One-Sided

From Wushan Castle to Mountain Forest Town, the guards had spent ten days with Luo Ning.

Over those ten days, Luo Ning had established the image of a "lord" in the guards' hearts by promising them generous pay, giving them enough food, and training them in discipline and obedience.

So when he gave the order to attack, every guard gripped his longsword and charged after the knights.

The tense standoff erupted completely as Luo Ning shouted, "Kill!"

The two sides on the mountain path were only a few dozen meters apart. With the warhorses galloping at full speed, Macken and Prinster met almost in the blink of an eye.

Their longswords collided, Battle Qi burst forth, and their mounts let out shrill neighs.

Under the tremendous impact, Prinster's warhorse seemed to be in poor condition, staggering as though it were about to fall. Its rider had not expected the knight before him to be stronger than himself!

He kicked off the saddle, leaped high into the air, passed over the crowd, and landed outside the melee.

As Prinster retreated, his subordinates swarmed in. Two knights besieged Macken, while the remaining two attacked Luo Ning and David respectively.

Luo Ning had tried fighting on horseback when sparring with Macken, but he still lacked experience.

Fortunately, this opposing knight did not seem particularly skilled either.

After just one exchange, the man could not withstand the force transmitted through Luo Ning's longsword.

"A little intimidating, but far too weak, aren't you?"

Luo Ning was now a Beginner Knight at peak rank. If not for the limitations of his traits, he would have broken through to Intermediate Rank long ago.

His opponent, meanwhile, was clearly still far from peak rank. In a head-on contest of strength, he was no match for Luo Ning at all.

"I already gave you a chance. You were the one who failed to treasure it."

The instant their swords collided, Luo Ning pressed forward with the momentum, his immense strength forcing the opponent's sword down onto his own chest!

Luo Ning then swept his blade upward. As the two horses crossed paths, he slashed vertically through the man's throat, cut open his jaw, and sent him falling from his horse.

"Everyone, charge!"

After landing one blow, Luo Ning reined in his horse and shouted. Seeing that their lord had already killed one enemy, the guards' morale soared.

They quickly passed Luo Ning and charged downhill.

The infantrymen of both sides clashed together.

Close combat was dangerous and terrifying. Luo Ning's guards had eaten well, drunk well, and trained well these past days, leaving every one of them full of strength.

As for the opposing twenty infantrymen, they had likely exhausted much of their stamina running all the way from Mountain Forest Town. On top of that, they were now attacking uphill from a lower slope, putting them at a complete disadvantage.

The moment the infantry forces met, Luo Ning's side quickly suppressed the enemy.

Luo Ning hurriedly glanced at David. He was rather worried about the kid, who had only just become a Professional Knight.

Fortunately, although David was being somewhat suppressed by his opponent, he could still barely hold on. He should be fine for the time being.

That meant the key to deciding this battle lay with Macken.

Luo Ning immediately turned his horse around, preparing to help Macken.

But before he could move, Macken repelled the two knights besieging him in two moves. At the same time, he leaped from his saddle and rushed straight at Prinster, who had left the melee.

"Impossible! How do you have such a powerful knight at your side?!"

Prinster was horrified. As he cried out, he gripped his sword hilt with both hands. Battle Qi rose from the blade, turning into flames as it slashed toward Macken.

Luo Ning's eyes lit up. This Prinster was a Fire Attribute Professional Knight. That move should have been a Battle Skill, right?

Seeing his opponent use a Battle Skill, Macken pulled the iron shield from his back with one hand.

He let out a furious roar. Like a warrior making a desperate last stand, Battle Qi erupted from his entire body, and an earthy yellow glow spread across his shield as well.

"Boom!"

The Flame Slash struck the shield and shattered into countless sparks. Macken had actually blocked the blow head-on with his shield.

The tremendous impact forced Macken backward. He drove his sword into the ground, stopping himself as Earth Attribute Battle Qi flowed into the earth.

With a sudden burst, a Spike Earth Spear shot up from the ground and pierced Prinster's calf while his attention was lowered after unleashing his move!

"Ah!"

Prinster screamed in agony. He yanked his leg free and tried to flee, but a cold sword was soon pressed against his neck.

"Surrender!"

Macken said coldly, "If Lord Luo Ning had not been merciful and ordered me not to kill you, your head would already be at your feet!"

Prinster stared wide-eyed, utterly unable to believe that he had lost—and lost so quickly.

Perhaps Prinster's strength was not that far below Macken's, but Macken's combat experience clearly surpassed his by a great deal.

Furthermore, Prinster had completely failed to gauge Macken's strength. After being defeated in one blow, he lost control of his emotions, allowing Macken to crush him completely.

"This guy..."

Luo Ning could not help shaking his head with a laugh. If it had been him, he definitely would not have used a shield to take the opponent's Blazing Slash. What if the shield had shattered?

All he could say was that Macken was incredibly fierce in battle and possessed powerful instincts.

"Administrator Prinster has already been defeated!"

Luo Ning shouted loudly, "The rest of you, drop your weapons and lie on the ground! You will not be killed!"

His voice carried far into the distance. Upon hearing it, Prinster's infantrymen were immediately stunned. In that brief moment of distraction, Luo Ning's infantry pierced their bodies.

After a brief one-sided slaughter, the infantrymen from Mountain Forest Town finally came to their senses. With terrified expressions, they threw down their weapons, lay on the ground, and wailed and begged for mercy without stop.

They no longer had the courage to continue fighting.

Although several of Luo Ning's guards failed to stop in time and injured some surrendering enemies, most of them reacted in time. They merely held their blades against the others' throats and did not continue attacking.

The chaotic battlefield fell silent in an instant, leaving only cries of pain and the neighing of horses.

Seeing that things had gone badly, Prinster's two remaining Professional Knights actually mounted their horses and fled.

They were not fleeing back the way they had come. Instead, they intended to escape south along the mountain road, leaving Mountain Forest Town behind.

"Still trying to run?"

Luo Ning slapped his horse's rump hard. The warhorse neighed and charged after them.

If only I were an Intermediate Mage, Luo Ning thought as he gave chase.

If he could use the Wind Blade spell, he could have struck them from behind right then.

Fortunately, his mount was of exceptional quality and accelerated quickly. Even though they had a two-second head start, Luo Ning caught up to them in no time.

"Stay!"

His longsword thrust toward the man's back from behind, forcing him to turn and counterattack.

In the exchange, the already flustered knight had his arm slashed by Luo Ning's sword. He fell from his horse and rolled into the dust.

Ignoring him, Luo Ning chased after the other man and stopped him using the same method.

David walked over and held his sword against one man's neck to restrain him, while Luo Ning restrained the other.

At this point, Prinster and all his subordinates were either under Luo Ning's control or lying on the ground, having lost the courage to resist.

"David, well done!"

Luo Ning praised him. He had not expected this novice, who had broken through only a few days ago, to defeat his opponent in his first battle.

David looked a little embarrassed and chuckled. "My lord, I actually couldn't beat that man. But after hearing your shout, he threw away his weapon, lay on the ground, and surrendered. That was the only reason I could get away and come over here."

"Oh?" Luo Ning raised an eyebrow.

He turned and looked. The knight who had just fought David was indeed lying obediently on the ground. There really were people who knew when to yield.

As he surveyed the battlefield, the mage Elrond moved among the wounded, continuously casting Healing Spell after Healing Spell and rapidly closing the injuries of the bleeding guards.

Luo Ning gathered the five professionals together. He walked up to Prinster and asked with a smile, "Is this outcome a little different from what you imagined?"

As he spoke, he beckoned to Elrond. "Give his injuries some healing. I would not want him to die just yet."

"Yes, my lord. You truly are merciful to prisoners!"

Elrond came over, pulled the earthen spike from Prinster's leg, then cast two Healing Spells on him.

The bleeding slowed considerably under the healing, but perhaps the injury was too severe, as the wound showed no sign of closing.

"My lord, the earthen spike injured the bone. A Healing Spell alone cannot completely restore the wound."

Luo Ning waved a hand. "That is enough. As long as he does not die."

Prinster looked at Luo Ning with a pale face. "I never expected that you would have not only an Intermediate Knight at your side, but also a mysterious Light Attribute Magic mage!"

Gritting his teeth, he suppressed the fury of his defeat unwillingly. "I especially never expected that the Marquis's Legitimate Grandson, rumored to be good for nothing, would also be a Professional Knight."

"Administrator, there are many things you did not expect, and they are all fatal."

Luo Ning smiled faintly. "I am very curious—who told you this information about me?"

Prinster lowered his head, seemingly considering whether to answer.

Just then, the knight kneeling beside him, the one David had restrained, reminded him in a low voice, "Do not forget your oath!"