Lord: I can see loyalty.

Chapter 279 On the Battlefield

Black Serpent Fortress, above the battlefield.

The cries of griffins and the roar of muskets intertwined to create a symphony of death.

Several sections of the fence surrounding the southern camp had been overturned, and the soldiers huddled behind their shields, trembling with fear.

In the sky, a dozen griffins were circling, with knights on their backs holding lances or muskets, swooping down and throwing them from time to time, each attack taking several lives.

On the ground, the Northern Army's infantry and cavalry, under the cover of musketeers, repeatedly attacked the Southern Army's defenses.

"Left side! It's coming from the left again!" a militia captain shouted hoarsely.

Several griffins swooped down from the left, their talons tearing through the shield wall and their spears piercing the shields. Several militiamen fell to the ground screaming in agony.

Flynn's musketeers immediately returned fire, a volley of bullets shooting into the sky. One griffin was hit and wobbled to the ground, but more griffins swarmed in.

Their feathers are harder than iron armor; bullets hitting them only leave shallow craters. Unless they hit the eyes or the base of the wings, they are completely harmless.

"Damn it, we can't hold out much longer at this rate!" Jimmy cleaved a swooping griffin in two with his sword, his arm going numb from the impact.

His armor was covered in blood, it was impossible to tell whether it was his own or that of the enemy.

Alec stood in the center of the camp, his greatsword held horizontally in front of him, his gray eyes fixed on the sky.

He had exhausted most of his strength, but his fourth-level breathing technique allowed him to hold on.

He glanced back at the direction of the main tent; Vio hadn't returned yet, it had been three days.

"We need to hold on a little longer," he said calmly.

"It's going to be hard to hold on any longer—" Russell leaned on his longsword, panting heavily. The wound on his chest hadn't fully healed yet, but he couldn't care less. "Our arrows can't penetrate them, our swords can't cut them, and our magic can only barely hurt them. Uncle Valentine's magic is almost exhausted. If this continues, we won't even be able to hold the camp gate."

Alec fell silent. He knew Russell was right, but they had no way out.

Retreat is also a dead end.

"Then let's fight." Gina's voice came from behind. Her broadsword was covered in blood, and she had several wounds on her body, but her eyes were still bright. "We can't just sit here and wait to die like cowards."

"————" Jimmy gripped his longsword tightly. "That's right, we can't let the Earl return to find our corpses."

Alec looked at those tired but determined faces, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly nodded.

"Then prepare to break through. Russell, you lead the left wing; Jimmy, you lead the right wing; Gina, you come with me to the main road."

"Let Flynn's musketeers provide cover, Uncle Valentine, please use your last bit of magic to bless us."

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.

"Open the camp gates!"

The palisade was pushed aside, and the Southern army poured out of the camp like a flood bursting its banks, rushing straight towards the Northern army's lines.

The Griffin Knights immediately swooped down to intercept them, but this time, the soldiers of the Southern Territory did not retreat. They raised their shields and charged towards the swooping griffins.

"kill!"

Russell took the lead, his longsword piercing the eye of a swooping griffin. The griffin screamed and fell from the sky, its rider crashing to the ground and hacked to death by the militia.

But more griffins swarmed forward, their claws tearing through his armor, blood gushing out. He did not fall, but gritted his teeth and continued to swing his sword.

Jimmy and Gina stood back to back, battling several griffins.

Jimmy's sword was as fast as lightning, and Gina's sword was as heavy as Mount Tai. The two worked together perfectly, forcing one griffin back, but another griffin pounced on them.

Gina's broadsword struck its wing, shattering the bones, and the griffin screamed as it plummeted to the ground.

Jimmy finished it off with a sword, piercing its throat.

Alec swept his greatsword across, cleaving a swooping griffin in two.

His strength was terrifying; even with most of his stamina depleted, he could still cleave through the griffin's defenses with a single sword strike.

But there were too many griffins. He cleaved one in two, and two more swooped down on him.

The battlefield was temporarily at a stalemate.

Although the soldiers in the southern border were brave, the air superiority of the Griffin Knights prevented them from making a breakthrough.

They could only advance step by step under the cover of the shield wall, each step accompanied by bloodshed and loss of life.

In the sky, the captain of the Griffin Knights reined in his horse, gazing at the chaotic battlefield below, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The people of the South could not hold on any longer. Although their counterattack was fierce, they were already at their last gasp.

If they just hold on a little longer, victory will be theirs.

But at that moment, the griffin beneath him began to stir. As the griffin's partner for many years, he knew that the griffin was feeling uneasy.

It wasn't fear, nor tension, but an inexplicable, instinctive alertness.

He raised his head in confusion, looking towards the eastern horizon.

There, the clouds were churning, as if something was moving rapidly within them.

The oldest griffin began to hiss uneasily, its wings trembling slightly.

It is afraid.

"What's going on?" the captain asked in a low voice, but no one could answer him.

On the battlefield, the fourth-tier Grand Knight Alec also sensed it.

His sword paused for a moment, he raised his head, and looked eastward.

A flicker of doubt crossed his gray eyes, followed by shock, and finally, ecstasy.

Cedric, who was also at the fourth rank, sensed it as well.

He was directing from the rear when he suddenly reined in his horse, raised his head, and looked eastward. His expression quickly changed, from triumph to solemnity, and from solemnity to fear.

"This feeling—no—it can't be." His voice was hoarse as he shook his head. "That's right, it can't be—"

Then, everyone heard it.

A dragon's roar.

A deep, resonant dragon roar, imbued with innate majesty and oppression, echoed from the eastern horizon!

The sound pierced through the smoke of battle, through the shouts of killing, through everyone's eardrums, and reached the depths of their souls.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, looked up, and gazed eastward.

The sky darkened first.

It wasn't a dark cloud, but a huge black shadow that swooped down from the clouds and blocked out the sun.

Its wingspan is at least 100 meters, and its dark red scales gleam with a metallic sheen in the sunlight.

The dragon's head resembled that of a legendary evil dragon, its golden vertical pupils filled with indifference and murderous intent.

And riding on the back of this legendary creature was none other than Earl of the Southern Territory, Vio Ross!

Dragon.

It's a real, living dragon!

On the battlefield, all was deathly silent.

Then, the griffins of the Griffin Knights let out terrified cries and panicked, no matter how the knights tried to drive them away, they could not move.

To manipulate.

The soldiers of the Northern Army were pale, and their weapons slipped from their hands, clattering to the ground.

The soldiers in the southern border looked up at the enormous figure, their eyes filled with awe and ecstasy.

Alec stood in the center of the camp, watching the figure swooping down, simply gripping his greatsword tightly and raising it high.

"The Earl is back!"

The soldiers in the southern border erupted in thunderous cheers, their morale soaring to its peak.

The soldiers of the Northern Army were ashen-faced. Some threw down their weapons and knelt down to surrender, some turned and ran, and others collapsed to the ground, trembling all over.

Cedric stood at the back of the formation, staring at the enormous figure, his face ashen.

He held the griffin greatsword in his hand, but his hand was trembling. He wanted to rush forward, but his instincts told him he couldn't.

Vio rode on the dragon's back, looking down at the chaotic battlefield below, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He patted Delaney on the neck.

"Your turn, ally."

The Draenei let out a deafening dragon roar and swooped down.