No, no—this won't do!
Azkman hurriedly shook her head and slapped her own cheeks hard, trying to force herself back to her senses.She was a proud female warrior of the centaur race, the fifth member of the Xianfei Guild—absolutely not some silly little mare who let her thoughts run wild!
"What's wrong with you?"Seeing Azkman behave so strangely, Kurose Akira couldn't help but feel puzzled. What was going on with this centaur lady?
"It's nothing."
Azkman immediately stamped her hooves and headed toward the exit.
Just as Akira and the others were about to leave the Forest Birdcage, Azkman suddenly stopped.
"Wait—the Stardust Kingdom's army outside…"
A worried look surfaced on her face. Even if they could leave the Forest Birdcage, the Stardust Kingdom's troops were still waiting beyond. A fierce battle was unavoidable.
"It's fine," Akira replied calmly. "They should've arrived by now."
Before entering the Forest Birdcage, Akira had already informed Lucia and the others to rush over as quickly as possible. Even though time flowed differently inside the Birdcage, they should already be nearby.
However, Akira hadn't ordered them to act immediately. He still needed to leave a few suitable survivors alive—to interrogate them and find out what was really going on.
Understanding Akira's intentions, Azkman nodded. The three of them then exited the Forest Birdcage together.
The moment they stepped outside, the scene beyond came back into view. The Stardust Kingdom's soldiers were still standing in tight formation, completely surrounding them.
Yet when the soldiers saw Akira and the others walk out of the Forest Birdcage so quickly, confusion spread across their faces.
"They came out already?""Isn't the Forest Birdcage rumored to trap even demigods? How did they get out so fast?""So the Goddess of Nature's Mark really works! The centaurs didn't lie to us!""That's the half-deer they said the prince wanted! She really was inside!""Catch her! We'll live in wealth and glory for the rest of our lives!""…"
The Stardust Kingdom's troops closed in from all sides. Several knights—each around level fifty—had already enchanted their swords, clearly prepared for battle.
Azkman immediately tightened her grip on her spear, taking a combat stance.
Vilora clutched her branch nervously. Her four deer legs shifted restlessly, and her beautiful seven-colored eyes turned toward Akira, as if she wanted to say something.
"Attack!"
Two knights charged first, their blades pointed straight at Akira.
Their objective was crystal clear: kill Akira.
This was likely suggested by that player—after all, Akira had personally killed one of his mages earlier. What puzzled Akira, however, was that the player himself had vanished. At least for now, he was nowhere to be seen.
Facing the oncoming assault, Akira didn't raise a defense. He simply sat quietly on Azkman's back, waiting.
Just as the two knights closed in—less than ten meters away—a figure suddenly descended from the sky, landing in the center of the battlefield.
The sudden appearance froze the two knights in place, halting their charge.
Before they could even react, that figure moved in a flash, propelled by radiant soul wings, and appeared right in front of them.
The Oathbound Sword in her hand swept out. A black-and-gold blade light flashed—
—and in an instant, the throats of the two level-fifty knights were cleanly severed.
"What…?""Two enforcement knights… dead just like that?""What just happened? I didn't even see her move!""She has an enforcement knight's medal too—could she be one of ours?""One strike, two royal knights… is she a Star Knight?""That's impossible! There are barely a hundred Star Knights in the entire kingdom—how could one appear here?""Nonsense! Prince Tydes' orders cannot be defied—kill her!""…"
The soldiers looked at one another, visibly shaken.
Even with their officers shouting orders, they only dared to stand in place, weapons trembling in their hands as they stared at Loserine, afraid to act.
At that moment, Ivsha and the others silently emerged from the shadows and gathered beside Akira.
"Mr. Akira, are you unharmed?" Ivsha asked with concern.
"I'm fine."Akira gently shook his head.
"So she's the new member of our guild?"Lucia's attention shifted to Vilora.
The little deer girl's innate sage nature surprised her. She hadn't expected the centaur race to produce a born sage—and moreover…the domain she possessed felt distinctly unusual.
"Yes," Akira nodded. "Once we deal with what's in front of us, I'll introduce her properly."
"Hmph~ A bunch of human trash. I could wipe them out with a single finger."Marey Rhine crossed her arms over her chest, speaking with blatant disdain.
Akira merely said, "Leave the ones I marked alive."
"Understood, Master~""Got it!"
At that moment, a heavily armored middle-aged knight stepped out from the Stardust Kingdom's ranks. He had a square, stern face, a burly build, and a massive greatsword strapped to his back.
"May I ask which royal knight you are?" he demanded, directing his warning at Loserine."We are Prince Tydes' personal guard. If you insist on obstructing us, you will bear a prince's wrath!"
"A prince…?"Loserine murmured softly, offering no further response.
If this were the past, she might have hesitated because of his status. But now, she was undead—she only needed to obey Akira's commands.
The moment her words fell, Loserine charged.
"Stubborn fool! Stop her!"The middle-aged knight shouted, ordering the surrounding soldiers to intercept her.
As this command came from the highest-ranking officer present, the soldiers had no choice but to grit their teeth and rush forward.
But the instant they took a step—
A golden magic array flared to life beneath their feet.
"What—what is this?"The soldiers stared down in confusion as the ground beneath them began to glow.
"Damn it! It's a massive magic formation!""Run!"
Panic erupted as they tried to flee the array's range.
Too late.
Golden flames burst forth from the magic circle, engulfing the soldiers in an instant.
Screams echoed across the battlefield.
"Bastards!"
The sight drove the middle-aged knight into a fury—but he was already in grave danger himself.
Loserine appeared before him like a ghost. In the blink of an eye, the black-and-gold Oathbound Sword crashed down.
"Damn you!"The knight clenched his teeth and swung his greatsword with all his might.
But against Loserine's overwhelming swordsmanship, his resistance was pitiful.
After only a few exchanges, one of his arms was cleanly severed.
"AAARGH!"
He clutched his stump, pain twisting his face into a mask of rage and despair.
His gaze swept the battlefield. The Stardust Kingdom's army had been shattered by golden flames. The royal knights he led had been butchered by Marey Rhine—casualties everywhere.
Their defeat was absolute.
"Don't move."
Loserine's sword tip rested against his throat, freezing him in place.The remaining marked knights had already been gathered together by Marey Rhine, awaiting Akira's interrogation.
The battle ended swiftly and decisively.
Azkman stared, stunned, her understanding of Akira's guild members completely rewritten.
So strong…
What she didn't realize was that Xu Feiyan was observing the entire scene through Azkman's perspective.
Her amber eyes locked onto Marey Rhine and Vilora, astonishment filling her heart.She couldn't help but wonder—how had Akira's guild gained two more such powerful adventurers?
And beyond that, another question troubled her.
She clearly remembered that Azkman had always forbidden males from riding on her back—
So why was Akira allowed?
It seemed that once this little mare returned, she'd need to interrogate her thoroughly.