Lord: I can see loyalty.

Chapter 251 Phase Two, The Raging Centaurs! (4k)

Vio's sword speed broke through the limit in that instant.

The air resistance seemed to be sliced ​​by an invisible blade, and the Demon Feather Sword transformed into a purple streak of light that was almost invisible to the naked eye, passing through the gap in Godfrey's parry and piercing straight for his throat.

Godfrey's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively turned his head. The blade grazed his neck, drawing a thin line of blood.

But before he could even feel relieved, Vio's second sword had already arrived.

This sword strike was no longer a thrust, but a cleave, descending from above with the immense power unleashed by the fourth-tier Sand Breathing Technique, slamming fiercely into Godfrey's longsword.

"clang--!"

Sparks flew everywhere, and Godfrey felt a numbness in his hand, his entire arm went numb.

The longsword that had been with him for twenty years flew out of his hand, spinning in the air and drawing an arc before embedding itself straight into the gravel ground, its blade humming and vibrating.

His body staggered backward, bumping into the centaur's hind legs and nearly falling over.

But Vio didn't give him a chance to catch his breath. In a flash, he rushed to the spot where the longsword had landed.

Instead of picking up the sword, he kicked it towards the horses and men.

The longsword, imbued with Vio's fourth-order power, transformed into a silver-white streak in the air, piercing straight towards the centaur's head!

The centaur was raising its giant axe to strike Alec when it sensed danger and abruptly turned its head. The blade grazed Alec's rooster-shaped helmet, leaving a deep scratch on it.

Its attack was thus interrupted; the giant axe swung off course and crashed to the ground, sending shards of stone flying and dust billowing.

Alec seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, leaping backward with all his might, his greatsword held horizontally in front of him, creating distance between himself and the terrifying man.

His chest heaved violently, and the greatsword developed several more cracks than before, almost shattering.

He glanced down at the greatsword in his hand, knowing it wouldn't last much longer; at most, it could withstand three more axe blows before this finely crafted weapon was completely destroyed.

But he had no time to feel sorry for himself. He simply gripped the hilt of his sword, adjusted his breathing, and once again pushed the White Whale Breathing Technique to its limit.

"A great opportunity!" Godfrey's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with barely suppressed smugness.

Vio's brow furrowed slightly.

He understood Godfrey's meaning—although he had temporarily suppressed him, Alec was on the verge of collapse.

If his men can hold Alec off for a few more breaths, Godfrey will be able to regroup and rejoin the battle.

At that point, the situation will return to square one, and we cannot give him that opportunity.

Vio pushed off with his feet, sending shards of stone flying, and his figure disappeared from the spot once again.

This time, he gave Godfrey no room to breathe. Sword light poured down like a torrential rain, surging from all directions and engulfing Godfrey.

Godfrey, now without his longsword, could only dodge and weave, his wounds multiplying. His left arm was slashed, and blood gushed out.

He was stabbed in the right leg and began to stagger when he walked.

He tried to escape, but he was no match for Vio. The moment he turned around, Vio's sword was already at his neck.

Godfrey's body trembled, and he could only desperately veer to one side, but he still felt the cold touch of steel on his neck.

"Damn it!"

Blood splattered out instantly, Godfrey's face contorted in agony, and he finally lost his balance and collapsed to the ground.

His face flushed red, his eyes filled with resentment and anger. The instant he landed, he quickly drew the horn from his waist.

"Waaaaah—!!!"

As the terrifying horn sounded, a deafening roar came from behind.

That man, Mahkavir, went berserk!

Its eyes turned blood red, and red light seeped from the gaps under its rooster-like helmet, like two burning flames.

His already massive muscles began to swell, causing his thick armor to creak and groan. The joints of his shoulder armor burst open, revealing the bulging, dark red muscles beneath.

Its body seemed to be burning, and a faint red light emanated from under its skin, distorting the air with its heat.

The red magic on his arms became violent, no longer flowing regularly, but like surging magma, running rampant across the surface of his muscles.

The red fluid magic on the giant magic axe also began to surge violently, no longer a calm fluid color, but like a churning sea of ​​blood, constantly impacting the edge of the axe blade.

Its four hooves paved the ground, sending stones flying, and with each breath it exhaled scorching white steam from its nostrils.

Then he charged towards Vio!

The speed was almost twice as fast as before, so fast that Vio didn't even have time to react!

He had no choice but to abandon Godfrey, who was right in front of him, and leap to the side.

The giant axe grazed the hem of his clothes and slammed into the ground, creating a crater nearly two meters in diameter, with rubble flying like cannonballs.

The moment Vio landed, ignoring the pain from the cuts from the rubble, he rolled repeatedly, dodging the centaur's follow-up attack once again.

"Damn it—!"

Alec's voice came from the other side. He charged forward, dragging his shattered greatsword, and slashed at the centaur's side with all his might, trying to draw its attention.

But the man didn't even turn around; he simply swung his axe and sent him flying, sword and all!

Alec crashed to the ground, his greatsword shattering and scattering fragments everywhere. He coughed up blood and struggled to get up, but his arms were too weak to support him.

Godfrey slumped down a short distance away, panting heavily, watching all this with a smug smile on his lips.

He reached up and touched the wound on his neck, his fingers covered in his own blood. He licked them, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

"Quickly, hurry up and kill them!" His voice was hoarse, but filled with an irrepressible excitement.

The horses charged toward Vio once more.

The giant axe was wielded with impenetrable force, each strike carrying overwhelming power.

Vio dared not take the blow head-on, and could only rely on his speed to dodge, occasionally using his magic shield to block a few attacks. The enormous impact made his arm go numb, and the purple magic shield's light grew dimmer and dimmer.

He hadn't encountered such a formidable opponent in a long time.

But he didn't panic. He just thought quickly while dodging. The centaurs had become stronger, but Godfrey had become weaker.

With wounds all over his body, a still-bleeding neck, and hands that had lost their weapons, he was in a state worse than an ordinary militiaman.

The battle can be over if we bypass the centaurs, kill Godfrey, and seize the horn. But the question is, how do we bypass the centaurs?

Vio's gaze swept quickly across the battlefield.

Alec was still struggling to stand up. His greatsword was broken, but he still had a spare short sword hanging at his waist.

Although his combat strength has been greatly reduced, as long as he can hold on a little longer—

"Alec!" Vio roared, "Can you hold it off a little longer?"

Alec wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, drew the short sword from his waist, and his gray eyes were full of fighting spirit.

"Leave it to me, Your Excellency."

He took a deep breath and pushed the beluga whale breathing technique to its limit.

Although the short sword was far shorter than the greatsword, and although his body was almost unable to hold on, he was the perfect knight of the Western Frontier, the Great Knight of the Western Frontier, and a fourth-tier Great Knight.

The rapid circulation of his breathing technique brought about a powerful recovery, and his condition improved almost visibly.

"Come on, centaurs!" He raised his short sword and charged toward the centaurs.

puff!

The two clashed, and the short sword pierced the man and horse's abdomen, but failed to penetrate their armor.

The centaur glanced down at him, its eyes full of disdain, and then kicked him away with one hoof.

Although Alec was kicked away again, he kept his grip on the short sword and did not let go.

And he did buy some time, a few seconds, enough for Vio to get around the centaur.

Vio's figure flashed like a purple lightning bolt, sweeping past the centaur's flank and heading straight for Godfrey.

Before Godfrey could react, Vio's sword was already at his neck again.

"This time, you don't have a chance."

Vio's voice was as cold as ice. He suddenly reached out with his left hand and grabbed the horn wrapped in a magic bag at Godfrey's waist.

Godfrey's pupils constricted sharply. "Wait!"

Vio yanked hard, the bag ripped apart, and he held the horn in his hand.

Then, an ancient and powerful aura surged from the horn and spread throughout his body!

It wasn't magic, nor was it a curse, but rather a feeling that was hard to describe, like holding some kind of living thing in your grasp.

This might be the Centaur Ancient Magic mentioned on the panel.

Vio, however, had no time to study it; he simply raised the horn high and blew it loudly.

The centaur's offensive came to an abrupt halt.

It stood there, trembling, its red eyes fixed on the horn in Vio's hand, devoid of any emotion.

In fact, he was much calmer than when he was in a fit of rage.

"Stop fighting, Hecaville."

Vio's voice was not loud, but the horn in his hand shone with a warm, dark light.

It was as if an invisible force was emanating from the horns, enveloping the men and horses within it.

The centaur trembled more and more violently, its swollen muscles began to slowly contract, and the raging red magic gradually subsided.

The centaur finally vanished completely before the three, and the battlefield returned to its original state.

Godfrey slumped to the ground, covered in wounds and looking utterly defeated.

He looked at the horn in Vio's hand, then at the now-silent army, his eyes filled with resentment. "Count of the South, you've won."

Vio did not answer, but simply hung the horn at his waist, then sheathed the Demon Feather Sword, crouched down, and looked at Godfrey.

"Of course I know that I won and you lost, or rather, that your Golden Saddle Horse team is going to lose."

Godfrey fell silent; he knew he had lost, and lost utterly.

"Your men are indeed very strong," Vio said calmly, "but ultimately it's not up to your ability. Such a weapon should be kept by someone more powerful."

Godfrey closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

He knew Vio was telling the truth, but he was still unwilling to accept it.

"Do whatever you want, just kill me," he said.

Vio stood up and looked at him. "I won't kill you; you're still useful."

Godfrey paused, taken aback. "What—what do you mean?"

"I also need someone to tell me about the Golden Saddle Ma family's troop deployment, supply routes, and your patriarch's weaknesses," Vio said calmly. "You can choose not to tell me, but I have ways to make you talk."

Godfrey's face turned ashen.

He knew Vio was telling the truth; the Jin An Ma family had lost this battle, but they hadn't lost the entire war.

Cedric is still alive, the Black Serpent family is still alive, and the main force of the Golden Saddle Horse family is still alive. As long as they are still alive, this war is not over.

But he also knew that if he revealed this information, the Jin An Ma family would be truly finished.

His family, his glory, everything he has will vanish.

"Kill me now! Kill me!" His fear began to overflow, undisguised.

Vio looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then shook his head.

He turned around and walked toward Alec, who was leaning against a pile of rubble, panting heavily, covered in blood, but his eyes were still bright.

Seeing Vio approach, a slight smile appeared on his lips. "My lord, it seems we've won?"

"Of course." Vio reached out and helped him up. "How are you? Can you still walk?"

Alec stood up and stretched. Although his whole body ached, his bones were fine. "I'm okay."

The two walked side by side toward the battlefield.

Behind him, Godfrey slumped to the ground, covered in wounds and looking utterly defeated.

The two knights immediately stepped forward and pinned him to the ground. Of course, even without doing so, he would have been unable to move in his half-dead state.

Godfrey watched the two figures disappear into the distance, his eyes filled with resentment, but even more so with helplessness.

He knew that from this moment on, his life had changed. He was no longer a grand knight of the Golden Saddle Horse family, no longer able to enjoy wealth and luxury; he was merely an ordinary prisoner.

Waiting to be judged, or to be used.

Meanwhile, the sounds of fighting on the battlefield gradually subsided.

Flags fluttered in the smoke of battle as militiamen cleaned up the battlefield, treated the wounded, and counted prisoners.

Jimmy rode over, his armor stained with blood, but he looked spirited.

"My lord, the main force of the Golden Saddle Horse family has been defeated. Renault has fled back to Golden Horse City with his remaining troops, and we are pursuing them."

Vio nodded.

"Don't pursue too deeply. Our target is Jinma City, not those defeated soldiers. Gather the troops, rest for a day, and continue north tomorrow."

"Yes, sir!"

Jimmy accepted the order and rode away.

Vio stood on the high slope, gazing at the gray sky to the north. He took the horn from his waist, turned it over in his hand, and examined it closely.

The patterns on the horn gleamed faintly in the sunlight, and he could sense the ancient power contained within them. It was a relic left by another civilization, not belonging to this era, nor to this land.

"Your Excellency," Alec walked to his side, looking at the horn, "what do you intend to use this for?"

Vio didn't answer, but simply hung the horn back on his waist. "We'll talk about it later; it'll come in handy eventually."

He turned around and walked down the slope, with Alec following behind him, their shadows stretching long in the twilight.

Behind them lay the devastation left by their previous battle. Although the man, Maherkaville, had temporarily vanished, the traces of destruction he left behind were difficult to erase.

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