The knights seemed to have received orders to enter the flanks, and the two wings, which were the least attacked by the black wolves, quickly stabilized. The Grusian soldiers gradually realized that the number of black wolves was not large. After a moment of uproar, the soldiers began attempting to encircle from behind.

Have they abandoned the main formation?

Quite a bold decision. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Ben raised his head among the wolf pack, gazing at Sir Glus from afar, separated by hardly a kilometer. This distance on the battlefield of Vaun is neither close nor far, truly testing the courage and wisdom of both commanders.

That noble sir stood motionless, looking at him, seemingly gambling with himself to surround him and this pack of wolves.

Such courage, yet it didn't surprise Ben because he had expected it.

Just in that moment, the wolf pack was thoroughly encircled. Two hundred black wolves, accompanied by over a hundred middle-rank Black Iron Shadow Rock Beasts, faced a human troop dozens of times their number. Retreat was impossible, and it was a question of who would reach victory first.

Ben raised the Earth Sword high.

The wolves automatically made way for him, and the flying horse beneath him seemed to feel its master's urging and began to accelerate. His mount was not an ordinary flying horse but a gift from the Tree Elf clan — this flying horse was a natural spirit with Silver Blood, a descendant of Saint Macalanar, a Silver Seed, and a fantasy creature of the same rank as a Unicorn. It was stronger and faster than typical flying horses, with the ability to control plants and wind — at this moment, Ben rode on the wings of the wind, traveling with it.

Like a drawn white line, there were no longer wolves before him but pale-faced human soldiers wielding long spears. In Ben's hand, the longsword drew an arc, suddenly appearing as if there were seven swords, clashing with a series of clangs as over a dozen spears were simultaneously knocked away.

Ben extended his left hand forward, shouting, "Gale, grant me authority."

This was the two-ring Wind Magic of an Elemental Mage, Bundled Flow.

The explosive airflow burst out in a scattering pattern, as if a hurricane emerged behind Ben. As he advanced, the Wind Wall also moved forward, pushing away the soldiers in front, creating a hemispherical human wall that dispersed mid-air, with these unlucky individuals falling back into the crowd at a distance.

The Black Wolf Lords, with backs raised like giant beasts, marched alongside their master. Innately possessing Silver Peak strength, after petrification, banded rocky armor plates grew on its shoulder armor, forehead, and back, greatly increasing its strength and defense. At this moment, it was nearing the Gold Initial rank. Ordinary soldiers could not approach it. A single wolf howl was enough to weaken a crowd's knees with fear.

Man and wolf instantly carved out a fifty-meter long no-man's land among the crowd. Behind them, the pack of black wolves followed, widening and expanding this pathway.

Yet two knights charged obliquely from the side, aiming to block Ben's path from left and right. With a level swipe of Ben's Earth Sword, a streak of sword light, cleanly passing through, took both knights' upper bodies and their warhorses' heads high into the air.

Instant kill of Silver Rank.

All the Grusian noble soldiers rushing up at that moment shuddered, coming to an abrupt halt. The Golden Domain, this was a battle no ordinary mortals could partake in.

Ben spurred his horse forward again, and the enemy soldiers kept retreating, clearing a path for him. Such a spectacle resembled a battlefield reversal of allegiance. Sir Glus's expression also changed, seeing such a young Gold Level as being among the rare geniuses of Erune.

And this wasn't even Gold Initial. Watching the shimmering elements' domain on Ben's sword, Sir Glus felt his hope freeze to absolute zero.

"What is going on with these rebels..."

But Ben, seeing Sir Glus still unmoved, already understood. Scanning around, two continuous gold-level auras erupted from the crowd, "As expected, there's an ambush, not just two Gold Ranks." He watched the two swordsmen charging him, both Gold Initial, unfamiliar faces, either secretly trained or hired, clearly operating on the considerable wealth of the great nobles.

Ben showed no sign of tension, still forging ahead, lifting his sword to strike at the first Golden Knight charging toward him. With a forceful swing, he slashed with reckless abandon, akin to a meteor hurtling forward.

The Jendener Family's Golden Knight nearly crumbled in fear. He had never seen anyone so reckless, knowingly going one against two and completely giving up on defense. This strike clearly meant 'I'll give my life just to land a hit on you' — lacking any technical finesse, yet terrifying enough to drive one to madness.

He certainly did not want to perish alongside Ben, but the strike came so fast that evasion was impossible, leaving him no choice but to raise his sword to parry. He was already frustrated at heart; though he initially seized the offensive, Ben's insane method abruptly turned the tables. Now he could only hope his companion would seize the opportunity of Ben's all-or-nothing situation. Having worked together for years, he trusted there wouldn't be any oversight on such an apparent chance.

But what happened next was unexpected. Ben's sword struck his blade with a resonant clang with tremendous force that nearly broke his hand. Stumbling back repeatedly, cursing under his breath, he tried to regain his balance, only to look up and find Ben, without needing to recalibrate, already delivering a perfect strike again.

This shock truly sent his soul flying out.

...(To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)