"Retreat! Quick, retreat!"
Slack roared, unwilling to accept defeat, trying to flee with his remaining Fangs.
"Trying to leave? Not without my permission!" Ed scoffed, having already locked onto him.
Startled, Slack hastily waved his Bone Staff, and a dark green Energy Arrow shot whistling toward Ed.
Ed neither dodged nor evaded. The Fighting Spirit enveloping his sword blazed as he slashed out!
HSSS!
The Energy Arrow was shattered in an instant!
Ed's blade didn't stop, carrying a vicious killing intent as it thrust straight for Slack's throat!
A flicker of despair flashed in Slack's eyes. He was just a Priest, with extremely weak close-combat abilities—no match for a Tier Three Earth Knight!
Just then, the Mire Giant Crocodile let out a piercing shriek!
It turned out that after the prolonged and draining battle, the Mire Giant Crocodile was already covered in wounds, its movements growing sluggish.
Flashing with a cold light, the horn of the furious Armored Rhinoceros flipped the Mire Giant Crocodile over, plunging deep into the massive reptile's chest.
The Mire Giant Crocodile's massive body twitched violently a few times before collapsing weakly to the ground. The light slowly faded from its yellow eyes.
The Tier Three Magical Beast, the Mire Giant Crocodile, was dead!
At almost the exact same moment, Ed's long sword precisely broke through Slack's final defense and pierced his throat.
Slack clutched his neck, his eyes filled with indignation and venomous hatred, before he fell limply to the ground.
With the deaths of Slack and the Mire Giant Crocodile, the remaining Demon Serpent's Fangs completely lost the will to fight and were quickly wiped out by the Knights.
The battle was over.
The riverbank was a scene of utter devastation, littered with corpses and flowing with rivers of blood.
Only the Iron Armor Rhino Mother Beast, though also covered in wounds and dripping with blood, remained standing. It let out a low roar, weary yet triumphant.
It glanced warily at Raylo, Ed, and the others, but did not attack again.
The din of battle gradually subsided.
The Knights and guards began to clear the battlefield, collecting loot and piling up the corpses of the Demon Serpent's Fangs and the Mire Giant Crocodile for disposal.
Raylo's gaze fell on the Iron Armor Rhino Mother Beast as it stumbled away in the distance.
Its silhouette stretched long in the moonlight. After moving a few dozen meters, its heavily injured body finally gave out. It toppled onto its side and fell unconscious.
"Ed, what do you think… we should do with it?" Raylo suddenly asked.
Ed followed Raylo's gaze and paused, taken aback for a moment.
By convention, for such a threatening, injured Magical Beast, the best course of action was to kill it while it was weak to obtain its valuable materials, such as its Magic Core, Leather Armor, and horn.
The materials from a single Tier Three Magical Beast were worth a fortune, enough to equip several Knights.
"My Lord, it's heavily injured. Even though it defeated the Mire Giant Crocodile, it's on its last legs."
Ed thought for a moment and said, "If we act now, we should be able to finish it off with relative ease. Its Magic Core and materials…"
Bolin interjected, "My Lord, Ed is right. This Armored Rhinoceros is too aggressive; leaving it near our territory is a constant threat. Taking care of it now would solve the problem for good, and we'd gain a wealth of resources."
Raylo was silent, not answering right away.
'Killing the mother beast for immediate gain was the cold, rational choice for a Lord.'
'But…'
'Raylo thought of the two rhino calves. They were destined to become companions to the Black Stone Knights and Guardians of the territory.'
'Perhaps the familial bonds between these Magical Beasts weren't as strong as those of humans, but even crows are known to care for their elders. How could a more intelligent Magical Beast be completely without emotion?'
'This was a difficult choice.'
Raylo took a deep breath, his decision made.
"No."
Raylo slowly shook his head, his voice quiet but unyieldingly firm.
"We're not killing it."
"My Lord?" Ed was confused.
"Have someone follow it. Keep your distance, don't disturb it, and observe its movements."
Raylo ordered, "Also, send someone back to town immediately. Have a physician bring all available Potions and tools. We're going to… save it."
"S-save… save it?"
The Knight Captain thought he'd misheard, his eyes widening in disbelief.
'Using precious Potions to save a wild Tier Three Magical Beast that could turn on them at any moment?'
'This was simply unheard of!'
However, Raylo had already established sufficient authority. So, even though Ed and Bolin disagreed, they didn't argue and immediately carried out his orders.
As the sun set, Raylo led the weary and blood-soaked Knights back to Black Stone Town.
The battle was won, but Black Stone Territory had still suffered considerable losses.
Several guards and one Knight had tragically died, and more than a dozen others were injured.
For Black Stone Territory, which was already underpopulated and had just survived a beast tide, these were undoubtedly grievous losses.
Raylo didn't rest immediately. Instead, after quickly washing up, he summoned Ed, Bolin, and several of the town's administrative Stewards for a meeting in a small hall in the Lord's Mansion.
"We may have won last night's battle, but it also exposed many problems."
Raylo sat at the head of the table, his gaze sweeping over the attendees. "The threat from the Demon Serpent's Fangs has been dealt with for now, but there's no guarantee the Fangs from the Jade Swamp won't attack again. In a borderland like this, our military strength is still insufficient to protect our territory."
Ed deeply agreed. "My Lord is right. This time, if the Armored Rhinoceros hadn't intervened, our casualties would have likely doubled, even if we had managed to win. Relying only on our current Knights and guards to protect such a large territory is truly stretching our forces thin."
Bolin added, "Furthermore, after the beast tide and this recent battle, both our Knights and guards have suffered significant losses. We're in desperate need of fresh blood."
Raylo said, "Therefore, I've decided that starting immediately, we will select a group of promising young people from all over Black Stone Territory to be trained as Knight Apprentices."
This proposal came as no surprise, and everyone nodded in agreement.
It was a necessary step for the territory's development.
"For this selection," Raylo's tone shifted, his voice becoming clear and firm, "the age range will be between fourteen and twenty years old. And the most important point is…"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over them again to ensure he had everyone's full attention.
"It is open to both men and women. As long as they meet the age requirement, are in good health, and have potential, any boy or girl can take part in the selection."
Raylo concluded, "As for the specific criteria and procedures for the selection, I want you to discuss and draw up a set of regulations as soon as possible. Announce this news today and let all our people know."
"Yes, My Lord!" everyone responded in unison.
That afternoon, an announcement issued by the Lord's Mansion was posted in the most conspicuous spot in Black Stone Town's central square.
The announcement's content was simple: To strengthen the defenses of Black Stone Territory, Lord Raylo had decided to hold an open selection across the entire territory for the first batch of Knight Apprentices. All healthy males and females between the ages of fourteen and twenty were eligible to apply.