Chapter 457: Demise of the Black Gold Brotherhood

The clash of steel and roar of battle echoed not only across Port Wubei and Torrent Island; the Purple Thunder Domain, too, had fallen under enemy assault.

Though this fiefdom opened to the east toward the Principality of Vera, the invaders did not hail from that realm, but rather from the Black Pine Mountains—a territory situated directly beneath the Purple Thunder Domain, at the southeasternmost frontier of the Wushan Domain.

In earlier days, the Black Pine Mountains belonged to the Wushan Domain, and because they shared a border with both the Purple Thunder Domain and the Principality of Vera, trade and commerce had once flourished there.

However, since the rise of the Black Gold Brotherhood, who had seized the land and held it ever since, Castle Wushan had been unable to reclaim it.

Even during the last war, when Melonica and his peers shattered the Brotherhood, they had chosen not to press the advantage and purge the faction entirely from the Wushan Domain's soil.

This time, seeing Castle Wushan deploy its main army to Moonlight Valley while Screaming Island also stirred, the Brotherhood sensed that their hour had come.

Truth be told, they had long coveted this piece of earth.

Had Earl Orson and Andrea not been in a state of alliance previously, they would never have left this territory unmolested to push deeper into the Wushan interior.

Thus, abandoning their usual defensive, defensive posture, the Black Gold Brotherhood led their hosts out of their stronghold to launch a sudden raid on the Purple Thunder Domain, intent on seizing its pastures and fields for themselves.

The catalyst for this shift was Andrea, who had supplied them with enough men and provisions to restore the Brotherhood to its former strength of five knight orders.

Furthermore, alongside the Golden Knights, three newly assigned Meteor Knights—David, Kurt, and Marson—had been sent down to command the host.

By their calculations, with the main forces of the Wushan Domain away in Moonlight Valley, taking the Purple Thunder Domain should be a simple matter, even if Castle Wushan's Second, Third, and Eighth Knight Orders remained behind.

As for Roming's handful of small knight squads, they did not figure into their considerations at all.

After all, in their eyes, how formidable could the overall quality of a newly risen Earl’s forces be, no matter how strong the man himself might be?

The three columns marched across the plains, encountering no enemy scouts, no guards, and not a single merchant or peasant.

"If you ask me, I could raid Purple Thunder City all by myself. You two should each take two regiments—one to Black Python City, and one to Wushan Town!"

"Indeed, that way we could secure all three cities simultaneously."

"I think you two had better stop daydreaming. That Melonica is no ordinary Meteor-level fighter; if we face him alone, we likely won't be his match. We need only follow the Lord's instructions and act prudently!"

"Heh, after all these years, Marson, you are still as timid as ever..."

The three commanders conversed casually, their relaxed tones betraying their belief that the Purple Thunder Domain would fall into their hands without the slightest effort.

Unfortunately for them, before they could even set foot within the borders of the Purple Thunder Domain, they were caught in a pincer movement by four separate forces descending from the east, north, and west.

Directly to the north were the three small knight squads of the Purple Thunder Domain led by McCann; to the west stood the Second and Third Knight Orders led by Melonica and Kabir; and to the east was the Eighth Knight Order, under its new commander, Homer.

A wave of astonishment washed over the three commanders of the Black Gold Brotherhood; they had never expected the enemy to abandon the safety of their city walls and launch an offensive instead. Were they simply eager for a swift death?

Neither side harbored any desire for dialogue, and as the battle cries shook the air, the two hosts charged.

Warhorses were swift, yet they were no match for McCann's speed.

Though the Purple Thunder Domain had not yet formed an official knight order, the weight he carried as a Silver Moon-level Governor was by no means negligible.

With a sudden flash of movement, McCann appeared at the center of the battlefield and slammed both hands against the earth, causing the ground to violent shudder as a wall of earth, nearly eight meters high and several meters thick, erupted abruptly in front of the charging lines.

In an instant, the battlefield was severed in two.

This was a combat technique accessible only to Earth-attributed Meteor Knights, and its solidity was far beyond that of low-level earthen barriers.

The charging cavalry of the Black Gold Brotherhood, utterly unprepared for such a spectacle, were thrown into complete confusion by the sudden obstacle.

"Kill!"

McCann leapt onto the crest of the earthen wall, standing at its highest point as he roared his command.

The battle erupted in earnest.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

Countless arrows flew toward McCann, but he neither dodged nor deflected them; his body turned abruptly black, taking on the texture of solid steel, and the projectiles shattered against him without so much as scratching his skin.

Bolstered by the tier-eight combat technique, Hardened Skin, McCann threw himself downward, lunging directly at David.

"You court death!"

David snorted coldly, vaulting from his saddle into the air, intending to deliver a devastating blow from above.

Yet as the two closed the distance, McCann took a swift step sideways, shifting his body to the flank, and with a flash of cold steel, he slit his opponent's throat, sending the head flying as blood sprayed into the air.

David’s eyes remained wide with shock on his severed head; only in death did he realize that his opponent was, in fact, a Silver Moon Knight.

With David’s demise, the morale of the Wushan Domain's soldiers surged like a rising tide.

Melonica held his longsword high, and wherever his blade pointed, the men of the Black Gold Brotherhood fell in droves.

His swordsmanship flowed like water, each strike precise and fatal.

Kabir and Homer also led their respective knight orders into the fray, engaging the enemy in a fierce and desperate struggle.

Though the Black Gold Brotherhood still possessed two Meteor Knights in Kurt and Marson, the moment they witnessed David's death, thoughts of flight had already taken root in their minds.

Regrettably, on a battlefield where forces charged headlong into one another, escape was not a matter of mere desire.

The fierce combat raged for over an hour, and under the dominant might of McCann and Melonica, the Wushan Domain's force of just over three knight orders utterly crushed the five orders of the Black Gold Brotherhood.

Compared to the battle at Moonlight City, the field here was far more brutal and bloody.

Severed limbs lay scattered, rivers of blood ran thick, and the stench of slaughter hung in the air for miles without dissipating.

McCann looked back at the three small knight squads he had painstakingly assembled; after this single war, nearly half of them were gone.

"Simon, tally the casualties, and have those who are uninjured clear the battlefield."

Melonica, Kabir, and Homer approached him, their gaze toward McCann filled with a distinct and profound respect.

Yet what shook them most of all was Roming; this young lord had somehow acquired another Silver Moon Knight beneath his banner.

No wonder—no wonder Roming had specifically reassigned McCann from Boulder City to guard this frontier.

Melonica's deep voice broke the silence. "We intend to take a detachment of cavalry to the Black Pine Mountains to reclaim that territory, which has been lost to us for over a decade. Will you join us?"

McCann pondered the offer briefly.

He was now the Governor of the Purple Thunder Domain, and though Roming provided ample financial backing, he still needed to secure resources of his own.

Black Pine Mountain City was the headquarters of the Brotherhood, and it was bound to hold vast stores of provisions and wealth.

If he did not go, would he not be abandoning a fortune that was ripe for the taking?

"I will!"

McCann made his decision and smiled. "I have no desire to let such a perfect opportunity slip by!"