167: Three combat teams

After eliminating another wave of Gnolls, the group's discussions resulted in the following team assignments.

The first group was led by High Lord Ryan Black, with Holy Knight Randall Barkman as the second-in-command.

Druid Vivofenson led two Forest Nymphs, one Water Sprite, and the Halfling cleric Miri Cellar Light to form a medical team.

Guardian Knight Shaman Prima, John, and four other Holy Knight attendants and Temple Knights served as squad leaders, leading nearly 100 cavalrymen.

One Druid with a bear and Tree Person Ondom formed a separate combat unit.

The second group was led by Vanguard Commander Damon Iron Oath, with Elite Guard Titan Evonwood as the second-in-command.

Medical Knight Water Sprite Vera led three Forest Nymphs and another Water Sprite to form the second group's medical team.

Barbarian Grom Frost Howl, Sword Saint Grim Shadowblade, Dragon Sorceress Edeline Silver Ember, and Rose Knight Angel Moon Eclipse served as squad leaders, leading nearly 100 cavalrymen.

Another Druid with a bear and Tree Person Duosi formed a separate combat unit.

The third group was led by Green Knight Sally, with Siren Matriarch Celinsella as the second-in-command.

Gardener Knight Resi and other Sirens served as both warriors and medical personnel.

Halfling rogues, Halfling mages, and dozens of other cavalrymen served as auxiliary combat units.

Over the next few days, the first group was responsible for combat in the morning, the second group for combat in the afternoon, and a small team was rotated nightly to assist the third group with night watch.

The Young Duke requested that all Sirens fight in invisibility to prevent their beauty from causing chaos among the human forces.

When Lai'en first arrived at the edge of this lake, he felt the surrounding terrain was very familiar.

Later, he recalled that the lake map where the Dark Elf Drizzt Do'Urden once appeared in the Baldur's Gate game was exactly this place!

However, the real environment was much larger than in the game, and this lake was countless times bigger than in the game.

Would the famous Dark Elf Drizzt appear here to help him deal with the Gnolls?—The young man fantasized about the game scene reappearing more than once.

But to his disappointment, from morning until noon, this legendary ranger never appeared.

What the boy didn't know was that Drizzt Do'Urden had already escaped Menzoberranzan and begun his exile in the Underdark.

It would be three years before he first arrived on the surface.

Therefore, the Young Duke's expectations were destined to be unrealistic.

After lunch, Lai'en led this vanguard force of over 200 people, using the mist to clear a path, and began to advance south.

The spherical mist, now with a diameter of over three hundred meters, could envelop an area large enough to hold tens of thousands or even more people.

Even if they were all cavalry, it could accommodate tens of thousands of cavalry.

With only over 200 mixed combatants, their mobility within the mist was extremely high.

In the afternoon, the first wave of Gnolls encountered during the march included spellcasters again.

They were Gnoll Shamans.

Their group frenzy spell made ordinary Gnolls even more difficult to deal with.

But within the confines of the mist, the frenzied Gnolls also failed to stir up a greater storm.

Now, with the first group fighting for two hours, eliminating these Gnolls was indeed more strenuous.

Today, the Pearl Dragon form of the Dragon King had already been used, and Lai'en did not want to waste it, so he had the Dragon King rotate among the three combat teams, exhausting all the divine and magical spells in this form.

As for Lai'en's magical equipment, most of the group damage, control, and healing spells, which were limited to daily use, were also depleted.

Therefore, during these two hours, the team advanced a considerable distance to the south.

The Forest Nymphs of the third group wove many stretchers from Mana Vines, allowing some of their companions to rest on them, as they needed to prepare for the night watch.

When the second group went to the front line to fight, they encountered a Warlock using 'Corrosion Field'.

This evil spell forced the entire team to halt their southward advance.

Lai'en's first group and some members of the third group also had to step forward to assist.

After eliminating all nearby Gnolls, Fiona and several other Forest Nymphs jointly cast purification spells, but they still could not completely eliminate the negative effects this spell had on the land.

Among the members of the second group, besides dozens of wounded, there were also three cavalrymen and their warhorses who were instantly corrupted and died.

Lai'en's and the Siren's resurrection spells could not revive corrupted corpses.

A mournful atmosphere began to spread through the team.

Randall began to consecrate the souls of the departed.

The people around prayed for the deceased with a sense of bewilderment and sorrow.

Watching the Holy Knight's holy light gradually fade, Lai'en quietly prompted him to say something to boost everyone's morale.

As the raging flames consumed the bodies, Randall turned and struck his war armor with both hands.

The metallic wail startled the ravens circling in the sky.

"Have you ever seen the lighthouse keepers of the polar night?" Randall's deep voice resonated with the hum of his sword.

"They do not mourn extinguished flames, but rather pour whale oil into their fractured ribs—at this moment, every heroic soul we hold is continuing the dawn on the dial of Ragnarok!"

The Holy Knight's palm lifted the tattered insignia of the fallen, letting it float above everyone's heads.

"Skeptics say this is a futile sacrifice? Look at the acorns buried deep beneath the permafrost tundra! When they break through the ice and split into two halves, one half roots downward as a tombstone, and the other half stretches upward as a banner."

Randall suddenly drew his greatsword and raised it high into the air.

"In the name of the law, on behalf of the Grand Duke, I command you to grip the swords in your hands, but even more so, to grip each other's hands! Let your left hand feel the pulse of your comrade on your right, let the soles of your boots remember the warmth of your companion behind you—we are not falling stars rushing to our deaths, but stars interlocked into a chain!"

The Holy Knight plunged his sword into the ground and raised his shield high.

"Now, please engrave the names of the dead on the inside of your shields. When tomorrow's dawn arrives, these names will kiss the sunlight in place of their lips. And we… we will avenge our comrades against the enemies from the abyss!"

Amidst a roar of "Revenge," over 200 people raised their shields, and those without shields raised their fists, their emotions inflamed.

That night, the team found a sheltered hillside to set up camp.

The number of Gnolls appearing in front also gradually decreased.

The Young Duke wrote out military orders and drew maps, then had the Dragon King, who had returned to his true form, travel back to the southernmost high tower on Wan'an Highway to deliver the documents to the Minister of Craftsmen, instructing him to hand them over to Allied Forces Commander Kedas when the main Allied Forces arrived.

Close to midnight, the night watch was switched from the second group to the third group.

Invisible Sirens ventured out of the mist to hunt scattered roaming Gnolls, while the rest of the members kept watch from the inner edge of the mist.

Lai'en began meditating in the marching tent to restore his spell slots.

In the latter half of the night, spell-casting Gnolls still appeared.

Their Shamans summoned many Earth Wolf Spirits.

These ghost-like Earth Wolves were surprisingly able to ignore Lai'en's mist and accurately attack people inside the mist.