I only wanted to retire, but I ended up becoming an extremely popular character.

During the time Major Winona launched a surprise attack on the Holy Kingdom's rear artillery positions, the battle situation in Watchtower Square underwent a subtle change.

Without sustained and precise artillery fire, the firepower projected by the Holy Land defense line visibly diminished.

The barrage of bullets, which had been intertwined into a dense web of death, now had intermittent gaps, and the density of gunfire had also decreased considerably.

Major Steele, crouching behind a half-collapsed stone bunker, immediately noticed the change.

Winona succeeded.

But he felt no relief whatsoever.

On the other side is the "Black Sheep Holy Chief" division. Given their reaction speed, the chaos created by Winona will not last long.

The Holy Kingdom's commander will soon send men to intercept her, while simultaneously mobilizing reserves to plug the brief gap in firepower.

Time is the most precious thing in this moment.

The Empire's forces are on the offensive; they cannot afford to expend resources and must create an opening before the Holy Kingdom regains its organization.

He no longer hesitated.

"Now's the time! Follow me!"

Steele let out a low growl, not loud, but it pierced through the roar of exploding shells and firing rifles, reaching clearly into the ears of every soldier behind him.

He leaped up from behind the cover and drew the Imperial sword from his waist.

The cold blade traced a striking silver arc in the darkness and firelight, its tip steadily pointing towards the left flank of the Holy Defense Line—the area with the weakest firepower.

He was the first to rush out, heading straight into the Holy Kingdom's barrage of fire.

Almost the instant he moved, hundreds of Imperial soldiers silently followed from behind the cover on his back and sides.

The hurried, low footsteps of the Imperial soldiers were like the undercurrents of a rising tide.

At the start of the charge, the Holy Kingdom's firepower seemed not to have recovered from its adjustment, with only sporadic bullets being fired.

Steele deflected several stray bullets with dazzling speed, the blade striking the bullets and sending sparks flying as they disappeared into the night.

However, the Holy Kingdom's garrison quickly discovered this clearly intentional assault team.

After a brief moment of surprise, more rifles emerged from behind the defensive line, and the firing suddenly intensified.

Bullets rained down on Steele, crackling as they struck the rocky ground and wreckage, sending shards of stone tumbling around his feet.

Several light artillery pieces deployed behind the defensive line also hurriedly adjusted their firing range and fired interceptor shells at the advancing squad.

The blast wave carried debris, dirt, and gravel in all directions.

The advancing troops inevitably experienced a slowdown.

People kept falling, some were knocked over by the blast wave, some were hit by shrapnel and collapsed to the ground with a muffled groan.

But no one stopped.

The survivors stepped over their companions, closely following the sword-wielding figure ahead.

50 meters, 30 meters, 20 meters, 13 meters...

Amidst the flickering flames, the faces of the Holy Kingdom soldiers were already clearly visible.

Those faces stained with gunpowder and sweat, and the tension and determination mixed in their eyes.

The final distance.

Steele let out a low breath, not a roar, but a concentration of all his strength and spirit in his legs.

He suddenly exerted his strength.

The next moment, his figure suddenly disappeared from the sight of the Holy Kingdom soldiers.

The Holy Kingdom soldiers in the front row watched helplessly as the charging figure vanished into thin air before their eyes, as if swallowed by leaping flames, or as if melted into the chaos of gunpowder smoke and night.

They froze, their rifles still pointed at the empty space ahead, their minds momentarily blank, unable to process the rapidly changing information.

Just then, a chilling killing intent suddenly emanated from behind them, like a blade pressed against the back of their neck in the dead of winter.

"Behind us—!"

Before the exclamation could even land, the sword light had already appeared.

The three Holy Kingdom soldiers on the front flank almost simultaneously felt a chill on their backs.

It wasn't the pain of a blade piercing you, but the chill left behind as death swept by.

Before they could react, a sword light swept in from the side.

The sword strike was so fast it seemed to tear through the air; the blade trailed a chilling arc in the firelight, tracing a fatal path across the waists of the three men.

The three soldiers froze simultaneously.

Their bodies remained in the position of holding guns, but their eyes quickly became unfocused.

Then, almost simultaneously, the three bodies fell forward, crashing onto the ground churned by artillery fire, raising a small cloud of dust.

Until their consciousness was plunged into eternal darkness, they were unable to see where the sword light came from, nor could they see the face of the attacker who took their lives.

Major Steele stood where they had been standing, his longsword pointing diagonally at the ground, blood droplets slowly sliding down the blade.

"Those damn imperial dogs are charging!"

"Surround him!"

"Don't panic, he's all alone!"

"Fire! Fire now!"

The nearby Holy Kingdom soldiers awoke from their shock and charged forward, roaring.

They raised their rifles or drew their swords, attacking Steele from several directions simultaneously.

The moment Steele was driven into the Holy See's defense line like a wedge, a crack appeared in that line.

The assault team that followed took the opportunity to rush up.

The Holy Kingdom's position began with a small breach, but the cracks grew larger and larger.

Imperial soldiers continued to scale the fortifications and jump into the defensive line, engaging in fierce battles with the Holy Kingdom's defenders.

Just as Major Steele was preparing to tear this defensive line apart completely in one fell swoop—

A huge black shadow suddenly fell from the sky.

Those terrifying claws swung down from above, their sharpness seemingly capable of tearing the night sky apart.

Already on guard, Steele leaped backward, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.

The shadowy figure's claws missed their mark and slammed into the wall behind him. The solid stone wall shattered into countless pieces and collapsed with a crash.

As the shadowy figure landed, Steele finally saw its face clearly.

That was an "Owl Bear" dressed in the uniform of the Holy Kingdom—to be precise, the host of the "Egg of Berklein," Major Wellington Field of the Holy Kingdom.

He was nearly three meters tall when standing, with a robust and sturdy torso like a bear, covered in coarse, needle-like hair of mixed black and brown.

The upper limbs are not bear paws, but huge, curved claws, each one like a quenched sickle, gleaming with a metallic sheen in the dim night light.

The head, which was not human, slowly turned, its enormous amber eyes looking down at Steele.

"Are you a Berklein ability user?" Steele gripped his longsword, his tone full of certainty.

“That’s right.” Wellington spoke, his voice deep and rugged, yet surprisingly carrying a certain composed politeness: “My ‘Egg of Berklein’ is named ‘Owl Bear’.”

He leaned down slightly, his amber eyes fixed on Steele: "You're the culprit who destroyed our giant cannon fortress, aren't you? I've seen your picture, Steele Rivić."

"That's right." Steele held the longsword horizontally in front of his chest, the blade faintly glowing with 'potential'.

"My name is Wellington Field, and I have the same rank as you, Major." Wellington slightly retracted his claws, assuming a fighting stance. "I've wanted to test my skills against you ever since I heard of your reputation."

Steele didn't say anything more.

He knew that without dealing with this "owl bear," his offensive would be impossible to advance.

"Speak to the sword in my hand."

Before he finished speaking, Steele had already leaped up, his longsword carrying a sharp wind, aiming straight for Wellington's head.

Wellington raised his claws, and with a loud clang, the claws and the sword collided violently in mid-air, scattering a string of dazzling sparks.