The deep blue sword energy extended ten meters in a horizontal sweep, directly knocking over more than twenty Maston infantry soldiers holding round shields. Granzon took advantage of the opening to lead his personal guards and frontline soldiers into the enemy formation.

Whether in the East or the West, a king leading from the front line is always the most effective way to boost morale, especially when the king himself is a warrior capable of feats of heroism.

As the battle intensified, the frontlines of both sides completely lost their orderly military formations and descended into chaos.

By this time, night had fallen, but the fighting continued unabated. Soldiers lit torches, but with only the dim moonlight to aid them, archers were rendered almost useless.

Whether Maston or Milania, the soldiers of regular armies had all undergone rigorous combat training. Light infantry with round shields and machetes were responsible for defense, while axemen and spear wielders focused on breaking armor and attacking. When two to three soldiers formed a battle formation, both sides could advance and retreat skillfully, putting up an even fight.

However, Maston, as the attacking side, was at a disadvantage in long-term attrition compared to the defensive Milania. After the airship attack ended, Milania gradually reclaimed their original front lines.

At this juncture, Granzon decisively launched a counterattack, leading his personal guards in a fierce charge towards the enemy's right flank.

The morale-boosted soldiers of Milania pushed the front line back nearly a hundred meters through three consecutive counterattacks, putting Maston on the defensive.

In such face-to-face combat, morale sometimes played a decisive role.

Realizing the situation was not favorable, the Maston battlefield commander began ordering a retreat. An entire reorganized regiment trapped in the frontlines was decisively abandoned, as soldiers behind quickly raised their shields and formed ranks to retreat towards the main camp.

"Don’t let them escape! Take down as many as you can!"

The greatest casualties in hand-to-hand combat often occurred during pursuits after defeat. Even Maston's organized retreat would suffer significant losses if pursued.

With a numerical disadvantage, it was crucial to seize every opportunity to reduce the enemy's fighting strength.

Granzon paused briefly, then with a burst of Chi, he knelt down and launched himself like a shooting star into the midst of the retreating Maston forces.

Before the ice dust fully settled, Granzon knelt in the center of the impact crater he created, firmly planting his sword into the ground and releasing a burst of frost Chi.

"Disperse, Ice Blossom."

The shockwave centered around the blade exploded, encasing the Maston soldiers within range in ice. The surroundings within a hundred meters turned into a frozen wasteland, with the wreckage of half-burnt vehicles freezing into ice sculptures.

While raising his sword, Granzon once again felt the exhaustion from using his full power, but forced it down. With a swift strike, he shattered the frozen soldier nearest to him, creating invisible ripples that shattered everything encased in ice into fine powder.

Behind him, as the Maston soldiers held the line against the Milania forces, their retreat path was cut off by Granzon, leaving only the War King in that hundred-meter radius.

"It feels like old times," Granzon said wryly as he walked confidently towards the confused Maston troops, exuding a commanding presence despite his slow pace.

Is this the War King... who was invincible eighteen years ago?

The thoughts resonated in the minds of the Maston soldiers.

Huh?

Granzon, who had been calmly walking and replenishing his Chi, suddenly sensed a strong intent to kill, far more potent than the retreating Maston soldiers.

Could it be... from above?

Granzon's gaze shifted to the sky behind the Maston troops.

A figure in a cloak fluttered upwards, wielding an odd-shaped long knife in her right hand. As she appeared, thick clouds gathered in the sky, obscuring the moonlight.

Replaced by the moonlight illuminating the battlefield, purple lightning akin to serpents emerged and swirled with the thundercloud, concentrating above the figure's head.

Isn't this the Holy Rank who destroyed the naval base on the west coast? How did she end up here?

Granzon's lips curved into a helpless smile.

It seems like my daughter attracted the Holy Rank here, but only halfway succeeded. Is the Maston king also confident about their other Holy Rank?

It appears that things are unfolding according to my original plan after all.

"Although I am prepared to die here, don't expect to kill me easily," Granzon muttered.

He kicked up a fallen spear, infused it with Chi through his toes, and sent it flying like a blue meteor toward the sky where the Holy Rank stood.

Without using any rules to counter, the figure raised the long knife and redirected the spear's trajectory, skillfully twirling it around before sending it back at Granzon with incredible force.

"Remarkable swordsmanship," Granzon remarked internally, dodging the spear to avoid a hit that could compare to an armor-piercing shell.

...Flying is impressive!

Indeed, it was quite impressive.

"The third directive: assist the Maston army in annihilating this Milania unit, prioritizing the killing of War King Granzon."

Raymond’s words echoed in her mind as she raised the long knife towards the swiftly moving figure below.

Summon Thunderbolt!

A purple thunder dragon the size of a water bucket rushed toward Granzon's path, raining down densely upon him.

Granzon, aware of the danger, Coalesced multiple ice spears to counter the falling thunderbolts.

However, he faced the same problem as Tiran, whereby his Chi attribute naturally lagged behind pure Holy Rank rules in terms of intensity. This was a gap he couldn't bridge, even through quantity over quality like Tiran.

This restrained mode of combat didn't suit his character.

Gritting his teeth, Granzon continued to evade. The frequency of lightning strikes forced him to maintain irregular movement, risking several near misses amid the dense thunderbolts.

He needed to find a way to strike back.

As a purely melee combatant, he struggled with long-distance confrontations using Chi against the aerial enemy.

Without the ability to close the distance physically, Granzon had to rely on spatial manipulation. But that meant he had only one shot at this.

He raised the Cross Slash Sword on his shoulder and ran back along the path he had evaded earlier. The lightning's residual effects caused some elevation differences and protrusions around, diverting some of the lightning toward them. Seizing the opportunity, Granzon unleashed his full frost Chi once again.

Hundreds of small ice spikes condensed within the freezing aura, all aimed at the sky where the Holy Rank stood. Thinking like a barrage of arrows, they shot into the air.

While the Holy Rank was a ruler of laws, she summoned a cascade of lightning snakes from her palm, shredding the barrage of ice spikes.

Yet despite sacrificing power for quantity, some ice spikes remained untouched. Granzon's focus locked onto one of them.

The ice spike whizzed past the Rank's cheek, narrowly avoiding her, reaching her position behind.

The sheer number of ice spikes prevented her from scrutinizing each one closely, leaving Granzon with an opening he had hoped for.

A green light flickered inside the blue ice crystal, then the ice spike shattered.

It was now or never.

The purple particle effect bloomed behind the Holy Rank, a sign of impending attack, and the blue light of a blade appeared in the hand.

Granzon raised the sword behind him, using his waist to unleash a powerful strike toward her neck.

However, the world around him suddenly lost color, and even the flow of light slowed down. The sword's edge couldn't bridge the near but far gap.

It's known that mortal swords can't slay a Holy Rank.

As a mortal, Granzon could only sigh in regret.