Just as the Cross Knights fell into despair, a crisp bugle call, like light tearing through dark clouds, suddenly rang out from the flank of the battlefield!
“It is the bugle of the Rose Knights!”
In the chaos, some Cross Knights soldiers recognized this bugle, and a glimmer of light reignited in their despairing eyes.
In the next moment, on the high ground to the east of the battlefield, a layer of silver radiance, like a meteor shower, quietly emerged. Iserine held her Magic Wand, her body emitting Magic ripples like moonlight.
She lightly pointed her Magic Wand toward the scattered Cross Knights, her cool voice penetrating the entire battlefield:
“Purify!”
Buzz—!
A soft silver halo centered on her Magic Wand, spreading rapidly like water ripples, instantly sweeping across the entire chaotic battlefield!
This light was not dazzling; on the contrary, it carried a power of Purify that pointed directly to the source.
As the silver light swept over those Cross Knights who had fallen into madness under the Mental Pollution of the Demons, the chaos in their eyes quickly receded, and their minds, which had been occupied by fear, instantly regained clarity.
They stopped their longswords mid-swing toward their companions and looked blankly at the corpses of their comrades and the approaching Demons, completely overwhelmed by a sense of lingering fear and relief.
“Targets are those Shadows! Fifth Squad!”
Leanna’s voice rang out across the battlefield. The Rose Knights Fifth Squad, composed of magicians, quickly locked onto those Shadows, and then various Magic poured out from their Magic Wands.
Fireballs, lightning, Wind Blade… with only five Rose Knights, the amount of Magic they unleashed was like an entire Military, leaving Morton somewhat dumbfounded.
“Everyone else, join me in saving the Cross Knights!”
Leanna’s order was concise and powerful. By the time her voice fell, she had already drawn her sword and was rushing toward the Cross Knights who were entangled with the Demons.
Concentrated Magic was attached to her blade. This was a Magic she had only comprehended after stepping into Level 60. Some weak Demons were torn apart by this Magic before they could even get close to her.
Behind her, the Rose Knights were like an invincible sword, piercing directly through the entire battlefield. All the Demons were completely vulnerable before their blades and Magic.
Mental shock?
Even without Purify, they were unaffected.
Those Demons as swift as wolves?
The swords in their hands were faster than the Demons’ speed.
Morton, under the protection of other Knights, watched this scene blankly.
Those young girls he once looked down upon were now displaying a Duel literacy and precise restraint against Demon characteristics that far exceeded his understanding.
They did not charge blindly but acted like a well-trained army of hunters, precisely eliminating the most threatening targets and efficiently organizing the rescue.
In contrast, the legion battle formation he was so proud of had collapsed under the Demons’ attack, and the Knights who had inherited their titles for countless years were defeated by mental attacks…
All of this made his face burn with shame, his heart filled with a complex mixture of humiliation and shock.
But despite this, he was still the commander of the Cross Knights.
Seeing the Rose Knights gradually approaching, Morton scrambled up from the ground, held his longsword high, and shouted, “Knights of Cross! Rally to me! Maintain formation and withdraw step by step!”
With the support of the Rose Knights, the routed Cross Knights soldiers finally found their backbone. They resisted with all their might while following the path torn open by the Rose Knights, struggling to retreat toward the relatively safe second line of defense in the rear.
When the last group of trapped soldiers withdrew from the encirclement, Leanna finally led her team members to neatly disengage from the battlefield like a receding tide, retreating behind the defensive line.
Each of them was stained with the foul blood of Demons, and their breathing was somewhat hurried, but their eyes remained sharp, and their formation was not in the least disordered.
After a long silence, Morton walked up to Leanna, broke free from his guards’ support, took a deep breath, performed a Knight’s salute, and apologized in a respectful tone:
“Captain Leanna, and everyone of the Rose Knights, thank you for the rescue. I… offer my most sincere apologies for my previous ignorance and arrogance.”
“You… are true Knights, the well-deserved heroes of the Snow City Fortress.”
He lowered his once-proud head.
The Knight Spirit inherited over countless years told him that a true Knight should be able to admit and correct his mistakes.
Leanna looked at him, her expression remaining calm as she gave a slight nod:
“It is nothing; it is what we should do, Commander Morton. Furthermore, the urgent matter at hand is to reorganize the defensive line. The Demons’ next attack will not be far off.”
Her gaze went past Morton, looking toward the still-surging darkness in the distance, her eyes solemn.
Although the rescue was successful, everyone understood that the true test had only just begun.
The Demons’ assault would not end so simply.
After this Duel, Morton was no longer arrogant. He chose to set aside his status and cooperate deeply with the Rose Knights to ensure that the Snow City Fortress could survive this Demon attack.
***
Time passed day by day. Under the cooperation of the Rose Knights and the Cross Knights, although the Demons continuously launched assaults, every single one ended in failure.
Unknowingly, half a year had passed.
Under the alliance of various human forces, the Norwich Empire’s Military was retreating steadily. In front of the Snow City Fortress, the frequency of Demon attacks became fewer and fewer. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this war was not far from its end.
However, at this moment, inside the Fortress command room, the atmosphere became somewhat subtle due to the arrival of new visitors.
Sitting in the main seat, General Breno’s expression was complex, containing exhaustion, hope, and even more so, confusion and trouble.
Sitting opposite him was a general who claimed to be from the Barnes Territory—Gerald.
Gerald wore a suit of polished silver armor. The skin on his face looked meticulously maintained and radiant, while his eyes carried a near-excessive level of confidence.
General Breno repeated the word, his tone carrying a hint of cautious confirmation: “Reinforcements?”
Gerald straightened his back and replied in a booming voice:
“Exactly. We are reinforcements from the Barnes Territory. After our Lord resolved the Demon forces within the territory, he sensed the peril of the Snow City Fortress, which is why he dispatched us to support you.”
General Breno frowned and said, “I thank your Lord for his assistance, but the current state of the war…”
The peril of the Snow City Fortress?
The truly perilous moment was before the Rose Knights had arrived. At that time, the Snow City Fortress had almost fallen, and Demons had broken into the Fortress to slaughter indiscriminately; he had even been prepared to abandon the Fortress and flee for his life.
At that time, this general from the Barnes Territory did not come to support, yet he appeared just as the war was about to end. The intention to snatch the credit was almost written all over his face.
“Eh, General Breno, I know the Rose Knights and the Cross Knights are very formidable, but if they are kept fighting on the front lines, they will eventually reach their limit.”
Gerald spread his hands, appearing very sincere.
“We have come here to help them withstand the Demons’ attacks and give them a breather. After all, you wouldn’t want them to collapse from exhaustion, right?”
A look of hesitation appeared on General Breno’s face. He rubbed his fingers together, pondering for a moment, and finally shook his head helplessly. “This… I am afraid you will have to obtain their consent first.”
“Very well, I believe they will agree.”
With a slight smile, Gerald stood up and left the Fortress command room.
Things turned out exactly as General Breno had expected. Both Leanna and Morton rejected Gerald’s proposal without hesitation.
The reason was simple: even though the war was near its end, they did not believe the reinforcements Gerald brought could withstand the next fierce attack from the Demon main force.
This was not arrogance but a cold judgment based on countless bloody Duels.
After all, the reinforcements Gerald brought could be considered the Private Army of the Barnes Territory. Private Noble Armies were generally inferior to the Imperial Army, let alone competing with Demons that even the Imperial Army could not defeat.
If the Snow City Fortress were handed over to them, the fall of the Fortress would likely be only a matter of time.
But Gerald did not think that way.
Facing Leanna and Morton, he gave a heavy cold snort from his nose, his face turning slightly red with anger:
“Hmph, it’s not like a Demon crisis hasn’t erupted in our territory. I admit those Demons have some tricks, but if they want to defeat the soldiers of our territory, they are still far from it!”
“By refusing, are you trying to claim all the credit for repelling the Demons for yourselves? Please think clearly; this is a moment of crisis for humanity’s survival. Do not be too selfish.”
Claiming all the credit for repelling the Demons for themselves?
Did this credit not belong to their Cross Knights and the Rose Knights in the first place?!
These words caused Morton, who was already extremely dissatisfied with Gerald, to explode instantly. His face turned ashen, and his gaze was like two sharp swords piercing Gerald:
“Selfish? Who exactly is being selfish? General Gerald, do you think I don’t know what you’re plotting? The Demons we worked so hard to repel will not have their credit handed over to you for nothing!”
“Furthermore, someone like you is unworthy of calling yourself a Knight; you are simply an embarrassment to Knights!”
He stepped closer, almost pressing against Gerald’s face, his spittle nearly spraying onto the other man’s face.
He had been unhappy with Gerald since the moment the man approached him.
A mere general of a small territory dared to call himself a Knight, but he could have overlooked that. The most damnable thing was that this fellow had not a shred of the Knight Spirit or grace, possessing only the mercenary nature of the Nobles.
He was simply a disgrace to true Knights!
Morton suddenly pointed outside the tent and shouted sternly, “Get out! Disappear from my sight immediately, or don’t blame me for being impolite!”
“Morton, you… you bastard…”
Gerald’s face turned from red to white under Morton’s torrential abuse. He trembled with rage, pointing a finger at Morton, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.
After saying “Fine” several times, he finally managed to suppress his anger, his gaze becoming dark. He gritted his teeth and left one final threatening remark:
“Fine, fine, fine. It doesn’t matter if you don’t agree. Anyway, I will give one last reminder: the Snow City Fortress is the territory of the Aos Empire. You are merely reinforcements. Remember your status!”
After speaking, he gave Morton and Leanna a fierce glare, whipped his cloak around forcefully, and left the tent in a rage, leaving behind a rather pathetic silhouette.
***
The next day, atop the Fortress walls, two soldiers leaned against the snow-covered stone bricks, whispering to each other:
“Hey, have you heard? Actually, this Demon wave wasn’t much at all. Even with our original strength, we could have held it off.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, the Rose Knights and the Cross Knights deliberately spread the word that the Demon Military was powerful just to exaggerate their own accomplishments.”
One of the soldiers holding a spear raised an eyebrow and questioned:
“Is that true? I only saw those Demons from a distance back then, and my legs went weak before they even got close. This feels like a Rumor, doesn’t it?”
“I think so too. The Rose Knights are commanded by the Saintess Saint. With the Saintess Saint’s character, it’s impossible for her to do such a thing. The Cross Knights as well; they should be above doing something like this…”
***
Inside the Fortress command room, the atmosphere was heavy. Outside the window, the faint sounds of soldiers’ drills could be heard, but inside was a dead silence.
General Breno slammed the parchment Letter in his hand onto the table, causing the Feather Pen on the desk to fall to the floor.
But he couldn’t care about that. At this moment, the veins on his forehead were bulging, and his bloodshot eyes from days of exhaustion were almost spitting fire.
Recently, Rumors had erupted within the Fortress, saying the Demon army was not scary at all and that the Rose Knights and Cross Knights had lied about them being difficult to deal with for the sake of credit.
“Dammit! Who on earth is spreading these Rumors! Without the Rose Knights and the Cross Knights, the Snow City Fortress would have been trampled by the Norwich Empire long ago!”
Sitting opposite him, Gerald calmly straightened the collar of his leather armor, a hint of an inscrutable cold smile hanging on his face.
He slowly picked up the water cup on the table, took a sip, and then spoke unhurriedly:
“Heh, who knows? I only know that the Rumor has spread, and a Letter has come from the Empire’s commander. They intend to send someone to investigate this matter. General Breno, you had better think carefully about how to deal with the investigation.”
Breno grabbed the parchment Letter, crumpled it into a ball without even looking, and slammed it onto the ground as if it were something filthy.
His chest heaved violently, and his breath carried sparks of rage.
“Deal with my foot! I have a clear conscience in everything I do! The Rose Knights and the Cross Knights are the same! Whoever is behind this knows it in their heart! A true animal!”
He couldn’t help but curse. At the same time, his eagle-like eyes landed on Gerald, who merely touched his cheek as if the matter had absolutely nothing to do with him.
However, that word “animal” still caused his eyes to darken.
Seeing this, Breno let out a cold snort inwardly.
He actually knew who had done this. The word “animal” was something he had deliberately cursed to his face, and he felt that for Gerald to do such a thing, calling him an “animal” was still being light on him.
Slowly turning around, Breno looked out the window at the distant, faintly visible damaged battlements of the walls and those soldiers who were training hard to protect their country. His gaze became incredibly firm.
Grabbing the heavy cloak draped over the back of the chair, he whipped it onto his shoulders, the metal clasp making a crisp clinking sound.
“No, I must go see the Saintess Saint. I cannot let this animal destroy our Snow City Fortress!”