"Buzz buzz buzz——"

The spinning axe flew through the air, embedding itself into the back armor of an Extraordinary Knight, with a few streaks of blood seeping from the armor.

He let out a cry of pain, glaring viciously at Mira who was chasing and intercepting him.

Mira smiled at him, but with a backhand shot another arrow, at a tricky angle, piercing into the knight's waist.

If the knight hadn't narrowly turned his body, that large arrow would have almost pierced his kidney.

On the plain of the fortress, two legions of the Salvation Army formed a horizontal line, stepping in unison, advancing toward the fortress.

From time to time, the line would stop, and the Holy Gunmen would proceed in a rotating advance from the second row to the front, firing forty bullets at the knights trying to stop them.

And before the fortress, the Wild Boar Knights were cooperating with the horizontal line.

Sometimes they would rush over to engage, preventing the knights from launching short-distance flanking charges and rear charges against the infantry array.

Other times they would reach the edge of the battlefield, driving back knights who attempted to flee.

With skilled horseback archery and battlefield experience, the Wild Boar Knights deftly toyed with these Extraordinary Knights.

After all, the Wild Boar Knights were once seasoned mercenaries.

Head-on clashes might not be their strength, but when it comes to entangling and intercepting, they could play with these Ibe Knights all day long.

"So you call us Wild Boar Knights all day, huh!" shouted Mira joyfully, shooting an arrow right through the rump of the knight's horse, "Let you taste the quill of the wild boar!"

Watching Mira joyfully engage the Ibe Knights, the fifteen young knights following Perini showed expressions of envy.

Perini was also watching the battlefield.

He silently counted, estimating that over eighty lay fallen at the previous line, among them nearly twenty Extraordinary Knights.

When Harvin set off, they brought 200 Extraordinary Knights and 300 Retainer Knights, leaving behind just 50 Extraordinary and 150 Retainer Knights in the camp.

In the previous siege battle, their numbers dwindled to only about 180 Extraordinary Knights and more than 250 Retainer Knights.

Excluding the 80 or so Extraordinary Knights and over 150 Retainer Knights with Harvin, and a dozen or so Extraordinary Knights providing support around the castle.

Charging with Perini, only more than 90 Extraordinary Knights and about a hundred or so Retainer Knights remained.

Three rounds of gunfire took nearly a quarter of the charging Extraordinary Knights at once.

Perini or the more mentally resilient Imperial Knights could still hold on.

For the Ibe Knights, who usually lived in comfort and hadn't fought harsh battles, this was really beyond their scope.

The fact that they could charge forward, overcoming fear, to the front lines was an extraordinary performance under pressure.

Stripped of the hard outer shell granted by heavy armor and the Extraordinary, these knights were nothing but overgrown babies inside.

But all this had no meaning for the disheartened Perini.

Initially, when Perini led the young knights onto the battlefield, it was to give them some insight and accumulate some military merits.

But the reality told him not to hope that this group of Ibe Knights would give these "unclean ones" any chance to gain fame.

His primary goal now was to get the good young lads from families and friends out, no matter what the cost.

Perini's gaze roamed around, starting to search for a way to escape the battlefield.

......

Twenty lead balls swept horizontally through the Retainer Knights rushing toward the gap, shattering armor pieces and shields, scattering iron rings and broken swords all over the ground.

Immediately, five or six Retainer Knights fell to the ground with cries of anguish, while the remaining Retainer Knights fled in panic, never looking back.

Upon realizing friendly forces had arrived, the three Legion Commanders didn't bother to conserve holy power, they all shouted, "Blast it all!"

In these ten minutes, six hundred Holy Gunmen fired nearly 800 lead bullets at the Night Guards, Armored Soldiers, and Knights.

Because Juer Dan craftily built the second gun platform at the entrances and gaps of the first floor.

Any knights wanting to escape through the gap had to pass through a rain of bullets first.

Abandoning his beloved warhorse, Harvin clambered over a two-meter-high stone wall with the protection of his personal guards, awkwardly falling to the ground.

Wiping the blood from his cheek, he mounted a spare horse again, turning to the knights and asked, "Where's Perini? How many are left?"

"Fewer than 100 Extraordinary Knights, roughly 145 Retainer Knights remain."

"What happened? How come we're so short on people?" Harvin asked incredulously, looking at the fewer than a hundred Extraordinary Knights around him.

"Some ran, some went missing, some are still entangled with those Wild Boar Knights, some are attempting to flank those two companies of rebels."

"It's all that Perini's fault, insisting on charging that military formation. We don't have a monk, can't resist their Devil's Wind."

"Lord Harvin, every time it's those unclean ones causing trouble, you can't keep shielding them."

Harvin frowned, "I ask you, where is Perini?"

The remaining knights looked at each other: "We don't know."

"Damn it," Harvin cursed, "All knights gather, we first return to the camp to rest, come back tomorrow."

"As you command." The knights immediately called out to their scattered companions, reorganizing their ranks.

The previous bullet wound on his abdomen throbbed with pain again, Harvin irritably scratched his ear, knowing that this time they were so close to victory.

"...Kush...people..."

Harvin raised his chin, looking at the Wild Boar Knights blocking the fleeing escort knights, and asked the person beside him, "What are they shouting?"

"Seems like they're saying...Kush people don't fight Kush people?"

"Naive." Harvin shook his head, observing the Salvation Army approaching step by step, and then glanced at the shattered morale of the knights beside him.

This battle was indeed a loss for them, but it's alright.

Once they return to camp to recuperate and gather strength, there's always the next battle.

They can't possibly stay within the fortress forever without coming out. As long as they dare to venture out, that's their doomed day.

Harvin roughly understood that these rebels were employing devilish methods of swiftly constructing fortresses, preparing to advance step by step.

As long as they can defeat them during the early stages of constructing their fortress or when they venture out, that's enough.

This time they acted too hastily; seeing the fortress, they shouldn't have attacked.

Remembering this lesson, it will surely be useful next time!

"Is everyone here?"

"Everyone is here, Sir Harvin." Perini, who assembled upon command, nodded to Harvin expressionlessly.

Facing the current situation, they were isolated and had to rely on the forceful charge of a large group of knights to break through the blockade of the Wild Boar Knights.

"Don't take it to heart, Perini, the previous failure was just a coincidence."

Harvin didn't harshly blame Perini; he knew that even if he were in Perini's position, the first reaction would definitely be to charge when their foothold was unstable.

Additionally, when he returns, Perini would still have to bear the blame; if he lets him run away early, where will he find a second scapegoat?

This failure can't possibly be his fault, can it?

Even if it was his fault, there should always be a chance for correction, and Perini is the cost of correction.

"Sir, a large trail of dust has appeared in the southeast direction, seems like someone from the main camp has come to assist."

"Oh?" Harvin was taken aback, "They reacted pretty quickly, send a few knights over to guide them, don't let them clash head-on with the Salvation Army."

"Understood!"

Upon the knights' transmission, an Extraordinary Knight removed his armor and led five escort knights toward the direction of the dust.

Seeing a large group of cavalry approaching from the southeast, the Wild Boar Knights immediately shifted from a dispersed formation to a concentrated one.

The leading Extraordinary Knight galloped eagerly toward the dust trail.

Harvin sensed something was wrong, noticing the knights were slowing down unexpectedly.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the leading knight abruptly turned around, waving as he ran back.

A foreboding premonition arose along with a crisp gunshot.

Harvin watched as those knights shivered as if electrocuted, then slid off their horses, their backs drenched in blood.

A torrent of Holy Gun Cavalry surged into everyone's view, crossing over the corpses on the ground.

The Holy Grail Battle Banner representing the Saintess fluttered valiantly.

Charging at the fore was Saint Jeanne, with two heads hung on each side of her saddle, belonging to the deputy staying at the main camp and Harvin's steward.

Harvin was stunned for a full three seconds before snapping out of his daze.

The southeast was blocked by the Holy Gun Cavalry, the southwest by Salvation Army Infantry, and the northwest by Fort Monkulus.

They were surrounded; the only escape route was the northeast toward Pope Country territory.

But heading there would only serve the army guarding Sour Melon Town, penetrating enemy territory would lead to a slow death.

Not only Harvin, but all the knights realized the situation; they looked at each other anxiously.

Even fools could see now that they were surrounded, in a classic three-sided encirclement leaving one side free.

Harvin took a deep breath, looking at the remaining knights: "You've seen the current situation; our only path left is to fight to the death. You all are brave and noble knights; at this moment, unity is our only way..."

Harvin's passionate pre-battle speech didn't capture much attention; the knights' focus was drawn by the Holy Gun Cavalry and the Wild Boar Knights' shouts.

"Kush people don't fight Kush people!"

"We only kill temple knights! Surrender your weapons, we accept hostage exchange!"

"Capture a temple knight, and we'll let you go immediately!"

"Saintess pledges as proof, Kush people don't fight Kush people! Surrender your weapons, surrender without killing!"

Count Enrico, who had been forced into labor for three months by Jeanne, shouted tearfully: "Dear ones, the Holy Army asked me to bring you a message, Kush people don't fight Kush people!"

In these repeated shouts, unbeknownst to Harvin, divisions started to form among the Kush descended knights, those with Kush ancestry, and ordinary Ibe Knights.

Surrounding Harvin were just the anxious temple knights, clutching their weapons, warily eyeing the greedy and ruthless gazes.

"It's over!" Realizing the situation on site, Harvin's face turned pale as paper.

His passionate speech turned into a low murmur: "It's over! Completely over!"

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