Lord: I can see loyalty.

"go ahead--!"

The knights, forming a shield wall, rammed into the barbarian warriors, their spears piercing flesh with pinpoint accuracy.

Although the enhanced barbarian warriors were ferocious and brave, they had almost no advantage against well-trained and well-equipped knights.

Leader Jimmy led the charge, his longsword flashing past the enemy, each swing accompanied by a whooshing sound, easily severing the barbarians' defenses and cutting into their flesh.

The militiamen who followed roared and joined the battle, and the Haro warriors began to fall in droves.

However, the black mud monster paid no attention to the casualties of the ordinary soldiers; its gaze remained fixed on Glenn, who had just gotten a chance to catch his breath.

It seemed to sense the threat from the magic ore greatsword carried by the knight behind it, and let out an even more furious roar. It took heavy steps, shaking the ground slightly, and pounced on Glenn again!

The giant fist, carrying corrosive black mud, slammed down!

"Your sword, Glenn!" Vio's voice seemed to drown out the clamor of the battlefield.

Glenn's eyes sharpened. Without hesitation, he discarded the broken bone sword in his hand, spread his arms wide, and perfectly caught the heavy new weapon that the knight had thrown to him.

The moment he picked it up, even he was slightly taken aback; the greatsword was heavier than he had expected!

Boom!

He didn't have time to look closely. He gripped the hilt with both hands and held the broad blade up at an angle like a giant shield!

The black mud monster's fist slammed into the sword, producing a deafening thud!

The sword flashed with a faint purple light, remaining completely still. Instead, the giant was thrown back half a step by the shockwave, with black mud splattering from its fist.

But Glenn was also forced to kneel on the ground by this enormous force. His eyes flashed with ferocity, and he twisted his body and swung his greatsword across the ground with a fierce sweep, slashing at the troll's calf!

"Pfft!" Black mud splattered, revealing the charred skin underneath. However, the sword did not sever the leg bone. Instead, the tough muscles and the remaining black mud absorbed most of the force, leaving only a deep dent.

The giant, in pain, roared and swung out its other fist.

Glenn rolled to the side to dodge, creating a shallow crater in the ground where he had been standing. He quickly got up and began to fight the giant.

With the new sword in hand, he no longer passively defended himself. He began to swing the heavy blade, colliding with the giant's fists and arms, producing dull, loud noises.

The black mud continued to fall, and more cracks and dents appeared on the charred skin of the giant.

However, the monster's defense and vitality were astonishing; the black mud seemed to be alive, constantly seeping out of its body and repairing its wounds.

Glenn's relentless attacks briefly suppressed him, but he was never able to inflict any real damage.

Glenn was already injured, and his breathing became increasingly heavy. Sweat blurred his vision, and his movements gradually became less swift than before.

"Glen!" Vio shouted, directing the knights to wipe out the remaining barbarians while keeping an eye on Glenn, "Feel the sword! That sword is forged from magic ore! Guide its power!"

Upon hearing this, Glenn parried the giant's heavy punch once again, then took two steps back. As he gasped for breath, his gaze fell on the magic ore emitting a stable purple light in the center of the sword.

Magic? He has no magic at all! He only has brute strength and boiling blood...

At the critical moment of life and death, Glenn cast aside all distractions and unleashed his pent-up grief and anger at the giant.

Another shock with no change whatsoever.

Just as the giant roared and charged again, Glenn was preparing to fight it head-on once more.

The greatsword, which Glenn gripped tightly, began to glow brighter with purple light, and he could feel the greatsword changing.

Immediately afterwards, the amethyst on the sword shone brightly!

The purple aura instantly became active, and the light flow no longer just spread along the patterns on the sword body, but surged out of the magic ore like a living thing, quickly enveloping the entire broad sword body!

A strange sensation came from the hilt of the sword, and the weight of the originally extremely heavy greatsword seemed to have suddenly decreased by several times!

"Roar!" The black mud monster also sensed the danger, its charge faltered slightly, and for the first time, a hint of wild instinctual surprise flashed in its dark eyes.

But Glenn didn't give it any time to react!

call! ! !

With that heart-wrenching roar, brute force and magic were poured into the sword!

The giant sword, enveloped in purple light, sliced ​​through the air, leaving a faint purple afterimage, and slashed diagonally at the giant's raised arm at an even faster speed than before!

*Sizzle!*

This time, the sound was completely different. The greatsword successfully cleaved through the black mud on the monster's surface and then sank into its flesh!

The moment the magic came into contact with the black mud, the viscous black mud, which was strong enough to withstand the slashes of ordinary swords, was actually cleaved open by the giant sword and deeply embedded in the bone!

"Roar!" The giant let out a deafening howl as it tried to break free.

But Glenn did not hesitate. He swelled his arm muscles to the limit and roared as he pressed down hard!

"Crack!" The sound of bone breaking rang out.

Immediately afterwards, Glenn drew his sword, spun around, and used his waist strength to swing the greatsword in a wide arc. Magic drew a dazzling purple semicircle in the air, pointing straight at the monster's neck!

"it's over!"

puff!

A streak of purple light flashed, and a huge, hideous head covered in remaining black mud spun out!

Dark red blood gushed out from the severed neck. The headless body swayed a few times before collapsing to the ground with a thud. The black mud covering the body seemed to lose its life, turning into puddles of foul-smelling ordinary filth that slowly seeped into the dark red ground.

The monster's massive body twitched a few times before finally ceasing to move.

As the black mud receded, part of its original form was revealed: it was indeed a gorilla unique to the depths of the Loba Mountains, with some fur remaining that had not been completely dissolved, and its skeleton twisted and swollen to a terrifying degree by evil forces.

The battle gradually subsided, and the last few barbarian warriors who put up a stubborn resistance were also dealt with by the knights.

The open space was filled with a strong smell of blood and burning.

Glenn leaned on the greatsword whose purple light was gradually dimming, breathing heavily. His wounds seemed to have reopened in several places due to the recent outburst, but he was completely unaware of it.

He staggered to Vio, gently planted his greatsword on the ground, knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and said in a hoarse voice, "My lord, I disobeyed orders, left the battle without permission, and risked my life alone, almost missing the opportunity and making a grave mistake... Please punish me, my lord."

Vio looked at the burly man kneeling before him, at the numerous wounds on his body and his tired eyes, and remained silent for a moment.

The surrounding knights and militiamen also quieted down.

"You have indeed disobeyed orders." Vio's voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger. "Considering your previous merit in defending the village, and your killing of the enemy leader this time... it doesn't count as a capital offense."

Glenn's head drooped even lower.

"Effective immediately, you are hereby dismissed from your position as militia captain and demoted to a regular militia member. You will serve in the military while still guilty. All spoils and post-war rewards from this operation will be deducted by half," Vio announced the punishment with a resolute tone.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" Glenn pounded his chest with his fist, accepting the punishment without complaint.

Vio changed the subject, lowering his voice, "Now tell me, what is it that made you disregard orders and your life to chase after us?"

Glenn's body trembled slightly. He raised his head, and a trace of pain flashed in his eyes again, but this time he did not shy away from it.

He spoke with difficulty, his voice dry: "Sir, inside that black mud monster, I think... I saw my mother's face."

He briefly described the scene and how the open space was discovered.

Vio listened quietly, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Stand up."

After a moment, Vio spoke again, "Your punishment continues. In the next operation, you will lead the charge, and you are absolutely not allowed to act on your own again."

"Yes, sir!" Glenn stood up abruptly, his body swaying slightly, but his eyes were as firm as iron.

He gripped the bladeless greatsword, which gleamed with a faint purple light, again and stood slightly behind Vio.

Vio surveyed the troops who had just finished their fierce battle and were now resting. The Azure Knights, though their armor was stained with blood, still maintained high morale, while the militiamen, though exhausted, had resolute eyes.

"We can't linger here. The black mud monster that Ronan, the King of the Forest, spoke of has appeared. The Haro tribe's lair must be nearby." Vio's voice echoed across the clearing. "Target: Deep within the Loba Mountains. Proceed!"

The group set off again, stepping over the corpses of enemies and monsters, heading into the denser shadows of the forest.

The putrid smell of the black mud in the air grew stronger and stronger as they went deeper, as if the entire mountain was slowly spitting out filth.