Chapter 236: We’ll Strike First (3)


    “Enemy! It’s the enemy! The fortress bastards have invaded!”


    Screams echoed in every direction. The barbarians hurriedly grabbed their axes and gathered together.


    They had been about to head out for a hunt. Naturally, they were unprepared, and their horses were not even saddled.


    “Get ready quickly! They’re already here!”


    The warriors scrambled to mount their horses, but Ghiin’s army, charging forward with terrifying speed, was already upon them.


    The barbarians’ horses, sensing the danger, were restless and difficult to control.


    No military unit could perform effectively without proper formation. In this chaotic situation, where even calming the horses was a challenge, formation was out of the question.


    As the barbarians floundered in disarray, Ghiin’s army arrived like a storm.


    Boom!


    “Aaaahhh!”


    Ghiin’s spear shattered the heads of the barbarians in an instant as it passed through them. A crimson aura radiated from his spear, which glowed with the same intensity as his bloodshot eyes.


    Swish!


    Thud!


    Every time Ghiin swung his spear, a barbarian fell from their horse. They were killed without even a chance to resist.


    With overwhelming martial prowess, Ghiin carved a path forward in no time. Following behind him, Gillian’s spear unleashed a simrly devastating power.


    With the strength of just two men, an entire barbarian tribe was on the brink of copse.


    Right behind them, the Ferdium knights descended upon the barbarians.


    Boom!


    Thanks to Ghiin, the knights, who had grown significantly stronger, utilized their exceptional horsemanship to ravage the barbarian vige.


    “Hahahaha! This feels so damn good!”


    Randolphughed heartily, and the Ferdium knights joined him, shouting as they ughtered the barbarians.


    “You bastards! Did you think we’d keep taking your attacks forever?”


    “I can’t believe the Young Lord gave us an opportunity like this!”


    “How does it feel to be on the receiving end? Feels great, doesn’t it?”


    Their faces flushed red as they yelled and killed the barbarians. The pent-up anger they’d carried all this time poured out with every strike.


    The Ferdium cavalry, who followed in their wake, were no different. Their faces were also red with rage as they mercilessly ughtered the barbarians.


    It felt as if the bitterness caused by the barbarians was finally being swept away.


    As for the Fenris knights…


    “Damn it! Why is everyone so fast?”


    Kaor shouted in frustration. He had thought of himself as a decent rider, but he couldn’t keep up with the others.


    Come to think of it, he’d rarely fought while mounted. In fact, he preferred dismounting and killing enemies up close for the satisfaction of it.


    The other Fenris knights were in the same boat. They had learned shock tactics from following Ghiin, but keeping up with seasoned cavalry was a different matter altogether.


    Boom!


    Still, their numbers—hundreds strongpensated for theirck of skill in horsemanship. When the Fenris knights charged in, the barbarianspletely lost their wits.


    The massive damage from the first sh left the barbarians with no time to regroup their forces.


    Even so, they were northern barbarians, hardy and fierce. Despite their dire situation, they didn’t lose their fighting spirit. They tried to gather and fight back.


    “You damn bastards! Group up! Quickly!”


    “Don’t underestimate the strength of warriors!”


    “Stand your ground! We can kill them!”


    But it was easier said than done. At some point, the knights and cavalry had spread out, forming a surrounding formation.


    As soon as the formation wasplete, Ghiin shouted.


    “Kill everyst one of them! Unleash all the anger you’ve umted! Make them tremble in fear at the sight of the Wolf’s Banner!”


    “Yaaaaahhh!”


    Ghiin’s speech ignited the hearts of the Ferdium knights and soldiers.


    They charged with burning determination, ughtering the barbarians.


    This was unlike anything they’d done before. It wasn’t like defending the fortress or pursuing and killing raiding parties.


    Even though it was just a small tribe, they were now striking at the barbarians’ homnd.


    One, two, three, four…


    With every barbarian they killed, it felt as if the knots in their chests were loosening. It felt like they were finally avenging their fallenrades.


    For the people of Ferdium, this attack was akin to a sacred ritual.


    The Fenris knights, on the other hand, had no personal grievances against the barbarians. They simply followed their training and carried out their orders with precision.


    Except for one person.


    ‘I have to kill more than the old man!’


    Kaor fought with just as much fervor as the Ferdium knights. He couldn’t stand the idea of losing to Gillian.


    ‘The old man is my eternal rival!’


    Gillian didn’t think that way at all. In fact, he didn’t pay any attention to Kaor whatsoever. But Kaor was entirely serious.


    “Aaaah! Curse you all!”


    The barbarians were dying rapidly. Some of them discarded their weapons and raised their hands in surrender. After all, there are always those who value their lives above all else.


    However, the knights and soldiers of Ferdium ignored them and silently swung their weapons.


    The pain they had umted over the years was too great to forgive.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    As Ghiin directed the battlefield, he shouted instructions every now and then.


    “Don’t kill the horses!”


    While wiping out the barbarians was one goal, capturing their horses was another. The horses were to be spared and taken as loot whenever possible.


    In the end, the barbarian warriors werepletely annihted without even getting the chance to properly swing their axes.


    All that remained were the elderly, children, and women trembling inside their tents.


    Rip!


    The knights and soldiers of Ferdium tore through the tents without hesitation, dragging them out.


    Thest time the Ferdium forces attacked a tribal stronghold, the barbarians had fled in advance. This time, however, the suddenness of the attack had left them no time to escape.


    A knight stood over a crying child, raising his weapon. Though hesitant, he was prepared to stamp out even the smallest potential threat.


    It was then that Ghiin’s voice thundered across the battlefield.


    “Stop!”


    The knights and soldiers lowered their weapons simultaneously.


    Perhaps, deep down, they had been hoping for someone to stop them. After all, they had never killed nonbatants before.


    Randolph, observing the scene with a grim expression, spoke up.


    “Young Lord, it may be unsettling, but it’s better to finish them all now. When those children grow up, they’ll just add to the number of barbarians we’ll have to face.”


    Ghiin replied with a detached expression.


    “You’re right. But I have a use for them.”n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    “A use? What kind of use?”


    “There’s something I need them for. Besides, I don’t have a taste for killing people who can’t even fight. It’s beneath me.”


    There was an odd weight to his words, leaving Randolph tilting his head in confusion.


    “If you had no use for them, would you have killed them all?”


    After a brief silence, Ghiin answered curtly.


    “If necessary.”


    His tone was indifferent, but his eyes flickered with an unsettling intensity. Randolph felt a chill run down his spine.


    ‘This guy… Could it be… he’s already…’


    Randolph didn’t know what Ghiin had done in his life. He had spent so much time being a troublemaker that Randolph had stopped paying attention to him long ago.


    There were undoubtedly gaps in Ghiin’s past that Randolph knew nothing about.


    He considered asking something but held his tongue. It seemed unlikely that he’d get an answer, and even if he did, it probably wasn’t something he wanted to know.


    As a seasoned knight, Randolph had briefly glimpsed the terrifying malice and savagery that red in Ghiin’s gaze.


    Just from that look, it seemed as if Ghiin had killed more people than Randolph himself, who had spent a lifetime on the battlefield.


    ‘That’s absurd. He’s younger than me and has far less experience in war. Even if he’d been secretly killing people all along, if it were to that extent, he’d have been caught long ago. It must be my imagination.’


    Shaking his head vigorously, Randolph dismissed his thoughts. He quickly turned his attention to directing the soldiers as they cleaned up the battlefield.


    With a substantial number of prisoners and horses captured, Ghiin returned to the Northern Fortress.


    The knights and soldiers who had apanied him were visibly ted, boasting loudly about their achievements.


    “Hahaha! Those bastards were so weak!”


    “We should’ve killed them all sooner! Look at all these horses—we’re rich now!”


    “I finally vented all the stress I’ve been carrying!”


    Their bragging was endless, and others who listened with envious expressions began moring.


    “Next time, take me along!”


    “I’m stronger than that guy!”


    “Please let me join the next attack!”


    Amid the fervent requests, Ghiin grinned in satisfaction. He loved seeing such enthusiasm in his men.


    The higher their morale, the stronger they would be—it was only natural.


    “Good! We’ll wipe them out one group at a time!”


    “Yaaaaah!”


    The knights and soldiers of Ferdium who were unfit for furtherbat were reced by those stationed at the fortress.


    By rotating their forces this way, they could exterminate the barbarians more quickly and in greater numbers.


    Of course, the Fenris knights were excluded from the rotation. They needed harsher conditions and more experience to grow.


    Ghiin swiftly moved across the region, wiping out smaller tribes closer to the fortress.


    Because no survivors were left apart from the captives, the barbarians didn’t realize something was wrong until dayster when neighboring tribes started noticing the problem.


    Even then, the exact details were unclear. All they heard were rumors that the fortress’s weaklings had suddenly gone berserk.


    The barbarians were not ones to sit idly in the face of such a threat. A few tribes openly sought out Ghiin’s forces.


    However, their small numbers were no match for the hundreds of knights and cavalry under Ghiin’smand.


    “Argh! Who the hell are these bastards?!”


    “Why are there so many of them? Why are they so strong?!”


    “It looks like the fortress sent out all their forces!”


    One tribe after another was crushed by Ghiin’s army, making it clear this was more than just an empty threat. The nearby tribes finally started contacting each other.


    Eventually, 11 tribes, led by the prominent Windhowl Tribe, convened to discuss how to handle the escting crisis.


    “Why are those bastards, who’ve always been stuck defending themselves, suddenly acting like this?”


    “Their forces are no joke. And in a time of famine, their movements are even more suspicious.”


    “Whatever the reason, we can’t leave them be! If we stay scattered like this, we’ll be picked off one by one. They’re advancing further north!”


    Ghiin had started by attacking the tribes nearest the fortress and was gradually expanding his range. It was inevitable that he would eventually sh with the 11 tribes.


    The Great Chieftain of the Windhowl Tribe, Custou, was deep in thought. He was renowned as one of the strongest warriors in the northern region.


    ‘Damn it, why is Ferdium moving now? We haven’t even finished dealing with the Sunstone Tribe yet.’


    The Sunstone Tribe was a rival major tribepeting with Windhowl for dominance. Both tribes had been waiting for the right moment to eliminate each other.


    And now, the enemy was advancing straight toward Custou’s territory.


    If they suffered heavy losses fighting these enemies, the Sunstone Tribe might take advantage and destroy them. With his forces already stretched thin, Custou couldn’t afford that risk.


    He considered relocating their stronghold, but that would require fighting the tribe currently upying the potential new site—an impossible task given their current state.


    If they had to fight someone, it was better to eliminate Ferdium’s forces first.


    Fortunately, 11 tribes had gathered to face this threat, all of them recognizing the danger posed by Ferdium’s actions.


    “Did you say six tribes were wiped out before?”


    At Custou’s question, another chieftain nodded.


    “Yes, over 2,000 warriors were killed. Their forces aren’t ordinary.”


    “They say they were ambushed during a siege.”


    “That’s right. To be honest, we know capturing their fortress is difficult. And if we fail, we might be ambushed again. We’ve never been good at sieges.”


    “That’s because we’ve never truly united our forces. We’ve always skirmished and then stopped short. And even when we could’ve destroyed them, we left it at that, knowing the kingdom would just send another lord.”


    “That’s true.”


    “But there’s no reason to keep ying by their rules. Chasing them is only to our detriment. Gather all our warriors. Let’s show them our overwhelming strength.”


    “Are you suggesting…?”


    Custou paused for a moment, grinding his teeth, before speaking slowly.


    “While their forces are out, we’ll destroy their fortress entirely. Let’s take Zwalter Ferdium’s head. They call him the Wolf of the North in Ritania, don’t they? I’m curious if he lives up to his name.”


    ude stared at the map with weary eyes and spoke to Ghiin.


    “The dangerous situation you’ve been waiting for has arrived.”


    “What’s so dangerous about it?”


    “Eleven tribes have united. They’ve gathered over 5,000 warriors, and it seems they’ve conscripted every able fighter they could find.”


    “Oh, they’ve gathered quite a crowd.”


    “Yes! And now we’re in serious trouble! Why did you have to provoke them into this mess?!”


    ude burst out, his frustration evident.


    This wasn’t how battles against barbarians were supposed to be fought. If Ghiin’s methods worked, the kingdom would’ve eradicated them long ago.


    Even without the current conflict between the Royal Faction and the Ducal Families, the sheer number of tribes in the north made any extermination attempt impractical. That’s why, for generations, they had settled for defense rather than offense.


    “It’s only natural that they’d unite if you provoke them! Fighting them just increases our danger and losses! The royal family and other lords haven’t left them alone all this time for no reason! Why did you have to shorten the timeline and invite disaster?”


    ude clutched his chest in frustration. Why couldn’t his lord live a normal life?


    What kind of childhood experience could have filled him with so much dissatisfaction toward the world?


    “Let’s negotiate. We have plenty of food—we can offer them some. They’re struggling too, after all.”


    Ghiin replied with a nk expression.


    “Negotiation’s fine. We can’t eliminate all the barbarians right now anyway.”


    “Exactly. Even if we fend them off this time, they’ll regroupter.”


    “But negotiations should be done from a position of strength. Who negotiates when they’re at a disadvantage?”


    “We negotiate because we’re at a disadvantage!”


    “Then we just need to change the situation to our advantage.”


    “And how do you n to do that?”


    Ghiin grinned slyly.


    “How? By cutting off the heads of every single one of those gathered bastards. Then the rest will listen to reason.”