Chapter 152: Eager for Merit

With his long sword leading the way, cutting through all obstacles, Ryan wielded the Goddess of Vengeance and carved a path through the entire orc army.

In the heavy rain, a Knight of the Holy Grail clad in gray knight psionic power armor and wielding the Goddess of Vengeance was an invincible force.

From lesser horned beasts and horned beasts to the most elite great horned beasts.

From chaos hounds and razor beasts to harpies and giant minotaurs.

No creature was a match for Ryan, his long sword emitting a dazzling pale blue light as he repeatedly charged through the orc ranks. Any attempt by the orcs to organize a counterattack was immediately thwarted by Ryan, wielding the Goddess of Vengeance mercilessly, crushing their feeble efforts.

All resistance was crushed, leaving only chaotic orc hordes and the relentlessly advancing human army.

Seeing the situation turn dire, the Beast King and the Screaming Great Shaman immediately abandoned deploying their most elite units, the doom bulls and cyclops warbands, and rapidly withdrew from the battlefield with their elite troops, leaving behind several orc warbands to cover their retreat.

"Lord Ryan, don't abandon us!" A group of serfs found themselves surrounded by orcs. Seeing this, Ryan hurried over: "Hold on!"

"Uh... humans!" Another orc leader appeared before Ryan.

"Die, beast!" The Goddess of Vengeance unleashed its full power, the divine light blinding the orc leader before the long sword traced a beautiful arc.

A flash of white, and the orc's machete, right arm, and head were simultaneously severed.

"Aaaaah!" Ryan let out a roar wilder than the orcs, marking the third orc leader he had slain: "For the Lady!"

"For the Lady!" Roars and shouts echoed across the battlefield. Without their leaders and command, the orcs were like stray dogs, even the serfs daring to press their attack.

Chaos, bloodshed, and severed limbs littered the battlefield.

"Charge!" Julius raised his shield, deflecting the minotaur's axe blow before his long sword wounded the beast's thigh. As it tried to rise, Julius thrust his sword into its chest and twisted: "Die!"

Sweat and rain mixed together, washing away filth and the last remnants of the orcs' morale as they scattered in all directions.

Gabriel was about to lead the army in pursuit when Sulia stopped him, her golden hair soaked by the rain. She quickly said, "Lord Gabriel, no more chasing. The soldiers have reached their limit."

Realizing that both knights and serfs were exhausted and that pursuing the orc army deeper into the forest in the heavy rain was unwise, Gabriel ceased the chase, proclaiming: "Victory! Victory!"

"Victory!"

"We have won!"

"To hell with those beasts!"

"The gods will mock their cowardice!"

The soldiers roared, shouting, standing atop the corpses of orcs, declaring victory. Knights proudly recounted their deeds, sergeants calculated the bounty for the orc heads, and serfs searched the battlefield for spoils.

This battle saw the Knightly Right Army annihilate over two thousand orcs, a significant loss for the orc forces.

The Goddess of Vengeance sheathed, Ryan, exhausted from fighting in power armor and wielding the Goddess of Vengeance for over two hours, caught his breath. Although drained, they had ultimately triumphed.

The Knight of the Holy Grail raised his war hammer: "Victory! We have won this victory for the Lady and for Britannia!"

"Victory! Victory! Victory!" Seeing their commander speak, everyone responded loudly.

In the pouring rain, lightning illuminated the battlefield, casting Ryan's silhouette against the pile of orc corpses, a sight etched into everyone's heart.

This was the invincible Knight of the Holy Grail, the champion of the Lady of the Lake.

"Quickly clean up the battlefield; we mustn't stay here!"

"Yes!"

"Be wary of any surviving orcs, finish them off. We don't need prisoners!"

Ryan ordered, then noticed a young man walking past him.

It was Dennis, the young man who had warned him of the heavy rain. Noticing him holding several heads and seeking reward, Ryan approached Gabriel and whispered a few words.

"Oh! Of course, he certainly deserves a reward for his actions!" Gabriel nodded, forced to shout over the rain: "If Lord Ryan thinks he's worthy, I have no objections. After all, it's Lord Ryan who brought us victory, haha!"

"Thank you very much, Gabriel, thank you." Ryan nodded in appreciation.

After their brief exchange, Ryan suddenly realized the rain had stopped falling on him.

Turning around, he saw Sulia holding an umbrella over him, her radiant smile shining: "Lord Ryan, this is my thanks to you."

"I should be the one thanking you, Miss Sulia." Ryan smiled, nodding. His body was still drenched, but the gesture of the umbrella wasn't about staying dry.

Understanding the knight's intent, if he didn't use the umbrella, he would never dry off.

So, the Knight of the Holy Grail called out: "Mr. Dennis! Please come here!"

The battlefield fell silent.

All eyes, both serf and knight, were on the young man.

In the pouring rain, Dennis turned around, his face a mix of shock and uncontrollable joy, running towards Ryan, soaked in mud and rain: "Lord Ryan?"

"Let me see your spoils?"

"Yes, yes, my baron!" Dennis presented his bounty: one horned beast and three lesser horned beasts' heads.

Ryan nodded slowly, recognizing the young man's worth.

He made up his mind: "Mr. Dennis, please kneel!"

"Yes, yes, my baron!" Realizing what was happening, the young man was overjoyed, kneeling in the mud and corpses.

This was it, the moment! The serfs watched the kneeling young man with envy.

Was this happening?

"Mr. Dennis, your information guaranteed our victory, and your bravery proved your strength," Ryan said solemnly, with Sulia by his side feeling the baron's seriousness.

Dennis trembled violently, only able to repeatedly bow, his face covered in mud.

"Because of your contribution, I, the champion of the Lady, Knight of the Holy Grail, Baron Ryan-Makado, officially appoint you a sergeant. Do you accept?"

"Dennis accepts!" The serf continued bowing frantically.

The Knight of the Holy Grail lightly tapped Dennis's shoulder with the handle of his war hammer, completing the ceremony.

A dream realized.

In these dark times, war was the only hope for a serf's advancement. Perhaps the death of hundreds of serfs couldn't earn one a promotion, but this was the only chance for a serf to change his fate.

He seized it.

Dennis wanted to cry.

But Ryan wouldn't allow him time to weep, ordering: "Quickly clean up the battlefield; we need to retreat, find a place to make fire, and shelter from the rain! If we continue like this, everyone will get sick!"

"Yes!" Soldiers hastened their efforts, and Dennis, under Ryan's stern gaze, quickly got up, crying as he gathered his belongings.

After a brief cleanup, the Right Army, gathering all troops, found a forest canyon three kilometers from the camp as a shelter from the rain. Serfs built makeshift rain shelters to huddle and warm themselves by the fire, while knights also sought refuge in tents to warm up, their armor chilled from fighting in the rain, even in summer.

Humans were less adept at fighting in forests and heavy rain than orcs.

Inside the central command tent, Ryan, Gabriel, and Julius warmed themselves by the fire. Ryan wasn't bothered, as he could use his psionic energy to dry his clothes. After bathing and changing into clean clothes, they huddled around the stove, drinking hot soup.

After such intense fighting, even legendary warriors like Julius and Gabriel were exhausted.

A while later, Sulia, now in clean clothes, and her maid Sylvia joined them, the freshly bathed knightess emitting a faint fragrance as she sat next to her brother and Ryan.

They began discussing their next steps: "We've repelled another orc attack. What now?"

Gabriel laughed: "Don't worry, if I'm not mistaken, the orcs won't bother us again soon."

"I've dealt with orcs for over twenty years and know them well. After such a defeat, they won't engage us unless absolutely necessary. Clearly, the charge led by Lord Ryan has made them suffer enough. The appearance of the Knight of the Holy Grail instills fear in them."

Ryan smiled: "That's right, fighting orcs is just like that, whoever shows weakness loses."

"For at least the next few days, we'll have relative peace. Our troops have suffered casualties, and fighting in the rain has exhausted the knights. We need a day or two to recuperate."

Thus, the Right Army decided to rest in the canyon, waiting for the rainy season to pass.

...

When Marquis Angers received the message from Marquis Gabriel, he was certain the Right Army had encountered the main orc force.

No more worries about ambushes!

So, on September 3rd, he and Count Adelard led the Central Army and the Left Army deeper into the forest, planning to strike the orcs from two directions.

By September 5th, the day after Ryan's victory over the orcs, both armies had fully penetrated the forest.

During their march, the army encountered small orc warbands. Marquis Angers was cautious, restraining the knights from advancing too far or straying from the army.

Count Adelard, however, was different.

As a count of the Leonathal Duchy commanding the Left Army, he lacked the authority of Marquis Angers, who wielded royal insignia, and the prestige of a Knight of the Holy Grail like Ryan.

Count Adelard's control over the Left Army was clearly insufficient.

Seeing a few orcs nearby, the knights would shout and chase after them. The orcs seemed scared and fled, prompting the knights to pursue further.

"Advance! Advance! For the Lady! For Britannia!" Each knight hoped to attract the Lady's attention through their bravery. Count Adelard struggled to restrain their desire for glory, or perhaps he had no intention of doing so.

With the orc main force engaged with the Right Army miles away from the Left Army, it was time for the knights to earn their glory.

Thus, the ten-thousand-strong Knightly Army stretched into a long formation, with knights eager for merit rushing to the front, creating a gap of several kilometers between them and the rear serf infantry and logistics personnel.

On the afternoon of September 6th, the Left Army reached a hilly area.

"My lord, the Lait Forest is ahead!" A knight informed Count Adelard.

The Lait Forest, a highland area with intersecting valleys and varied terrain, was covered in tall oak trees, allowing easy passage for horses and men.

"Excellent! Soldiers, let's speed through this forest. Victory is within reach!" Count Adelard, in high spirits, issued the order.

After walking through dense forests for days, the knights were ecstatic to find an area where they could ride. They mounted their horses and trotted through the forest.

Their joy was short-lived. In the afternoon, the sky darkened, and thunder rumbled, heralding rain.

"Damn, it's going to rain."

"Soldiers! Find shelter!"

"Careful, don't let your armor get wet!"

The army halted, seeking shelter from the rain. Squires covered the knights' armor with oilcloth, while serfs huddled under trees, stretching the army over several kilometers.

As thunder grew louder and rain heavier, the entire Lait Forest was drenched. Under the cloud-covered sky, soldiers and knights cursed the weather while seeking refuge.

The forest became a swamp.

The rain muffled sounds, and the mud concealed hoofsteps.

In the darkness, countless evil creatures approached through the forest. After their defeat to Ryan, the orc army used the most secret beast paths to reach this forest in two days.

Hundreds of three-meter-tall great horned beasts, wielding large axes, lined up, closing in from two directions behind them were thousands of horned beasts and lesser horned beasts.

Hundreds of giant minotaurs approached from another direction, followed by countless chaos hounds, razor beasts, and chaos ogres.

On an orc chariot, the Beast King "Bloodhorn" Marlas carefully observed the knightly army's formation, confirming the absence of the Knight of the Holy Grail. A cruel, bloodthirsty smile spread across its face: "No... Holy Grail! Humans... weak!"

"Attack?" The Screaming Great Shaman "Heart Eater" Groz exhaled a thick, corrupt smoke.

"No, wait... wait!" Marlas extended his claw, signaling the army to continue waiting.

As the rain persisted for hours, flooding the forest and casting the knights into despair, Marlas finally saw the army he wanted to confront: "Wait a bit longer."

Doom bulls and four-armed minotaurs joined the frontline, mercilessly trampling through the orc ranks. Giant cyclops wielding massive clubs joined the orc army from the rear.

When the doom bulls and cyclops reached the front of the orc lines, the Beast King finally gestured forcefully: "Now... attack!"

A somber, oppressive horn sound erupted from the depths of the forest.

"Du~woo woo woo!!!"

In the dark storm, the orc army rolled forward.

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