Suddenly assigned such a difficult task by this spy, the Dwarf captain glanced uncomfortably at the Paladin beside him and declined, saying, "Sir, we only have eleven men, I'm afraid..."
"A single Dwarf warrior can take on ten men. I believe in you. There's no time for politeness, Captain Gude. Although you are mercenaries, since you signed the contract, you must obey orders now, or I will have no choice but to deal with you according to military law!"
Green's attitude was quite tough. Since these mercenaries had been designated as suspects by the Military Intelligence Office, they had to be restrained now. If they disobeyed, they should be taken down immediately to prevent them from causing trouble later.
"Who are you trying to scare!" The other person's attitude infuriated Gude. "I..."
Unas pressed down on the Dwarf's shoulder to stop him from lashing out further, and looked directly at him, saying, "No problem, we'll defend the first wave!"
The fact that this spy had suddenly appeared and was targeting them so clearly showed his suspicion made Unas vaguely feel that his false identity might have been exposed. If he refused, a conflict would definitely break out, and he didn't want to fight these guards first.
Unas felt very uncomfortable watching the lieutenant and others burn to death. Although chaos in the prison would provide a chance to rescue the marshal, he didn't want to cause too many innocent deaths. Of course, he didn't feel much guilt about killing criminals.
Green breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that this human was indeed the leader, and he needed to keep a closer eye on him.
The guards formed a standard ironclad formation, leaving only a gap at the entrance to the tunnel. As soon as Unas and the Dwarves filled the gap, a squad of Jailers blocked their way.
Now they were surrounded by prison guards on the left, right, and rear. Any slight movement would mean being attacked from three sides. Unas pursed his lips and whispered to Gude beside him, "The original plan can't be carried out. Now we have to force our way in. I'll rush in during the chaos. Don't follow me. No matter how that agent reacts, don't resist. Just protect yourselves."
The Dwarf captain nodded silently. Surrounded, there was no point in fighting the human Jailers to the death.
The three mages continuously used freezing spells to seal the gaps in the iron gate, but this was only a temporary solution. With three consecutive violent impacts, ice and wood chips flew everywhere, and the iron gate collapsed with a crash, crushing the charred corpses of the lieutenant and others in the pit into meat patties.
From the dust, several tall figures emerged at the bottom of the pit—six ogres Ogre a thick log! Loud battle cries came from behind them.
"Kill!"
With a loud shout, Green signaled the start of the battle, and a barrage of arrows, stones, and sandbags rained down, causing the Ogres to howl in pain. But their bodies stood like Stone Walls, unwavering as they carried the logs up the slope.
Three plumes of white, freezing air descended from the sky, quickly forming a smooth layer of ice on the slope. The Ogres slipped and lost their balance. Two of Ogre fell to the ground with a thud, while the other four fared even worse, tumbling back down the slope with the logs, knocking over the rioting criminals following behind.
Seeing an opportunity, Unas pretended to be careless, stepped onto the edge of the ice, fell in a comical manner, and tumbled down the slippery ice slope with a whoosh. He then swiftly stepped over the bodies of several fallen Ogres, knocked down several prisoners blocking his way with a few punches and kicks, and disappeared into the dark doorway in the blink of an eye.
Green was dumbfounded, never imagining that this suspect would take the opportunity to sneak into the prison, but this also confirmed that the other party was a spy—who would escape to the dungeon unless they were desperate?
"Take down these Dwarves!"
Green roared the order: the Ogres that had rolled down had risen again, and they had to quickly eliminate this destabilizing factor on their side.
Gude and his Dwarves were immediately surrounded by a dense barrage of weapons. He smiled wryly and raised his hands, "We mean no harm!"
It's good that they don't resist. Green was also afraid the Dwarves would fight back and disrupt the situation, so he immediately said, "Don't worry, you will receive a fair trial!"
Gude ordered his men to lay down their weapons, and let the guards tie them up and herd them to a corner of the hall like ducks, where they could only squat down and watch the show with resignation.
During this brief delay, the Ogres in the pit did not take the opportunity to rush upwards. Instead, they turned and disappeared into the doorway, not reappearing for a long time. This made Green suspicious. Little did he know that the human Paladin who rushed in was not a spy at all, but a person who gave the prisoners a great deal of trouble.
At this moment, Unas was in the first narrow and dimly lit corridor of the prison. Several ragged human prisoners lay at his feet, and in front of him was a Two-Headed Ogre that was almost as tall as the corridor. He could hear heavy footsteps behind him, and he knew that the Ogres who had attacked the door had returned.
Unas rushed in and attacked anyone he saw, using all his strength without reservation. He took down more than a dozen people with almost one punch each, and the once crowded corridor was cleared in the blink of an eye. The prisoners waiting in the cells on both sides of the corridor were so frightened that they dared not come out until they encountered the Two-Headed Ogre in front of them and were forced to stop by a large Fireball.
The damp air in the corridor was dried by the exploding Fireball, becoming extremely hot. Although Unas dodged the spell and was unharmed, Unas was hit by flying sparks and stones, making him look slightly disheveled.
"Who are you, and what do you want?!"
Superior to the dull, ordinary single-headed humans, the Two-Headed Ogre was not only a natural spellcaster, but also possessed intelligence no less than that of humans. Sensing that the enemy before him was not easy to deal with, he resorted to stalling tactics.
"I'm looking for someone, a middle-aged human. Let me through." Unas brandished his twin hammers, the silver weapons emitting a dazzling light, Seal of Command's energy to flow into them.
"Holy Light?!" the Ogre cried out in alarm. "Disgusting thing, die!"
Several beams of crimson light shot out from his body. The Ogres behind Unas were possessed by these red lights and immediately began to howl wildly, their eyes emitting blinding red light, and their bodies swelled up a lot.
Unas recognized it as Bloodlust, which could greatly enhance the target's attributes for a short period of time and make them fight to the death.
He remained calm and recited several words in succession. Rays of light rose from his body one after another, bestowing upon him the four blessings of Blessing of Kings, Blessing of Might, Blessing of Wisdom, and Blessing of Sanctuary. The Sacred Shield and Wings of Vengeance were also activated in succession.
The dazzling light and shadow effects instantly transformed him into a radiant god, illuminating the entire corridor. Some of the human prisoners in the cells on either side even mistook him for a descending angel of Holy Light, trembling as they laid down their weapons and knelt in worship.
The Holy Book within his body provided a continuous flow of energy. Unas calmly bent down slightly and took a step forward.
Those who block my way shall die!
The astonishing aura and the skin-tingling Holy Light almost pulled the Ogres out of their Bloodlust state. The Two-Headed Ogre felt his scalp tingle and even had the urge to flee.
But he knew there was no way to escape, so he could only roar in near agony, muster all his magical power, and unleash his most powerful attack—the Chain Explosion Fireball!
A barrage of orange-red Fireballs filled the entire cross-section of the corridor; it was an unavoidable, overwhelming spell.
His entire field of vision was filled with heat and red flames, Unas remained calm. He suddenly leaned back and pushed off with his heels, lying flat in the air. His wings flapped wildly in coordination, and he instantly darted out from the gap between the Ogres behind him.
In their Bloodlust state, the Ogres are fearless and ruthless, but their intelligence is severely diminished. They only have eyes for their target— the Paladin flashes like an arrow of light—and they even turn their heads away, completely ignoring the exploding Fireball behind them.
Boom!
Seven massive Fireballs, brimming with energy, exploded almost simultaneously. The narrow corridor amplified the destructive power of the shockwaves, which even the Ogre's massive body couldn't withstand. The six-man Ogre attack team was completely wiped out—they probably never dreamed they would die at the hands of their own leader.
The corridor was filled with charred remains and choking smoke. The powerful shockwave from the explosion nearly collapsed the Stone Walls. Many prisoners in the side cells were affected by the blast, and screams and wails filled the air.
The Two-Headed Ogre gasped for breath, its mouth agape, fear and rage nearly halting the processing of its supposedly brilliant mind.
Suddenly, a golden shadow flashed by. Before he could react, a terrible pain erupted simultaneously from the top of both heads. The Two-Headed Ogre only had the thought, "How could it be so fast?" before he was completely swallowed by the cold darkness.
Unas landed back on the ground, using Holy Light to cleanse the blood and brain matter from his two Warhammers, and took a short breath.
This Ogre leader, who would be a monster to ordinary people, is just a small fry in front of him now; going all out against him would feel like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
But it wasn't a waste of effort; the intimidation effect was remarkable. The prisoners in the side cell didn't dare to raise their weapons at him. Unas carefully observed for a few moments, but didn't find the old marshal, so he ignored them and walked straight over the Ogre's hill-like body.
The corridor ahead sloped downwards. After the Ogre died, all the criminals who had been waiting on this path ran inside. There were many figures moving at the bottom of the seven or eight steps, but no one dared to rush up.
A dark figure suddenly rushed up the steps, shouting, "Knight, don't attack! I'm not an enemy!"
The man was dressed in short gray clothes and held a short blade. His face looked familiar, but Unas couldn't quite place where he had seen him before. Unas sensed that the man didn't seem to be trying to kill him and said, "Come here, I won't attack you."
When the man got closer, Unas recognized him and was overjoyed to find that he was one of the soldiers who had followed the old marshal back to the Redridge Mountains.
At the time, the old marshal had selected 20 elite soldiers from over 400 Stormwind army to serve as his guards. Unas had personally seen him off, so he was familiar with these guards and hurriedly asked, "Where is the marshal?"
"It's inside, sir, please follow me."
The soldier stepped aside in a gesture of invitation and then walked inside. Unas had many questions in his mind, but he knew that seeing the marshal would provide the answers, so he became wary, guarding against possible traps, and quickly followed.
His worries turned out to be unnecessary. Along the way, he saw many criminals wearing red masks, who were presumably robbers from the Defias Brotherhood. Each of them was armed with a weapon and commanded the other prisoners to obediently make way for him.
Unas was filled with doubt and suspicion. Had the Marshal defected to Defias?
The prison was structured in the shape of a cross. He followed the soldiers inside until he reached the end of the cross, where a stone door appeared before him. The guards here were all Defias members wearing red masks.
The soldier exchanged a brief conversation with the masked guard at the entrance, then turned and said, "Knight, please come in."
The thieves, their eyes filled with cold indignation, pushed open the stone door, and a faint light shone from within. Unas strode forward and entered a somewhat empty hall.
"Knight Unas, it's been a long time."
A familiar voice rang out, and the old marshal waiting at the door extended his arm to the Paladin. He looked weathered and worn, his dirty white hair and beard almost completely obscuring his features, but his eyes still shone brightly, showing that his heart was far from as calm as he appeared.
"Marshal." Unas gripped the other's hand tightly, nodded, and seeing that the marshal was safe and sound, the weight that had been hanging over his heart finally lifted.
This room seemed to be the prison officers' lounge, much more spacious and tidy than a regular cell. Unas's gaze passed over the old marshal and landed on the other people in the room—the remaining bosses of the prison were all here.
A dark-skinned Orcs, his exposed skin covered in scars, stared fiercely at the Paladin with beast-like eyes. Beside him stood a similarly dark-skinned Dark Iron Dwarves, wielding a large iron hammer, who also looked formidable.
In the center are two humans wearing red masks, one of whom must be Defias's boss here— Bazil Thredd.
Unas secretly considered whether it would be easier to quickly eliminate these vicious criminals and then break out with the marshal than to deal with them.
"Black- Paladin, I heard you defeated Hamhock in a single round. The Marshal also praised you highly. Such a warrior is exactly what we need right now." Hamhock was, of course, the Two-Headed Ogre responsible for attacking the goal.
The friendly greeting came from the human with two sharp blades hanging from his waist. Unas temporarily suppressed his murderous intent and did not respond. He just looked at the old marshal with a puzzled expression—it was not a good idea to collude with the infamous Defias Brotherhood.
Windsor gave a wry smile and introduced, "This is Mr. Bazil Thredd, my current business partner."
As expected, it seemed the old marshal had been driven to desperation, which was why he chose to cooperate with the thieves. Considering the old marshal's situation after being imprisoned, Unas did not condemn him, but asked, "How did you cooperate?"
"Let's escape together, then work together to kill the Countess."
It turns out that after the failed assassination attempt on the Black Dragon Princess, the old marshal, who was imprisoned, was immediately treated well by the Defias Brotherhood. After several contacts, he, who had fallen into despair, rekindled his hope of dealing with the Black Dragon.
The old marshal had served in the military for many years, and his disciples and followers were spread throughout various departments. Many people sympathized with his plight. Defias had a way to pass messages inside and outside the prison, which allowed the old marshal to contact several former subordinates who were still loyal to him, and successfully persuade a major in the City Guard.
Their plan was simple: tonight, Defias' fleet would bombard and harass the port, coordinating with the fire and mutiny the major had started in the Old Barracks to disrupt the situation. Defias' assassins would then kill the prison officials, and the prisoners would simultaneously riot. The major would then seize the opportunity to bring troops to take over the prison. With this coordinated attack from within and without, there was no way they wouldn't be able to escape.
After listening to the old marshal's explanation, Unas thought for a moment and said, "The plan is not bad, but you don't know this, do you? After the Jailer was killed, a SI:7 agent appeared, and now the guards outside all listen to him."
Upon hearing of the Jailer's murder, the old marshal's eyes dimmed. Although he had been mentally prepared, the sacrifice of an innocent person always left him with a sense of regret. He quickly composed himself and replied, "It's alright, just an agent. I believe Major Sophia can handle the situation."
"Moreover," Unas continued, "From the first cannon shot until now, the shelling from the port has never stopped. I want to ask the brothers of Defias, are your harassing attacks always this fierce?"
Just then, a slight tremor came from overhead. Filtered by the soil, the sound of the cannon became a faint, muffled thud, almost inaudible unless you listened very carefully.
The old marshal's expression changed slightly as he looked at Bazil Thredd. Faced with the questioning, the Defias deputy commander remained calm and composed. "I'm just a prisoner awaiting rescue. How could the fleet commander understand my thoughts at this moment? Perhaps the shelling will stop once we escape."
Knowing he wouldn't get anything out of Unas from the obvious excuse, he said with a self-deprecating laugh, "It seems you were fully prepared. My intrusion was unnecessary. I apologize for killing a few of your Ogres."
"The weak don't deserve to live to be a hundred; they're just cannon fodder who deserve to die," Bakir's coldness was evident. "At least the Knight brought us the undeniable news of the Jailer's death, which is more important than anything else. There's no need to waste any more manpower attacking the gate; let's just wait for Major Sophia's good news."
The attack on the gate was just a pretext. Now that the Jailer was dead, there was no one in the prison with a higher rank than a major, so it was only natural for Sophia to come and take over the prison.
The fortress hall above ground was silent. Nearly half an hour had passed since the suspicious human had sneaked into the cell, and no more prisoners had appeared through the dilapidated door below the pit.
Green sent men down into the pit to investigate, but they only found the haphazardly scattered corpses of Ogre, likely a consequence of the explosion.
Despite his deep suspicions about what was happening in the prison, Green had no choice but to hold his ground, as his limited forces were simply insufficient to launch an offensive.
Just then, a cheer erupted outside the gate, and a messenger rushed in, beaming with joy, shouting, "Sir, good news! A detachment of City Guards is on its way to our aid!"
Green was overjoyed; what he needed most at that moment was reinforcements. He quickly asked, "Which lord is it? How long until they arrive?"
"It's two battalions under Major Sophia's command; they'll arrive within fifteen minutes."
"Haha, great! Everyone, go on high alert and await reinforcements!"
Everyone, including Green, was overwhelmed with joy and had no doubt that the reinforcements had ulterior motives, because the loyalty of the Stormwind City army had been proven by years of war and that betrayal was extremely rare.
Sophia Vega never considered her actions to be treason. On her galloping warhorse, the valiant female Knight vigorously cracked her whip, her neat single ponytail bouncing with the rise and fall of her mount, just like her restless emotions at that moment.
She was born into a declining military aristocratic family. Her father had once served under Marshal Windsor, but died in battle at a young age, leaving her and her mother behind.
Perhaps out of compassion for the surviving families of his subordinates, the old marshal always showed great care for their broken homes.
Sophia has regarded the Marshal as her mentor, role model, and another father since childhood, so she unconditionally believes that the old Marshal is innocent, and that the Countess he accused must be the incarnation of the evil Black Dragon.
After making contact with the old marshal in prison, Sophia quickly agreed to the prison break plan, believing she would give everything for him.
But after her trusted men set fires and caused chaos throughout the camp tonight, she found herself far less calm than she had imagined. The ironclad rules of military law were etched into her heart like a knife, and this act, which amounted to treason, shook her deeply.
Everything I did was for Stormwind City.
Comforting herself, Sophia turned around and urged her subordinates behind her; the spire of the prison fortress was already visible in the clear night sky.