Starting as the Baron of the Lonely Island

Baron Theodore believed he had already weathered the most difficult period. He had withstood the first wave of attacks, and with reinforcements of weapons, crossbow arrows, and men, the war was turning in his favor.

Red Earth City alone now boasted five Celestial Tier Warriors. With the steady arrival of Earth and Human Tier reinforcements, their overall strength was now on par with Count Kais.

Of course, this aid came at a price. ’But what does that have to do with me?’

All he had to do was fight. Fire Source Castle and Viscount Ugo were the ones footing the bill.

As long as he won this war, Baron Theodore wouldn’t just break even—he would profit.

At this moment, he was sipping fine wine and humming some nameless tune, his mood exceptionally good.

’Once Viscount Joel and his troops arrive tomorrow, Count Kais will surely regret this move.’

’And if we get help from Count Kurudo, heheh...’

He swirled the wineglass in his hand, the red liquid like blood spilled on the battlefield.

In another room, Liam was in a similarly good mood.

As long as they could win this war, perhaps even force Count Kais’s army out of Silver Scale Port, the matter of the assassination would be considered over.

’After all, if you lose the war, what right do you have to pursue the matter of an assassination?’

"Report!"

The loud cry pierced through the door and reached the ears of Theodore and the others. Their nerves tensed, and they quickly went outside.

"Baron, there’s activity in Count Kais’s camp! It looks like they’re preparing to retreat!"

Theodore roared with laughter. "Kais must have found out our reinforcements are coming and can’t wait to flee!"

Liam asked, "Should we pursue them and attack?"

"Of course!"

Theodore’s tone was resolute. "You three Mercenary Corps Leaders, prepare for battle!"

The three Celestial Tier Warriors from the Mercenary Corps grinned. "We’d be happy to oblige!"

Soon, the drawbridge was lowered and the city gates swung wide open.

A squadron of cavalry charged out from the gates, with Theodore and the others prominent among them.

Their role was to harass the enemy and disrupt their retreat.

Following the cavalry were Shieldmen, Infantry, and Archers.

The warhorses galloped, rapidly closing the distance between the two sides.

The archers on Count Kais’s side had already begun firing. A dense volley of arrows sliced through the air with a series of whistles.

However, against Warriors of the Earth and Celestial Tiers, the arrows had very limited effect.

Suddenly, with a sound like a thunderclap, a crossbow arrow from a Siege Crossbow shot out, its incredible speed creating a violent whistling sound.

Theodore slashed with his sword. His Combat Technique precisely tracked the Wind-Held Crossbow bolt’s trajectory, intercepting it in midair.

Thanks to the blunder at Silver Scale Port, they were now very familiar with this powerful siege weapon.

As long as they could track its trajectory, a Celestial Tier Warrior’s strength was more than enough to counter it with ease.

"I’d like to see just how many of these Magic Crossbows you have!"

He shouted triumphantly, "Kill!"

The cavalry fanned out to charge, while the infantry and archers in the rear advanced quickly under the cover of the shieldmen.

Once the cavalry scattered the enemy archers, the infantry could charge and join the battle.

In the past few encounters, the forces from the Silent Shore had suffered heavy losses because they were forced to hastily engage the enemy while retreating.

This time, however, they had feigned a retreat but had actually deployed a defensive formation.

Accompanied by a series of thunderous cracks, Wind-Held Crossbows and Siege Crossbows fired in succession.

Theodore and his men vaguely sensed that something was wrong. They realized the enemy showed no signs of retreating.

’This is bad!’

’It’s a trick!’

’A trap!’

They cursed inwardly, but the arrow had already been loosed from the bow—there was no turning back.

Besides, they believed their overt strength was not inferior. Why not fight a head-on battle?

Theodore and his men brandished their longswords, repeatedly shouting the order to attack.

On the other side, Count Kais gripped the hilt of his sword, waiting for the distance between them to shrink.

"Cruz, Marles, Jick, Acosta, Dorian, prepare to engage the enemy!" he commanded.

"Yes, sir!"

Five hundred meters, three hundred, two hundred...

Finally, at one hundred meters, he drew his longsword. "Cease fire! All troops, charge!"

In an instant, a deafening tsunami of battle cries erupted, soaring into the sky.

Duane felt the surging roar and was momentarily stunned.

He looked at the attack groups of three to five men and could tell these soldiers were all well-trained.

The Kennedy Clan was at a disadvantage when it came to top-tier experts, but they truly put in the effort in other areas.

If they were like Marquis Sean, with several Secret Realms in their territory, the King himself would probably be unable to sit securely on his throne.

Soon, the two forces clashed, and the infantry and shieldmen at the rear were now far from the city gates.

Duane summoned his warhorse, gripped his long spear, and galloped forth.

The Arcane Warhorse was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, it charged into the fray. With a light flick of his long spear, a cavalryman’s throat was pierced.

Wherever he passed, no one could stop him.

Of course, Duane had no interest in fighting these cavalrymen. His targets were Liam and the others.

The five Celestial Tier Warriors battling against Cruz’s forces had already noticed the purple light on the battlefield.

They saw an unfamiliar figure on horseback, spear in hand, charging straight for them. Any soldiers who tried to intercept him were sent flying.

"Who is that..." Theodore said, astonished.

A gleeful smile spread across Cruz’s face. "Prepare to die, Theodore! Duane has arrived!"

Panic instantly gripped Theodore’s heart.

He hadn’t been afraid of Count Kais’s feigned retreat to lure them out of the city for a fight.

But he had never imagined that Duane would already be here.

"Dammit!"

Theodore forced Cruz back with his sword, then violently yanked his horse’s head around and galloped toward the city.

Not far away, Liam was even faster. He had seen Duane before, so the moment the Arcane Warhorse appeared, he was already preparing to flee.

As one of the culprits behind the assassination attempt on Duane’s fiancée, Liam had no doubt that he would be the first target.

Only the three Celestial Tier Mercenaries on the field hadn’t reacted yet. In fact, after forcing Jick and Dorian back, one of them charged fearlessly toward Duane.

It wasn’t their fault. After all, they were mercenaries transferred from another region; it was normal for them not to recognize Duane.

"Commendable courage!"

Duane flicked his wrist, concentrating High-Pressure Fighting Qi at the tip of his spear. As he thrust forward, a Thunderous Beam shot across the battlefield.

ZZZRAK!

The Rainbow Piercing Strike instantly tore through the armor and body of the Mercenary Corps Leader charging at him, then slammed into Liam’s back with ferocious force.

The unparalleled impact blasted Liam from his warhorse, sending him crashing heavily to the ground in the distance, spitting up blood.

This scene was a huge morale boost for the injured Jick and the others. They scrambled up from the ground and rejoined the fight.

Duane, meanwhile, used an Arcane Resonance Spell, causing his warhorse to enter a state of Phase Dash and doubling its speed.

Within a few breaths, he was behind Baron Theodore.

"Count Duane, don’t kill me!" Theodore pleaded pathetically.

Duane ignored him. His spear pierced through Theodore’s pauldron, stabbed through his shoulder, and then viciously flung him through the air, smashing him down onto Liam.

"Kill them!"

In an instant, three of the enemy’s Celestial Tier Warriors—including Theodore, the lord of Red Earth City—had been defeated. The soldiers of the Silent Shore went into a frenzy.

At that moment, Kaelon arrived on the battlefield leading the forces from Silver Jade Territory and joined the fray.

Duane rode his horse over to Theodore and Liam. They were slumped on the ground, their faces and bodies covered in mud mixed with blood.

"My Lord, I am of the nobility! I should be taken captive!" Theodore shouted in a panic.

He was truly terrified.

Beside him, Liam came to his senses and also cried out, "My Lord, I am a noble too! I’m protected by law! I am willing to pay a ransom, please spare my life!"

Duane sneered, and his long spear shot out like lightning, piercing Liam’s throat.

Liam’s eyes widened, but his pupils quickly dimmed, losing their light.

"You dare try to assassinate Natalia and still expect to live?"

Duane glanced at Theodore, who flinched and hurriedly knelt on the ground to distance himself from the plot.

Knightly spirit, noble honor—all of it was forgotten. All that mattered now was survival.

"My Lord, I didn’t take part in the assassination! It was Liam’s idea, it has nothing to do with me!"

Duane slapped Theodore’s uninjured shoulder with the head of his spear, making him stagger and fall flat on the ground.

"I won’t kill you, but you’d better stay right here and not move."

"Don’t worry, my lord, don’t worry! I won’t move an inch!"

He had no chance of escaping now, nor did he dare to move.

Duane immediately leveled his spear and surveyed the battlefield, taking special note of the difference in quality between his own soldiers and those of Count Kais.