However, this glimmer of hope was quickly and mercilessly torn apart by the shadow overhead.
In the sky, Aide had been observing the movements on the ground.
When Karl tried to break out with his cavalry, he immediately spurred his Pegasus and swooped down. Behind him, twenty Pegasus Knights followed closely.
How fast were the Pegasi!
In just a moment, the Pegasus Knights caught up to the fleeing Blood Wolf Band cavalry.
"Whizz! Whizz!"
Bowstrings twanged.
The Pegasus Knights, even while flying at high speed, could still maintain a certain level of accuracy.
"Ah!"
One cavalryman screamed and fell from his horse.
Another cavalryman's warhorse was hit by an arrow, whinnied as it collapsed, pinning its master underneath.
Karl's peripheral vision caught the tragic sight behind him, and his heart was filled with terror.
With these Pegasus Knights present, fleeing was simply seeking death!
"Surrender or die!"
The Pegasus Knights caught up, shot down several Blood Wolf Band cavalrymen, and shouted in unison.
One by one, people dismounted and surrendered.
Two legs couldn't outrun four legs, and four legs couldn't outrun those with wings.
As the leader, Karl had no intention of surrendering; he kicked his horse's belly repeatedly, continuing to accelerate his mad dash.
He knew that as the leader, he had been targeted.
Aide was riding that enormous Pegasus, charging straight towards him.
"Aide! Earth Knight!"
Karl recognized the figure, and his heart sank.
He was also an Earth Knight, but on the ground, facing a Pegasus Knight charging at high speed from the air, he had no chance of winning.
Aide's cold gaze locked onto Karl.
He didn't use his bow and arrow, but instead held the Armor-Piercing Spear level in his hand.
The Pegasus's speed increased again in its dive, accompanied by the whistling sound of tearing air.
Karl knew he couldn't dodge. He reined in his warhorse sharply, shifted his center of gravity backward, and with his battle qi erupting, he tried to block with his scimitar.
"Bang!"
A loud crash.
The Armor-Piercing Spear, carrying an unstoppable force, slammed heavily onto Karl's shoulder.
The force was so immense, as if a small mountain had collided with him.
The scimitar in Karl's hand flew out, and he was thrown from his horse like a broken sack, falling towards the ground.
He felt his shoulder tear apart, and intense pain instantly spread throughout his body.
After rolling a few times in the air, he crashed heavily onto the hard ground, a sweet, metallic taste rising in his throat, and he couldn't help but cough out a mouthful of fresh blood.
The warhorse, startled, neighed and ran away.
The impact of the Pegasus, the boost from the Wild Heart, and the sharpness of the Armor-Piercing Spear allowed Aide to defeat Karl, who was also an Earth Knight, in a single blow.
Karl struggled to get up, but the injury to his shoulder made him almost unable to move.
Several Pegasus Knights had already landed and quickly surrounded him.
The Blackstone Territory soldiers on the ground also quickly arrived, encircling Karl.
Karl lay on the ground, looking at their cold gazes, then at his subordinates who had completely scattered and fled in all directions in the distance, and the Blackstone Territory army cleaning up the battlefield. All that remained in his heart was boundless humiliation and despair.
He, the leader of the Blood Wolf Band, who had roamed the Black Stone Mountain Range for over ten years, was defeated like this, so thoroughly, so easily.
A Blackstone Territory soldier stepped forward and pressed the butt of his spear against Karl's neck, signaling him not to move.
Karl gave up resisting; he knew he had become a prisoner.
Karl was roughly escorted through the Blackstone Territory army cleaning up the battlefield, arriving at an open space on the edge of the camp.
A makeshift tent had already been set up there, and several high-ranking Blackstone Territory figures were sitting together.
Karl immediately saw the young figure sitting in the main seat.
Lord Lei Luo sat in his chair, his posture relaxed.
Karl was forced to kneel on the ground, his shoulder wound burning, but he couldn't concern himself with that.
He raised his head and looked directly at Lord Lei Luo, his eyes complex.
He was unwilling to believe that such a young man was the one who had completely destroyed the Blood Wolf Band, which he had managed for many years, overnight.
"The leader of the Blood Wolf Band, Karl?"
Lord Lei Luo put down his cup, his voice calm.
"It is I."
Karl answered through gritted teeth.
He knew that falling into these people's hands would not end well for him.
But the instinct to survive made him unwilling to give up.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the humiliation and hatred in his heart, and said in as calm a tone as possible: "Lord Lei Luo, I admit I am defeated. But I am an Earth Knight, possessing great strength and rich experience. I can pledge my loyalty to you and serve you. I can charge into battle for you, and I can even help you deal with other bandit groups, or your other enemies!"
Karl's tone carried a hint of urgency and pleading.
He abandoned all dignity, hoping only to secure a way to live.
Lord Lei Luo listened quietly, his face showing no expression.
Karl's heart was in his throat.
He looked nervously at Lord Lei Luo, awaiting his response.
A moment later, Lord Lei Luo finally spoke.
His voice was still calm, but it carried an undeniable coldness.
"Loyalty?"
"Blackstone Territory already has a Karl. My memory isn't good, I'm afraid I can't remember people."
"Already has a Karl?"
Karl was stunned.
He didn't know what Lord Lei Luo meant.
Was there another Earth Knight named Karl in Blackstone Territory? Or was it...
Before Karl could figure it out, Lord Lei Luo continued: "Moreover, Blackstone Territory does not need your kind of loyalty. You have committed many evil deeds, and your hands are stained with the blood of innocents. Your existence would only bring shame to Blackstone Territory."
Lord Lei Luo's tone left no room for negotiation, directly sentencing Karl to death.
Karl's face instantly turned pale.
He raised his head, and flames reignited in his eyes, staring fixedly at Lord Lei Luo.
"Don't you want to know who paid me to deal with you?"
"Besides my good brother, who else could it be?"
Lord Lei Luo directly interrupted him, his tone as indifferent as if he were handling a trivial matter.
"Drag him out! Hang his head at the border crossing!"
Two Blackstone Territory soldiers stepped forward, hoisted Karl up, and dragged him out.
Karl didn't struggle; he knew everything was over.
At the moment he was dragged away, various memories of the Blood Wolf Band flashed through his mind, ultimately leaving only endless regret and unwillingness.
Karl was taken to an open space.
There, a makeshift wooden gallows had already been erected.
No extra words, no trial procedures.
Only the cold blade flashed with a chilling light.
"Pfft!"
A muffled thud.
The head of Karl, leader of the Blood Wolf Band, rolled to the ground, his eyes still wide open, frozen in the shock and unwillingness of his death.
His body lay on the ground, fresh blood staining the scorched earth.
And his head was hung on a tall wooden pole at the junction of Blackstone Territory and the wilderness.
That was Lord Lei Luo's most direct and bloody warning to all bandits and enemies coveting Blackstone Territory.
Below Karl's head, a line of large characters was written in blood:
"Karl, leader of the Blood Wolf Band, has been executed!"
The wind blew across the wilderness, carrying the dried scent of blood from Karl's head.
Birds of prey soared in the distance, seemingly deterred by this aura of death, not daring to approach.