The grand army slowly came to a halt.

Before them, a lone, black mountain peak rose abruptly from the ground.

The mountain wasn’t particularly tall, only a few hundred meters, but its formation was peculiar. Massive rock folds spiraled up from its base to the summit, making it look, from a distance, like a colossal black python in slumber.

Countless caves, like the scales on a snake, were carved into the mountainside.

Innumerable Snake-men were moving in and out of these caves and along the mountain paths, brandishing their Weapons and letting out hissing cries. They had clearly entered a state of war readiness.

At the very peak, a massive black banner fluttered in the wind, bearing the totem of a ferocious, two-headed serpent painted in blood.

They had arrived at Coiling Serpent Mountain.

Raylo reined in his mount; beneath him, Baofeng pawed restlessly at the ground.

He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the Snake-man nest.

The first small flag from the sand table in the command tent was now before him, real and alive.

"It seems we’ve been discovered," Ed said in a low voice.

"They’re prepared to defend it to the death."

"Defend to the death?"

Raylo’s gaze swept over the Snake-men waiting in formation on the mountain paths.

He turned his head to look at the Mammoth Knights behind him.

Compared to before, the Mammoths’ equipment had been upgraded yet again.

This was no longer the makeshift gear cobbled together on the battlefield. The Valen Family’s top blacksmiths had custom-made a full set of heavy Beast Armor for them. Each plate of Steel Armor was several inches thick and inscribed with simple Defense Runes, pushing the Mammoths’ already astonishing defensive capabilities to new heights.

On their broad backs rested enormous saddles, like small war platforms. In addition to the rider’s seat, four other seats were fixed in place, occupied by four Knights armed with Bows and Arrows and Short Spears, forming a mobile arrow tower.

"Mammoth Knights, advance," Raylo ordered.

"Trample them."

There were no war drums, no Horns.

The response of the ten steel behemoths was the most magnificent battle hymn.

They took heavy steps, and the ground began to tremble.

After just a few slow strides, they broke into a thunderous run.

The earth boomed, as if ten mobile hills were charging toward Coiling Serpent Mountain.

The Snake-men at the base of Coiling Serpent Mountain had clearly never seen such a spectacle.

They shrieked, hurling Long Spears and shooting poisoned arrows from behind their hastily built wooden walls and fences.

However, when these attacks landed on the Mammoths’ thick Armor, they were utterly useless, producing nothing more than a series of crisp clangs and a few insignificant sparks.

BOOM!

The first Mammoth crashed into what the Snake-men had believed to be a Solid defensive line.

The wall of giant logs and vines was as fragile as a child’s toy before the Mammoth’s Power.

Wood chips and rubble exploded in all directions, and a massive breach was torn open.

The Mammoth didn’t even pause. With a flick of its long tusks, it sent a dozen Snake-men blocking its path flying into the air.

The four Knights on its back calmly drew their bowstrings, sending arrows like invitations from death itself, precisely into the eyes and throats of the chaotic mass of Snake-men below.

Then came the second, the third...

The ten steel Mammoths formed an unstoppable Siege Hammer, wreaking havoc on the camp the Snake-men had painstakingly built at the mountain’s base.

Fences were trampled, crude huts were smashed, and the Snake-men’s formation was utterly shattered in an instant.

"Earth Dragon Knights, follow!"

Ed roared, drawing the Long Sword at his waist and pointing it forward.

Twenty Earth Dragon Knights bellowed and surged through the breach created by the Mammoths. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

They were more agile and faster than the Mammoths.

The Earth Dragons’ massive bodies charged wildly, smashing the Snake-men’s mud and stone huts to pieces, while the Knights on their backs swung their Weapons, cutting down the Snake-men who crawled from the rubble one by one.

The sky had long been covered by the wings of Black Stone Territory.

"Griffin Knights, eliminate the Snake-man elites and commanders!"

Sixteen Griffin Knights shot down from the sky like arrows released from a bowstring.

Their targets were clear: the Snake-man captains who brandished their Weapons, whose scales were a darker shade, and who were trying to organize a resistance.

One Griffin Knight, in perfect sync with his mount, swooped over a Snake-man Centurion’s head. The Long Sword in his hand drew a cold arc, and an ugly snake head flew into the sky.

Higher up, two hundred and forty Pegasus Knights, formed into several attack formations, carried out relentless area suppression.

"Fire!"

At the command, a steel rain of Short Spears poured down.

The dense whistling of air merged into a single roar, drowning out the hisses of the Snake-men.

Screams of agony rose and fell. Many Snake-men were pinned to the ground by the spears from the sky without ever seeing where their enemies came from.

Several thousand Heavy Armor Knights from Black Stone Territory surged into the Snake-man camp behind the Earth Dragon Knights, like a flood breaking through a dam.

The Long Swords and Shields in their hands formed an impassable line of death. They advanced step by step, systematically and efficiently reaping every remaining life.

This was a massacre, not a war.

The Snake-men’s resistance was chaotic and futile before the Knights of Black Stone Territory.

Over an hour later, the clamor at the base of Coiling Serpent Mountain gradually subsided.

The air was thick with the heavy stench of blood. The Snake-man camp had been reduced to ruins, and foul blood stained every inch of the ground.

"Half an hour. Clean up the battlefield and rest here," Raylo’s command spread throughout the army.

The Knights dismounted. Some stood guard while others quickly began to collect the spoils of war.

A small, dainty, jet-black figure emerged from under Raylo’s cloak.

Coal Ball yawned, stretched its back, and then began to inspect its "assets" on its little short legs.

It chirped twice at the squad of Knights responsible for collecting materials, gestured in a large circle with its paw, and then opened its mouth. A barely perceptible Space Rift flashed at its maw.

The Knights, long accustomed to the working methods of their "Minister of Logistics," immediately understood and began moving piles of loot to the open space Coal Ball had designated.

Soon, a small mountain of supplies vanished into thin air.

「Half an hour later」

The army set out once more.

The troops advanced along the predetermined route toward their second objective: the breeding ground of the Swamp Giant Lizards.

The deeper they went, the more complex the swamp’s terrain became.

Towering trees blotted out the sun, the air grew hot, humid, and sticky, and pools of water reeking of decay were everywhere.

「As dusk fell, painting the edge of the swamp in a bloody hue,」

they reached their destination.

Before them lay a vast mire, as large as Black Stone Town itself.

Huge earthen mounds were scattered throughout the mire like stars in the sky. Each mound had a pitch-black opening, like a festering sore upon the earth.

Dozens of massive reptilian creatures were lazing about in the mire or crawling between the mounds.

Swamp Giant Lizards. They averaged over ten meters in length, were covered in thick, earth-yellow Scale Armor, and were genuine Tier Three Magical Beasts.

This was their nest and breeding ground.

Seeing so many Giant Beasts, even the elite Black Stone Knights found their breathing growing heavy.

If they were to charge head-on, even if they could win, the casualties would be anything but light.

Raylo looked up.

He did not order a full-scale assault. Instead, he slowly raised his right hand.

"Sun."

He softly called the name of his Knight partner.

A clear and majestic dragon’s roar exploded over the swamp.

A Giant Dragon with a body over a hundred meters long tore through the clouds and appeared before everyone.

Its entire body was covered in brilliant golden scales. In the afterglow of the setting sun, every Dragon Scale seemed to be ablaze.

It had sleek, powerful muscles, a pair of magnificent Dragon Horns that looked as if they were cast from Gold, and golden, slitted pupils that looked down on all living things with absolute majesty.

The Tier Five Domain Level Magical Beast, the Golden Dragon Sun.

Its mere appearance sent a terrifying pressure, born from a higher Tier of life, sweeping over the entire breeding ground like a tsunami.

The Swamp Giant Lizards, which had been lazing about, were instantly thrown into a state of extreme panic.

Their massive bodies froze in place, trembling. Their biological instincts robbed them of even the courage to flee.

Some of the weaker ones collapsed directly into the mire, foaming at the mouth.

This was the bloodline suppression that High-level Giant Dragons exerted over Low-level Dragon Beasts.

ROAR!

Sun let out a roar. It opened its massive jaws, but instead of Dragon Breath, an invisible shockwave spread out.

Dragon Mighty Shock!

The weaker Swamp Giant Lizards had their internal organs shattered by the roar. Blood flowed from their seven orifices as their massive bodies crashed to the ground.

The rest were thrown into a state of dizziness and confusion, spinning in place, completely losing their ability to resist.

"Griffin Knights, Pegasus Knights, attack!"

Raylo’s voice rang out at the opportune moment.

The Knights in the sky were already prepared.

Like bolts of Lightning, the Griffin Knights dove straight down from high above.

Their targets were the adult Giant Lizards that still seemed capable of moving.

Their sharp Long Spears, enhanced by Fighting Spirit, precisely pierced the relatively vulnerable eye sockets and necks of the Giant Lizards.

The Pegasus Knights maintained their altitude, unleashing wave after wave of Javelins that rained down, cruelly picking off the immobilized Giant Lizards.

"Full assault. Leave none alive."

The Knights of Black Stone Territory swarmed into the mire, beginning the final cleanup of the remaining Giant Lizards and the hatchlings still trembling in their nests.

There was no pity, no hesitation.

War meant using the most ruthless methods to completely destroy the enemy’s effective strength.

「By the time the battle ended, the moon had already risen above the treetops.」

Coal Ball appeared again. Under the gazes of the crowd, a mixture of awe and familiarity, it opened its mouth and "ate" the small mountain of Giant Lizard corpses in one gulp.

It let out a burp, patted its little belly that hadn’t changed in size at all, and returned to Raylo’s side, satisfied.

Aside from the Giant Lizard corpses, the spoils also included more than thirty unhatched Swamp Giant Lizard eggs, which were also taken away.

Raylo glanced at the now-empty breeding ground, then looked up toward the deeper parts of the swamp.

"Change course."

His voice rang out in the quiet of the night.