However, There Is a Oriole Behind

Bearfolk are certainly not weak as a powerful force in the wilderness; they lack neither strength nor ferocity, naturally possessing the raw ability to thrive through violence.

The most common Bearfolk warriors can easily overpower three to five fully armed Pompeii soldiers bare-handed, and when gathered, they can withstand a cavalry charge without much trouble.

Unfortunately, their opponents are stronger—strength, equipment, martial arts, reinforcements, and morale; every aspect is slightly superior, and when accumulated, it forms an insurmountable chasm.

Moreover, their current adversaries are not only High Mountain Keep but also the Dwarves directly in front of them.

Fighting on two fronts is always a military taboo, greatly damaging a warrior's resolve and courage. Perhaps there are military strategists in this world who can disregard conventions and forge their own path, but these Bearfolk are clearly not among them.

Gunther and several high-ranking Barbarian Great Axe Warriors wielding twin axes followed Richard, forming the sharpest spearhead of the assault.

Given sufficient strength, being relatively smaller became an advantage. Those Bearfolk warriors, as massive as doors, found it difficult to move nimbly enough to keep up with their actions.

Richard bent down, picked up a battle-axe, and, swinging his arm in a full circle, threw it toward the crowd in front of him.

At such close range, there was no chance of missing. The flying axe, with the force of a ballista, instantly vanished into the throng.

Blades spun, blood splattered, and the screams of the dying rang out one after another.

"Follow me!" Gunther immediately led the charge in the direction the axe had flown, while the enemy, unwilling to show weakness, launched a counter-charge.

Both sides aggressively pushed their lines toward the enemy, doing their utmost to physically annihilate the opponent. Yet, High Mountain Keep continuously advanced while the Bearfolk repeatedly retreated.

Many Bearfolk warriors had already discovered that these Barbarians, clad in iron armor and bolstered by Stone Skin, possessed an almost ridiculously exaggerated resilience. They were the ones suffering losses when engaging in direct combat.

If their overlords still had some capacity for resistance, then the Rabbit-headed Humanoids trailing behind them were truly out of luck. These vassal warriors were even more helpless than fatty pork facing a meat grinder.

The Barbarians didn't even specifically attack them; a mere casual swing was enough to crush the Rabbit-headed Humanoids' fragile bones.

Richard advanced step by step, leaving countless fresh chunks of flesh and severed limbs in his wake. The scorching hot blood even turned the ground beneath his feet muddy.

Facing the Barbarian Bearfolk warriors only resulted in losses, but facing the Lord of High Mountain Keep was akin to being slaughtered. Their simple minds couldn't comprehend where this little Dwarf got so much strength!

Rough, booming shouts began to echo among the Bearfolk warriors, and with these shouts, they slowly began to contract and retreat.

After all, they were a formidable force; they wouldn't crumble just from this setback.

It was merely that the arrival of fresh forces made them realize their objective was unattainable, and they were unwilling to squander valuable tribal warriors in a meaningless battle.

As they left, the Bearfolk left many Rabbit-headed Humanoids to cover their retreat. These rabbit-eared fellows, for reasons unknown, were so thoroughly brainwashed that they faithfully charged forward, using their lives to delay the enemy's pursuit.

Richard swung his greatsword, knocking down a full half-circle of Rabbit-headed Humanoids in one blow, watching as the towering Bearfolk gradually disappeared into the night.

Although they had suffered heavy losses, they still maintained considerable composure and morale. During their retreat, they even had the presence of mind to carry away several corpses of their kin; they were not a routed army to be easily slaughtered.

"Don't chase them." The Lord stopped the eager Barbarians.

The temptation of system advancement allowed High Mountain Keep warriors to maintain high morale for a long time and be extremely proactive. The side effect was that they sometimes tended to be overly warlike.

If the army were compared to warhorses, they were clearly the most ferocious kind. The difficulty in controlling them wasn't in starting them, but in stopping them.

"Richard." Annie ran over, leading the Centaurs and shamans, before she could even say a word.

Suddenly, a massive, eerie wail echoed from the distant darkness, followed by the Bearfolk's distinctive low roar. The continuous clang of metal soon followed.

The High Mountain Keep contingent exchanged glances. Although too far away to see exactly what was happening, judging by the sounds, even an idiot would know the Bearfolk had been ambushed on their retreat.

Richard raised his hand and plunged his greatsword into the ground. The soil beneath his feet, softened by blood, allowed the blade to sink in halfway.

He finally understood how chaotic a melee could be—while the Bearfolk were preparing to assault the Dwarf tribe, someone else was also playing the role of the mantis stalking the cicada, setting their sights on them.

"Annie." Richard waved to the bewildered Half-Elf, "I'm going to go see if I can talk to those short Dwarves first."

The Dwarves, at the center of this chaotic battle, were highly vigilant. Even though High Mountain Keep had effectively helped them defeat a strong enemy, those Dwarf guard warriors showed no sign of letting down their guard.

Looking through the breach in the wall, one could see vast areas of shimmering silver—the reflection of Dwarf infantry armor. They stood guard with shields, silent like unyielding stones.

The Dwarves understood well that an enemy's enemy was not necessarily a friend; it could also be another group of vultures.

"All of you, stay here and don't move." Richard pointed at the Barbarians, Centaurs, and several shamans.

"Boss, it's too dangerous for you to go alone." Gunther, carrying his axe, tried to follow.

"No need."

The Lord picked up an iron-bound oak shield left by a Bearfolk to cover himself, and under the watchful eyes of the Dwarves and the High Mountain Keep guard, he slowly and steadily walked toward the breach in the wall.

As he got closer, he could see two wooden arrow towers behind the wall. From their vague outlines, they appeared to be equipped with ballistas.

Richard truly hadn't expected the Dwarves to have such things. He hid even more carefully behind the mountain shield.

Earlier on the road, Annie and he, bored, had shared a lot of information, ranging from estimates of wilderness tribal strength to how to perfectly soft-boil an egg, but the fact that the Dwarf tribe had ballistas was not among them.

Annie had no reason to conceal something like this; it was likely she genuinely didn't know.

And such large-scale war machines certainly couldn't be hastily built in a short time. Forget a small tribe, not even Pompeii could.

Richard clicked his tongue. Although Dwarves were commonly believed to be very honest with friends and often depicted as simple-minded individuals who couldn't keep secrets, in reality, those who thought they were simple-minded were truly simple-minded.

The ballistas before him were irrefutable proof—secrets that needed to be kept, even the most intimate allies couldn't hope to discover a trace of them.

Perhaps his solo approach earned him a slight foundation of trust. The Dwarf warriors didn't immediately load their ballistas but waited silently as he traversed several hundred yards on foot.

"Halt! State your purpose, human." When he was still twenty yards away, they finally couldn't tolerate an outsider approaching any closer.

Perhaps Dwarves originally had a tradition of hospitality, but recent experiences had forced them to learn harshness and caution.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Richard inexplicably felt that this voice seemed deliberately gruff, somewhat like a child imitating an adult.