Lord: I can see loyalty.

Blackwater City, atop the city walls.

Vio stood in front of the battlements, gazing at the dark northern horizon, his brow slightly furrowed.

The night wind blew from the direction of the Black Forest, carrying a faint, strange scent, which he, as a fourth-tier Grand Knight, could sense.

He had been standing there for a long time, from dusk till late at night, without saying a word.

"My Lord." Hurried footsteps sounded behind him. Jimmy quickly walked up the city wall, a newly delivered secret letter clutched in his hand. "The scouts outside Blackwater encountered some Grey Hyenas, Zane's men. They said..."

"What did you say?" Vio turned around.

"The people from the North bypassed Blackwater and attacked Blackwood Fortress directly... The granary has been burned, and the Grey Hyena mercenaries are besieged in their camp. Commander William and his men won't be able to hold out for long."

Vio's eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

He had anticipated that the North would attack from the flank, but he hadn't expected them to be so fast, much less that they would dare to bypass Blackwater and head straight for Blackwood.

It should be noted that if this plan were discovered, they would face encirclement by the two armies of the Southern Border, and their elite troops would be completely wiped out.

Cedric's commanders included some who were smarter than he had anticipated.

"Pass down the order." His voice was calm. "The troops in Blackwater City must assemble immediately. At the same time, send someone back to Portor City to have Ansquie lead the main force of the Azure Peak Knights north."

"We must attack the northern army in the Black Forest from both the north and south!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Jimmy turned and ran.

Vio turned his head and looked at the northern horizon.

There, the firelight was faintly visible, leaping through the canopy of the dark forest like a trapped wild beast. He gripped the Demon Feather Sword at his waist, his face serious.

"Perfect," he said softly, "let's test the power of that magic bomb too."

The troops in the southern border had assembled before dawn.

The three hundred militiamen stationed in Blackwater City and the vanguard of the Azure Peak Knights set off first, advancing rapidly along the mountain path on the south side of Blackwood.

Meanwhile, in the southern territory, Ansquie led the main force of the Azure Peak Knights—two hundred elite knights.

Heading north from Portol, they circled around to the north of Blackwood, cutting off the Northern army's retreat. The two forces converged simultaneously from the north and south, like two pincers.

As the sun rose, the battle officially began!

On the south side of Blackwood Fortress, smoke was still billowing from the Northern army's camp.

The Grey Hyena mercenaries, led by William, had held their ground all night.

Their camp was mostly burned down and their food supplies were almost exhausted, but they still did not surrender.

Zane had returned to the camp and led a few mercenaries to attack from the east, disrupting the Northern army's formation, while William led the main force to counterattack from the front, holding back the enemy's elite troops.

"Captain! There's movement to the south!" a mercenary shouted, pointing to the distant woods.

William raised his head and looked south.

In the morning light, flags are rising from the woods!

That was the flag of the Southern Territory, the silver-white battle banner of the Azure Peak Knights gleaming in the morning sun.

A glint of light flashed in William's eyes. He raised his longsword and roared at the top of his lungs, "Brothers! The Earl's reinforcements have arrived! Charge out!"

The Grey Hyena mercenaries roared and surged toward the enemy lines like a tidal wave.

The commanders of the elite knightly troops were thrown into chaos.

Their original plan was to starve the gray hyenas and cut off the southern border's supply lines, but they did not expect the main force of the southern border to arrive so quickly.

On the west side, Zane tore a hole in the Silver Fox family's defensive line, and the Iron Hammer family's knights, who were originally responsible for burning the granaries, were scattered by the vanguard of the Azure Peak Knights.

On the main battlefield, Ansquie led the main force of the Azure Peak Knights to join forces with the knights of Blackwater City, cutting off their retreat!

"Stay calm! Stay calm!"

The captain of the Silver Fox family roared at the top of his lungs, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the shouts of battle.

Jimmy charged ahead, plunging into the enemy ranks. His longsword flashed, and wherever it passed, knights from the North fell from their horses.

His swordsmanship was cunning and ruthless; every strike precisely targeted the gaps in the enemy's armor, making those so-called elite knights as fragile as paper in his presence.

Russell followed behind him, his longsword carrying the immense power of the Serpent Eagle Sword Technique, each swing rendering the enemy's parry futile.

"kill--!"

The silver torrent of the Azure Peak Knights crashed into the flank of the Northern army, tearing their formation to shreds.

The Grey Hyena mercenaries pressed forward from the front, unleashing a barrage of swords and spears, forcing the Northern army to retreat steadily.

In less than fifteen minutes, the northern army's defensive line was already on the verge of collapse.

In the chaos, Leon and Ellie of the Grey Wolf family had already taken advantage of the confusion to escape the battlefield.

They crept along the edge of the valley toward the dense forest to the north, unnoticed by anyone, as everyone's attention was drawn to the main battlefield.

"Won't we arouse suspicion if we go back like this?" Ellie asked in a low voice.

Leon simply shook his head. "No, the defeat on the great battlefield is inevitable. More and more knights from the North will flee. No one will doubt us."

He paused, glanced back at the battlefield where the fighting was still raging, and a complex emotion flashed in his gray eyes.

"We can only hope... that we are on the side of ultimate victory."

The two disappeared into the dense forest.

On the main battlefield, the battle is nearing its end.

The main force of the Northern army was divided and surrounded. The Silver Fox family on the east side was routed, the Iron Hammer family on the west side suffered heavy casualties, and the retreat route on the north side was firmly blocked by the Azure Peak Knights.

"My lord, they've started to flee." Jimmy rode up to Vio, his face covered in blood.

Vio nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Let them run. The farther they run, the more gruesome their deaths will be."

He raised his hand, and the militiamen behind him pushed a flatbed cart up.

The vehicle was covered with a thick tarpaulin, and underneath the tarpaulin were palm-sized iron balls—these were the magic bombs, Valentine's work over the past two weeks.

Twenty of them, each powerful enough to destroy a city gate.

"Are you ready?" Vio asked.

"Of course it's ready." Valentine stood beside the carriage, leaning on his staff, his old face full of excitement. "It only requires a little magic to trigger, even a magic apprentice can use it, and as for its power..."

He grinned. "You saw it too."

Vio turned his head and looked at the fleeing northern army.

They still have about two hundred men, all elite and well-equipped, but their morale has collapsed.

They thought this was their way out, but they didn't know it was a grave Vio had deliberately left for them.

"Let it go," Vio said softly.

Several magic apprentices trained by Valentine picked up the magic bombs, infused them with magic, and hurled them with all their might.

The iron ball traced arcs through the air before landing among the Northern army.

boom!

boom!

boom!!!

The explosion was deafening, flames shot into the sky, and debris flew everywhere.

The moment the iron balls hit the ground, a dark blue light exploded, and the shockwave, like an invisible giant hammer, knocked the surrounding knights and their horses to the ground.

Armor shattered, flesh flew everywhere, and screams filled the air. Those knights who were lucky enough to escape the blast were also stunned by the shockwave and rendered unable to fight.

"What...what is that?!" a northern knight cried out in terror. "Magic! It's magic!"

"A mage in the Southern Territory?! Run!"

"There's no escape! They've blocked our retreat!"

Panic spread among the northern army.

Those once invincible elite knights now scattered and fled like a group of frightened rabbits.

But their retreat route had been blocked, and they were surrounded by troops from the southern border.

Some tried to break through, but were cut down by the Knights of the Azure Peak; others tried to surrender, but were pinned to the ground and tied up by the militia.

"Those who surrender will not die!" Vio's voice echoed across the battlefield.

The resistance of the northern army completely collapsed.

Those knights who were still resisting threw down their weapons and knelt down to surrender.

In less than the time it takes to eat a meal, more than half of the two hundred elite knights of the Northern Army were killed or wounded, and the rest were all captured.

Vio rode slowly into the battlefield, his gaze sweeping over the corpses lying haphazardly and the prisoners kneeling on the ground.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and burning, and wisps of smoke still rose from the craters left by the magic bombs. He reined in his horse, stopping in the center of the battlefield, and looked around.

"My Lord," Jimmy rode up, his face full of excitement, "In this battle, we killed 113 Northern Knights, captured 87, and seized countless suits of armor and weapons."

"Our side..." He paused, "...one of our soldiers was killed and twenty-three were wounded...the power of that magical bomb was astonishing."

Vio nodded. "As per previous practice, provide compensation and employment to the family of the deceased soldier."

He raised his head and looked north, where the main camp of the Northern Allied Knights was still far away, and they were unaware of what had happened there.

"Pass down the order to clean up the battlefield, treat the wounded, and regroup the troops."

"Yes, sir!"

On the battlefield, the soldiers in the southern border began to get busy.

Some were moving corpses, some were treating the wounded, and some were counting prisoners. The mercenaries of the Grey Hyenas sat slumped on the ground, panting heavily, their faces filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.

William leaned on his longsword, covered in blood, but a smile played on his lips. Zane leaned against a large tree, gazing at the sky with one eye, trying to ease his exhaustion.

Vio rode past the prisoners, his gaze sweeping across their faces.

The knights from the North lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

Only one person raised his head and looked at him—a middle-aged man in his forties with a stern face and sharp eyes. Even though he was captured, he still stood tall and showed no sign of yielding.

"What's your name?" Vio asked.

The man was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Captain, Edmund Grey."

"That relative named Raymond Gray?"

"There are no such people in our family." His voice carried a hint of disdain.

Vio looked at him. "Take him away and interrogate him thoroughly."

"Yes, sir!"

Several militiamen stepped forward and took the man away. Violle turned his horse around and headed towards the camp.

Behind them, on the battlefield, the flags of the Southern Territory fluttered in the rising sun.

The smoke from the Blackwood fortress gradually dissipated, revealing the warm dawn.