Lord: I can see loyalty.

In the western region, outside the port of Soldato, lies a vast plain.

Before the morning mist had dissipated, two large armies from the southwestern border were already arrayed and facing each other on the plain.

On the southern border, the formation remained impeccable.

At the forefront was a shield wall composed of new militiamen from the Southern Territory, behind which was a spear formation of veteran militiamen from the Southern Territory, and on the flanks were the Knights of the Azure Peak.

But this time, two hundred elite Azure Peak Knights have come here.

Two hundred knights wore half-plate armor, and the Southern Emblem on their breastplates stood out brightly in the Western Territory.

The southern flag fluttered in the wind, the soldiers remained silent, and a chilling atmosphere filled the air.

Vio stood on horseback at the rear of the formation, a magic-feathered sword and shield hanging at his waist, his gaze calmly fixed on the opposite side.

On the other side, Ulysses' formation was also much larger than last time.

Three hundred pirate knights lined up at the front, all wearing chainmail and longswords. Although their equipment was not as good as that of the Azure Peak Knights, their numbers were much greater.

Behind them were thousands of militiamen who had been forcibly conscripted. Although their weapons were mixed and their formation was loose, their numbers were considerable, and they looked like a dark mass from a distance.

Olympus rode in the middle of the horse, a smug smile on his face, surrounded by dozens of his confidants, each with a smug look on their faces.

"This Earl of the Southern Border actually dares to come here to his death. Hasn't he had enough of being humiliated last time?" He sneered, his gaze sweeping over the Southern Border's formation. "Three hundred against two hundred, let's see how they win this time."

The sharp-faced nobleman Coffer beside him quickly chimed in, "Your Excellency is truly wise! With three hundred knights at our disposal, those fellows from the South are no match for us!"

Ulysses ignored his flattery and stared at the young figure opposite him.

He noticed that Vio had a sword and a shield at his waist, but other than that, he couldn't see any other changes.

"Pass down the order to launch the attack."

As the horn sounded, the vanguard of three hundred pirate knights charged out, their hooves thundering and the earth trembling.

On the southern border, Jimmy drew his longsword and shouted, "Knights, prepare for battle!"

Two hundred Azure Knights moved almost simultaneously, drawing their weapons and forming a neat and orderly formation, like a sharp dagger, piercing straight into the enemy ranks!

Two torrents of steel clashed in the middle of the plain.

But as before, the battle was almost one-sided from the very beginning.

With the added power of the Serpent Eagle Sword Technique, every strike of the Azure-Crested Knight was powerful and heavy. The pirate knights, who were only at the advanced level of basic swordsmanship, were no match for him.

"kill!"

Jimmy took the lead, and with a swift stroke of his sword, two pirate knights fell from their horses.

Gina quickly joined the battle, sweeping her broadsword across the battlefield, sending three pirate knights flying, sword and all.

Ansquie and his knights followed closely behind, their shields blocking and their longswords thrusting in perfect coordination.

Three hundred pirate knights, under the attack of the lesser Cangding Knights, actually began to retreat step by step.

In the center of the group, Ulysses's face grew increasingly grim.

"What's going on?!" he shouted angrily. "Three hundred against two hundred, how come you still can't beat them?!"

Cofer shrank back, not daring to utter a sound in this situation.

A thin man in charge of intelligence nearby said cautiously, "Sir, the swordsmanship of those Azure Knights... is simply too strong. Although our knights outnumber us, they are no match for them at all."

Ulysses gritted his teeth, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably.

He stared at the battlefield.

As he watched his pirate knights fall from their horses one after another, his face grew increasingly grim.

"Damn it...it's happening again..."

He took a deep breath, finally made up his mind, then turned his horse around and galloped toward the makeshift platform at the rear of the formation.

On the high platform, Alec Stone stood quietly.

He remained the same, his platinum armor gleaming in the sunlight, a massive longsword strapped to his back, his gaze calmly fixed on the battlefield, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"Great Knight!" Ulysses's voice carried a deliberately feigned respect. "You've seen it; those people from the South are slaughtering our soldiers again!"

"For the future of the Western Frontier, for the safety of its people, please take action!"

Alec didn't look at him, but stared at the fallen figures on the battlefield.

"Ulysses, your knight is also killing."

Ulysses's face stiffened for a moment, but he quickly put on a smile again: "Great Knight, I'm doing this for the sake of the Western Territory! That Earl of the Southern Territory is ambitious; he wants to annex the entire Western Territory! Are you really going to just stand by and watch the Western Territory fall into the hands of outsiders?"

Alec was silent for a moment. Then, he slowly turned around and walked down from the platform.

"Get out of the way."

His voice was calm, yet it made Ulysses involuntarily take a few steps back.

Alec strode through his own formation with steady steps, his platinum armor gleaming in the sunlight.

The retreating pirate knights made way for him.

On the battlefield, the sounds of fighting gradually subsided.

On the battlefield, the sounds of fighting gradually subsided.

Vio also looked up at that moment and saw the figure walking towards him.

His brow furrowed slightly, but quickly relaxed again.

What's meant to come will come.

He dismounted and walked forward.

The two met in the center of the battlefield and stood ten paces apart, just as they had before.

"We meet again, Perfect Knight, Alec Stone," Vio said first, his voice calm.

Alec looked at him, a glint of something unfathomable flashing in his calm eyes.

"You shouldn't have come. I wouldn't have intervened," he said.

"What's coming can't be avoided." Vio remained unfazed. "I can't let Ulysses drag this out. Besides, you don't want Ulysses to win, do you?"

Alec fell silent.

Vio looked at him and suddenly asked, "Do you really want to fight?"

Alec did not answer, but slowly drew the greatsword from behind him.

The sword blade gleamed with a warm, dark light under the sun, and the whale pattern on the hilt was clearly visible.

"I will abide by my knightly contract," he said.

Vio nodded without saying anything more. He drew his brand-new Demon Feather Sword and raised his Demon Feather Shield, assuming a fighting stance.

The other party also noticed Vio's new weapon, but then their attention was drawn to Vio himself.

Immediately afterwards, he was taken aback.

"You...you've reached the third level of breathing techniques?" The Great Knight Alec's tone inevitably carried a hint of disbelief.

Less than half a month has passed, and the other party has already broken through to the third level.

This count was indeed not as simple as I had thought.

Vio did not answer, but his gaze grew increasingly serious, and then he began to subtly circulate his breathing techniques.

Their gazes met in mid-air, and sparks seemed to fly through the air.

On the battlefield, everyone held their breath.