The Guards had spent ten days with Ronin on the journey from Wushan Castle to Mountain Forest Town.
During those ten days, Ronin had completely established himself as their "Lord" in the Guards' minds by promising them high wages, providing ample food, and training them in discipline and obedience.
So when he ordered the attack, every one of the Guards gripped their longswords and charged, following the Knights.
The tense standoff shattered the moment Ronin roared, "Kill!"
The two forces on the mountain path were only a few dozen meters apart. As their warhorses galloped, Macken clashed with Princest in the blink of an eye.
Longswords clashed and Fighting Qi erupted as their mounts shrieked violently.
Under the immense force of the impact, Princest's warhorse staggered as if it were about to collapse. Its rider hadn't expected the Knight before him to be stronger than he was!
He kicked off his horse's back, launching himself over the fray and landing outside the main conflict.
As Princest retreated, his men swarmed forward. Two Knights ganged up on Macken, while the other two charged Ronin and David.
Ronin had practiced mounted combat while sparring with Macken, but he still lacked significant experience.
Fortunately, his opponent didn't seem to be a particularly high-level Knight.
In a single exchange, the man couldn't handle the Power flowing from Ronin's longsword.
'He's all bark and no bite. Way too weak.'
Ronin was currently a Basic Level Perfect Knight. If not for the limitations of his Trait, he would have broken through to the Intermediate level long ago.
His opponent, however, was clearly a long way from Perfection. In a direct contest of Power, he was no match for Ronin.
'I already gave you a chance. You're the one who didn't take it.'
The moment their swords collided, Ronin pressed his advantage, and the immense force drove his opponent's own blade into his chest!
Ronin followed with an upward slash. In the instant their horses passed each other, he sliced straight through the man's throat and jaw, felling him from his mount.
"Everyone, charge!"
Having succeeded with a single strike, Ronin reined in his horse and bellowed. Seeing their Lord had already slain an enemy, the Guards' morale surged.
They quickly surged past Ronin, charging down the path.
The infantry from both sides clashed.
Close-quarters combat was brutal and terrifying. Ronin's Guards had been eating well, drinking well, and training well, making every man powerful.
In contrast, the twenty opposing infantry had likely wasted considerable stamina running all the way from Mountain Forest Town. Compounded by the fact they were now fighting uphill, they were at a complete disadvantage.
As soon as the two infantry lines met, Ronin's men quickly gained the upper hand.
Ronin shot a quick glance at David. He was rather worried about the boy, who had only just become a Professional Knight.
Fortunately, while his opponent had him on the defensive, David was managing to hold on. He should be fine for a short while.
That meant the key to this battle lay with Macken.
Ronin immediately wheeled his horse around, preparing to help Macken.
But before he could move, Macken repelled the two Knights attacking him with a couple of quick moves, leaped from his horse, and charged directly at Princest, who was still outside the fray.
"Impossible! How can you have such a powerful Knight!"
Princest cried out in alarm. He gripped his longsword with both hands as Fighting Qi flared along the blade, transforming into a gout of Flame that he slashed toward Macken.
Ronin's eyes lit up. 'So Princest is a Fire Attribute Professional Knight. That move must be a Combat Skill.'
Seeing his opponent use a Combat Skill, Macken reached back and unslung the Iron Shield from his back.
He let out a roar like a cornered warrior. Fighting Qi exploded from his body, enveloping his Shield in an earthy-yellow glow.
BOOM!
The Flame Slash slammed into the Shield, shattering into a shower of sparks. Macken had actually managed to block the attack head-on.
The massive impact forced Macken back. He drove his longsword into the ground to halt his retreat, simultaneously channeling his Earth Attribute Fighting Qi into the earth.
Suddenly, a Conical Earth Spear shot up from the ground, taking advantage of Princest's momentary lapse in concentration after his attack to pierce the man's calf!
AHH!
Princest screamed in pain. He struggled to free his leg, trying to flee, but a cold blade was quickly pressed against his neck.
"Surrender!"
Macken said coldly, "If Lord Ronin hadn't mercifully ordered me not to kill you, your head would be at your feet right now!"
Princest's eyes went wide, utterly disbelieving that he had been defeated, and so quickly at that.
Perhaps Princest's strength wasn't that much lower than Macken's, but it was clear Macken's combat experience was far superior.
Furthermore, Princest had completely underestimated Macken's strength. His composure shattered after the first exchange, allowing Macken to utterly dominate him.
'That guy...'
Ronin couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. 'If it were me, I never would have tried to block a Flame Slash with a shield. What if it had shattered?'
'I can only say that Macken is incredibly brave in battle and has powerful instincts.'
"Civil Servant Princest has been defeated!"
Ronin bellowed, "The rest of you, drop your weapons and get on the ground! You will be spared!"
His voice carried far across the battlefield. Hearing it, Princest's infantrymen were stunned. In their moment of hesitation, Ronin's soldiers ran them through.
After a brief, one-sided slaughter, the infantry from Mountain Forest Town finally came to their senses. With terror on their faces, they threw down their weapons, prostrated themselves on the ground, and began to wail and beg for mercy.
They had lost all courage to fight.
As for Ronin's Guards, a few failed to stop in time and injured several of the surrendering enemies, but the vast majority held back, merely holding their blades to the men's necks.
The chaotic battlefield fell silent in an instant, leaving only the sounds of wailing and the neighing of horses.
Seeing that the situation was lost, Princest's two remaining Professional Knights leaped onto their horses and tried to flee.
They didn't flee back the way they came, but instead galloped south along the mountain path, trying to get away from Mountain Forest Town.
'Still trying to escape?'
Ronin slapped his horse's rump. The warhorse neighed and galloped after them.
'If only I were an Intermediate Mage,' Ronin thought as he gave chase.
'If I could use a Wind Blade Spell, I could easily hit them from behind.'
Fortunately, his mount was of excellent quality and accelerated swiftly. Even with their two-second head start, Ronin quickly closed the distance.
"Stay!"
He thrust his longsword straight at the man's back, forcing him to turn and defend himself.
In the ensuing clash, the already panicked Knight was wounded in the arm by Ronin's blade and tumbled from his horse, rolling in the dust.
Ronin ignored him and chased after the second man, intercepting him in the same fashion.
David came over and held his sword to one man's neck, while Ronin controlled the other.
At this point, Princest and all his men were either captured by Ronin's people or prostrate on the ground, having lost all will to resist.
"David, not bad at all~"
Ronin said with a praiseful tone. He hadn't expected the novice, who had only made his breakthrough a few days ago, to actually defeat his opponent in his first real battle.
David looked a little sheepish and chuckled. "My Lord, I couldn't actually beat him. He just dropped his weapon and surrendered on the ground as soon as he heard your shout. That's the only reason I was free to come over."
"Oh?" Ronin raised an eyebrow.
He glanced over. The Knight who had been fighting David was indeed prostrate on the ground, behaving himself. 'So there are some sensible people after all.'
As he scanned the battlefield, the Mage Elron moved among the wounded, continuously casting his Healing Skill and rapidly closing the wounds of the injured Guards.
Ronin herded the five captured professionals together. He walked up to Princest and asked with a smile, "Is this outcome a little different from what you had in mind?"
As he spoke, he beckoned to Elron. "Heal his injury a bit. I'd rather he not die on me just yet."
"Of course, my Lord. You are truly merciful to your prisoners!"
Elron came forward, pulled the earth spike from Princest's leg, and cast two Healing Skills on the wound.
The bleeding slowed considerably under the effect of the healing, but the injury was perhaps too severe, as the wound showed no signs of closing.
"My Lord, the earth spike hit the bone. The Healing Skill alone won't be enough to fully restore the wound."
Ronin waved his hand. "That's enough. As long as he doesn't die."
Princest looked at Ronin, his face pale. "I never expected you to have not only an Intermediate Knight, but also a mysterious Light Attribute Mage!"
He gritted his teeth, suppressing his frustrated anger. "And I certainly never expected that the Marquis's legendary, good-for-nothing eldest grandson would also be a Professional Knight."
"Civil Servant, there are many things you failed to expect, and that failure proved fatal."
Ronin smiled faintly. "I'm curious. Who gave you your intelligence on me?"
Princest lowered his head, seeming to consider whether to answer.
Just then, the Knight kneeling beside him, the one David had subdued, whispered a reminder, "Don't forget your oath!"