Chapter 191: The Consequences of Disregarding Chivalry (Five Thousand Words)
Having said that, the dragon demon named Karak let out a roar:
“Everyone, charge!”
Before the words had finished echoing, the tall dragon demon swung a hammer, aiming straight for George’s head.
The other beastman warriors immediately followed suit, mocking the paladin for his folly in choosing to fight alone instead of fleeing, while unleashing various superpowers.
A fully drawn bow aimed at George fired an amber arrow. A finely crafted voodoo doll was directed at George, while a hand holding a pin viciously struck the voodoo doll.
A ram spoke twisted words; at the moment the words landed, a cloud of gray mist descended upon George’s head…
“Bang!”
The massive rock cracked with several fissures, and a steel hammer larger than a cart missed George, who had slowed down. The dust and debris from the impact struck him.
Simultaneously, dangerous projectiles of various colors flew at him—amber arrows, azure arcane missiles, and shining spears…
A series of explosions erupted, and George jumped out of the dust cloud, covered in dirt, with several burning paper strips inscribed with sacred phrases stuck to him. He raised his hand, pointed at the dragon demon Karak, and sternly accused, “You twist the meaning of a one-on-one challenge; this is unfair.”
“Unfair?”
Karak the dragon demon could hardly contain his laughter; there were actually knights in this world whose minds were so rigidly foolish. Even knights who adhered to the chivalric code would sometimes ambush from the sides. How had this obstinate paladin managed to survive until now?
“It’s totally fair! Volcano!”
Karak envisioned the scene of a volcanic eruption in his mind; his arm muscles swelled to such an extent that they could accommodate a cart alongside him. As he swung the hammer with force, an explosion resounded, the hammerhead whistled through the air, emitting blinding sparks.
To the flying Ji Ma, it seemed like a meteor about to obliterate George.
Although she knew George likely had a trump card and that the situation was not as dire as it seemed, her heart still clenched.
Had this guy lost his mind this morning?
George moved; he forcefully pushed off the ground and dodged to the side.
A hissing beastman shouted, “Too late!”
Before the words finished, shadows beneath George’s feet suddenly transformed into black tentacles that tightly constricted around his shins. Though the bind lasted less than half a second, it was enough.
The hammerhead engulfed in flames struck downwards. George barely managed to block with his massive sword, making the action appear laughably insignificant before the enormous hammerhead.
“Boom!!!”
Like a volcanic eruption.
The hammerhead stopped, and real shockwaves rippled throughout. A semi-transparent shockwave expanded outwards from the hammerhead, sending sand and gravel crashing down onto Ji Ma, the sound arriving soon after.
Ji Ma staggered mid-air, shielding her face with her hand, and once she regained her balance, she quickly looked down.
She saw that the enormous rock George had been standing on had, in essence, transformed into a large basin, with a huge indentation in the center. The rock was halved in height, and the rock at the “basin wall” cracked and slid down the slope next to burning trees.
The surrounding stag beetles close to the impact were knocked down while those farther away were unaffected; only a handful of unfortunate souls were crushed beneath the fallen stones, but as long as they killed George, the cost was negligible.
Karak the giant ogre had used all his strength; leaning forward, part of his weight pressed down against the hammer handle as he grinned and said:
“Too bad I can’t eat the meat.”
However, he felt something was off with his grip, but he didn’t think much of it. After taking so many hits, even facing this blow head-on, even the legendary George was surely doomed.
He took a breath, lifted the heated hammer, and rested it on his shoulder.
The beastmen below began to chatter.
“Go check if there’s any meat left!”
“Hang his helmet fragments up to show those monkeys what happens to traitors.”
“I’m gonna die laughing! This is my first time seeing a human so thick-headed.”
“I say you despicable beasts…” A figure leaped out from the pit through the dust—none other than George.
He was covered in dirt, his shoulder armor was deformed, and his strap had snapped. His small cloak, originally meant to cover his asymmetrical shoulder armor, had only a few charred strips left and looked utterly disheveled.
But compared to the earlier onslaught, this minor damage was negligible.
The beasts were stunned.
In the air, Ji Ma dodged a magical scorpion beast’s pounce while deep in thought. In the distance, Eve Frostleaf, unable to grasp the situation, charged this way in a frenzy.
With a massive sword slung over his shoulder, George extended his unarmored arm and pointed at the dragon demon Karak’s nose. “Knowing the rules of a one-on-one challenge, you repeatedly breached them and ganged up on me, trampling over a thousand years of sacred order…”
No beast dared to laugh at George’s impractical ideals anymore. When a person could endure such extensive damage while sustaining only minor injuries, even his absurd comments made people feel strange and fearful.
Nobody cared about George’s tedious accusations. Instead, they pondered why he remained unscathed?
“Divine protection?”
Some beastmen turned pale. “Supernatural abilities?”
If he genuinely had such strength, then nobody would need to live anymore. The Demon King would eventually fall as well.
“Is Karak a traitor?”
This explanation seemed more rational, or at least, that’s what the beastmen thought.
As George reprimanded them for their despicable actions and disregard for chivalry, a hidden and robust beastman suddenly appeared in the air beside him, his muscles bulging as he thrust a dagger into the gap in George’s armor, where the calf protector was too large, leaving a gap wide enough for a finger.
Due to the full coverage requirement for calf armor, this was the very armor George had worn at fifteen, so it could not completely close, leaving a gap.
The dagger slid into the gap but got stuck.
George, as if bitten by a mosquito, glanced down and kicked out, sending the beastman crashing to the ground before stepping forward to stomp on his sheepish face.
The brave beastman met his end.
“Ambush? You tread upon order once more; I shall punish you.”
“Wait until you can live to talk!” Karak the giant ogre roared in fury, “He must have had divine protection before, and now it’s been exhausted. Everyone, charge together!”
Before he finished speaking, he swung the hammer once again, squeezing every last bit of his potential, visualizing the scene of a volcanic eruption as flames erupted once more from the hammerhead.
With all the surrounding beastman warriors gathered, they disregarded the risk of friendly fire and charged at George.
“It’s not over yet.”
George stomped down, shattering the rock beneath him; he suddenly leapt upwards, soaring towards the towering dragon demon, as if teleporting.
He swung his massive sword with all his might, the blade radiating white and fiery light, slicing through the air to create a magma-colored arc, transforming the slash into a thrust that pierced through Karak’s chest armor and scales, plunging straight for the heart.
Karak the dragon demon’s back suddenly bulged as if it were erupting from a volcano, exploding forth with a spray of blood mixed with shattered hearts and bones, leaving a gaping wound from which George’s great sword could be seen from behind.
George pushed off the surface of Karak’s armor and landed back in his original position.
Karak dropped the giant hammer as it crashed to the ground. He would never again have the chance to swing a third blow, his hill-like corpse toppled over. The stag beetles nearby panicked, fleeing from the falling body as it hit the ground with a dull thud that echoed in the minds of the nearly stunned beastmen.
Karak the dragon demon died from but a single sword strike from George. It was even quicker than killing a pig, and before that, George had still adhered to the pitiable and obsolete rules of one-on-one challenges.
George glanced around at the beastman warriors and asked, “Who’s next?”
“Thud, thud, thud.”
The sound of hooves stepping back echoed as the beastman warriors feared him as one would fear nature’s mighty force. Though they did not flee outright, they wanted to keep their distance from this terrifying figure.
The retreat caused a chain reaction, and the previously surrounding stag beetles bolted backwards like a startled herd.
George leaped down from the massive rock, intending to create some distance and “take his time,” but the beastman warriors, startled, made a strategic retreat while mumbling excuses to themselves.
This was not them panicking—they were simply a cowardly army fleeing without proper cover, and without the army to shield them, how could they hope to defeat George?
By the time George landed, even the vicious magical war hounds tucked their tails and retreated.
He didn’t chase after the pack but instead picked up his iron gauntlet from Karak’s footprint on the ground. After retrieving it, he summoned a celestial warhorse, mounted, and gave the horse a pat to return the way they came.
Ji Ma spread her wings and flew alongside him, a playful smile on her face.
“Was that impressively deep?”
“Enough. The whole army saw; the strong medium is settled! I’ve already cast the spell.”
“Be mentally prepared to receive punishment when we go back; the punishment won’t change.”
“Ah?”
This scumbag!
Ji Ma suddenly remembered what men liked to hear at a time like this. Having put on such a grand show, he must want to hear his woman brag about him.
“Punishment is punishment, but you must administer it yourself,” Ji Ma said. “Seeing your man so powerful, unrivaled in the world, who wouldn’t be happy? I’ll let you punish me. Hey, Frostleaf, you agree, right?”
Eve Frostleaf, who had previously rushed over in a frenzy, was now leaning against a tree, appearing as if she had been waiting for a long time.
Eve Frostleaf opened her mouth, her voice cold: “I’m not like you, a succubus who enjoys being abused. You’ve dragged it out so long; you really aren’t reliable.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, who was it earlier that ran to George like a madwoman, hair down?”
Eve Frostleaf stretched her long legs, effortlessly catching up to the galloping celestial warhorse, saying, “I just want to see who killed George so I can warn the knights not to underestimate him.”
Ji Ma laughed: “And?”
Eve Frostleaf shut her mouth, ignoring Ji Ma, and instead spoke to George: “Being surrounded is a military taboo; don’t commit that mistake again in the future.”
George responded, “Okay.”
The three of them ran nearly two kilometers, stopping only when the area was temporarily safe.
Ji Ma, far from displaying sadness at the prospect of punishment, opened her interdimensional space bag and dumped a large pile of assorted loot onto the ground—minotaur heads, minotaur horns, and so on—all scattered across the grass.
Seeing the prizes, Ji Ma’s face lit up with joy. “We can exchange these for lots of shiny good stuff!”
George sighed. “Are you really that greedy?”
“This isn’t mere greed,” Ji Ma retorted. “The Duke of Kasson has enslaved and exploited so many farmers; every gold coin in his hand is stained with blood and tears. I’m doing this to ensure his evil is lessened a bit, while also sparing the people of this land from the ravages of war. I risked my life to achieve this honor!”
She spoke with such righteous indignation.
As if she were the one who took the beating.
George questioned, “Is it mainly about the money?”
Ji Ma exhibited no shame: “Of course.”
As she counted the loot on the grass, she suddenly slapped her thigh and jumped up in a panic. “That big dragon demon hasn’t been looted yet!”
With that, she spread her wings and was about to fly when George yanked her tail, pulling her down.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Of course, I’m going to pry off a piece of dragon scale for evidence.”
George replied, “No need to take risks; I can just claim I killed it, right?”
“But how can you convince people without physical proof?” Ji Ma said. “It’s not just a matter of belief. If the spoils are distributed, the more you have, the less others receive; speaking the truth can’t silence all mouths. If others don’t believe you, the Duke of Kasson won’t be able to share so much gold either.”
“Do you really have to go? It’s dangerous over there.”
“It’s fine; I’ll be careful.”
George sighed again and pulled out a black scale from his interdimensional bag, roughly the size of a washbasin.
“I picked this up.”
“George, you’re such a good person!” Ji Ma exclaimed as she took the still-warm black scale, holding it with both hands and smiling like a flower. “Hey? George, you’re bleeding.”
A trickle of blood dripped from beneath George’s helmet, running down his dust-covered breastplate.
“I’m injured.”
Ji Ma hurriedly dropped the scale and lifted George’s helmet, seeing that one-third of his head was soaked in blood, streaming down his neck.
“Have you exhausted your healing power?”
“Yeah.”
Ji Ma blew gently on the wound on George’s head, “Hurt, go away. Forget it; we need to treat it quickly. Sit down! No, I’m going to open the Dream Palace. You’ll sleep after this. Frostleaf, keep an eye on the entrance and exit—Frostleaf? Frostleaf?”
Not far away, the mournful wail of a beastman could be heard.
Eve Frostleaf was fiercely stabbing away with two silver swords. Upon hearing Ji Ma’s call, she stopped, expressionless, turned her face, and with a drop of blood still on her beautiful face, nodded before turning back to continue stabbing.
“Ah, let’s hurry and get into the Dream Palace.”
Upon entering the Dream Palace, Ji Ma cleaned George’s wound, fed him a potion, and wrapped his head with snow-white bandages.
George commented, “Honestly, it’s not that useful.”
“At least you don’t look so disheveled,” Ji Ma praised. “You were so cool when you killed the dragon demon with a single strike!”
After saying that, Ji Ma noticed the slight raise of George’s brows.
Heh, such a vain man.
George inquired, “But, do you roughly guess what’s going on?”
“Of course; I’m quite clever, you know?” Ji Ma thought proudly. “I deduce that you’re utilizing the one-on-one challenge rules passed down from the Knight Bartok. Although I don’t know exactly what your abilities are, I believe that the older the rule is, the more powerful your punishment becomes when others trample this order.”
“Very clever,” George admitted. “But this order must not be evil.”
“I also guess that the more people violate the one-on-one challenge rules, the more resilient you become, allowing you to withstand the attacks?”
“Correct; I extended a one-on-one challenge, he accepted, but then called others to gang up on me, which ironically made me stronger. The more there are, the stronger I become,” George explained. “Their attacks only enhance the effectiveness of my punishments.”
That dragon demon simply fell victim to ignorance; he never realized that sometimes, the more people join in to attack, the worse it could get. They had an army of one hundred thousand…
Everything made sense now—George allowed himself to take hits to “build power,” and repeatedly condemned the opponents to transform their nature into “open criminality.” As the order’s enforcer, George’s punishment would become all the more terrifying.
“Thinking about it this way, you’re quite scheming.”
“What does ‘scheming’ mean?”
“It’s slightly more positive than despicable,” Ji Ma clarified. “The opponent never expected that you appeared to be taking hits while actually building power.”
“This isn’t the optimal solution; the more I endure, the smaller the benefits afterwards,” George explained. “I could have finished it off with just a few strikes much earlier.”
“You could have avoided such heavy injuries,” Ji Ma said, tying a bow with the bandages, looking somewhat distressed.
The paladin could heal himself and others, and George had exhausted his healing ability for the day… He actually wasn’t as relaxed as he seemed.
“But it’s quite memorable.”
Ji Ma felt a stir in her heart; this long-wood-brained fellow had actually taken her words to heart.
Once the healing was done, George didn’t notice the addition of a bow on his head when he donned his helmet and said, “By the way, it seems quite safe now; let’s commence the punishment.”
Ji Ma smiled brightly, “Then please go easy.”
“No, we shall strictly adhere to the rules.”
Ji Ma gently caressed her own tail and said, “The focus can be adjusted; I won’t mind.”
“Your share of the loot is being reduced from one-third to one-tenth.”
Ji Ma stiffened; this punishment was quite different from her expectations.
“Hey, we just won magnificently!”
“This victory, characterized by disorganization, lack of discipline, and reckless behavior, cannot be tolerated,” George stated. “Discipline is the top priority.”
“Can’t you just spank me?”
“No, you’re grown; that would insult your dignity.”
“Just spank me then, however you wish, as long as it’s reduced to one-eighth—no, one-ninth will do.”
“Let go of my thigh; we’re currently fighting—please be serious, my fiancée.”
“Get lost, you wooden brain, obstinate paladin!” Ji Ma exclaimed, kicking his armor as she walked behind him. “Scumbag, heartless man.”
But once George vanished, Ji Ma composed herself, took out a mirror, lightly patted her face, revealing a hint of pink. She then dipped a brush in water and wet her face as if she had just completed an intense race.
Completing all of that, she smiled charmingly at her reflection, the effect splendid, unable to suppress her laughter as she said, “Ji Ma, you’re really flirtatious, hahaha.”
After finishing, Ji Ma stepped out of the Dream Palace’s entrance and saw George on horseback, alongside Eve Frostleaf, who was preparing to depart.
“We’re setting off,” George said. “The enemy might sense something’s off.”
“Hmm.” Ji Ma gave George a shy smile. “Next time, be gentler with the punishment; I can’t quite take it.”
George looked puzzled. “Hmm?”
Without giving him a chance to question further, Ji Ma softly flapped her wings and flew into the sky.
A wave of painful power surged into her heart, bringing pleasure. Ji Ma leaned back, catching a glimpse of Eve Frostleaf, who clenched her fist. The two women exchanged glances, and Ji Ma’s lips curled into a smile.
She deserved to be angry for not being able to hold her own.
