Lord: I can see loyalty.

The main camp of the Northern Allied Knights Army, the central tent.

The candle burned in the copper lamp, the flame flickering violently.

Marcus sat in the main seat, his face even more somber than the twilight outside the window.

On either side of the long table, the captains of each family lowered their heads, none daring to speak.

The disastrous defeat at Blackwater had already shaken them, and the losses from the Black Forest and the sea raids ruthlessly crushed their already low morale.

"The mountain pass on the east side is blocked, but the supply line from the south continues to advance." Rand's voice was calm and unhurried, as if stating a fact unrelated to himself. "Commander, continuing to linger here is extremely disadvantageous for us."

"Then what do you want!" Marcus slammed his hand on the table. "Withdraw the troops? What will His Majesty Cedric think of us?"

"It's alright that my White Horse family and the Griffin family have a marriage alliance, but what about the others here, those small and medium-sized families? How will they ever be able to establish themselves in the Northern Territory?"

Marcus deliberately acted as if he cared about the other families, hoping to get them on his side.

Rand remained silent for a moment, then ultimately did not continue arguing. He simply turned his head away, gazing with one eye at the intense darkness outside the tent.

But at that moment...

Light footsteps sounded outside the tent, and a scout stumbled in, his voice hoarse and urgent: "My lord! The Southern Army... the Southern Army is advancing towards the main camp!"

"What?!"

The tent fell into a deathly silence, followed by a chaotic buzzing sound.

Marcus suddenly stood up, knocking over the table in front of him, scattering maps and wax blocks all over the floor.

His face was distorted in the candlelight, his chest heaved violently, and his hands gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles white: "They're here... They actually dared to attack us!"

Rand raised his hand to silence the commotion, his voice low but exceptionally clear: "What's the panic? Since they've come out in full force, their frontal forces must be weak. This is our chance to defeat them in one fell swoop..."

Before he finished speaking, a deafening horn blast suddenly rang out outside the tent.

The bugle call of the South is low and heavy!

The earth trembled suddenly, and the firelight spread rapidly across the plain in front of the main camp.

Torches lit up in clusters around the main camp, followed by a second and third layer, as if endless flames were burning in the darkness, illuminating the entire camp.

After the soldiers from the North rushed over the fence, they crowded around the ballistae, their hands trembling violently as they gripped their spears.

Illuminated by the firelight, the southern army steadily advanced from the darkness.

The southern militiamen, dressed in grey-blue robes, formed a dense square formation, holding spears and marching in unison. Each step they took on the ground produced a deep, resounding thud.

On either side stood the Knights of the Azure Top, their faces clad in black armor, their warhorses moving slowly forward alongside the infantry. The cavalrymen aloft their banners, blending seamlessly into the night sky.

The emblem of the Knights of the Azure Peaks resembled a darkly burning white flame under the torchlight.

Leading the way was a burly figure they had never seen before.

The platinum armor, illuminated by the torches, appeared as if forged from frost and snow, with whale-patterned shawls covering the shoulders and a broadsword slung across the back.

The figure walked alone at the forefront of the army, his steps unhurried, his calm gaze sweeping over the lookout wall of the northern camp as if looking at a piece of land that already belonged to him.

It was Alec Stone.

"Fire!" the knight captain roared.

The crossbows on the wooden walls of the North fired in unison, a rain of arrows like dark clouds obscuring the moonlight, but Alec did not stop, nor did he even make a move to draw his sword.

He continued forward, his steps steady, as if the dark mass of arrows were nothing more than a light drizzle.

Just before the rain of arrows reached him, Alec finally moved.

He simply raised his right hand casually, and the armor on his arm guard gleamed with a warm, dark light.

The arrows struck the armor, clattering and bouncing away; not a single one could pierce it, not even enough to make him pause slightly.

Several Northern officers turned pale; they had never seen such a knight before, who continued forward unscathed despite being met with a volley of crossbow fire.

"Cavalry, charge with me!" Alec drew his greatsword, the blade flashing a bright silver light in the night.

The iron hooves of the Azure Peak Knights suddenly accelerated, and the earth roared violently.

The Northern soldiers' pupils constricted. They couldn't even see Alec's movements. They only heard a loud bang, and the outer fence of the main camp was torn apart like paper by that platinum figure!

Splintering wood exploded in the air as Alec charged into the camp amidst the flying debris. His greatsword swept across from left to right, slicing three Northern Knights in half, armor and all.

"Fourth rank!" The knight captain's voice was completely off-key. "He...he's a fourth-rank Grand Knight!"

"So what if he's a fourth-tier soldier! Stop him! Everyone stop him!" Marcus roared hoarsely, but before his orders could reach the front lines, a raging fire broke out behind the main camp.

Russell's surprise attack succeeded.

The firelight from the granary illuminated half the sky.

The northern soldiers looked back and saw their last remaining provisions and supplies turn to ashes in the firelight.

Morale completely collapsed at that moment.

"The granary... the granary burned down!"

"Those people from the South have cut off our retreat!"

"Run!"

Chaos spread like a plague, and the Northern Front collapsed completely in an instant.

The knights who were still confronting Alec at the main position turned around and saw the towering flames. They could no longer restrain themselves and turned their horses around to flee.

Marcus's roar went unheard. The knights and Iron Hammer officers were too busy to defend themselves, and the defenses of the main camp crumbled under Alec's single-handed attack from the front and the pincer attack from both flanks.

The nobleman Rand stood outside the tent, watching his own army rout like a tidal wave, his single eye filled with disgust and resentment.

He did not flee with the others, but silently unfastened his sword, threw it on the ground, and followed the shadows of the camp, unnoticed by anyone, heading north alone.

By daybreak, the battle was basically over.

The main camp of the Northern Allied Knights was reduced to ruins, thick smoke billowing and obscuring the rising sun.

The flag of the southern border was raised in the center of the camp, fluttering in the morning light.

The battlefield was littered with abandoned weapons, overturned wagons, and the wreckage of tents still smoking.

Vio rode slowly into the ruins, his gaze sweeping over the corpses lying haphazardly and the prisoners kneeling and begging for mercy.

Jimmy rode up, his armor covered in blood, but his eyes were bright.

"My lord, the main force of the Northern Allied Knights has been defeated, with countless enemies killed and over a thousand captured."

"Marcus fled north with a small number of his personal guards, while the knight and the captain of House Hammer were captured by us."

Vio nodded, his gaze falling on the charred white horse banner in the center of the camp.

"It's a pity that the nobleman named Rand got away."

Jimmy followed his gaze, and after a moment of silence, asked, "Sir, what's next?"

Vio gazed at the hazy northern horizon, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Keep pushing forward. Let them know that the Southern Territory is not a fish to be slaughtered."

Behind them, the Southern Army was cleaning up the battlefield, and the banner of the Azure Peak Knights fluttered in the morning sun.

They won this battle decisively, almost overwhelmingly, but everyone knew that this was only the beginning of the war.

Following the updates on Cola Novels has never been so enjoyable.