Chapter 885: Conflicts and Light (Part 5)

Jier certainly would not let these Dwarf soldiers have their way.

He did not possess martial arts skills outstanding enough to brandish the Soldier Spear in mid-air and accurately strike down the Throwing Iron Hammers attacking simultaneously from the left and right.

A more formal, highly skilled Knight might have been able to do it, and that fellow Weier might have been able to as well, but Jier could not.

It was not because he could not react—he could react—it was simply that his skill in using the weapon was not up to par, as simple as that. Besides, he had possessed this Dwarf weapon for less than ten minutes in the real world; he was not yet familiar with the weapon's weight, its center of gravity, its length, or the length of each of its parts.

But it was not as if Jier had no way to deal with the crisis he was facing at this moment.

Under the thin moonlight, Jier used his left hand to brace the Spear backhanded, and with a movement faster than the Dwarf soldiers and a speed faster than the Small Iron Hammer spinning through the air after being thrown, he directly thrust the Spear into the edge of the second-floor platform of a Dwarf Residence no more than two meters behind him.

Clang!

A tiny spark burst forth as the pointed butt of the backhanded Spear struck the stone platform.

With the leverage from this strike, Jier not only interrupted the upward trajectory of his jump but also used the force to shift his body forward by more than a meter.

With this move, the Small Iron Hammer that had been aimed at the highest point of Jier's jump went spinning through the air and missed!

"How can this be!"

"Impossible!"

The two Dwarf soldiers, who had been full of confidence, shouted in shock, but they could only watch as the Human Knight avoided the double-strike of the Throwing Iron Hammers that should have been a guaranteed hit.

Jier used the leverage in mid-air to vault over the entire dirt road separating the Dwarf Residence area from the Human Residence area, kicked off the wooden wall of the second floor of the human house where he had previously been staying, and then turned and landed.

As soon as he landed, he found himself face-to-face with the Dwarf with the Great Hammer who was still standing in the same spot.

The next moment, this Dwarf Warrior remembered something, exhaled, and brandished the Metal Hammer in his hand.

Jier did not even glance at this Dwarf; he turned and ran quickly, dashed around the corner of the house, and, relying on the sound of Dwarf footsteps he had heard, thrust his Spear forward at the target.

Whoosh—Jier used his left hand to wield the Spear; although it was not his dominant hand, it was still swift and fast, and the two Dwarfs who had rushed over to provide support were taken by surprise.

The Dwarf soldiers had assumed the Human Knight who had gained the upper hand in the previous fight would retreat back into the pitch-black human building, so they had not expected the opponent to be targeting them at this moment.

But there was no opportunity for him to react now; the Human was tall with long arms, and this was a building corner; the Human Knight had suddenly flashed out with a Spear, and he simply could not react in time.

Thud!

Jier's Spear thrust was extremely accurate, hitting the Dwarf soldier squarely in the chest, but the subsequent result left Jier both relieved and frustrated.

The seemingly sharp and indestructible spearhead, after colliding with the Dwarf's armor—which was assembled from large, lobster-like metal plates—only managed to create a shattered dent smaller than a fingernail on the front. Compared to how the opponent had easily pierced the armor plates on his thigh earlier, it was simply incomparable.

But fortunately, Jier had not intended to kill these Dwarfs in the first place, but rather to capture them, so if it could not pierce, then so be it; it was not as if there was no way to deal with the turtle shells on these Dwarf soldiers.

The next moment, the Dwarf hit by Jier's Spear flew backward, sticking to the ground with a bang. He not only returned to the place where he had been guarding the house, but also crashed through a Dog Kennel and a Fruit Tree belonging to the villager, and even smashed through a wooden Fence covered in thorns in one go, rolling and tumbling along the dirt road on the other side until he reached the house of another human villager in the distance.

The corner of Jier's mouth curled up; he had done it on purpose.

Nearby, the sudden 'disappearance' of his companion shocked the Dwarf Warrior of the same group so much that his beard stood on end. It was not until he heard the chaotic clattering sound coming from behind that he realized the Dwarf soldier he was paired with had been knocked flying by the Human Knight just like that.

Realizing this caused a cold sweat to break out all over his body, and he understood that he was likely no match for this seemingly unremarkable Human Knight before him, no matter what. But this Dwarf Warrior, whose profession was usually mining, still took a quick breath, as if he were inhaling all the courage he had just lost back into his body.

"Fight! Unyielding! Coura..."

Before the battle cry in the Dwarf Warrior's mouth was finished, Jier rushed past him, swung the Soldier Spear, struck him, and knocked him to the ground.

Afterward, Jier ran toward the Dwarf soldier he had knocked away earlier.

The Dwarf Warrior knocked to the ground gasped, lying on his back in a pile of Wheat Straw. He felt as if his ribs were broken, but the stubborn Dwarf Warrior still climbed up, stubbornly adding the word he hadn't finished: "Courage—hiss."

The Dwarf Captain felt the world spinning; he tried to crawl up from the ground several times, but failed each time.

It was not until he vaguely heard a heavy object land beside him that he was forcibly helped up by someone reaching under his right armpit.

Although his eyes were still full of stars, and the black-gray ground and the night sky with its moon kept swapping places, he still squeezed some weak words out of his mouth: "Please, uh, switch arms..."

The person helping him quickly switched arms. The Dwarf Captain, no longer feeling the pain, took a breath and explained forcefully: "Right hand, no, the right shoulder is broken, it can't take any force."

The person rolled their eyes and grumbled: "You two are the same. Does that Human have a grudge against everyone's right shoulder?"

Perhaps because he was standing, the Dwarf Captain's condition was recovering rapidly. Although the stars were still flickering before his eyes, at least the ground and the sky were no longer swapping positions. This made him feel much better, and the urge to vomit in his stomach was greatly reduced, so he grabbed the shoulder of the person helping him with his left hand and explained: "Most people's dominant hand is their right hand. That damn guy can't kill us, so he can only prioritize injuring our right arms."

"No wonder," the Dwarf Warrior helping the Captain said with a sudden realization.

The Dwarf Captain, whose situation had improved a bit more, finally got rid of most of the white dots in his vision. Only then did he see clearly that the person helping him was the Dwarf Warrior who had been using the Great Hammer earlier, which made him grip the left hand resting on the other's shoulder even tighter. He wanted to say something, but the words that came out were still the most important thing to them now: "How is the situation?"

Whether it was because the ringing in his ears from the loud noises during the previous fight had not yet subsided, for the period after he got up, he could always hear the sounds of clashing and fighting coming from deep within the Human Residence area on the right.

The Dwarf soldier who had also been injured by Jier and had slammed hard against the wall of the Dwarf Residence walked over, letting his right arm hang limp, and responded inarticulately: "That Human went to chase Toto, who was knocked flying by him. He knows he can't deal with our armor, so he wants to pick us off one by one?"

"Toto? The Soldier Spear can't hurt our soldier armor. Wait! He only used one Spear, what about the others?"

After the Captain finished speaking, the Dwarf soldiers and warriors gathered at the scene all looked at a pitch-black hole that had been smashed open, and many of their eyes lit up.

But soon, it didn't take long, they were disappointed.

"Can't find them! Boss! Nothing! There are no Soldier Spears in the house!"

A Dwarf soldier in good condition anxiously flipped over a skinny Farm Pig, but could not find the Soldier Spear that might have been hidden in the filth where the Farm Pig had been lying.

A Dwarf Warrior nearby looked at a Plowing Ox leaning against the wall in the deepest part of the house, his eyes lit up, and he shouted loudly: "I know, it must have been hidden behind the ox by him!"

But after the two Dwarfs flipped over the skinny Plowing Ox that had been knocked unconscious, they still could not find the weapons that should have been in the house.

"It's a ghost! The Soldier Spears are gone!!! How could such big things just disappear?"

The anxious Dwarf soldier shouted in panic.

The Captain, whose condition was much better, narrowed his eyes. He gradually heard the movements in the distance becoming quieter, and then he gritted his teeth and said: "Forget it, everyone, fight with me. Whether it's to defeat that Human Knight or to rescue our companions, we can't wait any longer. Let's go!"

The Captain took two Throwing Iron Hammers from the waist of the unconscious Dwarf soldier on the ground and handed them to the others beside him. Then he glanced at the weapon in the Great Hammer Dwarf's hand and asked solemnly: "I will use it, how about that?"

The Great Hammer Dwarf was reluctant, but still handed his Metal Hammer to the Captain to use. After all, the other party was wearing armor and was less likely to be injured; even if he took risks to launch attacks in battle, it was easier for him to achieve results than it was for him.

Picking up the Great Hammer, the Captain immediately led the remaining five Dwarf soldiers and warriors, following the broken Fence and the gradually subsiding sounds of battle ahead, and hurried over.

Jier was currently on the second floor of a human house that was already empty, fiddling with the unconscious Dwarf soldier, trying to strip off the extremely sturdy soldier armor he was wearing.

The Helmet worn on the Dwarf soldier's head was the easiest to remove. Behind the metal neck guard, there were thick, sheet-like metal pieces connecting the armor to the Helmet. Although the light was poor at this moment, Jier fiddled with it a few times and discovered that on the back of the metal pieces used for protection and connection, there was a metal mechanism similar to a spring clip that could be opened.

He reached his finger over, hooked and pressed it, and the metal piece separated from the Helmet. Very quickly, after a few movements, Jier took off the Dwarf soldier's Helmet.

This Dwarf soldier's face was covered in blood and full of bruises; these were all caused by the punches Jier had delivered earlier to make him have a 'Quiet Sleep'.

To tell the truth, if he hadn't wanted to avoid killing this Dwarf soldier, Jier could have used much more force in his punches earlier. He estimated that with just a few punches, he could have broken the Dwarf soldier's entire skull without damaging (which he couldn't do anyway) the Helmet.

The helmet was removed, but Jier was immediately stumped; the armor on the Dwarf Soldier was arranged tightly, from the neck armor to the shoulder armor, layer upon layer, one overlapping another, with absolutely no place that could be opened.

"Not the neck, nor the shoulders or armpits. Damn it, even the armpits are this tight; it's as if the whole person is wrapped inside the armor!"

Jier muttered, but he didn't realize that the armor he himself wore was the same, both wrapping the body tightly. However, Jier's armor was far inferior in construction to the Dwarf's gear; after all, his armor used leather straps and metal hooks for opening and closing in places that pressed against the body, while the Dwarf's armor consisted of large, shell-like pieces of metal covering most of the Dwarf's body.

Just as Jier wanted to continue dismantling the Dwarf Soldier's armor, the sound of Dwarves moving about came from the farmhouse front yard downstairs.

The heavy breathing from nervousness, the sound of fence branches being crushed by metal boots, and the occasional low groans of pain were particularly conspicuous here.

Although the insufficient moonlight in the sky made it impossible to see the Dwarves' positions and movements clearly, it was still clear how many people there were and where they were.

Jier gently set down the unconscious Dwarf Soldier in his hands, then stood up and came to the large hole broken in the second floor of the house. This large hole in the wall, which shouldn't have been here, was created just now when Jier dragged the subdued yet still resisting Dwarf Soldier and smashed him through it; he had thrown the Dwarf Soldier directly through the wall from the yard downstairs, then followed him in, caught the Dwarf Soldier who hadn't yet gotten up, and beat him unconscious with a flurry of punches.

The movement of Jier getting up and walking to the large hole startled the Dwarves in the yard downstairs; before they could react, Jier gestured with his hand toward the inside of the house, then picked up the Dwarf Soldier's spear and jumped out.

Thump, Jier landed on the ground, and only then did the Dwarves in the yard see clearly who had made the sound.

"Where is Toto?"

The Dwarf Soldier Captain lifted the Metal Hammer with one hand, carried it on his left shoulder, and asked.

"Who is Toto? That soldier of yours? Hmph, beat me first and then I'll tell you."

Jier responded with disdain, then his body suddenly flashed to the right, letting a suddenly thrown Throwing Iron Hammer pass by.

With a crack, the front door of the house behind Jier was smashed to pieces, and even the wooden stairs leading to the second floor behind the door had several steps smashed by the flying hammer. Jier had always had good eyesight in places with insufficient light, so even though the lighting was poor tonight, he could still easily dodge the weapons suddenly thrown by the Dwarves.

As for the Lighting Plants that the Dwarves had carried on their backs while patrolling earlier, they had long since been lost somewhere due to the continuous fighting.

"Missed!"

Jier chuckled, charged at the Dwarves with a low stance, and then poked a Dwarf Soldier away with a spear thrust.

The Dwarf Soldiers immediately scattered, while three Dwarf Warriors gathered together and closed in.

"Careful! Your armor cannot block the thrust of a spear!" (Dwarven Language) The Soldier Captain warned immediately; these soldiers of theirs, because of the training they had always received, instead scattered at the first moment of battle, providing each other with a combat space suitable for the spear to be effective.

"Forget it! We'll create an opportunity! You defeat him!"

A Dwarf Warrior shouted heroically, then two Dwarf Warriors approached, one on the left and one on the right, holding shields and Single-handed Axes, while another Dwarf Warrior held a Throwing Small Hammer in both hands, eager to try and looking for an opportunity.

And around the formation of these three were two other Dwarf Soldiers, one carrying a Metal Hammer on his shoulder, and one holding a Throwing Iron Hammer tightly in his left hand.

But Jier ignored this trio in front of him entirely, directly performed a side jump, and leaped from the fence next to this family's house to outside the yard. The next moment, he jumped back in.

But this move, instead, left the three Dwarf Warriors behind, and he charged straight at the two Dwarf Soldiers in the middle of the yard.

The Dwarf Soldier Captain roared and rushed over, his left arm gathering strength, swearing to smash the Human Knight with one hammer. The Dwarf Soldier who had injured his right hand felt that the Human Knight was charging straight at him, scaring this soldier into lifting his feet to hide behind the Soldier Captain.

But Jier ignored him, rushed past the place where this person had been staying, and his target was the Dwarf Soldier he had previously poked away with a spear.

Just after rushing a few steps, Jier dodged violently, avoiding an attack from a Throwing Iron Hammer that came from behind him. This strike was launched by the Dwarf Warrior who had previously used the Great Hammer and was now using thrown objects.

"Troublesome! Stop these three! Use the net."

Jier shouted, then dodged to the side again, avoiding another hammer thrown immediately by this Dwarf Warrior.

At this moment, the Dwarves, hearing the words shouted by the Human Knight, finally felt that something was wrong; did it seem they had stepped into a trap?

Just as Jier's words fell, a person flashed out from the second floor of the farmhouse where he had been staying, which had the large hole broken in it. This person held a Capture Net used to catch beasts that broke into the Valley, swung their arm hard, and threw the net in their hand down.

And the ground in front of this person was exactly where the Dwarf Warrior trio was staying.

"Ah?" One of the Dwarf Warriors realized the attack came from the floor above behind him; just as he turned and raised his shield, he saw a large net that was blurry due to the lighting.

"Traitor!" He shouted excitedly, while simultaneously alerting the other two partners in his group.

All three of them felt at once that things were going badly; they were in trouble.

But the next moment, the huge Capture Net failed to fully unfold in the air; many parts were still tangled together, and only a small part unfolded successfully. However, even so, it still covered one Dwarf Warrior completely.

"Why is it me?" The one covered by the Capture Net was actually the Dwarf Warrior who had reacted first, so he yelled about his bad luck.

The Capture Net was not light, and the edges of the net were specially weighted, so once covered, this Dwarf Warrior was brought down to the ground; as he struggled, the net twisted back and forth, making it even harder to get rid of.

The other two Dwarf Warriors who were not covered, including the one holding a shield and axe, immediately rushed to their companion's side, attempting to use the Single-handed Axe in their hands to hack open the tangled Capture Net.

"Stop twisting, be careful I hack you!"

This Dwarf cursed, but even angrier was the person on the second floor of the farmhouse who had thrown the Capture Net; as soon as he saw that the Capture Net he threw had failed to catch the three Dwarf Warriors, he immediately shouted "bad," and hurriedly burrowed into the depths of the house.

You have to say, this person was quite clever, because the next moment, the Dwarf Warrior below threw a Throwing Iron Hammer up.

With a crash, the hammer thrown through the large hole in the second-floor wall smashed who knows what, but the Dwarves in the yard didn't care much anymore, because as the ambushing personnel launched their offensive, the other Humans ambushed here also appeared one by one.

Torches were lit and then thrown into the open space in the battlefield.

This provided lighting in the night environment and was also not easy to ignite anything around the torches.

As one torch after another was thrown into the yard of this villager's house and onto the surrounding dirt streets, the Dwarves all realized that they had fallen into a trap.

Perhaps tonight, starting from the battle initiated at the ruins in the center of the village earlier, it was all part of leading them into this trap.

On the roofs of the wooden houses around the yard, one figure after another stood up.

These three people who stood up one after another took down the Large Bows they were carrying from their backs, then picked up the Large Bow Arrows placed to the side, lightly nocked them on the bowstrings, and without drawing the bows, aimed at the several Dwarves in the yard below.

The Dwarves also gave up the attempt to rescue the Dwarf Warrior in the Capture Net, and those who could still fight retreated and gathered together.

But the situation was unfavorable; in the end, at this time, there were only two Dwarf Soldiers and two Dwarf Warriors here.

"What do we do? Boss."

The Dwarf Soldier with a dislocated arm was full of despair and asked the Soldier Captain, whose expression could not be seen, in a low voice.

The Soldier Captain, who had been unable to do anything in the series of exchanges just now, still carried the Metal Hammer, his lips pressed tightly, glaring at the surrounding houses and the Humans standing on the roofs.

He noticed that there were not only those three Human archers around; behind the doors, under the fences, and even in the dense Fruit Trees, there might be Human Villagers who were rebelling against the Dwarves.

"Traitors."

He gritted his teeth and spat out the word.

"What?" The surrounding Dwarves couldn't hear clearly, or perhaps they heard clearly but were just unwilling to face it. One by one, they were breathing rapidly, their hands and feet were cold, and they had broken out in a lot of sweat, which had dampened the handles of the Throwing Iron Hammers, the grips of the shields, and the wooden handles of the Single-handed Axes.

The Soldier Captain gritted his teeth and looked at the Human archers illuminated by a thin moonlight; he recognized that Human, and had even fought side-by-side with him, dealing with beasts and Monsters that had rushed into the Valley together.

"Kangpu'ao'ai-Tuosi! You outsider, have you brothers finally been unable to resist rebelling against us?"