CHAPTER 479: CHAPTER 306: NIGHT RAID_2

During my month away, Hamlet had indeed undergone a massive transformation. The Lord’s abilities were simply too strong; he’d basically rebuilt a town in such a short time. I couldn’t help but be impressed.

"All good?"

"No problems, we can set off immediately."

"I will lead the Cavalry at the front to clear out the bandits, but you must also stay vigilant because no one knew how reliable this information was."

The two exchanged information, and then, without waiting for the convoy, Lance set off first with Dismas and Boudica, as well as forty carefully selected Cavalrymen.

"Come, follow me to exterminate the bandits."

"Hamlet Must Win!"

Forty iron-clad Cavalrymen were already an impressive force in these parts. The tremors from the galloping horses were profoundly shocking.

And these were merely light Cavalry. If they were heavy Cavalry, if there were four hundred, or four thousand... what a sight a Steel Torrent would be!

「 」

"We’ve only been gone a few days, but it seems they have indeed completely abandoned these camps."

Geralt inspected the abandoned camp. In just a few days, it looked like it had been deserted for half a year, with rampant vegetation encroaching and the ground already covered with lush new sprouts. Thin vines had also climbed over the tents in the camp.

Tadiff was also examining traces left in the camp, hoping they were false signals, but it was apparent the site had been abandoned.

So my bounty has slipped away again.

At this thought, Tadiff couldn’t help but curse.

"I curse this damned place!"

His reaction didn’t come as a surprise to the others; it was obviously not the first time he had been like this.

In fact, Geralt’s squad had been scouring the wilderness for several days. They continuously expanded the mapped area but made no further discoveries, the only clues being long-abandoned camps.

"It’s getting late. Let’s rest for now," Geralt suggested setting up camp after ensuring there was nothing amiss in the area.

The others had no objections. After all, there was a ready Sanctuary. Though it was a bit eerie, who among them, all skilled individuals, would be afraid of such things?

The camp was quickly set up, and the bonfire was lit, its flames beginning to rise.

"Check how many days your food and water can last."

They didn’t have the storage space of Lance’s Exhibition Room, so one major factor limiting their movement was logistical support.

They had to carry their own food and water. To avoid affecting combat capabilities, they obviously couldn’t bring too much, so seven days of rations were about the limit.

After a few days of consumption, it was clear that everyone’s remaining supplies were dwindling.

Without pots or pans, only iron kettles were used to boil water; compressed hardtack, jerky, and cheese served as food.

Actually, such logistical support was already quite good for Tadiff.

Once everyone had sorted themselves out, Geralt received some rather unwelcome news. Their food would only last another two or three days. This meant that after reserving two days for the return journey, they could only squeeze out one more day for exploration.

"We’ll just resupply when we go back, and then come again. We’ve achieved something on this trip, after all; we now know the movements of the Heretics," Geralt consoled the others and then discussed the next day’s tactics with Balistan.

Junia wasn’t concerned about these things; she was still praying after eating.

As for Tadiff, he was somewhat isolated, checking his equipment alone, sharpening his axe, always prepared for battle.

Soon, night fell. They lay simply around the bonfire on the cleared ground, with only Geralt sitting with his sword in his arms.

After the night watch was set, the camp gradually fell into silence, save for the occasional crackle of the bonfire.

Even the watchful Geralt couldn’t help but slowly close his eyes to rest. As the fire’s glow dimmed, darkness drew near.

A string of faint, unintelligible syllables, like a hushed chant, drifted from an unknown location.

Geralt was instantly alerted. His eyes snapped open, a flash of gold scanning the distant darkness.

But there was nothing unusual; all was quiet. The previous sound seemed like an auditory hallucination.

Geralt froze, but this lasted only a few seconds before he suddenly bellowed.

"Ambush!"

Without hesitation, he drew his Longsword and swung it toward the darkness, striking something with a clang of metal on metal. Sparks burst forth, briefly illuminating a figure within the shadows.

The next second, the figure charged into the light. This one was different from the Heretics they had encountered before; it wore a black iron helmet imbued with religious significance and wielded iron claws as weapons.

He had heard from Lance that these were the true elites of the Ascension Sect, not just common rabble.

What troubled Geralt more, however, was that it wasn’t just one. Looming figures in the darkness were rapidly approaching.

Fortunately, his shout had also awoken the other three. They all slept in their armor and now grabbed their weapons and charged into battle.

"Kill!" Tadiff, fueled by the frustrations of the past few days, roared as he found a target in these attackers.

He swung his axe with a ferocity that emphasized his brute strength, striking with lethal force. His innate prodigious strength enabled him to overpower the elite cultist who had undergone countless Flesh Rites.

Walter hadn’t been exaggerating; this man’s fighting prowess was genuinely formidable—a born killing machine.

"Receive your punishment!" Junia cried out excitedly, raising her Warhammer and releasing a bolt of lightning straight at an onrushing cultist.

The cultist’s bare chest blackened instantly upon contact with the holy energy; flesh peeled and cracked open, revealing a gruesome wound.

But these attackers seemed indifferent to their wounds. On the contrary, Junia’s exposure of her Church identity immediately drew fiercer retaliation. It wasn’t just one; other cultists also targeted her, lunging with their iron claws out of some unfathomable vendetta.

Junia was proficient with Divine Arts, but her combat skills, particularly in close quarters, were somewhat lacking. She could barely manage one enemy, even with her Heavy Armor.

But being attacked from multiple sides would be very dangerous.

Luckily, just as the cultists had allies, so did Junia, and hers was a very sturdy bastion.

"Stand behind me!"

Balistan charged with his shield raised, pushing aside the deadly claws and even knocking the cultist back a few steps. Seizing the moment while his opponent was off-balance, Balistan launched his Morningstar Hammer at the enemy.

With a heavy thud, hammer met helmet. Despite the head protection, the blunt impact was still devastating. The cultist’s already unsteady steps became even more precarious, causing him to stagger.

In response to the night attack, Geralt’s counterstrikes were equally sharp. He abandoned his previous caution, risking it all to kill the enemies before him swiftly.

His Longsword pierced a cultist’s heart, but it didn’t kill him. Instead, the cultist pressed forward, heedless of the risk, attempting to restrict Geralt’s weapon while his claws aimed to behead Geralt.

Yet Geralt was battle-hardened. How could he fall here? With a fierce kick, he pulled his sword free and, with a backhand swing, sent the cultist’s head flying—dead beyond any doubt.

The death of the enemy before him did not relax Geralt. Instead, he remained on high alert, scanning the darkness.

He was certain he hadn’t misheard; that sound was a Heretic Priest preparing some Sorcery.

The attack that summoned Void Demons had nearly killed the Lord. Remembering this, Geralt instantly felt as if facing a great enemy, understanding that the squad absolutely could not let the priest continue if they wanted to live.

But even his eyes, capable of piercing the night, couldn’t penetrate that darkness. The enemy had surely used some Sorcery to conceal themselves. How could he find the hiding Heretic Priest?

Geralt fought his way through, freeing Junia from the fray, then shouted, "There’s an enemy hiding nearby! I need to find them!"

They were all familiar with each other’s abilities, so Junia understood what Geralt meant. She immediately raised the Holy Canon.

"God said, ’Let there be light...’"

Then, a sun-sized orb of light rose before her and exploded. The brilliance instantly dispelled the surrounding darkness, and for a moment, it was as if day had broken.