15th of February on the Marrod Plain.

The sun had only just risen, and it was vigorously radiating light and heat as if it were trying to dispel the winter chill that was lingering in the air. Unfortunately, it was like a rowdy child that was yelling and throwing a tantrum with all its might, but was unable to actually provide sufficient warmth to the 200,000 troops. Thankfully, on the cusp of the coming battle, no one was feeling the chills. Everyone's eyes were filled with steely determination and frenetic killing intent, and in their minds, they were repeatedly envisioning how they were going to drive their blades into the chests of their enemies. A cold gust of wind swept through their ranks, as if it were trying to test their determination, but after just a brief examination, it seemed to have realized that further examination was no longer necessary, and thus, the wind quickly began to subside.

Even so, the black flags bearing golden lion head emblems were still flapping incessantly, opposed by the red flags bearing golden vulture emblems on the other side.

On the Effer Kingdom's side, Governor Jenkins was leading the army from the front, with King Cameron commanding the middle portion of troops, while Count Friar was bringing up the rear in a rather curious divergence from his normal duties. Meanwhile, Prince Lazaar was standing atop the city wall of Illingburn Fort, watching the battlefield intently through a monocular. All of the elite soldiers under his command had already been assembled in the city, and they were ready to charge out at a moment's notice.

On the Skycourt Kingdom's side, General Gilgen was looking on at the Effer Kingdom's army with a cold expression. The blade by the name of Zhu Yan [1] in his hand was already giving off intense killing intent. Having been thwarted from advancing by Illingburn Fort for so long, the Skycourt Kingdom's army was eager for battle and thirsty for the blood of the enemy. Neither army was going to be able to leave the Marrod Plain until a decisive outcome was reached in this final showdown.

"Brave soldiers of the Effer Kingdom! These Skycourt Kingdom vermin have invaded our land and slaughtered our people! Are we just going to allow them to return to the Skycourt Kingdom without any consequences?" King Cameron roared in a rousing voice as he drew his sword amid a flash of golden light, as if a golden dragon had emerged from the scabbard strapped to his waist.

"They must lay down their lives for their crimes!" Governor Jenkins also drew his sword as he rallied the troops behind him. Upon learning that he was going to be the one leading the army from the forefront for this final showdown, he had been excited beyond belief. He had thought that King Cameron would assign this role to Count Friar, but he was the one who had been entrusted with this vital role in the end, much to his surprise and elation. During battles, the general of the vanguard was the one closest to the action, so they had the greatest chance of earning accolades in battle.

Of course, Jenkin's loyal followers and subordinates were also ecstatic, thinking that they had made the right decision by following Governor Jenkins. Everyone knew that the vanguard was often the unit in an army that racked up the most glory, and they were overjoyed that such a brilliant opportunity had fallen onto their laps.

All of the Effer Kingdom's soldiers immediately let loose thunderous war cries to support King Cameron and Governor Jenkins.

The royal cavaliers behind Governor Jenkins had already drawn their longswords, and they were raising their swords high up above their heads over and over again with each war rousing war cry.

Meanwhile, King Cameron swung his sword down, and the flag-bearer beside him immediately waved his flag through the air, upon which the sound of long horns and rumbling war drums instantly began ringing out incessantly.

A steely look immediately appeared on Jenkins's face upon hearing this, and he roared, "My brothers, we shall bathe in the blood of these Skycourt Kingdom vermin! Follow me!"

After that, he raised his sword and charged on ahead atop his trusty steed.

He was followed closely by 20,000 royal cavaliers, and a massive cloud of dust rose up into the air, while the ground trembled violently under the countless sets of thundering horse hooves.

Gilgen looked on with a cold expression at the approaching cavaliers of the Effer Kingdom as he pointed his Zhu Yan sword directly forward. "My brothers, your time has come! This is what you've been waiting for! Let us slaughter these Effer Kingdom pigs!"

The sound of pounding war drums also rang out from the Skycourt Kingdom's encampment in the north, and a burly and imposing man took a deep breath, then blew into a giant horn fashioned from a conch shell that stood at twice his height. The low and melodious sound of the horn immediately began to echo throughout the encampment, completely stirring up the killing intent in the hearts of the Skycourt Kingdom's soldiers.

"Charge!" General Gilgen charged forward with 30,000 elite Skycourt Kingdom cavaliers behind him, all of whom were wearing suits of heavy crimson armor. If one were to look down onto the battlefield from up above, the Skycourt Kingdom cavaliers would resemble a fiery phoenix spreading its crimson wings.

In contrast, the Effer Kingdom's royal cavaliers resembled a steel fan that was slowly being spread open.

Aside from the elite troops under Prince Lazaar's command, these were the most exceptional cavaliers that the two kingdoms had to offer.

The deafening pounding of countless horse hooves sent violent tremors running through the ground, while the archers on both sides had already adopted their formations, waiting for the moment when the enemy cavaliers would enter the range of their arrows.

The flag-bearer on the Effer Kingdom's side adopted a different pose, and the commander of the archers immediately yelled, "Fire!"

The Skycourt Kingdom's archers refused to be outdone, letting loose a volley of arrows of their own in retaliation.

Governor Jenkins looked on at the approaching storm of arrows with a derisive smile, and all of a sudden, a gorgeous figure in an ochre dress leaped up into the air behind him. The woman raised her staff, and a curved barrier immediately took shape above the cavaliers of the Effer Kingdom, keeping out all of the arrows that had been fired by the archers of the Skycourt Kingdom.

Governor Jenkins turned to look at the female magician in the sky with a proud expression, then yelled, "Everyone, come with me! Charge!"

Gilgen took a glance at the countless oncoming arrows from the Effer Kingdom's archers, and with a kick of his saddle, his horse raced forward as he slashed his Zhu Yan sword through the air, instantly sending a burst of scarlet light sweeping over the entire battlefield. The cavaliers on both sides were forced to shield their eyes momentarily in the face of the radiance released by Gilgen's formidable blade, and in the next instant, most of the arrows flying over from the south had already been shattered and were falling toward the ground.

"Looks like this Gilgen really is no slouch," Master Piro remarked in a surprised voice as he stood beside King Cameron.

King Cameron gripped tighter onto the hilt of his Wish sword as he watched the unfolding battle with a cold expression.

The cavaliers from both sides clashed violently amid a string of dull thumps and fierce war cries. Both sides had swept up gusts of fierce wind as they charged toward one another, and the gusts of wind intertwined with one another as the cavaliers clashed, sending large plumes of dust rising up into the air.

After his initial attacks, Gilgen immediately lashed out with his sword again without any rest. On this occasion, his attack was directed toward the woman in the ochre dress as he knew that she was the one who posed the greatest threat to his troops.

Governor Jenkins could see that Gilgen was targeting Gwen, and he immediately sprang up into the air with his sword raised high above his head. "You're not touching my daughter!"

Gilgen seemed to be completely disinterested in Jenkins. In fact, he wasn't even looking at Jenkins as he swung his Zhu Yan sword casually through the air, and with just a few lazy-looking attacks, he was able to force Jenkins back by several steps.

While Jenkins was clashing with Gilgen, Gwen had already completed the incantation for her advanced spell, and a pillar of fire rose up into the sky before sweeping directly toward Gilgen.

Gilgen cast an indifferent glance toward the oncoming spell, and he thought to himself in a derisive manner, I won't even have to use half my power to deal with these two.

"A Drop in the Ocean!" Gilgen cried out, declaring the name of his attack as he guided his own sword downward with a flick of his wrist, then swiveled around in mid-air to pierce his sword through the air, unleashing a whirlwind of scarlet light that instantly sliced the oncoming pillar of fire in half. At the same time, the sword intent unleashed by his attacks swept directly toward Jenkins and his daughter.

Gwen could see that this was an extremely formidable attack, and she immediately positioned herself in front of Jenkins, then held her own staff horizontally before her as she began to chant an incantation. As she did so, fierce wind began to sweep up around her, sending all of the surrounding rocks and dust flying up into the air. This was the very same Chaotic Forcefield that she had used during the Pillow Sword Tournament.

"Father, get back a little," Gwen said in a low voice, and Jenkins immediately did as he was told, retreating back several dozen feet.

As soon as the oncoming attack entered the forcefield, Gwen immediately felt a burst of immense power traversing through the storm. As a result, she was forced to increase her magic power output. Otherwise, there was no way that she would be able to dispel the oncoming sword intent.

A surprised look appeared on Gilgen's face as he saw his own sword intent being gradually whittled down by the forcefield, and he said in a derisive voice, "It looks like your daughter is a little more powerful than you are, Jenkins. However, that's not going to save you!"

A cold look appeared on Gilgen's face as he unleashed his next attack. "Southern Migration of the Wild Goose!"

Gilgen slashed his Zhu Yan sword left and right through the air, unleashing sword intent that resembled a giant wild goose spreading its wings to take flight.

The vicious attack pierced directly into the storm of the Chaotic Forcefield, and Gwen immediately realized that she wouldn't be able to ward off this attack. Thus, she hurriedly withdrew her spell and attempted to flee, but Gilgen's attacks weren't going to be so easy to evade, and the scarlet sword intent unleashed by Zhu Yan came sweeping directly toward the back of her neck.

All of a sudden, a loud clang rang out, and Gwen turned around to discover that Jenkins had taken the attack for her. The longsword that he was wielding was crafted from diamond copper ore, but even so, it had instantly been sliced in half. Gilgen's sword intent then continued onward without pause, striking Jenkins's chest with ferocious power to slice a clean gash onto his intricately crafted breastplate. Thankfully for him, his breastplate was also forged from diamond copper ore, so it was just barely able to save his life. If the sword intent had sliced any deeper into his body, his heart would've been split into two by now. Thus, it could be said that Jenkins had been saved by his own opulence.

Immediately thereafter, Governor Jenkins threw up a mouthful of blood, and it was clear that he had been severely injured.

"Father!" Gwen immediately rushed over to support Jenkins, and she was at a complete loss for what to do as she stared at the gruesome wound on her father's chest.

The cavaliers from both armies were locked in a fierce battle, and she cast her gaze toward the battlefield down below to find that none of her father's close allies were in a position to help them.

"Getting distracted in battle could cost you your life, little girl," Gilgen said with a cold smile, then thrust his Zhu Yan sword forward again.

It was clear to everyone that Jenkins and his daughter were no match for Gilgen, but King Cameron remained completely unmoved, looking on with a cold expression in complete silence, as if he were completely unconcerned about the safety of his vanguard general.

1. The Zhu Yan is a mythical creature in Chinese legends. ☜