Chapter 66 Exterminating the Hunting Teams

Chapter 66 Exterminating the Hunting Teams

The battle came to a swift conclusion, lasting only a few minutes. Henry's side emerged unscathed and untouched by the enemy's attacks, suffering not a single loss. It was a one-sided massacre, with the enemy unable to pose any real challenge, a display of their dominance. This result could be credited to multiple factors, but the most important ones were time, surprise, and teamwork, which made the army move like a sharp arrow that easily pierced through the enemy's lines.

Henry understood that the surprise element would only work once. He knew that the next time Luak's soldiers left the camp to go hunting, they would be much more prepared to face off the dangers. With this in mind, Henry decided to make the most of this timing, he had already mapped out and memorized the location of the six teams that left the campsite.

"Move!" – Henry swiftly led his soldiers to charge towards their next prey, leaving the enemy's lifeless bodies on the cold ground as evidence of their strength and presence on this land.

The sound of their footsteps was being muffled by the never-ending snow under their feet as they navigated through the grey trees with easy while maintaining the formation. The enemy's positions clearly etched in Henry's mind guided their path, ensuring the maximum efficiency of the plan.

It didn't take long before another of Luak's hunting groups appeared in front of Henry's death squad. The muffling snow coupled with the soldier's silent march, enabled them to successfully get closer to the enemies without drawing their attention, a crucial part of the plan, since they couldn't allow them to run away. Henry's piercing eyes gleamed with killing intent as he swiftly assessed the surroundings, identifying that those were the only opposing soldiers. Furthermore, he was able to clearly distinguish the easiest path to destroy their will to fight and any potential struggle. Everything was fine.

"Charge!"- Henry's booming command reverberated, drawing the attention of Luak's hunting team, who immediately surveyed the surroundings, trying to identify the source of the voice. The king led the charge, being the first one to appear from behind the trees, his figure turning into a blur as he charged towards the first victim. At that moment, a hideous black wave seemed to flood the horizon, as a horde of bandits came out from behind the trees, sprinting towards Luak's soldiers. "Bandits! Bandits! Bandits!" –They screamed as they unconsciously took a step back, their hands and knees trembling.

These people were mostly farmers and normal hunters who lived in the countryside of Luak. They had no experience and no training in wielding weapons, while also being extremely unprepared to face off the dangers of the war. Furthermore, bandits were also a great plague in their communities, which made them even more fearful. They understood the nature of bandits more than the soldiers themselves. There were no experienced captain or soldiers to lead a counterattack, since all of them were back in the campsite.

Henry carved a path on the snow, moving with great precision and speed, his every motion exuding a deep killing intent, akin to a volcano eruption. He had already discarded those naïve ideals from his time on Earth, understanding that in this unforgiving realm there was no room for half-measures. If he couldn't control his enemies, he had to extinguish their lives, fully eradicate them. There was no space for mercy. It was either him or them.

-x-

Zuna had hurried to the scene upon receiving word of a bandits' attack on her hunting team. She stood in the middle of the forest, analyzing the gruesome aftermath of the battle. There were no bodies of enemies, meaning that they were extremely strong. The footsteps on the snow were rapidly being covered by the gentle falling snow, making it impossible to count their number.

"Damn!" – She cursed and as she was about to give orders, a desperate and scared scream reverberated through the forest.

"Demons! They're demons! This land is cursed!" A bleeding man emerged from behind a tree, while trying to stop the flow of blood from his arm with his remaining hand.

At the sight of Zuna and her team, the man didn't hesitate and continued running. The image of a figure clad in black, swinging a sword and leaving a trail of blood and human's head, haunted his mind. He didn't want to stay here. He wanted to go back home. Driven by this desire, he kept running.

"Get him!" - Zuna's command reached the few soldiers and captain behind her, who swiftly moved into action and took down the man, forcing him to stay still.

Zuna had to understand their numbers and everything that happened to her hunting teams. After losing them, she would have to probably mobilize more and new soldiers, which would result in delays on her plans. It would only get dangerous.

There were even a few rumors that Aritreia had already organized their armies and was about to enter Stahl's territory, aiming at the Cold Iron Mines and to exterminate her life and the position occupied by Luak. Zuna knew that she couldn't count on Henry's help, since there were not sufficient soldiers in that dumb man's hand. She had to speed up things. Zuna had to understand their numbers and everything that happened to her hunting teams. After losing them, she would have to probably mobilize more and new soldiers, which would result in delays on her plans. It would only get dangerous.

There were even a few rumors that Aritreia had already organized their armies and was about to enter Stahl's territory, aiming at the Cold Iron Mines and to exterminate her life and the position occupied by Luak. Zuna knew that she couldn't count on Henry's help, since there were not sufficient soldiers in that dumb man's hand. She had to speed up things.