CHAPTER 362: CHAPTER 256: POWER OF FLESH AND BLOOD_1

Dismas didn’t dare spare his horse’s strength. He rode desperately, only hoping to return to town quickly.

Fortunately, the distance wasn’t far. Upon seeing the torches burning steadily in the darkness from afar, a great pressure lifted from his heart.

I’m home...

"Who’s there?" The night watch soldiers naturally detected the urgent hoofbeats. Anyone galloping at night without a torch was definitely a highly suspicious character.

At that moment, the squad on duty, positioned behind their fortifications, had already raised their guns, ready to act.

"It’s me!"

After several shouts, the soldiers seemed to recognize the familiar voice, though they still hesitated, slightly unsure.

In that brief time, the fast horse had already reached the checkpoint. Dismas violently reined in his mount. The brutal force made the horse, Luobo, let out a pained neigh that sounded particularly chilling in the night.

"Damn it! It’s me, Dismas! Hurry up and move the barricade! I have an emergency!"

"Sir, that’s not your usual horse, is it?" The soldiers on duty, aided by the torchlight, confirmed it was indeed the instructor, but the horse he rode was not one they recognized.

There were very few horses in town, and the soldiers also had to learn how to care for them. Among these horses, the Lord’s mount was the most distinctive. When Sir Dismas had ridden out, he was on that particular horse, not this current one.

This was a detail most people, even soldiers from the Empire, would overlook. However, Hamlet’s soldiers were a professional military force.

Especially after the last incident involving impersonation, they had all undergone reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance training.

At these words, the soldiers, who had momentarily relaxed, immediately aimed their guns at Dismas and questioned him sharply.

"Who are you really? Dismount immediately for inspection! Don’t resist, or else..."

"Damn it, Tony! You little brat, you don’t even recognize me anymore, huh?" Dismas, with his fiery temper, almost raised his gun and fired. However, he instead pulled out his copper identification tag, tossed it over, and explained, "There was a damn fight up ahead! I barely managed to snatch a horse. Now, get out of my way!"

"Quick! Move it!"

The soldier named Tony took the identification tag and checked it. After quickly confirming it according to procedure, he finally had the barricade moved.

"I don’t have time to waste talking to you! Is the Lord in town?"

"He just returned today."

The situation was urgent, so Dismas wasted no more time. Upon receiving the answer, he spurred his horse into a wild gallop, heading straight for the Lord’s residence.

Lance had just returned with his troops today. This victory had completely wiped out the soldiers’ fear of the wilderness and had also provoked the enmity of the Ascension Sect.

Moreover, they had also supplied a new batch of test subjects to Paracelsus. It’s just a shame they didn’t manage to loot any money...

Lance, who was working at his desk, suddenly sensed something and abruptly looked up.

Who dares to gallop through the central area of town at night?

Just then, he heard shouting outside. Lance’s expression tensed. Dismas is back!

He hurried out and saw Dismas approaching. The strange expression on Dismas’s face immediately gave Lance a bad feeling.

Could the mission have failed?

"Whatever happened, the important thing is that you’re back safely. Tell me what happened, take your time."

Lance spoke to reassure him. The message delivery task had always been a strategic diversion, intended to draw the Ascension Sect’s attention away from the town. This would give him an opening to send out troops to clear the wilderness. In a way, Dismas had already completed his mission by diverting the Ascension Sect’s attention.

Failing while being intercepted by the Ascension Sect was quite normal; the fact that he managed to escape was already a net gain.

However, Dismas was in no state to discuss the mission and hurriedly explained the situation.

"On my way back, just outside of town, I encountered..."

After just a few sentences, Lance, who had been relatively calm, flew into a rage upon hearing the full account.

"That damn monster! Daring to kill my horse!"

In this era, horses were vital tools for production and transportation. They were hard to come by even with money, let alone one that was the very best.

"My Lord, should I summon the soldiers?"

"No, you all remain on guard. I’ll go alone." Lance hadn’t lost his senses. Half the soldiers were currently on leave, and the other half were responsible for defense; they couldn’t be mobilized rashly.

Besides, from Dismas’s account, it sounded like a battle between Transcendents. This was a perfect opportunity for him to gather more information—the allure of Mysticism was simply too strong.

"Get some rest. I’ll be right back." Lance patted Dismas’s shoulder, then walked past him and out, calling out.

"Wang Cai, let’s go!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the massive white wolf burst out. It completely ignored Dismas, charging straight out to follow Lance.

Having seen it frequently, one might not notice, but Dismas realized that in just seven days, Wang Cai had grown a full size larger.

By the time Dismas processed this, Lance had already mounted Luobo and was galloping out of town with Wang Cai.

「...」

BOOM!

With the sound, Geralt was sent tumbling. He quickly got back up, using his sword for support, his sword hand trembling involuntarily.

He had lost count of how many times he’d been knocked down. Geralt’s face was now ghastly pale, his body covered in dirt and blood. The fierce battle had even caused his long ponytail to come undone, leaving him looking utterly wretched.

Before him stood a muscular monster nearly three meters tall. After a brief period of confrontation, the monster’s transformation had deepened further; apart from its general humanoid shape, it bore almost no resemblance to a human.