The words had barely left his mouth when a massive axe came down from above. It looked as if the forceful blow would shatter Lane's body.
Seeing this, Lane naturally did not dare to be careless. He raised both hands and lifted his knight's longsword to block the giant axe.
"Clang!"
A loud clang of metal on metal echoed sharply, and the immense force made Lane's arms go numb.
Among all Extraordinary Classes, warriors are the most special.
The reason is simple: with their warrior aptitude, they are inherently unable to harmonize with any magic. Therefore, most warriors choose to cultivate the strength of their physical bodies.
This leads to them mastering a power called Vital Force and Blood.
Vital Force and Blood is not as profound as magic, nor can it amplify various things like magic does. However, under the power of Vital Force and Blood, warriors can use their warrior hearts to greatly enhance their own bodies.
Yes, Vital Force and Blood is that extreme and savage.
It can only amplify the physical body, but the degree of amplification far exceeds that of magic.
Moreover, the warrior before him was a Stage 4 warrior. Under the overwhelming realm, even though Lane used Knight Aura to deflect the force, he still felt intense pain.
He couldn't afford a direct confrontation.
Lane's expression turned serious. The Knight of the Heart surged powerfully, and the Knight Aura around him instantly became turbulent.
"You actually managed to block my attack. You're quite something, kid."
The warrior leader grinned and said, "What about this one?"
"Savage Charge!"
With an angry roar, the warrior leader's eyes turned blood red. He charged towards Lane's position like a mad wild boar.
[Savage Charge] is also considered a signature skill of warriors. Regardless of what path they choose later, this skill is always a good option for warriors.
After using [Savage Charge], warriors enter a berserk state, losing control of themselves until the skill ends. However, because of this, [Savage Charge] can ignore many control-type abilities, giving warriors who are insensitive to magic the capital to fight against magic users.
As a battle-hardened knight, Lane naturally had some precautions against this warrior ability. Seeing the Vital Force and Blood surging within the warrior leader, Lane moved preemptively. The Knight Aura in his body gathered in his legs, granting him tremendous mobility.
Lane narrowly avoided the warrior leader's attack, barely escaping its reach. But the next moment, another roar sounded from behind him.
"Rebounding Charge!"
The instant the words were spoken, the Vital Force and Blood in the warrior leader's body surged, forming a wild boar-like phantom. It fiercely charged back towards Lane in the opposite direction.
[Savage Charge] is a skill that uses Vital Force and Blood. The huge inertia after the charge makes it impossible for the warrior to control their own body, which is also considered a weakness of this skill.
However, this warrior leader returned in a way that defied mechanics. This time, the collision was even faster and more powerful than the previous one.
Only a skill could achieve this! [Rebounding Charge] is also a skill!
But Lane didn't have time to think about these things. He hurriedly raised his knight's longsword, and the Knight Aura in his body instantly converged.
"Knight's Protection!"
[Knight's Protection] is a Brass-level skill that Lane learned during his training camp. It can use Knight Aura to form a protective barrier around oneself, a skill that has saved Lane countless times.
In this crisis, he instinctively used this ability.
"Boom!"
A loud noise echoed. Although [Knight's Protection] deflected most of the opponent's attack force, some of it still passed through the sword and reached Lane's body. The immense force made Lane's figure retreat rapidly, and a stream of bright red blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
"You actually blocked it?"
The warrior sneered, looking at the disheveled Lane. He suddenly lunged forward, leaping high into the air, and his giant axe came down fiercely, aiming to sever Lane.
However, this seemingly deadly blow did not instill any fear in Lane. Instead, a gleam of satisfaction slowly appeared in Lane's eyes.
It was as if his plan had succeeded.
"Bluffing?"
The warrior leader sneered, his heart filled with disdain. He knew all about the opponent's tactics. In this case, how could he have any way to defend himself? It was just a show.
Just as he was thinking this, Lane's figure moved.
But this time, his actions changed. Warriors are insulated from magic but can sense magic after it has been converted. Therefore, the warrior leader felt the Knight Aura around Lane suddenly change.
Although there was no quantitative change, both the speed of absorbing Knight Aura and the ability to mobilize it underwent a tremendous transformation. It was as if this unknown knight's aptitude had suddenly changed.
How is that possible?
A person's aptitude is determined at birth and cannot be changed by any means, even the strongest Transcendent cannot alter it. Yet, what else could explain everything happening to this knight before him?
He really couldn't understand it.
But soon, the warrior leader didn't need to think about these things anymore.
Lane's longsword danced with his thoughts. Accompanied by [Quick Slash], this powerful blow sealed the fate of the warrior leader.
Until death, he never figured out what had happened to Lane.
He didn't have The Breeder's Gift, so he didn't know that Lane could borrow the abilities of his children. Yes, that mastery of Knight Aura just now came from Lane's eldest daughter, Freya, a reserve knight whose aptitude far exceeded his.
"Didn't expect my first taste of youth would be in such a situation."
Lane rubbed his nose helplessly and kicked the warrior leader's head aside with a thud: "Your leader is dead. Do you still want to resist?"
Hearing this, everyone in the Slave-hunting group immediately focused their gaze on Lane.
Selena also sighed in relief.
Their plan was exactly this: After instantly killing the Stage 3 Archer, Selena would hold back the Stage 3 Warrior, while Lane would eliminate the Stage 4 Warrior. Given the nature of the Slave-hunting group, if their strongest Stage 4 Warrior was dead, they would inevitably scatter.
The reason was very simple.
After all, the Slave-hunting group was just a motley crew. They could bully those weaker than themselves, but if they encountered something powerful, they would surrender faster than anyone else.
They had no faith and no bottom line. They did this job purely for money and wouldn't be loyal to anyone.
But an unexpected event occurred.
After Lane killed their leader, they didn't scatter like birds and beasts. Instead, they gathered around, surrounding Lane in the center.
"Something's not right."
Lane instantly realized something and sharply turned his head.
It was at this moment that a sharp arrow shot out from the crowd, piercing the air. If Lane's reaction speed hadn't been fast enough, this arrow would have pierced his brain.
"Nice reaction speed. No wonder you could cross a major realm and kill that waste."
The speaker's voice was full of contempt, clearly very dissatisfied with the warrior leader on the ground.
Lane turned his head, his expression somewhat complicated. He hadn't expected that there would be a hidden Archer in this Slave-hunting group.
Judging by the surging magic around him, there was no doubt that this person, like the warrior on the ground, was a Stage 4 Transcendent.
"I didn't expect the clan chief of Iron Guard Clan to personally escort this batch of slaves. It seems this buyer is very important to you."
Bennett·Iron Guard, hearing this, made no effort to hide his identity and shrugged: "Truly worthy of Lord Lane·Berk, seeing through my identity at a glance."
"This matter is actually your fault." As he spoke, Bennett's face instantly twisted: "If it weren't for you killing that waste Blake, why would our Iron Guard Clan have to go to such lengths and involve other lines?"