Musou Knight: Crow of Cinders-Chapter 23: Escape 5

Chapter 23 - Escape 5

Traveling through the burning woods, I finally reached an area the fire hadn’t touched yet.

This part was tricky. If I kept running through this zone, the pursuers would easily discover my plan.

I turned to the fire crows.

"Can we skip the fire? They’ll find us if we keep going like this."

The crows gave me a meaningful look and shifted their feathers back to black. Cow-Cow and the two birbs on my shoulders complied.

We moved in darkness again, guided only by moonlight, the forest fire, and the glow of enemy torches.

To my right, a slope lay about a hundred meters away. I could slide down and leave the hill, but too many lights flickered on that side. Cavalry or footmen would discover me if I headed that way.

I turned left instead. The path was uneven, littered with prickly dead bushes. I leapt over some, but vines tangled around my legs.

After peeling them off, I kept running. Ahead, I saw a faint edge. It could have been a cliff, a slope, or just a small drop. Playing it safe, I slowed down and peeked.

It was a sharp drop, two or three meters deep. I was glad I hadn’t tried parkour without thinking, as I would have ended up dead or crippled. I grasped the ledge with one hand, balanced the sealed wine jar in the other, and gripped the swords between my teeth. Then I dropped. My feet hit the ground, but the impact rattled my spine.

Since the pursuers were coming from the south and west, I turned north. I might wander into Invidia territory again, but that was better than being hunted by an army.

The chicken-crows leapt from the cliff, flapping their wings. Some glided ahead, landing to scout. With the gang, I moved away from the hill.

The path wasn’t friendly. Dry bushes blocked me, barbs scratched my calves, and my melted leather pants tore further. My speed slowed to a crawl.

Glancing back, I saw lights on the hilltop and heard cheering. They must have found the crows’ treasure. That would distract some of them.

"HAHAHAHA!"

Their laughter frustrated me, as those treasures could have been mine. Still, surviving came first. My survival instinct pushed me forward. I slipped out of the bush area while keeping my head down.

Because I was crawling, my hands touched the ground. The earth trembled faintly and sent feedback to my hands. I wanted to press my ear down to listen, but it would waste time. More horsemen were rushing to surround the hill.

As long as I could leave this area, I would slip out of their searching net. I crawled like a recruit in boot camp, though I had never been to one. The crows copied me, lying prone, but on my back. I did all the work.

"CAAA! FASTER!"

Shut it, birbs.

200 meters.

220 meters.

250 meters.

300 meters.

The distance between me and the hill grew. My heart rate was no longer at 200 bpm, and my lungs felt lighter. The escape was easier than I had imagined.

Git Gud, Zoli. I won!

BOOM.

Something trampled the ground so hard that it stunned me. I tilted my head and looked behind.

A silhouette loomed. There was a heavy knight on a warhorse at the cliff edge. He held a torch, staring into the darkness.

We were over 300 meters away, but I recognized his face and his iconic armor.

Zoli Diripio.

Man, he worked fast despite his weight. Well, he was Avaritia’s top general for a reason.

"OVER THERE!"

Zoli pointed in my direction.

Hold up. How did he know?

Wait. He was a level 5 musou knight. According to the game’s lore, Musou knights could sense each other’s aura.

God dammit.

I jumped up and started running blind. Fire crows scattered, igniting as they flew. Only Cow-Cow clung to my back, gripping my hair. The rest of the flock scattered in every direction as if they could read my thoughts.

Good luck, friends. Godspeed. See you again one day.

Cow-Cow transformed again, illuminating the area. With light, I dashed over a bush and steered away from open ground where horses could access or charge through.

BOOM.

Another quake shook the hill. Zoli had ridden down, chasing me.

Did I really have to fight that fatty head-on?

Was this a scripted duel?

But Lia was supposed to duel him, not me!

Screw it. I couldn’t outrun a horse. I needed a place to make a stand. Somewhere Zoli couldn’t fight on horseback.

My eyes wandered and caught sight of another cliff 300 meters from my location. There was a mine cart and a cave.

That was an abandoned mine. Different from the entrance I had seen earlier. However, that was the different entrance to the same mine.

This might have been fate.

I ignored everything else and sprinted toward the abandoned mine.

Behind me, gallops thundered like the grim reaper’s footsteps. I sprinted with all my might. I even forgot that I carried a jar of wine in my arms and a sword in my mouth.

I grabbed one sword from my teeth and spun. Activating bullet time, I hurled it at Zoli.

The sword transformed into a spinning flame wheel, flying straight at his face.

The knight raised his gauntlet and caught it. His steel turned red. White smoke exuded from his hand.

His horse neighed as Zoli pulled the reins.

Just like in the game, projectile musou attacks could stop his cavalry charge. He was stunned for a few seconds, giving me enough time to enter the abandoned mine.

I leapt over a broken minecart, which blocked the rails and the entrance. Cow-Cow flapped his wings and flew ahead into the cave.

I glanced back. Zoli stopped at the entrance and dismounted.

Objective one: "Dismount Zoli Diripio." Completed.

Objective two: Started.

Mission Objective: Survive the duel or escape!

I doubted that I could defeat him. I clenched the dragon seal and prayed that I wouldn’t need to use it.