Swords, magic, and martial arts

Unlike last time, when you could hear noise from inside the roadside hotel even before you got close, the hotel was eerily quiet, even though it wasn't too late, around seven or eight o'clock.

Weber also noticed something was wrong. He gestured for everyone to be quiet, then crept closer to the inn's entrance. Before he even got close, a man wearing full black armor and carrying a giant sword came out.

He was very tall, even taller than Baron and Hammer, standing at a full two and a half meters tall. He looked like a wall or a mountain when he stood at the doorway.

A pair of sharp eyes shone from within his heavy helmet. He saw through Webber's stealth and spoke, "Little dwarf, what are you doing here?"

His voice is very deep and resonant; if he were to sing, he might be a great bass singer.

"What happened inside?" Weber asked, as Baron and the others approached at the same time.

"It's nothing. I wanted that old geezer's daughter to have a drink with me, but he refused. So I punched him into the wall. His daughter even came over and bit me, so I just slapped that bitch's head off. Some clueless people were yelling and shouting around, and in a fit of anger, I chopped off a few people's heads. Now I can't even eat, so I have to go to the next place," the man said calmly.

Weber trembled with anger. He still remembered the innkeeper's daughter, a sweet-smiling and polite little girl.

"Little dwarf, after hearing the joke I told you, shouldn't you perform something to make me happy?" the man said again. "You'd better hurry, my patience isn't very good."

Hammer roared and charged forward, smashing his warhammer at the black-armored warrior. The warrior, clad in black lobster gauntlets, reached out and grabbed Hammer's warhammer. Hammer tried to press the warhammer down with both hands, but the man's hand remained unmoved.

Flames erupted from Baron's body as he swung his giant axe at the black-armored warrior. The warrior, with a forceful swing of his arm, flung Hammer and his warhammer to the ground. He calmly drew his greatsword from his back and easily blocked Baron's axe strike.

Then, wielding greatswords, they clashed with Baron, who was holding a giant axe.

Webber tried to intervene, but was casually kicked away by the black-armored warrior. "Adults are fighting, little dwarf, stay out of the way."

Rhodes was shocked that this person could fight Baron to a standstill and even have a slight advantage. Although he knew that Baron's one-axe kill of the dragonman was definitely exaggerated by others, Baron had still defeated the dragonman who had recovered some of his strength.

"Little Bear, you're not bad. I haven't seen someone fight like you in a long time." The person could still taunt even while fighting.

Hammer stood up again, picked up his warhammer to help Baron, and that brought the situation back to a balance.

A purplish-black orb appeared in Rhodes' palm. Rhodes used the Mage Orb to suppress the person's movements, but the person's plate armor emitted a layer of black light, making him immune to Rhodes' magic.

"You actually resorted to such underhanded tactics as magic." The man dodged Baron and Hammer with a single sword strike. "Then I'll cheat too." Baron's flames weren't considered magic, a thought flashed through Rhodes' mind.

As soon as he finished speaking, black runes appeared on the surface of the greatsword in his hand. He raised the greatsword high and slashed down. Baron raised his great axe to block, but the greatsword split Baron's double-edged axe in two.

"If I hadn't been starving, that sword strike would have cleaved you and your axe in two," the man said regretfully. At the same time, he knocked Hammer's giant hammer away with a sword strike and then elbowed Hammer, causing him to fall to the ground clutching his ear.

Baron still suffered from poor equipment.

The man brought down his sword again, and Baron, now unarmed, could only roll away to dodge it.

"Baron, catch!" Rod shouted, tossing over the two-handed sword the female knight had given him.

Baron reached out and caught, and in doing so, blocked, the powerful blow from the black-armored warrior. The greatsword, now adorned with black runes, did not sever the two-handed sword as it had before, which had cut down the giant axe. Instead, the two-handed sword in Baron's hand glowed with a golden light, and the flames on it turned golden as well.

Under Baron's control, all the golden flames struck the two-handed sword, instantly transforming it into a three-meter-long flaming greatsword. Faced with Baron's attack, the black-plate-armored knight became cautious, no longer as at ease as before.

Rhodes felt that he would only be a hindrance to Baron in a battle of this level, so he went to check on Hammer and the others' injuries.

Baron raised his flaming greatsword and slashed at the black-armored warrior, who raised his sword to block. The two swords clashed, and neither could gain the upper hand.

Baron roared, and the flaming greatsword in his hand began to stir. Flames surged, and the three-meter flaming greatsword instantly grew to five meters. The black plate armor warrior could not withstand the high temperature and took a few steps back. The flaming greatsword in Baron's hand returned to three meters.

The two of them started clashing and striking each other again.

Just then, Rhodes heard the sound of galloping hooves coming from afar, growing closer and closer. Seven golden orbs of light appeared on one side of the road, approaching them. Rhodes realized they were seven people riding warhorses.

A knight wielding a golden lance rode past Rhodes on his warhorse. The knight gripped his lance tightly and thrust it at the black-armored warrior. The black-armored warrior forced Baron back with a single sword strike, then raised his greatsword to deflect the lance upwards, though he himself also staggered back a few steps.

With the knight blocking their way, the other six men couldn't continue their charge, so they pulled on the reins.

Rhodes saw clearly that four of the seven people were knights wearing milky-white plate armor with a familiar golden cross in the center. They should also be knights of the Radiant Cross. Among them was a man wearing a helmet that shimmered with golden light; he must be their leader.

Besides them, there were three priestesses dressed in ceremonial robes, one of whom kept staring at him. That priestess was the most beautiful woman Rhode had ever seen since his transmigration; she had delicate features, snow-white skin with a rosy tint, and wavy golden hair that emitted a soft golden glow in the darkness.

At the command of the leading knight, the priestess snapped out of her daze, and a blinding golden light appeared in her palm, connecting with the golden light in the hands of the other two priestesses to form a chain that bound the black plate-armored warrior.

"Blackhearted Knight, today is your death day!" the lead knight shouted.

The "Blackheart Knight," bound by golden chains, began to laugh.

You're overthinking it.

A black rift appeared behind him, and a black warhorse emerged from it, its body wreathed in black smoke. It opened its mouth and snapped the golden chains in two.

The freed Blackheart Knight leaped onto his black warhorse and rode off to the side of the road, turning back to taunt, "Keep chasing me!" The members of the Radiant Cross Knights spurred their horses and gave chase, while the female knight glanced back at Rhodes once more.

Rod touched his face. "Have I gotten more handsome lately? I feel like I've always been this handsome."

Baron rubbed his aching arms and walked into the inn by the roadside, followed by Rod and the women.

During the previous battles, what I feared most were them, fearing that they would be killed again after being rescued.

The adventurous life is truly thrilling and exciting; you never know when an unknown powerful figure might suddenly appear.

When Rod entered the inn, he found the scene inside to be truly appalling...