"The Hound of Kuran" put away his bow and arrows, looked at the fortress engulfed in flames in the distance, turned his horse around, and rode in the opposite direction from the warriors who were rushing past him, returning to the allied camp.

Enveloped entirely in a raincoat woven from raven feathers, a short figure approached the allied commander and spoke to him in a hoarse voice, like sand scraping against crystal: "Kufflin, the gates of Northstone Fortress have been shattered, the obstacles to victory have been cleared, why don't you join the battle?!"

The young man called Kuflin dismounted and shouted angrily, "Meredis! This is not the battle I wanted! Your so-called schemes go against the beliefs of the Ulster warriors and render my strength completely useless! I, swaggering through the streets with my bow and arrow, am like a clown in the court trying to please the nobles!"

Meredith remained unfazed by the other's anger, calmly stating, "King Conchuber of Ulster requested my assistance in this campaign. He told me that the North Stone Mine is a vital source of wealth for the northern kingdoms. I had no intention of getting involved in the war, but my master owes the king a debt, so I reluctantly came to offer my advice. As for the display of power versus the victory in the war, in my view, the former is utterly incomparable to the latter."

Meredith paused for a moment, then said to the man with a hint of doubt, "Last month, you proposed to marry Vorgal's daughter, but she refused you on the grounds of lacking merit. Is that why you are so eager to prove yourself on the battlefield? Am I right?"

Cú Chulainn flew into a rage, forcefully pulling the bow in two. The centuries-old black maple bow snapped in two, falling to the feet of the man in raven robes. He then stormed off, mounted his warhorse, abandoning his soldiers and the battlefield, and rode away from the camp without looking back.

"As the only son of the King's sister and a general of Ulster, he is brave and strong, but also willful and reckless. Was it right or wrong for King Conchierber to appoint this 'vicious dog of Kuran'?" Meredith shook his head and said helplessly.

Just then, several violent explosions came from the battlefield outside the camp.

This strange phenomenon puzzled Meredith.

A moment later, a barbarian soldier ran into the tent and cried out urgently, "High Priest, our warriors have been blocked by the enemy outside the fortress, and have suffered heavy casualties!"

Meredith was taken aback and hurriedly asked, "We used war beasts to reduce the enemy's strength and even blew up the city walls. With such an overwhelming numerical advantage, why couldn't you take this fortress?!"

The barbarian soldiers knelt on the ground, their faces filled with terror: "Those...those armies from the west, they can use magic! They can also create huge explosions! Their armor can absorb fire and is impervious to swords and spears!"

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The southern wall of the North Stone Fortress collapsed, creating a six-meter-long gap due to the explosion of the alien war beast.

Huggins was thrown ten meters into the air by the blast wave before crashing heavily to the ground.

Thanks to the triple protection of his armor, "dragon bones," and the inheritor's superpower, he did not suffer any fatal injuries. However, broken ribs and patella, a dislocated spine, and a dislocated shoulder joint still rendered the fortress commander completely incapacitated.

The explosion and flames dealt a fatal blow to the archer and crossbowmen units of the Twilight Knights. Four regiments, totaling over five hundred men, suffered a third of their numbers in one fell swoop, permanently weakening the defenders' ranged attack capabilities. Facing the swarming barbarians and the Silver Ring Alliance, the sparse arrows and crossbow bolts caused almost no damage.

“Commander Drese! Commander Aldridge…” Lying on the fortress ground, Huggins was unable to move. Looking at the smoke and flames above his head, he began to use the ‘Hive’ to contact all the regimental commanders.

Some responded, while others remained silent forever.

A novice knight in the order spotted Huggins and immediately summoned the monks and squires.

The monks placed Huggins on a stretcher, examined his injuries, and immediately suggested that the commander go to the rear to bandage and treat him.

Harkins scrambled off the stretcher, grabbed the collar of the monk beside him, glared at him with bloodshot eyes, and roared, "You bastards! Open your eyes and see! Is this the time for treatment?! Get me to the city wall right now!"

"My lord! You are no longer able to fight. If you don't receive treatment in time, you may be left with..."

Huggins grabbed the other man's chin and roared with all his might, "Don't make me say it a third time! Send me to the city wall!"

Seeing that the commander had made up his mind, people carried him on a stretcher and put him on the city wall.

Harkins' return greatly boosted the morale of the remaining defenders on the city wall. The soldiers, who had been at a loss, gradually calmed down after confirming that their commander was safe and sound, and began to go about their tasks in an orderly manner.

"Everyone! Tell me what's going on!"

Lying on the stretcher, Huggins couldn't even sit up straight, let alone survey the battlefield. Left with no other option, he had to use the "Hive" parasite to conduct a continuous "wartime teleconference."

The sentry captain in charge of lookout and reconnaissance reported through the "Hive": "The allied forces of the barbarians and the Silver Ring have been mobilized in full force. Their vanguard, numbering about seventy men, has already broken through the breach in the city wall. They are using Molotov cocktails. Our heavy infantry, responsible for defending the breach, are retreating!"

Harkins ordered, "Notify the quartermaster to bring out the explosive charges! Distribute them to the troops on either side of the breach, above the city walls, and throw them into the enemy ranks to disrupt their formation! 'Inheritor Knights' dismount and switch to foot combat, join the 'Melee Inheritors,' and form a shield wall inside the breach to drive back the invading enemy! The other Inheritors use 'Dragon Bones' to extinguish the fortress's flames! The archer regiment enters the flat area inside the fortress and uses projectile fire to kill the enemy outside the walls! The rest of you should aid the wounded and monitor other directions of the fortress to prevent the enemy from scaling the walls! Everyone, get moving!"

After issuing these orders, Huggins composed himself and reconnected with all the regimental commanders via the "Hive": "Since its founding, the Knights of Twilight have never suffered a single defeat! Not before, not now, and not in the future! Why? Not because the Knights possess overwhelming military strength, but because defeat is unacceptable! Think about it! We are a group of outcasts and cancers feared, loathed, and hated by others. The protection of the Holy Son and the guardianship of the Kingdom are the only means for us and our families to escape the racks and enslavement! Therefore, gentlemen! Speak in the name of the Holy Son! Swear an oath of knighthood! Raise your swords and shields, and let these enemies before you witness yet another great victory for the Knights of Twilight!"