When Jie Ming agreed to provide escort, the nobles of Golden Harbor felt as if they had been pulled back from the depths of hell.
They were ecstatic, rushing to spread the news, their excitement boundless.
However, Jie Ming’s next words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing their joy.
“I won’t wait long. The carriages must be prepared immediately. Only the most essential, lightweight supplies are allowed. Leave the rest behind.” His voice was cold and resolute.
“Golden Harbor’s location is precarious. The beastmen will soon organize their next attack. We must leave before the sun fully rises!”
His words caused the nobles, who had been preparing to flee with all their possessions, to pale instantly.
But Jie Ming’s demonstrated combat prowess and the looming threat of the beastmen army gave them no room for defiance.
Count Reinhardt was the first to react, his voice trembling as he acknowledged the order and swiftly relayed Jie Ming’s commands.
Under the pressure of survival, the nobles worked with surprising efficiency.
Soon, beneath the battered city gates, the nobles’ carriage convoy formed a bloated, winding serpent, slowly setting off in the morning light.Count Reinhardt’s pale face bore the exhaustion of a survivor. Through the carriage curtains, he cast a final glance at the still-smoking port, his heart heavy.
Jie Ming did not ride a horse or board a carriage. Instead, he walked at the forefront of the convoy.
His steps were steady, each one measured with precision, without a single wasted movement.
“Keep up! No one falls behind!” He didn’t turn back, but his voice carried clearly to every corner of the convoy, laced with unquestionable authority.
A few private soldiers, worn out from a night of fear and fatigue, stumbled and lagged behind.
Jie Ming merely tilted his head, his gaze like two icy blades piercing one panting soldier.
The soldier shuddered under the stare, as if whipped by an invisible lash, and scrambled to catch up.
Another soldier opened his mouth to complain, but Jie Ming flicked his hand, sending a small pebble whistling through the air to strike the man’s shinbone.
“Hiss!” The soldier gasped in pain.
Clutching his leg, his face ashen, he dared not speak under Jie Ming’s gaze and gritted his teeth to quicken his pace.
The entire convoy felt Jie Ming’s undeniable power. The nobles, inside their carriages, fell silent, no longer daring to complain.
The convoy moved along a barren dirt road toward the capital.
Low shrubs and sparse woods lined the path, the air filled only with the rustle of wind through dry grass and the creak of wheels over stones.
The towns outside Golden Harbor had already been “cleared” by the beastmen. The farther they traveled, the fewer traces of human activity remained.
The nobles occasionally peeked through their curtains, their unease growing at the desolate sights.
After hours of travel, the sun climbed high overhead.
The convoy reached a relatively flat hilly area when…
“Awoo!”
A high-pitched, feral wolf howl shattered the wilderness’s silence.
The ground began to tremble faintly, the vibrations growing clearer and stronger.
In the distance, at the horizon’s edge, black silhouettes appeared, charging toward the convoy like wild horses at terrifying speed.
“It’s… it’s the beastmen! Wolf cavalry!” A sharp-eyed guard shouted in terror, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
Over twenty robust war wolves came into view, their limbs moving as if soaring through the air.
On their backs rode beastmen archers in fine leather armor and wolf knights wielding curved blades.
Exuding bloodthirsty ferocity, these beastmen were clearly scouts from the vanguard, their goal clear—harass and delay this seemingly rich noble convoy.
“Watch out! They’re charging!”
Panic erupted within the convoy.
Shrill screams burst from the nobles’ carriages. Servants trembled in fear, some collapsing to the ground in terror.
The private soldiers hurriedly drew their weapons, forming a defensive line, but their hands shook, their eyes filled with fear of the unknown.
The wolf cavalry was too fast, surging like a black tide from the convoy’s flank, aiming straight for the ornate carriages.
“Damn it! Don’t let them break through!” General Brandon roared hoarsely.
As chaos engulfed the convoy, the figure at the forefront remained unmoved.
Jie Ming glanced at the wolf cavalry, not even giving the soldiers behind him time to form a proper defense.
With a slight lift of his leg, his body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow!
His speed defied mortal comprehension, a blur of black shadow in everyone’s eyes, rushing into the densest part of the wolf cavalry’s charge in an instant.
“Roar!”
A massive war wolf, carrying a beastman archer with a giant bow, lunged at Jie Ming, its sharp fangs and claws tearing through the air.
Jie Ming slid to the side like a phantom, dodging the attack. His right hand shot out, seizing the war wolf’s neck.
The wolf let out a pained howl as its massive body was halted mid-air by Jie Ming’s immense strength.
His left hand flashed, drawing a short sword from his waist. The blade traced a perfect arc, slicing cleanly through the war wolf’s neck.
Ssssh!
Hot blood sprayed, the war wolf’s final whimper echoing as its massive body twitched in the air before crashing to the ground, kicking up dust.
The beastman archer on its back was flung off before he could react.
Jie Ming kicked off the wolf’s corpse, launching himself toward the still-airborne archer.
Boom!
A swift whip-like kick struck the archer’s chest.
The beastman had no time to resist; his chest caved in instantly.
The beastman’s tough physique became a disadvantage, as the kick—capable of reducing a human to a bloody mist—sent him flying like a cannonball, crashing into another charging war wolf.
Both figures tumbled to the ground, twitching briefly before going still.
Meanwhile, the remaining wolf cavalry had fully encircled the convoy.
Wolf howls, beastmen roars, noble screams, and the clash of metal wove into a chaotic, bloody scene.
The private soldiers fought desperately, but their blades struggled to inflict fatal wounds on the beastmen’s thick armor or the ferocious war wolves.
Yet the beastmen had little time to cause significant damage. Wherever Jie Ming went, it was a one-sided slaughter.
Like a god of death, he wove through wolves and beastmen, each flicker of his presence marking the end of a life.
A wolf knight swung a curved blade at Jie Ming from the side.
Jie Ming didn’t dodge. Instead, he stepped forward, his right fist smashing into the blade’s surface.
Clang!
A piercing metallic clash rang out. The blade rebounded, its handle smashing into the beastman’s face, shattering half his cheek and sending teeth and blood spraying.
The beastman whimpered in pain, his wrist throbbing as the blade fell from his hand.
Jie Ming closed in, his left hand clamping the beastman’s neck like iron and twisting sharply to the side!
Crack!
The crisp sound of breaking bone rang clear amid the chaotic battlefield.
The beastman’s body went limp, casually discarded by Jie Ming.
His movements were too fast to follow, his strength incomprehensible.
The wolf cavalry attempting to surround him were torn apart, crushed, or had their throats slit by his short sword.
No spell glow, no magical fluctuations—just pure physical combat.
Yet this mortal pinnacle of strength was more impactful than any dazzling magic.
In mere seconds, over twenty wolf cavalry were annihilated by Jie Ming alone.
When he split the last fleeing war wolf from head to tail with a single strike, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.
Only the breeze through the wilderness and the heavy breathing of nobles and guards remained.
The nobles had seen the pile of beastman corpses outside the manor and knew “Jack” was strong.
But witnessing his exaggerated combat prowess firsthand, they realized they had vastly underestimated him.
They had thought Jie Ming’s presence was merely extra security. Now, they understood he was their absolute safeguard!
“This man… he’s already on the path to legendary, isn’t he?” Count Reinhardt cautiously poked his head from his hiding carriage, murmuring as he gazed at Jie Ming’s back.
Jie Ming, holding his bloodstained short sword, calmly turned around.
His eyes swept indifferently over the nobles and guards, frozen in shock and fear.
“Move forward,” he commanded briefly, his voice devoid of emotion.
After witnessing that scene, no one dared meet Jie Ming’s gaze.
Silence fell. No one dared complain or question his orders.
The guards, swallowing hard at the sight of the beastmen and war wolf corpses, dared not hesitate.
Having faced these beastmen, they understood the vast gap in strength.
At “Jack’s” command, the guards jolted as if whipped, springing into action.
With everyone’s concerted effort, the chaotic convoy was quickly reorganized, and the carriages rolled forward again, their wheels creaking distinctly in the silent wilderness.
The convoy pressed on amid lingering shock, leaving behind a field of mangled beastmen and war wolf corpses, the air thick with the lingering scent of blood.