"I can't stop those knights who can use Origin Blood Ignition, but without their protection, Jonan won't be able to stop me either."

  Charlot Mecklenburg activated Swiftstep Technique and Spider Technique to their full extent. Augmented by six Blood Vortexes, his speed was like a streak of lightning.

  In this moment, he suddenly understood why Dubin Alger, Dolores Soumet, and Frederica insisted on battling outside the city. The mode of warfare in this extraordinary world was utterly unlike any era on Earth.

  Charlot charged into the South Seraph restorationists’ army. His weapon, Blood Rose, sshed and swiped in unpredictable forms, as quick as crimson lightning. The Vampiric Axe controlled by Bloodfme Aura darted like a bloodsucking bat, ceaselessly harvesting the lives of distant South Seraph soldiers.

  In the blink of an eye, more than ten lives were snuffed out by Charlot's hands.

  His Eye of Insight activated, and he avoided engaging in prolonged combat, targeting weak spots in the South Seraph forces to create chaos.

  On the city walls, the entire West Wind Knight Order and the Silver Dove Castle militia watched in astonishment as Charlot, like a lively carp, maneuvered through the tens of thousands of soldiers. He surged through waves of enemies, heading straight for the opposing commander.

  Frederica gasped in awe. "Defend! Defend! We must buy Charlot more time!"

  The leopard-woman warrior no longer mentioned retreat.

  Dolores switched to another magical card, her gaze resolute.

  Yellow Bear chuckled, suddenly feeling rexed. Although the outcome of the battle remained uncertain, he was filled with confidence.

  Dubin said nothing but arranged the West Wind Knight Order into the most optimal formation and pced himself on the front line.

  To everyone's surprise, two sudden bursts of battle energy erupted from within the Silver Dove Castle militia. Two Transcendents who had been concealing their strength, intending only to protect themselves, could no longer hold back and revealed their true abilities.

  Jonan initially didn’t notice, but when he saw a disruptive force break through the army's formation and bypass his guardian knights, his eyes narrowed. He knew he should order his subordinates to continue the siege, but seconds ter, he shouted, "Retreat! Fall back!"

  He commanded the soldiers beside him to loudly call the guardian knights back.

  More than ten guardian knights, who had almost reached the walls of Silver Dove Castle, hesitated when they heard the cries from the rear. Reluctantly, they abandoned their assault on the castle and turned back to protect Jonan.

  While battle energy can stack in strength, speed is not something that can be amassed by numbers.

  Charlot, equipped with Swiftstep Technique and Spider Technique, far outpaced the knights. By the time they returned to the battlefield’s center, Charlot had already cut through the army and was only a few hundred paces away from Jonan.

  Charlot swapped to the Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle and fired a shot, but a pitch-bck Knight's Lance emerged. The nce, imbued with an intricate and mysterious power, deflected the anti-magic armor-piercing round with a skillful twist, sending it off course. The shot nded on the ground, bsting a massive crater.

  Jonan shouted, "I am always protected by the strongest. You cannot kill me! Once my guardian knights return, you're doomed. Leave your final words now while you can."

  Charlot fired several more shots, but each one was intercepted by a mysterious knight who deflected the anti-magic rounds with precision.

  He had never encountered such an exceptional figure before.

  Well... except for evil gods.

  To be fair, Charlot hadn't seen many formidable people in his life.

  Among those he had met, the most impressive was Miss Menielman Soumet, but this knight seemed no less extraordinary than her.

  Blood boiling with determination, Charlot set his sights solely on killing Jonan, determined to end the war and save countless innocent lives. He moved relentlessly forward, now just dozens of steps away.

  Jonan barked, "Go! Kill this Farsian!"

  The knight donned his visor, becoming one with the wind as he charged toward Charlot.

  Charlot returned the Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle to his coat and drew Blood Rose once more. Unleashing the Arsilo Swordsmanship, he cshed with the knight in a single exchange, only to be shaken by the knight's overwhelming combat energy. Blood Glory churned chaotically within him, pulsating violently.

  Charlot let out a roar, ignoring the chaos in his Blood Glory. He executed the Arsilo Swordsmanship with fwless precision, aiming to break free from the knight’s entanglement so he could nd a decisive blow on Jonan—be it with a shot or a strike from the Vampiric Axe.

  But the mysterious knight's mastery of the Knight's Lance was as inscrutable as it was relentless. His attacks were ferocious and precise, leaving Charlot no room to focus on Jonan. Charlot was forced to devote his full attention to defense, wielding his sword with all his might.

  Short weapons were inherently at a disadvantage against the Knight's Lance. Charlot, a low-ranking Transcendent, fell behind after only seven or eight exchanges. The bck nce fshed like lightning, cornering Charlot without an inch of maneuvering space.

  The mysterious knight's cold voice echoed, "Die, Farsian!"

  Just as Charlot faced his demise, his sword suddenly seemed to radiate like the first light of dawn piercing through ultimate darkness. With Blood Rose poised in a perfect arc, Charlot redirected the bck nce's thrust, letting it carry him out of the attack's range.

  The move was astonishingly brilliant. It was none other than the third movement of the Angel’s Twelve Movements: Eternal Dawn.

  Under the pressure of certain death, Charlot’s swordsmanship had advanced dramatically, granting him a sliver of hope.

  Dawn always brings hope.

  Eternal Dawn bestows infinite hope.

  This move of Arsilo Swordsmanship allowed Charlot to unleash even more intricate variations. Yet, after another dozen exchanges, he was once again suppressed.

  Jonan’s guardian knights had by now returned, only a few hundred paces from the battle.

  Jonan had been drenched in cold sweat, fearing that Charlot’s exceptional swordsmanship might break through his lone defender and reach him. Seeing Charlot under pressure again and the guardian knights closing in, he finally rexed and shouted, "Farsian! Your resilience has enraged me."

  "I’ve decided—once we take Silver Dove Castle, no one will be spared. Everyone will be sughtered."

  "I will ensure the Behemoth Principality suffers the punishment it deserves!"

  "I will make sure all Behemothians understand that rebellion is futile. Resistance brings only annihition. Only swift surrender can earn the forgiveness of South Seraph."

  Charlot unched a flurry of strikes but couldn’t shake off the mysterious knight. He knew that once the Origin Blood Ignition-enabled knights returned, he would be doomed. Whether he could transmigrate again was a question even the Lady of the Bck Moon could not answer.

  Despair gripped Charlot, and he began drafting his surrender in his mind. But Jonan’s threat lit a fire of anger within him—a fury that ignited unprecedented courage and brought unparalleled crity to his thoughts.