The Black Wind Dire Wolves were incredibly fast, attempting to use their agility to weave through the gaps in the knights' shield wall.
However, Ed and his knights were experienced and worked together seamlessly.
Shields firmly braced against the impact, while lances and knight's swords thrust out precisely, using the terrain's limitations to continuously strike down Dire Wolves attempting to approach.
The Hyenas were even more cunning, crouching low, trying to attack the knights' legs from below.
But the militiamen played a crucial role.
Their arrows specifically targeted these thin-skinned, less bloody Hyenas as their primary objective, effectively protecting the flanks and rear of the knight formation.
The most troublesome were still the Spine Bristle Boars.
Their charging power was simply too strong!
Several Boars roared, like moving battering rams, slamming hard into the knights' shield wall.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
Heavy thudding sounds rang out, and several knights were knocked back repeatedly, cracks even appearing on their shields, their arms numb.
If not for the advantage of the terrain and the combined resistance of multiple people, they would have been instantly sent flying.
Just as the ground battle became a stalemate, support arrived from the sky.
Pegasus Knights, either diving with lances or providing arrow support, launched attacks from the rear of the magical beasts.
Lei Luo, riding a Storm Gryphon, circled above the battlefield.
At this point, the greatest threat to the knights in the battle was the Spine Bristle Boars; these second-tier magical beasts were thick-skinned and their reckless charges made the knights' defensive formation precarious; if Ed hadn't frequently intervened, killing two of the leading Spine Bristle Boars, the line would have almost collapsed.
"Storm! Go down!"
Lei Luo patted the Storm Gryphon's neck.
The Storm Gryphon let out a piercing cry that split the clouds and cracked rocks, folding its wings and diving vertically like a meteor!
Its target was precisely a Spine Bristle Boar attempting to break through the knight's defense line!
The Boar seemed to sense the fatal threat from above, pawing the ground uneasily and looking up at the sky.
But the Storm Gryphon's speed was too fast!
A huge shadow instantly enveloped it.
"Pfft!"
The Griffon's indestructible claws viciously pierced into the Boar's relatively vulnerable neck!
The Boar's neck blood vessels ruptured, blood gushing out, and it let out a painful wail, its massive body trembled violently, then crashed to the ground, twitching a few times before becoming motionless.
Lei Luo did not stop, immediately gaining altitude and searching for the next target.
The Pegasus Knights utilized their aerial advantage, continuously attacking isolated or attempting-to-flank magical beasts with lances and arrows.
Although their attacks were not enough to instantly kill a Boar, they were highly effective against Dire Wolves and Hyenas, greatly reducing the pressure on the ground forces.
One Pegasus Knight even, with great skill and daring, rode his Pegasus low over the head of a Boar that was charging the shield wall, precisely thrusting a long spear into the Boar's eye!
The one-eyed Boar, in pain, charged wildly and erratically, accidentally knocking down several Hyenas and causing a small commotion.
With the support of the aerial forces, the pressure on the ground troops sharply decreased.
The number of magical beasts was rapidly dwindling.
The damage from traps, the depletion from arrows, the precise strikes from the aerial forces, coupled with the ground troops' valiant resistance, the scales of victory began to tip significantly.
The remaining magical beasts finally felt fear.
Some Hyenas began whimpering and retreating, trying to find an escape route.
Several Black Wind Dire Wolves also lost their will to fight, turning tail and running.
Even the few remaining Spine Bristle Boars began to hesitate.
"Don't let them escape!"
Ed roared.
"Surround them!"
The knights and militiamen, their morale high, shouted and launched their final encirclement.
The complex terrain of the Rocky Slope restricted the magical beasts' escape routes; they were divided and surrounded, then eliminated one by one.
Of course, there were also a few particularly cunning or lucky ones.
Several Hyenas, using their slender bodies, squeezed into narrow rock crevices and disappeared.
Several Black Wind Dire Wolves desperately broke through the militiamen's obstruction, fleeing into the distant dense forest with injuries.
And there was one particularly strong Spine Bristle Boar, enduring attacks from several arrows and spears, it forced open a bloody path, roaring as it disappeared to the other side of the Rocky Slope.
But the general situation was decided.
When the last stubbornly resisting Black Wind Dire Wolf was beheaded by Ed's sword, the entire Rocky Slope finally quieted down.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over the Rocky Slope, which was covered with magical beast corpses and bloodstains; the air was filled with a strong smell of blood and gunpowder.
Lei Luo slowly landed, riding the Storm Gryphon.
The Pegasus Knights also landed one after another.
Lei Luo jumped off the Griffon and looked around.
He walked over to Ed, who was directing the knights and militiamen in handling the aftermath.
"What are the casualties?" Lei Luo's voice was a little hoarse.
"Two militiamen were killed, unable to dodge when they were charged by the Spine Bristle Boars."
Ed's voice was low, tinged with regret.
"There are five seriously wounded knights and thirteen militiamen, all have received initial treatment and are not in life-threatening condition. Minor injuries are not counted."
He paused, looking at the mountain of magical beast corpses piled around.
"Compared to our achievements, this cost... is already very small."
Nearly a hundred magical beasts, including several second-tier Spine Bristle Boars, to completely annihilate them with such a small cost was indeed a commendable victory.
Traps, terrain, aerial superiority, and the valiant fighting of the knights and militiamen, none were dispensable.
Lei Luo nodded, feeling a little relieved.
Sacrifice is always heartbreaking, but in a conflict of this scale, being able to control casualties to this extent was already difficult.
"Arrange personnel to treat the wounded as soon as possible; the seriously wounded should be sent back to the camp immediately. The rest, clear the battlefield."
"Yes!"
Ed responded.
Night gradually fell, and torches were lit one by one, casting flickering shadows on the Rocky Slope.
The knights carefully lifted their injured comrades onto makeshift stretchers, their movements gentle, their expressions solemn.
The militiamen began to process the magical beast corpses.
This was a heavy and tedious task.
It wasn't until late into the night, with the torchlight illuminating tired but satisfied faces, that the battlefield cleanup was largely completed.
Several days passed in a blink of an eye.
The battle at the Rocky Slope concluded, and the camp returned to its usual order.
Lei Luo had also been busy dealing with various matters these past few days, and life seemed to have returned to normal, calm and regular.
However, a subtle, hard-to-detect sense of unease began to linger in Lei Luo's mind.
It was Moonlight.
This little fellow seemed a bit too... quiet these past few days.
In the past, no matter where Lei Luo was, as long as he wasn't on an overly dangerous mission, Moonlight would always follow him like a little shadow.
Either it would lie on his desk, pawing at his documents; or curl up beside his chair, purring contentedly; or squat on the windowsill, lazily basking in the sun.
Although it was aloof, it never stayed away from him for too long.
But these past few days, Lei Luo had rarely seen it.
He tried to sense Moonlight's aura.
As a companion with whom he had some kind of contractual link, he could vaguely perceive Moonlight's presence.
This time, he sensed it, but the feeling was completely different from before.
It was no longer that gentle, peaceful magical fluctuation, but a... deeper, more surging, tidal-like sense of power!
The source of this aura pointed to a nearly abandoned backyard behind the town, close to the mountain wall.
That place usually stored some miscellaneous items, and few people went there.
Counting the time, it was precisely the day Moonlight was supposed to break through to its growth stage.