novelraw Chapter 224 : Broken Flags
Chapter 224 : Broken Flags
Chapter 224: Broken Flags
"Reinforcements?!"
The two combat commanders were first stunned, then immediately broke into smiles.
However, the burly spear unit commander quickly showed a flash of anger. "You're a day late!"
The sword unit commander quickly tugged on his companion.
"It’s fine. I understand." Hales appeared calm. "'Berserk Bear,' a standard awakened bloodline type in the Kingdom Army. And it's a rare 'Berserk' ability. It’s normal for him to lack rational thought right now."
The sword unit commander chuckled awkwardly and didn’t reply.
He knew that this Fourth-Tier Bloodline User was already being extremely tactful.
Once the 'Berserk' ability was activated, the user didn’t become a complete idiot, but wasn’t far off. More importantly, this ability was a one-way ticket — once triggered, there was no canceling or reversing it until it ended.
"You’d better keep an eye on him," Hales advised meaningfully.
Everyone present, including the sword unit commander, appeared visibly tense. The entire atmosphere was fraught with anxiety.
Because even though the man claimed to be a reinforcement, the troops behind him were from the Aust Empire. Though many were also Tyrella citizens, they were all clad in Aust Empire military gear. Hales’s words alone were clearly not enough to earn the trust of these Tyrella soldiers. The only reason the spear unit commander believed him without hesitation — even going as far as blaming him for being late — was because he wasn’t in his right mind.
Hales could sense their wariness and vigilance, but he turned his head nonchalantly and ordered the Vengeful Undead behind him: "Use the Twelve-Unit Formation. Ensure there are at least two companion squads nearby. Prioritize rescuing survivors."
Hearing this, the sword unit commander’s expression suddenly changed.
He immediately grabbed the burly spear unit commander beside him.
At that moment, he finally understood why Hales had told him to keep an eye on the other man.
Because the Twelve-Unit Formation was a standard Aust Empire search-and-destroy combat sequence — a twelve-man squad with a mix of unit types. Typically four to six sword-and-shield troops, three to four spearmen, and the remaining spots filled with auxiliaries: new recruits trained with various weapons. These auxiliaries used bows when not filling combat roles, but were ready to step into frontline positions when needed.
The Tyrella Kingdom had adopted a similar system, but they didn’t call it the Twelve-Unit Formation.
Moreover, the Twelve-Unit Formation was a signature Aust Empire street-fighting tactic — exclusive to their infamous Death Camp.
The young sword unit commander scanned the rapidly forming squads entering the camp and finally realized the truth: they were the Death Camp of the Aust Empire.
He had fought in the previous war in the Bayor Territory and knew well the ferocious style of these Aust troops — as fearless as their name implied, whether in street combat or storming fortresses. Their death-defying ferocity could strike terror into anyone.
"Will you join the rescue operation, or retreat and regroup first?" After giving his orders, Hales turned and asked the two commanders, "I personally recommend you retreat and rest. In your current state, you’re clearly unfit for further combat."
"Do we have a choice?" The sword unit commander gave a bitter smile as if recalling something, pressing down the bull-like middle-aged spear commander. "We’ll follow your lead."
Hales, realizing this man misunderstood, didn’t bother explaining further.
He knew what truly mattered now, and ordered the remaining survivors — over a hundred of them — to be escorted away.
Once the group departed, Hales turned his gaze back to the burning camp.
The entire camp was now engulfed in flames.
Yet the Aust Empire’s assault and destruction continued unabated.
Hales had "been" in the Aust military for a time, so he knew exactly what their objective was — to annihilate all living forces of the Tyrella Southern Army stationed in the northwest of Rorylan Territory's Third Defensive Zone.
If this zone fell, the Aust Empire would gain a route to strike the Southern Army’s rear and could even threaten their base at Obma City. In fact, if the Second Defensive Zone were taken, the strategic outcome would be the same — which was why both zones were primary targets for Aust forces.
Knowing the value of this zone, Yam naturally couldn’t sit idly by.
He understood that if the Third Defensive Zone fell, the task of reclaiming it might fall on him. That’s why he decided to immediately reinforce it: he and Hales split forces and attacked from the southeast and northeast flanks of the camp to rescue as many survivors as possible. Given the terrain and lack of advantage, Yam didn’t plan to fight Aust troops to the bitter end inside the camp.
Of course, if they could safely eliminate enemy forces, there was no reason not to.
Thus, Hales led the Vengeful Undead to attack from the camp’s southeast corner.
Coincidentally, that was the location of the sword and spear units’ camps.
However, the rescue didn’t go as smoothly as expected.
A Vengeful Undead squad quickly encountered several wounded soldiers.
They clearly had just barely survived a desperate fight.
Upon seeing the Aust uniforms, despair spread across their faces.
The next moment, a dozen soldiers charged the squad.
"Stop!" a Tyrella man shouted. "We’re reinforcements! Here to rescue you!"
A few of the wounded hesitated, slowing their charge, but the rest seemed too far gone.
They continued their rush, ignoring everything.
An Aust soldier spoke a long sentence.
But judging from his grip on his sword and shield, he was clearly nervous too.
As the distance rapidly closed, the Tyrella man repeatedly tried to calm them — until finally, he gave a signal.
Three arrows flew out, aimed at the three in front.
One was shot in the neck and fell instantly.
The other two, despite being hit, only staggered slightly before resuming their charge.
A second volley followed immediately.
The front two finally fell.
But the brutality only enraged the hesitant few, who now charged with reckless fury, as if ashamed of their earlier doubt.
They were so fast that the archers didn’t have time for a third shot — the sides collided.
But one group was badly wounded, while the other was fully armed.
Six sword-and-shield soldiers easily blocked the assault. They didn’t retaliate harshly but tried to subdue the attackers — hoping they’d surrender.
Yet the wounded soldiers refused to yield.
After a brief scuffle, the Tyrella man with the Vengeful Undead had no choice.
He couldn’t risk his squad being harmed by these broken, frenzied soldiers.
Several spears thrust out.
A series of *"thud"* sounds marked the end of this failed rescue — despite Hales’s foresight in assigning at least one Tyrella member per squad to try for peaceful communication. But it was in vain. Most survivors lost control at the sight of Aust troops.
To protect their own, they had to kill the very men they came to rescue.
Of course, not all survivors were like this.
Some — perhaps timid or traumatized — surrendered immediately upon seeing the Vengeful Undead.
Without a word, these squads swiftly escorted the compliant survivors to the rear.
Some squads were lucky and encountered no enemies.
Others weren’t so fortunate.
Many squads ran into Aust troops rampaging through the camp — though the camp was built to house 15,000, the sword and spear units didn’t occupy much space. Now, with three factions crowded in, encounters were inevitable.
And when they met Aust soldiers, the Vengeful Undead struck without hesitation.
Instantly, curses and screams filled the air.
Many Aust soldiers didn’t even realize why their comrades were attacking them.
A few clever ones noticed that these "Aust" soldiers used the Twelve-Unit Formation in a circular defensive pattern, shielding veteran survivors. Seeing also that marked Aust troops were present, they grew suspicious.
But the Vengeful Undead, having seized the initiative, didn’t stop.
They aimed to eliminate every Aust soldier they encountered — not just to prevent leaks but to weaken enemy forces. After all, once the rescue ended, they would be the next targets. Every Aust soldier killed now would ease their future battles.
As the first batch of survivors safely exited the camp, the sword unit commander finally relaxed.
He even volunteered to help with the rescue.
Hales welcomed the shift in attitude. The fire was spreading, and the more Aust troops discovered the Vengeful Undead, the more often battles erupted. Convincing Tyrella survivors to trust them under such chaos was no easy task.
*Boom—*
A thunderous explosion suddenly rang out.
Thick black smoke rose from the camp’s northeast, followed by a dozen flaming arrows shooting into the sky.
Hales furrowed his brow and sighed.
Their pre-arranged signal had been triggered: if retreat became necessary, both sides would signal each other. Yam’s signal was Akar firing a volley of flaming arrows into the sky — a unique skill that couldn’t be imitated.
On Hales’s command, the Vengeful Undead began retreating toward the breached wall.
They obeyed without hesitation — pure discipline.
As the strongest among them, Hales stayed behind to cover the retreat.
But just as he prepared to leave, another loud explosion shook the camp.
This time, it wasn’t from Yam’s northeast front, but the center of the camp.
According to the sword unit commander, the northeast held the archer and craftsman units. East of that were the supply depot and field hospital, with the logistics team nearby. The northwest corner housed the cavalry and horses, with a separate gate for mounted units.
The center-west was the Third Defensive Zone’s command center.
Three flags flew there:
One for the Tyrella Kingdom,
One for the Southern Army,
And one for the commander's noble house.
Additional smaller flags represented supporting noble families — like the Kasein Family. Though this branch clashed with Monica’s faction, they still flew the Kasein crest for influence.
Now, the explosion had erupted at the command center.
And all three flags — Tyrella Kingdom, Southern Army, and the commander’s house — had fallen.
Hales’s expression darkened instantly.
Not only his — the sword unit commander also froze, his face turning grim.
The Third Defensive Zone’s banners had fallen.
For any army, that was a disgrace of the highest order.
It meant the entire Third Defensive Zone’s designation and Combat Sequence were now nullified.