Chapter 33

A smell of blood permeated the air.

A bonfire was burning in the hall. Blood-Axe Nidron, who was closing his eyes and pretending to sleep, opened his eyes instantly. He heard faint screams. The burly barbarian warrior picked up the decapitation axe beside him, holding a wine jug in one hand, drinking as he walked, gulping down the mead as it flowed down his hairy chest.

When the heavy door was pushed open.

Under the firelight, his pupils were already blood-red, as if a bloodthirsty beast was trapped inside his body!

"Thor!"

"Please witness my battle!"

Blood-Axe Nidron's heavy breathing was like that of a brown bear. His gaze pierced the darkness, locking onto the southwest direction of the town. The heavy armor didn't affect his movement at all. He ran wildly, like a tiger hunting, rushing towards the direction where the screams came from.

That man is here again!

After shooting the King of the Kingdom of Kent, Hengist, Deng Ken had changed the situation of the entire island of Britain single-handedly.

The emerging Kingdom of Kent was gradually falling apart. Originally, the king's brother, Horsa, relied on outstanding military exploits and his own strength, which was enough to reunify this kingdom. But at the most critical moment, those Angles and Saxons, exerting the traditional "troublemaker" tradition inherited from the British Empire, actually turned around to support the son of the dead king, Aesc, to ascend the throne.

Both Hengist and Horsa were of Zhu Te origin.

Once the king died, the Angles and Saxons began to have crooked ideas. Their wavering camp caused the newly established Kingdom of Kent to fall into civil strife. With the support of the Anglo-Saxons, Aesc already had the ability to contend with his uncle.

This led to the Kingdom of Kent being almost split in two: the East Kingdom of Kent under Aesc's control, and the West Kingdom of Kent under Horsa's control.

This "troublemaker" tactic, deeply inherited from the British Empire, caused the Jutes to gradually split and weaken.

Originally, they were the first branch of the Germanic barbarians to establish a country, but now they were caught in a civil war for the throne.

"Kill him!"

"Kill that man!"

"Cut off his head and offer it to Horsa! That way he can reunify the Kingdom of Kent!"

Blood-Axe Nidron saw the corpses in the darkness, killed by a single arrow, shot through the eye socket. In the shadows of the alley, under the flickering firelight, there was another Saxon elite axeman who had been headshot on the spot; the Frankish throwing axe had split his skull open, and blood and brains were splattered all over the ground.

Teams of barbarian soldiers were gathering.

Saxon forest hunters fired in the direction of the enemy, but under the cover of night, they couldn't hit the mark like that ghost ranger.

Corpses, corpses, and more corpses.

Blood-Axe Nidron's chest seemed to be suppressing a stifled anger. He picked up a shield, held the two-handed battle axe in one hand, and crashed through a wooden fence that blocked his advance, as if this could vent a little of his rage.

Found him!

He wants to escape!

Blood-Axe Nidron roared and threw a hand axe from his waist. With immense power, the hand axe whistled through the air and pinned itself into the wall with a bang.

At this time, Deng Ken had already climbed over the wooden wall of Devon Town.

He had just broken into a cold sweat and gasped after landing, secretly saying, "What the hell is that thing! How can he run so fast?!"

—Blood-Axe Nidron (Two-Star Silver-Gray) (Elite Chieftain Guard) (Sacrifice) (Heavy Drinker) (Berserk) 【Warrior of Thor】!

Deng Ken had encountered this enemy once before.

He had charged back and forth in the Duke of Tintagel's guard, killing two or three Lager knights in succession, and finally managed to break through the encirclement and rush out.

"So fierce!"

"His strength is probably no weaker than a Temple Knight of the Hidden Cult."

Compared to last time, this enemy had several more statuses. The Germanic barbarian was a heavy drinker and warlike; he was reeking of alcohol, and it was unknown how much he had drunk, but his movements were not slow in the slightest, and his running speed was even faster than a warhorse.

Deng Ken retreated all the way.

But from his god's-eye view, the enemy also climbed over the wooden wall and jumped, chasing in the direction of his retreat.

Blood-Axe Nidron abandoned everyone else and chased after him single-handedly.

"Is this a fight to the death?"

Deng Ken decisively stopped, turned around, drew his bow, and the sharp arrow pierced the air, shooting towards the enemy's head.

Hum.

The moment the arrow swept through the air, Blood-Axe Nidron raised his shield to protect his vital head, and the arrow pinned itself directly into the wooden shield.

Another guy with physical fitness far exceeding that of an ordinary person.

His running speed was faster than Deng Ken's. If Deng Ken hadn't been alert and retreated in advance, he might have fallen into a heavy encirclement. With Deng Ken's current physical fitness, he couldn't fully infiltrate like in Assassin's Creed; his way of infiltrating was to kill all witnesses.

Once the people were killed, no one would discover he had infiltrated.

"What is this? Great Berserk?"

The last time Deng Ken encountered a similar enemy was the leader of the barbarian remnants; that man had taken six or seven of his arrows and rushed to his front, only to have his forehead split open by his axe.

"Not easy to deal with!"

In the direction of the town gate, a team of cavalry had already rushed out. About two hundred barbarian troops were gathering. They had been prepared in advance and were chasing after him with torches held high.

Blood-Axe Nidron was biting hard at Deng Ken's heels.

The distance between the two was only seventy or eighty meters. Deng Ken ran very fast, but this guy ran even faster, as if he had endless stamina.

This was definitely the top berserker among the barbarians.

Deng Ken turned around and fired another arrow, which hit the enemy's abdomen, but the opponent didn't even grunt, and actually pulled out another hand axe with his backhand. This was prepared in advance; the Franks liked to use throwing axes, but the Saxons were not good at throwing them.

In the sound of breaking air.

Deng Ken rolled violently, and the throwing axe landed where he had been, pinning itself directly into the mud.

"So much strength!"

Deng Ken's Frankish throwing axe had an effective range of only thirty or forty meters, but the enemy could throw it fifty or sixty meters with such strong lethality.

"This guy uses a two-handed axe as a one-handed axe; can't fight him head-on!"

Deng Ken stopped drawing his bow to waste time and, under the cover of night, rushed straight towards the forest.

Blood-Axe Nidron had hundreds of pursuers behind him. A team of more than ten Saxon pirate riders had already caught up; it was just that they couldn't determine the location for the time being and could only search for the target separately. Devon Town had about two or three hundred soldiers pouring out with torches held high, and they also split into several teams, surrounding him from different places.

Deng Ken's figure was like a cheetah, plunging into the dense forest.

Blood-Axe Nidron didn't hesitate and followed closely, rushing in as well. Once he lost track, it would be very difficult to catch Deng Ken again.

Under the night sky, in the lush forest.

After entering the forest, Deng Ken wasn't panicked at all. He jumped up, climbed onto a small hill, nocked an arrow, and aimed at the enemy who was chasing relentlessly.

Whoosh!

A sharp arrow pierced the air.

From his god's-eye view, Deng Ken's vision was no different from daytime. Blood-Axe Nidron only heard the sound of breaking air, and the next second, his knee hurt, and his whole body staggered. Even with armor protection, a knee injury had a significant impact. He gritted his teeth and pulled out the arrow.

"Come out!"

"Let's have a fair fight!"

"Under Thor's witness."

"Let's see who is the true warrior!"

Blood-Axe Nidron's roar was like that of an injured beast, but Deng Ken was unmoved. He watched the barbarian riders approaching rapidly outside the forest, changed his position again, and shot an arrow at the enemy's back.

Squish.

Blood spilled out.

Blood-Axe Nidron was in heavy armor and was still brave after being hit by two arrows. Relying on the faint starlight to lock onto Deng Ken's position, he ran wildly and threw the decapitation axe in his hand as well.

Bang!

The decapitation axe split the big tree next to Deng Ken, pinning itself several centimeters into the wood, and the axe handle was vibrating and humming.

Blood-Axe Nidron roared, accelerated violently, and without a weapon, he took his shield and rushed towards Deng Ken like a hungry tiger, trying to fight him hand-to-hand.

Deng Ken's figure retreated lightly, jumped down the hill, and retreated again to draw his bow.

Squish.

Blood-Axe Nidron's right leg was hit by an arrow. At such a close distance, the Northern war bow shot directly through his leg armor.

Clang!

The Oathkeeper flashed a cold light. Deng Ken's strike was as fast as lightning. As the enemy rushed up, the blade pierced through the enemy's arm armor, leaving a deep, bone-reaching wound near the wrist.

Blood-Axe Nidron let out a painful grunt. He swung his shield at Deng Ken. With a violent strike, the wind whistled, but it missed; the shield shattered, only smashing the stone next to it into pieces.

Deng Ken's agility was far greater than his.

In the darkness, Deng Ken was born with "Dark Vision." His figure was like a butterfly among flowers, stepping and thrusting, the blade piercing the enemy's right shoulder.

The outcome was decided.

Blood-Axe Nidron had two legs and one arm crippled.

After only a few moves, this barbarian warrior, as fierce as a beast, staggered and no longer had the terrifying momentum he had at the beginning.

Deng Ken didn't fight him head-on at all.

The Frankish throwing axe was thrown violently. At a distance of less than five meters, the throwing axe split the opponent's chest.

"Cough... cough..."

Blood foam sprayed wildly.

Blood-Axe Nidron could no longer move. He knelt on the cold ground, his expression towards Deng Ken full of unwillingness and rage.

His berserk state should have been about to disappear.

He wasn't dead yet, entirely because of the special ability of berserk. Deng Ken stood on the spot and fired three arrows in succession, finishing him off until the enemy entered a dying state, and only then did he pull out the decapitation axe pinned to the tree trunk.

—Combat Style: Decapitation!

Blood like a fountain.

Deng Ken swung the decapitation axe down expressionlessly. Blood-Axe Nidron's hideous head rolled to the ground, and the headless corpse fell with a bang, blood splashing several meters away.

A cold wind blew past.

Deng Ken, like a cold and ruthless hunter, cut off a branch and then stuck Blood-Axe Nidron's head onto it.

At this time, the sound of horse hooves had already sounded outside the forest.

He wasn't greedy for heads either. His agile figure escaped into the darkness and soon disappeared into the vast night sky.

A few minutes later.

Teams of barbarian soldiers holding torches high entered the forest and only saw a headless corpse. At the location of the previous battle, a hideous head was pierced by a wooden stake and pinned into the mud.

Blood-Axe Nidron's head had its hair and beard standing on end, full of anger. Even after death, his bloodshot eyes were wide open like a demon's.

Died with eyes wide open.

A barbarian centurion with a face full of fear tried several times to close Blood-Axe Nidron's hideous eyes, but as soon as he closed them, the head opened its eyes again.

It was unknown how much time had passed.

A Valkyrie's figure gradually emerged. Others couldn't see her existence at all, while she dragged a furious and unwilling soul expressionlessly and soon disappeared into the night sky.

At this time, Deng Ken had already retreated very far and had the energy to look at the captured abilities.

—"Tireless Heavy Drinker (Special Ability): Germanic barbarians are fond of wine and war, and Thor of the Nordic pantheon is even more addicted to alcohol. Those warriors favored by Him will further strengthen their power after heavy drinking, while simultaneously weakening their own sense of pain and temporarily strengthening their physical strength and endurance. They won't truly get drunk, but will additionally trigger the negative status 'Reckless'; Thor is also a reckless god." (Note: Many barbarians worship the god of wine, believing that drinking will strengthen their power.)

—"Great Berserk (Advanced Ability): A branch of adrenaline burst, an advanced ability of the berserk status. Only the bravest warriors in battle can receive the blessing of the gods and burst out with power unimaginable to ordinary people. Thor, the God of Thunder, often rushes into the enemy formation alone in legends. He favors barbarian warriors who ignore fear. Additional negative status: Rage, reckless charge, ignore fear."

(Note: Thor is the one with the most monstrous strength among the Nordic gods. Only barbarian warriors who worship Him can further go berserk.)

The Nordic pantheon really worships brute force.

Deng Ken looked at the two abilities he had just captured and didn't expect the harvest to be even greater than killing the King of Kent.

"Is it because in legends, the main enemies of the Nordic pantheon are giants?"

Deng Ken felt it might have a certain relationship with the mythological system; many of the barbarian warriors' supernatural abilities were all about "brute force creating miracles."

"If I fought him hand-to-hand, he would probably still have a chance to create miracles with brute force."

"But why would I fight a berserk barbarian hand-to-hand for no reason?"

Deng Ken wasn't stupid. The enemy was clearly in a berserk state, so of course he had to avoid his edge and wait until the enemy's courage was exhausted before making a move.

Although archers all have a heart for melee combat, it's not the time yet.

The night was deep.

Deng Ken retreated until there were no enemy units nearby, and only then did he slowly stop.

Hmm?

Why is it foggy?

Deng Ken had just shaken off the pursuers. He didn't know when, but he suddenly discovered that a mist had risen all around, and the swamp not far away was also appearing and disappearing in the mist.

"Something's wrong!"

From his god's-eye view, Deng Ken stared fixedly at his surroundings and discovered that the projection map was undergoing some kind of change.

The forest was gradually disappearing, replaced by mist covering the entire map!

"Where is the sound of water coming from?"

Deng Ken faintly heard the sound of water and the sound of oars rowing. When he passed through the mist, a lake appeared in front of him. He remembered that there were no rivers or lakes nearby at the beginning.

—Avalon in the Mist 【Blessed Land】!

From his god's-eye view.

Everything in the projection screen began to overlap with reality, as if there were two different spaces gradually merging. Some powerful supernatural force had opened the entrance to a mysterious kingdom here.

Avalon is the holy land of Celtic mythology and the central faith of the ancient Druid religion.

It is also the final resting place in the legend of King Arthur and the paradise of the afterlife, where it is said that nine fairies guard it.

Avalon in the mist, Tír na nÓg in Irish mythology, the Garden of the Hesperides in Greek mythology, and the Garden of Eden in Jewish mythology—these places are all legendary kingdoms outside of reality.

"Similar to a blessed cave?"

"A plane outside the real world?"

Deng Ken could only guess this way, because there were also some places in Eastern mythology that didn't belong to the real world. Now it was the end of the Mythic Age, and the last piece of territory of the ancient Celtic mythology was the island of Britain.

A small boat slowly appeared in front of his line of sight.

—Thetis (Lady of the Lake) (Fairy) (Elf) (Three-Star Silver-Gray).

The boat docked.

Under the gradually brightening moonlight, a beautiful woman dressed in a white long dress, looking like a Nymph fairy in ancient Greek mythology, emerged. She smiled and bowed to Deng Ken, signaling him to sit on the boat.

Celtic mythology was now extremely weak, and as a legendary guardian fairy, her strength was not even as good as a Valkyrie.

Deng Ken hesitated for a moment and boarded the small boat directly.

Avalon in the mist.

The last holy land of the ancient Druid faith, Deng Ken also wanted to know what the myths and legends had become.

The mist gradually enveloped everything nearby.

A small boat followed the lake deep into the mist. It was unknown how much time had passed before an island appeared in Deng Ken's line of sight.

By the riverbank.

A total of five beautiful ladies of the lake with different appearances were waiting. Behind them, there were many magical creatures that looked like fairies.

From his god's-eye view.

In Deng Ken's projection screen, the annotation in the corner of the interface had changed from "Li Shishi" to "Avalon in the Mist (Blessed Land)."

………………