing sound coming from deep within the cellar.

He walked over, ignoring the mercenary, and spoke into the dark cellar: "Come out, we won't hurt you."

""

There was no response, only a fearful silence.

Wang Bai pulled a small cloth bag from his pocket, which contained a meager advance payment from Gambino—a few low-quality silver coins.

He handed most of it to the mercenary who was about to leave.

"This cellar, and the people inside, are ours. Is that enough?" Wang Bai's tone wasn't a request, but rather a statement of a deal.

The mercenary paused for a moment, glanced at the silver coins in Wang Bai's hand, then at the cellar, and sneered, "Two little brats trying to be kind? There are only a few old guys dying inside, not worth this price."

But he still nimbly grabbed the silver coins, weighed them in his hand, and said, "Fine, they're yours! Bad luck!" With that, he turned and rushed off towards the place where he was more likely to find wealth.

Gus stared wide-eyed at Wang Bai in disbelief: "Laka! That's our money! What are you giving it to them for?"

There might be nothing inside!

Wang Bai didn't explain, but simply said to the cellar again, "It's safe outside for now. We are from the Gambino Mercenary Group and we won't harm you. If you want to live, come out and come with us."

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