Seeing Bazuso killed in an instant, everyone present was stunned, and subsequently, the morale of both sides took completely opposite turns.
Having lost their commander, the castle defenders were terrified, clutching their weapons and retreating repeatedly.
The mercenaries who had invaded the castle grew excited, like starving wolves that had tasted blood, faintly unable to hold themselves back from pushing forward.
Nidhogg did not notice this hair-trigger atmosphere at all, but after seeing the contents of the quest reward, he paused for a moment and reached out to grab Bazuso's battle-axe.
This blood-stained battle-axe was quite heavy, so much so that he had to stab his longsword into the ground and use both hands to lift it.
"The Grey Knight's Battle-Axe"
"The Grey Knight" Bazuso had once used it to slaughter thirty people in a row; it had amazing power when hacking and sweeping, but it required a great deal of energy to swing.
"Battle Skill: Charged Heavy Cleave"
Hold the battle-axe with both hands high above the head, charge up a heavy cleave, and it can easily break through defenses, dealing high damage.
"It seems this battle-axe really did become one of the reward items, and now it belongs to me. It even comes with a battle skill—not bad, not bad. But with such a large battle-axe, how am I supposed to carry it around with me?"
Before he could figure it out, he heard a cheer from behind, so he turned his head.
He saw Sir Knight sitting on horseback, his face glowing with excitement, saying to him in surprise and delight: "Good! Well done! You have performed a great feat. After the battle is over, come find me, and I will definitely reward you handsomely!"
Immediately, Sir Knight pulled on the reins, the horse neighed, and he raised his longsword high, shouting to the mercenaries under his command: "Charge! Take advantage of the enemy's disarray and defeat them in one go!"
Receiving the order, the mercenaries, like hunting dogs unleashed from their leashes, each let out a shout and rushed impatiently toward the castle defenders.
In contrast, the castle defenders seemed to have lost their souls. Without Bazuso to lead and command them, they could only counterattack passively, and then they were beaten by the mercenaries until they threw away their armor and weapons, retreating like the tide.
The situation on the battlefield inside the castle was completely one-sided.
Sir Knight spurred his horse forward, and the mercenaries broke into the depths of the castle, killing all the way until rivers of blood flowed, facing no further obstacles.
Nidhogg stood on this battlefield, and no one was foolish enough to come and disturb him.
Subsequently, he noticed that the name "Guts" had appeared in one of the updated quests, and his heart stirred involuntarily, so he looked around.
Very quickly, he saw a black-haired youth among the mercenaries invading the castle, who was exceptionally brave and charging at the front.
That black-haired youth was wearing a simple helmet and leather armor; he was far from the strong and heroic figure he would become, still carrying a hint of childishness. Yet, he wielded a greatsword, cutting through the enemy ranks as easily as chopping melons and vegetables, with no one able to stop him.
Of course, the greatsword Guts was wielding now could not compare to the giant sword he would have later; it was much smaller by comparison.
This youth named Guts was the absolute protagonist of "Berserk".
He carried the heavy fate of revenge and protection, appearing tireless, and spent most of his time on the front lines fighting against monsters.
When Nidhogg saw such a young Guts, he roughly knew the point in time he was currently in.
Guts had not yet joined the Band of the Hawk, nor had he formed bonds with Griffith and the others. The Hundred-Year War was still ongoing, the Golden Age had not yet reached its peak, and there was still a long time until the Eclipse.
Thinking of the Eclipse, Nidhogg could not help but look up at the corridor where Griffith and the others had been, but he saw that there was no one left on the corridor.
"Gone?"
It seems Griffith judged that the castle could not be held and had already led the Band of the Hawk away. After all, they were a mercenary band; there was no need to fight to the last moment for a castle destined to fall.
Nidhogg did not rashly go up to disturb Guts, who was fighting hard, nor did he go to pursue the whereabouts of the Band of the Hawk.