Elliott's instructions were ruthless and concise. Without any hesitation, he abandoned the seemingly safe Ninth Knights route and chose the more treacherous Deadwood Forest, where the aura of the dead was even stronger!

"Go!" Kyle's voice was like a thunderclap, instantly waking up the team members who were still in shock.

He pulled Darren up from the ground, glanced at the Ninth Knights' formation with a complicated look, his eyes not filled with anger, but with a heavy understanding and a deeper vigilance.

His first task after graduating from the monastery was to deal with a small-town bishop who had turned into a heretic.

For Kyle now, unless he has actually interacted with someone, even if that person is a believer in the Holy Light, he will not be foolish enough to assume that the person is a good person!

He immediately carried out Elliott's orders without question.

Mark nodded in agreement, and the Forbidden Bible quietly turned its pages in his pocket. An invisible domain quickly enveloped the flank of the turning team, covering their retreat.

He was somewhat powerless against the orc army, but he was an expert at defending against the attacks of the Holy Light Church Knights.

They can dodge ranged attacks, but if the opponent gets within 30 meters of them...

Then let's talk about his "Eternal Nightmare Judgment".

Attack hit rate decreased by 25%, spell failure rate increased by 30%, and doubled against Holy Light units.

This is no joke!

Like startled birds, the Grey Falcon Squad plunged once again into the deeper mud and fog.

Behind them, the main force of the orc army was hot on their heels.

An exceptionally burly orc warlord with ferocious claw marks on his face was staring intently at the human deserters who were faintly visible ahead with his scarlet eyes.

When his clouded vision pierced through the fog and caught sight of the Ninth Holy Knights' banner, which had only recently appeared but was now exceptionally clear, his fleshy face stiffened abruptly, then erupted into a wildly ecstatic grin.

"Haha! It's true! The intelligence is true! Those human scum really did set up an ambush here!" He slammed his huge fist into his thick breastplate, making a dull thud. "Cunning Alfonso, trying to lure us into the Blackwater Shallows and devour us? Dream on!"

The shaman beside him, his cloudy eyes gleaming with a shrewd light, spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Commander, it seems that cunning scout squad was a bait set up by Alfonso! The Heart of Bloodvine... is very likely on them, or hidden by them on a path known only to them! Otherwise, they couldn't have evaded our encirclement time and time again!"

The shaman's voice carried a hint of annoyance and a deeper greed.

The warlord's ecstatic joy was instantly replaced by an even stronger sense of urgency. He whirled around and unleashed a deafening roar at the surging tide of orc warriors behind him, a roar that drowned out the thunderous war drums:

"Warriors! Do you see that human scum's banner ahead?! That's their ambush! But the sacred relic is right before our eyes! It's on that fleeing scout squad!"

"For the glory of the tribe! For the Heart of the Bloodvine! Tear them apart! At all costs! We cannot allow the sacred relic to fall into the hands of those hypocrites in the Ninth Knights! Charge—!"

"Roar! For the sacred relic! Tear them apart!" The orc warrior's roar instantly became even more ferocious and bloodthirsty, like a raging fire doused with boiling oil.

Heavy footsteps pounded through the mud, suddenly increasing speed like a bursting dam, rushing relentlessly towards the Gray Falcon squad that was fleeing into the deadwood forest.

All they could see was that small team and the Bloodvine Heart that they imagined was within their grasp.

As for the human army that appeared from the side? In the face of the fervor to reclaim the sacred artifact, they are only a secondary objective for now!

Behind the formation of the Ninth Holy Knights.

Commander Harrington was clad in gleaming silver-white heavy armor, his face hardened.

He stood on the slope, coldly watching the Grey Falcon squad fleeing for their lives and the relentless, frenzied torrent of orcs pursuing them below.

The adjutant rode closer and whispered, "Commander, it's an unofficial squad of knights from the Thirteenth Holy Knights Order. They should be led by a full member, I think it's the recorder, Elliott... The orcs seem to be heading for them. Should we provide support? Or... intercept the orcs?"

Harrington's gaze swept between the desperate Grey Falcon squad and the berserk orcs, a barely perceptible, cold smile curving his lips.

He slowly raised his hand, as if to order a rescue or attack on the orcs, but the movement was deliberate and methodical.

Just as he raised his hand, the roar of the orc overseer in the distance, "We must not let the sacred relic fall into the hands of the Ninth Knights!" echoed like thunder, piercing through the noisy battlefield.

Harrington's hand, which was halfway raised, suddenly stopped!

His eyes flashed with a sharp light, and the slight curve of his eyes disappeared completely, replaced by annoyance after sudden realization.

These damned orcs, how dare they lie to him!

"The Heart of the Bloodvine... it was on them! No wonder Alfonso was so confident that the orcs would fall into his trap, no wonder the orcs were chasing so frantically!" Harrington instantly understood everything.

Alfonso's "blind spot" tactic was brilliant!

If the orc warlord hadn't spoken carelessly in his haste, he would have been deceived and mistaken for bait or a pawn.

"Order!" Harrington's voice suddenly became resolute, without the slightest hesitation. "First and second squadrons, immediately break away from the main formation! Pursue Elliott's squad with all your might!! Make sure to subdue him and that thing before the orcs do! The rest of you, remain in place and maintain contact with the orcs!"

"Yes, sir!" The adjutant immediately accepted the order and rode off to relay it.

Soon, two well-equipped knight squadrons shot out from the main camp of the Ninth Knights like arrows, heading straight for the lifeless, withered forest!

They were incredibly fast, yet their formation was exceptionally flexible, skillfully avoiding areas where they were making sporadic contact with the orc vanguard, demonstrating a high level of tactical proficiency.

For a time, a strange triangular shape was formed in this area at the edge of the Blackwater Shoal.

The triangular arrow points to the Grey Falcon squad, which, like stray dogs, is desperately rushing into the deadwood forest. Elliott is at the front, with Kyle and Mark bringing up the rear. The squad members struggle through the mud and twisted deadwood.

Following closely behind was the main force of the orcs, relentlessly pursuing them like a bloodthirsty horde. Their eyes blazed with fire, ignoring all obstacles, they savagely smashed through dead branches and rotten wood, their target firmly locked on the "holy relic" ahead.

On the flanks were two elite squadrons dispatched by the Ninth Knights. Like precise scalpels, they moved at high speed, intending to cut off the Grey Falcon Squad's path and capture Elliott alive.

Of course, the battlefield is never just a simple geometric shape.

The main force of the Ninth Knights inevitably came into contact with the flank of the main orc force.

Holy arrows rained down on the charging orcs, while their throwing axes and javelins whistled as they slammed into the edge of the knights' ranks.

Shouts of battle, explosions, and the clash of weapons mingled together.