Chapter 446: Furious Moral!

Time passed swiftly, and half a day was gone.

“Chief Moral, look—is that the fortress we’re heading for?”

At that moment, one of the subordinates ahead suddenly pointed toward a stone structure at the horizon’s edge.

And now, above that stone structure, a faint wisp of black smoke rose into the air.

Without needing to say more, this was undoubtedly their destination.

“That’s right—that’s our target! We’ve finally arrived!” Moral’s face immediately lit up with excitement.

Gazing at the faint spire of the fortress and the drifting smoke above it.

Though he couldn’t see the details, his mind already painted the scene: that damned Gervas and his men were trapped outside the fortress, unable to advance an inch.

And to escape faster, Gervas had no choice but to order his men to launch a full assault on the fortress.

That would be the perfect moment for him to seize that damned brat.

“Chief Moral, should our Bloodbat Riders move ahead first to scout?”

At that moment, the Bloodbat Riders above Moral spoke up.

“No, Bloodbat Riders—I want to give that damned brat a ‘surprise’! If you’re seen too early, they’ll know we’re coming!”

“Their spearmen are strong—if they’re prepared, they’ll increase the casualties among our orc warriors!”

“So you must not rush ahead—you must slow down as much as possible!”

“Also, keep watch around you—if you spot enemy griffon riders, don’t let them escape!”

“Yes, Chief Moral!”

The Bloodbat Riders nodded, and immediately lowered their altitude to avoid alerting the enemy.

“And you others—remember, don’t give those spearmen or swordsmen any time to react. The moment you see them, charge straight in until they’re crushed and wiped out!”

“As for Gervas, leave him alive—I intend to take him back and present him to the Beast King!” Moral added, giving orders to the other orc captains.

“Yes, Chief Moral!”

Thus, after more than twenty minutes, the fortress was now within sight.

Just beyond the trees ahead lay the open wasteland surrounding the fortress.

Thanks to Moral’s prior warning, every orc gripped their weapons tightly.

Even more, to deliver a fatal blow to the humans, they didn’t even use their servant troops as cannon fodder.

“Orc warriors, prepare—”

As the captains watched the forest edge draw near, they all drew breath to roar the charge order.

But as the last few towering trees vanished from view, the scene ahead froze the orc captains in place—stunned, uncertain.

“What are you waiting for? Charge forward!”

Moral spotted the delay instantly.

The front ranks had already exited the forest, yet no charge came.

Frustrated, he barked out a furious command.

“Chief Moral… you… you should come forward and see for yourself!”

Hearing the reprimand, the captains finally snapped back to reality and answered Moral cautiously.

Moral’s heart sank—he felt a bad omen.

And indeed, as Moral pushed past the ranks to the front and gazed at the fortress seven hundred meters away—

The expected human siege was nowhere to be seen. Only an empty fortress stood silent, its great gate wide open.

“This… this can’t be! Where are the humans? Where are the orc warriors stationed here? Where did they go?” Moral couldn’t believe it.

Obviously, no one could answer him.

Each captain lowered their head, silent.

Moral gritted his teeth. “What are you waiting for? Charge in—find out what happened inside!”

“Bloodbat Riders—fly ahead immediately. Report any sign of trouble at once!”

“Yes, Chief Moral!”

Thus, the orc force hurried forward and entered the fortress.

Once inside, Moral finally understood—the orc warriors hadn’t vanished. They’d been wiped out completely.

Across the central courtyard, as far as the eye could see, lay orc corpses.

Even in the midst of the pile, a small tower had been built from stacked orc skulls.

“Damn it!”

Provocation!

This was a blatant insult to the orc warriors.

In the past, only the orcs had used such methods—piling the severed heads of two-legged sheep into towers to terrify them.

Now, humans had done this to the orc army.

This was unbearable.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

“Chief Moral! We searched five miles forward and found no trace of any humans!”

“Also, outside the northern gate, vast supplies have been burned—the black smoke earlier came from their ashes!”

At that moment, the scouting Bloodbat Riders returned.

They reported their findings to Moral.

It was obvious what supplies the humans had burned.

Though these meats and flours had been stolen from the humans, once taken, they belonged to the orcs!

They would have fed the next generation of orc warriors.

Now, they’d been wasted—gone without a trace.

“Chase them! Pursue them! Kill every last human! At any cost!”

Thus, Moral—who had been cheerful just half an hour ago—was now consumed by madness.

Eyes blazing red, desperate to tear Gervas limb from limb, he ordered the force to pursue without pause.

Of course, Gervas and his men had a half-day head start—no matter how hard the orcs ran, they couldn’t catch up directly.

Unless another city or fortress blocked their path.

The only remaining stronghold that could stop Gervas from entering the wasteland was Snowplain City—over a hundred miles away.

So both sides had at least two full days of pursuit ahead.

Meanwhile, Moral’s progress was slow, but the Beast King at Lindongcheng had seized his chance and began his final plan.

That dawn, Wilaerd and Solit appeared behind Lindongcheng at Lindongbao.

After the last major supply of grain and forage was burned, the Commander-in-Chief became extremely vigilant—he moved the remaining supplies to Lindongbao and stationed legion soldiers to guard them.

Wilaerd and Solit used the pass scroll they’d obtained from the Duke of Leshi to enter Lindongbao.

Once inside, they quietly hid among a thicket of bushes.

Ding-dong-dong!

They waited for hours.

As dawn broke, the alarm bell of Lindongcheng rang urgently.

Along with it came faint shouts, cries, and the clash of battle.

“What’s happening?”

The Commander-in-Chief burst out of the fortress immediately.

“Commander! A group of black-clad intruders has appeared inside the city—they’re killing everyone and setting fires everywhere!”

“And the orcs outside have launched a full-scale assault!”

The messenger rushed in with the report.

Even without the report, from their vantage point on the hillside, the Commander could see the chaos inside and outside the city.

He looked out—dozens of fires blazed across Lindongcheng, at least forty or fifty.

Worse still, outside the walls, orcs with torches surged forward in dense waves, attacking Lindongcheng.