Attack Halted
Immediately afterwards, these slaves, who had just been suppressed, were forced to pack their belongings under the whip and sword, and drive the few remaining livestock and carts loaded with the most important food and some of the looted valuables, embarking on a difficult journey of hasty retreat to the north.
The entire retreat was still chaotic, with vehicles constantly overturning and supplies scattered. But the will to survive overwhelmed everything, and the troops barely maintained order under the officers' shouts and whippings, crawling towards the Northern Territory.
A large amount of spoils that were not taken with them or deemed unimportant were abandoned in the camp, but the Sauron at this moment could no longer care about these material possessions.
Meanwhile, on the southwest side of the camp, Laurent's "North Wind Stud Farm" squad also encountered fierce resistance.
The main force of the Bear Corps, personally commanded by Svein, pounced like mad tigers.
These Sauron elite were equally fearless. Taking advantage of their numbers and familiarity with the terrain, they engaged in brutal close-quarters combat with the knights of the North Wind Squad.
Although the members of the North Wind Squad were all elite knights who had survived countless battles, and had the upper hand in individual martial arts and equipment, their advance was effectively halted by the enemy's reckless fighting style and sheer numbers.
The battle reached a brutal stalemate, with each step forward costing lives on both sides, and the casualty figures continued to rise.
Laurent knew that he could no longer achieve his goal of striking at the heart of the enemy, so he decisively ordered a shift to a defensive formation, fighting and retreating in an attempt to disengage from the Sauron and preserve his strength.
On the eastern flank, where the battle was most dangerous, Konrad and Friedrich found themselves in dire straits.
Konrad was indeed powerful, but he was facing a combined attack from five or six Sauron sorcerers led by Elaine!
These sorcerers were individually far weaker than him, but they were proficient in various bizarre curses, weakening spells, and shadow attacks. Working together, they caused Konrad a great deal of trouble.
A corrosive shadow bolt grazed his shoulder, instantly tearing his robes and sending a burning pain through his skin; another mental shock momentarily slowed his spellcasting.
Konrad was forced to focus most of his energy on defense and evasion, making it difficult to provide effective support to Friedrich.
Friedrich's situation was even more critical! He was already at his limit, and the continuous high-intensity fighting and the severe consumption of his Battle Qi had left him on the verge of exhaustion.
Even more terrifying, the surrounding Sauron soldier, under the command of their officers, actually began using captured Carnford standard Flintlock Rifle. They took cover behind cover, calmly loaded them, and then concentrated their fire on the conspicuous golden Battle Qi!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A hail of lead bullets rained down like locusts! Friedrich's plate armor could withstand sword and blade strikes, but it was hardly enough to stop the lead bullets fired at close range!
Several bullets pierced through the weak points of his armor, embedding themselves deeply in his shoulder, thigh, and side! Although not immediately fatal, the immense impact and excruciating pain instantly robbed him of his last ounce of strength!
He groaned, and the golden aura of his Battle Qi qi flickered violently like a candle in the wind before quickly dimming. His tall body staggered, and he fell to one knee, only managing to stay upright thanks to his longsword!
"Friedrich!" Konrad was horrified upon seeing this!
He bravely withstood a Shadow Arrow, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and his figure flashed like a ghost to Friedrich's side in an instant, grabbing his elder brother's arm!
"Go!" Konrad roared hoarsely, a resolute glint in his eyes!
Without further hesitation, he mobilized the last remaining magical energy within his body, which he had intended to use for his final survival, and rapidly chanted short and profound syllables!
Centered on his feet, a miniature teleportation array, closely linked to a coordinate within Carnford Castle, instantly lit up! This was an escape plan he had pre-arranged within the castle! A dazzling white light engulfed the two figures!
The next moment, just as Elaine and the others' spells were about to hit, Konrad and Friedrich vanished into thin air!
"Pfft!" The evil spell, having lost its target, struck the open ground, blasting out a scorched crater.
Elaine and the others were caught off guard, and their faces turned extremely ugly.
They knew that the powerful Rune mage had fled back to that damned castle with the heavily wounded Friedrich!
With the sudden withdrawal of Konrad and Friedrich, and the forced retreat of Laurent's squad, the deadly threat to the east and west sides of the Sauron camp was temporarily relieved.
Harald finally gained a precious respite, allowing him to organize his army and, escorting prisoners and supplies, retreat in disarray northward.
Inside Carnford Castle, a pungent odor filled the air, a mixture of burnt, bloody, and soot.
The survivors had barely managed to extinguish the raging fire, and each of them wore a look of bewilderment at having survived the ordeal and a deep-seated exhaustion.
Brendan was carefully helping Karl remove his heavy armor, which was riddled with knife and arrow wounds and almost falling apart. The sound of metal scraping against metal was particularly clear in the silence.
Just then...
In the corner of the hall, the small teleportation array that Konrad had set up beforehand suddenly lit up with a soft and steady white light without warning! The light grew brighter and brighter, attracting everyone's attention.
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, two figures, supporting each other and covered in wounds, staggered out from the center of the light.
It was Konrad, who had just escaped from the midst of a massive army using teleportation, and Friedrich, whom he was holding tightly and who was almost unconscious!
"Teacher!" Lina exclaimed first, rushing forward with Morian to carefully support the swaying Konrad.
Konrad's face was ashen, blood still lingered at the corner of his mouth, and his mage robes were torn and scorched in several places, clearly indicating that he had suffered serious internal injuries in the previous magical confrontation.
But he still managed to wave his hand, his voice weak yet calm. "I'm fine... just exhausted... I just need some rest."
"Konrad!" Karl was startled upon seeing this, and without even bothering to remove half of his armor, he quickly approached.
Konrad looked up and saw Karl standing unharmed before him, a barely perceptible hint of relief flashing in his eyes.
Almost instinctively, he struggled to raise his hand and cast a simple soothing spell on Karl.
A gentle, cool energy flowed into Karl's nearly exhausted body, slightly dispelling some of the extreme physical and mental fatigue and tension, making him feel a little better.
"It's good that you're alright..." Konrad's voice was filled with deep weariness, but his tone was steady. He turned his head slightly, gesturing to the burly knight who was slumped on the ground, unconscious. "Come and see... who I brought back for you."