The first rays of dawn struggled to pierce through the thick smoke, illuminating the ravaged Blood Wolf Band camp.
The air was filled with the putrid stench of char, the metallic tang of fresh blood, and the icy chill of death.
The once bustling camp now resembled a skeleton gnawed by a giant beast, a scene of utter desolation.
Charred tents were twisted and deformed, reduced to black remnants; piled supplies had gone up in flames, leaving only ashes and unburnt charcoal.
Karl stood on a scorched earth, looking at the hellish scene before him, filled with extreme rage.
When had his Blood Wolf Band ever suffered such a great loss?
He had not slept all night, and after the fire had somewhat subsided, he began the arduous task of gathering his scattered men.
The bandits who had miraculously escaped the inferno were like startled birds, fleeing in all directions, with no desire to fight.
He sent out the few remaining chiefs with good riding skills to pursue them, but to little avail.
Many preferred to fend for themselves in the wilderness rather than return to this cursed place.
After several hours of effort, Karl finally managed to gather the survivors he could find.
He counted the numbers.
Of a force of several hundred, only a mere hundred or so remained, most of whom were infantry, terrified and demoralized by the fire.
To make matters worse, most of the warhorses had been spooked by the fire and scattered; of nearly a hundred warhorses, only about twenty had been recovered, and many of them had burns or injuries.
Karl looked at these defeated soldiers before him, their eyes filled only with fear and blankness, where was the ferocity of the former Blood Wolf Band?
He gripped the scimitar in his hand tightly; the blade was cold, but it could not cool the fire in his heart.
Blackstone Territory... Lei Luo...
These two names echoed in his mind like a death knell.
His main force, which he had brought, was destroyed in an instant, without even touching the enemy's shadow.
Relying on these hundred or so men, let alone attacking Blackstone Territory, even self-preservation would be difficult.
Just as Karl was sinking into despair, an army slowly appeared on the horizon, in the light of dawn.
He abruptly looked up.
The army grew closer and the sound grew louder.
Soon, a well-organized force appeared in view.
Banners fluttered in the wind, swords and spears stood tall, and their steps were firm and powerful.
On the flanks of the army, dozens of cavalrymen roamed like hounds.
Even more chillingly, in the sky above, several small black dots were circling, those damned Pegasus Knights!
The Blackstone Territory army!
They had come!
Karl's heart instantly sank to the bottom.
He knew that Lei Luo, the lord of Blackstone Territory, would not let this opportunity pass.
He had thought he would at least have time to breathe and regroup, or even escape.
But he had not expected Lei Luo to act so quickly, practically leaving him no chance to survive.
"Assemble! Form ranks!"
Karl shouted hoarsely, trying to rekindle his men's fighting spirit.
However, he was met only with even more obvious panic.
When the bandits saw the Blackstone Territory army approaching, many of them trembled, and some even began to quietly retreat, preparing to flee again.
Karl's shouts seemed so pale and powerless in the vast wilderness.
He looked at his subordinates, who were already terrified, and then at the Blackstone Territory army pressing down like a flood in the distance, and the grim reapers circling in the sky; his last shred of hope was shattered.
He knew this was not a battle; it was a massacre.
And they were the lambs to be slaughtered.
Karl gritted his teeth, a hint of desperation flashing in his eyes.
Flee? Where to flee?
The Pegasus Knights would pursue them like maggots on a bone.
Fight? With what to fight?
To crash these defeated soldiers against that solid formation?
He stood his ground, his body straight, as if nailed to the scorched earth.
The hundred or so men behind him appeared so small and fragile under the powerful aura of the Blackstone Territory army.
The Blackstone Territory army slowly approached, stopping a few hundred meters from the remnants of the Blood Wolf Band.
In the sky, Aid drove his Pegasus, hovering higher, like a hawk overlooking its prey.
The two sides confronted each other in silence.
Aid drove his Pegasus, throwing several heads in front of the Blood Wolf Band's formation.
These were the heads of the bandit chiefs who had been left behind at the Blood Wolf Band's old lair.
"Karl, your old lair has been taken."
"Look at these heads, are they not your old comrades!"
"Dare to covet Blackstone Territory, this is your end."
Aid's words caused a commotion among the Blood Wolf Band bandits who were barely maintaining their formation.
The bandits whispered to each other, their hearts filled with dread, and many had already turned to look back, searching for an escape route.
On one side was the high-spirited, well-equipped Blackstone Territory army, and on the other were the terrified, disorganized remnants of the Blood Wolf Band.
This confrontation of vastly unequal forces foretold an already predetermined outcome.
The standoff did not last long.
Lei Luo did not intend to give these defeated soldiers any breathing room, or rather, he did not consider them a real threat at all.
This disorganized force, in his eyes, was merely a living target to test the results of new recruit training and the power of knight charges.
The apprentices trained their combat skills in the training ground all day, and although they were diligent, it was not enough to make them true warriors.
Only by seeing blood could they grow.
At Lei Luo's command, the Blackstone Territory army moved.
A square formation of nearly two hundred knight retainers, apprentices, and guards advanced with uniform steps, crushing forward like a bulldozer.
Bolin, leading dozens of cavalrymen, outflanked them, cutting off the retreat of the Blood Wolf Band remnants.
Facing this overwhelming force, the remnants of the Blood Wolf Band could not even organize a decent resistance.
When the Blackstone Territory infantry formation approached within bow range, scattered arrows were shot from the Blood Wolf Band's side, falling weakly onto the Blackstone Territory soldiers' shields, unable even to penetrate their leather armor.
Meanwhile, the Blackstone Territory archers steadily fired from behind the formation, and although their numbers were not large, at such close range and against dense enemies, every arrow could cause damage or panic.
When Bolin led his cavalry charge, the Blood Wolf Band's defensive line instantly collapsed.
Those bandits, who were already terrified, saw the fully armed knights charging like a flood and could no longer suppress their inner fear, dropping their crude weapons and turning to run.
"Stop! Don't run!"
Karl waved his scimitar, futilely trying to stop the rout.
But his voice was completely drowned out by the terrified screams and the clanging of armor.
His subordinates scattered in all directions like an exploded flock of birds.
Karl knew the tide had turned.
Staying meant only death.
He glanced at the twenty or so cavalrymen remaining beside him; these were the best riders and most loyal part of the Blood Wolf Band.
"Follow me! Break out!"
Karl no longer hesitated, leaping onto his equally startled warhorse.
He spurred his horse, leading the remaining cavalry, attempting to flee deeper into the wilderness.
Bolin's cavalry immediately changed direction, attempting to intercept them.
However, although the Blood Wolf Band's cavalry were few in number, driven by the desire to survive, they were extremely fast, and all were experienced veteran cavalrymen, managing to break through Bolin's cavalry interception in a short time.
A glimmer of hope ignited in Karl's heart.
As long as they could escape into the wilderness, with their familiarity with the terrain and riding skills, there might still be a chance of survival.