Azure Scepter

Page 118

“Now, the garrison in this fortress is far more than a few hundred people.” Jasmine chuckled and changed the subject. “Even if those undead abandon their fortifications and engage us in open battle, our chances of winning are probably only fifty-fifty. If you ask me, we just need to besiege the fortress, then use the spell of turning fossils into mud to destroy its foundation, artificially creating a massive collapse to force the undead to come out and fight us in the open.”

Lawrence nodded.

“The idea is good, but you are underestimating the people who built this fortress—the entire Aurenor region has been reinforced by numerous rituals by mages, so it’s probably unrealistic to try to create a collapse with magic.”

He paused, then bent down and pointed to the yellow arc near the red dot.

"Besides, even if we were to launch a full-scale attack, we would have to establish an offensive outpost in the abandoned town south of the fortress and the Dragonwing Pass to the east. Otherwise, the attackers' retreat route would be easily cut off, and we would be doomed."

A brief silence fell over the cabin—everyone present was a military expert, and they all knew that attacking the Aureno Fortress would be extremely difficult, so no one would rashly offer any foolish suggestions. Moreover, everyone was well aware that a truly bloody battle was about to begin.

Time ticked by, the wax dripped from the top of the candle and then solidified into a clump at the bottom. Everyone looked once again at Trier, who had remained silent.

In previous military operations, they had faced similar dilemmas, but Commander Trier always managed to come up with unexpected solutions.

What's even more astonishing is that, no matter how illogical Trier's plan seemed, in practice, the undead and cultists acted exactly as he had predicted, as if under his mental control...

Trier didn't rush to speak. He first glanced at everyone present before saying in a deep voice, "It's not realistic to launch a direct assault on Fort Aureno. We need to lure the defenders out and make them engage us in a decisive battle."

“Using civil engineering is one approach, but that would take a very long time, and we don’t have that much time.” He paused for a moment, then looked at Seres. “So, we need a juicy bait to lure them out.”

Upon hearing this, the old knight couldn't help but chuckle. Mercenaries were just cannon fodder sent to their deaths; this kind of bait mission should definitely be given to that half-elf.

He glanced at the map, then looked at the abandoned town on it—these mercenaries were definitely heading there to act as bait.

As expected, Seres's gloomy face darkened even more, his brows furrowed, his thick eyebrows almost twisted into a knot.

Just then, a dark cloud obscured the silver moon, and the flickering candlelight inside the room became even more intense, revealing the blood-stained dust clearly in the dim candlelight.

The oppressive atmosphere that had just eased immediately became heavy again.

Lawrence knew very well that mercenaries who risked their lives for money were far from trustworthy, and this was the time when infighting and internal strife were most likely to break out.

The old knight placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, his gaze coldly fixed on the mercenary captains opposite him. The muscles of the various old mercenaries tensed, and their heavy breathing became even more jarring.

Time seemed to pass for a long time, yet it also seemed to pass only for a moment—Ceres licked his lips, and the next moment, as if he had made up his mind, he suddenly opened his eyes.

“Trier, we’ll take on the decoy role,” he said coldly. “You assign the tasks, we’ll carry them out.”

The mercenary captains became somewhat agitated, but their agitation instantly subsided after the half-elf reprimanded them.

The old knight raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but look at the half-elf with newfound respect—this young man's tactic of feigning retreat was quite skillful.

Trier didn't speak, but turned to look at Lawrence.

"Lawrence, lead the soldiers to the abandoned town on the south side."

The old knight was about to respond, but the next moment, he froze—as did everyone else present.

Shouldn't we send the mercenaries, who are willing to risk their lives for money, to the abandoned town on the south side?!

However, the next moment, Trier gave an even more outrageous instruction.

“Ceres, I request that you allocate your most elite men to establish a defensive outpost in this location.”

Jasmine, whose face had been gloomy, suddenly beamed with joy, but the next moment, she asked with considerable worry, "Commander, what are we going there for? The western side of Aureliano is a steep mountain peak; we can't launch an attack from there."

Seres was silent for a moment, then shook his head firmly.

“Trier, I’m willing to lead the team to the abandoned town on the south side—it’s unrealistic to send soldiers to attack the abandoned town. You see, there’s a large forest on the east side of the King’s Road leading there. A few hundred soldiers wouldn’t have enough manpower to clear that forest, which means their flank would be completely exposed. If the enemy launches an attack from the forest, it will be a massacre.”

Trier shook his head. He was about to speak when Sir Scarpe, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "I obey Lord Trier's orders."

As the enormous female knight spoke, the entire room began to tremble slightly...

The female knight, who was usually considered taciturn, suddenly seemed to have opened a floodgate of words and continued, "In the name of Radiance, what kinds of undead are mainly attacking the fortress?"

“It’s a large number of ghosts,” Noy said with a smile. “I see.”

Lawrence pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized—if the main type of enemy was ghosts, then the steep peaks that were almost impossible for mortals would not be an obstacle at all, so it was entirely possible for the enemy to move westward!

“That’s why your area is the main target of their attack,” the female knight continued in a muffled voice. “In this way, the teams heading towards the abandoned town are just telling them that we are foolish, and that there is actually no risk involved.”

Chapter 237 The Avenging Angel (Part 4)

“In this way, the teams heading towards the abandoned town are just telling the other side that we are foolish, and there is actually no risk involved,” the female knight said in a muffled voice.

However, the next moment, Trier shook his head again: "If you think that way, then you are underestimating the enemy. Going to the abandoned town on the south side is also quite risky."

Trier's voice wasn't loud, but when he spoke, the entire cabin fell silent instantly—his words were simply too outrageous.

If the enemy's main attack direction is the Hedlin Hills to the west, what risks could there be in attacking the abandoned market to the south?

Old Knight Lawrence, suppressing his confusion, looked up at Trier.

Trier turned around and stretched out his arm, pointing out the window.

"On your way here, you must have seen those iron pots used to cook human flesh—those things aren't for cooking ghouls; they're for necromancers to use as spells to pinpoint the location of their prey. This morning I took a stroll through the abandoned town on the south side, and the King's Road there is full of these crucibles."

As Trier finished speaking, he turned to look at Lawrence.

"Only large-scale joint spellcasting and ritual spellcasting require marking the spell firing parameters in advance. This means that once you reach the opponent's predetermined firing position, a large number of low-level undead hidden in the forest will rush out to entangle you, and then a devastating spell will fall from the sky and blast you all to ashes."

Lawrence was stunned. Trier's words hit him like a hammer blow, and he felt a dizzying sensation rush to his head.

"So, if we don't send forces towards the southern towns, the enemy might become suspicious and avoid taking the bait in the hills; but if we do send forces towards the southern towns, anyone who goes there will be blown to smithereens," Mercenary Leader Seres said in a deep voice.

“Then how do we retaliate?” Jasmine interrupted. “If the fisherman catches not a lamprey, but an astral whale, he’ll be swallowed too.”

“We could try sending people ahead of time to clean up those crucibles,” suggested the female knight Scarpe. “That’s a reasonable solution.”

“You’re such an idiot,” Jasmine sneered. “The entire road is teeming with plague zombies. To clear the cauldron, we’d need a large force; but if we send a large force, they’d be blasted into the air by magic.”

“Lord Trill, aren’t you imagining the enemy to be too powerful?” Seres couldn’t help but spread his hands. “Based on my experience in the war in the Demon Rift region, the other side may not necessarily be so cunning—those powerful demons often do some rather absurd things.”

“I don’t intend to pin my hopes for victory on the enemy’s stupidity,” Trier said, turning around in a calm tone.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" the old knight Lawrence asked in a deep voice.

Suddenly, Trier smiled. This was the first time Lawrence had ever seen the usually stern commander smile like that—a cold smile filled with intense anticipation, like the smile on the face of a warrior wielding a sharp blade in the snowy night, ready to commit a bloody massacre.

He was about to continue observing, but the smile on Trier's face vanished in an instant.

“I have my own plans,” Trier said softly. “Just follow the pre-arranged plan.”

“But I must emphasize one point.” He paused for a moment, “Our pace of movement must be roughly the same—the mercenaries should enter the Hedlin Hills at roughly the same time Lawrence sets foot on King’s Road. Only in this way will the enemy think we cannot cover both ends, and thus be lured out.”

On the way back, the old knight Lawrence kept thinking about what Trier's so-called method was, but no matter how hard he thought about it, he still couldn't figure it out.

Confused, he decided to talk to Sir Scarpé, but to his surprise, Scarpé was also completely baffled.

“You’re overthinking it, Lawrence,” Scarpe said in a deep voice. “If Lord Trier said that, he must be absolutely certain. If we can figure out his plan, then we’ll surely be enlightened.”

"But..."

“There are no ‘buts’,” the female knight shook her head impatiently. “Lawrence, even if he really does send us to our deaths, we have to carry out orders—have you met Bishop Vercingetorius?”

Lawrence couldn't help but feel a little confused.

"I saw the bishop at the sermon, what's wrong?"

"He once said something very interesting: 'Ordinary people always hesitate and worry about life and death when they are pursuing great things; but when they see a small profit, they will pounce on the trap like hungry wolves without any regard for anything.' Lawrence, look at that mercenary leader. He agreed so readily to use his elite troops as cannon fodder, and it wasn't just for a little gold dragon. You should have some courage too."

At this point, the female knight paused for a moment.

"Now is the perfect opportunity to risk your life for this."

After saying that, the giantess fell completely silent.

War is not made up of brief, intense battles; rather, it is made up of countless long waits—waiting for the next dawn, waiting for the next nightfall, waiting to march, waiting to set up camp, waiting for the battle horn, waiting for the call to retreat.

The following day, as the commander's orders were officially issued, the massive mixed army immediately began to operate at high speed like a sophisticated machine. Amidst the shouts of the soldiers, the tips of the countless guns gleamed with the golden light of the sun.

Just then, a white cloud blocked out the golden morning sunlight.

—Amid the clouds, a raven, devoid of flesh and blood, its skeleton gliding silently, its empty eye sockets burning with a ghostly blue flame of its soul, the flames reflecting like a mirror the orderly military camp on the ground.

In the raven's eyes, colorful flags fluttered in the wind in the military camp, the mounted scouts had already set off to leave the camp, and the large number of auxiliary soldiers began to quickly pack up the barracks and supplies.

The skeletal ravens lowered their altitude slightly, hovering close above the army like shadows. A few hours later, the massive army completed its break camp with remarkable efficiency. As they marched, the crowd gradually split into three groups. By noon, when they reached the Aurenor region, the dense flow of people resembled a river, advancing in three different directions.

The raven's soul fire flickered in its eye sockets. It circled in the air for a moment, then continued to descend, slowly flying towards the western army.

On the army's supply vehicles, a large number of climbing grapples and ropes were observed...

next moment--

"Clap."

A pale blue, transparent hand silently brushed across the crystal ball, and the grappling hooks and ropes reflected in the crystal ball vanished into thin air.

“They’ve taken the bait,” the elven ghost said calmly. “These humans are clever, but not clever enough—the feint attack from the south and the surprise attack from the west by climbing are certainly good tactics, but they didn’t consider that our army has a large number of ghost cavalry who can float freely and pass through physical objects. We will launch a fatal attack while they are climbing; moreover, they also didn’t consider the strength of our spellcasting. Those responsible for the feint attack will have no chance of survival in the face of saturation-like spell bombardment; and without the main offensive force, the remaining humans are nothing more than lambs to the slaughter.”

As it said this, it glanced silently at the apprentice opposite it—the surviving apprentice of the dwarven necromancer was deathly pale, his body trembling like a leaf, his pen constantly recording its words.

"Don't bother writing it down, it's pointless anyway." The ghost sighed. "Paper decays, just as our lives decay."

The apprentice screamed, immediately dropping his pen and notebook, then looked at the elven ghost with considerable unease.

"Don't be afraid, I don't plan to kill you for now. Anyway, we're all going to die sooner or later," the elven ghost said calmly. "Now, you can go and inform the mages to get ready. The human army is expected to move into its designated firing positions in two days."

The apprentice nodded hurriedly, then scrambled out of the room as if fleeing a disaster, even throwing his spellbook on the ground in his haste.

The heavy spellbook crashed to the ground with a dull thud that echoed through the torture chamber. After a moment, everything returned to deathly silence.

In the silence, the ghost revealed a playful smile and slowly took out a black magic storage stone.

"Aurius, I sensed you hiding in that army..." it muttered to itself. "Heh, we're meeting again. This time, you can't escape..."

Chapter 238 The Avenging Angel (Part 5)

As dawn broke, Lawrence took the helmet from the servant and put it on his head.

Through the narrow observation hole in his helmet, he could vaguely see the distant Hedlin Hills. Among the dark blue fir trees, the mercenaries' colorful flags seemed to have transformed into a sea of ​​banners, their armor reflecting the golden dawn—from his angle, the mercenaries were extremely well-prepared, looking as if they had stepped out of a bard's heroic poem.

The Hedlin Hills are a branch of the St. Sergei foothills. The slope of the entire foothills gradually decreases from north to south until the river plain southwest of Hedlin Fortress. The King's Road is built on the river plain and runs straight north through the entire river plain, leading directly to the abandoned town.

Lawrence adjusted his helmet, then turned his head to look at the abandoned town.

The Hedlin River is a tributary of the Ravenblack River, and the abandoned town is located on the north bank of the Hedlin River. The three bridges spanning the river are full of zombies, and on both sides of the bridges are dense fir forests where countless undead wander aimlessly. Among the undead, one can vaguely see a large number of iron pots burning human flesh.

The air was filled with a stench like that of rotting corpses.

Lawrence took a deep breath and then glanced at his servant.

At this moment, the robust young man was trembling. He clenched his teeth tightly, but the "crunching" sound of his teeth clashing could still be clearly heard.

"Do you see that town over there?" The old knight patted his squire on the shoulder. "That place used to be called Bloodskull Mountain. It was there that Duke Drago the Orc Impaler beheaded thousands of orcs—your ancestor was the Duke's guard. Don't bring shame upon your ancestors, child. Be brave."

The servant forced a smile and said in a trembling voice, "I want to avenge those innocent people who were slaughtered by the undead."

Just as the old knight was about to speak, the crisp sound of horses' hooves came from behind him.

He turned his head and immediately saw that the messenger with a blue swallowtail flag hanging from the tip of his gun had arrived at the rear of the formation.

"His Excellency Trier has ordered—prepare your weapons, prepare for attack, depart in twenty minutes!" the messenger shouted. "For honor!"

As soon as the order to attack arrived, the chaplains among the soldiers immediately began casting protective spells as planned; while the sergeants shouted and distributed holy water and armor; the soldiers in the front row unloaded their plate armor from the supply wagons and then put it over their chainmail linings.

Under the effect of "Gigantification," the halberdiers in the center of the formation, wearing half-armor, grew in size again, each of them becoming almost like small giants; while Sir Scarpie, who was already extremely large, was transformed into a behemoth like a small mountain under the effect of the divine spell "Magnificent Figure."

The female knight casually swung her spear, and with a muffled whistling sound as the blade tore through the air, she growled, "For honor!"

"For honor!" The soldiers' shouts were deafening.

Lawrence took a deep breath, picked up the horn, and then blew it loudly to signal the start of the march.

The soldiers responsible for the feint attack on the southern town were all elite troops. Unlike the militia of Beaver Town, the skeletons and zombies posed no threat to them whatsoever.

The large number of zombies and skeletons roaming the road were completely defenseless. Although they outnumbered humans several times over, they were still mercilessly crushed into mincemeat as if they were fallen leaves swept by the autumn wind. They couldn't even slow down.

Soon, the soldiers in the four square formations advanced to the vicinity of the bridge without any setbacks.

Although progress was going extremely smoothly, the battle-hardened old knight couldn't help but feel a little nervous as he looked at the fir forest getting closer and closer.

—According to Lord Trier's prediction, the forest will be teeming with combat-capable undead, and once they are entangled by the undead, devastating magical attacks will annihilate everything.

He stopped to listen, but all he heard was the sound of soldiers' boots marching in unison, the rustling of leaves in the morning breeze, and the gurgling of the stream—the forest was extremely quiet, as if no spirits were lurking there.

A sense of unease rose in the old knight's heart.

Could it be that Lord Trier's assessment of the enemy's actions was incorrect? If so, what is the enemy's true plan?

He couldn't help but turn around and look in the direction of the mercenaries.

—The morning sun shone on the rocks of the Hedlin cliffs, and the entire hill seemed to be bathed in the golden grace of the sun. However, the next moment, a dark blue shadow suddenly emerged from the shadows and then spread as fast as lightning.

Accompanied by a piercing shriek that hurt the eardrums and sounded like the explosion of the sound barrier, the entire earth trembled—in an instant, countless dark blue cavalrymen suddenly charged out from the shadows of the mountains!