The fourth attack began with multiple fronts emerging at the same time, and on the enemy side, the initial perception was one of advantage. The kingdom's defensive line was still worn down from the previous confrontation, some knights showing clear signs of fatigue, and their movements were no longer as stable as at the start of the battle. Among the invaders, small groups began advancing with more confidence, believing this would be the moment to break through the defense and open space for a larger advance.
"This is our chance."
"Haha, they'll regret not surrendering the kingdom."
In the eastern sector, Harven, a rank six knight, led a small group advancing directly against a part of the line where the defenders seemed weaker. He watched their movements carefully, analyzing posture and reaction speed—it was obvious these people were no longer at the same level as at the beginning of the day.
"They're slower, advance while maintaining pressure."
His allies responded immediately, increasing their pace and trying to break the formation. The first clashes were direct, blades meeting and shields being pushed back, and for a few moments it seemed they might actually break through. However, shadows approached and quickly killed several of his knights.
'What just happened?'
Some knights bearing the Solfyr house symbol appeared without a sound, and among them, a fully armored knight advanced from the side, intercepting Harven before he could keep thinking. The posture was firm, with no unnecessary movement, and even without seeing his face, it was clear there was no hesitation. Harven attacked first, his sword covered in stone, but…
'Damn.'
The Solfyr knight blocked precisely and responded instantly, his blade moving with more strength than expected for a rank six. Harven was forced to step back, adjusting his stance with a more serious expression.
"This one doesn't look tired."
He raised his sword and covered it in stone again, then lunged forward for a clash of blades, his specialty. The problem was that with each exchange, his opponent gained the advantage—not just in strength, but in technique. He showed no fatigue, didn't slow down, and made no visible mistakes. Harven tried to increase the intensity, using more mana to reinforce his strikes, but still couldn't gain the upper hand.
'What is this? I'm sure he's a rank six.'
At one point, he managed to strike the knight's shoulder, the impact slightly shifting his body. However, there was no reaction beyond a simple adjustment in posture. The knight immediately advanced again, as if the damage meant nothing.
'How is he still moving like that?'
"Weak."
The knight's deep voice made him instinctively retreat, but he couldn't create distance. The Solfyr knight maintained constant pressure, closing the gap and forcing him to respond to every movement. Within moments, Harven's defense began to fail, and a strike pierced his guard, hitting his torso cleanly. The impact made him lose balance, and before he could react, another blow struck his head.
"Far too weak for a rank six."
In the central sector, Lioren, a rank seven mage, provided support to the knights while advancing with the main line. Unlike Harven, he didn't engage in close combat, preferring to keep distance and control the field with mid-range attacks. Upon noticing the arrival of new enemies, he immediately adjusted his strategy.
"Focus attacks on these new targets—they're different from the others."
His men responded with multiple spells launched in the same direction. Among the targets, a fully armored figure advanced without slowing down, crossing the battlefield under constant pressure. Lioren concentrated his mana and launched a sequence of attacks, trying to stop the approach.
'He's fast… even so, still slow compared to my spell casting.'
The first spells he used were fireballs that struck the target, controlled explosions raising fragments of the ground and creating an unstable area around him. For a brief moment, he believed he had stopped the advance, but the figure emerged again, crossing through the smoke without clear signs of significant damage.
"A rank seven? Even so, he should've been injured."
He launched more fire attacks, increasing the intensity and turning them into a massive firestorm, but the result was the same. The Solfyr knight kept advancing, ignoring impacts that should have been enough to stop anyone at that level. When the distance closed, Lioren tried to retreat, but it was already too late.
The knight entered close range and struck, breaking the fire barrier surrounding the mage's body. The impact was direct, and even after being hit, Lioren tried to react, but the second strike came immediately after, shattering his body into pieces. Without looking at the result, the knight moved on to the next opponent.
In the western sector, Darnel, a rank eight knight, observed the situation more cautiously. Unlike the others, he didn't advance immediately, analyzing the behavior of the new enemies before acting. He had faced many opponents throughout the war and knew how to recognize when something was off.
"Even at the same rank, they're superior to our strongest rank six fighters."
As he moved to engage, he encountered a Solfyr knight in that sector. The figure seemed taller than the others, with a more rigid posture and more direct movements. Darnel initiated combat with a powerful wind attack, trying to break through the knight's defense, but the impact was blocked without difficulty.
'Who are—'
Suddenly, a strike pierced his defense, followed by another that broke his stance. Darnel tried to continue fighting, but the difference was overwhelmingly clear from the start. The Solfyr knight maintained pressure, striking his body until there was no resistance left and no sign of movement.
"I know what you were thinking, and the answer is—we are Leon's knights."
The enemy knights, seeing this, immediately retreated. With only fifty knights, they were forced to flee from those aberrations. The knight who killed Darnel watched them retreat and prepared to hunt them down.
"For Lord Leon."
With the end of the fourth attack, all enemy assaults came to a halt. There might still have been more attacks to come, but they knew the king had likely sent additional knights who were already on their way, and fighting them at that moment would be impossible since they only had strength left for one more attack. For them, that battle was a complete failure.