"Kill them all! Take the goods!"
The bandit leader roared, waving his long blade. His subordinate bandits burst forth with battle energy, charging in with high morale for the kill!
Meanwhile, slaves and serfs screamed in terror, all dropping the dried food and tools in their hands and fleeing in all directions.
Soldiers hurriedly drew their weapons, trying to organize a defense, but the rain of arrows had not stopped. Some people didn't have time to raise their shields and were pierced through the shoulders, falling down with screams.
John suddenly woke up, his bowl falling to the ground and shattering. He looked at the chaos around him with a terrified face, not knowing what to do.
Boasting and drinking porridge, how did he suddenly get robbed by bandits!
The knights quickly protected John, drawing their swords to meet the enemy. Silver battle energy flashed on the sword edges, the warhorses reared up and charged fiercely at the enemy.
"Fight back!!"
Two knights were the first to charge, their battle energy bursting forth, their blades gleaming with a faint light as they swung their swords at the oncoming bandits.
The sharp sword energy directly slashed away two people who lunged forward, blood spilling onto the muddy mountain path.
However, these bandits were not ordinary ones; most of them were berserkers who had cultivated battle energy!
A burly bandit leader wielding a giant axe, his body surrounded by dark blue battle energy, suddenly swept across.
He actually knocked down a knight, horse and all, with one blow.
The warhorse whinnied in pain, the knight's armor cracked, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Just like that, both sides were completely engaged in a melee, the light of battle energy constantly flashing in the night, illuminating faces that had gone red with killing frenzy.
John tried to calm down and command, but the situation before him was already out of control.
Though the knights were brave, their coordination was not high, and they were outnumbered, so they were quickly torn through the defense line by the bandits.
"Damn it!"
John watched helplessly as his knight was knocked down by the bandit leader's axe, who then came running towards him, making his heart suddenly tremble.
What's going on?! Why were these bandits so strong?!
Their attacks were swift, their coordination was tacit, and their targets were extremely clear.
"Boss, this kid seems quite valuable!" a bandit shouted loudly, "Should we keep him for ransom?"
"Keep him my ass!" the bandit leader snorted coldly, "The orders from above are to take him back and slaughter him for sacrifice!"
Hearing these words, John was completely panicked.
Was his glorious expedition, just beginning, going to end here?
Boom!
From the mountain path in the distance, a sudden loud noise!
Then, the heavy sound of iron hooves accompanied by an ear-splitting roar suddenly approached.
"Charge!!"
John suddenly looked up and saw a fully armed squad of knights charging towards the battlefield from the mountain path not far away.
Like a thunderbolt spear, they fiercely stabbed into the battlefield!
John immediately spotted Vaerik commanding from the rear, his black hair flying in the wind.
Vaerik looked absolutely like a world-saving hero, as if he had appeared riding on seven-colored clouds, making John so excited that he cried!
"Boss! You're here?!" John shouted with all his might towards Vaerik.
Vaerik ignored him, his gaze firmly locked on the enemy troops, giving a command: "Attack!"
This small knight squad led by Vaerik was completely different from John's team.
They had already been through a long period of coordination, and now worked together seamlessly. They had prepared for an ambush, not rushing to rescue but waiting until the enemy relaxed their vigilance and their own side was in the most danger before striking.
They delivered the most lethal blow to the bandits!
"Kill!"
The knights opened their battle energy to the fullest, charging into the battlefield like thunder. Over a dozen warhorses swept across, and in the criss-crossing of blade light and sword shadows, blood splattered!
"Stop them!"
A bandit had just raised his weapon when a long spear burning with battle energy came speeding from afar, directly piercing his chest, firmly pinning him to the ground!
Then Lambert swept out a sword energy, directly flipping three or four bandits.
Their bodies rolled in mid-air, and when they fell to the ground, they were already a bloody mess.
The bandits responded hastily, some not even having time to concentrate their battle energy before being consecutively cut down.
The remaining bandits completely panicked, wanting to flee, but found themselves surrounded by cavalry.
Some bandits managed to escape, but the speed of the warhorses far exceeded theirs. After running just a few steps, they were pierced from behind by long spears and fell motionless.
The knights did not engage with the bandits at all. The momentum of the warhorse charge did not diminish. With every sword and every spear they used, a bandit fell!
They were not fighting, but harvesting!
Harvesting like the Grim Reaper!
"Damn it!"
The only burly bandit leader with some strength roared in anger, dark blue battle energy madly surged, and the giant axe suddenly swept across!
However, several knights quickly came forward, crossed their long swords to lock his movements, and shields heavily smashed into him, forcing him back half a step.
In the next instant, a cold light flashed, the sharp blade broke through his battle energy defense, and blood splashed.
The bandit leader widened his eyes, unable to believe his fate, and finally fell down powerless.
After the bandit leader's death, the bandits had no more resistance.
The battle ended unbelievably quickly, and John even felt that the nightmare just now was just an illusion.
Vaerik sat on his horse, his gaze coldly sweeping around.
The scattered desperadoes had been cleaned up.
Only more than twenty prisoners remained, tied up on the ground, with wounds of varying degrees, but their expressions still full of hatred.
Lambert stepped forward and said in a low voice: "It has been confirmed, they are all members of the 'Snow Swearers'."
Snow Swearers, Vaerik had heard of this organization's name.
A rebel organization from the Snow Country in the Northern Province.
Their ancestors were once warriors of the Snow Country, until the imperial army conquered the Northern Province, destroyed their royal court, and killed their royalty.
The surviving descendants hid in the wilderness to gather strength, vowing that one day blood debts would be repaid with blood.
"So it's them." Vaerik nodded thoughtfully, then slowly walked towards the prisoners.
The group of people, seeing him approach, ignited furious flames in their eyes: "Dogs of the empire... One day, you will all pay your blood debts!"
"Kill us, one day, you will be buried in this land..."
"You invaders, die a terrible death..."
A prisoner with a fierce gaze spat out curses full of hatred, then suddenly spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm at Vaerik.
The nearby knight became furious, kicked him down, and placed the sword edge on his neck, shouting: "Outrageous!"
But even so, these prisoners still stared at them, their eyes full of bone-deep hatred, without the slightest intention of submitting.
Vaerik silently watched this scene.
These people had been bandits for too long, and were deeply immersed in hatred, making it impossible for them to be easily tamed and reformed.
Keeping them would only become an unpredictable disaster.
So he did not hesitate any longer, calmly waved his hand, and said lightly: "Execute them all."
The soldiers obeyed, dragging the prisoners one by one to the side. The blade flashed, and blood splattered on the muddy ground.