“Die!”

Horn ignited his energy to boost his morale, then swung his sword at the nearest man-eating demon. The demon raised its thick, log-like paling, attempting to block the sword. However, Horn’s blade, already sharp, became even more indestructible with the aid of his energy.

The demon’s paling was easily split in two, and the momentum of Horn’s strike carried through, piercing straight into the chest of the man-eating demon. Before it could shriek, it toppled over, crimson blood spraying from the gash in its chest and staining half of Horn’s visored helmet red.

Casually wiping the blood from his face, Horn continued to slaughter several more demons in quick succession. A peak-ranked knight stood just a step away from the Great Knight, and against ordinary demons, he held an absolute advantage.

As expected, the First Flag Group, which had been hailed as the trump card of the Northern Expeditionary Army, held its ground. Although heavy casualties occurred among the front-line soldiers during the first wave of assaults, those in the back rows stepped up without hesitation to solidify their position.

The First Flag Group boasted a full complement of infantry units. In addition to their long spearmen, they also fielded specialized warhammer units armed with blunt weapons.

These soldiers were selected for their strength and used war hammers, making it easier to harm the tough and resilient orcs when attacking in groups.

Aside from knights like Horn who made a direct show of force, many orcs also fell to the war hammers’ onslaught.

After slaying several orcs in succession, Horn attracted the attention of a more robust orc warrior, one who wore tattered metal armor.

“Clang!”

Horn’s longsword met the barbarian’s metal club, producing a painful, ear-piercing screech.

A massive force traveled down the sword’s hilt, making the grip go numb.

Yet Horn, a peak powerhouse among knights, was more than a match for this opponent. Though he didn’t gain the upper hand, he planted his feet firmly on the ground, refusing to budge an inch.

The greatest advantage the orc warrior held was his immense strength; without it, his skill was no match for Horn’s.

In the following exchanges, Horn used his superior swordmanship to quickly gain the upper hand and even opened a few wounds on the demon warrior.

If another knight captain joined the fray, Horn was confident he could dispatch the demon warrior swiftly.

Unfortunately, he didn’t receive his comrade’s aid, and instead, a bloodcurdling scream shattered his hopes.

A knight captain had been brutally murdered by the demon warrior’s mace.

Two more individuals, suspected to be more demon warriors, were approaching the battlefield from the side.

“Damn, there are too many.”

Horn’s heart raced, and he had no time to mourn the loss of his subordinate.

Normally, out of five hundred demon warriors, there would be no more than five or six demon warrior-class enemies. Yet now, the demon warriors had successfully tied down all of Horn’s subordinates.

Conservatively estimating, there were at least ten demon warriors on the battlefield, roughly the same number as the First Flag Group’s knights. In one-on-one combat, humans had a hard time besting demon warriors, and aside from Horn himself, few in the First Flag Group could hold their own against a demon warrior.

Horn had no time to concern himself with the others’ situations. As expected, the two approaching giants were also demon warriors, and soon, Horn found himself under siege by three of them.

The knights of the First Flag Group had their hands full with their own battles, and the ordinary soldiers struggled to hold their own against the onslaught of the hordes of demons. Only a few quasi-knight-ranked officers led their men in a difficult resistance.

The Northern Expeditionary Army initially had a numerical advantage, and if they could gang up on one demon, they could hold out. But this time, in addition to five hundred demons with the strength of quasi-knight rank, there were also thousands of dog-headed people who fought as cannon fodder.

If these dog-headed people, with their sharp teeth and claws, armed with wooden clubs and stone spears, had appeared alone, the Northern Expeditionary Army would have easily defeated them. However, when they fought alongside the demons, they proved surprisingly effective.

Though they rarely dealt direct damage to the soldiers of the Northern Expeditionary Army, their interference greatly disrupted the formation of the army’s soldiers, and some even managed to knock down Northern Expeditionary Army soldiers in groups of three or four.

Marquis Wade noticed the situation facing the First Flag Group from afar. He had not anticipated that so many demon warriors would be present among this group.

The scout and sword eagle knights couldn’t be faulted for this. The only difference between these man-eating demon warriors and regular demons lay in their size, which was difficult to discern from a distance.

Perhaps one could make a more accurate judgment if they were close, but the Northern Expeditionary Army’s scouts had no opportunity to observe the enemy closely and had thus been forced to rely on ratios.

Clearly, their judgment had been far off this time, plunging the First Flag Group into a dangerous situation.

Fortunately, the remaining three flag groups of the First Legion weren’t far away, and Marquis Wade ordered them to hasten their march to reinforce the First Flag Group.

Although these three flag groups were slightly weaker than the First Flag Group, they were still elite units with rigorous training. Altogether, they had a dozen or so knights, and once they joined the fray, it would be difficult for their enemies’ army of mixed demons and dog-headed people to continue their rampage.

In truth, it was so.

As soon as the three flag groups entered the battlefield, the Northern Expeditionary Army turned the tide and swiftly suppressed the arrogant man-eating demons.

These fresh troops forced the demon army back, step by step, shedding the bodies of their enemies.

In absolute terms, even ants could bite down an elephant, let alone the Northern Expeditionary Army’s soldiers, who were no mere ants, but a pack of starving wolves.

The proportion of the number of demon warriors in the horde was admittedly a surprise, but it was still within Marquis Wade’s expectations.

Although the demon horde numbered over three thousand, only about half of them possessed the strength of a quasi-knight. The First Legion had already thoroughly suppressed one-third of their number, who had been accompanied by thousands of dog-headed people; defeat for this army was only a matter of time, with or without reinforcements.

If reinforcements arrived, Marquis Wade still had three more legions at his disposal, not to mention the cavalry of the First Flag Group patrolling the perimeter.

Marquis Wade was confident that everything was under control. His only concern was how to win the battle with minimal casualties.

While he weighed his options, the demons engaged with the First Legion finally began to falter, losing several demon warriors. They showed signs of retreat.

Yet the First Legion refused to let up, adhering firmly to their objective of preventing the demons from retreating.

As if compelled to act, nearly a thousand more demons poured from their camp, leading an army of over ten thousand dog-headed people as they charged onto the battlefield.

“Second and Third Legions, attack!” Marquis Wade issued the order decisively.

The Second and Third Legions swiftly moved to obey, marching with large strides onto the battlefield.

What had appeared across the ravine was the entirety of the forces the cannibals could muster. In the face of two full legions of the Northern Expeditionary Army, their numbers were clearly insufficient. Marquis Wade still had half a legion’s worth of reserves, plus a flag’s worth of cavalry yet to enter the fray.

The outcome of this battle seemed all but certain.

Everything was going so smoothly, so sensibly.