Before Rendaen could even give the order, some mercenaries on the Dark Iron side, eager to claim credit, broke away and charged forward—the heavily wounded Magni was practically a tempting gold mine.
"Your Majesty, order the attack immediately!"
"Kill that Bronzebeard brat!"
The impatient pro-war lords urged him on, and Rendaen hesitated for a moment, just as he was about to give the order, when a golden light descended from the sky and landed directly in front of him.
"Knight Unas!"
Unas, carrying the unconscious Magni in one hand, disregarded etiquette and asked breathlessly, "Has Your Majesty secretly deployed two surprise forces in the north?"
"No, my army is all here, why is Knight Unas..."
"They were ambushed! Two unidentified armies attacked the rear of the Bronzebeard Main Camp from the north; they looked like Dark Iron Dwarves!"
Unas abruptly interrupted Rendaen's question, which seemed rude, but no one cared about it now.
"What's going on?" Rendaen looked around at his subordinates. "Whose secret arrangement was this?"
There was no answer. A general said, "His Majesty personally inspected all the troops before the battle, and I also carefully counted the entire army. All the lords' troops are in their main camp. How could there be any extra manpower?"
"If it's not you, then there's only one possibility— the Dark Iron Rebels!" Unas's mind raced. "Only they are most familiar with the terrain of the Searing Gorge, and have the ability and time to lie in ambush."
"But why would they help us attack Bronzebeard?"
"The answer is obvious—they want to start a war between us and Bronzebeard!"
Unas's prediction hit the bullseye. After failing to welcome Queen Moira, the Dark Iron rebels were not resigned to their fate. The imminent battle between the Dark Iron and Bronzebeard gave them an opportunity.
The rebels secretly hid through underground tunnels, planning to exploit the conflict between the two sides and benefit from it.
Unexpectedly, the two sworn enemies reached a peace agreement, and the Challenge was about to be decided. They could only launch a surprise attack at the last moment, trying to cause chaos and reignite the war.
The Dwarf lords were no fools; with a little prompting from Unas, they understood the whole story.
Saina Huohua said urgently, "Your Majesty, we cannot fall for the rebels' divisive tactics. Please order the mercenaries to be withdrawn, or it will be too late!"
The mercenaries in the center of the battlefield were already locked in fierce combat with the two groups of Bronzebeard Dwarves. Fortunately, the scale of the conflict was not large, but in order to reclaim Magni, the Bronzebeard Dwarves would definitely send out more troops, at which point the situation would become uncontrollable.
"Bullshit! What are those rebels? Let's turn the tables on them, seize this opportunity, and wipe out Bronzebeard first!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! Magni is now in our hands. I suggest we cut off his head, plant his flag to boost our morale, and the Bronzebeard Dwarves will surely be routed!"
"What an idiot! A living Bronzebeard a hundred times more valuable than a dead one, and doing this might just incite the Bronzebeards ' hatred, making him even more difficult to deal with."
"Stop arguing! The opportunity is fleeting, let His Majesty make the decision!" The general who had spoken earlier silenced everyone.
Rendaen frowned again. While it was foolish to deliberately join the rebels, the Bronzebeard army was now besieged on both sides and it was not impossible for them to be defeated in one battle.
After careful consideration, Rendaen turned his gaze to the human Paladin standing to the side. Despite a duel that pushed him to his limits, he still looked energetic, making it seem as if any miracle could happen to him.
What does Knight Unas think?
"Your Majesty, internal traitors are more dangerous than external enemies," Unas said vehemently. "Although the rebels are few and seem to pose little threat, their backers are the Twilight's Hammer, and they may be lying in ambush. If we are unable to extricate ourselves in time from a major battle with Bronzebeard, the Twilight Cultist may seize the opportunity to invade. I fear the situation in Shadowforge City will become unstable. Moreover, as Paladin, I am unwilling to break my promise and tear up the treaty. I beg Your Majesty not to start a war lightly."
The Twilight Cultist poses a real threat to Rendaen's throne, a threat that the Bronzebeard Clan cannot match. Moreover, Rendaen is inherently a man of his word and has no intention of breaking his promise.
Unas has just presented a spectacular duel, and his words carry considerable weight.
Rendaen let out a deep breath and nodded. "Hold your positions and recall Nadal's mercenary group!"
The Dark Iron lords were filled with disappointment, but Unas was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Your Majesty is wise!"
He immediately activated his Light Wings, flew back to the center of the battlefield, and amplified his voice with Holy Power, "His Majesty Rendaen has ordered a ceasefire!"
The Dwarves fighting below immediately retreated, quickly creating an open space in the middle.
It wasn't that Unas suddenly possessed irresistible authority, but rather that the Magni he carried made the Bronzebeard Dwarves hesitant to act, and the Dark Iron mercenaries dared not continue fighting upon hearing "His Majesty has given the order."
"Your name is Nadal?"
The mercenary leader, a one-eyed Dark Iron Dwarves, stepped forward. "I am!"
"His Majesty Rendaen personally ordered—immediately withdraw to main camp!"
Nadal glanced back at the motionless Dark Iron formation, finding no sign of an impending attack, and could only nod, shouting reluctantly, "Brothers, retreat!"
"You should also return; the northern battlefield needs you more," Unas turned to the Bronzebeard Dwarves. "It wasn't us who attacked you, but the remnants of Thaurissan, who are also His Majesty Rendaen's greatest enemies. We don't want to start a war!"
"Whether what you say is true or false, give His Majesty back to us first!" General Bronzebeard, who was leading the group, stepped forward to negotiate.
"The duel isn't completely over yet..."
"No, it's over," a weak voice interrupted Unas, who was holding Magni, who had just regained consciousness. "I lost."
"His Majesty!"
Your Majesty! Are you alright?
"Your Majesty, you won't lose! He said the duel isn't over yet!"
The Bronzebeard soldiers were shouting indignantly, Magni rallied them, waving his hand to quiet them down. "Go back and wipe out the attackers in the rear!"
"But..."
"Are my orders no longer being obeyed?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" General Bronzebeard could only lower his head and hurriedly ordered his soldiers to retreat quickly.
Magni sighed, then looked up with a wry smile. "Knight Unas, how long are you going to keep dragging me along?"
Unas quickly let go, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, the situation is urgent..."
"No need for further explanation," Magni said, steadying himself on the ground. "I heard all your advice before the new King of Dark Iron. It was you who single-handedly facilitated peace between Bronzebeard and Dark Iron. You truly deserve to be called a noble and honorable Paladin."
"So His Majesty was already awake at that time?"
When the rebels launched their surprise attack, Unas sensed something was wrong in the air and flew down to negotiate with Magni, only to find that the Dwarf King had lost consciousness, although he was still standing on the battlefield with his eyes open.
Unas couldn't leave it unattended, so Unas had no choice but to grab him and fly back to the Dark Iron camp. Luckily, he arrived just before Rendaen gave the order, preventing the war from starting.
"Hmph, I was only unconscious for a moment."
"Then why..." Unas hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.
"You want to ask me why I pretended to faint?" Magni chuckled self-deprecatingly. "To be carried around in front of so many Dwarves by you, do you think it's something to be proud of?"
"I'm so sorry, Your Majesty. Next time I'll hold you firmly and won't let you drift away." Unas's mouth started acting up again.
Magni bristled, his eyes wide with anger, "You want a next time?"
"Haha, no, no, I wouldn't dare."
Although Magni was defeated and lost face as the leader, he did not get angry and maintained his composure. Unas, who had initially harbored resentment because Magni had killed him in the duel, now just laughed it off.