Now that Robson understood the immense strategic value of the bow in his hands, he became more selective.
Arrows aside, battle time was limited. This was just a skirmish, after all. He, Robson, couldn't possibly waste his time on small fry.
From now on, not just any Beastman was worthy of Robson's attention.
He definitely wouldn't shoot at stragglers. A lone enemy posed no threat to his allies, so there was no goodwill to be earned.
He also avoided those already locked in fierce combat. Although the Frankish Nobles lacked the Knight's spirit of one-on-one duels, if Robson rashly intervened, he might be accused of kill-stealing. Not only would he fail to earn any goodwill, but he might even lose some.
After carefully filtering through his options and confirming his targets, Robson finally made his move.
The Cavalry on the field was a chaotic mess, making it impossible to tell friend from foe. Robson, on his swift steed, moved at high speed. With their clumsy mounts, the Gray Dwarves couldn't even eat his dust.
Robson fired shot after shot across the battlefield. With his superb archery and the power of a sixth-rank Knight, it was basically one arrow, one kill. No exceptions.
Robson saw a Gray Dwarf about to charge a noble of the Human Race and killed it with a single arrow.
'He didn't see it?' Robson froze. This was a serious problem. Humans didn't have eyes in the back of their heads. They couldn't see the enemy behind them, nor could they see Lord Robson's contribution.
"Sir, watch your back!"
Out of kindness, Robson decided to warn the noble. The human noble turned his head, saw the corpse of the Gray Dwarf on the ground, and immediately understood what had happened.
"Thank you, Sir."
"You're welcome," Robson said.
After the exchange, Robson spurred his horse toward the next target.
As Robson galloped across the battlefield, everyone soon took notice of this helpful gentleman.
There is no better place to foster camaraderie than the battlefield, and no greater favor to be remembered than the gift of life.
Especially in a situation like today's, where everyone was busy fighting for their lives, who had the spare time to look after their teammates?
All these factors made Robson's help seem incredibly precious. It was a debt the nobles would remember for a lifetime.
It was a debt to the gentleman they could never fully repay!
...
After firing his last arrow, Robson looked at his Blade and Cavalry panel.
"Ding! You have killed a Gray Dwarven Extraordinary Knight with a bow. Experience +100..."
"Ding!..."
The Archery proficiency on his Blade and Cavalry panel had reached 4000/4000.
'Elite soldiers are the way to go!'
Seeing his experience points shoot up, Robson revealed a satisfied smile.
He had been sniping with perfect accuracy from the city walls for so long, yet the experience he gained was hardly more than what he'd earned just now.
Of course, if you asked him to specifically target high-difficulty enemies from now on, he would definitely refuse.
Lord Robson's first principle: Caution!
On this continent, how many heroes throughout history had enjoyed a moment of glory only to die in a foreign land?
Robson had no intention of putting himself in harm's way.
After raising his archery to perfection, Robson began to slack off on the battlefield.
The initial adrenaline rush came and went quickly. Now, he just wanted to retreat safely to the Siriel Defense Line.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
The command came from somewhere, and the human noble Knights gradually began to withdraw from the battlefield. By the time Robson heard the news, more than half of them were already gone.
Robson frowned. 'The Frank Kingdom's method of communication—just shouting—is pathetic.'
In truth, one couldn't entirely blame the Frank Kingdom. Most powers on the continent were on par in this regard. The Main Commander would rely on his sheer physical power to roar out orders, and everyone could hear him clearly.
But it was merely adequate, still not as convenient as the war drums and signal flags from the ancient times of Robson's previous life.
Robson didn't dare hesitate for a moment. If he was too slow, he might be pushing up daisies by tomorrow.
He spurred his horse, quickly catching up with the retreating army.
Looking back, he saw a disciplined army of Gray Dwarves. Even from a great distance, Robson could deeply feel the might of this force.
This was also an Extraordinary Army, possibly even stronger than the Sunset Knight Order.
'No wonder Count Offman ordered a retreat.'
Robson frowned. The main breakout force had only covered half the distance. The appearance of this army was not good news for them.
SCREECH!
Robson turned his head. A Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix with a wingspan of over ten meters swooped overhead, incinerating everything in its path.
Robson wiped the sweat from his face. Even from dozens of meters away, he could still feel the intense heat radiating from the Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix.
The Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix was a rare species across the entire continent. In some remote areas, it was even considered a mythical creature that existed only in the imaginations of Minstrels.
In reality, although Blazing Flame Storm Phoenixes were rare, they could still be found in the desert and magma regions of the continent. The problem was that these creatures were born overlords of their domains and were incredibly difficult to tame.
Earl Leo had managed to tame one, but achieving such a deep and lasting fusion with a Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix, as he was doing now, was still an incredibly difficult feat. Otherwise, Earl Leo wouldn't have needed so many days to prepare.
'I wonder what price Earl Leo paid to be able to merge with a Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix for so long.'
Before Robson could ponder further, the Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix that Earl Leo had transformed into was already on a killing spree within the Gray Dwarven army formation.
There were two types of flames most feared in the world. One was Dragon Breath, and the other was Phoenix Flame.
The former was inextinguishable and utterly domineering; the latter melted all things and was just as merciless.
"ARGH!"
"HAAH!"
Judging by the reaction of the Gray Dwarven formation, a single breath of fire from the Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix melted man and iron together!
At this moment, the exquisite iron armor the Gray Dwarves were usually so proud of had become a burden. If it were instantly incinerated, that would be one thing. The most agonizing fate was reserved for the high-rank Extraordinary individuals whose armor was burned red-hot, yet they still survived.
After all, the Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix that Earl Leo merged with was not a true one. Its realm had not reached the legendary level, so its flame intensity wasn't quite as monstrous.
The Magic and Martial Armor of some high-ranking Gray Dwarven Officers could withstand the flames, but withstanding them didn't mean they were having a good time.
Being stuck inside a furnace of several hundred degrees, forced to gasp for breath just to survive, was no different from being tortured.
Watching the Fire Phoenix dive deeper and deeper, Robson was inexplicably reminded of the afternoon Count Offman had been trapped.
...
At this moment, General Dor stood within the Gray Dwarven Knight formation, watching the giant, fiery bird in the sky with terror in his heart.
He had long heard that the Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix at Sunset Fortress had reached its adult form and possessed extraordinary power.
Dor had originally planned to bring his army here to subdue the Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix and make it his own.
'It's just a magical beast, after all. I've seen plenty. Taming it should be as simple as following a checklist.'
Unfortunately, he had gravely underestimated the power of the Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix, or rather, the power of a magical beast of this level.
The moment it appeared, its aura spread, and the mounts of his Knights cowered on the ground in fear. A single breath of its flame had cost him more than a dozen Extraordinary Knights.
It was no wonder Earl Leo had been able to dominate the world with this bird back in the day.
"My lord, that Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix has already broken into the central army! If we don't act now, our losses will be catastrophic!" his Vice Commander urged from the side.
As if waking from a dream, General Dor snapped out of his shock from the Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix's assault. He immediately commanded the Gray Dwarven Mages beside him.
"What are you waiting for? Cast the spell! Didn't you say you had a Magic Array that could counter this thing?"