Lord: I can see loyalty.

Vio and Jimmy led the Sky Peak Knights forward at full speed, like an iron torrent, heading straight for Savannah Village.

From afar, one could already see several thick plumes of black smoke rising from the village entrance, along with the faint sounds of fierce shouts and the clash of weapons.

Upon arriving outside the village, the fighting was still ongoing, but the situation was clear.

The remaining Haro barbarian soldiers numbered less than thirty or forty, like a retreating pack of wolves, surrounding the village entrance with a defensive line of wooden palisades, shields, and spears, their offensive reckless.

Behind the defensive line, the one-eyed captain and the tall, thin captain, covered in blood, were still shouting and directing from the front line, but their faces were filled with exhaustion and anxiety.

Vio didn't stop his horse, but instead said to Jimmy beside him, "Jimmy, order the area cleared."

"Yes, sir!" A fierce glint flashed in Jimmy Murphy's eyes as he raised his longsword high. "Knights, charge! Roll through!"

"For the Earl! For the Southern Territory!"

Upon receiving the order, the hundred knights instantly deployed into an assault formation.

The sound of horses' hooves pounding the earth was deafening, and the dust they kicked up obscured a small patch of the sky. The Haro barbarians who had their backs to the direction of the knights' charge had no time to react before being slammed and trampled by this steel torrent from behind!

The knight's lance or longsword easily tore through the rattan armor and flesh, and the heavy hooves trampled the barbarian soldiers who tried to fight back into the mud.

This was a massacre with no suspense. With just one charge, the remaining Haro tribe outside the village was completely crushed, and the few who managed to escape were quickly shot down by the knights and crossbowmen surrounding them.

Violema stopped in front of the village's defensive line, dismounted, and the one-eyed man and the tall, thin captain, along with the surviving militiamen, hurriedly stepped forward and knelt on one knee.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

"Get up. Where's Glenn?" Vio's gaze swept across the battlefield, but he didn't see the iconic, burly figure and the greatsword, which surprised him slightly.

The tall, thin captain steadied himself first, speaking rapidly and clearly: "Reporting to you, sir! Captain Glenn and we repelled the first wave of barbarian attacks. During the battle, a strange black mud monster appeared, looking exactly as King Ronan of the Forest described! After Captain Glenn severely wounded the monster and drove it away, he... he pursued it alone into the depths of Mount Loba!"

The one-eyed captain added, his single eye filled with bloodshot veins and worry: "After Glenn severely injured that black mud monster... Glenn's condition was very strange, as if he had seen something that agitated him."

Vio's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew a little about Glenn's persistence, but such impulsiveness... the stimulation must be extraordinary. "Specific direction?"

The tall, thin captain immediately pointed to a clearly worn path further east: "Over there! Captain Glenn seems to be taking out enemy outposts along the way."

Just then, the sound of hooves rose again from behind, and Xavier's main force of militia arrived, panting heavily. Vio did not hesitate any longer and mounted his horse.

"Xavier, take a few militia squads and stay behind in Savannah to help rebuild the defenses and treat the wounded."

"Jimmy and the Knights will accompany me into the mountains," Vio's voice left no room for argument.

He glanced at the bladeless greatsword, its purple light faintly glowing, hastily wrapped and carried on the back of a strong knight. "Take it and move on."

……

Upon entering the dense forests of Loba Mountain, the light suddenly dimmed, and the air became damp and chilly.

Vio and Jimmy led the way, and the sights along the way were horrifying. Everywhere there were trees that had been smashed by tremendous force, and the corpses of Haro barbarians scattered along the path or hanging from the bushes, most of them dying in gruesome ways.

His skull was shattered, and he was cut in half at the waist. He was killed by pure brute force. Clearly, this was Glenn's doing.

The deeper you go, the more corpses you find, with some places even having several piled up, clearly having been dealt with in a single sweep or heavy blow.

Glenn carved a path through the forest, paved with the corpses of his enemies.

"This... was all done by Captain Glenn alone?" An old militiaman who followed Vio exclaimed in disbelief.

"Keep up." Vio's expression was calm, but his worry deepened. This kind of rapid progress, regardless of physical exertion, was not a long-term solution.

At the crossroads just before they were about to truly set foot on Mount Loba, they finally encountered their first formidable enemy.

There were about twenty Haro warriors, including three or four elites who were noticeably larger and had an unnaturally dark reddish skin. They were armed with more sophisticated bone or stone heavy weapons and were trying to use the terrain to block their way.

"Knights dismount and form ranks! Archers and crossbowmen, fire!" Vio gave a brief order.

The well-trained Azure-topped knights quickly dismounted and formed a shield wall, while the militia crossbowmen behind them fired a volley, instantly killing seven or eight enemies.

Then another group of knights charged forward with their shields raised, and their coordinated slashes quickly dealt with the remaining enemies. Although the elites were stronger and faster, they were unable to make much of a difference in terms of armor and teamwork.

The battle was swift and decisive, taking less than a few minutes.

After overcoming the blockade, the team accelerated their advance up the mountain. The terrain became increasingly rugged, and the stench of decay permeating the forest grew stronger, making one's chest feel heavy.

Finally, as they approached a relatively gentle slope halfway up the mountain, a violent and muffled impact, an inhuman roar, and a familiar, angry growl echoed through the woods!

"Speed ​​up!" Vio perked up and took the lead, rushing up a slope.

Suddenly, a clearing opened up before them, a forest clearing surrounded by huge, twisted, and strange trees, the ground displaying ominous dark patterns.

The sight on the open ground made everyone who arrived later gasp in shock.

Glenn was in the middle of the open space, with his back against a jagged boulder.

He was covered in blood, and his sturdy armor was already tattered, revealing numerous wounds underneath, mostly thin cuts and bruises. Although not fatal, they were constantly draining his strength.

His original greatsword had broken and was lying to the side; in his hand he now held a chipped bone greatsword that he had taken from the enemy.

Glenn was breathing heavily, sweat and blood mingling as they streamed down his resolute but somewhat pale face.

Surrounding him were more than fifty Haro warriors, but they were completely different from the miscellaneous soldiers below the mountain. These barbarian soldiers were much taller, their muscles were bulging unnaturally, drool was dripping from their mouths, and they made deep hoarse noises.

They carried a variety of weapons, but their movements were swift and coordinated, giving the impression of a tactical formation.

But what was most surprising was a colossal object blocking Glenn's path.

It was nearly three meters tall, and its outline vaguely resembled a humanoid creature with twisted muscles, magnified several times over. However, its entire body was covered with a layer of viscous black mud that was constantly writhing slowly, like a living suit of armor.

Beneath the black mud, there was no clear face, only two holes burning with dim light, staring intently at Glenn.

Its arms were unusually long, reaching down to its knees, and at the ends were terrifying giant fists formed from black mud, each the size of a human face.

At this moment, the monster was slightly crouching down, letting out a low growl like a wild beast, its black mud constantly churning and emitting a nauseating stench.

This was clearly a monster mutated by the power of black mud, its ape-like appearance exuding the oppressive force of a wild beast.

Glenn had clearly been fighting these enhanced enemies for quite some time.

He used the boulder to restrict the enemy's encirclement, and with his rich combat experience and bravery, he repelled the barbarian warriors who rushed at him time and time again, but at this moment his physical strength was nearing its limit.

Just as a red-eyed barbarian soldier howled and launched a surprise attack from the side, and the black mud monster simultaneously swung its giant claw down, a critical moment occurred.

"Glenn! Bow your head!" Vio's shout rang out at the edge of the clearing.

Glenn was taken aback at first, but quickly did so after recognizing the familiar voice.

Immediately afterwards, a dense barrage of crossbow bolts poured out of the forest like a torrential rain, accurately covering Glenn's flanks and the enemy in front!

At the same time, the Azure Knights' shield wall and lances cut in from the outside like an impenetrable fortress, instantly tearing a gap in the encirclement.

Glenn exhaled a breath of stale air and stood up again. He knew that the time for a counterattack had come.