Crimson Knights

After taking down three unlucky opponents, the battlefield situation gradually began to change. Both sides' troops were completely mixed together in a chaotic melee.

The noble knights who had been dominating moments ago now found themselves in a crisis, surrounded by rebel forces.

Even the strongest knight couldn't withstand the endless tide of rebels. Witnessing two noble knights being pulled off their horses, Hudson's resolve to "play it safe" was further solidified.

Unable to continue picking off isolated enemies, Hudson hurriedly regrouped with his own unit and began harassing the enemy on the left flank.

"Charge in to relieve our allies?"

The thought had barely formed before Hudson decisively extinguished it. The troops he led were no elite force. They could handle flanking maneuvers and picking off isolated enemies, but charging into a decisive battle was suicide.

Looking at the private armies of the nobles, it was clear that after their lords led a charge, the men blindly followed, only to get locked in a stalemate with the rebels.

To reverse the situation now, they either had to wait for the army from the fortress to break out or for other noble private armies to join the fray.

Today was the final deadline, and any ambitious noble private armies would arrive on time. Time was on their side; theoretically, the longer the delay, the more advantageous it would be for the pacification army.

But theory was just theory. As time wore on, the noble knights, trapped in the encirclement, found it increasingly difficult to hold on.

A decisive charge to crush the rebels was ultimately just a fantasy. The enemies before them seemed to be on stimulants, launching attacks without any regard for their own lives.

To make their attacks effective, many rebel soldiers didn't even bother to dodge the knights' counterattacks, not caring if they injured their own men. Hudson personally saw a rebel soldier willing to take a spear thrust just to hurl his weapon.

As long as the numbers were there, accuracy and hit rate didn't matter. No matter how powerful a knight was, they couldn't defend in all directions simultaneously.

It was a cruel irony that powerful knights were being overwhelmed and killed by former farmhands who had just put down their hoes.

At one point, Hudson regretted initiating the alliance. If not for the alliance, he would still be hiding in the back, enjoying the scenery.

With the situation as it was, no matter how unwilling he was, he had to press on. To minimize his presence, Hudson was forced to dismount and blend in with the infantry.

As the number of comrades around him dwindled, Knight Chels, who had been charging forward, gradually realized the gravity of the situation.

These enemies were clearly abnormal, bloodthirsty, and completely disregardful of their own lives. They were not ordinary rebels.

"Break out!"

Chels shouted.

This was no time for bravado. No matter how important military achievements were, they couldn't compare to their own lives.

While his military command skills might be lacking, his political acumen was not zero. Many nobles who had charged with him had died, and if more were to fall, he wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility.

Deep down, Chels cursed Count Pierce's ancestors for three generations. He had worked hard to come and help relieve the siege, but even after the battle had reached this point, no troops had been dispatched.

The knights led by Chels were the benchmarks on the battlefield. With their retreat, the morale of the noble allied forces instantly plummeted.

The ones leading the charge to flee were the elites from each faction, showing that the survivors who had "experienced countless battles" were indeed masters of escape.

Without any surprise, Hudson also led his own men in a retreat. Because he had been operating on the fringes of the battlefield, with no one blocking his path from behind, the retreat went exceptionally smoothly.

Seeing the noble allied forces crumble, Count Pierce in Ethel Fortress suddenly realized he had messed up again. He had to send troops; if the rebels achieved a decisive victory, his reinforcements would be lost.

The nobles weren't foolish. With this precedent, any nobles arriving later might just turn around and leave. Even if the matter was taken to the Royal Capital, Pierce would be in the wrong.

Thinking of this, Pierce was filled with anger. Despite his reputation for exceptional intellect, his actual execution of plans always seemed to go awry.

He had initially intended to use the rebels to weaken the strength of the nobles in Wright County, but he had underestimated the strength of the Skull Society, which had led to the rebels ravaging two counties and causing the situation to spiral out of control.

He had intended to use the rebels to weaken the strength of the noble lords, but he hadn't expected this noble allied force to be so useless, collapsing within an hour of engagement.

Weakening them too much had turned into a disaster. Everything had its limits. Whether he liked it or not, he had to dispatch troops now to save the remnants of the noble allied forces.

Otherwise, he would become the public enemy of the minor nobles in the Southeast Province. His position as governor would become a mere figurehead, and no one would obey his commands anymore.

Summoning the elites from the fortress, Count Pierce raised his knight's lance, mounted his Flame Lion steed, and gave the order, "The evil Skull Society has rebelled, intending to overthrow the sacred rule of the Kingdom.

For the stability of the Kingdom, for the glory of the Lord of Dawn, and for our honor, warriors of the Crimson Knights, follow me to battle!"

The majestic fortress gates slowly opened, and the sunlight glinted off the knight's lance, emitting a chilling radiance.

Count Pierce, leading the Flame Lion, leaped out of the fortress first, followed by over two hundred knights, and then a thousand cavalry from the Crimson Knights.

A thousand horsemen thundered out, unleashing a terrifying momentum that struck fear into the heart.

Seeing the cavalry approach, the rebel forces surrounding the fortress immediately took measures. Spearmen formed the front line, and archers unleashed a volley of arrows, engulfing the knights' order.

Unfortunately, it was all in vain. Count Pierce swung his lance, sweeping away the volleys of arrows, protecting himself and his mount completely as he continued his charge.

As they neared the spearmen's formation, the Flame Lion suddenly spewed a stream of lava-like substance from its mouth. The unprepared rebels instantly turned into fiery figures. Terrified, the surrounding soldiers hastily dodged, causing chaos.

Seizing the moment of rebel confusion, Count Pierce plunged into their ranks, wreaking havoc with the Flame Lion's assistance.

Following the breach opened by Count Pierce, the knights surged in madly, and the spear formation immediately disintegrated.

Without the support of their formation, the rebel forces suffered heavy losses in an instant under the slaughter of the cavalry.

However, Count Pierce clearly had no time to mop up the stragglers. He completely ignored the defeated fleeing soldiers and led his troops towards the enemy's command banner.

Anyone with even a modicum of military knowledge would know that Count Pierce was preparing to "capture the king."

Seeing the cavalry steadily advancing, the old man in grey robes watching from the high platform sneered, "The Crimson Knights are indeed one of the ten great knightly orders of the Alpha Kingdom, a true weapon of war!

Reik, sound the Blood Moon Horn. Let the cannon fodder and these annoying cavalry have their fun for a while, see how many they can kill."