Make a Name Across the Land

On the sixth day, Alpha Wolf Enrick already felt the pressure bearing down on him like a mountain.

From headquarters to the tribal leaders under his command, even down to the rank-and-file soldiers, everyone doubted his ability.

Although Ironwall City had also resisted attack for a long time, it was a major city, more than ten times the size of the small city before them.

Enrick keenly sensed the shift in the army's mood. For a force hastily assembled from different parts, this was a sign that it was about to fall apart.

"We can't wait any longer!"

He knew this was an assessment. He could no longer earn an outstanding grade, but he at least had to pass.

It was nothing more than piling up corpses. If one thousand men were not enough, then two thousand. If two thousand were not enough, then three thousand. Even if he had to throw all ten thousand men into it, he would complete the mission.

Thus, the Barbarians launched their most brutal assault, showing no regard for human lives.

The reason Alpha Wolf was called Alpha Wolf was not merely because of his leadership, but because he was cold-blooded and cruel enough.

Even against his own people, he could still strike without hesitation.

When a small group of Barbarians shouted that they refused to join the meat-grinder of a battlefield, Enrick directly ordered his guards to seize them and drag them to the front lines.

"Behead them all."

Realizing that Enrick meant it, the minor leader who had led the troublemaking immediately panicked and struggled to rise.

"I am the young chief of the Bomir Tribe! Who dares kill me? My father won't let you get away with this.

"Enrick, this is an unlawful order! You have no right to kill me.

"I'll report you to the Great Commander! I'll have you killed!"

Enrick's expression darkened further. This time, he had suffered a terrible loss.

But his guards did not care about anyone's status. The military order had not changed, so they continued carrying it out.

When a man of noble blood was separated from his head right before their eyes, every Barbarian fell in line.

The wall before them was about to break. There was no need to court death.

Seeing the farce outside the city, Derek quietly retreated with Baron Palmer.

The soldiers on the wall were replaced with militia, and the resistance gradually weakened.

But this only made the Barbarians believe it was all their own doing.

"These Locke people can't hold on much longer!"

A Barbarian minor leader charged onto the wall and hacked out an opening in just a few strokes.

More Barbarians followed. Enrick, watching from afar, finally breathed a sigh of relief. The casualties looked severe, but at least they had succeeded.

"Tell everyone to get ready. This time... show no mercy."

Enrick issued a cold command.

After suffering such heavy losses, if he could not use this chance to ease the soldiers' resentment, the trouble after the battle would be even worse.

The order quickly spread across the battlefield, and every soldier shoved forward in a frantic rush.

The city was on the verge of falling. If they were late, there would be nothing left to take.

Soon, the Barbarians occupied the wall, and the city gates were swiftly opened.

"Kill! Loot the bastards!"

The Barbarians scrambled into the gates. Although those in front had already seen the barbican, they had never encountered one before, and they could not stop even if they wanted to. They could only be pushed forward.

To be honest, this crudely built barbican, rushed out in haste, was not as defensible as one might imagine.

But there would be no need for another siege battle.

Within a quarter of an hour, three or four thousand Barbarian soldiers had poured inside, quickly filling the limited open space.

Some Barbarians had already begun climbing the walls of the barbican.

Enrick also relaxed. He could not see what was happening inside the city, but by common experience, once a large number of soldiers had poured into the city, the overall situation was settled.

"The Locke people's reinforcements are already close. Headquarters needs me to pull out this thorn and join them as soon as possible, then seize an opportunity to crush the Locke reinforcements in one battle."

Enrick was already considering how to redeem himself.

As long as he performed great deeds in the coming campaign, today's losses would naturally be erased.

At the same time, Derek coldly waved his hand. "Set it on fire!"

Torches coated in grease rained down from above, and there were far more than one or two.

The tightly packed Barbarian soldiers had not noticed the flammable materials and firewood piled all around them.

Only the Barbarians squeezed beside those large stacks of firewood began to imagine the possible consequences.

"Stop pushing! This is a Locke scheme! This place is full of firewood!"

The terrified few could not stop the Barbarians' frenzied actions at all.

Some even carried stacked firewood over, using it as ladders to climb.

They could already see the Locke people close at hand. They could even clearly see the pity on their faces.

Pity?

Boom!

Flames erupted everywhere. The grease-soaked firewood ignited rapidly, like gasoline.

In mere seconds, the entire barbican was filled with fire and smoke.

The Locke soldiers had already begun retreating. So what if a few people managed to run out now?

The urgent priority was to avoid being caught in the blast themselves.

Inside the barbican, a large stretch of open ground had already been cleared to prevent friendly casualties.

When the smell of grease drifted over, Derek put on his helmet and lowered the visor.

Baron Palmer's face was pale, as though he could hear the distant cries of agony.

"Knight Derek, there's no need to take any more risks, is there?"

With the results they had achieved so far, let alone a baronial title, even a hereditary barony would have been enough.

There was no need to risk another attack.

"This is an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime. Once it's missed, it will never come again."

Derek swung onto his horse and opened the eastern gate.

All the knights were greatly excited. The cruelty of war was frightening, but the honor and rewards of the victors were something to aspire to.

With merit right before their eyes, how could they not be impatient?

The cavalry charged out first, with the infantry following close behind.

The fresh troops that had been carefully preserved these past few days were finally put to use.

War was a game played by people, but it was not a game of numbers.

A thousand defeating ten thousand. The few overcoming the many.

Today, he would forge a legend.

He would personally carve an indelible mark into the history books of the Locke Kingdom.

He would also let the people of this world hear the voice of Von Derek.

I'm here!

When the Locke people charged out, the few Barbarians blocking the eastern gate had yet to react.

Their main force had crowded toward the southern gate. Whether they had managed to squeeze inside was anyone's guess.

Seeing walking merit delivered right before them, the Barbarian soldiers were initially thrilled.

But soon, wave after wave of Locke people poured out, and their minds went blank.

Where had this army come from?

Kill!

The military formation was easily pierced through.

When Derek circled around to the southern gate, Lone Wolf Enrique had already spotted the flames.

The flames soaring into the sky were clearly visible even in broad daylight.

The Barbarians, who had never experienced such a tactic before, had no idea what was happening.

Then, a handful of survivors came running out, wailing for their fathers and mothers.

Some flaming men ran a few steps before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

Enrique reacted quickly. It was over.

Counting those who had died over the previous days, eighty percent of the soldiers in this temporary legion were finished.

The ones left were no longer of any use.

Having lost a third of the troops sent south, this operation could already be declared a failure.

All their earlier gains had been wiped away, and who knew how many people now wanted him dead.

So he was finished too.