The Keren king's orders had the soldiers from Morton and the two neighboring territories gathering at once. By the time the nine-thousand-man army had assembled, ten days had passed.
On the road from Morton's main city to the Smoke Mining Area, Robert marched in heavy armor, his brow furrowed. He turned to the middle-aged man beside him, who wore silver chain mail. "General Dieter, can we pick up the pace? It's been ten days. Those Demon Beasts took my daughter ten days ago, and I'm terribly worried about her safety... She's my only child..."
Dieter, the commander leading the force from Caernarfon, had reached the peak of the fourth rank. He had even achieved the remarkable feat of killing a first-level, fifth-rank Golden Warrior, earning him the reputation of being the Silver Warrior closest to becoming a Golden Warrior in the Keren Kingdom. Now, he curled his lip disdainfully. "Lord Robert, according to your account, those Demon Beasts are cruel, bloodthirsty, and savage by nature. To put it bluntly, after ten days, your daughter has probably already gone to her eternal rest... No, don't get angry. If we capture the leader of this emerging Demon Beast threat, we'll have accomplished a great feat. His Majesty the king will certainly reward us handsomely. As the city lord, you can simply work hard at home when you return. Surely you needn't worry about having no more children? Hahaha..."
Robert's face darkened. He was a city lord and an earl, so even though Dieter was a peak fourth-rank Silver Warrior, he should still have treated Robert with respect. But Hiller's rebellion had turned Robert into a laughingstock throughout the Keren Kingdom, and his prestige had plummeted. Now even Dieter dared to speak to him like this...
Robert clenched his fists, but didn't dare show his anger. His Majesty had ordered the three territories to muster nine thousand soldiers, which meant each territory was supposed to provide three thousand. But Hiller had judged the situation and led four thousand troops in outright rebellion, leaving Morton's forces severely weakened. For a time, Robert could raise only two thousand soldiers. It was only when Dieter arrived with four thousand troops that Morton's predicament was resolved. So no matter how high his rank, no matter that he was a city lord, he had to endure it!
The army had traveled only twenty miles in half a day, despite having sixty miles to cover. Still, on Dieter's orders, five hundred scouts had thoroughly searched the area around the mining district. As for the inside, the scouts had been completely helpless. No matter how they tried to sneak in, sharp spikes had pierced straight through their chests or heads!
When the report reached the army, Robert's expression grew grave. "I've met Ye Luo. He may look young, but he's very cautious. I don't believe he would leave the area outside the mining district completely undefended!"
Dieter had a completely different opinion. He rested both hands on the hilt of a greatsword. "Demon Beasts are still just Demon Beasts, Lord Robert. Do you really expect them to build defenses like we do, erecting massive castles to repel their enemies? In my view, their leader's approach makes perfect sense. The Memory Crystal showed that they have only a little over a thousand Demon Beasts. If I were them, I certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to deploy my army on the plains and fight an enemy nine times my size. I'd hide them in the winding tunnels instead!"
Robert was left speechless.
Dieter smiled smugly. "So starting tomorrow, our army can advance at full speed and reach a point five miles from the mining district. On the third day, we'll launch an all-out assault!"
"If those Demon Beasts are all hiding underground, how are we supposed to defeat them? They move like ghosts. Sending soldiers into the mines would cost us dearly," Robert asked uncertainly.
A confident gleam appeared on Dieter's face. Beneath it, even his dark skin seemed to grow a little lighter. "Go into the mines? Lord Robert, I'm beginning to wonder how you ever became a city lord. The tunnels are winding, and the passages inside are narrow. If we fight in the mines, our army will suffer heavy losses. Hmph, since these rats love burrowing so much, we'll just flatten the entire mine! Lord Robert, what do you think of that plan?"
Robert narrowed his eyes. "As expected of General Dieter. I'm impressed!"
"Hahaha..."
Full of ambition and already imagining the capture of the Demon Beast leader—and the lavish rewards the king would bestow when he presented the captive to the kingdom—Dieter's good mood lasted until noon the next day!
When the army was still ten miles from the mining district, ten three-meter spikes burst from the ground and sent thirteen soldiers soaring into the air, impaled!
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" The fast-marching ranks stopped at once. The soldiers drew their weapons in unison and raised their shields, but the spikes stabbing upward from beneath them made their defenses useless!
"Whoosh!" "Squelch!" "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." Then the ground beneath their feet seemed to come alive. One enormous spike after another kept thrusting up from below! Their armor, which looked sturdy enough to make anyone feel completely safe, was as fragile as paper before the towering spikes. Whenever one burst from the ground, it pierced one or even two soldiers!
"Mages! Where are the mages? Damn it, where's Tom? Didn't he tell me there were no defenses at the edge of the mining district? Damn it, mages, cast defensive magic over the army at once!" Dieter's mood plunged from heaven to hell. Each wave of spikes wasn't very large, with only about ten appearing at a time, but the relentless attacks had killed or wounded a hundred soldiers in just one minute. They still hadn't even seen their enemy. The impact on the army's morale was devastating...
More than twenty mages rushed to the front, especially the six earth mages. They closed their eyes and tried to sense the magical fluctuations in the ground. But... after a minute...
Lushute, a third-level mage, opened his eyes, a bead of cold sweat forming on his forehead. He turned to his companion. "What about you? Did you sense anything?"
His companion opened his eyes and gave a bitter smile. "No, not a trace of earth magic. This isn't magic. It can't be magic! We need to report this to the general..."
"Squelch!" Before the mage could turn around, a spike shot up from beneath his feet without warning and pierced straight through his chest. In Lushute's eyes, his companion had been alive just a moment ago. Now he was staring wide-eyed, coughing blood as the huge spike through his chest hoisted him into the air!
The spike suddenly withdrew into the ground, but his companion was already dead.
Shuddering all over, Lushute hurried toward Dieter, shouting as he ran, "General! General! We can't sense any earth magic at all! These spikes definitely aren't earth magic!"
Dieter's eyes went wide. The soldiers' screams still rang out all around them!
"If this isn't magic, then what is it? What could it be?!" Dieter roared furiously.
Lushute thought fast, a flash of inspiration striking him. "Could it be an attack by Demon Beasts hiding underground?"
His words instantly brought Dieter to his senses. "Very likely! Damn it, we really did underestimate these Demon Beasts. Give my orders: have the mages reinforce the ground with magic, and have the army advance at full speed! I refuse to believe these Demon Beasts could set traps across the entire ten-kilometer area around the mining district!"
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