Waroka had brought 60,000 warriors with him, a force large enough to sweep through the entire North.
In contrast, the Rayfold Army led by Amelia only numbered 10,000.
However, in a single skirmish, Waroka lost as many as 10,000 warriors. Meanwhile, the enemy suffered almost no casualties.
Waroka wanted to chase after them and launch an immediate attack, but he couldn't. He couldn't tell if this was a trap or a genuine retreat.
"Ugh… That woman… How dare she!"
It was a disgrace as a warrior. In the long history of the North, he might be the only one to have suffered such a devastating loss at the hands of a woman.
All he could see in front of him were the corpses of his warriors. Hardly any Rayfold Army bodies were visible.
Having fallen victim to such a flawless strategy, the result was inevitable.
The warriors exchanged uneasy glances and whispered among themselves.
"Did we… lose just now?"
"Wasn't their leader a woman? And yet we died like this?"
"What on earth got us?"
The warriors looked at Waroka with faces filled with shame, starting to doubt his capabilities.
After all, the tribes had only united out of necessity due to food shortages. There was no loyalty to Waroka.
Feeling the atmosphere shift, Waroka burst into a fit of anger.
"What are you all doing? Clean up the battlefield and set up camp! This wasn't such a big loss! In the end, we're far stronger and will win no matter what! They retreated because they couldn't keep fighting!"
In truth, it was a colossal loss. But Waroka had to keep suppressing his warriors by pretending it was nothing.
There wasn't much to clean up on the battlefield. They couldn't clear all the corpses, so they just scavenged usable weapons and surviving horses.
Leaving their fallen behind, the barbarian army marched a little further. They couldn't camp amidst a pile of corpses.
They hastily set up tents, tied their horses, and began to rest.
"Ah, I'm tired."
"Let's get some proper rest now."
"Let's sleep soundly tonight."
The warriors, simple-minded as they were, quickly forgot about their fallen comrades. With so many tribes united, half of them were practically strangers to each other anyway.
Still, it had been a major battle, so fatigue quickly caught up with them. Even those who hadn't directly participated in the fight felt stiff from the tension.
The chaotic lack of vigilance didn't bother anyone. They all believed there were no other forces left in the North. Everyone knew that the only remaining Rayfold Army had already retreated.
"There's no one left to attack us anyway."
"Exactly. Let's just sit and rest."
"Even the ones we fought earlier ran away."
Waroka didn't bother enforcing discipline. He didn't want to provoke further dissatisfaction among the warriors.
'Damn it, that woman has completely ruined my reputation.'
All he could do was grind his teeth and curse Amelia.
The barbarians had little experience with setting up proper camps and didn't see the need to. They were used to moving in small groups and pillaging, never needing to establish a camp.
As the poorly organized warriors rested comfortably, they were suddenly jolted awake around dawn by the sound of galloping hooves.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
"Get up!"
"Enemies! We're under attack!"
"What the hell? Where are they coming from?"
The barbarian warriors, who had been sleeping soundly, scrambled to grab their weapons.
They had never expected an attack, leaving them in complete disarray.
Waroka emerged from his tent and shouted loudly.
"Pull yourselves together! Form ranks! Prepare for battle!"
The warriors hastily and clumsily formed a line.
But nothing happened.
'We definitely heard horses…?'
Everyone stood in silence, straining to listen.
Thud, thud, thud, thud…
The sound faded away. It seemed to circle the area but gave no clear indication of intent.
The warriors, tense and wary, could only scan their surroundings. The darkness of the night limited their vision.
By the time dawn broke, and no further events occurred, the warriors finally collapsed into exhaustion.
"Damn it! What was that?"
"Did they just come and leave?"
"Was it because we got up and didn't attack?"
They grumbled, annoyed but relieved. Some even praised themselves, claiming their vigilance had scared the enemy away.
But Waroka, who had stayed awake all night, could only grit his teeth.
"That woman… How dare she…"
The intention was obvious. They had come just to disrupt them, to keep them restless and unable to recover.
In this state, continuing the advance was impossible. Everyone had fought and then spent the night sleepless.
"I won't fall for it twice."
Waroka boldly halted the march and allowed the warriors to rest during the day. There was still time, so he planned to move at night instead.
In daylight, they would have better visibility to spot approaching enemies from a distance.
But that wasn't all.
"They gave me a good idea. We'll do a night raid as well."
An eye for an eye. If the enemy wanted to keep them from resting, they would do the same in return.
With vastly superior numbers, they could rotate their forces to exhaust the enemy.
"Send out a scouting party. They must be waiting nearby to stop us."
Under Waroka's orders, a barbarian scouting party scoured the area and found the Rayfold Army camped some distance away.
After resting during the day, 1,000 barbarian warriors set out to raid the Rayfold camp.
Of course, they didn't intend to engage in a full battle. Their plan was to disrupt the enemy and tire them out, just as they had experienced.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
"Yaaaaahooo!"
"Wake up, you bastards!"
"Ha ha ha! We're here!"
The barbarian warriors, accustomed to pillaging, found this task easy. Upon locating the Rayfold camp, they circled it noisily, shouting and taunting.
Naturally, the Rayfold soldiers were alerted, and torches flared as troops emerged to prepare for battle.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
"This makes me want to charge in."
A few crazed warriors shifted restlessly. A thousand was no small number; even a direct charge could inflict significant damage.
But their goal was only to deprive the enemy of rest, not to engage in actual combat.
The barbarians laughed and jeered at the Rayfold soldiers.
"Hey, they're scared!"
"They're so uptight!"
"Did you think we'd be the only ones to suffer?"
The Rayfold Army, maintaining formation, didn't pursue the barbarians or engage in a chase. It was too risky to do so at night.
Confidently circling the camp and taunting, the barbarians finally turned their horses around to leave. In the dark, they relied on moonlight to guide them.
"Alright, let's head back and switch shifts."
But just as they were distancing themselves from the camp…
Whoosh!
Suddenly, countless flames flared up on both sides.
"Huh? Huh? What's going on?"
As the warriors panicked, hundreds of flaming arrows shot into the dark sky and rained down like meteors upon their ranks.
Thud, thud, thud!
"Argh!"
Neighhh!
The arrows struck warriors and horses alike, sending them crashing to the ground.
There had been no sign of any presence nearby. The attackers had clearly hidden themselves far away and waited for the perfect moment.
"Move quickly!"
"Who are they?"
"Run! Just run!"
Caught off guard, the barbarians panicked, unable to respond effectively in the dark as arrows rained down from both sides.
In the end, all they could do was flee the area as fast as possible.
The sight of the returning warriors in disarray made Waroka's anger boil over.
"Ugh…"
They were completely at Amelia's mercy. She had anticipated their retaliation and laid an ambush. On reflection, her forces had already rested for a full day.
Consumed by rage, he wanted to lead his entire army in an immediate assault.
But Waroka, who prided himself on being more thoughtful than other barbarians, hesitated. Morale was already low, and another trap could spell disaster.
Finally, the chieftains approached Waroka.
"Another day has passed. It took us two days to reach the northern entrance, and now it's been three."
"By now, the Northern Wolf must be fighting the rift."
"We keep failing in our maneuvers. What do you plan to do? We're overwhelming in numbers, so let's just charge forward!"
Waroka growled at their impatience.
"Do you still say that after what happened in our first clash? Who knows what traps they've laid again?"
"Then are we just going to waste more time like this?"
"I'm saying we should proceed more cautiously."
Waroka was just as anxious. He needed to quickly destroy the infrastructure of Perdium and Fenris and establish a foothold.
The feint operation was meant to unsettle the enemy, but now they were the ones becoming restless.
"We'll reassess the enemy camp at dawn and decide then."
At Waroka's decision, the chieftains left with discontented expressions. The trust between them, which was shaky to begin with, was now faltering even further.
When dawn broke and scouts were sent out again, they discovered that the Rayfold Army had already relocated their camp.
"Phew…"
Waroka bit his lip, troubled. The losses from the first skirmish were still etched deeply in his mind.
Not knowing the enemy's intentions made him naturally uneasy.
They even slowed their march to carefully check for traps like the one they fell into before.
Advancing cautiously, they took another day to rest. Now it was the fifth day. Time was slipping away.
'If that Bloody Demon gets devoured by the rift, it'd be a relief… but if he manages to stop it…'
The mere thought was terrifying. He had to trample over Perdium and Fenris and secure a base as soon as possible.
At that moment, one of the chieftains proposed a new idea.
"How about sending out a detachment?"
"Split our forces?"
"Yes. Since our main force is slowed down by all the supplies, let's split off a portion to capture a nearby territory first. They're all abandoned anyway, aren't they?"
"Hmm…"
"There's no way that woman, Amelia, can defend everything on her own. Stopping our main force would obviously be her priority."
It was a reasonable suggestion. After all, apart from Perdium and Fenris, they needed to occupy another territory and establish a defensive posture.
They also needed to prepare for whoever emerged victorious from the fight between the rift and Ghislain.
"Fine. Assign 3,000 warriors to the task."
That number would be sufficient to seize an abandoned territory swiftly. While they could assign more, maintaining mobility was critical.
Thus, 3,000 warriors split off from the main force. Since they were at the end of the northern entrance, there was plenty of room to maneuver separately.
Waroka devised a plan and spoke.
"Send out scouts to find the Rayfold Army's camp again. Keep an eye on them. If they notice our detachment and divide their forces, we'll strike immediately."
The enemy might also be conducting reconnaissance and could discover the detached force.
To counter 3,000 warriors, the enemy would have to pull out a similar number of troops. If thousands of soldiers were withdrawn, it would disrupt any strategy they had prepared.
But what they didn't know was that a single raven was flying overhead, observing their forces.
After half a day, the scouts returned and reported.
"We've located the Rayfold Army's camp. They're not moving and are just standing by!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! They haven't moved since we first found them!"
Satisfied with the report, Waroka nodded. This was sufficient. He felt reassured that they could secure another territory.
Still, Perdium and Fenris needed to be dealt with quickly. Only then could he rest easy.
"Good. We'll rest today and face the Rayfold Army again tomorrow."
The Rayfold Army must have understood the situation as well. They were likely unable to move because they were unsure of what to do.
Waroka planned to engage in another decisive battle after resting well and boosting morale.
But at dawn, Waroka received shocking news.
"They've been annihilated…?"
"Yes… they were ambushed…"
A bloodied warrior from the detached force returned and delivered the grim news. Their detachment had been ambushed and annihilated by a mysterious army.
"Where? There shouldn't be any other armies in the North!"
"Well… it bore the emblem of Rayfold."
"Rayfold?"
"Yes, I'm certain."
"They didn't move! How could they show up?"
The warrior looked bewildered. He was sure it was the Rayfold Army, but Waroka's insistence that it was impossible left him confused.
"Ugh… Could they have predicted this and secretly dispatched troops beforehand? Did I fall for that woman's tricks again? Did I get played by that woman again?"
Waroka's face turned red with rage as he shouted furiously.
Thinking back, the scouts only reported that the Rayfold Army hadn't moved. They hadn't checked how many troops remained.
It was humiliating. As the Great Warrior and leader of the North, he had been bested multiple times by the same army.
Not by the infamous Bloody Demon of the kingdom, but by a woman without even a renowned reputation.
The chieftains couldn't hold back any longer.
"If this continues, we're pulling out. We'll go take other territories ourselves."
"We should just face them head-on and crush them!"
"Why do we keep getting outplayed? It's already been six days!"
They couldn't understand Waroka's cautious approach. Wasn't it that very caution that led to the humiliating truce with the Bloody Demon last time?
Moreover, a lot of time had already passed. By now, there might already be a result from the rift battle.
A battle against the rift was different from a war with humans. The result would come quickly, as the fighting was relentless and continuous.
"We need to destroy all the infrastructure in Perdium and Fenris now."
"Only then can we freely rampage through the North."
"Even if the Bloody Demon is defeated, the northern forces will still remain."
If Ghislain survived and retreated, the northern forces would eventually come here. Everything needed to be resolved before that happened.
"I know! I know already!"
Waroka growled, irritated. These barbarian fools dared to lecture him?
But the situation was undeniably dire. In the end, Waroka resolved to make one final, decisive move.
"We're attacking Perdium directly. We'll raze the lord's castle to the ground."
The Rayfold Army would likely block their path again. He needed to crush them with full force.
"Let's go!"
Enraged, Waroka and his warriors marched at dawn.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
They moved relentlessly, even leaving their supply units behind to follow at a slower pace.
The Rayfold Army had already relocated. The barbarians continued their advance toward Perdium.
Before long, they encountered the Rayfold Army positioned in a plain.
"It's wide open. Perfect."
Waroka muttered as he surveyed the terrain.
They had already passed the northern entrance. Now, they could fight in an open plain, an ideal battlefield for cavalry.
Amelia's infuriating delay tactics wouldn't work here.
"Are they planning to fight by the river?"
A river flowed along one side of the plain. From the barbarian army's perspective, it was to their left; from the Rayfold Army's perspective, it was to their right.
On the left side of the Rayfold Army's formation, far in the distance, was a thicket.
Although it was a plain, if their formation stretched too thin, they risked being surrounded by cavalry.
Waroka sneered as he looked at the extended Rayfold formation.
"So, they're just trying to hold out here."
The enemy's numbers seemed similar to what they faced before. Clearly, no reinforcements had arrived.
With far fewer troops, their strategies were limited. They must be relying on this shallow terrain to hold their ground.
"We can break through this. I won't fall for their tricks again."
The battlefield was much larger than before, allowing them to deploy more forces. No matter what tactics the enemy employed, they could overwhelm them here.
Grinding his teeth, Waroka glared at the Rayfold Army.
"This ends today."
He intended to leave no one alive this time.
As the barbarians prepared for battle, a raven approached Amelia, who was seated and observing the scene.
Meow!
Dark, startled by Bastet's cry, frowned and stepped back.
"I'm here… countess."
Amelia asked with a calm expression.
"Is everything ready?"
"Yes… it's done… countess."
"Good work."
Amelia gently closed her eyes and murmured softly.
"It all ends today."
She, too, had no intention of letting a single barbarian escape alive.
[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]