Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start

The gust of wind from the Giant Dragon didn’t just blow into the hearts of the nobles present; it also spread with incredible speed throughout the entire Noble Alliance Army and the two Knight Orders.

In an instant, the army’s morale, which had been shaken by the news of Black Python City’s approaching forces, soared.

On top of that, Ridder’s arrival boosted everyone’s confidence even further.

Ronin thought, ’If Ridder were to reveal his full strength as a Proud Sun Knight, this lot would probably be too excited to sleep.’

However, being Meteor Level was more than enough for now. There was no need to reveal that he was a Proud Sun Knight.

After all, the tree that stands tallest in the forest is the first to be blown down by the wind. It was better to lie low and bide their time, lest they repeat the mistake Lurans had made thirty years ago.

With everyone’s confidence bolstered, the next step was to discuss a battle plan.

Because Ronin had led many to glory in the battle against the Polante Thief Gang, and because he now had a Giant Dragon and a powerful follower, he was naturally pushed to the forefront. He became the supreme commander for Splendid City’s forces.

The two Leaders, Kabil and Sandro, had no objections. They even temporarily handed over command of their Knight Orders to Ronin.

However, Ronin delegated command of the Noble Alliance Army to Ridder and did not interfere with the two Knight Orders.

What he could do was decide the general location of the battlefield.

The terrain at the border between Splendid City and Black Python City was relatively flat. Even if there were hills, they were just small, unremarkable mounds. The vast majority of the land was plains.

There was no good geographical advantage to be had in such terrain.

Ultimately, Ronin chose a location at the foot of a small hill, with a reasonably wide plain in front of it.

Relatively speaking, it was an easier journey for his troops to reach this spot, while the enemy would have to travel a bit farther.

After the plan was settled, Ronin had Marvin and the others first spread the word to every soldier on how to completely extinguish the life force of the Witch Soul Race.

Fortunately, the soldiers were well-trained and quite familiar with the concept of a finishing blow. After all, military merit was sometimes determined by the number of heads taken, so the idea of decapitating an enemy on the battlefield was relatively easy to accept.

As for the Intermediate and Advanced Level Knights, it was much simpler. They just had to pour a large amount of Fighting Qi into an enemy’s body, and the enemy would turn to dust.

The next day, the army set out before dawn. By around ten in the morning, the troops had reached the designated location, where they set up camp to rest.

Using the Telescope Ronin had given him, Rig periodically sent back intelligence on the enemy forces.

“My lord, the enemy is at the foot of the small hill ahead on the grassland. It doesn’t look like they intend to rest. I expect they’ll be here soon!”

Rig ended his reconnaissance, as the enemy was now close.

Ronin looked ahead. Although the hill was indeed small, it was still large enough to block his line of sight.

“Everyone has eaten and drank their fill. Prepare to meet the enemy,” Ronin ordered.

Meanwhile, the Black Python City forces, led by Barrington and Taini, had arrived at the foot of the hill.

“Barrington, we should stop and rest first!”

Taini suggested forcefully, “Their scouts have already spotted us, and our scouts have found them camped on the other side of this hill. If we go over now without resting and regrouping, they will definitely have more stamina, which puts us at a disadvantage.”

Barrington chuckled. “Do you think my soldiers need to rest, Father-in-law?”

Taini looked at the surrounding soldiers, who gave him a numb and apathetic feeling. ’What in the world is wrong with these men?’ he wondered, growing more and more perplexed.

What he understood even less was how much of a stranger Barrington now seemed to him.

In the past, although his son-in-law was petty and short-tempered, he would at least listen to advice that was to his advantage.

But now, throughout this entire journey, he had completely refused to listen to any advice, even going so far as to reject every single one of Taini’s suggestions.

“Barrington, what has gotten into you?”

Taini’s beard trembled. “Since when did you become so utterly arrogant that you don’t even take the enemy seriously?”

Barrington’s brow furrowed. If Taini didn’t have some strength of his own and a considerable number of men under his command, such a question would have been enough to cost him his life.

The Barrington of today wouldn’t spare him just because he was his father-in-law.

“Taini, I am incredibly powerful now!”

Barrington drew the dagger from his waist and plunged it violently into his own chest.

The sight made Taini’s scalp tingle and the hairs on his body stand on end. “What are you doing? Have you gone mad???”

He thought Barrington was self-harming.

But what happened next completely shattered his understanding of the world.

Barrington pulled the dagger out, and not only did the wound fail to bleed, but it was completely unharmed.

“See? I have an Undying Body, and my stamina is far greater than others’!”

Barrington asked smugly, “With a body like this, who on the battlefield can possibly kill me?”

As he spoke, he pointed to the soldiers beside him. “Many of them are like me. An ordinary sword can’t kill them. Tell me, do we still need to fear enemies who are merely Mortal?”

Barrington knew the weakness of the Witch Soul Race, but it wasn’t as simple as injecting a little external Extraordinary Ability into his body to kill him.

On the contrary, he was a Golden Peak Knight. To turn him into dust required a significant amount of Extraordinary Power.

When facing those weaker than him, his claim of having an Undying Body seemed to hold some truth.

Taini stared at his son-in-law as if he were a monster. So this was what Barrington was relying on.

“What is this ability?”

He was perplexed, a little fearful, and at the same time, somewhat envious.

“You want it too?”

Barrington smiled, his tone full of temptation. “After we win this war, I will ask Lord Mephisto, the Divine Envoy, to bestow his grace upon you. Then, you will become just like me.”

“Mephisto? A Divine Envoy?” Taini asked, confused.

Barrington didn’t answer the question. He patted Taini’s shoulder and said, “Let’s go. We’ll make this quick!”

Taini took a deep breath and didn’t press the issue.

He now understood the source of Barrington’s confidence and what he was counting on.

With such an ability, he indeed had the right to be arrogant.

“Alright, as you wish.”

Taini shouted, “Forward march!”

Before long, the Black Python City army crested the hill. From their high vantage point, they could see at a glance the troops camped and resting at the far end of the plain.

’Enjoy these last moments of peace,’ he thought.

On the other side, Ronin and his men also noticed the enemy the moment they appeared.

Without him needing to give the command, everyone in the Noble Alliance Army and the two Knight Orders had already drawn their Shields and Longswords. Under the direction of their captains and commanders, they fanned out, forming three phalanxes in battle formation.

Ronin and the others stood at the front of the army, quietly waiting for the enemy to descend the hill and slowly approach.

One thousand meters, eight hundred meters, six hundred meters…

Just as the distance between the two armies was about to close to the five hundred meters needed for a charge, a massive black shadow swooped low across the sky.

ROOOOAR—

The cry of a Dragon thundered across the entire plain.

The heart of the confident and arrogant Barrington suddenly sank. He felt an unprecedented sense of crisis and a fear that pierced his very soul.

It seemed he was terrified of this particular sound.

“What is that?”

Taini and the other normal soldiers all looked to the sky, only to see a Giant Dragon with its massive wings spread wide, flying toward them.

“Archers, ready!”

Taini, ever the battlefield veteran, immediately issued orders. “Knights, prepare to attack with your Combat Skills!”

Although the Giant Dragon was powerful, he had no time for awe, nor could he overthink the situation. He could only treat Carlos as he would any other Flying Magical Beast.

Though the Archers and Knights were afraid, they instinctively followed the command.

“WHOOSH!”

Carlos gained a little altitude, then unleashed a mouthful of Flame Breath. It poured down from the sky like a cascade of water.

“Damn it, they actually have a Giant Dragon!”

Barrington also snapped to his senses, hastily using his Combat Skill to join forces with the other Knights against the Flame Breath.

BOOM—

The collision of Fighting Qi and Flame created a massive explosion.

Although Carlos’s breath was not weak, the combined Combat Skills of the Knights managed to dissipate most of it in mid-air. Only a small portion leaked through, falling upon the Witch Soul Race soldiers.

In an instant, those soldiers shrieked and screamed as they were incinerated by the Flame Breath, turning to dust.

“Fire!” Taini yelled.

SWISH, SWISH, SWISH!

A dense volley of Arrows shot into the air. Some fell short due to a lack of power, while others missed their mark entirely.

Still, a few struck Carlos’s scales, but they didn’t even leave a white mark.

However, several Magic Arrows slammed into his scales. Though they didn’t injure him, they created a shower of sparks and sent a jolt through Carlos.

He shook his head, circled around, and came back for another pass. This time, he spat out a breath of frost.

Taini and the others used the same tactic to defend themselves again. This time, however, another dozen soldiers were killed, and the powerful blast of air knocked many to the ground.

“Trying to wear us down to death here?”

Barrington realized the Giant Dragon’s intention and roared in fury, “All Knights and Cavalry, charge! I don’t believe this beast will attack its own people!”

His thinking was sound. Once the two sides were locked in close-quarters combat, if Carlos were to use his breath weapon again, he would very likely hit his own allies.

This maneuver by Barrington indeed restricted Carlos’s effectiveness.

However, on Ronin’s side, seeing the Giant Dragon display its Divine Power and throw the enemy into chaos, their morale was already soaring.

As they charged forward at this moment, they felt no fear whatsoever!

Ridder, Marvin, Vitorino, Kabil, and the others all mounted their horses and drew their swords.

“For the glory of Wushan Castle!”

“Everyone, charge!”