"Rosalia, prepare yourself. Once my army launches the assault, circle around and strike the enemy from the rear. Focus on killing as much of their cavalry as possible."

"Tisiana, same for you. Prioritize wiping out the cavalry, then use your advantage in flight to intercept any fleeing enemies."

After giving his orders, Phield stopped chatting with the Divine Chosen and walked toward the ambush position of the Nightfall Domain army.

The location sat high upon a hillside. The sloped terrain and dense vegetation formed perfect natural concealment.

Phield let out a slow breath.

Defeating the enemy would not be difficult. Instantly crushing a noble army, however, was another matter entirely.

For example, if Rosalia fought alone, her unique Divine Skill would almost guarantee victory. But as long as the enemy scattered and fled in every direction, even Rosalia would struggle to chase them all down, especially with enemy knights capable of holding her back.

If the enemy failed to collapse immediately, the casualties within his own army would skyrocket. Worse, if Baron Busby managed to hold out for even a short while, the sounds of battle could easily attract reinforcements from nearby lords.

If that happened, the entire plan would fail.

"It has to be a single devastating blow."

Phield immediately came up with a method to raise morale.

Dark storm clouds already covered the sky. Fierce winds howled endlessly past his ears, though rain had not yet begun to fall. Strange cries from wild animals echoed faintly through the mountains and forests.

Feeling the increasingly violent wind sweeping past him, Phield slowly scanned the Nightfall Domain soldiers before him.

Every single one of them knelt half-hidden upon the ground, doing everything possible to conceal themselves. From beginning to end, not a single whisper could be heard among them.

Their backs remained perfectly straight. Their eyes burned with fierce resolve, every soldier radiating overwhelming battle intent.

"Many of your families died inside Wind Tour Territory."

"They were enslaved like pigs and dogs, slaughtered like pigs and dogs. Even if you offered everything you had, those people still would not spare them. To put it more cruelly, they never considered you people worth anything at all."

"They didn’t take me seriously either. My requests meant less than farting air."

"And now those greedy mongrels still aren’t satisfied. They’ve gathered an army to hunt you down."

Phield spoke in a completely emotionless voice as he recited the bloody reality before them.

The soldiers clenched their jaws tightly while staring fixedly at Phield.

Their battle intent had already been blazing before this, but now they looked nearly insane. Their eyes turned bloodshot as hatred twisted across their faces.

"However, their foolish plan is about to fail."

"We are wolves, and only blood can wash away hatred."

Standing atop the hillside, Phield noticed Busby’s army slowly entering the ambush zone as they advanced toward the fake campsite he had prepared. Their elite vanguard had already passed through, exposing the weaker flanks.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Phield knew the moment had arrived.

He immediately raised his hand.

The black raven banner used for raiding unfurled violently in the wind. Phield no longer lowered his voice. Drawing his sword, he roared:

"Attack! Take your revenge with everything you have!"

"Attack!"

"By the lord’s command, attack!"

"By the lord’s command, attack!"

Busby was still carefully advancing through the dark mountain paths.

In his eyes, Phield’s forces were far smaller than his own, and with the advantage of a surprise attack, this battle should have been utterly one-sided.

He had already imagined how he would face a despairing Phield, as well as the excuses he would later use to explain matters to the governor.

The army advanced steadily, and he had only just spotted the flickering firelight of the distant camp.

Then suddenly, someone shouted.

Because the mountain winds howled so loudly, Busby failed to react at first, mistakenly thinking it was merely the sound of the wind itself.

Until a thunderous roar exploded across the battlefield and nearly scared him out of his skin.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

A chain of bowstrings and crossbows exploded through the air as Tisiana unleashed a massive wave of feather arrows.

Crossbow bolts mixed with glowing feather arrows rained down across the tightly packed Wind Tour army.

In an instant, sharp metallic clangs, muffled groans, and agonized screams erupted everywhere.

"Enemy attack!"

"We’ve been ambushed!"

The Wind Tour soldiers had already been under extreme tension. The sudden strike instantly threw the entire army into chaos.

"Calm yourselves! Nobody runs!"

Cold sweat poured down Busby’s face as his heart pounded violently.

A terrifying thought suddenly appeared in his mind.

Could Phield have known from the beginning that I would pursue him? No... impossible.

His military instincts immediately forced him to reorganize the army, yet horror soon filled his eyes as enormous boulders and logs began crashing down from the hillside.

"Charge!"

"Full assault! Kill every last one of them!"

"BOOM!"

Thunder exploded across the storm clouds above. Lightning illuminated the black raven banners alongside the frenzied soldiers charging downhill.

The Nightfall Domain soldiers already wore black military uniforms. Combined with their savage plate armor and terrifying masks, they looked less like humans and more like demons crawling out of the mountains.

The Wind Tour soldiers were utterly terrified and completely incapable of listening to commands anymore.

At the same time, every Corrupted Greatsword Warrior burst from the right flank of the Wind Tour army.

Rosalia carried her massive sword straight toward the rear lines, intentionally leaving only the front open as an escape route.

Despite being vastly outnumbered, Phield still dared to surround the enemy while deliberately leaving one path open.

"That really is Phield?"

Busby could hardly believe his own eyes as a horrifying realization gradually formed in his mind.

Phield had wanted him dead from the very beginning.

"Charge!"

In barely the blink of an eye, the incredibly fast Corrupted Greatsword Warriors smashed into the enemy formation like a black tidal wave.

The Wind Tour soldiers had already been frightened senseless by the ambush. Seeing those monsters crash toward them felt like suddenly turning around and seeing a speeding war wagon barreling straight at their faces.

Their minds screamed at them to run, yet their bodies had already frozen stiff.

The greatsword warriors already slaughtered enemies effortlessly with raw magical power alone. Now that the enemy barely fought back, they rampaged like unstoppable berserkers.

Their giant swords spun in savage arcs.

Wet slicing sounds exploded everywhere as severed heads flew through the air in groups.

Meanwhile, the Nightfall Domain First Army charged into the opposite flank with desperate ferocity. Spears and blades hacked wildly through the disorganized Wind Tour soldiers, cutting them down in bloody waves.

The Wind Tour army had completely descended into chaos, soldiers shoving and trampling each other in panic.

"Second-Tier Divine Skill, Endless Severance!"

Rosalia locked onto a dense line of enemies and unleashed her Divine Skill slash directly into them.

A horrifying wave of sword energy instantly tore apart the rear ranks of the enemy army.

"No retreating! Phield barely has any soldiers! Fight back!"

Busby panicked completely and screamed desperately, yet not a single person listened to him anymore.

He simply could not understand it.

Phield’s army was vastly smaller than his own, so how could they possibly attack with such terrifying aggression?

"My lord, we need to retreat immediately! The rearguard collapsed the instant they were hit. The enemy has Divine Chosen acting as shock troops. There’s absolutely no chance for us to turn this around!"

"Damn it! I knew it! The only reason I’m losing is because the enemy has Divine Chosen!"

Hearing the endless screams echoing all around him, Busby’s face turned pale, though he still stubbornly tried to maintain his pride.

"Exactly! We must retreat now!"

The strongest knight within Wind Tour Territory, a third-tier knight from Busby’s own family, was already panicking to death.