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With this confidence, the defenders of the "Golden City" bravely faced the enemy.

However...

"Either the historical records from that time are inaccurate, or significant changes have occurred over the past two hundred years. While it's unclear which is true, it's evident that the power of these three hundred death knights of the 'Eagle's Wing' far exceeds the legends."

This was Chen Xuanfeng's judgment from afar, observing the battle.

The legendary fame of the "Eagle's Wing" was primarily due to Griffith's magical tactical strategies and the astonishing tenacity of the warriors. However, in terms of pure martial prowess, the group, which rose from obscurity with most members originating from ordinary mercenaries, could not compare to the elite troops of the Seven Holy Orders, who were continuously selected and refined from a young age. Yet, what Chen Xuanfeng saw now was a purely strong knight order. Although these three hundred death knights themselves did not possess battle aura (battle aura is composed of innate energy nurtured by life, which the dead could never master, though powerful undead could gather negative energy rich in resentment, transforming it into combat power, known as "Nether Aura"), their bodies churned with a peculiar sacred energy. This energy resembled divine light power but was different from the divine power of the Holy Light Temple. These powers combined combat abilities akin to battle aura with enhancement abilities similar to divine arts, elevating the general strength of these bizarre death knights to the level of Sword Saints with "Moon Flame Battle Aura." The five knights following closely behind Griffith, serving as the vanguard of the charge, were nearly at the level of Sword Emperors. Such strength was something even the Holy Sword Knights of the Holy Light Temple could hardly match.

The clash decided the outcome in a mere instant. Despite having the advantage in numbers, the ranks of the "Golden City" guards were almost instantly breached by the charge of the "Eagle's Wing." Griffith, holding a sword in one hand and a banner in the other, did not seize the opportunity to leave but instead, with a command that was almost artistic in its perfection, orchestrated a dazzling display of knightly formations across the city's streets. In just half an hour, he launched over a dozen charges, tearing apart the massive encirclement of over four thousand infantry and cavalry of the "Golden City" that relied on geographical advantages for defense. The repeated charges and trampling resulted in over two thousand casualties, and more critically, the "Eagle's Wing's" morale, so high it bordered on arrogance, completely overwhelmed the enemy's fighting spirit. Many guards who bore the title of elite warriors were completely broken by the nightmare-like terror of the "Eagle's Wing's" charge and the cold, bloody slaughter, screaming and fleeing the battlefield.

"I can somewhat understand why the Holy Temple and several royal families wanted to eliminate him back then. Although he speaks with courtesy, this 'Eagle's' personality is not just ordinarily arrogant—an extreme genius with an insatiable desire to show off, coupled with a nature that never forgets a slight, how could he be accepted by those old stubborn people? And this is after he has suffered greatly and been tempered by over two hundred years. The Griffith of that time was probably the kind of problematic figure who would make people feel glaring just by looking at him from afar."

Chen Xuanfeng, watching the battle from a distance, enjoyed Griffith's perfect performance like a spectator at a play, occasionally making comments and pointing things out to Jin Luosha and Li Jia.

However, the Holy Temple group, also observing from a distance, was far from relaxed. Due to Griffith's displayed strength being completely different from predictions, their strategy was a complete failure. Under the repeated charges of the "Eagle's Wing," the remaining Titan warriors and temple guards were almost completely annihilated, with only a dozen angelic warriors circling lonely in the sky. But facing the "Eagle's Wing," which was immune to holy magic and strong in close combat, they were clearly of little use.

The female knight Elizabeth, responsible for planning this operation, looked extremely grim. The failure and losses were secondary—since her family's territory was not in the western part of the mainland but in the south, her status had actually doubled in importance today as many protectorate kingdoms collapsed. The key issue was that she was a fervent believer in the Light God. Therefore, when she witnessed the "Dark Eagle," considered the first sinner in the history of the Holy Temple, bathing in holy light as an undead, the impact on her faith was unimaginable.

A thin figure, still cloaked in a black robe, stepped forward as if intending to stop Griffith's extremely arrogant offensive, but was restrained by another black-robed figure who whispered a few words, causing him to reluctantly step back.

Griffith, seemingly excited to command his old subordinates again after more than two hundred years, only gathered his troops after completely dispersing all the enemies who had surrounded him.

The handsome "Dark Eagle," after confirming the results of the battle, finally calmed his battle spirit. He turned his emerald-green eyes with a hint of blue, arrogantly scanning the distant Holy Temple forces who dared not act but were unwilling to leave, and sneered with disdain; then he turned to Chen Xuanfeng, who had been watching all along.

"Respectable warrior, I am about to leave this city. It seems we won't be able to settle our contest today," Griffith declared to the werewolf through a mental channel rather than voice: "However, I will not let go of those twin elves of different species. So, we will meet again someday, and then we will settle our contest."

Although Chen Xuanfeng did not understand such secret arts, his spiritual power was no less than Griffith's, so he easily used the mental link established by the other to send back his reply: "As you wish, I also look forward to such a decisive battle. But dreaming of taking my people? Forget it!"

The reason Griffith had to retreat despite a great victory was clear to Chen Xuanfeng. Not far from this urban battlefield, a wave of intense, fiery fluctuations was spreading layer by layer—a warning from a Sacred Realm Master who wielded boundless flame power.

Gradually releasing this vast power was Morova, the "Phoenix Knight," also in the "Golden City."