Chapter 2: The First Battle

Incitement

For Lawrence, the actions of the sand thieves are all too familiar. If close combat fails, the sand thieves will naturally opt for ranged attacks. This could lead to trouble

We are not clear about the effects of the weapons in this world, so it is better to be cautious

Yiming was still sighing, but he quickly turned his head, his mind racing as he calculated the number of enemies in front of him, the distance, and the range of their weapons

This is the conclusion drawn by Lawrence after observation. Although the swords they used were completely different from what he was accustomed to, the strange techniques and postures did not resemble the preparatory movements typically seen in combat. However, who exactly are they

The young girl had slightly furrowed, elongated eyebrows, and her golden hair still radiated a vibrant sheen under the harsh sunlight of the desert. She gently removed the black glove from her left hand, and then Lawrence seemed to see something on the back of the girl's hand

Yiming's voice was very soft, almost inaudible amidst the howling storm. However, the girl on the other side nodded, as if she had heard him speak

The clear voice of the young girl echoed in Yiming's mind. In stark contrast to the girl's completely aristocratic demeanor, filled with elegance, his double-edged longsword was casually dragged beside him, the long and sharp blade already buried in the sand. This appearance seemed indifferent, entirely unlike that of someone engaged in battle.

Much slower than a bullet

It was evident that neither close-range nor long-range attacks could succeed, and having lost five or six men in an instant, the sand bandits could no longer hold their ground. Among them, a figure wrapped in a heavy scarf, seemingly the leader, shouted loudly and then placed his hand to his lips to emit a strange whistle. The sand bandits circling the beast cart immediately retreated. A fierce wind swept through, carrying yellow sand, and within just a few minutes, those individuals vanished without a trace. Only the ground was left covered in sand, along with the bodies that were being buried.

Perhaps it is because the sight of a lone merchant traversing the desert is so utterly irrational that even the sand bandits did not immediately attack. Moreover, positioned as hunters, they seemed to view this as a game of life and death, much like a *manual*. There were only three opponents, two of whom were mere children, and the merchant did not appear to be a formidable figure. Given this, why not toy with them a little longer? There were only three opponents, two of whom were mere children, and the merchant did not appear to be a formidable figure. Given this, why not toy with them a little longer

A strange cry echoed, resembling the sound of a war horn. The sand raiders rode down the dunes on their four-legged sand beasts, their curved blades glinting in the sunlight. Strangely, they did not follow a straight path down but instead swayed left and right as they advanced, maneuvering their four-legged sand beasts to surround Lawrence and the other two. It must be said that the speed of the four-legged sand beasts was indeed impressive; in Yiming's eyes, they were almost indistinguishable from those riding motorcycles. Fortunately, the 'wheels' of these creatures did not appear to be so hard that they could not be cut through.

Lawrence drew his long sword and leaned against the broad back of the camel. Yiming and the girl stood on either side of him. How reckless! How foolish! In any case, the three of us cannot possibly kill these dozens of sand bandits! Moreover, that girl looks so delicate; how could she possibly take a life?

Is this a sword

What bad luck!

Lawrence leaned against the body of the camel, his eyes wide with astonishment. He rubbed them vigorously with his hands, wondering if he was dreaming. After all, he had just seen it very clearly! The curved blade of the sand thief had struck at Yiming's neck before he launched his counterattack! Yet, that blow from the sand thief had clearly swung at his neck, but it seemed to have merely swept through the air, causing no harm to Yiming whatsoever. Could it be that he had dodged at the critical moment? Lawrence was quite confident in his eyesight! However, the sand thief's blade had clearly passed by his neck, yet it appeared to have only grazed the air, inflicting no injury on Yiming. Was it possible that he had evaded the attack at the last second? Lawrence was indeed confident in his vision! He had clearly seen the glint of the blade's back; if Yiming had truly evaded the attack, his body should have blocked the reflection of the blade!

Oh... this idea is too difficult! The wind is strong and pulling hard!

After the death of two individuals, the sand bandits no longer intended to launch close-range attacks, and even increased their distance for precaution. However, they continued to circle around the beast cart, showing no signs of giving up. Compared to ordinary mercenary groups and military units, it is not so easy for the sand bandits to replenish their numbers. The homeless orphans in the city have long been reserved by those bandit organizations, and even the wildlings from the countryside would prefer to become mountain bandits rather than sand bandits. Who would want to engage in robbery in a desolate desert where nothing thrives? Indeed, if the cargo were abundant, losing a few people might be acceptable. However, the cargo in front of them did not seem substantial, and they had already lost two individuals in the blink of an eye. Such an unprofitable endeavor was not something the sand bandits would pursue.

Are you ready

That is also true

The swirling black death flung another innocent head into the sky. Although the sand bandits had already noticed Yiming charging at them with his double-edged sword and changed their attack direction, the arrows smeared with potent poison, which could fell even a bull with just a scratch, had no effect whatsoever. They merely grazed Yiming's body by mere fractions, yet none struck true. For those sand bandits, there had never been a more perplexing occurrence than this.

What exactly is the situation with these two individuals

The voice of the young girl echoed in her mind, steady and graceful. Then, her wrist effortlessly traced an arc, and the pristine blade of her sword suddenly flashed with sparks as it followed her movements. Several crossbow bolts that had been aimed at her were completely deflected, as if she were utterly unconcerned by these terrifying attacks. Although three individuals shot at her almost simultaneously, the girl's slender sword managed to parry each one of them.

The sand raiders still stood atop the sand dunes, occupying a position of advantage. Due to the distance, they could not clearly see the two individuals summoning their weapons, and now, the time to attack had arrived

As Lawrence stared blankly, the young girl subtly moved her body. Then, she held the sword with her left hand, palm facing down, and surprisingly made a motion where the sword tip slanted downward. Although this movement appeared very elegant and beautiful, based on Lawrence's experience, such a motion was utterly useless aside from its aesthetic appeal. It could even hinder the fluidity of her actions. Was it not evident that this young lady was an inexperienced noble, unfamiliar with the ways of the world and lacking any combat experience? Who, besides them, would go to such lengths to adopt a pose in a life-and-death battle that served no purpose other than to look flashy?

The sand bandit, surprised, rode on the four-legged sand beast and rubbed his eyes. Just now, that arrow was clearly aimed very accurately, but why did it not hit? No, how strange? Did it hit that little brat? But his body seems unharmed? ... Yet I distinctly felt that the arrow struck him ... . ... The head spinning in the air, seemingly no longer needing to ponder any questions. Yiming appeared beside the completely unharmed four-legged sand beast, and there was not a trace of blood on the double-edged sword in his hand? ... The head spinning in the air, seemingly no longer needing to ponder any questions. Yiming appeared beside the completely unharmed four-legged sand beast, and there was not a trace of blood on the double-edged sword in his hand? But not a single person saw how he came over, or rather, when he had acted?

Yiming let out a sigh; in fact, he was not entirely confident, as this world was completely different from what he knew. Who knows if the creatures here are impervious to knives and guns like the alien monsters depicted in those science fiction novels? ... However ... ... killing ... ... after all, this is not the first time.

Alright, alright, the other party is merely a bunch of sand thieves. I should remain calm, calm. For a mid-level warrior with rich practical experience, dealing with such minor characters is not a difficult task; haven't I encountered them before? But these two little brats are still children, right? No, perhaps they are just a bit older than children... However, this...

The ethereal and flawless white mysterious runes shot forth from the back of the young girl's hand, gently and swiftly enveloping her left hand. Then, just like Yiming, at the moment the girl grasped the luminous orb formed by these runic lines with her left hand, the runic lines spiraled and elongated like twisting branches, transforming into a slender, pure white sword

Once again, a soft sound echoed, and the slender white phantom swiftly retracted and shortened as if it were alive, transforming once more into the exquisite slender sword in the girl's hand, resembling a work of art

The white slender sword in the girl's hand suddenly made a crisp "crack" sound, and then the white phantom abruptly elongated several times, whipping through the air like a long white whip, striking heavily on the head of the sand bandit who had not had time to defend himself and was solely focused on attacking. The sudden attack caught the sand bandit off guard, causing him to let out a wail before he fell off his horse. He rolled on the desert, covering his head, and after a few rolls, he came to a stop, clearly unable to survive.

Yo hey ahーーー ! ! ! ''

However, during this process, an anomaly occurred

Upon seeing the sword in the girl's hand, Lawrence momentarily felt his mind go blank. He almost forgot the threat posed by the sand bandit before him, and even the question of how she had summoned this sword was pushed to the back of his mind, for there was another question that was far more important

It seems that, whatever this may be, it is at least not as hard as those Humvee vehicles

Caution! They have crossbows!

Indeed, this is the case, but one must not be careless

However, there was no time for deep thought. At that moment, on the other side, the sand bandit saw his companion killed and shouted angrily as he urged the four-legged sand beast to charge directly at the girl responsible for guarding the other side. He had originally wanted to toy with her a little longer, to see what kind of expression this cute girl would show. Heh heh, that would have been quite an enjoyment. But the death of his companion extinguished the almost playful mood of the sand bandit! After all, they were comrades, and that guy who had been split in half—damn it! He was his best friend! Just last time while on watch, they had said that if they caught a pretty girl next time, he would get to have his way with her!

Lawrence picked up a long sword from the ground. He had previously learned some self-defense sword techniques, after all, traveling merchants are not like those wealthy individuals who spend all day lounging in their carriages. They can hire skilled warriors and have loyal guards, so they do not suffer losses like he does. But what use is it to say this now? The sand bandits ride on four-legged sand beasts, which, although slow as a hippopotamus on regular land, can move faster than military horses in this desert environment. In fact, the most common tactic of the sand bandits is to charge at the merchant caravans on these four-legged sand beasts, wielding curved swords and harassing them like flies. When the merchants are exhausted, they then attack like a pack of wolves, and very few caravans can survive such assaults. Organizing a similar cavalry unit of four-legged sand beasts to counterattack? What a joke! Lawrence had ridden one of those things once, and it nearly threw him off. It is likely that even the most experienced riders cannot control such beasts.

Remember, never act too hastily, as it may expose your 'abilities'

Two "novices"

Yiming stepped forward just as a sand bandit charged at him on a four-legged sand beast, the curved blade slicing through the air in a perfect semicircle, poised to sever Yiming's neck.

Lawrence looked to his left, then to his right, almost in agony, feeling as if he wanted to collapse to the ground and hold his head.

Indeed, regardless of how one looks at it, there should be no doubt that the weapon in the girl's hand is a sword, as it possesses a hilt, blade, and guard. However, it is precisely because there is no doubt that questions arise. In Lawrence's view, the blade of this sword is excessively slender, even as thin as a finger, and it is several inches longer than an ordinary longsword. Such a delicate sword would undoubtedly break immediately if struck by a scimitar wielded carelessly by those desert bandits. The guard is adorned with what appears to be ostentatious carvings, and what Lawrence cannot comprehend is that the guard of the sword actually covers the back of the user's hand. If this is intended for protective purposes, then what is the meaning of the spiderweb-like gaps on it?

The originally slanted black double-edged blade suddenly surged up, stirring up a vast cloud of gray dust. The smile of the sand thief froze, and the blade beside Yiming drew a semicircle on the sandy ground before lifting. It silently swept upward, and when the sand returned to silence, that poor fellow had half of his body斜斜砍断, his distorted, blood-stained, rigid smile and the front half of the four-legged sand beast fell together into the desert. It silently swept upward, and when the sand returned to silence, that poor fellow had half of his body斜斜砍断, his distorted, blood-stained, rigid smile and the front half of the four-legged sand beast fell together into the desert.

Hmm?

The young girl stepped forward gracefully, spinning from left to right, resembling a beautiful dance. However, this movement was indeed peculiar; her opponent was still a considerable distance away. Even if the timing of her spinning thrust was masterfully executed, allowing her to conceal her actions while targeting her opponent's vital points, and leveraging the opponent's momentum to inflict significant damage, according to her movements, even if she spun around and thrust with her slender sword, her opponent would not yet be in front of her.

Kacha