[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-player-beyond-dimensions":3,"chapter-a-player-beyond-dimensions-a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-28":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Player Beyond Dimensions",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2254994,4399,"Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty-Seven: Foe at the Gates! The Moment of Triumph (New Year Bonus)","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-28",28,"\u003Cp>Dawn’s faint light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a flurry of galloping hooves, the escort riders returned with a dreaded but expected message: the Saxons had launched a full-scale invasion and were preparing to press their advantage by attacking Duke Tathgir’s lands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Saxons rose through plunder; they would raid and raze repeatedly before ever claiming territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were not skilled at siege warfare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their main thrust was London; other regions were merely looted, and the spoils attracted more Saxons to join the invasion of Britain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Saxons, Angles, and Jutes were allies, frequently joining forces to massacre and pillage the Britons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wealth stirs the heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Saxons had slowly nibbled away at Britain in this manner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the castle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a small party of barbarian cavalry appeared in sight, the Saxon envoy arrived at dawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Saxon Noble Knight (One-Star).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Jute Guard Rider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Duke Tathgir’s ashen face, the Saxon envoy hurled a severed head from his saddle onto the castle grounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five heads in total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two were Briton legion commanders he had appointed; three were knights loyal to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken stood on the ramparts, listening as the duke’s attendants exchanged words with the barbarian envoy; the latter spoke Old English, jabbering rapidly, followed by an unmistakable threat gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt he understood some of it, but not fully—perhaps he hadn’t slain enough Saxon barbarians yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Raven Queen—Triss whispered: “The Saxon envoy demands Duke Tathgir acknowledge defeat and pay fifteen thousand gold coins in tribute.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Otherwise, the Saxon army will destroy everything here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving aside whether Duke Tathgir could even raise such a sum, his overly eager courting of the group yesterday made it clear: this Briton duke had no intention of submitting to the Saxons. The Britons were mediocre fighters, yet even when pushed back to Wales, they had resisted for nearly a thousand years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The negotiations ended in acrimony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By evening, the Saxon army had encamped over ten miles from the castle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken rode out with the duke’s knightly escort to scout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aniya had already reached a preliminary alliance with Duke Tathgir; to “demonstrate goodwill,” this Roman noblewoman lent her personal lover—a bodyguard—to assist the duke’s meager light cavalry in reconnaissance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this dire situation, Duke Tathgir needed to seize every available force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The situation was worse than anticipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saxon reinforcements had arrived; their numbers surged from a thousand to over three thousand, seemingly drawn from other fronts, aiming to crush Duke Tathgir outright and drive him into the hills of Cornwall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike their last engagement, this barbarian force now included two unmistakable leader figures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Hengist [Leader][King][Odin’s Gaze][Legendary] (Two-Star Gold)!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Horsa [Leader][Chieftain][Odin’s Gaze][Legendary] (Two-Star Gold)!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hengist and Horsa?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Barbarian leader units? I’ve never heard of them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken observed the enemy camp across the river through his god’s-eye view; the most prominent targets were the two leader units, surrounded by numerous Saxon noble knights and Germanic pagan priests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hengist and Horsa were the Saxon barbarian leaders who invaded Britain; they originally served as mercenaries aiding the Britons against the Picts—the early Scottish savages, un-conquered indigenous people. Under Roman rule, the Britons viewed the Picts as barbarians, enduring their constant raids and even repeatedly petitioning the Empire for aid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, the two brothers realized how weak the Britons were and conceived the idea of seizing the land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They defeated the Briton army and established the Kingdom of Kent in Kent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy was performing a blood sacrifice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This terrifying ritual originated in Scandinavia, known as the Blood Eagle: priests first carved an eagle’s shape into the victim’s back, then slit open the flesh to expose the spine, severed the ribs from the vertebrae, pried each rib outward, and finally pulled the lungs free to form a pair of wings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was also called the Blood Raven Offering, typically reserved for defiant captives. Another sacrifice involved hanging corpses upside down—Odin had hung himself from Yggdrasil for nine days and nights, so his rites required the sacrifice to be hanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken nearly vomited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had killed before, but never seen such a brutal, primal blood ritual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Compared to Roman and Greek gods, Germanic barbarian deities demanded far bloodier rites.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Greek gods merely indulged in chaos; they did not crave bloody, cruel sacrifices. (Looking at you, Zeus.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two must be the barbarian leaders who founded the Kingdom of Kent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So many tags.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken had only seen “Thor’s Warrior” before; now seeing “Odin’s Gaze,” he focused his mind to observe more closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——[Odin’s Gaze]: The target conquered the Kent region of Britain and established a Germanic barbarian kingdom there. His sacrifices to Odin have drawn the attention of the polytheistic deities, greatly enhancing his influence and charisma among the Germanic barbarians. (Odin’s Gaze lasts three months; must be maintained through continued sacrifices.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——[Legendary]: The target possesses legendary status among Germanic barbarians; he is regarded as a successful leader of the invasion of Britain, and tales of him circulate throughout Germania. (Killing the target grants legendary status.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both brothers were Two-Star Gold units; their strength must be formidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless, even a minor kingdom’s founding monarch would not be weak—and they bore multiple special statuses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Legendary leader units?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken felt a surge of eagerness, but weighed his own strength—he had no real chance against them. Not with the noble Saxon knights guarding them, nor the war priests accompanying the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the last surviving faction of European polytheism—the Norse Pantheon—these barbarian priests possessed genuine supernatural abilities, capable of inspiring nearby soldiers on the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could also divine, prophesy, and cast minor sorceries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This battle will be hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Duke Tathgir not suffered defeat yesterday, he might have maintained a numerical advantage; Deng Ken could have seized the chance to command a Briton legion, leveraging his god’s-eye view and personal martial prowess to stand against the barbarian regulars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now the Briton legions were nearly annihilated; surviving rebels had been sacrificed. The duke’s remaining ragtag remnants could not possibly hold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the medieval age, individual martial strength could not overcome absolute military superiority.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two Two-Star Gold units.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plus several Two-Star Silver-Grey units—Thor’s Warriors, Tyr’s Warriors, high-rank barbarian warriors—all heavily armed, highly skilled, and formidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least there are no powerful spellcasters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The highest-ranked barbarian priest Deng Ken observed was One-Star Silver-Grey; it seemed the Norse Pantheon’s main focus lay elsewhere—perhaps the powerful priests were stationed at the Germania River Frontlines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Possibly locked in secret, bloody clashes with the Church’s hermit orders, vying for the final allegiance of mortal faith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy across the river seemed to have spotted them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a warning cry, over a dozen riders surged forward to drive them off—likely barbarian scouts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dare they come?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken glanced at the nervous light cavalry beside him, then said: “You circle and draw their attention.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The rest is mine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he’d come this far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he didn’t break their morale and establish his dominance now, tomorrow’s battle would be harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Saxon Pirate Rider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy army had two distinct tags: one for regular soldiers, another for “Pirates.” These dozen riders were pirate-born cavalry, joining another group of barbarian light cavalry—roughly thirty in total—encircling them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scout captain here was a young man named Gil—not a formal knight, but likely of noble birth, with superior combat skill to the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hesitated, then, after a moment, chose to obey Deng Ken’s order and lure the enemy closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had seen Deng Ken single-handedly drive off a dozen Saxon noble knights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me warm up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken had walked this path long enough—he was battle-hardened. He scanned for special-tagged units and nearby barbarian priests, then spurred his horse forward, charging straight at the Saxon pirate riders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*Shhh.*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An arrow flew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Saxon pirate rider captain dropped dead instantly; the sudden sight froze the others in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who the hell is this enemy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pirate captain had been killed without warning—a single arrow, lofted, struck his forehead dead center. The riders scattered, slowed their mounts, faces pale with terror—neither advancing nor retreating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken remained calm, nocked another arrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since they’d come, he’d take at least five or six heads before leaving—the Saxons must still carry combat skills he hadn’t yet claimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second kill!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rapid fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third kill!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken charged head-on; his horsemanship far surpassed the Saxons, reaching the level of elite Hun cavalry. In mounted combat, he wasn’t afraid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, on the open ground across the river, a bizarre scene unfolded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Saxons sent thirty riders to chase the scouts; meanwhile, three or five Briton light cavalry fled wildly across the map—while Deng Ken advanced steadily, facing the enemy head-on. In mere moments, the Saxon pirate riders broke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene became him alone chasing a dozen Saxon pirate riders, even having the leisure to wheel his horse and intercept another barbarian cavalry unit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One quiver emptied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Six heads taken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken always carried few arrows; his quiver was custom-made, holding only six to twelve arrows—like those used by elves—designed to secure arrows firmly, preventing loss during movement, with fixed positions so he could draw any arrow instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Usually, one or two armor-piercing arrows were kept inside, but due to the technological limitations of this era, he hadn’t prepared any special ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mongol armor-piercing arrows were heavy; longbow arrows were heavy too—both required custom crafting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>English longbow arrows were typically about ninety centimeters long; standard arrows were fifty to seventy centimeters. This nearly one-meter-long heavy arrow could pierce a man clean through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the Mongols carried few heavy arrows with their horse archery, as they hindered mounted combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Across the river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Deng Ken saw the barbarian camp stir, several units marked with silver-gray level-two insignia emerged, along with barbarian shamans, and he immediately led the others to retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was truly unbeatable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those level-two elite barbarian units were noble warriors, all clad uniformly in heavy armor; their war bows could barely pierce their defenses, only causing minor wounds—killing one man required many arrows, and they also had to watch out for any hidden trump cards they might possess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scouting cavalry unit immediately withdrew, and on their way back, the others looked at Deng Ken with entirely different expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reverence!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reverence written plainly on their faces—in this turbulent age of war, a man’s martial strength could attract not only women but also more men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do we fight this round?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Reliance on those few hundred ragtag troops hastily conscripted by Duke Tatingir?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke Tatingir had even begun drafting farmers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who has played Total War knows what peasant combat power is—thousands can be easily shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a direct clash, the peasant forces would all raise white flags.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken watched the soldiers on the wall, some visibly panicked, his expression growing grim—even the magic of the Raven Queen-Teris could not influence a battle of this scale. And the Raven Queen-Teris’s last outburst came at a cost, consuming one of the exceedingly rare ancient Roman altar stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a bottom-of-the-barrel treasure isn’t worth wasting here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Defenses were being set up on the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Castles of this era were essentially Roman military fortresses, nowhere near the strength of medieval fortifications—the walls were too low and too weak. Though the city defense offered some terrain advantage, the overall military proficiency gap between enemy and ally was enormous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barbarians had waged constant wars, plundered imperial territories, and fought the Huns—extremely experienced in combat; every adult man was a trained infantryman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hundred of them could easily slaughter a thousand mixed peasant troops—no exaggeration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Deng Ken pondered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, he saw the Britons push out an ancient siege engine—it must have been left behind when the Roman legions withdrew, covered in dust, but thankfully still functional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Ballista!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Can I use this thing? Does my calibration boost apply to it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken immediately formed a plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rode straight into the city, reached the ballista’s position, and under his god’s-eye view, when he controlled the ballista before him, a crosshair aiming reticle slowly appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Useful!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The aiming crosshair really does work on the ballista!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken calculated the distance, signaled his companions to assist, then aimed the ballista at a point roughly five hundred meters away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bolt like a spear tore through the air and slammed directly into Deng Ken’s target, with an error margin under one meter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spearhead sank nearly two-thirds into the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This power is incredible!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If fired on the battlefield, it could likely pierce straight through a human body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though invented by the Greeks, the ballista was perfected by the Romans; during the empire’s peak, a 5,000-man legion was standardly equipped with fifty ballistae.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They once rendered the Parthian cataphract cavalry numb—those were the finest heavy cavalry of the age, top-tier iron-armored shock troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even light ballistae could pierce through man and horse alike; when firing stone projectiles, they could shatter and fling corpses apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the ballista had clear drawbacks: slow to move, slow to deploy, slow to fire—everything was slow. To unleash its power required tactical skill and a touch of luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Mongol commander Möngke being killed by a trebuchet was an accident—historically, such events were exceedingly rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think I know how to turn the tide!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken fell into thought: “Now it depends on whether the enemy gives us this chance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Decapitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their only chance to reverse defeat was to kill the enemy king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken estimated he’d get only one shot—if exposed, he’d never get another. The ballista’s sluggish firing rate meant the target would already be out of range by then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this one shot hit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a level-two gold-ranked leader unit wouldn’t survive—and even the level-three Demon Hunter might die on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only flaw was that operating the ballista was far harder than drawing a bow; Deng Ken himself would still make errors, and moving targets were even harder to track—he’d have to rely on instinct and timing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Kingdom of Kent had only recently been founded, its internal stability still fragile; the barbarian king desperately needed a great victory to maintain his ruling prestige.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>King Uther was stronger, so Duke Tatingir became the easy target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barbarians weren’t fools—they always picked the softest targets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Seven Kingdoms era of Britain began with the Kingdom of Kent—it was the prototype for the Seven Kingdoms in the TV series Game of Thrones. (Kill and Fuck of Songs.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These seven kingdoms were founded by the Jutes, Saxons, and Angles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Together, they formed England, covering roughly 130,000 square kilometers—about the size of Fujian Province.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Deng Ken, Britain was merely a beginner’s zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because there were no powerful factions that could casually field tens of thousands of regular troops, nor would he face the main forces of the steppe Huns and get shot full of arrows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a localized war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Saxons had tried invading Gaul but failed against the Franks—so the defeated turned to the sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wonder if I can find an English longbow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, Deng Ken couldn’t find any legendary-tier war bows—the English longbow hadn’t even been invented yet, not for many years to come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he had a longbow, killing heavy cavalry would be much easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No bow? Fine—he could fire cannons instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ballista will do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken gradually grew accustomed to operating the ballista, seeking his feel—its aiming crosshair had greater deviation due to long range and wind interference, requiring a bit of luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Happy New Year, everyone. Wishing you all the best. Extra chapter added—five thousand words.\u003C\u002Fp>",2582,"2026-06-19T13:13:01.402Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6169dca3ee818fd0700824d3db8b654f8fc5adfad3d8274b8d13839ce499b4ad","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-29","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-27",195,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-player-beyond-dimensions-cover.jpg"]