Chapter 234: The Horse King Clan, Fleet as the Wind

Frederica had promised to extend the duration of the third assassination attempt. Charlot believed she had done everything within her power.

Thus, facing this orc assassin, Charlot was neither panicked nor enraged. He was no longer the low-ranking Transcendent of his past.

As Charlot charged forward, the orc assassin showed no sign of distress. He fired eighteen shots in rapid succession. His marksmanship surpassed even that of Aubrey Tildon Atwood. While Charlot managed to slice through the incoming bullets, each shot felt increasingly challenging, with sharper and more unpredictable trajectories.

When the eighteenth bullet came, Charlot had just deflected the seventeenth. His body twisted slightly, making it impossible to intercept the incoming round with his blade. Fortunately, Charlot was not someone who relied solely on swordsmanship. A Flame Dragon’s Hand emerged from his palm, crushing the bullet mid-air. At the same time, he closed the distance to the orc assassin.

The orc assassin calmly slung his rifle over his shoulder and drew a long-handled flanged mace. With a steady stance, he held it horizontally to block Charlot's approach.

Charlot’s Unicorn Griffon thrust forward as the two exchanged a flurry of moves. Charlot was surprised by the intricacy of his opponent’s mace techniques.

Having briefly trained in the Bearman Shield Hammer Technique, Charlot was familiar with the general style of orc martial arts. Orcs relied on their robust physiques and typically wielded heavy weapons. However, their techniques were far from crude. Instead, they used these heavy implements with remarkable dexterity, giving them an air of precision and agility.

This orc assassin, though only a mid-ranking Transcendent, demonstrated a mastery far beyond any orc assassin Charlot had encountered before. His skill even surpassed that of the three Redback Bear warriors under Charlot’s command.

The orc’s mace technique exuded an air of calm tranquility. Every swing seemed to place the weapon in the perfect position, inviting Charlot's rapier to strike uselessly against it.

Due to the mace’s superior weight and the orc’s immense strength, Charlot’s Vampiric Rapier couldn’t gain an advantage over his opponent’s weapon.

The orc assassin was not young. His face bore the marks of age, and his disproportionately long, tattered ears gave him an unkempt appearance that was neither endearing nor intimidating—just filthy and repulsive.

Charlot took a deep breath and unleashed a rapid series of sword strikes. The clashing of their weapons produced a steady rhythm of crisp metallic sounds. The orc assassin appeared to handle the assault effortlessly, but a glint of admiration began to surface on his face. Suddenly, he let out a thunderous shout, his mace erupting in a flourish of hammer art that forced Charlot to retreat several steps.

Before Charlot could recover, the orc assassin spoke for the first time, his hoarse voice laden with grit: “Charlot! The army of the Southern Orc Tribes is about to march through here and invade Strasbourg.”

“Consider your head a loan for now!”

“When I march with the army, leveling every city along the way, I’ll make sure to kill you as well.”

Charlot was startled and shouted back, “The Southern Orc Tribes’ army?”

The orc assassin pressed his hand against his chest in a brief salute before turning and departing at astonishing speed. Charlot quickly assessed the situation and knew he couldn’t give chase. He drew a Silver Rhino and fired three shots in quick succession, but the orc assassin evaded them effortlessly.

By the time Anastasia, Dubin, and Yellow Bear caught up, the orc assassin had already vanished.

Anastasia, looking alarmed, exclaimed, “That was from the Horse King Clan!”

“His movement technique is Fleet as the Wind!”

Charlot had heard of the Horse King Clan before. This peculiar orc tribe progressed through Transcendent ranks at an unusually slow pace but focused heavily on cultivating extraordinary abilities. Consequently, their combat strength couldn’t be measured by rank alone.

However, mastering extraordinary abilities was significantly harder than advancing in Transcendent ranks. As a result, most of the Horse King Clan’s experts were middle-aged or older. Their elite warriors were often seasoned veterans, their skills honed to perfection through decades of experience, exhibiting a mastery that was deceptively simple yet profound.

While Fleet as the Wind might not be faster than The Leopard’s Hunt, this orc assassin clearly surpassed any others Charlot had faced in terms of extraordinary ability.

Charlot’s expression darkened. This Horse King Clan assassin was likely over forty or fifty years old, having cultivated for at least three decades longer than him. Though his Transcendent rank was not high, his strength was undeniably formidable.

Until now, Charlot had never encountered such an elderly Transcendent.

These seasoned veterans, refined by the passage of time, were truly troublesome foes.

But what concerned Charlot more was the prospect of an invasion by the Southern Orc Tribes. His four knight orders would stand no chance against such a force.

The West Wind Knight Order had only deployed 2,000 knights, and Anastasia’s Silver Dove Militia had even fewer members, with significantly weaker combat strength. The other two knight orders barely exceeded 1,000 men combined, and they were inferior even to the Silver Dove Militia.

Not only would Charlot fail to withstand the assault, but even Clair Bretagne couldn’t mount a sufficient defense. Among Clair’s forces, one knight order had already been decimated and reassembled, while the other was freshly formed. The remnants of the Mostar Castle Knight Order, split into three factions, were even weaker.

Charlot’s mind raced with questions: “What should I do?”

“Die for the nation? Or flee?”

“And where could I flee? The orc army will undoubtedly march on Strasbourg. Even if I retreat to Strasbourg, it would be futile.”

“Strasbourg now only has the Royal Knight Order...”

“Or perhaps I’m overthinking this. While Strasbourg’s regular army may be insufficient, it’s bound to have high-ranking Transcendents, maybe even Saint-rank warriors.”

After weighing his options, Charlot decided to send intelligence reports to Strasbourg and Clair Bretagne. As for how to confront the orc alliance, he resolved to deal with it when the time came.

Hunting no longer interested Charlot. He returned to Silver Dove Castle with Anastasia, Dubin, and Yellow Bear.

The next morning, Dubin rushed in with an urgent report: “The orc army outside... it’s like they sprang from the ground. They’ve completely surrounded us!”

Charlot gathered his weapons and followed Dubin to the battlements. His gaze hardened. Charlot had fought in several battles, but he had never seen such a massive force. The orc army encircling Silver Dove Castle numbered in the tens of thousands, sealing off the city entirely.

After surveying the enemy forces, Charlot noted a lack of Saint-rank warriors and let out a small sigh of relief.

“Fine. Let’s continue labyrinth-izing Silver Dove Castle.”

Patting the diary hidden in his coat, Charlot decisively activated the labyrinth defenses.

Shortly after surrounding Silver Dove Castle, the orc army launched their first assault.

Charlot’s experience in defensive warfare, honed during his battles against Lady Nancella’s restorationists, enabled him to command the West Wind Knight Order in repelling this initial probing attack with ease.

The orc army retreated, leaving behind over a dozen corpses. Yet, within half an hour, they launched a second attack, this time deploying a hundred Redback Bear warriors.

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