Three days later, Martin had completed all preparations for the war. He mounted Hefna and led the elite dragon knights and the First and Third Knights, marching towards Viscount Haikang's territory.
This time, he intended to sweep across the western territories and reshape the power structure. However, Martin had never expected that the nobles entrenched in the western territories had already taken precautions.
While he was preparing his troops, his enemies also did not sit idly by - they knew that the Dragon Knight was their biggest threat, and had secretly researched ways to restrain him. They also invited four Sky Knights and one Dragon Knight from elsewhere to help, believing that they had a sure win.
Except for the nobles who remained inactive due to fear of Duke Merlin's pressure, and Earl Feiling who was being punished, almost all the nobles in the West who could mobilize their forces responded to the call.
With the hidden support of the Royal Capital, the coalition's assembly went remarkably smoothly. Eighteen nobles and their knights joined forces, totaling 60,000 to 70,000 men, with a Sky Knight serving as their commander.
Just as Martin was assembling his troops, an intelligence officer sent an urgent report through the communication crystal: unusual movements were reported outside the Viscount's territory. The head of Village No. 12 also sent a message confirming that a large-scale army was approaching.
Martin was shocked. He had not expected the nobles' counterattack to be so swift and fierce. He acted decisively and personally led the First and Third Knights to the border of the Viscount's territory to deploy defenses.
Afterwards, he called his trusted confidants Roland and others to his side and told them to hide first and not to bother with the affairs of Yulong City until he returned. At the same time, he ordered the remaining knights to enforce martial law and let the slave managers coordinate and allocate resources.
After making all the arrangements, Martin led the main forces in the city out and sent a message to Druna to come and join them as soon as possible.
At this moment, his eyes were burning with ambition - using this battle, he aimed to seize the title of Duke and completely rewrite the situation in the West.
The thunder of horse hooves stirred up a cloud of yellow dust as Martin's knights surged out of Yulong City like a torrent of steel. Two days later, they successfully joined forces with Del Luna's reinforcements.
For the sake of intelligence transmission and maintaining a stable rear, Martin ordered intelligence personnel to remain in Yulong City and monitor the movements within the city at all times. Over the past two days, tragic news has continued to arrive—several villages have been brutally massacred, and the nobles have burned, killed, and looted, their atrocities driven solely by their bloodlust.
Martin clenched his fists, anger boiling in his chest. He knew very well that it only took a moment to destroy, but it would take a hundred times more effort to rebuild.
As the team accelerated towards the enemy, the communication crystal on Martin's waist suddenly lit up. Seeing the mark of Duke Merlin, he immediately connected.
Duke Merlin's voice was filled with anxiety. "Martin, the situation is dire! I've just discovered that the royal family is secretly meddling in this matter. I've dispatched four sky mages for immediate support. Do not act rashly!"
Martin's heart warmed, and he said in a deep voice, "Thank you, Duke! Please comfort Jovian on my behalf."
Duke Merlin said with a smile, "That girl cried and said you ignored her." Martin frowned slightly, and his voice softened a little: "I really can't bear to hear her sad..."
The two men discussed for a moment, and before parting, Duke Merlin solemnly said, "If the battle goes badly, come to the Dukedom immediately!"
Martin remained silent, his eyes fixed on the distant White Family in the north, a look of determination flashing in his eyes.
After hanging up the phone, Martin immediately ordered Eric to ride the Frost Dragon to scout the way ahead.
He knew very well that the nobles had long been on guard against the dragon knights. Although he did not dare to think that the nobles would set up a large magic circle that could be easily exposed, he did not dare to take it lightly.
On the morning of the fifth day, Eric circled high in the sky on his Frost Condensate and finally found traces of the enemy.
Just as he was about to investigate further, four figures suddenly emerged from the enemy camp—four sky knights appeared!
Eric kept Martin's instructions in mind, suppressed the urge to fight, looked back at the approaching enemy unwillingly, and controlled Frost to turn back quickly.
When the four sky knights saw the frost dragon turn around and retreat, they did not chase it rashly. Instead, they changed direction tacitly and flew back to the camp of the noble army like hawks returning to their nests.
As dusk deepened, the two sides set up camp facing each other on the vast plains of the Viscount's territory, with flags like forests and swords and spears sharp.
After nightfall, Martin's communication crystal vibrated frequently. Several nobles sent messages urging him to surrender, but he only responded with ruthless rebukes.
Soon after, communications came in one after another from Earl White, Marquis Roderick, and Earl Carlos. Although each of them had their own thoughts in their words, they could not hide their concerns about the situation.
Earl White spoke earnestly: "Martin, save the trouble! If the situation turns unfavorable, come to Merlin's territory and take shelter for a while."
Martin patiently responded to each one, his words revealing his determination to go all out.
After retrieving the communication crystal, Martin summoned the captains and vice-captains of the three knightly orders. The flickering candlelight within the tents illuminated the resolute faces of the men.
"You are all veterans of battle, and I will not interfere with your deployment of troops."
He glanced at the familiar faces, his voice low but every word weighted, "But I have only one request—come back alive!"
Before he finished speaking, everyone had already knelt on one knee, shouting "loyalty" in unison! Martin's throat moved slightly, and he waved his hand to signal everyone to stand up, then turned and walked into the night.
The cold wind blew towards him, carrying the sound of trumpets from afar. He gripped the sword at his waist tightly, and the fire of victory burned in his eyes.
This decisive battle of life and death is already imminent.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and frost and dew condensed in the cracks between the armor, gleaming coldly. The knights silently swallowed the rough wheat cakes, some repeatedly polished their longswords, others carefully tied bandages, and only the sound of metal clashing echoed through the tents.
Martin unwrapped the velvet-wrapped gilded medicine bottle, and the S-level potion in the bottle was flowing with a mysterious glow - this was the life-saving item he took out from the secret vault before leaving.
He solemnly pressed the bottle into Eric's palm and said, "Don't use it unless your heart is in a desperate state of cardiac arrest."
Eric's throat rolled, and when he put the medicine bottle into the space ring, his knuckles turned white from the force.
The sun rose, and a horn blast ripped through the silence. Martin soared onto Helfuna, his dragon wings unfurling as a gust of wind. The three knights marched like unsheathed swords, their iron hooves crushing the morning frost.
In the distance, the flags of the noble coalition army surged like blood-red waves, and the coats of arms of eighteen lords flickered fiercely in the sunlight.
When the distance between the two sides was shortened to a hundred steps, the battlefield suddenly fell into an eerie silence, with only the snorting of war horses and the sound of metal rubbing against each other clearly audible.
"Kill!" I don't know who roared first. In an instant, the sounds of arrows breaking through the air, the roar of war drums, and the collision of weapons intertwined into a purgatory on earth.
Hefna roared to the heavens, placed Martin behind the central camp, and charged directly into the enemy's center. Wherever her dragon's breath passed, knights and horses were reduced to scorched earth. Meanwhile, four sky knights and a dragon knight soared into the air, their lances flashing with cold light, pointing directly at the clouds.
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