Chapter 116: Attack! I Alone Am Enough!
"Stop attacking." After dozens of rounds of firing, the Fallen finally retreated beyond the range of maximum lethality. At Druv's signal, the Scout in the Watchtower shouted loudly.
The Mages, who had maintained their Calmness throughout, immediately stopped casting their Magic. Some with lower Level had nearly exhausted their Mana. The Warriors, however, who were fully invested, still felt somewhat unsatisfied and fired a few more arrows before stopping.
Seeing Druv's Gaze sweep over those "Hot Blood" Warriors, I knew that there would likely be a few more Warriors on night watch tonight.
The Fallen army retreated in a panic to a distance of about five kilometers before finally stopping. At this point, we could finally calm down and carefully survey the smoke-filled Battlefield.
Fallen Corpses were strewn densely across the ground, stretching from about one kilometer away from Vita Village all the way to three kilometers out. Roughly estimated, there were at least several thousand. The entire scene was horrifying to behold. Dismembered limbs were scattered everywhere, blown apart by the Berserk Power of Fire Magic. Some charred Corpses were still emitting Thick Smoke, likely scorched by Charged Bolt. As for the glistening fragments of flesh and Innards, they were undoubtedly the work of Ice Bolt. Of course, the most numerous were the Corpses full of Arrow Holes, their faces still showing the struggle of their final moments. Blood trickled from the Arrow Holes, slowly seeping into the soil. The entire Battlefield a field of crimson. At this moment, the name Blood Moor seemed truly deserved.
The strong smell of Blood drifting through the Air almost made me vomit. Even after experiencing the Countess's pool of flesh and blood, I was still averse to the Hellish scene before me. Druv and the others seemed unaffected, only Yihana, being a woman, was relatively uncomfortable. Looking at the Warriors below, apart from a few Rookies who hadn't been through many Trials, they didn't seem greatly affected either. It seems my Training in this regard is still far from enough.
Although the Enemy had been defeated and retreated, we didn't Relax at all. Don't forget the Resurrection Spell mastered by the Fallen Shaman. Who knows, they might run back and reanimate at any moment.
Everyone stayed in the Tower for a while, silently watching the Battlefield not far away. As expected, not long after, several hundred Fallen sneakily attempted to Approach the Battlefield. After a round of Arrow warnings, they left behind a few Corpses and fled in panic. Then they seemed to have given up, not returning again until the Fallen Corpses gradually began to turn into Ashes.
After about half an hour, the Fallen Corpses had almost disappeared, except for the traces left behind by the Magic bombardment. This blood-stained Plains would likely soon return to its original state. Projections also had their advantages; there was absolutely no need to clean up the Battlefield, nor worry about side effects like Monster Corpses causing Plague or anything similar.
Only after the Battlefield had completely returned to its original state did everyone breathe a sigh of relief. By this time, the Sun had set. The Fallen on the opposite side, having found Wood somewhere, had already begun Camping and lighting fires. The red glow of the fires flickered not far from the Village, emitting a disturbing Aura.
"I think there shouldn't be any problems temporarily. Besides the Fallen, other relatively fast Monsters will probably arrive tonight. However, like us, most Monsters aren't accustomed to fighting at night. Let's pray we can get a good night's sleep."
Druv squinted his eyes, said a word, and then hurried down. He went to gather the Party for a summary meeting.
I, who had no Leader ability, was also forcibly dragged away by Druv. According to his Statement, it didn't matter if I had no talent; just standing there was enough. It seemed he wanted to hang me on a flagpole! Hmph, how could I let him have his way? Taking advantage of a moment of his oversight, I finally slipped out of the Party. Under the cover of night, I stealthily sneaked back to my old den.
"Lord, you're back."
Opening the door to welcome me was the beautiful and charming Velas, with her voice as clear as an oriole. If only she were wearing that Maid Outfit again, I thought secretly.
"How was it at Home today?"
The Tavern in Vita Village was completely closed for business today. Even if it were open, it was estimated that no one would patronize it. Velas, being a Waiter at the Tavern, naturally had nothing to do and stayed at Home all day.
"En, although everyone was very scared, I feel that as long as you, Lord, are here, there will definitely be no problem," Velas said, looking at me secretly with a shy Gaze.
"If you say that, the other Warriors will be sad. However, I still have to thank you for your trust. Don't worry, I will definitely protect you."
I stroked Velas's little Brain. When I came back to my senses, I realized that the person before me was not Sha La. I couldn't help but immediately pull my hand back and coughed once as if to cover it up.
"Dinner is ready. I'll go and serve dinner for you, Lord."
Velas, her pretty face flushed red, ran off with light steps.
As if Druv's prayer had been heard, the Monsters did not launch an Attack that night. Everyone slept soundly. Early the next morning, when I arrived at the Large Tent, everyone had already arrived. They were gathered around the Table again. A crude Map was laid out on the Table, similar to the last one, but this time the cluttered Symbols were even closer to the Village Surroundings.
"Quite a few Monsters arrived last night. Among them, the most troublesome Ranged Attack Monsters, the Dark Wanderer and the Skeleton Archer, are already stationed behind the Fallen."
When mentioning these two types of Monsters, Druv's expression changed. The most crucial ones should be these Monsters. Other melee Monsters, even groups of Giant Beasts or Foul Hunters, are not much of a threat compared to our overall Strength.
"Why don't we launch an Attack proactively before the Monsters are fully assembled?" Doug clenched his Fist. He couldn't sit still any longer.
"No, if we launch an Attack proactively now, although we might achieve significant results, don't forget our biggest objective this time is not just for Victory. It's to reduce Casualties. Launching an Attack proactively is equivalent to giving away our Defensive Advantage, trading injuries for injuries. Even if we win like that, it's no different from defeat." Druv shook his head, giving up on this tempting Suggestion.
"However, now that Doug mentions it, I do have an Idea." Druv looked at me and said with some hesitation.
"What Method?"
"Ambush them halfway, try to Weaken the Monsters' Strength as much as possible. The Number of People shouldn't be too many, and mobility needs to be strong. Try to choose suitable Monsters."
"Alright, I knew I'd be involved." I said with Helplessness.
"I'm very sorry, Wu, for always relying on you like this," Druv said with an apologetic expression.
"Nothing to be sorry about. Anyway, I couldn't sit still either. Even if you didn't say it, I would have brought it up." I licked my lips. Being cooped up in the Village like this really wasn't my Style.
"Alright then. Without further delay, I'll take you to choose a few good Helpers." Druv said, overjoyed.
"No, that's not necessary. I alone am enough."
"What?" It wasn't just Druv. Even the others cried out in surprise.
"Wu, even if you are that Powerful, this... and you still need to eliminate as many Monsters as possible. I'm afraid you alone..."
"It's alright. You should all understand me. I'm not the type of self-sacrificing Warrior. Besides, the Target has already been chosen. I definitely won't disappoint everyone." I looked at everyone, full of Confidence.
"Wu..." Druv still wanted to say something, but I shook my head.
"Captain Druv, I now, in the Status of a Special Action Team Member, Command you to Command me to Attack."
Druv looked at me silently and finally sighed with Helplessness.
"Promise me, you must come back alive. Otherwise, I will never forgive myself for my entire lifetime." He silently patted my shoulder.
"Wu, I believe in you. Don't forget. Sha La is still waiting for you to come back Home," Lars said, looking at me with a determined Gaze. Speaking of which, that sentence you said before seems a bit contradictory to the meaning you wanted to express later.
After accepting everyone's blessings, I looked back at Druv.
"Before leaving, please allow me to make a selfish request. During the Battle, could you help me look after Lin Ya and the others?"
Druv looked at me with surprise. Oh no, with a Paladin's rigid personality, this Request would probably be met with Refusal...
"When you brought her back last time, wasn't that what you meant? I already knew this long ago. Just rest assured."
"..."
What kind of Answer is this...
"Nothing, I just thought, shouldn't a Paladin treat everyone justly and fairly? I thought this kind of selfish behavior would be sternly Refused by you, hehe..." I laughed, somewhat Incredulous.
"That's true to say, but selfishness is the nature of Humans. Even God cannot achieve true selflessness. Therefore, in one of the Paladin's Doctrines, the 'Ancient Tome of Justice', the first thing mentioned is 'Forgiveness'. Forgive one's selfish self."
Druv said solemnly.
"Huh...? That's a surprisingly easygoing Doctrine."
I always thought Druv was a relatively rigid Paladin. It seems I was completely mistaken.
"That's right. Rules are dead, people are alive. We should apply Rules flexibly, not be constrained by them. Furthermore, for Paladins, their own Strength is more important than Doctrine. I think compared to Paladins who only know how to obey Doctrine but have no Strength, those Lords would be more willing for us to prioritize Strength rather than Doctrine, hehe... So, the ones who truly need to meticulously fulfill the Doctrine are only the pious Clerics. We Paladins who are responsible for guarding the Temple are only required to memorize the Ancient Tome and use it as a guide. The restrictions are very lenient; as long as we don't do anything illegal, it's fine."
Lars also leaned over and gave me a lesson. Druv nodded from the side.
"Therefore, every Paladin has a different understanding of the Temple's Doctrine. For example, this guy," Druv said, pointing at Lars.
"He completely disregards the Doctrine, while I, when it doesn't violate my own will or when I'm uncertain, will act according to the code of the Doctrine. That's all there is to it."
"So, just rest assured. Unless we are defeated in Battle, the person you care about will definitely be alright."
Druv patted my shoulder and said seriously.
"So that's how it is. En, but I think you've misunderstood. Lin Ya and I are not in that kind of relationship... *sigh*..."
I sighed, glaring helplessly at Druv, who had well-intentioned but caused trouble. Now, no matter what I said, Lars wouldn't listen. Before he exploded, I'd better leave quickly.
"You bastard! How dare you fool around outside behind Sha La's back? Let me tell you, when my Sha La grows up, she'll definitely be ten million times more beautiful than the likes of Lin Ya! Did you hear me...?"
As expected, I hadn't slipped away far when Lars's Voice came from far away. Heaven and Earth bear witness, I really don't have any Ulterior Motives towards Lin Ya right now.
The Cool Breeze of early morning blew gently. After leaving the Tent, it wasn't long before I arrived at the front of the Battlefield. I climbed up the Tower and looked down from a high place. As expected, besides the Fallen and Saber Cats from yesterday, many different colors had appeared. A rough look showed they probably included Dark Hunters, Foul Hunters, Dark Wanderers, and other relatively fast-moving Monsters. However, the Prey I was aiming for was still nowhere to be seen. This meant they were still halfway there, which meant the opportunity for the Hunt had not passed yet!
A slight smile surfaced at the Corner of my mouth. With the help of the Guard Soldiers, I crossed over the Defensive Ditch and rushed towards the depths of the Plains. Yes, this was a joyful Battle that belonged only to me!