“Roar!”

Sol’s god-like prowess struck a spark in the hearts of his soldiers, igniting their morale.

Without any prompting, the attacking soldiers burst into cheers at the sight, their feet moving faster as they closed in on the enemy.

After all, if their commander was brave enough to lead the charge, how could they cower in fear?

In stark contrast, the defending troops’ spirits sagged like an eggplant under a layer of frost.

“Get him down!”

Amidst the roars of the attacking soldiers, Viscount Sadde’s voice called from atop the walls.

The defending soldiers quickly dropped their bows and rushed Sol, swords and shields in hand.

It must be said, though Sol’s daring dash had stunned the defending troops, lowering their morale, they were still the Sade family’s loyal elite. Their fighting spirit remained unbroken, and they swiftly organized themselves into a phalanx with sword and shield bearers in front and spearmen behind, vowing to drive Sol back into the abyss.

Clang!

Facing the arc of approaching Sade soldiers, Sol drew a sword from its sheath at his waist and ignited his golden energy, taking the initiative to attack those surrounding him.

“Kill!”

Facing Sol, who had rushed toward them, the defending troops of Sade Castle roared to drown out their inner fears, then charged him all at once from multiple directions.

“Whoosh!”

Sol’s sword arced through the air, and the golden energy that had been clinging to the blade separated from its surface, swirling outward in a golden ripple.

The ripple pierced through more than twenty soldiers in its vicinity, and the cries of “kill” abruptly ceased within less than a second.

All that remained were the wet sounds of blood spilling from the bodies of more than twenty soldiers as they collapsed simultaneously, drenching the ground around Sol with crimson.

The ten meters of wall surrounding Sol were cleared, and the remaining soldiers farther away fell into a stupor. The sight of twenty-some soldiers crumpling together, their limbs strewn about and blood gushing forth, was too shocking to behold.

The soldiers had seen those who could wield energy before; there were knights among their ranks, and Viscount Sadde himself was a great knight. However, they rarely witnessed the likes of an Earth Knight, a rank above great knight.

In fact, there were only two known Earth Knights in the entire Golden Dragon Kingdom: the Duchess of the Rose on the Western Frontier and the dragon knight Sol before them.

Because Earth Knights were extremely rare, many people had no firsthand understanding of their capabilities. In truth, Earth Knights differed fundamentally from knights and great knights.

Although they seemed to be only one rank higher, knights and great knights could only manipulate energy to attach it to themselves or their weapons, while Earth Knights could control vast amounts of energy several meters—sometimes even tens of meters—away from their bodies, making it a semidistant attack.

This hellish scene not only stunned the soldiers preparing to attack, but also the nobles standing by, including Viscount Sadde, who stared in shock.

Was this the power of an Earth Knight?

Regret arose in Viscount Sadde’s heart. Perhaps the chubby Dane, who was constantly looked down upon by the twelve noble families of Bolay City, was the true smart one. If he had chosen to surrender at the start, perhaps there would have been a glimmer of hope.

But soon, Viscount Sadde pushed these thoughts aside. Arrows cannot return to the bow once fired. Since he had already chosen a course of action, he must see it through to the end.

“Continue the attack! Death to any who retreat!”

“Kill!”

After a moment of hesitation, the soldiers surrounding him continued to advance on Sol. Although this scene of violent confrontation was terrifying, these soldiers had long since tied their fates to the Sade family’s—they rose and fell together.

Furthermore, the Sade family’s officers were there to supervise the battle, ensuring the soldiers continued to engage Sol.

Clang, clang, clang…

This time, Sol did not rely on the same tactics from earlier. Instead, he charged into the crowd, drawing his sword, and began slaughtering soldiers. After all, unleashing a wide-range blast of spiritual energy took a tremendous toll on Earth Knights, so it was sufficient to use it once merely to intimidate his opponent.

“Ah!”

After Sol engaged in close combat with the Sade family’s soldiers, screams began to rise one after another from atop the city walls.

Sol’s exceptional martial skills combined with his mastery of energy usage made it so that even in close combat, his killing efficiency remained high.

Within mere seconds, the ground was littered with over ten corpses, none of which showed any sign of driving Sol off the wall.

Below the city, the siege ladders were already in position. Cooze and Darnell were more than ready to climb up first once the ladders locked into place, but by then, it may be too late to turn the tide.

With this thought, Viscount Sadde drew his sword, a fierce gleam in his eye.

He first looked around at the other nobles, many of whom had knight rank or even great knight rank, enough to help turn the tide if they were willing to fight. But as his gaze swept over them, every one of them averted their eyes.

They had not asked for this trouble, and while their interests aligned with those of the Sade family now, it wasn’t like they felt any particular sympathy for their plight. They knew full well that the Sade family’s destruction would be their own demise, but they also knew that fighting Sol would be suicidal, given how ferocious he had been so far.

Though they had no idea how strong an Earth Knight could be, the demonstration they had witnessed was more than enough to teach them a lesson, and none were willing to risk their lives without knowing what awaited them. After all, they weren’t the ones under attack right now, and their future prospects were better if they survived.

“Hmph!”

Seeing how terrified these nobles were, Viscount Sadde knew there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t force them into battle, so he simply let out a heavy huff and led his personal guards and fellow Sade family members into battle against Sol.

If the Sade family wanted to survive this ordeal, they had to drive Sol away.

“Kill!”

Clang, clang…

As Viscount Sadde drew his sword and joined the fray, the small circle around Sol once again filled with defenders.

Under Viscount Sadde’s leadership, the knights displayed even greater bravery than before—though it did them no good against the Earth Knight. In the face of such a formidable opponent, combatants below knight rank could only use their lives to deplete his energy.

In a sense, knights were no different, though they could absorb a bit more energy before meeting their end.

Only the Great Knight Viscount Sadde, with his enhanced combat power, could exchange blows with Sol and still remain standing—but he drew Sol’s attention in the process. Though Sol did not recognize Viscount Sadde, he could tell from a glance that this armored figure was no ordinary foe.

He promptly adjusted his target to the Sade viscount, who certainly didn’t dare engage Sol in single combat.

Sol’s energy easily overpowered Viscount Sadde’s, and the viscount’s sword, imbued with energy, was slashed with a deep gash.

With a crisp clang, Sol swung his sword again, sending energy surging from the blade, which cut through the surrounding soldiers like a scythe through wheat.

Only Viscount Sadde, with his Great Knight rank, blocked the blow with his sword held horizontally.

Before Viscount Sadde could breathe a sigh of relief, Sol leapt forward and swung his sword straight at Viscount Sadde’s head.

With another clang, Viscount Sadde barely managed to block the blow, then staggered back several steps.

The disparity between the two was not merely in the quality of their energy, but also in their absolute strength. Blood flowed freely from between Viscount Sadde’s fingers, and anyone with eyes could see that he was moments away from defeat.

Clang, clang…

Pfft!

“It is an honor to die beneath Sir Sol’s sword…”