Chapter 83 second part Fifteen Profund Nascent Cultivators

Chapter 83: 83 second part Fifteen Profund Nascent Cultivators

83

Fifteen Profund Nascent Cultivators

Varkhan silently observed everything when he noticed a unit advancing irregularly. He stopped.

"You."

An officer immediately turned around.

"Yes, sir."

"The third row is falling behind."

The officer looked back.

"I will correct it immediately."

Varkhan nodded.

"Do not let the speed of the first columns create gaps."

"Understood."

The officer ran off while Varkhan continued walking. Not far from there, a new column of Lizardmen advanced, their shields aligned.

The spears remained raised. There were hundreds of them, but beyond that column, thousands more figures could be seen among the trees.

Farther away were the carts, and behind them, the beasts. The army seemed endless.

Varkhan raised his eyes and, for a moment, noticed something that few ordinary soldiers could understand.

That army was far too large to be commanded by force alone. It would require command and organization.

And above all, it required someone capable of keeping all those parts functioning at the same time.

A sudden roar interrupted his thoughts. The sound came from one of the transport columns.

Several soldiers shouted when a large wild beast emerged from among the trees. Its body was enormous.

The creature’s fangs were exposed, its claws tearing into the ground as it charged toward the soldiers.

A cart overturned.

"Protect the cargo!"

"Do not stop the march!"

The men tried to form a barrier, but the creature was far too large.

A soldier raised his shield, but the beast advanced anyway. Only then did a shadow pass before him.

Gorvak.

The enormous Beastman gripped his hammer with both hands and advanced without saying anything. The beast turned its head.

Gorvak raised the hammer.

BOOM!

The blow struck the creature’s head, causing its enormous body to immediately collapse onto the ground.

Silence.

The soldiers remained motionless. Gorvak rested the hammer on his shoulder.

"Continue."

The officer responsible for the column hesitated.

"But the beast..."

"I said continue. Are you deaf or something?"

The officer immediately shouted:

"Continue the march!"

The soldiers began moving again, and the overturned cart was removed from the path.

The dead beast was left behind.

For hundreds of ordinary soldiers, that creature could have caused hundreds of deaths. But for Gorvak, it had been nothing more than an obstacle.

The march continued.

Part 2

In another area, Rhaena observed the map while receiving information from the scouts.

"There is a gorge ahead."

The messenger pointed toward a marked area.

"It is narrow. The carts will have difficulty passing through."

Rhaena analyzed the map.

"How long will it take to cross it?"

"If we maintain the current formation, perhaps an hour."

She remained silent before moving a small piece across the map.

"We will not cross it this way."

The commander beside her frowned.

"Should we go around?"

"No."

Rhaena pointed toward two different areas.

"Temporarily divide the regiments."

The commander hesitated.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Won’t that leave part of the formation vulnerable?"

Rhaena looked at him.

"It will."

The man seemed surprised.

"Then why do it?"

"Because a formation of this size also has weaknesses."

She turned her eyes back to the map.

"If I were a Medusa and intended to attack this army, I would target the side of the gorge."

The commander asked:

"Do you believe they will try to attack our rear?"

Rhaena raised her eyes.

"If they are intelligent enough, yes."

"Then why not protect the rear?"

Rhaena looked at the enormous army spread throughout the mountains.

"Because I want them to try. This way, we can set up a counter-trap and reduce their forces even further before the war."

The commander remained silent as Rhaena pointed toward the columns.

"Even if a group manages to get through to the rear, they will still encounter thousands of soldiers."

She moved another piece.

"And when they try to retreat, they will encounter another formation."

The man finally understood.

Rhaena was not ignoring the possibility of an attack. She was allowing the enemy to believe there was an opening.

"Understood."

"Do it."

The commander immediately left. Rhaena returned to observing the horizon. She knew that the Medusas were preparing.

And she also knew that a battle against a force of that size would not be decided solely by the difference in numbers of soldiers.

That was why every movement mattered.

Later, the fifteen cultivators finally gathered.

Not inside a tent.

They were standing atop a rocky elevation from which they could observe part of the march.

Varkhan stood at the front.

Gorvak remained beside him.

Rhaena held the map.

Kareth observed the columns below.

Seryn remained a few steps behind.

Draven rested his spear against the ground.

Maeron had his arms crossed.

The other cultivators were scattered across the elevation.

Zarek looked at the army with an arrogant smile on his face.

"In five days."

Varkhan nodded. Zarek let out a laugh.

"The Medusas probably still believe they have enough time to prepare for our arrival in eight days."

Kareth turned her head.

"Do not underestimate a race that has survived until now while maintaining a mausoleum, even if it has not been inherited."

Zarek looked at her.

"Seven thousand against more than thirty thousand. There is nothing they can do except surrender the territory and the mausoleum to us in order to save their lives."

Kareth did not answer immediately. Zarek’s smile faded, and for several seconds, no one said anything of significance.

Rhaena slowly closed the map.

"That is why we must not give them time to prepare. They must possess one or two formations, and with the terrain in their favor, many of our soldiers could end up dead."

Varkhan looked at the distant mountains.

"The more time we give them, the harder it will be to take the mausoleum and the territory quickly..."

Rhaena completed his thought:

"The stronger they may become."

The wind passed over the elevation, and the banners of the Beastmen and Lizardmen fluttered. Below them, thousands of soldiers continued advancing.

And among those troops, the beasts also followed. Some were used as mounts.

Enormous quadrupedal creatures resembling large reptiles moved forward. Some possessed fangs and claws.

Within a few seconds, dozens of roars spread through the column. The soldiers did not retreat.

A Beastman passed beside one of the creatures and struck its neck.

"Calm down."

The beast bared its teeth, but the soldier merely smiled.

"You’ll have enough blood in five days."

He continued walking.

The creature remained restrained as the army continued advancing.

Later, the fifteen cultivators reached the top of another elevation.

Before them was a landscape that seemed to have no end. The valley below was covered with soldiers, a column disappearing into the forest.

The carts advanced slowly, while the beasts occupied entire sections of the formation.