Chapter 33 - Full Performance

“I’ve already taken a healing potion, don’t waste your energy on me—my companions need you more.” Gaven seemed to recall some painful memories and shook his head repeatedly, declining the maiden priestess’s healing divine art without appreciation.Not only did Gaven down the potion, but he also took the small steel bottle with a little label on it and put it into his combat potion belt as if it was his own.

“That’s true, that’s true… ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ No(ᴠ)ᴇlFire.nᴇt

I heard the High Priest say that those creatures who have obtained demon power traded their souls to demons for immense strength, they are incredibly evil, incredibly fierce…

That purgatory jackal person must be very strong…

Has that demon’s servant been purified by you all?” The maiden priestess either was too naive or was too captivated by Gaven’s adventure story, completely oblivious to Gaven’s thieving actions.

“Indeed very strong!” Gaven remembered the savage and repulsive appearance of the purgatory jackal person and nodded unconsciously, “Because we underestimated the enemy’s strength, we only managed to kill the ringleader, and many jackalweres got away.

That’s why we need to prepare more to prevent any ambushes.

These potions are all prepared for that purpose.

If not used, I’ll return them in full.

If used, I’ll pay according to the market price.”

After stuffing his combat potion belt, Gaven started filling up the maiden priestess’s belt too.

Seeing there was an extra one in the cabinet, he casually pulled it over and filled it up too, then strapped it to his waist.

These things, nobody would find excessive, though it made movement a bit cumbersome, but that was a minor issue.

The maiden priestess, who had never left the village and the church, was innocent and adorable, lacking a concept of many things, and was directly led astray by Gaven.

Not only did she pack a bunch of magic potions and scrolls, but she also changed into a slightly oversized set of leather armor.

With thick leather clothes underneath, it fitted her quite well, although it made her svelte figure bulkier by three sizes, giving her a somewhat round appearance from a distance, especially with her baby-faced round cheeks adding an inexplicable comical touch.

Carrying a small round shield and wielding a heavy mace with spiked heads, her skilful handling of the weapons showed that she hadn’t shirked her training with them.

“Wait…

wait…” Just as they were about to leave through the church’s main gate, Anna suddenly remembered something, dashed back with quick steps, and when she returned, she was cradling a prayer scripture that was thicker than her fist.

She hadn’t figured out how to deal with the section she had accidentally smeared with saliva, and fearing the High Priest might suddenly come back and see it, she decided to carry it along to contemplate a solution on the road.

Gaven, with his own mischievous intentions, didn’t stop her, as he had no plans of letting her return anyway.

Anna’s horsemanship was also surprisingly adept, even through the muddy ground left from the spring snow melt during a night journey, she kept pace with Gaven.

They kept going for almost three hours, just when the naive maiden priestess began to grow suspicious, questioning if she had been deceived.

Gaven made a ‘hush’ gesture, stepped on the stirrups, straightened his legs, and stood up to listen attentively.

A few seconds later, he sat back down and said, “Didn’t expect those bastards to be so bold, daring to regroup.

Lucky we’re well-prepared, otherwise we’d be in for a big loss.

In a moment, follow me closely as we charge in.”

“Oh yes!” The maiden priestess nodded repeatedly, without a trace of first-battle fear on her face, only the eagerness of a novice valiantly ready to try.

She already had the small round shield and the heavy mace firmly grasped in her hands.

Which young man or woman doesn’t harbor a longing for the adventurous life beyond the wild?

Anna had long been concocting such scenarios in her heart many times over, and now it was finally about to come true.

Wowo!

Wowo!

Wowo!

At this moment, Anna finally heard it clearly—the barking of dogs from afar, one after another.

But this barking was bone-chilling, sounding somewhat like a baby’s elongated cry, sharp and piercing.

These were the distinctive sounds of hyenas.

When these scavengers appeared, it usually meant that their masters, the jackalweres, were not far behind.

As Gaven led the maiden priestess on their horses around a small hill, there was no sign of the expected figures, only knee-high dry bushes on both sides rustling as if something was stealthily moving through them.

Opposite a small cabin, the stooped figures circling around, occasionally swinging their weapons, turned their heads to look over, their bloodshot eyes filled with unmistakable malice.

Wowo!

The strongest and tallest figure howled to the sky as if sounding the charge, like blowing a bugle for an attack.

The figures emanating malice converged on the two riders, lowering their bodies increasingly with speed, and finally using their limbs to sprint, resembling giant hyenas in full charge.

The hay on both sides shook more violently, and ferocious silhouettes burst forth with wide-open, bloodthirsty maws.

Some aimed for the warhorses’ throats, others leaped straight at the mounted knights, and yet others went for the legs of the horses.

Though they were a pack of beasts, they displayed impressive coordination.

“Charge!”

Gaven paid them no attention; with the momentum from their earlier run-up, their horses reached full speed, and the creatures were bound to miss their pounce.

Their real obstruction lay ahead.

The strongest of the jackalweres charged the fastest and was soon directly in front of Gaven, his hyena-like face twisted with innate malice—Gaven could almost clearly smell the stench emanating from its body and mouth.

The jackalwere dug its feet into the ground and leaped, straightening its coiled body and extending its knee-high arms, along with the thrust of a long spear, showcasing a startling attack range.

The enemy, galloping at breakneck speed, would impale themselves on the spear which was aimed right at their chest.

Blast!

Gaven’s deep blue eyes suddenly lit up, and a surge of invisible energy roared outward.

Psychic Blast.

The attacking jackalwere, in mid-assault, froze in the air as if someone had hit the pause button, even if just for a fraction of a second.

For Gaven, that was enough; the long spear he aimed low, effortlessly pierced the throat that was willingly exposed to him.

With just a slight lift, the force of the horse’s momentum tore open half of the creature’s neck.

Gaven’s body tilted slightly to the right.

The spear that was aimed at his chest now passed to his left.

With a swift move, he grabbed and pulled the spear, easily taking possession as its original owner lost grip.

Describing a half-circle in the air, the spear was then thrown by Gaven into the chest of another jackalwere who had just leaped.

The long spear swept across and struck the third jackalwere’s slender waist, completely distorting its posture.

It lay on the ground howling, with only its upper body struggling; the lower half was motionless—clearly, its spine was broken.

Such leaping tactics of the jackalweres worked well against infantry, especially groups of militia or common folk, allowing them to leap directly into the enemy’s midst, causing chaos and bloodshed.

But against cavalry, this tactic was like delivering oneself to the slaughter—as they hung suspended in the air, they became perfect targets.

Just one round.

Seven jackalweres—one dead, one injured, one incapacitated.

The rest howled briefly and no longer dared to continue their leap, instead, jumping past Gaven, allowing him to carry Anna at high speed away from the scene.

“That’s…

that’s…

so cool!” The maiden priestess experienced such a formation for the first time; her large eyes stared unblinkingly, wide in awe.

All the enemy’s movements were fluid, with a cruel yet indescribable grace.

This sensation filled Anna with a deep sense of guilt.

How could a sacrificer of the God of Mercy harbor such sinister thoughts?

Gaven had no intention of a retaliatory attack and didn’t slow down in the slightest as he crashed toward the little cabin.