As the campsite clearing came into view, Rowayne sprang into action, nocking one of the salvaged arrows into the compound bow. He aimed in front of him.
There, he could see multiple figures ganging up on four wounded ambushers. The surrounding damage indicated that gifts were involved during the scuffle.
On a closer look, it was 13 vs 4, which meant the four ambushers had taken out five people from the group of 20.
They were good, but unfortunately for them, they were destined to fail even without Rowayne's interference. Attacking a 20-man group with only six people was idiocy, especially when one doesn't know what gifts the other person has.
Rowayne had four arrows, but given the group's heightened state after the ambush, they would not fall for it. So he changed tactics, lowered his bow, then took out three more arrows
And he aimed up, nocking arrows, two at a time, and shot at different draw lengths.
Rowayne then threw the bow, which was useless without arrows, away. Taking out the sword, he charged towards the group.
And as expected, the group noticed.
Some turned towards him, while others kept focusing on the four.
'In battle, it is important to observe your opponents. How many there are, how they move, what kind of weapons they are using, and how they are using their weapons. You need to be aware of the environment you are fighting in too.
If you miss even a single detail, you will be dead.'
Two short sword users, four long sword users, one spear guy, a dagger girl, two archers, a shield user, and a throwing-axe user.Rowayne's eyes darted around the campsite, noting everyone's weapon
And lastly, someone had a pistol. Not worth noting; he was a trembling mess. By the time he finds his courage, it would already be over. Rowayne reasoned
On the ambushers' side, all of them were using swords of varying sizes
Rowayne was rushing towards the archer, the archer noticed him, but Rowayne was already close, so she panicked, stumbling backward and raising her bow to block the expected incoming strike but the expected strike never came.
Instead, Rowayne grabbed the archer's bow and positioned himself in such a way that he was out of the second archer's line of sight. Rowayne let his sword drop and reached for his dagger.
He stabbed her in the stomach, dislodged the dagger, and stabbed her in the neck in one fluid motion.
Spurt. Spurt.
And just like that, one archer was dead. Seeing the commotion, the four ambushers also increased their resistance. But Rowayne didn't have time to waste. A short sword user was already upon him.
Rowayne yanked the bow out of the dead archer's hand and threw it toward the person rushing toward him just behind the short sword user.
Then he grabbed the archer by the collar and used her body to shield himself against the incoming sword swing
The short sword user's blade hacked through the shoulders of the dead archer, stopping midway. Rowayne grabbed the blade with his right hand, making the sword user unable to dislodge it.
He supported the dead archer's body using his elbow.
Then he went down on one knee, picking up the long sword he dropped earlier. He twisted his grip and stabbed it horizontally into the ribcage of the archer. The blade passed through to the other side, stabbing the short sword user.
He let go of the sword again and grabbed the dagger lodged in the archer's neck.
He kicked the corpse back, disorienting the short sword user. The short sword user managed to free his sword and get the corpse out of his way, only to be greeted by a dagger to the eye. The dagger reached his brain, and he was dead.
A quick glance around showed that the second archer was focusing on the ambushers instead of Rowayne.
And others were almost on him, until—
Two arrows fell from the air simultaneously.
These were two of the four arrows Rowayne had shot beforehand, as far up as he could.
Rowayne looked up.
'I don't have time.'
He rushed towards the shield user, but stopped midway. He ducked and kicked the shield user's leg, making the charging one fall on top of him.
Two arrows fell, this time stabbing the shield user. One stabbed through his neck, killing him.
Yes, Rowayne had knowingly positioned himself in a way that the arrow would hit the shield guy's back, but even he wasn't expecting the kill.
He now had a chance to look around.
The other battle which was 4 long sword users, a spear user, a dagger user, an archer, and an axe wielder against 4 sword-using ambushers was still ongoing.
Except now it was five vs three
Yes, the ambushers had killed three people while losing only one of their own. A long sword user, the dagger user, and the axe wielder were dead, along with one ambusher who wielded a tachi.
Rowayne stood up, his fingers clawing into the ground.
The sword user was upon him, but Rowayne looked strangely calm, and his inner thoughts were,
'History has taught her that the best way to defeat a swordsman… is to put some dirt in their eye.'
He threw the fistful of dirt he had grabbed while standing up, and it worked.
The swordsman was blinded, but then..
"D-DON'T MOVE… DON'T MOVE OR I WILL SHOOT"
The trembling mess had gathered his courage, it seemed.
'Right, almost forgot about him.'
Rowayne looked at the trembling mess who was just behind him. The trembling mess was still trembling, but his aim wasn't.
'Probably an effect of the gift, but it's aimed at my head, the back of my forehead, to be precise, despite how much he's shaking.'
A smile appeared on Rowayne's face as an idea formed.
"Go for it"
"I-I will.."
"Sure you will, just like before. Oh wait—you didn't shoot back then. Admit it, bro, you don't have the balls to pull the trigger, do you? Now watch me get another kill."
Rowayne prepared to swing his sword in one exaggerated motion.
While [form shift] 2nd form,
Bang!
It all happened too fast. By the end, a man was dead with a gunshot wound, while the head of another fell.
The only one unscathed was a girl.
It was all about timing and height difference.
The height difference between Rowayne's male and female forms was seven inches, i.e., Rowayne's female form was seven inches shorter.
And that was more than enough to dodge a bullet to the forehead if timed right.
So, as Rowayne shifted forms, the bullet missed Rowayne and hit the short sword user, killing him.
While Rowayne himself, well, herself now. moved toward the trembling mess and beheaded him.
Picking up the pistol, she pointed in the direction of ongoing five vs three and
Bang-
Bang-
Bang-
Bang-
Bang-
Bang-
Bang-
Bang-
Bang-
And one by one, everyone fell dead. The battle was over.