---

Chapter 116: The Knight

“Support General!”

“Don’t let those demon bastards get through!”

The defense at the south gate, as well as the general’s fate, would be critical in determining the outcome of this battle.

Realizing the urgency of the situation, the Undead rushed towards the boy in a frenzy.

But this time, the border warriors held their ground fiercely. Even the troops on the city walls abandoned their defenses, leaping down to join the fray.

The skeletal warhorses galloped in, trying to aid their masters, but the Golden-Winged Griffin pounced on them, flapping its wings and lifting them straight into the sky.

Yet, the Undead General was laughing.

In his cold bony frame, he felt a long-lost fire crossing iron and blood—the indomitable spirit of humanity and the weak.

“Come on, let’s decide this once and for all, just you and me!”

The pale knight’s phantom reappeared, and the chilling cold of death struck again. But this time, the black-haired boy didn’t take a step back; he wasn’t shackled by fear.

Instead, he moved straight ahead, hands tightly gripped, his dark-gold gaze concentrated as he swung down his strongest sword strike yet.

【Annihilation】!

The roar of a fire dragon erupted again, but this time, empowered by Sequence 5, the surge of flames was far more potent than before, reaching the very limit of Sequence 5’s power.

The Undead General roared, pressuring his bloodline to the max. Behind him, the undead knights kicked up dark clouds of frost as they brought down their swords.

One of the generals under the Four Heavenly Kings, the Undead General Inrath, who had undergone hundreds of years of trials and could wield his bloodline’s essence, was immensely powerful.

The white knight’s phantom clashed violently with the dragon’s fire in mid-air.

Ultimately, however, it was the black-haired boy, holding his breath against the horrific pressure, who took a step forward.

A step that would determine life and death.

The crimson slash cut through the night, flame breath surged forward, and beneath the blood-red dragon flames, even the knight phantom of the Undead couldn’t hold back.

In the torrential flames, the dazed Undead General caught a fleeting glimpse of the past.

A time when he was still human.

An utterly ordinary knight.

A knight who believed in humanity’s indomitable spirit.

A knight who admired someone like Roy Ainbrad.

In the gap between life and death, as the dragon flames consumed the infernal demonic energy, Inrath looked at the black-haired boy with the fiery blade and sincerely showed a hint of approval and admiration: “Beautiful.”

Then, the blazing fire erupted, burning to the sky, completely penetrating the blurry knight’s phantom.

A towering pillar of fire shot up from the castle under the night, its explosive light was like a rallying horn for all human warriors.

On the side of the Undead, regardless of whether they witnessed it or not, they couldn’t believe that the general who had led them to countless victories would meet his end like this, causing massive panic.

“That kid really did it!” Looking at the flames in the night sky, Brittany laughed heartily, swinging her axes wildly, “Brothers, we’ve taken the south gate! Charge with me!”

“What an incredible guy…” Count Bear murmured, lamenting the youth’s potential yet rekindling his own youthful bloodlust as he charged into the enemy ranks, unarmed and fearless.

Encouraged by the dragon flames, every border warrior surged with morale, slowly tilting the balance that had been evenly matched in favor of humanity.

However, only at the north gate did the silver-haired girl first smile reassuringly, then her whole being froze, her breath catching.

Roy’s presence had vanished.

At that moment, she could no longer wait.

With all her power, a terrifying glacier erupted from the ground, engulfing the entire section of the city wall that stood before her.

Fierce battles continued everywhere; the fight at the south gate concluded with the death of Undead General Inrath.

The strike of 【Annihilation】 reduced the thick city gates, once capable of withstanding the fury of dragons, to ashes.

The border warriors surged forward, flooding into the city, utterly suppressing the panicked Undead after their general fell, taking control of the south gate.

Yet, the black-haired boy, the pivotal hero of the south gate, no longer had the energy to push further into the city.

He slumped to the ground, leaning against the Golden-Winged Griffin, breathing heavily, barely keeping it together.

This moment had truly drained him.

The strength brought by 【Unquenchable Flame】 was just temporary; after delivering the decisive blow, the effects immediately vanished, leaving Roy on the verge of fainting.

His energy, vitality, and extraordinary power felt like they were all gone, meaning he was left with just a single breath.

Stars of scorching heat and crystalline snowflakes interwove and fell like the most splendid fireworks in a summer night sky.

Watching the valiant warriors, believing in the colorful snowflakes and fireworks, the black-haired boy closed his eyes, tired yet satisfied.

“Brother!”

“Brother, you can’t die!”

“You still need to help me and Miss Cake make connections!”

“Think of all the pretty girls waiting for you; you can’t just leave them behind!”

“I swear I’m just gonna take a nap, why are you so impatient? And quit pulling my hair!” The boy, poked violently on the head by the Golden-Winged Griffin, jolted awake from a state of utter exhaustion, cursing while feeling pestered.

Damn it, I’m not dead yet; your shouting almost made my heart stop!

Can’t you be a little gentler with an injured person?!

“As long as you’re not dead, that’s all that matters…”

The Golden-Winged Griffin chuckled foolishly, about to say something, but its expression suddenly changed.

Roy also sensed a powerful aura, and his expression darkened.

He saw the silver-haired prince, wrapped in ice, freezing everything in his path, regardless of human or demon.

The moment he spotted the boy, Winter’s expression turned savage.

“Ah, look who I found?”

“Roy Ainbrad, you’ve got some luck, don’t you?!”

“You’ve ruined my throne, my plans, my everything, but you won’t get to laugh last!”

What the hell! Why’s he coming for me instead of defending the city?!

Roy’s heart sank; he was too exhausted to even stand.

The Golden-Winged Griffin anxiously dragged him up into the air, but Winter suddenly raised his hand, summoning hundreds of ice spikes with a shattered smirk.

“You’ve destroyed all I had, and now it’s your turn…!”

There was no time left!

In his desperate situation, Roy had no choice but to go all in, preparing to activate 【Blade of the Former King】.

But just as the ice spikes were about to surge in, an even more terrifying wave of frost, bringing Winter’s ice spikes along, completely froze him in place.

The Imperial Prince’s sinister grin lingered, still in the motion of casting, but he would never get that chance again.

“Roy!”

Seeing the silver-haired girl riding the snow wolf approaching, Roy let out a long breath.

With Xue Nuo here, he was finally safe.

【Warning! Detecting progress on Reverse Fate Node! Every choice you make will change your destiny, please choose wisely! Keep it up!】

【Current Reverse Fate Node: Snow Wolf】

【Snow Wolf Reverse Progress】: 40%

【Reward】: Reverse Fate Points +2

After a night of intense battle, the Undead and the Imperial Guards were utterly defeated, and Snowwind Fortress returned under Xue Nuo’s command.

However, after breaking through Snowwind Fortress, the girl didn’t head to command the situation; she stayed at the south gate, remaining steadfastly by the boy’s side.

Sticking to the principle of not disturbing a good brother, the Golden-Winged Griffin wisely backed off, allowing Roy to be held in the silver-haired girl’s embrace.