Even if these vanguard cavalry beheaded the rich merchants, Count Musaq would not say anything.

After all, the merchants had no objections; their silence meant consent.

The merchants and their guards gathered at the gate suddenly exploded in a frenzy, with some desperately fleeing into the city and others trying to escape outside.

"Get out, get out!"

"Don't block the passage, don't hinder the city gates!"

The veteran soldiers skillfully drew their armed swords, pointing angrily at the merchants' guards and servants attempting to climb over the barricades.

But the servants, accustomed to arrogance, ignored the veterans' warnings, just pushing the barricade's crossbar and surging into the city.

The veteran soldiers stepped forward, landing a punch on a guard climbing over the barricade, who fell to the ground with a howl.

As the scream began, a blade swiftly cut his throat, blood spraying everywhere.

With the disruptive merchants dealt with, the soldiers, led by the veterans, no longer stood around helplessly but frantically drove away the ordinary civilians blocking the gate.

The sound of hooves grew closer, and under the dark clouds on the horizon, the colorful knights were so conspicuous, with Count Musaq's family crest emblazoned on more than half of the banners.

The twin-headed lion was roaring, yet as they drew near, Xiaochi City's gates showed no sign of closing.

Armand, hurriedly descending from the city wall, donned chain mail over his priest's robe and questioned a Militia Captain, "Why aren't the gates closed yet?"

"Two carriages overturned, blocking the gates."

"Then why not fix it quickly?" Martin, in fear as if plunged into an ice cave, was jumping anxiously.

They weren't a match for the Noble Alliance Army to begin with, having to rely on the newly built mortar walls for defense.

Yet here they were, not even formally in combat, and the vanguard was about to seize the city.

Grabbing the sweating Martin, Armand's face remained calm: "Move the barricades forward, let the nearby civilians go outside the city, anyone who dares approach, kill them on the spot, all Natural Priests, immediately load the Holy Guns."

With the orders given, seven or eight soldiers lifted the barricade ends, moving sideways like crabs.

But before they could take two steps, a whizzing sound was heard, and as soon as they looked up, a flying arrow pierced the chest of one soldier.

The soldier looked down at the arrow in his chest, tried to speak, but blood gushed from his throat, making him unable to say a word.

Clutching his chest, the soldier fell to his knees, collapsing onto the ground.

"Raise shields!" The veteran mercenary shrank his body, raising his round shield above his head.

The other soldiers quickly followed suit, raising their shields, and almost simultaneously, a rain of arrows descended, whistling through the air, embedding in the shields.

Wood splinters flew, arrows sweeping past, and at this point, they likely realized that these must be Count Musaq's Kush Knights.

During a pause in the arrow barrage, the veteran mercenary peeked out half a head from behind the shield.

He saw between the hills and fields, cloaks of yellow, green, black, and red fluttering, with over a hundred knights in half-sleeved robes roaring in.

Any merchant who had fled the city or any civilian was swiftly cut down by these knights.

The sides of the road were instantly filled with corpses of various city councilors, servants, and civilians, with carrion birds circling low, waiting for this early banquet.

By the time they rushed within two hundred meters of the city gate, the knights' bodies and armor were long stained with blood.

"Close the gate!"

"Close the gate quickly! Why isn't the gate closed?!"

The nearby civilians and soldiers were shouting, but the overturned carriage was not easily moved.

Furthermore, when the merchants fled, they took the horses but left a lot of debris, further hindering the militia from moving the carriage.

They gripped the carriage's edge, their faces flushed, managing to move the carriage less than half a meter.

Yet in that short time, the opposing commander had already noticed their unusual behavior.

The Kush Knights even switched to sprinting, madly rushing toward the gate.

Originally thought to be just a reconnaissance mission, they unexpectedly reaped a great reward, a dream opportunity now favored the Kush Knights?!

"Charge!" The leading knight roared.

Crossing over two hundred meters in what seemed like the blink of an eye, over a hundred Kush Knights appeared before everyone.

The leading knight raised his longsword high, slashing down, blood spurting, as the Xiaochi City militia facing them fell headlong.

The other knights swung their swords fiercely, breaking through the militia with high-speed impact, felling seven or eight men with each swing.

The remaining nearly hundred soldiers trembled with their morning stars and spears, stabbing and sweeping wildly but unable to cause any casualties to the knights.

The knights continued their charge towards the gateway, their goal not just to cut through the blocking infantry but to seize the gate and hold until reinforcements arrived, the hardest part of the task.

Only ten meters remained to the gate, and once across it, victory was in their grasp!

The bells rang louder and more urgently, the Knight Leader raised his knight's sword to slash but instinctively shrank his neck.

Then a great force struck his forehead, making him involuntarily tilt his head back, feeling intense pain at his temple.

Beside him, a Personal Guard Knight let out a terrible howl, clutching his neck and falling off his horse.

Those used to being shot at by bullets recognized the feeling: a lead shot grazing his helmet or deflected by a sloped surface.

Touching the dent on his helmet and the hot metal powder, the leader was clearly furious but also puzzled.

What was that just now? A new spell?

"Bang—" The orderly shot echoed through the gateway.

The charging Kush Knights momentarily faltered, with the lead three knights' chests erupting with blood, sliding off and falling from their horses.

In the gateway, Armand led over a dozen Natural Priests who doubled as Holy Gunmen, lowering their Holy Guns to reload.

Amidst the awe of others, Armand had no hint of joy, rapidly reloading his Holy Gun without a moment's hesitation.

Meanwhile, the Kush Knights stared blankly, unsure of whether to continue attacking or retreat.

In those few seconds of chaos, veteran mercenaries seized the opportunity, immediately shouting, "Surround them, surround them, don't just stand there!"

The surrounding militia snapped to their senses, reorganized, and with morning stars started striking fiercely at them.

The knights naturally did not want to dismount and fight in close combat, instead, turning their horses to create distance for another charge.

This charge had to defeat these clowns before the gate closed.

"Charge again!"

"Sir, do you hear? Is it reinforcements sent by Lord Sinimun?"

"From the southeast, cavalry is approaching rapidly."

An untimely sound of hooves came, the bells and horn blaring once more.

The soldiers by the gateway turned pale; the current wave of Extraordinary Knights hadn't been repelled, and now another one was coming, how could this battle be won?

Oh Saint Master, could it be that you truly no longer bless your devout Xiaochi City?

Oddly, the knights engaged at the gate fell into confusion, neither continuing the attack nor harassing with arrows.

As if struck dumb, they stood still, without a hint of motion.

"Boom—"

What was that? The observing merchants looked up, yet the sky remained overcast with no sign of rain.

Squinting into the distance, they were stunned to spot, beneath the broken clouds, faint evening light falling on the distant swirling banners.

Like a Valkyrie, a knight raised a battle flag, among seven or eight Black and Red Bicolor Banners, the emblem of the Holy Grail shone brightly.

"It's the Salvation Army, the Salvation Army reinforcements have arrived!"

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