Chapter 454: Lift the Cannon and Fire!

And afterward, this same thing continued to happen.

These Blood Bat Knights had initially noticed nothing amiss, for they were all fully focused on fighting their respective opponents.

When the enemies flew away, they assumed the griffon riders were trying to flee, and eagerly chased after them.

That small grove lay over two miles away; once they flew far out, their comrades’ figures appeared only as tiny black dots.

A few black dots landing drew no attention whatsoever.

Time passed second by second, and now three more squads of Blood Bat Knights had vanished without a trace.

Only at this moment did a few more observant orcs realize their comrades were growing fewer and fewer, and that the sky around them held no trace of them.

“Damn it, what’s going on? Where are KatoDa and the others?”

“Yeah! Could they have chased the enemy too far?”

“Impossible! I ordered everyone not to stray from the city alone—even if chasing the enemy!” The Blood Bat Knight squad leader immediately dismissed this possibility!

“Did any of you notice which direction they flew off toward?” The Blood Bat Knight squad leader pressed further.

“It looks like they all flew that way!” The Blood Bat Knights suddenly widened their eyes.

For they realized their missing comrades had all flown toward the left.

“Damn it, we’ve been tricked by the humans—this place is no longer safe. Everyone, withdraw immediately!”

Even the dumbest Blood Bat Knight squad leader now understood something was amiss.

And his missing subordinates were likely dead.

He immediately gathered his remaining troops and prepared to retreat.

This scene was immediately noticed by Miek, hidden within the grove.

Miek couldn’t help cursing inwardly—how nice it would be if a few more enemies came over.

They had already lured in four waves, totaling twelve Blood Bat Knights.

If just one more wave arrived, they would have the strength to completely eliminate these Blood Bat Knights.

But now, the remaining Blood Bat Knights’ strength was not to be underestimated.

And worse, these bastards were trying to run—wouldn’t that mean failing their lord’s orders?

Miek pondered a moment, then gritted his teeth: “Let’s go. Chase after them and see if we can kill a few more Blood Bat Knights!”

Then Miek led his other three comrades toward the city.

The other griffon riders and Magic Swift Eagles also realized the situation and turned from defense to offense, engaging the Blood Bat Knights.

Too bad, though—though the Blood Bat Knights avoided prolonged combat, their strength was undeniable; the Magic Swift Eagles and griffon riders simply couldn’t stop them.

Gervas immediately frowned.

If these Blood Bat Knights escaped, they would bring great risk later.

For example, like this intelligence report—if they notify the forward camp again, my plan is ruined.

“No matter what, they cannot escape today!”

Gervas no longer hesitated.

A whistle summoned Zhuiyue, and he shot straight toward the western side of Snow City—the small grove to the left.

The artillery squad was still patiently waiting for targets to enter range.

When they saw Gervas descending from the sky, they were stunned.

“My lord!”

“Has the artillery been loaded?”

“My lord, already loaded!”

“Good. You all leave the forest at once, leave the cannons here, and do not return until I give the order!”

“Yes, my lord!”

Though their lord’s order was strange, the artillery squad’s soldiers hesitated not at all—they immediately abandoned the cannons and rushed toward the forest’s edge.

After his subordinates departed, Gervas approached the three cannons.

He removed the already-installed ultra-short fuse and replaced it with one designed to burn for roughly five seconds.

Once done, Gervas swiftly seized a nearby torch and ignited all three cannon fuses at top speed.

Hssss!

Instantly, the sound of rapidly burning fuses came from the three cannons.

Seeing this, Gervas immediately commanded his mind.

The next instant, the three cannons, still hissing smoke, vanished one after another.

“Done!”

The three cannons were naturally stored in Gervas’s storage space.

Though he could ride Zhuiyue and fight the Blood Bat Knights hand-to-hand,

the problem was, that method would be too slow—he likely couldn’t annihilate them all.

So artillery was the only way to quickly eliminate the Blood Bat Knights.

Gervas also stored a crate of gunpowder and a crate of grapeshot into his storage space.

Then he wasted no more time: “Zhuiyue, let’s go!”

……

About twenty minutes later, ahead of Gervas appeared the griffon riders and Blood Bat Knights.

“My lord, why are you here?” Miek was greatly surprised.

“These Blood Bat Knights cannot escape—if they do, we’ll be in grave danger later!”

“But my lord, these Blood Bats are too strong—we can’t stop them. They’re cunning, rotating to cover each other’s retreat, while we must keep fighting and chasing.”

“If we hold out another hour, we won’t have the strength to pursue further!” Miek’s face was filled with guilt and helplessness.

“Don’t worry—I came precisely for this!” Without delay, Gervas directed Zhuiyue forward.

Having grown, Zhuiyue’s speed now surpassed the Magic Swift Eagles—catching a few Blood Bat Knights posed no difficulty.

The Blood Bat Knights had split into two groups.

Four per group, taking turns to cover the retreat.

At this moment, four Blood Bats were locked in fierce combat with Yefulan and several other griffon riders.

“Yefulan, get out of the way!”

Gervas locked onto the nearest Blood Bat Knight and plunged directly into the fray.

Though Yefulan and the others didn’t understand, they swiftly moved aside.

Instantly, the Blood Bat Knight, previously surrounded by five Magic Swift Eagles and one griffon rider, found himself free.

He looked at Gervas, recognizing him as the human commander, and immediately brandished his weapon in challenge.

“Roar!”

The Blood Bat beneath him, sensing its master’s action, also roared toward Gervas and Zhuiyue.

“Feeling confident, are you? Then let you taste the terror of truth!”

Gervas sneered, clasping his arms as if embracing a thick tree trunk.

Just as the opposing Blood Bat Knight stared in confusion, wondering what this two-legged sheep meant—

a black iron tube suddenly appeared in Gervas’s hands.

And the clasping posture perfectly secured the tube beneath his armpit.

“This is…?” The Blood Bat Knight suddenly felt the black iron tube looked familiar—as if he’d seen it before.

Boom!

Before he could make sense of it, a flash of fire erupted from the cannon.

Followed by a deafening roar.

“Damn… it’s that…”

The Blood Bat Knight’s pupils shrank as he belatedly realized—

Isn’t this the iron tube humans use to blast city walls?

Puff! Puff! Puff!

But it was far too late.

The moment this thought formed, he felt several stinging pains across his body.

His mount beneath him let out a mournful cry.

Then, he and his mount spun downward, plummeting toward the ground.