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The mercenaries on both flanks, unable to fire another round of crossbow bolts, decisively set down their heavy crossbows and drew their swords and shields, preparing for battle. At the same time, those standing in the front line rushed forward, ready to encircle the werewolves.

Despite being injured, the werewolves still retained their combat prowess. On the other hand, the human mercenaries in front, after a night of struggle, were yet to recover from their exhaustion. The ambushers on both sides, who had been crouching in the trenches all night, were also in poor condition. However, just as the werewolves charged, golden rays of light descended from the sky, enveloping the mercenaries, filling them with an overwhelming sense of strength, even surpassing their previous states.

"Sacred Lady Bai Lanling, what exquisite divine augmentation," praised the crowd, acknowledging the skillful use of the divine spell. It was no easy feat to simultaneously enhance nearly seventy people and restore each of them to their optimal state.

As the thirty mercenaries in the front prepared to surround the werewolves, a colossal white wolf burst through the smoke and dust, charging directly into the opposing ranks. Its icy claws swiftly took down two mercenaries.

"A frost-based magical beast. It must have hidden among the pack to avoid the flames."

"Little Sister Hai Ruo, I'll use a divine spell to restrain it first. Then you can attack with lightning magic, alright?" the Priestess promptly formulated a plan against the enemy beast.

"Agreed," nodded Mage Hai Ruo, drawing an advanced magic scroll from her bosom. Among them all, only she could sense the formidable power of the magical beast, which seemed to have reached the level of a high-ranking magical creature.

Meanwhile, the Sword Master and his attendant swordsmen started advancing, preparing to join the fray. The elven archer notched an enchanted arrow, ready to provide support at any moment.

Just then, a fierce cry echoed behind them.

"Watch out—!"

The intricacies of this ambush and counter-ambush battle had taxed my mind greatly. While tactics are indeed a vital application of formations, I had only memorized a few military treatises in the past, blindly reciting diagrams of troop deployments. Military strategy was never my forte. In truth, my master was skilled in theoretical warfare on paper, but how could they truly impart such knowledge to us?

Initially, my plan was to exhaust the humans with incessant harassment, particularly targeting their mages, in preparation for a surprise attack at dawn. However, once the humans skillfully countered my ambush tactics, I realized that these methods must have been employed by countless Werewolf ancestors before me. Although I couldn't identify them, there was undoubtedly someone among them well-versed in the ways of werewolves; otherwise, their victory against Icefall Village wouldn't have come so effortlessly.

Given this, they are bound to have prepared some traps and stratagems to counter our surprise attack. I cannot foretell the specifics of their tactics, but when it comes to countering ambushes, the best approach is to set one ourselves. Ultimately, victory will belong to whoever is more thoroughly prepared, has more aces up their sleeve. It's a game of who holds the higher hand.

Icewind was my first line of ambush. With limited experience and intelligence, it was impossible to predict the enemy's tactics. However, setting traps to inflict maximum damage on the approaching Werewolves was a must. Thus, I disguised Icewind as an ordinary riding wolf among the Wolf Riders. Whatever traps the humans might have laid, its inherited high-level magic, "Frost Armor," from the Iceberg Beamon, would provide the utmost protection for my disciples.

The sudden ambush from the human encampment, along with their sharp military crossbows, truly caught me off guard and left me baffled. However, Ice Wind successfully countered the enemy's fireballs, preventing the assault force from suffering severe casualties. Nevertheless, despite the Werewolves' fighting prowess and Ice Wind's strength, the situation might not bode well once the opposing mages, clerics, Sword Masters, and magic archers join the fray. Not to mention, there's still the enigmatic mercenary captain whose capabilities are unknown.

Thus, before they could make their move, I took the initiative to ambush them from behind. I was the second layer of the trap.

As I exhaled and shouted, the agile half-elf archer reacted swiftly. Almost before my mouth had closed, three swift arrows were already heading for my eyes, throat, and heart. With a raised hand, I caught the arrow aimed at my eyes. Unflinching from the other two, I let them bounce off my Golden Bell Shield naturally, then threw back the arrow I'd caught.

Though I launched the arrows barehanded, the power and accuracy, fueled by my inner energy, were astonishing. The skilled half-elf maiden, an expert in archery, immediately sensed the danger. She placed her Elven Bow in front of her to soften the impact of the arrows while contorting her body acrobatically, barely evading my counterattack. The Elven Bow was shattered into pieces.

The supreme art of the Nine Yin Manual, "Sunkissed Skybow," not only encompassed techniques like "Divine Focus Lock," "Supreme Long-range Assassination," "Inner Energy Arrow Control," "Spiral Piercing," and "Chain Arrow," but also included skills for catching, dodging, fighting with a bow, and throwing arrows barehanded in emergencies. It seemed that Huang Chang, in his time, must have suffered greatly from archers during his encirclement, hence inventing this martial art specifically for revenge. After all, the Sharp Metal Banner of the demonic cult's Five Elemental Flags was renowned for its deadly archery, surpassing even the iron cavalry of the Liao and Jin Dynasties.

The warriors who had been guarding the mage and the priestess, as the battle situation became clearer, started to advance, leaving gaps in their protective circle. Upon hearing my voice, the beautiful mage and the priestess only had time for a fleeting glance back before a tremendous force slammed into them, eliciting simultaneous screams as they were sent flying.

The unique martial art of Peach Blossom Island, "Air-Cleaving Palm," allows for attacking enemies from several yards away. However, I never specialized in it in my previous life, and I've practiced it even less in this one. Relying on the inner strength from the Nine Yin Manual, I could only deal with two untrained women; I doubt it would be effective against a half-elf.

A surprise attack from behind, disabling three of their strongest rear supporters, has already laid the foundation for my victory. The remaining Sword Masters will be easier to handle. No matter how powerful they are, they can't surpass a Frost Beamon's close combat prowess.

Generally speaking, human combat rankings mostly derive from the standards of the Beastmen. First and foremost, only those who know how to harness battle aura are qualified to be warriors. Warriors are classified into four tiers: Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. These ranks are verified by the Warrior's Guild through examinations, with badges made of corresponding materials serving as proof of their status.