Chapter 862: The Comical Battle in the Babotali Valley (Part 6)

Jier did not waste words; other Dwarves not far away were anxiously rushing over. He did not have much time and had to resolve these iron turtles in a short period.

The four Dwarves in front of him looked as if they had exhausted all their stamina. Every one of them was panting, their lips dry and cracked, and the beards on their chins were stained with many small water droplets brought out by their breathing. Since chasing out from the Cunzi from noon until now, these guys had not drunk a single drop of water, but Jier was different; the bag on his horse's back still contained a Water bottle.

Although the opponents looked exhausted, Jier did not carelessly lower his guard. He still held the Metal Spear with both hands, and after a long stride, he thrust it straight toward the abdomen of one Dwarf.

The chest was, of course, a better target in battle, but the Metal Armor Plate on the Dwarves' chests was very thick. By comparison, because the abdomen needed to rotate at the waist, the armor here, although also connected by Metal Armor Plate, was visibly thinner.

However, although it was said to be thin, the defensive power here was still nothing to sneeze at.

The metal of the armor plates that the Dwarves forged was of an unknown grade of steel; clearly, its hardness and toughness were both quite good, not the kind of shoddy, poorly made goods Jier usually saw.

"Ha!"

The double edges at the tip of the Long Spear reflected the sunlight from above, bringing out a bright, whitish beam of light—dazzling and swift.

The Dwarf being attacked also let out a short, unstable roar. Twisting his body, the Iron Shovel he had been using to support his body for rest was swung horizontally, attempting to deflect the Human Knight's lethal blow at the last moment.

But as soon as Jier's spear tip touched the metal handle of the opponent's Iron Shovel, a huge force was transmitted through, directly knocking the Dwarf's weapon and both arms aside.

"Ya—"

This Dwarf was about to be pierced through the abdomen, but another Dwarf nearby slammed over violently.

The opponent crashed into the shoulder of the Dwarf using the Iron Shovel, knocking him aside slightly, and took his companion's original position himself.

Clang~ Puchi, the armor on this Dwarf's abdomen was pierced directly, and then the Long Spear tip went deep into the opponent's abdomen, tearing and enlarging the wound during the Dwarf's lateral collision.

This Dwarf gave a miserable laugh and raised the Tiegao in his hand, intending to throw it at the Human Knight Jier. But just as he wanted to make a move, Jier kicked the shaft of his own spear. The shaft rose violently following this huge force, instantly lifting the entire spear, along with the armored Dwarf impaled on the spear tip, up into the air.

With this, the Tiegao thrown by the Dwarf lost its direction, instead spinning as it flew over Jier's head and landed on the ground behind Jier, kicking up a large amount of mud, wild grass, and wildflowers.

The scene of the Human Knight wounding a companion so heavily seemed to enrage these Dwarves once again, especially the Dwarf using the Iron Shovel who had just been saved from Jier's Long Spear by his companion. This Dwarf had a face full of grief and indignation, roaring in a strange tone, and also postured to throw the heavy Iron Shovel in his hand directly at the Human Knight.

He truly did not have enough strength left in his legs, but he still had the courage to throw his weapon one last time.

However, before the weapon in his hand could spiral forward through his rage, Jier exerted force with his left arm, pressing the Long Spear down hard.

During the process of pressing the Long Spear down, Jier also used his waist to rotate and fine-tune the falling direction of the Long Spear—exactly toward this Dwarf who was attempting to throw his weapon.

The loss of stamina and the roaring slowed down the Dwarf's attack, which allowed Jier, who acted later, to be one step faster in the battle. The Long Spear instead took the Dwarf impaled on it and smashed fiercely onto this Dwarf.

With a loud boom, the two Dwarves crashed together.

Thanks to the fact that the Dwarves themselves were not light in weight, and the thick armor each of them wore, the impact of these two Dwarves was full of force, with a perfect sense of collision! The ground soil turned over, grass leaves and grass juice splashed everywhere, the armor collided, deformed, and twisted, and the shattered armor plates shot out like buckshot. The double horns on the helmet of the Dwarf who was smashed pierced the thigh of his companion, and the heavy body of the Dwarf who fell also broke the right arm of the companion underneath him upon landing.

Because that unlucky guy happened to have his right arm raised, preparing to throw his weapon.

"Ouch!"

"My leg! You stupid guy! I knew the spikes on our helmets would hurt us one day!" The Dwarf who said this cursed while using his one free hand to slap the body of the companion beneath him hard, clearly angry at this guy's uselessness.

"My arm is broken! It's all your fault for eating too much! So heavy, you sat and broke my arm with your butt!" The Dwarf pressed underneath did not show weakness either, hurriedly using his other good arm to push the companion pressing on him, trying to push the other away, but he lacked the strength and did not succeed.

Even though they were both seriously injured and had smashed together fiercely, the two Dwarves were now entangled with each other, embedded in the soft soil of the ground, yet they still had the energy to blame and curse each other.

"Heh." Jier had to praise that these Dwarves were truly tough; if they were Human Bandits, they would have died from these two hits long ago, and it would be impossible for them to have the energy to curse and talk nonsense.

A soft human body would be split into two halves with blood splashing everywhere by his Long Spear with just a single slash, even without much force, but the Dwarves were only injured and smashed together.

Of course, this had to do with them all wearing thick armor.

He had wanted to mock the Dwarves a few times, but Jier glanced left and right, then retracted his spear and retreated. His legs dragged through the soil on the ground, and he withdrew while keeping his soles on the ground.

On the left and right, two Dwarves, each holding a Single-handed Axe, were flanking him. Just now, both of them were also lacking in stamina, so they could only watch helplessly as the Human Knight defeated their companions. At this moment, having just caught their breath and recovered a tiny bit of stamina, they charged up.

"Don't look down on people!"

The Dwarf who had chased Jier the most diligently before, which was the Dwarf who had been dual-wielding Single-handed Axes, roared and stepped forward quickly. The axe in his right hand was not held high, but simply held in his hand, looking like a club or a shield, and he approached while swaying slightly left and right.

On the other side, the Dwarf who had originally held a shield stared fixedly at Jier's Faceplate, trying to see through Jier's Steel Face Mask and look directly into his eyes to discern Jier's contingency plans.

At the same time, this Dwarf's axe also went against the norm, reaching straight forward, and his footsteps were coordinated not to aim at Jier himself, but rather at Jier's Long Spear.

Jier retreated while scanning the two Dwarves left and right. His combat experience was rich, and at a glance, he saw that the two Dwarves were cooperating tacitly—one attacking and one defending, one yang and one yin—and beneath the apparent intensity, there were subsequent coordinated responses.

The Dwarf who seemed to be approaching was actually a decoy, or rather, a smokescreen. Of course, if the enemy's level was not good, taking him down while at it was also possible. Under this person's advance, it was actually covering the Dwarf on the other side.

The Dwarf who had his axe extended forward was actually the key to this coordinated attack.

Because the two of them were cooperating to use the shorter Single-handed Axe to break Jier's Metal Spear, which had a longer attack range, they had to limit the movement of the Long Spear first. The axe extended by this Dwarf was preparing to use the axe in his hand to hook the shaft of Jier's Long Spear.

Once the shaft of the Long Spear was hooked and restricted, even for a very short time, it would be like a long snake whose seven-inch spot had been grabbed, losing its overall room for movement and possibilities.

This was the time for the other attacking Dwarf to shine. After his companion provided the instantaneous control, he could move closer along Jier's Long Spear to kill, facing Jier, who would be forced to let go of the Long Spear and fight empty-handed.

But Jier saw through this plan instantly. As he retreated step by step, he swung the Long Spear in his hand, using the short, swinging Long Spear to continuously launch counterattacks against the Dwarf who was pressing in.

This immediately forced the Dwarf who wanted to get close to use the axe in his hand to block. Clang! Clang! Clang!

Every clash of weapons emitted a crisp, sharp ringing sound; this was the sound of Jier's Long Spear blade vibrating slightly during the impact. Then sparks splashed, and tiny, indistinguishable metal fragments twisted and fell off both weapons during the collision. Because they received a huge impact, they accumulated kinetic and thermal energy, emitting a short red light themselves before jumping and flying away in the air to escape.

Afterward, they were cooled by the air, turned into heavy metal dust, and fell into the mud and grass, hiding completely.

This Dwarf gritted his teeth, his whole body knocked back following the clash of weapons. The Human Knight's strength was truly astonishing; even though it was just a slight swing of the weapon, the force carried could knock back him, who was using both arms.

Damn it! He had underestimated this human just now. A cunning human, so smart, and with such great strength—what kind of logic is this?

In the continuous passive defense of being beaten, he seemed to be able to understand and imagine how difficult it had been for other Dwarves who wanted to reclaim their land over these nearly one hundred years.

Fighting such a hateful enemy was really not easy.

You have to know that this was almost an entire mine's worth of Dwarves chasing one person and one horse, and yet it had turned into such a scene. Tsk tsk, he didn't even know how to face "Iron Fist" later.

Just as Jier was continuously swinging the Long Spear, whipping and forcing back the Dwarf pressing in from one side, the Dwarf on Jier's other side spotted an opportunity. The moment Jier's Long Spear swung to one side, he made his move.

He extended his axe and hooked it, using the lower edge of the curved axe blade as a metal hook to catch the shaft of Jier's Metal Spear.

Not only that, simply doing this would not be able to lock the Long Spear, after all, Jier only needed to rotate and press down slightly to free the weapon. So, while this Dwarf's weapon hooked Jier's Long Spear, his body also leaned in. Utilizing the advantage of the armor he was wearing, he did not need to guard against the cutting of Jier's Long Spear blade. With a clamp of his arm, he tightly wedged Jier's Long Spear between his left waist and left arm, while his right hand, holding the axe, also hooked the Long Spear shaft in front.

With both actions combined, the head of Jier's Long Spear could not be freed for a moment.

Unless Jier did the same as before, channeling the Life Energy within his body and kicking the spear shaft with one foot, kicking the Long Spear and the entire Dwarf away together.

But Jier did not do that. He even let this Dwarf lock his Metal Spear, only holding the Long Spear shaft and shaking it hard, trying to shake off the Dwarf locking the spear. After discovering he could not, he did not continue to try, but instead kept his left hand tightly gripping the Long Spear shaft so as not to lose his weapon, while his right hand lowered to his left waist, gripping the hilt of the Long Sword at his waist.

The Dwarf defending on the other side, seeing his companion lock the Human Knight's Long Spear, was overjoyed. His mouth split open, and excitedly, he turned from defense to offense. His body pressed against the Metal Spear shaft that was no longer trembling or swinging, and with two quick steps, he raised his axe, intending to slash over.

The Dwarves could not see the face under Jier's Faceplate and did not know that at this moment, Jier was also excitedly grinning, revealing his white, healthy teeth. His fierce canine teeth were continuously colliding and rubbing against each other, as if he could no longer hold back the urge to tear a few pieces of meat off the Dwarves.

For just as Jier's right hand rested on the hilt of Hunting Sword, the blade itself, still within the Sword Sheath, began to gather the Sun God Divine Power contained within the Sun God Prayer inscribed upon it, in accordance with Jier's intense desire for battle at that moment, ready to erupt and be released at any time.

There was no need to use up most or even all of the Sun God Divine Power in one go, as he had when he first obtained this ability. At such close combat range, a single short and intense burst of Divine Power would suffice; blinding the enemy's vision for an instant was enough.

One step—this was what Jier saw as the so-called "first step of the counterattack" taken by the charging Dwarf; then came the second step, and the opponent was even closer, the heavy and sharp Single-handed Axe raised, but the distance was still insufficient, for one must know that Dwarves are shorter than normal Humans, and thus their stride length and arm reach for swinging cannot be judged as one would for a normal Human opponent.

Two steps were not enough for the opponent to strike him down; one more step was required.

Just as this Dwarf was about to take the third step of his attack, Jier moved; with a "Clang," he drew the Long Sword at his waist with extreme speed, while Hunting Sword itself coordinated with the Sword Sheath and its own body to make this instantaneous draw faster and smoother.

The blade was drawn from its sheath in an instant, and faster than the Long Sword itself was the Blinding Divine Power released from the blade, which was now wrapped in Sun God Divine Power and appeared dazzlingly pure white.

A short, intense burst of white light bloomed here; the direction was not the all-encompassing, omnidirectional blinding often used before, but merely covered a sixty-to-seventy-degree angle in front of Jier, releasing a beam of Divine white light that blinded the enemy's eyes for only a second or two.

But time in combat is always like this: positioning, defense, closing in, and launching attacks often occupy the vast majority of the time in a fight, and the truly effective combat time is only a tiny fraction.

One or two seconds, within this engagement range of less than five meters, was already enough.

Swish—

The white light flashed, and the eyes of the Dwarf, who was about to launch his attack, turned deathly white; it didn't hurt much, as Dwarves actually have quite dull senses and possess an innate passive resistance to drastic changes.

But the blindness caused by the Sun God Divine Power was different from the blurred vision one gets from tilting their head back to stare directly at the sun; in its essence, it was more like the Divine Power had transformed into a white curtain, hanging before the eyes of Jier's enemy and forcibly glowing to obstruct them, leaving the enemy unable to see anything but a sheet of white light.

"Bad!"

This Dwarf also realized things were bad, but he could do nothing at this moment; he could only follow the situation from before he was blinded, still taking his step and swinging a strike that gathered all his physical strength, not even knowing if it would hit.

Clang—

Before the axe swung by the attacking Dwarf could fully descend, it was intercepted along its trajectory by a weapon that was the same—no, even heavier.

The counter-shock force transmitted through his arm made the Dwarf think he was clashing with a Great Hammer, but how could that be! The Human Knight opposite him could only wield a Human Long Sword!

How could it be so heavy?

Could it be a weapon made of Magic materials?

Damn it!

With this thought in mind, and subconsciously judging in an instant that his thought was correct, the Dwarf still wanted to regain the initiative in the fight after his weapon was intercepted and blocked.

But this thought of his was as fragile as a sandcastle on a beach; before the next second arrived, after the two weapons clashed in mid-air, a massive force came from the Human Knight that he could not resist even while his stamina was still intact.

"So this is what 'Iron Fist' and the others meant by Humans being a bit strong? I can go to hell!"

The Dwarf thought this, and then the massive force drove the clashing weapons, instantly pushing back and deflecting the axe in his hand, then following through with a downward slash onto the front of his body.

The armor plates on his chest disintegrated in a harsh, brief sound of distortion; the outermost layer of hard plates shattered and scattered, and then the blade of the swinging Long Sword carved an even deeper mark into the armor.

Jier felt a bit of regret; even with all his strength, using Hunting Sword for a close-quarters slash could not break through the defense of the Dwarf's frontal armor plates. It could only be said that he had smashed some of the opponent's plates and damaged part of their armor.

But it wasn't over yet; after the right-hand slash exhausted its force, the Long Sword snapped forward in the opposite direction with the arm, stabbing swiftly and fiercely at the Dwarf.

Yet the Dwarf opposite him had a burst of luck at this moment; his left hand had originally intended to lift and cover the injured area on his chest armor as a new defense, and unexpectedly, this move based on experience saved his life.

The direct thrust Jier followed up with after the slash had its power concentrated on the very tip of the Long Sword, making the power more focused, though the attack range was reduced quite a bit.

Therefore, even though the Dwarf blocked with his left arm in front of his chest, he was still pierced through the arm by Jier's sword, including the front and back of the armor on the Dwarf's left arm, before finally piercing through the Dwarf's chest with blood and cold killing intent.

But after the penetration and obstruction of the arm, this sword strike of Jier's was off by a fraction; he had aimed for the gap in the chest armor he had slashed open earlier, but the Long Sword, after penetrating the Dwarf's left arm, only struck a piece of undamaged armor plate.

It was blocked by the hardest and thickest outermost plate of the Dwarf's armor.

Hunting twisted unwillingly, attempting to drill out an opening.

It even wanted to project a dense amount of Sun God Divine Power from the tip of the blade, relying on the high heat contained within the Sun God Divine Power itself to melt the Dwarf's armor plates.

But just as the Long Sword began to change, Jier sensed something; he withdrew his right hand and delivered a powerful kick to the Dwarf's abdomen.

Bang!

This Dwarf flew backward more than seven meters, spinning like an iron top on the soft grass, and finally came to a stop amidst a sound of retching.