Lord: I can see loyalty.

Chapter 253 Desperate Criminals, at the End of Their Tunnel

On the battlefield, smoke filled the air.

The pursuing commander, Jimmy, reined in his horse, his gray eyes coldly fixed on the golden army ahead that was regrouping.

Beside him, cavalry and militia from the southern border were rapidly forming ranks, shields held together, spears pointed diagonally, and crossbows cocked.

Five thousand men against six thousand, including four thousand elite knights, this battle will be tough.

"Commander, the men of the Golden Saddle Horse are forming ranks!" Russell rode closer, his armor stained with blood, panting heavily. "They've stopped running; they're probably going to fight to the death."

Jimmy nodded.

The fact that Renault dared to stop and fight back shows that he had no way out.

A cornered beast will fight to the death; this kind of enemy is the most difficult to deal with.

"Pass down the order: place the militia in the back and the knights in the front. Do not launch an attack; form a defensive formation."

After thinking for a moment, Jimmy looked towards the southern border and said, "Have someone send an urgent message to the Earl. Just to be on the safe side, we need reinforcements."

"Yes, sir!"

The southern border's formation quickly adjusted, with spears like a forest and shields like a wall.

The front row consisted of black-armored cavalry from the Azure Peak Knights, the rear row of militia spearmen, and the flanks of archers and crossbowmen. The formation was impeccable, and the aura was calm and composed.

Renault's golden line is also rapidly taking shape, with cavalry in front and militia behind.

Although their armor was damaged and their morale was low, the four thousand knights were still a formidable force.

Renault stood on his horse at the front of the formation, his gaze sweeping across the southern front, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

The Southern Territory had only five thousand men, half of whom were militia, while he had four thousand knights and two thousand militia.

Although his army was exhausted and its morale was low, he had a numerical advantage and his knights outnumbered his opponents.

He really has a chance to win this battle.

"Knights of the Golden Saddle!" Renault raised his longsword. "There are only five thousand people in the South, half of whom are militia! We have four thousand knights; one knight each, we can wipe them all out!"

Flames ignited in the eyes of the Golden Saddle Knights; they raised their longswords and roared in unison.

As the horns sounded, the Golden Saddle Knights charged, their cavalry surging towards the southern front like a golden tide.

The archers of the southern border released their arrows, and the rain of arrows fell into the golden tide, splashing up sprays of blood.

Several knights with golden saddles were hit by arrows and fell from their horses, but more knights charged through the rain of arrows and crashed straight into the shield wall of the southern border.

"boom--!"

The deafening clang of metal against metal filled the air. The front-line knights, their shields held high, their spears piercing their warhorses, blood gushing forth. The two armies were locked in a stalemate.

Jimmy stood on horseback at the rear of the formation, his eyes fixed on the battlefield.

His lines were retreating, not in defeat, but because they were being pushed back by the enemy's numbers.

The Golden Saddle Knights had far too many men, four thousand against two thousand five hundred, almost double.

Although the Azure Peak Knights were elite, they still struggled against an enemy twice their size.

"My lord, we can't hold out much longer at this rate!" A knight captain rode up on horseback, his face full of anxiety.

Jimmy didn't answer, he just looked north, waiting for reinforcements, the Earl's reinforcements.

In the center of the battlefield, Renault slashed down a Blue-Clad Knight with a single sword strike, his body covered in blood, his eyes shining with an astonishing light.

He saw the faltering of the Southern Front and the weariness of those black-armored knights.

"They can't hold on any longer! Knights of the Golden Saddle, kill!"

The Golden Saddle Knights' morale soared, and their offensive intensified, causing cracks to appear in the southern front.

"Russell!" Jimmy shouted.

"exist!"

"Take a team and plug the gap!"

Russell drew his longsword and led a squad of black-armored cavalrymen in a charge.

His sword was as fast as lightning, cleaving down one golden-saddled knight with one stroke and piercing another's throat with the next.

The knights behind them followed closely, brandishing their longswords and forcing back the golden-saddled knights who rushed into the gap, temporarily stabilizing the line.

But everyone knows this is only temporary.

Renault wasn't worried when he saw the gap was blocked.

His forces are twice the size of those in the South. If the attrition continues, the South's lines will eventually collapse completely.

He reined in his horse and stopped, gazing at the chaotic battlefield, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"It seems the people of the Southern Border won't last much longer."

However, just as he was about to give the order for the general offensive, a low bugle call suddenly came from the woods on the west side of the battlefield.

It was neither the horn of the South nor the horn of the Golden Saddle Horse.

The voice was deep and resonant, like the roar of an ancient behemoth.

Everyone was taken aback. The attack captain of the Golden Saddle Cavalry looked up at the grove of trees, his brow furrowed.

"What was that sound?"

It was neither the bugle call of the South nor the bugle call of the Golden Saddle Horse, nor any familiar military horn.

The sound was short and rapid, more like the howl of some wild beast—a wolf's howl, a real wolf's howl!

Then, a huge gray wolf rushed out of the woods!

Its size is comparable to that of a warhorse, and its body is covered with silver-gray fur that gleams coldly in the sunlight.

Its eyes were golden, with vertical pupils filled with savagery. A knight rode on its back, clad in the armor of the Grey Wolves, wielding a longsword, the wolf-head banner fluttering in the wind.

Behind it, more gray wolves poured out of the woods, each carrying a knight from the gray wolf family on its back.

These are the elite knights of the Grey Wolf Clan; they have joined the battle!

"The Grey Wolf Clan—!" The Golden Saddle Cavalry's attack captain's eyes widened, his voice filled with disbelief. "Damn it!"

These bastards who betrayed the kingdom—

Before he finished speaking, the Grey Wolf Knights had already charged into the flank of the Golden Saddle Cavalry.

The giant wolf tore and gnawed, its claws swung, and its longsword slashed. The golden-saddled knights were caught off guard and scattered in all directions.

"The Grey Wolf Clan's reinforcements have arrived!" Jimmy's eyes gleamed. "Azure Peak Knights, prepare to counterattack!"

The southern front suddenly pressed forward, and the Azure-Crowned Knights charged out from three directions, surrounding the still dazed Golden Saddle Knights.

The militia followed closely behind, their spears piercing warhorses and their shields smashing knights.

The giant wolf of the Grey Wolf family rampaged across the battlefield, and the Golden Saddle Knights retreated in terror, with nowhere left to go.

Renault was stunned. He stared at the chaotic battlefield and the defeated knights, his face ashen.

"My lord! The Grey Wolf Clan is attacking from the flank!" The adjutant galloped up, his face filled with terror. "We're surrounded! Retreat!"

Renault did not answer, but simply gazed at the battlefield.

His knights were in disarray, the lines were crumbling, they were losing badly, and their last counterattack failed.

"grown ups!"

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

He drew his longsword, spurred his horse, and charged toward the chaotic battlefield. He wasn't going to fight; he was going to die.

As a proud warrior, he had no intention of deserting his post.

But before he could reach the center of the battlefield, his horse was struck by a javelin.

The warhorse let out a miserable neigh, fell to the ground, and threw him off.

He rolled on the ground several times, his whole body aching terribly, struggling to get up, when a long sword was already at his neck.

It was Grand Knight Jimmy, covered in blood, his gray eyes coldly fixed on Renault.

"Young Master of the Jin An Ma family, you have already lost."