The Orton Empire, the once invincible and powerful empire on the western frontier of the Gong Guardian Race, was overwhelmed by a surging beast tide more than ten years ago.

Quinta City was the transportation hub of the Orton Empire, and it was located downstream of the Empire's mother river, St. Doran, and was once the most dazzling jewel on the map of the Empire.

Now the pearl is covered with dust, the city is full of ruins and broken walls, and the buildings and lanes are unrecognizable.

Since the invasion of the beast tide, Quinta City, far beyond the siege, has rarely been ventured deep by humans.

And on this night, when even the moon does not want to go out, she welcomes three young visitors.

"There are footprints here! ”

The tall man in front of him had short brown hair like weeds on his head, and he ran at the front of the three-person team with torches in hand, and two odd-shaped shields on the back of his hands, a rare dual-wielding shield guard.

"Where?

The ponytail girl who walks in the middle carries a staff named Cecilia.

In the firelight, her little apple face, which was a little baby fat, was red and delicate.

"Well done, Hawke, I'll leave it to you next. A lazy voice came from behind the two of them.

At the end of the procession was a torch, a gray-haired swordsman with a long sword hanging from his waist.

He was dressed in a white-washed plain suit, covered with several places of practical thick leather, which was far from fitting the ornate sword at his waist.

He walked behind leisurely, with that handsome appearance with slender eyebrows, and a chic taste of cynicism.

"You look for it too, don't be lazy, Ezek!"

Cecilia turned to the gray-haired swordsman Azek and sneered.

Brown bangs moved in the wind, revealing a dark green crystal on her left forehead.

On closer inspection, the crystallization was not a decoration, but a small horn growing from its forehead.

This three-man squad has a beautiful name, the Silver Hand.

They have recently taken on a tracing mission to go deep into the occupied area to find a noble young master named "Charles Griffin".

When this young master Griffin participated in the recruit trial a year ago, he accidentally fell into the St. Dolan River, and he still doesn't know whether he is alive or dead.

"Yes, yes, Captain~"

The gray-haired swordsman Ezek's answer was still lazy, and he drew his ornate sword from his waist with his scabbard attached to it, and for a moment rummaged through the vines:

"Hey~ Our young master Griffin can really toss, only to find his footprints when I get here. ”

Cecilia urged Azek to find the footprints and asked, "Why did you say that he went to join the army as a noble young master?"

"Lord Griffin just passed away last year, he is the last third-class baron, according to the rules of the hereditary title of the Imperial Lord, the title is demoted to one rank, and since the generation of Young Master Griffin, there is no title to inherit. ”

Azek squatted on the ground, playing with the messy weeds, and said leisurely, his tone a little lonely: "Unless he accumulates enough military exploits in the three years that the title is vacant." Of course, this is also much lower than the requirements for ordinary people to be knighted. ”

"That's right. Hawke was stunned, and then asked, "But I remember that he was a hunchback, right? Can he join the army in this way? You said that he can fall into the river even if he crosses a bridge, and even if such a skill is in the barracks, how can he make meritorious service?"

"Hehe, the three counties of Hetao have been besieged by the beast tide for many years, and it is the time to employ people, and anyone will want it. Besides, he didn't have a choice. “

Invaded by the tide of beasts, the Odu Empire was isolated from the world, and after more than ten years of resistance, the defense line has been stabilized, and the originally vast empire is now only left with the three counties in the St. Dolan Loop.

To defend this last vestige of life, the empire built a tall wall to the south with its back to the St. Dolan River.

History says that the three counties besieged the city.

Ezek clapped his hands, stood up and stretched: "I have investigated, Charles Griffin has no talent, and if he wants to keep his title, he can only join the army." ”

At this time, Hawke in front of him suddenly raised his torch and shouted: "There are more footprints around here, they are all the same person, it seems that he is in this area..."

Cecilia excitedly said, "Okay, we're camping here today, Ezek...... Huh?"

I saw Azek turn around with a serious face, and his right hand was already on the gorgeous and old long sword at his waist: "Don't worry, it seems that someone doesn't welcome us." ”

Cecilia realized something, and the staff was held flat on her chest and chanted:

"The vitality of all things, the quiet elders, I am the one who engraves the law of body and mind, and the element of wood accompanies me!"

A melodious chant sounded, and the small horn on Cecilia's left forehead also faintly glowed with a little green light.

As the magical field opened, she quickly established contact with the messy wood elementals scattered around, and at this moment she could truly be called a magician.

Sure enough, as soon as the chant ended, there was a rumbling sound in the distance, and Ezek jumped onto the roof in twos and threes, and followed the sound by the dim starlight, only to see a large manor in the ruins, dusty, and several ruined low buildings slowly collapsing.

"Prepare for battle, Hawke. Cecilia jumped lightly up another low building, and saw a dark figure leap up from the smoke and dust, and after a while, he rushed towards him.

"Good!" Hawk threw the torch casually, and the two shields struck each other, only to see that on the inside of his hands and arms, there was a thumb-sized yellow crystal, reflecting the firelight, which was extremely dazzling.

As soon as the words fell, the black shadow had already landed on the wall opposite the two of them, and Ezek looked at it intently, and suddenly shouted in a lost voice:

"Oh no, it's the Steelbone Demon Ape!

Cecilia rarely saw him lose his temper so much, and forgot to continue chanting for a moment, and followed him to look across the road.

I saw a huge ape three people tall climbing the opposite wall, staring at him viciously.

Without hesitation, Ezek rose to his feet and rushed towards the steel-bone demon ape, the bricks and tiles behind him shattered, and the sword light appeared in mid-air, like a thunderbolt cracking into the air.

Although the sword light was fast, the demon ape seemed to have already warmed up, and before Ezek could slash his sword, he flew flexibly to dodge, and a steel claw slapped it with a backhand.

In a hurry, there was no time to dodge, and Azek had to slash at the monkey's paw with a horizontal sword.

But he heard a crisp sound of "clang", and he fell out of the roof of a three-story building like a kite with only a broken string.

"Vine Technique!"

Seeing that Azek had nowhere to borrow his strength in the air, and was about to fall into the alley full of gravel and broken piles, a coquettish cry came, and several green vines suddenly shot out.

Ezek's eyes quickly climbed a green vine, and with one strength, he turned over and landed firmly at the corner of the street.

"Bluff...", the demon ape failed to hurt the enemy with a single blow, and roared unwillingly, and chased down in a few leaps.

As soon as Cecilia saw that Azek was out of danger, she immediately clenched her staff and chanted loudly.

"Thorns!"

Four or five fast-growing thorn trees suddenly sprang out from the dense vines and weeds, winding along the fluffy monkey legs, instantly locking the steel-bone demon ape in place.

The barbed wattle was like a cruel torture instrument, and the more it struggled, the more it screamed in pain.

"Hawke, borrow light!"

Hawk was about to keep up with the attack, when he heard Ezek's voice coming from behind, he immediately withdrew half of his body, his left hand huge shield in front of him, and the shield blade of his right hand rose horizontally.

"Falling silver - slash!"

Almost as soon as Hawke raised his hand, Ezek jumped up and stepped on the shield blade, and flew into the air with his help.

Under the dim starlight, reflecting a trace of red morning light gradually brightening in the sky, a scarlet sword light fell from the sky, slashing from the forehead of the steel-bone demon ape all the way to his waist.

Suddenly, a blood flower bloomed, and a sword mark that was deep enough to see bones went down from the top of his head to his chest.

The steel-bone demon ape's face was covered with blood, and he screamed in pain, his claws fluttering, but he couldn't move for a while under the confinement of the thorn bushes.

"Did it work?" asked Hawke, poking a large head out from behind the giant shield in his left hand.

But seeing that Ezek's face was not very good, his sword eyebrows tightened and said, "No, it didn't hurt Ben to the point." ”

"Wood Elemental Spear!"

Cecilia was a little panicked when she saw that her killer sword, which was as strong as Ezek, and without saying a word, she sang her most lethal magic.

The five-handled wood elemental spear seemed to come from the void, and with Cecilia's order, the five-handled spear shot out in response, like five dragons breaking through the air, stabbing fiercely into the chest of the steel-bone demon ape.

"Soorth, sonorous, sonorous!"

Although the elemental spear broke through the fur of the steel bone demon ape, it was blocked by a pair of steel and iron bones, causing it to lean back and roar, and the angry roar shook the scalps of the three of them.

Ignoring the wound in its chest, it swung its two claws to force Azek away, a pair of bloodshot monkey eyes staring at Cecilia, and a pair of blood-stained elemental spears were projected at her.

"Wall of Thorns!"

As soon as Cecilia was targeted by the steel-boned demon ape, she immediately knew that something was wrong, and she didn't want to, and condensed a thick wall of thorns in front of her, which could block the flying spear.

Ezek's eyes were quick, and at the same time as the steel-bone demon ape threw out the wooden spear, he had already flown up, and another sword slashed down at the demon ape's neck.

The Steel-Bone Demon Ape suffered a big loss at the hands of Ezek, and he didn't dare to underestimate this emaciated human anymore.

It lowered its head to dodge the sword that sealed its throat, and then clenched its claws into fists, and I don't know where it learned the move, a cupola cannon hit Ezek in the chest and abdomen, and blasted him more than ten meters away.

"Azek!"

At Cecilia's exclamation, Ezek rolled on the ground like a rag a dozen times, and finally managed to stabilize his body, he only felt his internal organs churning endlessly, and then a mouthful of blood spurted out with a "wow".

Shaker, who was free from Ezek's entanglement, took two steps back after a few punches from the steel-bone demon ape, and then calmly tore through the thorny bushes bound between its waist and legs, took a step, and roared at the two of them.

"Vines!"

Cecilia struck one of her most familiar spells in a panic, and a vine struck from the darkness and curled around the ape's neck.

The steel-bone demon ape was finally completely enraged, it blocked Hawke's shield blade, and blasted out with all its strength, shaking Hawke and the shield four or five meters away, and then ripped off the rattan wrapped around his body and swept it backhand.

Before Cecilia could avoid it, she was whipped out of the rattan, her organs converved, her whole body was in severe pain, and she immediately lost her mobility, and fell on her back on the overgrown street, unable to get up.

And the next blow of the steel-bone demon ape is already close at hand.

"Cecilia!"

Seeing the steel-boned demon ape rushing towards the defenseless Cecilia, Hawke was shocked and hurriedly rushed over.

Ezek didn't care about the cramping pain in his abdomen and struggled forward.

However, these two people, one is in good condition but is not known for speed, and the other is faster than lightning but is burdened by serious injuries, and they are all the same.

Looking at the claws of the steel-bone demon ape falling from the sky, Cecilia closed her eyes in despair, a crystal teardrop floated to the corner of her eye, and she said softly: "Brother, I'm here..."

"Bell!"

At the last moment, a muffled sound was heard in the flying sand, interrupting Cecilia's whispering.

She opened her eyes and saw that in the dawn and morning light, a tall and slender figure stood in front of her, and the steel-bone demon ape actually flew upside down for more than ten meters.

"Yo, big horse monkey, it's broken!"

The slender figure carried a sledgehammer that did not match it, and smiled at the steel-bone demon ape: "I can't see that you are quite thin~"

"You—" Cecilia was stunned, and was momentarily speechless.

With the help of the morning glow, Ezek looked at the young man dressed in fur, stepped forward and asked, "You... It's ......"

"Me?"

The figure turned around in the golden morning light, and handsomely stretched out his hand to Cecilia who fell to the ground:

"My name is Charles. ”