Eagle Fortress in Flames

To the northeast of Eagle Fortress, within a wooded mountain hollow, Lord Raven stood with his hand on his sword hilt, observing in silence.

Behind him, Eric stood with sword in hand, his face stern, while thirty-two private soldiers sat on the ground, their expressions tight with anxiety.

The bandits were rampaging through Eagle Town, and the ones threatened could very well be their own families!

Yet no one dared act rashly, because Lord Raven had long since explained his plan to them—using Eagle Fortress as bait to catch the turtle in the jar.

To this end, Lord Raven had not hesitated to abandon the advantage of holding the castle, even leaving its gates wide open, and not moving a single gold coin from the Angel's Tear in the treasury—all for the sake of making it convincing enough!

The reason for all this, Lord Raven had not stated outright, but these private soldiers understood it clearly in their hearts—they were too weak.

So weak that even with Eagle Fortress as their stronghold, Lord Raven could not trust their combat ability, could not believe they could repel the bandits' assault!

A streak of fire appeared at the edge of Eagle Town, then cut through the town itself, halting before Eagle Fortress.

This made the private soldiers breathe a sigh of relief, while filling them with even greater gratitude and deeper shame.

Lord Raven, as their liege, had sacrificed his own property to protect their homes; yet they, as private soldiers sworn to him, could not defend his territory and could only watch these bandits charge straight in!

"Lord Raven, should we move out?" Eric asked in a low voice.

As an upright warrior, though he had carried out Lord Raven's orders, he still felt a pang of reluctance for the lives inside the castle.

Lord Raven shook his head calmly. "Wait a little longer."

Now was not yet the best time!

As the one who had personally trained these private soldiers, Lord Raven knew very well that while they were loyal and brave enough, they were far outmatched in both killing experience and equipment.

Unless the right moment came, Lord Raven would rather abandon this ambush altogether!

The Eye of Truth was already active, and Lord Raven could now clearly see that among the enemy ranks were a full two First-tier Transcendents, each carrying two items of Excellent quality—a weapon and armor!

Ordinary weapons in ordinary hands could do nothing against Enchanted Armor.

He felt relieved at his own judgment—if they faced them head-on, those two alone could shatter his private soldiers' formation, and besides them, there were sixteen bandits armed to the teeth.

"Donald, you do have a bit of a noble's cunning," Lord Raven muttered to himself.

Now he understood why Donald had leased the three territories to two different nobles.

On one hand, it made it easier for a future heir to reclaim the lands; on the other, it gave the weakened Eagle Territory a buffer, buying it more time to detect the Bloody Highlands bandits' approach.

The bandit force lingered at the gate for a while. Lord Raven saw someone bend down to pick up an object, and his brow relaxed slightly as he breathed a silent sigh of relief.

That was the emblem of the Griffith Family, which he had deliberately left at the entrance to dispel the bandits' suspicions.

Sure enough, not long after, the bandits, torches in hand, surged into the castle in a mighty tide.

Behind him came a faint rustling—the sound of spears scraping against the ground. Lord Raven turned expressionlessly, his gaze sweeping over his private soldiers, calming their restless energy.

Still not yet.

A few more minutes passed, and lights began to flicker on one by one in the castle's main keep. Shadows of bandits moving within could be vaguely seen, and faint, intermittent screams began to drift out.

It was time!

Lord Raven exchanged a glance with Eric, raised his right hand high, and swung it forward sharply. Then he rose first, dashing down the mountain path like the wind!

The private soldiers followed one by one, their hearts nearly leaping from their chests, yet none dared defy Lord Raven's command to make a sound. Their faces flushed red, teeth clenched, eyes burning with fury and self-reproach.

Lord Raven was their liege, yet to accommodate their weak combat strength, he had been forced to choose such a humiliating tactic—vacating his own castle and letting those damned bandits burn, kill, and loot within it at will!

This was Lord Raven's disgrace, and even more so, theirs. It was their failure to fulfill their duty, their responsibility!

Such disgrace could only be washed away with blood!

They opened their mouths, but no sound came out. Yet Lord Raven, at the very front, could clearly feel a deafening roar!

It was the vibration of synchronized footsteps striking the ground, the resolve of breaths adjusted to the same rhythm!

A kilometer of mountain path would normally take at least ten minutes, but under Lord Raven's lead, these private soldiers bounded like flying, covering the distance in just five minutes to reach the gates of Eagle Fortress.

The moment he crossed the drawbridge, Lord Raven drew his longsword and let out a roar: "Kill—!"

Behind him, the thirty-two private soldiers roared in unison, their voices shaking like thunder: "Kill—!"

The sound startled Anderson, who was waiting in the hall. He spun around, and through the wide-open gates, his eyes met Lord Raven's. He saw the killing intent that threatened to devour him whole!

No introduction was needed; Anderson knew at once that this man was Lord Raven!

"Form up!" Anderson bellowed, then drew the scimitar at his waist. A murky, gel-like battle qi wrapped around it. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled it straight at Lord Raven!

The scimitar arced through the air like a shooting star, flying directly at Lord Raven's face. But he neither dodged nor flinched. Just as the blade was about to split him in two, a broad Hand-and-a-Half Sword thrust in from the side. With a deafening clang, the scimitar was knocked spinning into the air before thudding into the ground.

A broad, steady figure stood before Lord Raven.

It was Eric!

The thirty-two private soldiers surged forward in perfect step, their eyes blazing with fierce rage and murderous intent—an intent that even made Anderson feel a flicker of fear!

He made a split-second decision, lunged forward, slammed the great doors shut with a boom, and lifted the bar to lock them tight.

By now, the bandits had heard the command and gathered in the hall. Anderson frowned and asked, "Where's Belly?"

The bandits exchanged glances. "Chief, we haven't seen Vice Chief Belly!"

"Forget it, leave him!" Anderson snorted coldly. "This Lord Raven has some cunning, using the castle as bait. Too bad for him—this castle has more than one exit!"

"He wants to shut the door and beat the dog? Fine, we'll loop around from the city wall and stab them in the back!"

Eagle Fortress was a war bastion. The first and second floors of the main castle had passages leading to the walls on both sides, and among his Bandits, there was no shortage of skilled archers. From that high vantage point, they could make Raven taste the bitter fruit of his own cleverness!

Giving up the castle was your biggest mistake!

Boom—

Boom boom boom—

Four violent explosions rang out almost simultaneously. Before Anderson could grasp what was happening, he heard one of his Bandits shouting in panic: "Fire!! It's on fire!!!"

Anderson rushed over quickly, his gaze turning grave.

At the end of the corridor, where it connected to the city wall, a transparent flame had ignited, spreading rapidly along the walls. In an instant, it blazed into a fierce orange-yellow!

Anderson didn't know this was fire from burning Glycerin.

Not just ahead—behind him, it was the same!

"Damn it, I've been tricked!" Anderson gritted his teeth, sprinted up to the second floor, and kicked aside a corpse on the ground. To his shock, the second floor looked exactly the same!

Damn it!

He had already guessed Raven's plan, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

Such ruthless methods, such cruel intent, such meticulous preparation!

The badge at the entrance had lulled his initial wariness, and the relatives and servants left in the castle were also meant to numb him!

The passages on the first and second floors leading to the walls must have been prepped with kindling long ago, with trusted men left behind. The moment Raven turned back for a counterattack, they'd set the fire, trapping them all inside the castle!

"How is this possible..." Anderson clenched his jaw, unable to believe he'd fallen into someone else's trap—and that trap came from a Sand Rat nicknamed "Little Bee"!

In just two months, Raven had already gained a core of loyal followers!

The danger of staying in the castle was far greater than leaving with Raven. If discovered, the best outcome was a quick, clean death!

Boom—

Another explosion rang out, followed by a scream that didn't sound human.

Anderson charged back to the first floor and saw Rotten Tooth wrapped in flames, writhing and howling in the corridor!

His brow twitching, he shouted: "What happened!?"

"Boss, Rotten Tooth tried to escape through a window in the side room..." one Bandit said.

Another Bandit added: "But as soon as he opened the door, a Fire Arrow shot in, set off something in the room, and then this happened..."

Boom—

Another explosion, then more.

Anderson swept his gaze across the corridor. The doors to the rooms along the first-floor hallway burst open one after another, wooden planks flying with transparent flames that quickly turned orange-red.

The entire corridor, except for the hall, was now engulfed in fire!

Anderson's brow twitched wildly, the scar on his lip oozing dark red blood: "Hmph, a fine scheme... trying to trap us in the building!"

"But he forgot one thing—we're Bandits from the Bloody Highlands, merciless killers, the wind of the desert, the wolves of the plains!"

"And the ones Raven leads are nothing but a bunch of farmers who just put down their hoes!"

"Men, take off the door bars, charge out with me, and kill them all!!!"

The relentless explosions reached the third floor as well.

Accompanied by the sound of tearing fabric, Belly placed a shred of torn clothing to his nose and inhaled deeply, a smug grin spreading across his face: "As expected of a Baroness, nothing like the women I've played with before."

He let his fingers go, and the cloth fluttered to the ground like a butterfly. He gloated as he saw the beauty before him now nearly naked.

Her already flimsy nightgown could barely cover her body, leaving large swaths of creamy, smooth skin exposed to the stifling air, trembling with alluring ripples from her fear and tension.

Even with her undergarments, her voluptuous figure was practically bursting forth. Her upper curves escaped the cover of her arms, made even more seductive and captivating by the purple lace lingerie.

The thin fabric clung tightly to her waist, hinting at the scorching allure hidden beneath.

Belly stepped forward, and Denise stepped back. Her delicate foot caught on the tangled bedsheets, and with a startled cry, she fell against the wall.

"Don't come near me!"

In her powerless scream, Denise's face showed not a trace of her usual composure and pride. All that remained was panic and terror. Tears pooled in her damp eyes, her full lips trembled uncontrollably, her ample chest heaved, and her soft black hair clung to her face and neck, only fueling the primal beast in a man.

"Cry. I love it when beauties like you do that..." Belly took off his helmet and set it on the bed, then crouched down and grabbed Denise's hair in one handful: "What lovely lips!"

He slowly leaned in, his eyes carrying the mockery of a cat toying with a mouse.

As a Bandit, Belly had been with many women. No matter how chaste they were, once he grabbed their hair, few could resist—physical pain crushed any will to fight back.

But a sharp glint suddenly flashed in Denise's eyes. She lunged her head forward, ignoring the tearing pain at her scalp, and bit down hard on Belly's lip!

"Ahh—" Even as a First-tier Transcendent, he wasn't yet invulnerable to blades. Denise's teeth, like razor-sharp knives, sank deep into his flesh!

"Let go!" Belly yanked at Denise's hair, but it only made the pain on his face worse.

"I said let go!"

Slap—

Denise was, after all, just a woman. Under Belly's hate-filled strike, she was sent crashing against the wall, blood trickling from her ears.

"Bitch—bitch!!!" Belly still clutched a lock of black hair stained with blood, but it did nothing to ease his fury, because he saw Denise lift her head, looking at him with a provocative gaze, and spit out a chewed piece of tender flesh.

It was his upper lip!

"You're asking for death!" Belly roared. "Originally, you were just my personal trophy, but now I've changed my mind. I'm going to make you know what kind of torment a woman can suffer!"

Denise's face bore a disdainful sneer. "Fine, I'll be waiting!"

Even as she said this, she no longer held any hope of survival. Her eyes fell on a broken wine bottle on the ground; she would use it to end her life when Belly dragged her out.

Just as Belly was about to step forward, with a crash, the previously sealed window suddenly shattered, and a figure landed in the room.

"Whew, good thing I made it in time." Raven wiped the sweat from his brow and looked over at Denise. "Aunt, it seems you're not as calm as I imagined."

Denise shot him a hateful glare, but inwardly, she had quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Belly drew the longsword from his waist, stepped back two paces, and asked, "Who are you?"

"I heard bandits aren't too bright. Seems the rumors have some truth to them." Raven likewise drew his rapier in response. "You come to my castle, take my woman, and now you ask who I am?"

"You're Raven!?" Belly looked him up and down. "Hah, from what I see, the rumors aren't very reliable. I never thought a Little Bee could lead a counterattack, and even less that you'd have the guts to face me!"

Raven raised his rapier. "Since I dared to come, of course I'm confident I can kill you."

"Is that so..." Belly gripped his sword with both hands, a faint green light enveloping the three-foot blade. "Then let me see how you break my Storm Battle Qi!"

Before his words faded, he had already stepped forward, charging at Raven like lightning!

A mere two meters' distance was nothing but a blink of an eye for a first-rank Storm Swordsman!

Yet the moment Belly took that step, he saw Raven's left hand, previously tucked at his waist, suddenly raise. A glint of cold light blossomed, and with a whoosh, a tiny crossbow bolt shot straight for his face!

Belly's brow twitched slightly, but a scornful smirk curled at the corner of his mouth. A man who made his living in the Bloody Highlands was long accustomed to such underhanded tricks. He flicked his blade slightly, knocking the bolt aside, then flowed his sword straight for Raven's throat!

The latter blocked with his rapier while surging forward, his left hand driving straight at Belly's chest.

"Foolish—" Belly spat out two words softly.

Though both held Enchanted Weapons, his speed and strength far surpassed his opponent's. The moment their swords clashed, Raven's arm would snap from the impact, and whatever he hid in his left hand would be limp and weak, utterly unable to pierce his Enchanted Chainmail!

But in that instant of collision, Raven actually let go of his own accord!

The rapier was knocked back, slamming into Raven's chest, but his left hand had already pressed against Belly's chest—a gleaming, cold Enchanted Dagger!

Belly's heart jolted, then he relaxed, because his chest armor was also enchanted—no mere little dagger could cut through it!

Yet the next moment, a bone-chilling cold spread through his chest. Amidst a sharp, piercing pain, he felt all the strength drain from his body.

Clang...

The longsword fell to the ground. Belly looked down at his chest, muttering in disbelief, "No... possible..."

Warm, thick blood gushed from his mouth.

He remembered—this Enchanted Chainmail had indeed been repaired.

But he couldn't understand how Raven had seen the only weak point on the armor!

With a thud, he dropped to his knees, staring blankly at Raven. "Wh... why..."

"Go ask the Goddess of Death." Raven kicked him in the chest, pulling the dagger free, then felt his head spin and quickly stopped using the Eye of Truth.

With the Eye of Truth activated, Raven could clearly see the flow of supernatural power, and thus the weak points on enchanted items.

It was with the Eye of Truth's help that he had managed to pinpoint Denise's location in the pitch-black castle.

Belly's chest armor appeared to Raven as a faint green glow, and the spot on his chest with no light at all stood out starkly.

Beyond that, Raven could also see the signs of Battle Qi flow. Belly was a qualified Storm Swordsman, every move driven by Battle Qi—and because of that, whatever technique he intended to use, whatever action he planned, held no secrets from Raven's eyes.

Still, using the Eye of Truth in combat was somewhat of a burden on his body. In just over ten seconds, he felt as exhausted as if he'd been up all night.

"Oh, lace, indeed."

Raven approached Denise in the corner, a smile of ambiguous meaning on his face. His gaze swept over her lithe, curvaceous figure, and his throat tightened slightly.

Perhaps because she had just gone through a wild rollercoaster of emotions, Denise's passionate eyes held a hint of daze. Un-dried blood clung to the corners of her mouth and her chest, lending her a cruel, fragile sensuality.

"This is a life-saving grace. I think you wouldn't begrudge a little repayment."

Raven's fingertip traced her full lips, wiping away the blood, and leaned in little by little...