The cavalry general, named Ramons, was a figure renowned even before King Théoden, a leading contender for the hand of the princess Éowyn, indicative of his extraordinary standing and deep potential.

Though the Sacred Grasp of Reef had not yet been unleashed, an indescribable chill had already pierced his heart.

Why do people fear death? It is because they know nothing of what lies beyond!

And the reason Ramons felt fear now was the intense sensation that something was about to happen, yet he had no way of knowing what would occur next! He could only rely on cavalry instinct, yanking hard on the reins. His magnificent mount, startled, let out a sharp neigh and reared up on its hind legs.

This was an extremely safe and efficient maneuver, allowing the rider to shrink almost entirely behind the horse, shielding at least ninety percent of his body from attack. However, it also meant he was highly likely to lose his steed in the next instant.

Then, an enormous, golden palm seemed to materialize out of thin air, descending like inescapable fate, gripping Ramons and his mount, violently dragging them forward! Ramons felt as if he were riding a cloud, disoriented beyond description, soaring thirty or forty meters before crashing heavily onto the ground.

Immediately following this, an indescribable heat enveloped him. Ramons felt as if golden chains were forcefully binding his legs, rendering him immobile. Looking up, he nearly suffered a loss of soul from fright!

For inexplicably, he and his horse had been transported directly into the center of the jumbled stone wall, where the monstrous creature revealed a cruel expression, raising high the massive, lava-dripping stone pillar in its hand, preparing to smash it down!

"No!!" Ramons screamed with all the power in his lungs. The horn at his waist flashed, forming a shield around his body that managed to staunch the blow from Krrutg’s strike. Still, a few drops of magma splattered onto his face, the acrid smell immediately sickening enough to induce vomiting.

Roaring through the agony, his voice like a wolf's howl, Ramons drew the battle-knife from his waist and wildly thrashed about. But as Ziz’s Force Barrier slammed into him... the Ace Grinder began to rumble anew, coldly and efficiently harvesting Ramons’s life!

Upon seeing Ramons dragged into the enemy throng, the knights beside him instantly charged forward in a frenzy. This was the moment for Reef and his group to engage and draw attention.

The greatest tragedy for a knight is the reduction of speed. Stripped of momentum, they are actually less agile than infantry. Coupled with Reef’s signature ability, “Heart-Rending Screams,” and fighting within Fang Senyan’s toxic clouds, while killing these elite knights might prove difficult, stalling them was certainly not a challenge.

Though Ramons fought with every ounce of his being, desperately trying to slash and twist his way free, he was like a fish already caught in the net, utterly unable to escape the clutches of death.

Minutes later, Ramons was sent flying by a ferocious sweeping blow from Black Nose, his longsword snapping with a crack. Half his chest cavity was caved in. Ronnie’s vicious blade then swept across his throat! Blood immediately sprayed out in a fine, misty plume. Ramons sank to his knees, eyes wide to their limit, hands clutching the wound on his neck, and finally breathed his last! Simultaneously, a mournful horn blast echoed through the air—hearing it evoked the desolate melancholy of the setting sun, beautiful yet signaling the end of the day.

“You have slain a Horn Leader of King Théoden.”

“You have earned two hundred seventy points plus forty-one contribution points.” (Legendary kill weighting has been calculated.)

“You have obtained a guaranteed drop item: The Horn of Evening Glory.”

“King Théoden heard the sorrowful cry of the Horn of Evening Glory, and a faint ache rose in his heart. The Dark Lord was greatly pleased to taste this sliver of enemy pain, especially under the current grim circumstances, and thus you shall be bestowed with a Badge of Sauron.”

“Hmm? It seems we caught a big fish, didn't we?” Three-Zero exclaimed with sudden delight. The attributes of the Horn of Evening Glory were immediately displayed before them.

Horn of Evening Glory. Quality: Dark Gold. Description: This is one of the magical horns crafted from the hide of Fenthris, the greatest Wolf King of the plains, and during its creation, it also harnessed the vast power of the Great Horn, allowing it to effectively amplify the Great Horn's might. Usage: When blown, it bestows two beneficial magical effects upon every member of your team, drawn from the pool of ‘Foresight,’ ‘Critical Strike,’ ‘Flame Weapon,’ or ‘Sharpening.’ These effects stack with any existing buffs, but the blower suffers a temporary penalty of having their maximum Mana halved until the beneficial effects vanish from the team members. Lore: There are only twelve Horns of Evening Glory in the entire Kingdom of Rohan. King Théoden gifted them to the young, promising heroes he considered the pillars and future of his kingdom. Possessing one signifies the right to contend for the kingdom’s ultimate treasure, the Great Horn. Warning: The possessor of this equipment will be permanently marked as an enemy by Rohan and subjected to irregular hunts. However, it also allows the holder to actively trigger a series of related Legendary Horn quests. It is worth noting that the more Horns of Evening Glory the trigger possesses, the lower the difficulty of the related Legendary Horn quest series will be. If the trigger manages to collect all twelve, they can obtain the Legendary Horn by completing only the lowest difficulty F-rank mission.

Looking at the attributes of the Horn of Evening Glory, everyone exchanged glances, reluctant to blow it. Fang Senyan gestured for Ramtas to step forward, but Ramtas stated he could not use it; one needed to be a Contractor.

It seemed to be crucial equipment for a large team. For their relatively gear-poor group, granting the entire team two powerful buff increases would result in a staggering boost to overall combat strength.

At this moment, Three-Zero, viewing through Krrutg’s eyes, witnessed something that caused his expression to darken, a hint of hesitation in his manner:

“Big Brother, Aziz is in danger! Should we save him?”

Fang Senyan frowned but made a decisive choice:

“Save him! This person cannot die, at least not in this world. If he dies, the disadvantage our world’s Contractors have in ultra-long-range attacks will be infinitely magnified. Allowing for shortcomings might be acceptable, but being utterly crushed in any single aspect is a guaranteed path to defeat!”

Saying this, Fang Senyan glanced at the battlefield: “For the rescue, Reef and I are enough. Three-Zero, have Krrutg throw stones to clear a path for us. ‘Black Ears,’ ‘Big Nose,’ and ‘Limping Foot’—stop rotating them; they must cover the gap we leave. If the pressure becomes too great, Ziz can transform. Few know about Aldaris’s Radiance, so keep that as the final trump card. Three-Zero, if the pressure remains high even after Ziz transforms, I will permit you to use that ability, given its excellent concealment.”

Three-Zero’s eyes lit up: “I can use that ability? Butterfly Effect?”

Fang Senyan glanced at him: “Ziz decides if you use it!”

Three-Zero shrugged. He was still young, and this affected pretense of maturity was rather amusing. However, a dozen seconds later, Krrutg roared loudly, unleashing a devastating double-throw. Two door-sized boulders whistled out, trailing glowing red magma that splashed everywhere, dealing another crushing blow to a fresh wave of charging cavalry!

The essence of cavalry lies in that reckless, forward-thrusting momentum. Once that spirit is broken, the speed bonus is lost, and their threat level naturally diminishes exponentially. Fang Senyan and Reef seized this opportunity, pushing forward side-by-side. One tossed an alchemical potion, the other used ‘Heart-Rending Screams’ to carve a path. Both were area-of-effect debuffs that severely reduced enemy speed, perfectly countering cavalry who relied on velocity.

Not far from Fang Senyan and Reef, lay the encampment of the Blue Light team. These individuals were numerous and had positioned their base far enough back. Relying on previously constructed trenches, densely packed landmines, and about ten summoned Ogres, holding off an organized cavalry charge was not difficult for them.

More importantly, the base was deliberately constructed with three elevated positions. Two of these held summoned self-propelled artillery pieces and a ‘Tiger’ tank, respectively, conjured by two Contractors. The third platform featured a Protoss Photon Cannon, an entity only seen in the StarCraft world. With these three deadly assets, and the sheer noise of artillery inherently terrifying to horses, their defense was impregnable.

“They’ve moved,” a voice suddenly sounded. Inside the Blue Light team’s base, using the familiar 3D holographic projection, images of Fang Senyan and Reef were clearly displayed. On the other projection, the Ace team was visible engaging rangers amidst the stone fortifications.

The Blue Light team obtained this real-time intelligence because they had managed to launch a satellite into the sky. This was the advantage of having a large team roster; they could effortlessly find experts in specialized fields without much strain.

Worr, the Deputy Leader of the Blue Light team, immediately commented: “Those two are likely going to rescue Aziz. Zeus was right; Aziz clearly no longer wishes to be with his team! The two probably have some sort of prior agreement.”

Rolit walked in from outside: “It has just been confirmed that the Ace team acquired a Horn of Evening Glory, but they haven't used it yet. It seems the item is somewhat useless to them for now.”