Hearing Dougs’s words, Duke Kolen asks in surprise, “Commander, you can’t stop him either?”

  Dougs replies, “I can—but there’s a fifty-fifty chance I’ll die trying.”

  Kolen falls silent. If he insists on sending Dougs into the fight and Dougs dies, that outcome would be unbearable.

  Moreover, Dougs’s death would deal a massive blow to Golden Bde’s morale.

  It might even break this elite legion right here.

  That’s a responsibility Duke Kolen absolutely can’t bear.

  Meanwhile, Dominic remains calm, commanding his legion to press the attack against Golden Bde.

  The Golden Bde Legion truly lives up to its reputation as the continent’s elite force—the soldiers fight with fierce tenacity.

  Facing the garrison legion’s assault, they don’t back down an inch.

  Wave after wave of soldiers fall on the front lines, but reinforcements keep charging forward relentlessly.

  Golden Bde’s advantage lies in their soldiers’ superior individual combat skills.

  The garrison legion’s strength is in their coordination and disciplined formations.

  After more than an hour of brutal fighting, Dougs furrows his brow.

  “Duke, we need to pull back. Order the 22nd and 24th legions to support and block the enemy’s advance routes—stop them from chasing after us.”

  Kolen looks shocked again. “Commander! Golden Bde can’t hold?”

  Dougs sighs. “My legion’s stamina is draining fast as time passes. Most importantly, we’re losing formation cohesion, while the enemy still tries to maneuver and attack our fnks. If we wait any longer, the tide will turn immediately.”

  ”Duke, you should understand what this battle means—Golden Bde can retreat, but absolutely cannot lose. Otherwise, the chain reaction will be disastrous.”

  Upon hearing this, Duke Kolen immediately grasps Dougs’s meaning.

  He promptly orders the kingdom’s 22nd and 24th legions to join the battlefield.

  As they move, Arnold’s Second Legion springs into action, preparing to intercept the enemy.

  At the same time, Peace Haven’s three border garrison regiments receive orders to form ranks and advance.

  When the Golden Bde Legion gets the retreat command, the junior officers are stunned.

  They believe they can still fight on—that if they hold a bit longer, Peace Haven’s garrison might colpse.

  But orders are orders, and reluctantly, they begin to pull back slowly.

  As Golden Bde retreats, chaos erupts in the nearby kingdom’s Third Guard Legion.

  Ampton quickly senses the shift and throws in two reserve battalions.

  However, even Ampton’s reserves can’t stop the colpse.

  They can only cover the retreat as best they can, buying time for the incoming 24th Legion to hold the line.

  Once regrouped, they pn to csh again with Peace Haven’s First Legion.

  Intercepting Peace Haven’s First Legion’s pursuit is Duke Kolen’s 43rd Legion.

  What should have been an easy task—after all, Peace Haven’s First Legion has been fighting hard for three hours—turns out brutal.

  The moment battle begins, the 43rd Legion feels immense pressure, their lines pushed steadily back.

  At the same time, Arnold’s Second Legion collides with the kingdom’s 24th and 45th Legions.

  These Peace Haven troops haven’t suffered the wear of fierce combat—they’ve watched their friendly forces fight all morning and are eager to prove themselves.

  Though they can’t match the continent’s elite legions, they’re determined to make a show of force.

  So the kingdom’s two covering legions become the prime targets for Arnold’s Second Legion’s assault.

  Almost one regiment against two legions, Arnold’s troops easily smash through the kingdom’s forward lines.

  Seeing the grim situation, Duke Kolen immediately orders the remaining border garrison regiments and the noble allied forces to prepare for deployment.

  In response, Peace Haven’s three border garrison regiments shift direction, ready to block the kingdom’s advancing troops.

  Meanwhile, the kingdom’s cavalry corps of over six thousand riders readies for a charge.

  Peace Haven’s cavalry regiments also arrive at the battlefield’s edge, poised for action.

  As a massive battle involving over a hundred thousand troops is about to erupt on this nameless little pin, Henwell suddenly halts his pursuit of the Golden Bde Legion.

  Instead, he leads the garrison legion to take position in front of the arriving Kingdom’s 22nd Legion.

  The rest of Henwell’s forces also stop chasing and hold their ground.

  Seizing the moment, the Kingdom’s army hurriedly pulls back to a safe distance, scrambling to reform their ranks.

  Henwell takes the great banner handed by Simon, pnting the pole deep into the hard early-spring earth.

  The Henwell standard fps fiercely in the wind as Henwell Dusk Greatsword points toward the Kingdom’s lines.

  “Fight or not?” he demands.

  Behind him, the Lord Iron Guards roar back in unison, “Fight or not!”

  Soon, the entire battlefield echoes with the furious shouts of Peace Haven’s soldiers.

  Duke Kolen’s face darkens, but Dougs and Ampton beside him shake their heads slightly.

  Finally, Kolen grits his teeth and orders in a low voice, “Retreat!”

  As the Kingdom’s forces withdraw slowly, Henwell raises his left hand holding the Dawn Greatsword.

  “Victory!” he shouts.

  “Victory! Victory…”

  Listening to the cheers behind him and looking back at the countless battle fgs raised across the field, Kolen realizes something.

  Unless the Kingdom is willing to pay a heavy price, there’s no way to deal with this small knight lord—for now.

  Everyone watching knows this too.

  From this day forward, Peace Haven’s legion earns its pce among the continent’s elite armies.

  News that the two Kingdom’s elite legions have been pushed back by Peace Haven spreads like wildfire across the continent.

  Reactions vary—joy, shock, anger…

  Henwell has no time to care about others’ opinions.

  He must focus on building new defensive lines and managing the aftermath of soldier casualties.

  This battle is the one in which Henwell's army suffered the greatest losses.

  Two of his toughest legions suffer nearly 30% casualties.

  Thanks to Henwell’s battlefield medical system, many wounded survive.

  But counting the dead and the crippled, the two legions together lose nearly four thousand soldiers.

  These are the elite troops Henwell painstakingly raised over years, bought with money and care.

  Though Henwell trembles with grief, he knows this battle had to be fought.

  If he hadn’t, the chaos and losses that followed would have been far worse.

  While arranging compensation for the fallen, Henwell also pulls elite soldiers from the two temporary mixed regiments besieging Rifidi to add his two main fighting legions.