[Given that this is your first mission, we'll have another Wanderer currently on assignment in the Qilan Continent assist you.] Shannon System's words before departure echoed in Siegfried's mind.
At that moment, he was traversing the forest at an astonishing speed. To save time, Siegfried disregarded the terrain and chose a straight line to the ambush site.
(Damn, damn, damn, this is like a clash between brothers!)
If Siegfried guessed correctly, the Wanderer in the pursuit force was probably his helper for this mission.
He just didn't know how this guy ended up on the opposing side.
Regardless, Siegfried had to hurry. If Roland and the Wanderer clashed, victory for either side would be a devastating loss for Siegfried.
The latter goes without saying. Siegfried, a rookie on his first mission, could manage quite well with the Wanderer's Manual and his abilities; this veteran Wanderer was undoubtedly far stronger. Plus, both being under the Shannon Archives, this person was someone Siegfried could absolutely trust.
And Roland was the strongest combatant in the current faction. If he were inexplicably killed, the Princess Company could literally declare bankruptcy.
The more Siegfried thought about it, the more anxious he became. He summoned the Wanderer's Manual, turning to the radar map to check how far he was from the ambush site.
The yellowed parchment depicted the terrain and town distribution of the entire Constance Territory, detailed enough to even mark remote villages like Fengtao Village—something far beyond the detail of maps sold in the kingdom's market.
Siegfried was represented as an acute triangle, the sharp point facing his direction, much like the maps in World of Warcraft.
However,
Siegfried was astonished to discover that
a flashing red dot was now covering that triangle.
On the radar map, any creature within fifty meters of Siegfried would be marked, yet there wasn't even a rabbit in sight.
Instantly, a needle-like stinging sensation struck his crown.
(Damn it, above!)
Without hesitation, Siegfried drew the Brave Breaker Sword and swung upwards without looking.
Clang!
Roland, with one hand, easily deflected the combined strike of three knights.
"What's going on! Why is there an ambush here!"
"How should I know? Haven't you always been in charge of the liaison?"
"What the hell do you mean!"
"Stop arguing! Break out and talk later!"
These three were all Great Knights like Katarina, yet even together, they couldn't gain any advantage against Roland's sword.
At this moment, the sounds of fighting and screams intertwined in the forest. One pursuer after another was pierced by spears from Roland's soldiers in the chaos.
They couldn't even organize the most basic resistance. Most pursuers were killed before they even drew their weapons. This pursuit force of over a hundred men was already showing signs of a rout.
This pursuit force totaled one hundred and ten men, led by ten Great Knights.
Once in battle, the soldiers would quickly form a battle formation under the command of the Great Knights. This legendary formation, designed five hundred years ago by the founding emperor of Moen, could multiply the army's combat power. Even if Roland brought three hundred men, he would only be able to go around them.
They shouldn't have been so easily defeated.
But they were overconfident. Months of cat-and-mouse games had subconsciously made them think of themselves as hunters, failing to realize that the roles of hunter and prey were interchangeable.
When Roland came to scout the location yesterday, he had set up numerous deadly traps—the same ones he used against the demon lords at the front lines.
The moment the pursuit force entered the ambush site, dozens of different traps were activated simultaneously, instantly eliminating nearly half of the enemy, including four of the leading Great Knights.
Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, Roland jumped out of the bushes and launched a surprise attack, killing two more panicked Great Knights. Half of the ten key positions were gone, rendering the formation useless.
This is Roland Peidin,
a master of surprise attacks, ambushes, and trap setting… an exemplary knight.
He raised his sword, a dazzling golden light radiating from the giant blade. The words of the black-haired man from that morning echoed in his ears.
"Roland,
go,
tell them,
from today on,"
"The offense and defense have switched!"
Roland roared, the golden light from his giant sword blinding. His overwhelming aura swept through the entire forest like a tidal wave.
"Impossible…" A Great Knight on the opposite side muttered blankly, his eyes glazed over. His weapon slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground.
"Damn it! This isn't a Golden Knight! Even a Holy Knight can't do this! Who the hell is this guy? Why is the intelligence so inaccurate!"
Another Great Knight turned and fled, cursing incessantly.
"Useless, you can't escape… that sword… I've seen that sword…"
One of the kingdom's four greatest treasures,
the indestructible Holy Sword, the peerless phantom blade.
Durandal!
"...He's Roland."
The golden light of the sword swept across the land.
......
Katarina was incredibly thrilled.
She had just killed the last Great Knight. Now, she was charging through the crowd like a frenzied wild boar, wielding her shield, sending people sprawling wherever she went.
"Knights' Charge! Knights' Charge! Knights' Charge! Hahaha, still Knights' Charge!!!!!"
This tigress was so carried away she didn't even know where she'd thrown her weapon, only her shield remaining.
It's no wonder she was so excited. She had been relentlessly pursued for half a year, finally finding a village to show off the might of a knight, only to be pinned down and hammered by Siegfried.
The hammering made the Knight Star question her life, dreaming of Siegfried cutting her beloved gun in half at night.
Now, she had finally regained her confidence as the strongest knight of the younger generation.
"Hahaha! My journey is from Baylan to Loslinde, Knights' Charge!!!"
Loslinde is the capital of the elves in the north. The distance from Baylan is roughly equivalent to the distance from Wenzhou to Canada on Earth.
With the two knights' active performance, the enemy was quickly annihilated. Fewer than ten of the hundred-plus pursuit force remained alive.
The soldiers began to clean up the battlefield, collecting spoils of war and capturing prisoners.
In this battle, the Princess faction completely annihilated the pursuit force, seizing a large amount of equipment and food, and capturing several prisoners—a decisive victory.
......
Meanwhile, Siegfried was getting his ass kicked.