Reinforcements Arrive

"Kill them all! Take the goods!"

The bandit chief leading the charge brandished his saber and roared. Battle aura erupted from his men as they rushed forward, eager for blood!

The slaves and serfs screamed in terror, dropping their rations and tools as they scattered.

The soldiers drew their weapons in panic and tried to organize a defense, but the rain of arrows continued. Some were pierced through the shoulder before they could raise their shields, falling with agonized cries.

Joern snapped out of his daze. His bowl fell to the ground and shattered as he stared at the chaos around him, terrified and at a loss.

One moment I was bragging and drinking porridge, and now bandits were robbing me!

The knights swiftly closed around Joern, drawing their swords to meet the enemy. Silvery-white battle aura gleamed along their blades as their warhorses reared and charged hard at the attackers.

"Engage!"

Two knights led the charge, battle aura bursting from their hands. A faint glow rippled along their blades as they slashed at the oncoming bandits.

Their razor-sharp sword energy sent two attackers flying, blood spraying across the muddy mountain road.

But these were no ordinary bandits. Most of them were berserkers who cultivated battle aura!

A burly bandit leader swung his massive axe, dark blue battle aura swirling around his body as he unleashed a sweeping blow.

He knocked a knight and his horse straight to the ground.

The warhorse screamed, cracks appeared in the knight's armor, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

The two sides plunged into an all-out slaughter. Flashes of battle aura flickered through the night, illuminating faces crazed with bloodlust.

Joern tried to calm down and take command, but the situation before him was already out of control.

Though the knights were brave and fought well together, they were badly outnumbered. The bandits soon tore through their defensive line.

"Damn it!"

Joern watched helplessly as the bandit leader felled his knight with a single axe blow, then charged toward him. His heart lurched.

What was going on?! How were these bandits so strong?!

Their attacks were swift and fierce, their coordination seamless, and their objective unmistakably clear.

"Boss, this brat looks like he's worth a fair bit!" one bandit shouted. "Should we keep him for ransom?"

"Ransom, my ass!" the bandit leader snorted. "The orders from above were to take him back and slaughter him as a sacrifice!"

At those words, Joern utterly panicked.

His glorious journey had only just begun. Was it going to end here?

Boom!

A thunderous crash suddenly rang out from the mountain road in the distance!

Then the heavy pounding of iron-shod hooves drew rapidly closer, accompanied by deafening roars.

"Charge!"

Joern jerked his head up. A squad of fully armored knights was charging toward the battlefield along the mountain road nearby.

Like a spear of thunder, they drove straight into the fray!

Joern immediately spotted Louis directing them from the rear, his black hair streaming in the wind.

Louis appeared like an unrivaled hero riding in on a rainbow cloud, moving Joern to tears!

"Boss! You're here?!" Joern shouted toward Louis with all his strength.

Louis ignored him, his gaze fixed firmly on the enemy as he gave the order: "Attack!"

The knight squad Louis led was entirely different from Joern's party.

They had spent a long time training together and now worked in perfect harmony. They had also prepared their ambush well in advance, holding off on the rescue until the enemy let down their guard and their own side was in the greatest danger.

They struck the bandits with a devastating blow!

"Kill!"

The knights unleashed their battle aura and stormed onto the battlefield like thunder. More than a dozen warhorses swept through, blood flying amid the flashing blades!

"Stop them!"

One bandit had only just raised his weapon when a spear blazing with battle aura shot toward him from afar, pierced his chest, and pinned him firmly to the ground!

Then Lambert unleashed a sweeping arc of sword energy, knocking three or four bandits off their feet.

Their bodies tumbled through the air. By the time they hit the ground, they were mangled masses of flesh and blood.

The bandits scrambled to fight back. Some were cut down before they could even muster their battle aura.

The remaining bandits panicked completely. They tried to flee, only to discover that cavalry had already surrounded them.

A few managed to slip out, but the warhorses were far faster. They had barely run a few steps before spears pierced them from behind, sending them crashing to the ground for good.

The knights did not get bogged down fighting the bandits. Their horses charged on without slowing, and every stroke of a sword or thrust of a spear brought another bandit down!

This was not a battle. It was a harvest!

They reaped lives like the Grim Reaper!

"Damn it!"

The burly bandit chief, the only one with any real strength left, roared. Dark blue battle aura surged wildly around him as he swept his massive axe outward!

But several knights swiftly closed in. Their swords crossed to block his movements, and their shields slammed hard into him, forcing him back half a step.

An instant later, cold steel flashed. A blade broke through his battle aura defense, and blood sprayed.

The bandit chief's eyes widened, unable to believe his own fate. At last, he collapsed helplessly.

With their chief dead, the bandits could no longer resist.

The battle ended with unbelievable speed. Joern almost felt as though the nightmare moments earlier had been an illusion.

Louis sat on his horse, surveying the surroundings with an impassive gaze.

The scattered outlaws had all been eliminated.

Only twenty-odd prisoners remained, trussed up on the ground. Their wounds varied in severity, but their expressions were still filled with hatred.

Lambert stepped forward and said quietly, "It's confirmed. They're all members of the Snow Oath."

The Snow Oath. Louis had heard the organization's name before.

It was a rebel organization originating in the Snow Kingdom of the Northern Frontier.

Their ancestors had been warriors of the Snow Kingdom, until the imperial army conquered the Northern Frontier, destroyed their royal court, and killed their royal family.

The surviving descendants had hidden in the wilderness to gather strength, swearing that one day they would repay their blood debt in kind.

"So it was them." Louis nodded thoughtfully, then slowly approached the prisoners.

At his approach, fury blazed in their eyes. "Imperial dogs... one day, you'll all pay in blood!"

"Kill us. One day, you'll be buried in this land..."

"You invaders will die horrible deaths..."

One prisoner glared viciously, spitting hateful curses before suddenly hawking a mouthful of bloody phlegm at Louis.

The knight beside him flew into a rage and kicked him over. Pressing his sword to the man's neck, he barked, "How dare you!"

Even so, the prisoners continued to glare at them with deep-seated hatred, showing no intention of submitting.

Louis watched in silence.

These men had been bandits for too long and were mired in hatred. They could not easily be tamed or reformed.

Keeping them alive would only leave a threat that could erupt at any time.

So he hesitated no longer. He calmly waved a hand and said flatly, "Execute them all."

The soldiers obeyed, dragging the prisoners aside one by one. Blades flashed, and blood splashed onto the muddy ground.