Chapter 351: A Gift for Bull Keep
"My lord, we have incorporated three hundred and seventy survivors from Fierce Stallion Territory. Among them, only fifty-four are soldiers. The rest are ordinary civilians."
"The messengers have already departed in every direction and are carrying news to the surrounding cities."
"The iron armor recovered from Fierce Stallion Territory and the fortress armory is enough to equip every one of our people. As for the remaining transcendent equipment, the quantity is almost identical to what we obtained from Ram City."
The greater the risk, the greater the reward.
Sitting in his chair, Phield’s expression relaxed slightly. After quietly listening to the report, he nodded.
"Send the raider cavalry out to patrol. While the enemy’s rhythm is still disrupted, dispatch a second wave of messengers in every direction. Use the survivors we recruited. As long as there are enough of them, the information will spread quickly."
"We won’t be able to hold out for long if we’re the only ones fighting. We must draw the attention of the nobles from other provinces."
"But... will any noble actually come to help us?" Ashina asked worriedly.
"Of course they will. Shadow World Sect can’t possibly bribe every noble. If they could, they wouldn’t be rebels. They’d be a universally supported emperor. Nobles may be greedy and shameless, but they’re also cautious and cowardly. If Rick Province falls, they’ll be the next ones to suffer."
Phield smiled.
"Besides, as long as we keep Shadow World Sect focused on us, I believe other nobles will spread the news for us."
"Then... what if, and I mean what if, nobody comes?" Ashina asked anxiously. "What if they continue advancing and capture Starnight City?"
"Relax. I’m not the type to place all my hopes on the nobles and then fight the enemy to the bitter end. If things go wrong, we’ll retreat immediately. And if they lose their minds and insist on hunting us down, we’ll take our core forces and wage guerrilla warfare. We’ll keep killing until none of them are left."
"Though I don’t think it’ll come to that."
Phield offered a reassuring smile.
The truth was that he wanted nothing more than to develop his territory peacefully. Who would willingly poke a hornet’s nest?
But Richard had launched his attack, and his own location had already been exposed. He had no choice but to fight.
"I will fight for you until my final breath, my lord."
Ashina raised a hand and swore solemnly.
"Don’t say things like that. If we can’t win, we run. There’s no need to throw our lives away."
Phield rubbed her wolf ears.
"The fortress is stable for now. We can start making plans for Bull Keep. Have the soldiers cut off the heads of the fortress officers and the cult believers. We’ll bring Bull Keep a gift."
"Yes, my lord!"
Just as Ashina left the room, Ophelia hurried in. Her hands were still stained with blood, making it obvious she had just come from battle.
"My lord, Shadow World Sect reacted even faster than we expected!"
She took out the Sphere of the Abyss and projected scenes from across Bull Territory as she spoke.
"After we seized the fortress, the corpses attacked the Shadow World Sect occupation zones exactly as we predicted. But after only three or four hours, the tide gradually stabilized."
"It seems the trust between them runs deeper than I expected. Even Broken Wings being blown apart by the fortress magic towers wasn’t enough to break their alliance."
Ophelia scratched her head awkwardly.
"My lord, corrupted beings simply don’t care about the deaths of their companions. Most of us would rather eat each other. Honestly, you’re the only one I care about even a little, Cockroach Lord. I couldn’t care less how many cannon fodder die."
"Cute little chubby dragon."
"Hey! Stop pinching me. I’ll bite you."
Phield pinched her cheek before shaking his head with a smile.
"We’re getting off track. Continue the report."
"The rebels and corrupted creatures from all over Shadow World Sect aren’t moving into Bull Territory. Instead, they’re gathering at key routes and strategic positions. They’re already cutting timber and constructing siege equipment on site. Their commander is competent. He won’t give us the opportunity to defeat them one group at a time."
If they had entered Bull Territory, Phield could have relied on the fortress and fought them on favorable terms. Their decision to remain stationary actually made things more troublesome.
"I also noticed that one Divine Chosen has already arrived. It’s the same person who ambushed us before."
Although he had expected it, Phield’s heartbeat quickened once again.
"They’re gathering their forces instead of rushing into battle? Interesting. It seems our opponent possesses both authority and military talent."
Anyone capable of uniting rebels and corrupted creatures from multiple regions was nothing like Richard.
"I believe we’ll be facing three or four powerful Divine Chosen, along with tens of thousands of soldiers," Ophelia said gravely.
Phield forced himself to remain calm.
"I understand. How is the corpse army gathering progressing?"
"Ordinary corpses assemble relatively quickly. The higher-ranked ones take much longer."
"Then I’ll leave the fortress in your hands for now. Gather the ordinary corpses and march toward Bull Keep. We’ll use endless waves of undead to reduce the enemy’s numerical advantage."
He paused briefly.
"And coordinate with Ashina. Do your best to keep our human soldiers from seeing the corrupted army."
After making the necessary arrangements, Phield left through the eastern gate of the fortress with Rosalia and a thousand ordinary corpses riding behind him.
Bull Territory was deathly silent.
Corpses littered the roads for miles.
There were no enemy scouting parties, no roaming cavalry patrols, nothing.
"The enemy is preparing for an all-out offensive. They didn’t even send reinforcements to Bull Keep."
Looking toward the horizon, Phield found himself becoming calmer the closer he came to a decisive battle. Deep within his bones and soul, his warrior instincts were awakening. He could feel a faint excitement building inside him.
"Come at me."
A smile appeared on his face.
"Let’s see whether the rebels who can trade blows with the Imperial Army are capable of breaking through my defenses."
No resistance appeared along the way.
Phield quickly arrived outside Bull Keep.
Cut off from support, Bull Keep’s morale had collapsed. Soldiers deserted whenever they found an opportunity. The civilians had no such choice. As property of their lord, they remained trapped within the cold stone fortress.
"Why hasn’t anyone come to rescue us?"
"Look! Why are the corpses here? What’s going on? Why are they standing beside Baron Phield?"
"That’s horrifying. They’re carrying heads. Damn it."
The soldiers on the walls looked like frightened birds startled by the slightest movement.
"We meet again, Steward of Richard."
Mounted on a tall warhorse and clad in battle aura armor, Phield rode up to the outskirts of Bull Keep.
"I advised you to surrender before. It seems you completely ignored me."
The steward’s face turned pale.
"Mr. Phield, why have you returned? And..."
"I didn’t attack Bull Keep before because I was busy capturing the border fortress."
He waved a hand.
"Corpses, show them the gifts you’ve brought."
The undead immediately hurled the severed heads they carried toward the base of the walls.
"Don’t worry, Steward. These all belong to Shadow World Sect. I have no intention of harming innocent citizens of the Empire."
A surge of mana erupted around him.
With a thunderous shout, Phield lifted the severed head of Officer Andrew on the tip of his spear and hurled it deep into the fortress.
"AHHH!"
The soldiers on the walls erupted into terrified screams.
"My God! It’s Andrew!"
"The border fortress fell before Bull Keep!"
