novelraw Chapter 190 : Hidden Dangers and Backup Plans
Chapter 190 : Hidden Dangers and Backup Plans
Chapter 190: Hidden Dangers and Backup Plans
Tyrot Kasein wiped the blood off his face and pulled his longsword out from an enemy’s body.
His pale complexion revealed just how weak he was at this moment.
The shouting and killing around him had gradually begun to fade, which usually meant that the battle was over.
After a while, five sharp whistles echoed in the sky.
That was the sound of the Signal Arrows.
Because of the vastness of the battlefield, in order to report the situation more effectively and in a timely manner, the Southern Army used the number of Signal Arrows to indicate battlefield conditions.
One whistle meant an enemy attack, and everyone had to immediately prepare for combat.
Two and three whistles both meant requests for reinforcements, representing urgent and dangerous situations, each requiring different responses: urgent meant to reinforce as quickly as possible; dangerous meant to rush without hesitation to support.
Four whistles meant the defensive line had been breached, and each unit was to execute their contingency combat plans.
Five whistles meant the battle was over, everyone was to regroup, and pursuit was to be abandoned.
Now, the sound of five Signal Arrows meant the battle had ended. Everyone began sweeping the battlefield, and the pursuit units were also required to return immediately.
The tension in Tyrot’s heart finally eased slightly, and he barely managed to stand by leaning on his sword.
「Elder Brother.」 Before long, Wade Kasein arrived with a group of men.
「Why did you come here?」 Tyrot saw Wade’s figure and couldn’t help but smile. 「You didn’t encounter danger over there, did you?」
「No.」 Wade shook his head. 「I didn’t run into much trouble on my side.」
When his eyes fell upon the corpses lying beside Tyrot, his expression shifted slightly. 「Fourth-Tier?」
「Mm.」 Tyrot nodded. 「There were two of them. Fortunately, our family’s bloodline is more suited to close-quarters combat. If it had been another bloodline, the one lying here wouldn’t be them—it would have been me.」
The Kasein Family’s Fourth-Tier bloodline advancement was the 【Stone Ape】.
This bloodline granted the user the ability to draw on the power of the Earth Element and condense a heavy armor made entirely of stone upon their body.
When combined with the unique 【Armored Armament】 effect of the Third-Tier bloodline 【Armored Demon Rabbit】, the Kasein Family’s Fourth-Tier Bloodline Users could instantly transform into heavily armored infantrymen with unmatched defensive ability, effectively immune to piercing, slashing, flames, air currents, and similar attacks.
The only things they could not resist were flooding and concussive damage caused by blunt strikes.
「What’s the situation in Bayor Territory now?」
Tyrot sheathed his sword and asked his younger brother.
Although the two brothers were the respective spiritual leaders of the Kasein Family’s Traditionalist and Bloodline factions, no matter how they fought over factional interests, neither wished to see the Marquisate of Red Eagle—hard-won by their father—be destroyed in their hands. Thus, when Bayor Territory was invaded, the brothers could naturally distinguish between priorities. They would not drag each other down at a time like this.
Earlier, when Count Garris’s territory in the southwestern border of the Tyrella Kingdom was breached by the Aust Empire, several Imperial forces pushed southeast, invading the Bayor Viscounty belonging to Wade Kasein, third son of the late Marquis Visen.
At first, Wade could handle the advance troops, but once an Aust Imperial frontline commander intervened, he was quickly forced to retreat, surrendering most of Bayor Territory. Fortunately, one of the two deputy commanders of the Southern Army arrived with his troops, halting the Imperial advance. Later, with Tyrot leading the main forces, they finally retook Bayor Territory and pushed the front back to Count Garris’s lands.
Because of the urgency of the war, the Southern Army could not remain in Bayor Territory until every Imperial remnant was cleared out.
They had to quickly build a defensive line in Garris Territory—especially since the Aust Empire’s 【Duke of Blood】 William was said to be pinned down in Heye Territory, and this time, all three Grand Dukes of the Empire had joined the war.
【Duke of Blood】 William Hastings was responsible for the southern strategy against Tyrella. The terrain here was complex, with mountains and plains interwoven, along with inland canals. This demanded a commander of extraordinary ability in strategy, deployment, and troop coordination.
Within the entire Aust Empire, only the 【Duke of Blood】 was qualified.
Thus, Emperor Augustus personally handed him command of the Empire’s strongest cavalry corps, gathering under his command the Empire’s three most powerful armies: the Iron Cavalry Corps, the Norman Knights, and the Blood Legion.
Fortunately, the Iron Cavalry Corps had just fought a large battle in the Garris Plains and were resting, so they had not joined the invasion of Bayor. The Norman Knights and Blood Legion were also locked in a brutal fight in Count Heye’s territory against the Gaulta Family’s armies. They had no intention of dividing their forces to march south. Therefore, after their setback in Bayor, the Imperial commander quickly withdrew to Garris Territory rather than fight to the death.
This was why, after careful thought, the Southern Army’s deputy commander ordered an immediate entry into Garris to construct defenses. Meanwhile, the Imperial remnants scattered in Bayor were left for Tyrot and Wade Kasein to eliminate. But the Southern commander gave them little time—only half a month—before they too had to move into Garris to reinforce the defenses.
The two brothers understood the urgency. They built a defensive line around the Bayor Fortress, restricting the Imperial stragglers to the area between Garris Territory and Bayor, preventing them from advancing east into Red River Territory or elsewhere. Their main targets were the Third-Tier and Fourth-Tier Bloodline Users—once those stronger individuals were eliminated, the rest of the Imperial soldiers would pose little threat.
「According to reconnaissance, Bayor should have no Fourth-Tier Bloodline Users left. There may be one or two Third-Tier left, but they won’t be much of a problem.」
「The frontline keeps urging us. We don’t have time to search slowly here. At the latest, we must set out the day after tomorrow.」 Tyrot sighed before continuing. 「The first reinforcements should arrive tomorrow at the latest. – I plan to leave half our men in Bayor to root out the remaining Imperial rats before sending them to Garris to join us.」
「Who’s leading the first reinforcements?」 Wade thought for a moment before asking.
「The Soderbell Family from White Mountain Territory,」 Tyrot answered. 「Yam Soderbell will be leading. Monica has already arranged a batch of supplies to be transported with them.」
「The Bour—」
「Cough.」 Tyrot interrupted with a heavy cough.
Wade suddenly realized. 「Is it the two brothers?」
「Only Yam.」 Tyrot shook his head. 「Akar has already sworn fealty to Baron Gem. Don’t you remember? Gem Territory’s reinforcements will be the second wave, arriving in half a month. The troops from Forest Territory and Red Soil Territory will form the third wave. They’ll depart the latest, but they’ll be carrying the bulk of the supplies.」