Chapter 202: The Strange Saboteurs

Amidst the cries of slaughter, a knight sensed a powerful surge of battle aura erupting from the woods—this was not something ordinary warriors could handle. He urged his magical beast mount forward, swiftly charging into the forest. Trees blocking his path were unhesitatingly shattered, and intercepting bandits were cleanly cleaved in two. A thick layer of silvery-white aura enveloped his armor, and even his mount was protected by its master's aura through a special method.

Soon after, another knight left the group, which remained on the main road with Shaoke, and charged into the woods on the other side. Naturally, his approach mirrored his companion's, though his speed was noticeably faster.

"A pleasing scent?" The Sleazy Officer tightened his expression for the first time, staring intently at the mage, who wore an expression of enjoyment. "I think you're more suited than I am to lead the Blizzard Warriors." With that, he reverted to his usual sleazy demeanor, vigorously waving his small knife as he continued directing some cavalry to join the battle.

A rapid clatter of hooves approached from ahead—a cavalry force of about five hundred men charging madly toward Shaoke and his group. The mage's mental energy was released without hesitation, probing their situation. "Third Rank—most of this cavalry are Third Rank, I don't think they belong to our forces." As Shaoke spoke, he prepared to cast a spell, but the Sleazy Officer stopped him with a chuckle.

"These poor boys need a bath of blood." He pointed at the Blizzard Warriors guarding him. Only then did Shaoke notice that the eyes of these warriors were bloodshot, heavy panting coming from beneath their thick visors. Some even let out low growls, as if to vent something.

"There shouldn't be any enemies behind us, right?" The Sleazy Officer lightly tapped a nearby warrior's helmet with his small knife, and the warrior quieted down slightly.

"At least within a five-kilometer radius, there are no humans present." As he spoke, Shaoke retrieved the crystal orb again to probe the surroundings. The Sleazy Officer, meanwhile, let out a low, maddened laugh, his transparent drool quickly blown away by the wind.

"No matter," the Sleazy Officer shouted loudly. "Cavalry, clear the way! Blizzard Warriors! Tear that trash into shreds!" With that, the few hundred cavalrymen nearby quickly halted their charge preparations and cleared the entire road for the Blizzard Warriors to advance.

A series of barely suppressed roars reached Shaoke's ears as the three-meter-tall Blizzard Warriors surged forward. Massive shields blocked their fronts, and huge sabers dragged diagonally along the ground. Over a hundred Blizzard Warriors occupied the entire road, charging swiftly toward the approaching bandit cavalry.

Collision. Violent collision. Bloody collision. A collision the mage envied. Without releasing their battle aura, the Blizzard Warriors relied solely on physical strength to withstand the frenzied charge of the cavalry, knocking bandit warriors off their horses. Their specially crafted, heavy armor could not be cleaved by Third Rank battle aura. Shaoke even saw many warhorses being sent flying, yet the warriors continued their forward rush, crashing into the bandit cavalry.

Not a single bandit cavalryman remained mounted. The Blizzard Warriors stopped, using their shields or huge sabers to crush or slash through the bandits' aura-protected bodies. Even the warhorses were not spared.

Over five hundred Third-rank Warriors left this world without a hint of resistance. Sabers lopped off their heads or severed their bodies, making the observing mage regret not casting a spell to attack earlier. The Blizzard Warriors did not spare the corpses. Due to their orders, they could not venture into the woods to fight, so they sheathed their sabers and shields, using their bare hands to tear the corpses apart, venting their inner urges.

"How about it? Interested in taking my place to command these Blizzard Warriors?" The Sleazy Officer secretly smeared his drool on a cavalryman's cloak. Though the cavalryman noticed, he paid no mind, instead slightly releasing his battle aura to bounce the filth back onto its original owner's face. Unfazed, the Sleazy Officer turned his head and spoke to Shaoke on what seemed like a serious topic.

"I lack exceptional command abilities. I can only lead aimless slaughter." The mage glanced at the Sleazy Officer, slightly twitching his lips. Though unsure why the officer asked, he made no effort to hide his desire for the Blizzard Warriors.

The Sleazy Officer let out a few mad laughs before suddenly addressing Shaoke. "Your eyes were a bit red earlier too. I'm not just saying this casually." The expected shock and fear did not appear on Shaoke's face. He only saw the mage repeatedly twitching his lips. He knew—the mage was smiling, because that was how he smiled most of the time.

The frenzied battle soon ended. The warriors' opponents had been reduced to pulp, and the knights who had hunted enemies in the forest returned, having evidently dealt with their foes. Of course, the two knights sustained no injuries, at least not visibly.

As the battle concluded, the cavalry also withdrew from the depths of the forest, though some had sustained injuries. However, they all carried specially formulated medicines issued by the legion, and after treatment, their recovery was swift. Yet, after a headcount, it was discovered that dozens of the three thousand cavalrymen were missing, likely killed in group attacks by enemy warriors.

Under the Sleazy Officer's orders, large numbers of cavalrymen returned to the forest to collect enemy corpses and those of their own. Their own fallen were buried in craters blasted open, while enemy corpses were hung from branches or simply left on the ground for scavenging birds and beasts to consume.

"They are ordinary soldiers of the Esuoer Empire." A knight had carefully identified the bandits' origins, judging by their battle aura and combat style. "It seems they've launched another large-scale invasion here." Frowning, he looked toward the battlefield, wondering how these enemies had made it here from such a front. Had their own forces suffered a defeat? An inescapable worry troubled the knight, making him consider whether they should return now. But this thought quickly vanished—on such a battlefield, even an Eighth Tier Warrior would be blasted to nothingness, let alone him, who currently lacked the ability to hunt an Eighth Tier Warrior.

His two companions clearly shared this concern. The three knights exchanged glances, suppressing their worries deep within. They did not want to leak information that might unsettle the ordinary warriors, as that would be disastrous for their mission.

In less than half a magic hour, the battlefield was cleared. Some mangled corpses hung from branches—at least, that was how the Sleazy Officer praised it. "This looks quite orderly, yes! Very orderly. Though it'd be even better if they were frozen!" As he spoke, the Sleazy Officer gazed at the large snowflakes drifting down, falling silent for a moment. However, urged by the three knights, the team resumed their journey, continuing their patrol.

Late into the night, Shaoke's group finally reached the nearest small town. But according to reports from the cavalry, no living souls remained in the town—corpses were strewn haphazardly in the streets and houses. Upon hearing this, the Sleazy Officer immediately dispatched cavalry to investigate and block the roads leading to the town. Finally, he ordered the cavalry to gather firewood and requested the mage's help to set the entire town ablaze.

"This bonfire isn't bad—at least we'll stay warm here." The Sleazy Officer sniffed the air, catching the scent of roasting meat, regretting that it wasn't from slices roasting over their own fire pit. "Stop serving me bread slices all day. I'm sure you brought other food for us." With that, he abruptly tossed away the golden, fluffy bread slice he held and began rummaging through his never-opened pouch, hoping to find other provisions.

"If you want to trade your food with them, I'm sure many cavalrymen would be happy to oblige." A knight picked up the bread slice thrown on the ground, wiped it lightly, and placed it in his own pouch. Then, he lowered his voice. "Based on past experience, the situation around here isn't optimistic. I think we might not receive more supplies for a while." Noticing Shaoke watching him, the knight nodded slightly.

"Everyone, rest early. We've just received intelligence that we'll face new bandits tomorrow." After consulting with the Sleazy Officer, the other knights, and Shaoke, a knight loudly announced this to the surrounding cavalry. Of course, this news had not been confirmed.

The cavalrymen responded loudly and rested earlier than usual—at least, that was Shaoke's impression. After finishing their meals, they returned to their tents sooner than usual.

But no one could confirm whether they were truly resting inside.

The next day, throughout the entire day, the cavalry sent to scout the surroundings found no trace of enemies. Only when night fell did Shaoke and his group arrive at another small town. This town had not suffered any attacks, puzzling Shaoke and the knights. However, they quickly dismissed their doubts—after all, they were merely small figures who could hardly make a difference.