「In the Gnoll camp.」
In the center of the camp, a massive Water Tornado stretched from the ground to the sky. Surrounding it was a group of Gnoll Priests in leather Mage Robes. They circled the Water Tornado, chanting incantations with their hands flitting up and down.
In front of the Water Tornado, the Gnoll Mosa sent Ode flying with a single slap. The power of the 7th-tier Jackal Wolfman Warrior knocked Ode seven or eight meters away.
Ode spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed, unable to get back up.
"Useless! So many of you, and you can't even handle a bunch of human rabble!" the Jackal Wolfman Chief, Mosa, roared in fury.
"Chieftain," a Gnoll Priest stepped forward and asked cautiously, "so now... do we let these humans go, or..."
Mosa glanced back at the Water Tornado, resentment written all over his face. If they retreated now, they would leave with nothing.
"Damn humans!"
In the end, it was all because of those humans. They had neither retreated nor attacked, and they had even managed to withstand the Gnoll assault... Now Mosa was faced with a dilemma.
'To retreat or not to retreat?'
'If I retreat, I'll have to arrange for a rear guard, and I'll have to release all the human nobles inside the Water Dragon Entwining Array.'
'But if I don't? That's probably exactly what those humans want. The Fourth Prince's army is still two days away, and if I don't pull back now, a frenzied counterattack from Sunset Fortress will be waiting for me.'
"Send word down: pack up immediately and cross the river in an orderly fashion. As for those humans... forget them!" Mosa ordered.
'In any case, I have to preserve my foundation first. Humans aren't my only enemies...'
"As you command, sir."
...
In the dead of night, Robson climbed out of bed. Having recovered just a little, he immediately made his way to the highest point of the hill.
Some of the aftereffects of the Bloodburn had subsided. The chill of the late-night air seeped through his iron armor to his skin, sobering him up a little.
Through the late-night mist, Robson saw that the Gnoll camp was brightly lit. In its center, the massive pillar of water that reached for the sky was slowly shrinking.
'Are they retreating?'
Robson wasn't sure, and he had no intention of sending troops to stop them.
'My mission is already complete. All I have to do now is avoid making any mistakes and wait for reinforcements from the fortress.'
Besides, they couldn't take Count Offman with them when they fled.
If the Gnolls dared to disperse the Water Binding Technique now to take Count Offman prisoner, Robson was confident that the Count and his Knights would put them in their place and teach them the true strength of the Frank Knights.
SCREECH!
A piercing cry echoed from the distance. Robson turned to look and saw a crimson-gold dot appear on the horizon. The dot slowly grew larger, gradually revealing its true form.
It was none other than Sunset Fortress's 9th-tier magical beast—the Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix!
And it wasn't just the Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix. Behind it, hundreds of aerial Knights riding various Flying Magical Beasts flew toward them in a V-formation.
Robson let out a long sigh of relief upon seeing the phoenix. 'They're finally here.' Now he, Lord Robson, could finally say he was safe.
'Now, I'm not the one who needs to think about running...'
Before long, the Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix landed with a long cry in front of Robson's camp. Knight Ed dismounted from the phoenix, accompanied by a noble with fiery red hair who was dressed in an elven-made Mage Robe.
Robson recognized the man in a single glance. This had to be the magical genius hailed as a once-in-a-century prodigy, the youngest Earl, the commander-in-chief of Sunset Fortress—Leo Doran.
"Robson pays his respects, my Lord Earl," Robson said, bowing respectfully.
"Mm, so you're Robson?" Leo Doran glanced at him and nodded. "You seem like a clever man..."
"Robson! It's so good to see you're alright!" Knight Ed walked over to his friend and clapped him heartily on the shoulder.
"COUGH! COUGH!" Robson had only just begun to recover from the Bloodburn state; how could he withstand such a boisterous greeting? He almost passed out.
'What part of me looks like I'm alright?'
"Ah? My apologies," Ed said, looking rather sorry.
"You're weakened right now. Take this and recover," Leo Doran said, taking out a Magic Potion and tossing it to Robson, much to Ed's shock.
Robson caught it deftly. The moment it touched his hand, he felt the dense magical aura radiating from the bottle.
"Thank you, my Lord Earl," Robson said gratefully.
Leo Doran turned, returned to the back of the Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix with a light step, and led the hundreds of Knights behind him in a charge toward the distant Water Tornado.
After Earl Leo had left, Ed turned back to Robson, his eyes filled with envy.
"Earl Leo actually gave you an entire bottle of Cyan Spirit Potion!" Ed said, his voice full of envy.
"Cyan Spirit Potion?" Robson looked down at it, only now noticing that the potion's potency was outrageously strong.
Cyan Spirit Potion was a High-Level Healing Potion that would go for at least 1,000 Gold Coins on the open market!
Robson hadn't expected Earl Leo to be so generous! He carefully stored it away. A potion like this was an incredible treasure that couldn't be sought out. Even a diluted drop would be a panacea for any commoner.
"Robson, we really owe you this time," Ed said with heartfelt sincerity. "The entire Deriman Family owes you a huge favor now."
'It's a good thing I chose to bring Robson with me. Otherwise, Count Offman might have been in real danger this time.'
"It was nothing, I was just saving my own skin as well," Robson replied.
He wasn't wrong. After all, he was just the second son of a Baron with no powerful backing. If something had happened to Count Offman, he would have surely been one of the scapegoats.
"Regardless, the credit for this is all yours," Ed said, his expression serious. "I will explain the situation to my father."
Robson just smiled faintly without saying a word. 'It feels good to be alive,' he thought.
Just then, the battle in the distance erupted. The earth-shattering din was loud enough for Robson to hear clearly, even from several kilometers away.
.....
Mosa of the Jackal Wolfman Tribe was on the verge of despair. He knew the enemy would pursue him, but he never expected *this* particular bane of his existence to show up!
Leo Doran was infamous throughout the entire Beastman Royal Court. For years, he had occupied a spot in the top ten of the Beastmen's kill list, and the Dolan Clan's Flying Legion had always been a massive headache for the Royal Court.
SCREECH!
Following the phoenix's cry, pillars of molten flame erupted from fissures in the earth. Mosa could only dodge frantically, using the speed of his 7th-tier body to sprint for the opposite riverbank.
'As for the tribe? I have to save myself first...'
The Dolan Clan's Flying Legion wreaked havoc among the Gnoll ranks. Facing the elite Extraordinary Corps, the common Gnolls were utterly powerless to resist. The entire camp devolved into a hell of blood and fire.
Leo Doran waved his Mage Staff, shattering the Water Dragon Entwining Array with just a few flicks. Count Offman and the several dozen other Extraordinary nobles trapped inside fell from mid-air.
Count Offman, being 7th-tier, recovered quickly and immediately understood his situation.
"Leo? I didn't expect you to notice something was wrong and come rescue me yourself." Count Offman looked rather embarrassed. To be honest, he personally disliked Earl Leo. 'The man is so pretentious.'
"Regardless, thank you," Count Offman said. "I owe you one for this."
"Don't thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank your son. He made a good friend," Earl Leo said with a glance. With that, he stepped back onto the Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix and led the Flying Legion back toward the fortress.
"A good friend? What does he mean?" Count Offman was perplexed.