Chapter 466 The Ambush and Encirclement

"Hmph!" Inasil’s expression turned icy. "You were out running errands, so you wouldn’t know—the reinforcements at Forgehold Fortress have already arrived."

"What?! They got here that fast? Does that mean we lost the battle?" Fagu asked, his face twisting in shock.

"Lost? This was no mere defeat—it was a one-sided slaughter! There were at least two S-Rank Champions on their side, and they wield some kind of terrifying, unknown power. The entire monster horde we sent to attack Forgehold Fortress was wiped out in the blink of an eye!"

"W-What?!"

Fagu was visibly terrified, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"Are you telling me the enemy has power like that?"

"Could it be...... some kind of hidden ancient super magical weapon?"

"Who knows? It all happened in an instant. By the time I realized what was going on, there was nothing left but ash."

"This......" A drop of sweat trickled down Fagu’s cheek. "My lord, don’t you think we should retreat first?"

"That’s exactly what I intend to do. No one knows if they can unleash that power again. I’m not going to die some meaningless death. We can figure out how to swear allegiance to the Demon Lord later—right now, survival is our top priority. Go make the arrangements at once. From now on, we’ll go back to operating in the shadows."

"Yes, my lord! I’ll take care of it immediately!"

Fagu scurried away in a hurry.

Inasil shot a glance at Hena, who hung motionless from the post. He’d lost all interest in lashing her. Tossing the whip aside in disgust, he turned to leave.

"Someone! Cut her down and heal her wounds quickly! We’re not done using her yet!"

......

Under the orders of Inasil, the Wealth Pillar,

the last remaining remnants of Gulos’s faction packed their supplies at dawn the next day and set off on their desperate flight.

"Lord Inasil—which direction are we fleeing to?"

Inasil replied without hesitation,

"Head northwest first. Now that our plan here has failed, we need to find new allies to barter with for our survival......"

"Wait a minute!"

Inasil suddenly froze mid-sentence, his words trailing off.

He scanned the surrounding terrain, his brow furrowing deeply.

"This won’t do......"

"Fagu."

"My lord?"

"Go make new arrangements. Tell the majority of our forces to take the monster horde and flee in the opposite direction. We’ll only take a small elite squad with us."

Fagu’s eyes lit up with understanding.

"Yes, my lord! I’ll get on it right awa——"

A flash of white light suddenly streaked across the distant sky.

BOOM!

Without any warning, a devastating attack slammed into the ground nearby. The monsters gathered around them were instantly decimated by the blast.

Did you know this story is from NovelBin? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Oh no——!"

Inasil’s face paled drastically.

"They’ve found us!"

......

RUMBLE......

The ground shook violently beneath their feet.

The dwarven legion, marching at double time, had caught up with the fleeing remnants of Gulos’s faction.

"Encircle them!"

At Aralond’s thunderous command,

the dwarven legion split into two groups in an instant, charging forward to encircle the enemy from both left and right flanks.

"Damn it! Send all the monsters in to attack!"

Inasil shouted frantically.

"ROAR——!"

The horde of monsters surrounding them charged forward at his command.

But before they could even get close to the dwarven lines, they were met with a withering hail of attacks.

Under the dense barrage of magical fire, the monsters fell in droves, their bodies piling up on the battlefield.

"N-No good, Lord Inasil!" Fagu screamed in panic.

"We’re completely surrounded! These monsters can’t break through their lines!"

"You useless fool! Can you do anything besides panic?!" Inasil snarled in frustration, then turned his glare on Hena.

"And you—you worthless wretch! Get over here right now——!"

"Y-Yes...... right away......"

Hena scurried over to him, trembling like a leaf.

Inasil sized her up with a cold, calculating gaze.

"Once your wounds are healed, you’re going to blast a path through their lines for our escape. Remember—this is your chance to prove you’re still useful!"

"Yes! Hena will do it right now!"

WHOOSH——!

A gust of wind erupted around her as Hena vanished from her spot, moving faster than the eye could follow.

Just like before, she blended into the ranks of monsters, weaving her way steadily toward the dwarven encirclement.

"Clear a path. Clear a path. Hena must clear a path......"

The silhouettes of the dwarven soldiers soon appeared ahead.

Hena skidded to a halt, waving her hand. Her Divine Bow materialized in her grasp.

"Hena must clear a path, so......"

She pulled the bowstring taut with all her strength, and a surge of powerful mana began to gather at the arrowhead.

"Everyone—get out of Hena’s way——!"

SWISH——!

The arrow shot forth like a beam of light. The shockwave alone was enough to send the surrounding monsters flying through the air.

BOOM!

After a blinding flash of light,

the dwarven soldiers stood completely unharmed, a faint, shimmering barrier shimmering before them.

"W-What is this?" Hena stared at the barrier in stunned disbelief. "Why did it block Hena’s attack?"

"Found you."

A familiar voice suddenly rang out from above.

Hena snapped her head upward.

And there she saw the same girl from before, looking down at her with a calm, unyielding gaze.

"GRRR——!"

The fur all over her body stood on end in terror.

"It’s her! The one from last time!"

"This time, I won’t let you get away."

"G-Grr...... Hena isn’t scared of you!"

Hena shouted defiantly, leveling her Divine Bow at Hulim Heyerar.

Mana began to gather once more.

But in the next instant,

the figure in the air vanished from her sight without a trace.

"What?! She’s gone——"

SLAP!

Before Hena could even react,

she was slammed face-first into the ground, pinned down by a powerful hand.

"!!?"

Hena’s eyes widened with disbelief and terror. She bared her fangs and roared,

"Let go of Hena——!"

"I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. Please come with us quietly."

"No! No! No! No......!"

Hena thrashed violently, struggling to break free.

At the same time,

Inasil and Fagu, who had been sneaking away in the chaos, witnessed Hena’s capture.

"Lord Inasil! What do we do now?! The Hero was taken down in an instant! We’re done for! We’re as good as dead!"

"Shut up!"

Inasil snapped at him, his voice laced with fury.

He stared at Hena’s captured form, his expression darkening with rage.

"That useless wretch! She couldn’t even hold out long enough for me to escape...... Dammit! If you’re going to be defeated, at least have the decency to wait until I’m gone first!"

"No. I can’t just sit here and wait to die. I have to think of something. Is there any way out of this......"

Inasil wracked his brain frantically for a plan.

Then his eyes suddenly locked onto Hulim’s movements. A bolt of inspiration flashed through his mind, and a cruel, cunning idea took shape.

His gaze turned cold and sinister.

"No other choice left...... I have to take a gamble."

On the other side of the battlefield,

after capturing Hena, Hulim was about to take her back to Irus.

Suddenly, the Slave Collar around Hena’s neck constricted violently.

"Ugh——!"

A look of unspeakable agony crossed Hena’s face as she gasped for breath, choking on the collar’s grip.

"Oh no!"

Hulim and Irus’s expressions darkened instantly.

They scanned their surroundings quickly,

and despite the interference from the overwhelming number of monster auras, they pinpointed a single figure hiding nearby in seconds.

"Wait! Don’t kill me! I’m not the one controlling the Hero!"

Fagu shouted in a panic, scrambling out from behind his hiding spot.

It was a good thing he’d yelled when he did—otherwise, he would have been cut down before he could even finish his sentence.

Fagu stared at the weapon hovering mere inches from his forehead, his entire back soaked with cold sweat.

T-That was close!

These two are ruthless—they don’t even hesitate to kill!

"Where is the one who’s controlling her?"

Irus asked, her voice cold as ice.

"P-Please calm down! I’m only here to negotiate! Killing me won’t do you any good—it’ll just get the Hero killed too!"