CHAPTER 163: ACT 14 INTERLUDE

When Brand led the light cavalry swiftly through the woodland and pointed out the undead scout cavalry groping ahead in the valley, everyone was astonished.

It was as if fantasy had turned into reality; this young leader indeed had the ability of foreknowledge.

Only Reto and Votarong guessed the presence of the Stone Statue Ghost, but they had little time to think, as Brand had already issued the attack order. Over fifty riders sealed off all possible retreat routes of the skull cavalry in the young man’s command—one should say they had no retreat at all.

Because Brand knew how they would react.

When arranging the cavalry’s assault route, Brand’s image in the hearts of those mercenaries was not just describable as an excellent general, but as miraculous. The battle began with a horizontal sword wind, severing four or five skeleton soldiers at the waist. Then Brand charged into the undead, any skull cavalry daring to block him would often be sent flying seven or eight meters with a single strike—

Then he was faced with only the commanding Corpse Witch.

A single strike to decapitate.

Regrouping, then another raid, the battle ended almost identically to the previous night. Only one Security Cavalry got his left rib accidentally pierced by a sword. Brand left him behind for the following Self-defense Corps to take care of, and they continued forward.

Within a quarter of an hour, they defeated another group of undead scout cavalry on the other hillside. Over two battles, three were injured in total—naturally, Brand personally bandaged each of them, though he was just using his cheat ability—for his Battlefield First Aid was so effective, even more impressive than some hemostatic drugs.

Yet this minor gesture earned him great acclaim. Although his prestige was already sky-high among the mercenaries, even Votarong, who had always opposed him, couldn’t help but think that Brand was a god of war descended to earth.

Only the mythical god of war ’Mars’ could have such overwhelming strength.

However, Brand felt somewhat bored, as Madara’s cavalry tactics seemed so rigid in this era, far less flexible and varied than after Instarlon’s reforms, it felt a bit like fighting training AI back in the day.

His only solace was that he gained a total of 779 experience points from the two battles, successfully reaching level 17.

At the same time, as the refugees led by Frey began abandoning their carts, Madara realized they had encountered even bigger trouble.

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As everyone knows, the ’Dead Maggot’ Magus is a half zombie, and the rotting flesh on its body must be constantly maintained to prevent it from falling off.

However, even if the bones were exposed, it wouldn’t matter, as its undead wizard apprentices would periodically replenish it with some. The rotten tendons and skin made zombies stronger and more resilient than skeleton soldiers—but as a general, Magus arranged this decaying flesh on its body mostly for aesthetic reasons.

News from the front, however, gave it an unusual feeling. Its undead wizard apprentices had sent over a dozen ghosts south before nightfall, but only half returned on time.

Could it be that refugee convoy? Or perhaps a trap?

Magus scratched its incomplete scalp somewhat puzzled, disturbing countless fat white maggots that scattered from its forehead—these little creatures quickly burrowed into the eye sockets and holes in its cheeks. It chewed thoughtfully.

It marked the areas where those missing ghosts had patrolled on the map; along that line, there was a possibility of the refugee convoy’s presence.

But since the other party could counteract its ghosts, it indicated that it might not be simple. It had to make those crafty wizard apprentices dispatch a second batch of ghosts and confirm the information further. Magus could roughly estimate how long this would take, but in the meantime, it could urge the zombie army ahead to speed up further, to help Albton and Weisa complete the encirclement sooner.

Madara has a saying: no matter how clever the rat is, it can’t escape a sealed oil drum—

Under the siege of him, Kabais, Albton, Weisa, Diren, Leidios, and Gulob, this small convoy of refugees, no matter how cunning, would ultimately have no way out.

When the sun rises tomorrow, the area south of Sharp Stone River Valley will be completely engulfed in the shadow of the Black Rose blooming in Bulomando, and Madara will surely achieve victory—