"We should promptly report this information to the Frost Fortress," Locke suggested. "It's possible that other legions have faced similar attacks. If we can consolidate the information, it might help us trace the source."
"That makes sense!" Rhett nodded in agreement, then turned to the commander and said, "Laedros, why don't we temporarily abandon the pursuit of those high-ranking orcs and return to Frost Fortress to relay what happened here to the commander?"
"No problem, I'll go with you. There might still be ambushes along the way," Laedros said seriously, his eyes flashing with caution.
A little over a week later, at Frost Fortress.
Rhett, Locke, and Laedros were in the first-floor hall, reporting their findings to Deputy Commander Bomir. After listening to their report in full, Bomir's eyes darted around in his sockets as he paced the room, his gaze uncertain. After a half-minute of silence, he placed his hands firmly on Rhett's shoulders, staring intently into his eyes as he asked:
"Rhett, are you certain that they weren't Sky Knights from the Coldstream Defense Line? If… you feel any familiarity at all, please make sure to tell me."
Locke responded on Rhett's behalf:
"Deputy Commander Bomir, rest assured. I'm more familiar with the situation on the Coldstream Defense Line than Rhett is. The ones who ambushed us were definitely not our own traitors!"
Bomir let out a sigh of relief. As the deputy commander, his first concern was whether there were internal problems. Open attacks are easy to guard against, but hidden threats are much harder to detect. Ensuring there were no spies within their ranks was key to defending against external enemies.
"Good, that puts my mind at ease," Bomir said, his expression softening. "I've noted down the information you provided. Once the commander returns, I'll report it to him immediately. However, in the coming days, the orcs' attacks might slow down, so you can reduce the frequency of your missions outside, but don't slack off on training."
Laedros replied firmly, "Understood, Deputy Commander Bomir. Don't worry, as long as the orcs are around, the Sixth Legion will not relax!"
"Ha ha, good. I trust in everyone's morale and determination!"
Bomir patted the light armor on his chest and encouraged them in a loud voice before finding an excuse to leave, politely asking Rhett and his group to depart.
"Until next time, Deputy Commander Bomir!" Rhett and his group waved goodbye as they left.
The first-floor hall of Frost Fortress became empty and silent once more.
However, from the stairwell on the second floor, a commanding figure emerged—it was King Milan. He was dressed in a fiery red ceremonial robe, his hands clasped behind his back as he slowly walked to the edge of the sand table, glancing at the area marked as the Ice Stream. Frowning, he remarked:
"What a pity. If I had continued to monitor Rhett secretly, I could have witnessed the origins of those three. But no matter, Rhett's identity need not be questioned any further, so there's no need to continue monitoring him…"
Bomir turned and respectfully addressed the king: "Your Majesty, the information Rhett just reported…"
"I heard everything," King Milan replied in a low voice. "I already have some clues about the origins of those three. In the coming days, I'll focus on investigating this matter and temporarily leave the Coldstream Defense Line. You and Ancus will handle things here."
"Understood!" Bomir said. "Your Majesty, I have a suggestion. The orcs just lost five of their Saint-level warriors, which must have dealt a heavy blow to their morale. Shouldn't we take this opportunity to launch an all-out assault?"
Upon hearing this, King Milan hesitated, his gaze flickering uncertainly. He picked up a handful of sand from the sand table, held it in his palm for a long time, and finally let it slip through his fingers, saying:
"No, we won't. The orcs' Saint-level warriors aren't in short supply. Losing five won't severely cripple them; they can still provide timely support. Moreover, it seems that a third force might be interfering in our war with the orcs. Now is not the time to fight the orcs to the death—we must not give hidden forces a chance to take advantage."
Hearing that a hidden force might be at play, Bomir felt a surge of anxiety. But knowing that the king would personally address the matter, he took a deep breath and realized that his role was to maintain stability on the Coldstream Defense Line. Nodding firmly, he said, "I understand. I will balance our forces and deploy more scouts to gather intelligence and prevent any unforeseen incidents."
"You've held this position for years and have ample experience. I have full confidence in you," King Milan said, giving Bomir a deep look. "However, our legion isn't lacking in talent. Those with ability should be given opportunities. For instance… Rhett and Locke—when the time is right, they should be promoted."
Bomir's eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly lowered his head in acknowledgment, saying, "Understood. I will keep an eye on those two."
Over two months later.
In a valley strewn with broken stones, the bodies of orcs and humans lay scattered everywhere. Blood soaked into every pebble, and the stench of corpses, charred flesh, and blood permeated the air.
The battle had long since ended, leaving only the screams of orcs, signifying their defeat. The remaining orcs had no choice but to surrender to the human soldiers who were rounding them up.
Mikoff sniffed the air slightly, frowning as he raised his wand to gather wind elements, dispersing the foul odors around him. Then he looked up at the small hill ahead, where swirling sands enveloped over two hundred remaining orcs—hog-headed, bull-headed, and nightcat orcs among them—while Tucker, wielding a massive black bow, shot poisoned arrows, cutting down the orcs immobilized by the swirling sands.
[Family member kills an enemy two levels above them: +1 Destiny Points]
[Family member kills an enemy three levels above them: +1 Destiny Points]
While Tucker finished off the stragglers, Rhett regrouped his soldiers. Standing at the forefront of his three hundred troops, he watched as Tucker drew his bow again and again, ending the lives of orcs.
Before Rhett's eyes, the system's interface kept flashing with updates as his Destiny Points steadily increased. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he opened the system interface and glanced at the line showing [Destiny Points: 26,311]. His thoughts began to drift...
"With over ten thousand Destiny Points, I can likely reach the peak of Grand Magister, but to break into the Saint level, the consumption will surely be in the tens of thousands…"
"Just a little more… just a bit longer…"
Rhett took a deep breath and turned to Lawrence, asking, "Lawrence, how long have we been out on this mission?"
"Commander, we've been out for sixteen days as of today," Lawrence answered without hesitation.
"You've always had a lot of talent. I heard you've reached the peak of the Third-level Knight?" Rhett asked with a smile.
"Thank you for your concern, Commander. That's correct. I reached the peak two months ago. I plan to use the life-and-death struggles on the battlefield against the orcs to break through this bottleneck!"
Rhett clapped Lawrence on the shoulder and said with a hearty laugh, "Ha ha ha! I like your determination. I promise you, if you break through to Earth Knight before the war ends, I'll personally arrange a marriage for you when we return!"
Lawrence was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up with joy as he replied, "Thank you, my lord… no, thank you, Commander!"
"Now it's up to you to put in the effort..." Rhett said with a smile, shaking his head before turning his attention back to the battlefield. When Tucker finished off the last orc and returned to the ranks, Rhett turned and ordered in a solemn voice:
"All troops, drink your beast liquor and prepare to return to base!"
"Yes, Commander!"
Four days later.
Rhett led his troops back to the temporary base of the Sixth Legion. As they walked along a sandy yellow path, they encountered a small team of scouts. The leader, wearing a camouflage-patterned helmet, spotted Rhett and hesitated before rushing forward in delight, exclaiming:
"Deputy Commander Rhett? You've finally returned!"
"Tyres, has something urgent happened?" Rhett asked in surprise, noticing the scout's anxious expression.
"It's not exactly urgent, but I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear it!"
"Let's hear the good news then!" Rhett said with interest.
"Three days ago, word came from the Coldstream camp—a spy planted in the human ranks by the orcs was eliminated by a group of Saints working together!" Tyres said excitedly. "Commander Rhett, aren't you curious about who the spy was?"
A flash of realization crossed Rhett's mind—so it was this event… But he still feigned ignorance, blinking as he asked, "Who was it?"
"It was Shaman from the Gray Lue Kingdom!"
The small-framed Tyres looked up at Rhett, his voice brimming with excitement as he said, "He was a Saint who rose to power decades ago! I heard that after they captured him alive, the King of Gray Lue personally came to the camp and publicly executed him in front of many people!"
"Really?" Rhett pretended to be shocked, then let out a long breath before patting Tyres on the shoulder and asking, "What did you find out from the mission I sent you on to investigate the area around Raven Valley?"
Tyres's expression turned serious as he replied, "I was there for over half a month, searching the surrounding areas, but I didn't find anything unusual. If there's anything noteworthy, it's that I didn't find any traces of orcs passing through during that time."
"That's not necessarily indicative of a problem, but in my previous missions, I usually found traces of orcs passing through the battlefield, at least to some extent. This time, there was nothing—so I'd consider it unusual."
"It could just be a coincidence." Rhett frowned and nodded, saying, "Got it. You did well, Tyres. Let your comrades know that if they encounter any knights with small numbers or strange behavior during missions, they should report to me immediately and avoid engaging with them."
"Knights with strange behavior?" Tyres looked puzzled but still agreed, saying, "Understood, Commander! By the way, Commander Laedros has been looking for you these past few days. He sent us out to contact you as soon as possible. You should go see him."
"I understand. I'll go find him now."
With that, Rhett dismissed his soldiers and quickly made his way to the small mountain in the center. Entering the cave, he soon reached the hall where Laedros was standing by the sand table.
"I heard you were looking for me?" Rhett said as he walked over and sat on a stone bench covered with a carpet.
"Yes, you were gone for more than half a month, and we didn't know where you were. I was worried something might have happened to you," Laedros said. He was wearing light green armor and sat up straight as he continued, "Rhett, I know you've been hunting orcs—you're more passionate about it than anyone else! But I've heard that the orcs have been regrouping their forces, temporarily pulling back their front lines. So, if you want to kill more orcs, you'll have to go deeper into enemy territory. I'm glad you made it back in time, or I'd have had to go out and find you myself."
"Regrouping their forces? What are the orcs planning?" Rhett asked, his brow furrowing. "Are they retreating or preparing for a final assault?"
"A retreat is unlikely. Commander Ancus said the orcs have already dispatched new Saints to hold the line, which means they're planning to continue fighting on the Coldstream Defense Line," Laedros replied, idly twirling a chess piece between his fingers. "So, a final assault seems more likely. The Frost Camp has ordered us to gather our forces and be ready to provide support on the flank at any moment. When the signal comes, that will be our cue to strike from the flank."
"How many of our troops are still out in the field?" Rhett asked, his expression growing more serious as he paced the room.
"Not many, just a few scouts and a few hundred soldiers. I've already sent people to bring them back," Laedros answered.
"Good. I'll stay at the base for the next few days and won't go out."
Rhett said this as he stopped pacing and approached the edge of the sand table, focusing on the southeastern region of the battlefield, where their base was located.
The two of them then began discussing the overall situation on the Coldstream Defense Line, analyzing various possible developments in the conflict, the factors that could influence the outcome, and the deployment and tactics needed for their flank assault.
Their discussion continued until nightfall, although their exchanges became less frequent, with several minutes of silence between each new insight.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the cave as a knight from the Coldstream Camp delivered a sealed letter.
The two of them examined the letter carefully, ensuring that it was genuine and hadn't been tampered with. The letter was written on special alchemically-treated paper that couldn't be opened or read without the proper method or conditions.
Laedros quickly pulled out the letter and infused it with a crystalline Sky Knight's aura. The paper instantly disintegrated into ash, leaving behind interwoven lines of elemental light in the shape of an arrow.
The two men followed the direction indicated by the arrow, their expressions growing more solemn. They exchanged a glance, nodded in unison, and headed out of the cave.
According to the plan they had discussed earlier in the afternoon, Laedros went to the training grounds to assemble the troops, while Rhett led the two hundred elite soldiers who had been waiting outside the cave and immediately left the base.
At that time, the stars were dim, and the moon had just risen. The clouds still had clear outlines in the sky. The Coldstream Defense Line in summer was less chilly than in winter, but the unique howls of the winds continued unabated.