How was this accomplished?

Count Theodore believed the Griffon Troop he led was elite, and their cooperation was honed through countless battles. But they were absolutely incapable of such precise offense and defense or seamless multi-directional coordination.

This was with just over a dozen Griffons. If he had hundreds or thousands of Griffons, who could contend with him in the sky?

"Master…" The loyal steward flew nearby, sword in hand. He unfurled a Magic Shield to block an attack for the Count, then shouted, "What's wrong with you?"

Count Theodore knew he had been distracted. He held his staff, bestowed magic upon his retinue, and yelled, "Contract the defenses! Adopt a circular defensive formation to engage the enemy! Pay attention to Yan Xing and his Griffon Troop's position. If we want to win, we must contain the enemy effectively to create attacking opportunities for Yan Xing."

As Count Theodore's commands were executed, the Lord's Mansion Griffon Troop no longer charged recklessly but formed several circular echelons centered around the Count, creating a defensive sphere. Consequently, the rebel Griffons faced a tortoise formation that was difficult to penetrate.

The best way to deal with a circular defensive formation is to surround it and wear it down slowly. With patience and by avoiding rash advances, it could eventually be breached given enough time.

But at that moment in the sky, there was an annoying presence.

Yan Xing and his Griffons, taking small bites at a time, had already killed more than ten rebel Griffons.

The rebel commander had intended to wear down Count Theodore, waiting for his Magic Power and stamina to wane before eliminating him in one fell swoop. His own mission would then be accomplished. The death of Count Theodore would be enough to demoralize all the City Defense Forces still resisting within the city. This would allow the Temple to seize the opportunity and take control of the city's governance. Then, Yan Xing's embassy would be an easy target.

But who would have thought that Count Theodore, renowned for his bravery, would actually start fighting defensively?

Weren't you charging so aggressively just now?

Count Theodore's shift to defense made the rebel Griffon Troop extremely uncomfortable. They couldn't break through the attack. They also had to be wary of Count Theodore switching from defense to offense.

Meanwhile, Yan Xing, on the periphery, continued his unhurried attacks. No matter how the rebel Griffon Troop arranged themselves, he always managed to take a bite before retreating unscathed. Their own side's reactions were always a beat too slow, rendering them unable to encircle their targets. Furthermore, if they pursued, Yan Xing's group would lower their altitude, flying close to the buildings on the ground. Pursuing Griffons that failed to pull back in time would be attacked from the ground by the enemy's Alchemical Weapons. Those Alchemical Weapons were powerful and had a wide area of effect. The tiny steel ball bearings would find any gap. Once they penetrated the Magic Shields and damaged a wing, a Griffon would plummet.

This battle situation was extremely agonizing for the rebel Griffon Troop.

Ultimately, before the situation could deteriorate irreversibly, the rebel commander decisively ordered a retreat. If the combat mission couldn't be achieved, it was better to preserve their strength. As long as his forces remained, Count Theodore could not quickly quell the city's uprising.

Grand Priest Lancelot's minimum objective for this rebellion was to find and kill the Elf Envoys. It would be even better to breach the Lord's Mansion and kill Count Theodore. If the attack on the Lord's Mansion was hindered, then ensuring this minimum objective was met became paramount.

The Elves must die!

As several large magical fireworks exploded in the sky, the rebels attacking the Lord's Mansion began their retreat. The rebel Griffons disengaged from the battle in an orderly manner, covering the retreat of their ground troops.

Yan Xing stopped the Guild's Mercenaries from pursuing. Buildings were dense within Nuta City. Pursuing too closely could result in being ambushed and overwhelmed by enemy forces.

In any case, his main objective was to rescue Count Theodore.

Suppressing the uprising was not his concern.

The embassy's troops, serving as a deterrent force, only needed to protect their own properties and interests.

With the last of the rebels gone, the battle around the Lord's Mansion concluded. What remained were scenes of utter devastation. The cannons had inflicted immense damage on the buildings. In the relatively short battle, one-third of the structures between the Lord's Mansion and the plaza had been destroyed.

Riding his Battle Griffin above the ruins, Count Theodore felt no trace of victorious joy. He had watched this city being built. He had seen it grow prosperous bit by bit. Every building here was a testament to his hard work and dedication.

And destroying them had been so effortless.

Count Theodore swayed. This battle had pushed him to his physical and mental limits.

The old steward flew close, cast a few spells on the Count, and then said, "Master, let's return to the Lord's Mansion."

"Go back!"

Count Theodore knew he absolutely could not afford any mishap here. He held his head high, steering his Battle Griffin toward the Lord's Mansion. The Griffon Troop formed a long line behind him, emitting triumphant cries. On the ground and from the high walls and towers of the Lord's Mansion, heroes and soldiers erupted in cheers.

Upon returning to the Lord's Mansion, Count Theodore immediately summoned key personnel to the main hall.

The defenses of the Lord's Mansion had to be reinforced to prevent the rebels from launching another attack.

The ruins in the battle zone needed clearing: removing bodies, searching for the wounded, extinguishing fires...

Civilians affected by the fighting also needed rescue and reassurance. The battle had primarily occurred in civilian districts, and undoubtedly, many civilians who hadn't managed to escape were killed or injured.

Assisting the civilians would also allow for the conscription of more able-bodied young men into the army. Even a First Order Peasant represented a unit of fighting strength.

Next, they needed to devise a way to notify the City Defense Forces in other areas, informing them that the Lord's Mansion still stood and that Count Theodore remained the Lord of Nuta City.

And then, they had to prepare to suppress the rebellion.

As Count Theodore issued his various commands, night gradually enveloped Nuta City. Those who had fought all day were exhausted, and the fighting paused. Yet, occasional flashes of magic still tore through the darkness.

After dealing with urgent matters, Count Theodore dragged his weary body into his study. The moment the study door closed, he finally faltered, allowing the steward to support his nearly collapsing body.

Yan Xing, who had been waiting there, rushed over to help the old Count. Together with the steward, they helped him into a chair.

"I'm old, truly old…" the old Count sighed heavily, mocking himself. "I never imagined old age would render me so useless. To be this exhausted after such a brief fight. In my prime, I could fight continuously for three days and three nights and still feel full of vigor. Now, any insignificant nobody can push me around and retreat brazenly right before my eyes."

The steward, his voice choked with emotion as he helped Count Theodore remove his heavy armor piece by piece, said, "Master, you must take care of your health. For battles like these, you can leave them to us. We are soldiers you personally trained; we will not disgrace you."

Freed from his heavy armor, Count Theodore stretched his stiff limbs and said, "This battle was too critical. My presence or absence could have led to a different outcome. Fortunately, we won. Suppressing the rest of the rebellion is just a matter of time. Yan Xing, what are your thoughts on the subsequent battle situation?"

Seeing that Count Theodore did not appear to be seriously harmed, Yan Xing relaxed.

"The Tutor just said that suppressing the rest of the rebellion is a matter of time. Moreover, this uprising has revealed the true colors of everyone within Nuta City. Foes and allies have been clearly delineated. This is actually a good opportunity to sort out the chaos in Nuta City, which could be considered a silver lining. It's just that... the roots of this rebellion all point to the Temple. Has the Tutor considered how to deal with this major blight?"

Listening to Yan Xing's response, Count Theodore nodded.

This rebellion wasn't entirely a bad thing. Those who had hidden their malicious intentions well have all revealed themselves. Previously, there was no pretext to deal with them. Now is an opportune time for a reckoning. The small fry are easy to handle, but the Temple... that's a difficult problem. As long as the Temple remains, Nuta City will, sooner or later, revert to its former state.

After some thought, he concluded there really was no good solution.

"The Temple is backed by the Gryphon Heart Empire. Since they didn't openly participate in this uprising, we can't touch it. However, now that we've eliminated all its followers, Grand Priest Lancelot should remain subdued for a while. The key still lies with Storm City. Only if Storm City remains in Marquis Anderson's hands is Nuta City truly safe. Alas… The Temple certainly didn't choose the timing of this uprising randomly. These past two days are undoubtedly the most critical for the situation in the Wildwind Highlands. And we have no idea what is currently happening in Storm City. I've done all I can."

Count Theodore sighed deeply and gazed out the window.

In the pitch-black night, only the lights of the embassy vied with the starlight for brilliance.

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