FLDI Chapter 174

“Hahaha!”

“Well, well!”

“It looks like this is truly the Dresrosa family’s chance.”

“Thor, you’ve done well!”

Bryan couldn’t help but speak up, his face now lit with excitement and exhilaration.

A Sky Knight—when a family possesses a Sky Knight, everything changes. Thor’s actions couldn’t be called madness; rather, they were a timely grasp of opportunity.

“Stuck!”

After the excitement faded, Bryan turned to his eldest son.

“Father.”

Stuck quickly responded, having regained his composure, his expression now tinged with joy.

“Set out now, and head to Loren City for registration.”

“Remember, once you become a frontier lord, follow everything that Uncle Thor arranges.”

Bryan spoke earnestly.

“Understood!”

Stuck nodded, his demeanor unusually serious.

“Brother Bryan, you’re too kind.”

Thor chuckled and shook his head.

“This isn’t kindness, Thor. From now on, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Bryan shook his head, then spoke with conviction.

Though the conversation had been brief, Thor’s series of actions had already made Bryan realize that this younger brother of his was far from ordinary. The tactics and strategies Thor employed were enough to earn Bryan’s admiration. It was clear that having his eldest son follow along would bring great benefit.

Thor smiled but said nothing more.

An increase in family power was something he welcomed. The Northern Province was vast, and even if he were to rise to the rank of Count or Marquis, it would still be impossible for him to control it all. The more power the family wielded, the greater their influence in the Northern Province.

Particularly since Bryan’s strength was not insignificant—he was a courtly Viscount who had already broken through to the Earth Knight rank, with rumors suggesting his mentor was someone of great renown.

The only issue was that there wasn’t enough time to mobilize forces, but that was not a real problem.

Such added strength would undoubtedly elevate the family’s position in the Northern Province.

With decisions made, Thor and Bryan discussed a few more matters before Bryan arranged places for them to rest.

In the midst of war, there were no permanent accommodations, but temporary tents could be set up. The area behind the fortress had plenty of open space to house everyone.

Thor soon settled in the northern defense line, while Stuck rode off toward Loren City.

As night fell, the familiar mechanical tone rang out again.

Just like every other time before.

[Daily Intelligence Updated]

1: A group of earth dragons will pass through 120 miles to your west, with their leader having reached the third tier.
2: From the capital, Viscount Mohan has acquired a pocket watch containing a secret not known to many.
3: Tomorrow morning, a third-tier Minotaur tribe from the Orc lands will attack your defense line.
4: 150 miles to your right, a group of Earth Fiends will appear. Their meat is particularly delicious and holds the ability to enhance life force.
5: The Divine Awakening is nearing its final moments, and the Bloodthirsty Wolf leader has become increasingly berserk, even inciting a fifth-tier Orc tribe to strike the northern defense line.
6: Five days from now, 20 miles to your right, the Bloodthirsty Wolves will initiate a grand Divine Awakening, but due to the arrival of forces from Tulip Kingdom and neighboring realms, the Awakening will fail halfway, and only the fall of the Divine Ruins will remain.

The intelligence kept coming.

However, there weren’t as many rewards this time.

The area around the fortress had been nearly destroyed, and any magical beasts that hadn’t been wiped out had already fled. There was little of value to be found here.

To gather anything worthwhile, one would need to venture at least a hundred miles out.

Of course, Thor wasn’t about to take that risk. His current goal was the Divine Ruins, and he wouldn’t let this distract him.

His thoughts drifted as the northern night grew cooler.

The night passed quietly.

For the knights at the fortress, it was a small blessing that the walls they occupied hadn’t been attacked that night. Though the sounds of distant battles and magic cannons echoed in the distance, for the knights stationed here, it was a welcome reprieve.

At least they would have one peaceful day of rest.

The night passed amidst the rumbling.

When the first light of dawn broke, a new day quickly arrived.

The knights atop the fortress sprang into action.

They had to eat quickly. Based on past experience, after a night without an attack, the orc tribes would surely launch an assault at dawn. By then, they wouldn’t have time to eat.

Huge bonfires were lit, and food was quickly prepared.

It was soon distributed to the various knight groups.

Thor and the others received their portions.

Bryan even came personally.

“Brother Bryan.”

Thor greeted him.

“Thor, eat quickly. The orc tribes will attack soon.”

Bryan spoke in a low voice, urging him.

“Understood!”

Thor nodded and didn’t delay.

“Remember, once the battle starts, stay by my side. Don’t rush out. The fortress has a magic array, and charging out will increase the danger significantly.”

Bryan spoke with a serious tone, giving additional instructions.

Thor listened carefully.

Though his strength was considerable, this was a battlefield, and anything could happen. Even with the daily intelligence reports, knowing that only a third-tier Minotaur tribe would be attacking didn’t mean he should underestimate the situation.

Especially since the kingdom’s war was just beginning. Learning more and gaining experience was never a bad thing.

The two sat atop the fortress, eating and conversing.

But not long after, with less than half of their meal finished, the sound of a sharp horn echoed.

“Hurry, it’s starting!”

Bryan’s expression changed, and he quickly shoved the remainder of his food into his mouth, then sprang to his feet.

Thor didn’t hesitate either, quickly following suit.

One by one, the knights stood in formation.

Above them, a knight waved a flag, signaling.

“It’s the third-tier Minotaur tribe.”
“It seems their numbers exceed seven thousand.”

Bryan explained the flag’s meaning to Thor.

“Third-tier, huh?”

Thor nodded, glancing at the signal again and committing it to memory.

“Stay sharp. Follow my lead. If I can take down the third-tier Minotaur leader, it’ll be worth fifty military points.”

Bryan mused for a moment before speaking quietly.

Thor nodded in agreement, understanding that Bryan was offering his guidance.

“Alright!”

“Prepare for battle!”

Seeing that Thor acknowledged, Bryan picked up a nearby knight’s lance.

“By the way, remember to use your knight’s lance in battle, and avoid using your sword.”

It seemed Bryan had recalled something, and he gave another reminder.

“Understood!”

Thor nodded. He’d already noticed the advantages of using a lance in previous battles with the orc tribes.

This time, he was naturally fully prepared.

Not just him—his troops were equally ready.

While the two of them were talking, the knights on the fortress wall had also made their battle preparations.

At the same time, the dense figures in the distance gradually began to appear, and soon everyone could clearly make out the orcish shapes.

It was unmistakably a herd of Minotaurs.

The numbers were overwhelming, and from afar, they looked like a massive dark mass.

As the dark figures drew closer, becoming clearer and more distinguishable as Minotaurs, the magic crystal cannons on the fortress walls flared to life, casting brilliant blue light.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

With the flash of the magic crystal cannons, blinding beams of light shot up into the sky.

Then…

The distant explosion resounded with a mighty “rumble.”

Under the terrifying thunderous force, the Minotaur tribe was thrown into disarray.

A large number of low-tier Minotaurs were burned to a crisp.

But this chaos didn’t last long.

Soon, the Minotaurs spread out, and even though the magic crystal cannons lit up again, it was harder to cause large-scale damage.

“Damn it, these bastards have gotten a lot smarter.”

One of the knights couldn’t help but curse.

At first, the magic crystal cannons had posed a significant threat to the orc tribes.

But with time, the orcs had figured out ways to counter them.

For tribes of the fourth tier and above, it was needless to say—one fourth-tier orc could easily withstand the blasts of these magic crystal cannons.

As for second-tier and third-tier orcs, they had their own solutions.

That solution was simple: scatter.

When they spread out enough, the threat from the magic crystal cannons became limited.

Just like what was happening now.

Ten magic crystal cannons fired continuously.

But the number of Minotaurs they took down was minimal.

The Minotaurs dispersed, charging straight at the fortress.

Among them, one particularly massive Minotaur, towering at three to four meters tall, was especially noticeable. Around it, there were numerous others about two to three meters in height. Clearly, this should be the third-tier Minotaur chief, the leader of the tribe.

“Prepare for battle!”

Bryan spoke, giving a quick command, then leaped down from the wall, gripping his knight’s lance.

One by one, the knights behind him followed suit, leaping down after him.

Thor didn’t hesitate either. Leading Steve, Pelos, Raine, and over twenty formal knights, he followed Bryan and jumped down as well.

Across the entire fortress, many knights did the same.

A third-tier orc tribe wasn’t much of a threat, so it was time to take the initiative.

Only when facing a fourth-tier orc tribe would they rely on the magic array for defense.

Of course, the so-called defense wasn’t a guarantee—it was a race to see whether the fourth-tier orcs would break through the magic array first or if reinforcements would arrive in time to stop them.

The strength of this particular defense point was far from enough to resist a fourth-tier orc tribe.

This was the dilemma faced at many such defensive points.

The third-tier orc tribes could be repelled, even defeated, but when it came to a fourth-tier orc tribe, there was no way to stop them.

This was perfectly understandable.

While fourth-tier orcs weren’t as powerful as Sky Knights, they were still far stronger than even peak Earth Knights, and the number of Earth Knights at their peak was limited.

Only powerful noble families, like those of Counts or above, could afford to have such knights.

Throughout the northern defensive line, there simply weren’t enough peak Earth Knights to guard every position.

And without them, a fourth-tier orc tribe was virtually unstoppable.

Fortunately, for now, this was still just a third-tier orc tribe.

“Kill!”

Bryan’s voice rang out, and his figure, with knight’s lance in hand, charged straight into the Minotaur ranks.

Behind him, the knights followed closely.

Thor did the same.

And from the moment he engaged, Thor felt an unmistakable difference. These Minotaurs were unlike those he had faced in the Northern Province.

The Minotaurs enhanced by secret magic were no match in terms of power, speed, or agility for these real, natural Minotaurs.

Before, he had been able to cut through thousands of the magically created Minotaurs, but now, every single Minotaur in front of him was the real deal.

Each one was as strong as an apprentice knight, with the first-tier Minotaurs even surpassing ordinary formal knights in strength.

Fortunately, the magic crystal cannons had already taken down a considerable number of Minotaurs.

Additionally, with over five hundred knights in his group, many were Grand Knights, and quite a few had reached the peak of Grand Knight status.

In contrast, in the third-tier Minotaur tribe, there were only around ten second-tier Minotaurs.

They were soon repelled.

Bryan, alone, suppressed the third-tier Minotaur chief and three second-tier Minotaurs by himself.

The battle raged on.

Thor’s life force surged, and his powerful aura spread widely.

His figure, or more precisely, his and Raine’s figures, stood out like a beacon. In the moments when they collided with the Minotaur tribe, numerous Minotaurs were sent flying.

Even second-tier Minotaurs were almost instantly dispatched.

They were utterly unable to stop him.

Frost and lightning spread out around him.

In Thor’s immediate vicinity, the Minotaurs were quickly cleared away.

(End of Chapter)

Series Navigation

<- PreviousNext ->