Lord: I can see loyalty.

Chapter 267 Black Serpent Battlefield

As the smoke cleared, silence descended upon the hilltop.

Captain Flynn's hand holding the musket trembled slightly, the barrel gripped tightly by Vio, rendering him immobile.

His mind went blank. He had been handling guns since he was five years old and had practiced for a full twenty-five years without ever making a mistake.

But the person in front of him not only withstood a shot, but also grabbed the barrel faster than a bullet the instant he pulled the trigger.

"You—what kind of monster are you?" Flynn's voice was hoarse, his eyes filled with resentment and shock.

"I am not a monster, I am Vio Ross, Earl of the Southern Territory." Vio released his grip, took a half step back, and sheathed his Demon Feather Sword. "You have already lost, and your men have all fallen. There is no point in continuing the fight."

Flynn glanced down at the musketeers lying on the ground.

Some were kicked unconscious by Vio, some were knocked down by Alec's greatsword, and some simply threw down their weapons and knelt down to surrender.

They were not knights and had not received rigorous swordsmanship training. Facing two fourth-rank grand knights, they had absolutely no chance of winning.

"Surrender," Vio said calmly, his gaze fixed on the scarred face. "I need someone like you."

Flynn looked up at Vio.

His gray eyes were filled with complex emotions: shock, resentment, and a hint of wavering that even he himself was unaware of.

He knew Vio was telling the truth; the Hammer family was only a middling family, and in such a battlefield, they could only go with the flow and choose to stand on the side of the victor.

"I can't surrender—if I surrender, what will happen to the Hammer family?" Flynn's voice was hoarse. "What will happen to my family?"

"I will not settle scores with House Hammer and your family," Vio said calmly. "Even Cedric couldn't do that. My army has already taken over half of the North, and I can take action against House Hammer at any time."

Flynn remained silent for a long time, his gaze fixed on the bullet hole in Vio's chest.

There was no wound left. Only a patch of skin that had fully recovered and a hole in the clothing.

The recovery ability of a fourth-tier Grand Knight is terrifying. He was determined to fight to the death; he couldn't win, and he couldn't escape either.

"You swear—" Flynn looked up, "you swear you won't hurt anyone from the Hammer family, you won't hurt my family."

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Vio looked at him and did not refuse the request.

"I, Vio Ross, Earl of the South, hereby swear in the name of a knight that as long as Flynn Garrison surrenders, I will not settle scores with the Hammer family, nor will I harm his family. If I break this oath, may I be condemned to eternal damnation."

Flynn looked at his hand, remained silent for a long time, and finally put down his musket and knelt on one knee.

"Flynn Garrison, captain of the Hammer family's musketeers, is willing to serve His Excellency the Earl."

Loyalty: 30%

Vio glanced at the loyalty rating, made no further demands, and simply helped him up. "Get up, how's your injury?"

Flynn looked down at his arm, where there was a cut from the sword, still bleeding, but the bone was fine. "It's just a superficial wound."

"That's good." Vio turned around and looked around the hill. "Have your men surrender. Don't make unnecessary sacrifices."

Flynn nodded, stood up, raised his hands, and addressed the few musketeers around him who still wanted to fight: "Brothers of the Hammer family, lay down your weapons and surrender! The Earl of the South has promised not to harm us, not to settle scores with the Hammer family!"

The musketeers around them, still putting up a stubborn resistance, were stunned.

They looked at Flynn, at the young figure standing atop the hill, remained silent for a moment, then threw down their weapons and knelt in surrender.

On the main battlefield below the hill, the battle was nearing its end.

The Black Serpent Clan's cavalry was scattered by the Grey Wolf Clan's giant wolf knights, and their infantry was divided and surrounded by the Azure Peak Knights. Although the Lion Legion's elite troops were brave and fierce, they could only retreat step by step when faced with a force twice their size from the Southern Territory.

Jimmy and Gina led their cavalry across the battlefield, cutting down fleeing enemies one by one.

Leon rode his giant wolf, circling the flanks and intercepting the Black Serpent Clan cavalry who attempted to break through.

Glenn led the Gray Hyena mercenary group to clean up the battlefield in the rear, dragging out the routed soldiers who had hidden in the woods one by one.

When the last Black Serpent cavalry was surrounded and surrendered, cheers erupted from the southern soldiers on the battlefield.

"We won! We won!"

"Long live the Earl!"

Vio rode back to the front of the battle line, looked at the cheering soldiers, and smiled slightly. He didn't speak, but simply raised his hand to signal them to be quiet.

The cheers gradually subsided, and all eyes fell on him.

"Pass down the order: clean up the battlefield, treat the wounded, and take a headcount of the prisoners." His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "Rest for the night, and continue north tomorrow."

"The target is Black Serpent Fortress, and—the royal capital!"

"Yes, sir!"

The army camped thirty miles north of Jinma City, and the banners of the Cangding Knights fluttered in the twilight.

Flynn was placed next to Vio's tent, and his musketeers were incorporated into the Southern Reach.

The musketeers were initially a little apprehensive, but gradually relaxed when they discovered that the soldiers from the southern border did not discriminate against them and were actually very interested in their weapons.

The next morning, the bugle sounded again, and the army from the south continued its northward march.

The heartland of the Black Serpent family's territory, Serpent's Den City, Black Serpent Fortress.

The city walls were towering, the moat was wide, and the walls were covered with crossbows and archers, making it no less impressive than the Jinma City of the Jin An Ma family.

At this moment, the banners of the Black Serpent family fluttered atop the city walls, as did the banners of the Griffin Legion. Golden-maned Griffins, Black Serpents...

White Horse, the three banners stand side by side, fluttering in the morning breeze.

These are the three largest main families in the Northern Territory.

Cedric stood on horseback at the front of the formation, clad in black and gold armor, with a griffin sword hanging at his waist, its blade gleaming sharply.

Behind him stood the Lion Legion's 30,000-strong army, the most elite force of the Golden Mane Griffin family.

The left wing, the full force of the Black Serpent family, numbered 15,000, led by Cyril Black Serpent.

The right wing, led by Christross, consisted of the White Horse family's army, numbering only five thousand, but representing the full strength of this middling family.

Fifty thousand troops lined up in front of the city, their banners obscuring the sun and their spears like a forest.

This was Cedric's last trump card, and also the last main force in this war.

"They're here." Cyril rode closer, his voice low. "The people from the South are less than ten miles from here."

Cedric nodded without speaking, but drew the Lion Greatsword from his waist, its blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

His gaze fell on the gray, hazy southern horizon, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

"Form ranks and prepare for battle."

As the bugle sounded, the 50,000-strong army simultaneously formed ranks, with cavalry in front, infantry behind, archers on the flanks, and mages at the rear.

Leonard Crove stood on the high place, leaning on his staff, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his old eyes.

Behind him stood three black-robed mages, their staffs gleaming with various colors of light.

Smoke and dust rose on the southern horizon, and the army from the south finally appeared.

The total force of 20,000 Southern Militia, 5,000 Azure Peak Knights, 3,000 Giant Whale Knights, 2,000 Gray Wolf Giant Wolf Knights, and nearly 1,000 Gray Hyena Mercenaries was less than 40,000.

But their morale was high, their flags fluttered in the wind, and there was no fear in the soldiers' eyes, only fighting spirit.

Vio stood on horseback at the front of the formation, a magic-feathered sword hanging at his waist, magic gloves on his hands, and a calm gaze.

Behind him were Alec, Jimmy, Gina, Leon, Glenn, and Russell —

One by one, the core generals of the southern border stood on their horses, their armor gleaming in the sunlight.

"My lord, just as the intelligence suggests, they have more troops left than we do," Jimmy said in a low voice.

"But most of them are just militiamen; the total number of knights is not much different from ours."

Vio drew his Demon Feather Sword, its blade gleaming purple in the sunlight. "Pass down the order: the Azure Peak Knights in the center, the Giant Whale Knights on the left flank, the Gray Wolf Clan on the right flank, and the militia at the rear."

"Uncle Valentine, prepare the magic bomb."

"Yes, sir!" the crowd responded in unison.

As the bugle sounded, the army in the southern border began to form ranks.

The two armies faced off, and a major battle was imminent.

In the sky, the dark clouds pressed lower and lower, and lightning flashed, as if playing the prelude to this decisive battle.

Vio raised his head and looked at the gray sky, his eyes growing colder.

"Cedric, I hope this is our last battle, and that this land can have a good rest."

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