Translator: CinderTL
As the thought flashed through his mind, Roland instinctively closed his eyes.
When he cautiously opened them again, squinting, the colossal figure that had loomed in the distant sky had vanished without a trace.
Was it an illusion? Or...?
His thoughts were interrupted by the thunderous pounding of hooves.
The ground trembled, and a razor-sharp gust of wind tore past Roland's face.
Screech!
A piercing, air-rending sound shattered the silence.
The entire battlefield seemed frozen in time, suspended for an instant.
Then came the horrifying sight.
The demonic beasts that had been relentlessly crushing human soldiers and slaughtering them with impunity...
Their upper bodies, severed with surgical precision, slowly detached from their lower halves, slid downward, and crashed heavily to the ground.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The dull thuds echoed across the battlefield.
Only when the crimson mist of blood had billowed across the sky, obscuring vision before slowly dissipating, did Roland finally glimpse the figure that had suddenly appeared before the human ranks.
It was a towering, muscular man clad in gleaming silver plate armor of exquisite craftsmanship.
His head was completely encased in a majestic, meticulously crafted visor helmet.
With a steady, powerful motion, he slowly sheathed the silver blade that gleamed with a chilling light.
The battlefield, once filled with chaotic clamor, instantly fell into a deathly silence.
Only after a moment did the survivors erupt in a frenzy of relief.
They raised their battered weapons high, their voices hoarse as they roared the same name with all their might:
"Beckham!"
"Beckham!"
"Beckham!"
The name echoed across the blood-soaked plain.
"Is that... Knight Beckham?"
Hearing the soldiers' fervent cries, Roland's eyes remained fixed on the towering silver-white figure.
Back at Far Ocean Port, he had witnessed Gondar, a knight and transcendent professional, slaughter demonic beasts, even taking on the colossal sea monster Kraken.
But that had been from a distance, far less awe-inspiring than this close-up observation.
"This is... the power of a knight?"
Roland's heart churned with indescribable awe.
He had roughly estimated that there were at least three hundred demonic beasts on the battlefield, over half of which were the more formidable aberrant demonic creatures.
"Just one strike... and he instantly annihilated over three hundred demonic beasts? They didn't even have time to scream?"
This wasn't a battle; it was a bloody massacre.
Only now did the sound of approaching hooves finally reach the battlefield.
"Lord Beckham!"
Hearing the familiar shout, Roland turned toward the source.
Sean was sprinting toward them on horseback, followed by over a dozen fully armed cavalrymen.
The dust they kicked up glowed with a golden halo in the setting sun.
"Everyone, retreat immediately! Head to Mist Creek Town and evacuate the residents!" Beckham's booming voice echoed across the battlefield.
After confirming that the surviving soldiers were regrouping, he turned to Sean, who had just reined in his horse.
"Sean, lead the remaining attendants to clear the battlefield, tend to the wounded, and cover our retreat."
"As you command!" Sean instinctively straightened his posture, but couldn't resist asking, "What about you, my lord?"
"I need to investigate the situation over there." Beckham turned his gaze toward the horizon, in the direction where Roland had witnessed the colossal entity's emergence.
Before he could finish speaking, a muffled boom erupted, and Beckham's figure vanished from the crimson mud, leaving behind only two deep footprints.
The entire sequence unfolded in the blink of an eye.
By the time Roland scrambled out of the crater, the soldiers were already withdrawing in orderly formation.
He stood at the edge of the battlefield, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Sean! Sean!"
The young squire, hearing his name, whipped around. His sharp gaze softened into shock as he recognized his old friend.
"Roland?"
He immediately wheeled his horse around, spurred his mount, and sprinted toward him with practiced riding skill. He dismounted in a fluid motion, landing lightly on his feet.
"What are you doing here?" Sean grabbed Roland by the shoulders, the still-wet blood on his armor gleaming crimson in the sunlight. His voice was a mix of relief and lingering fear.
"Now's not the time for explanations!" Roland interrupted urgently.
Beckham's grave expression from moments ago remained vivid in his mind.
Whatever had made a Transcendent Knight so wary was far beyond their current capabilities.
Without further explanation, Roland, with Sean's help, pulled Theresa and Black Wind out of the crater.
"Are you alright, old friend?"
Using his Animal Companion ability, Roland gently stroked Black Wind's sweat-soaked mane.
But when he activated Rider's Eye, his heart sank.
The mount's vital signs had plummeted.
In this state, Black Wind couldn't even carry a rider properly, let alone endure a long journey.
Roland frowned deeply and decisively helped Theresa onto Black Wind's back.
The silver-haired woman was relatively light, and in Black Wind's current condition, carrying her should still be manageable.
"Theresa, ride Black Wind and retreat to Mist Creek Town with the soldiers."
"But... but..." Theresa clutched the reins nervously, her face pale as she whispered, "What about you, Mr. Roland?"
"Me?" Roland replied, his hand instinctively reaching for the cold, white skeletal remains on his left wrist.
Though he lacked concrete evidence, a strong deduction had already formed in his mind.
The skeletal remains on his wrist were almost certainly from the colossal creature that had soared through the sky moments ago.
"Damn it!"
"Given that thing's size, the massive skeletal remains the goblins dug up in the jungle must have been just a tiny, insignificant fragment of its body... Even with its body shattered to pieces like that, it could still resurrect itself?"
Despite the turmoil in his thoughts, Roland wore a reassuring smile as he pointed to Sean beside him.
"This guy and I are sworn brothers who've risked our lives together! He wouldn't abandon me, would you, Sean?"
"Of course not!"
Sean patted his chest, his hand striking the solid armor.
"Don't worry, Miss Theresa! I guarantee I'll bring Roland back safe and sound!"
Seeing the genuine concern on their faces, Theresa nodded silently and urged Black Wind to approach the retreating soldiers.
"Alright, Roland, let's get on the horses. I wonder if Uncle Peyton and Dad Gary have packed everything up yet."
"Just a moment, Sean."
As a precaution, Roland decided to temporarily discard the skeletal remains, fearing they might serve as a tracking marker for the unknown entity.
Even if his hunch proved wrong, he could always return to retrieve them once things calmed down.
Better to lose the remains than gamble his life on an unknown risk.
With that thought, he tried to remove the wrist bone.
But the bone, which had previously slipped off easily, now clung to his wrist like molten steel, fused to his flesh.
Worse, the bone's icy chill had begun to radiate a faint heat.
Alarmed, Roland tensed and exerted all his strength.
The wrist bone groaned under the immense pressure, emitting a sickening creak.
"Damn it!"
Just as he cursed inwardly, a suffocatingly hot gust of air, carrying a crushing, destructive pressure, suddenly swept in from behind without warning.
(End of the Chapter)
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