Chapter 216: A Good Fight
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A man would only regret something after he had done it. He would not know how terrible something was until he had experienced it himself. The soldiers were not afraid when they heard Anfey’s name. Their employer was one of the few marquis left in the empire. Even though he was far from the center of the political playing field, Marquis Djoser’s influence in this area was unmatched. Even the old city lord, Aroben, feared the marquis. The soldiers were used to doing whatever they wanted without any consequences. They didn’t care who this young man was. The soldiers had some experience with fighting. Seeing that Anfey came at them alone, two of the soldiers took a few steps back, and the rest ran around him. They were trying to block anyone who was trying to help Anfey and gain an attack angle.
The fire sword in Anfey’s hand swept forward and flame on the tip of the sword burned brightly. The junior swordsmaster waved his sword and blocked the attack. The soldier on the other side was able to block the attack as well.
The fire sword clashed with longswords, sending bright sparks flying. The two men felt their arms growing numb and tired, but they were still able to block the attack. The three soldiers who were behind Anfey saw an opportunity and lunged at him together, their swords aiming at his unprotected back.
The swordsmaster smiled. If Anfey turn around and try to block the attack, it would give him the chance to attack. If Anfey didn’t, then the three soldiers behind him could easily kill him. Before he could rejoice, however, he realized Anfey was suddenly moving again. He widened his eyes as a large fire shield came crashing down.
He screamed then jumped back, the shield missed him by a few inches. The other soldier, however, was not as lucky. Anfey thrusted his sword forward and blocked the man’s attack, then plunged the sword into the man’s chest. The air smelled of burning flesh.
If he was fighting a master swordsman, then maybe his opponent could deflect all of his attacks. However, Anfey’s opponents were normal soldiers and a junior swordsmaster. His opponents were not skilled enough to stop his attacks.
Anfey jumped aside and chased after the swordsmaster. He looked like a large meteor with the fiery shield held out in front of him. Before he even engaged the men in combat, he already knew how powerful his opponents were. However, he was still very cautious and did not want to get distracted. In close combat, getting distracted could mean death.
The swordsmaster knew that his opponent was superior to him and did not try to engage in combat. He kept jumping away and waving his sword, trying to distract Anfey. The three soldiers followed Anfey. Shamash, who was observing the fight, frowned and called, "What are you doing? Attack!" The rest of the soldiers joined the fight before he could finish his sentence.
Anfey suddenly stopped and, without a moment’s delay, jumped aside and out of the path of the three soldiers. Before the three men could react, Anfey brought the sword down on one of the men’s head. The man fell to the ground.
The other soldier slashed at his target and began running back, but before he could get away, the fire shield knocked him down. His body slid across the ground due to the force, and when he stopped, he did not move again.
The deaths of his companions gave the survivor a chance to react. He did not choose to run, however, and instead he lunged at Anfey, thrusting his sword forward.
Anfey looked at the man, but did not move. When the sword was less than three feet away from him, he suddenly ducked down, and the sword missed its target. Then he plunged his sword into his opponent’s chest.
The fire sword pierced the man’s body, but there was no blood, since the heat of the sword was enough to cauterize the wound.
Anfey waved his sword and threw the dead body towards the remaining soldiers. The soldiers stared at the body, but none of them moved. Seeing three companions dying in such a short time made them hesitant.
The soldiers stopped, but Anfey did not. He held the shield out in front of him, and began walking towards the soldiers. The way he approached the soldiers showed that he did not care whether they lived or died. There was no point in being just. There was no justice in the world, and the only people that cared for justice were the weak.
Anfey already had a plan before he even started attacking. According to Urter, his arrival would be met with resistance from Marquis Djoser. Compared to the marquis, Anfey had no networks and no experience. More importantly, he did not want to fight with the marquis. He was a skilled combatant, but he knew nothing about politics. It would be stupid for him to try and play political games with the marquis. He needed to scare him enough that he would not try to do anything.
In comparison to Anfey, Shamash’s men appeared weak and cowardly, especially the swordsmaster. Technically, he should be the most powerful one, and he should be at the front. Now, however, he was too terrified to lead the counterattack. He kept backing away, and was almost behind Shamash. This made the soldiers even more terrified.
"What are you doing? Why aren’t you attacking?" Shamash questioned angrily. He raised his foot and kicked the swordsmaster in the back.
The swordsman stumbled, but did not try to lead the attack. Instead, he stopped in place. He had led the initial attack with four other soldiers, who were all killed. If he wasn’t backing away, he would not be standing there. He would rather be jobless than die.
Anfey suddenly took a long stride forward, then thrust his sword at one of the soldiers. He did not use his full strength, because that would make it harder for him to move after each attack. He was able to move around because he had preserved parts of his power.
Now, however, the soldier were not as daring, and Anfey was switching up his tactics. Now, his strategy was more intimidating but more dangerous for him.
The soldier tried to block the attack, but his strength was far inferior. The fire sword was only slowed, and came down onto the soldier. The man’s head burst into flames.
The soldiers around him gasped in horror. Anfey turned to the left and struck out. The soldiers were caught off guard, and could not block the attack. One soldier’s sword plunged into another’s chest. The second man fell to the ground.
Anfey’s every move was full of power. The soldiers were too scared to fight back, and those that did try to fight back were slaughtered mercilessly.
The swordsmaster had already abandoned his sword and disappeared into the crowd. Shamash, however, did not even notice. This was not a fight. It was a massacre.
If he was simply fighting, Anfey usually stayed very calm. Now, however, he felt a strange joy when he saw his opponents falling like leaves before him.
Soon, there was no one standing around Anfey. All the remaining soldiers were behind Shamash, and no one tried to protect him. The mage next to Shamash whispered several spells, but didn’t release any of them. Right now, he cared only for his own life.
Anfey stood in front of Shamash, who was sweating furiously, and did not feel any pity for the man. This man must die. There were a lot of men willing to work for the nobility, and it did not matter if those men died. The only way to make the nobility fear him was to kill Shamash.
"I remember him!" someone in the crowd suddenly called. "Isn’t that the guy that terrorized Shansa Empire?"
People in the crowd began whispering to each other, and the sound of their voices became louder and louder. They had been hearing a lot about Anfey lately.