The sound boomed like a thunderclap on a clear day, instantly drowning out the roar of cannons. The entire battlefield seemed to be struck by a violent earthquake as the ground trembled and cracked wildly.
From the point where Simo’s warhammer struck, the vast expanse of earth in front of him compressed, surging upward to form a steep, solid hill.
This barrier, forged from pure strength, not only completely blocked the Goblin Ripper’s energy blast, but its terrifying shockwave also traveled all the way to the rear of the Demon Legion.
"VMMMM!"
The Shield of the Realm’s barrier trembled violently, unable to stop the full force of the aftershock. The four cannons behind it were thrown to the ground by the sudden tremor.
"Oh no!"
The Slime cannoneers tumbled to the ground, their springy bodies bouncing a few times before they dizzily scrambled back up. With a series of splatting sounds, they swarmed the cannons, trying to right the heavy machines.
Meanwhile, the Knight Team had already seized the opportunity, charging once more and quickly ascending the hill forged by pure power.
Simo, mounted on a warhorse also clad in heavy armor, stood tall at the very peak of the hill.
His gaze traveled across the chaotic battlefield, locking with Chen Yu’s from afar, who was on Peggy’s back.
His eyes were filled with the confidence and oppressive aura unique to an Extraordinary powerhouse.
He raised his warhammer and yelled, his booming voice echoing across the battlefield, "Surrender and you will live! You are no match for me!"
Simo had expected a response from the Slime King on its boar mount, but he sensed something was amiss as he looked into its small, emotionless eyes.
He had to admit, it was the largest and most peculiar Slime he had ever seen. The small Crown and red cape, symbols of its royal status, only reinforced his belief that this was no ordinary Slime.
’But what gives it the courage to face an Extraordinary?’
The thought had barely crossed his mind when a massive explosion suddenly erupted from the direction of Storm Fortress behind him, causing the hill beneath his feet to tremble slightly.
Simo whipped his head around. Soaring columns of smoke and fire were rising from Storm Fortress, and a shocking, enormous hole had been blasted into its sturdy wall.
’Something’s happened at Storm Fortress?!’
"The Magic Crystal Reserve exploded!"
Panicked shouts echoed along the fortress walls. The sudden explosion and the violent shaking of the ramparts threw all the defenders into a state of chaos.
’How is this possible!’
On the wall, Dominic gripped a battlement and leaned over to look down at the rising column of smoke, his mind instantly racing through countless possibilities.
’The Magic Crystal Reserve is one of the most heavily guarded places in Storm Fortress, inspected by soldiers almost daily. How could it suddenly explode due to negligence? And why now, of all times?’
’If it wasn’t an accident...’
The thought had just flashed through his mind when his combat instincts, honed over years of battlefield slaughter, sensed a hint of danger.
He instinctively sidestepped, drew his sword, and blocked!
With a CLANG, he blocked the incoming Ice Blade. Splattering ice shards and a spreading frost instantly obscured part of his vision.
Dominic used the force of the blow to leap back several steps and fixed his gaze forward.
Raven Arevalo was standing before him, somehow, a hunting knife in his hand.
In contrast to his usual calm and steady image as a legion commander, Levin’s armor was now covered in a thin layer of frost.
The stone bricks under his feet were frozen by the spreading frost, and two massive, spectral blue Wolf Spirits flanked him like loyal guards, glaring menacingly at Dominic.
The sight gave Dominic the momentary illusion that he was not facing a highborn Kingdom Knight, but a Beastman Warrior straight from the frozen plains of the Northern Territory.
Radiating a savage aura.
Levin faced him and spoke in a level tone, "Dominic. You don’t seem surprised."
Dominic held his Knight’s Sword, now glowing with a sacred light, upright before him. "Levin, you’re no fool, and neither am I."
"We stand on different sides. There’s nothing more to say."
With that, he raised his voice, his icy tone ringing out across the fortress wall.
"Raven Arevalo! The Arevalo Clan has colluded with the traitorous Princess Louisa in an attempt to subvert the rule of the Kingdom! What’s more, as the demon tide descends upon us, you have deliberately sabotaged the fortress’s defenses, intending to throw open the gates and lead the horde into the heart of our Kingdom!"
"For these unforgivable crimes, I, Dominic Elvin, shall enact the justice of the sun and judge you with Holy Light!"
Levin sneered. "Even now, you refuse to reveal the one pulling your strings? It seems you’re well aware of how dirty your own hands are."
"Silence!!"
Dominic’s expression darkened. He swung his sword, now saturated with potent Holy Light, cleaving down at Levin with a brilliance that seemed capable of purifying all corruption.
Levin sidestepped the blow. His hunting knife scraped against the Holy Sword, creating a blinding flash of magical light. A stray bolt of Holy Light flew past, slicing off the corner of a nearby battlement and sending rubble tumbling from the wall.
Their duel seemed unremarkable, less flashy and dazzling than the bouts of younger Knights, but none of the ordinary Knights surrounding them dared to draw near.
"The Arevalo Clan has rebelled! The Third Legion has betrayed the Kingdom!"
"Seize them!!"
As the chaos on the wall spread, the Knights of the Second and Fourth Legions finally reacted, turning their gazes, filled with suspicion and doubt, toward their comrades bearing the Arevalo crest.
They hesitated, their weapon-gripping hands trembling slightly, unsure if they should raise their blades against their comrades of yesterday.
At that moment, a few Knights from the Second Legion with shifty eyes were the first to attack.
"Quick, seize the traitors!"
However, they had barely charged a few steps before they were sent flying backward even faster, crashing hard against the wall and crenels behind them with a series of dull thuds.
Alice stepped out steadily from among the gathered Knights of the Arevalo Clan. She raised her Longsword high, her icy voice carrying clearly to everyone around:
"Second Legion Commander Dominic Elvin and Fourth Legion Commander Simo Barnes have colluded with foreign Demons! They have slandered Princess Louisa and are attempting to infiltrate and corrupt our Kingdom from within!"
Her gaze swept over the hesitant Knights, her tone grave and earnest. "Knights, open your eyes! Don’t let yourselves be blinded by the lies of Demons."
"See clearly who the real enemies of the Kingdom are, and who it is you are sworn to protect—your comrades and justice itself!"
Alice’s words were simple and unadorned, devoid of any inflammatory rhetoric, yet they struck the hearts of many Knights like a heavy hammer.
No one here was a true fool.
Combining Alice’s words with the illogical troop movements within the Garrison Legion in recent years, the strange orders from certain high-ranking officers, and the suspicious circumstances surrounding Princess Louisa’s sudden conviction for treason... the clues suddenly clicked into place in the minds of many Knights.
Some of the Knights gave up on the overly complex question of right and wrong. Choosing to abstain from the internal conflict, they turned their weapons on the demon tide monsters that were relentlessly battering the Protective Array below.
They believed that regardless of the circumstances, resisting the demon tide was the Garrison Legion’s most fundamental duty.
Only the Knights who were staunchly loyal to their own clans unhesitatingly attacked the Knights of the Arevalo Family.
In an instant, Storm Fortress descended into a chaotic melee.
On the hill in the distance, Simo sent an approaching monster flying with a swing of his hammer. His expression darkened as he watched the smoke rise from the fortress walls and heard the cries of battle.
But he did not choose to return as reinforcements. Instead, he called out to steady his Knights.
"Have faith in Dominic! He can handle those traitors from the Arevalo Clan. Our mission is to crush the Demon Legion!"
"Yes, Legion Commander!"
Spurred on by Simo’s words, the worry in the Knights’ eyes faded as they refocused on the enemy before them.
But just as the Knights were about to charge again, they felt the light around them suddenly dim, as if a massive shadow had fallen over them.
They looked up and saw a massive mountain hawk!