15: Fel Orc Squad Encounter

"My Lord, the Fel Orcs, the Fel Orcs are making a move!"

"Fel Orcs?"

Hearing Alger’s words, Ren was startled, and he quickly stepped forward to ask.

"What about the Fel Orcs?"

Alger took a breath and quickly turned around, pulling Dean, who was standing behind him, over.

"Vice Commander Ross sent Dean back to deliver a message, saying the Fel Orcs are stirring."

"Dean, explain the situation to the Lord in detail!"

"Yes!"

Dean immediately repeated everything Ross had said.

"The foreign races in the Black Forest have fled the forest, and low-level creatures like Goblins and Gnomes have begun appearing in the eastern area of the territory."

"The Vice Commander suspects that the Fel Orcs in the Black Forest are making a move, which is why these Goblins are leaving the Black Forest and returning to the wilderness."

"The Vice Commander has already led the Cavalry Squad to scout the edge of the Black Forest and sent me back first to report."

After hearing the news brought by Dean, Ren fell silent, his mind racing to process the information Dean had provided.

"The Border Defense Army just left not long ago. Normally, the Goblins wouldn't have the guts to return so quickly. Ross's judgment is probably correct; the Fel Orcs in the Black Forest might be making a move."

"I just don't know the situation of these remaining Fel Orcs soldiers? How strong are they?"

The territory's post-war recovery had just begun, and the Fel Orcs who had fled into the Black Forest were already stirring, which gave Ren a headache.

The Fel Orcs, terrifying creatures corrupted by the Evil God, even the lowest-ranking Evil Beastman War Slaves possessed the combat strength of elite human warriors.

These fallen creatures corrupted by the Evil God, even as a mere remnant force, were enough to warrant Ren's attention.

"Alger, take ten Professionals with you and come with me now. Leave Ren behind to guard the territory."

Supporting Ross was a certainty; even if Ross was mistaken this time, Ren needed to go personally to check the exact situation.

Ren would not move the territory's two hundred-man infantry companies; the territory needed guarding, and the infantry's speed couldn't keep up with him.

He would go himself, bringing Alger and ten Professionals would be enough.

If the Fel Orcs proved too strong, Ren would bring his men back and find another solution.

"Yes, My Lord!"

Alger accepted the order and went to select ten Professionals.

Among the more than two hundred warriors Ren had recruited, there were over thirty Professionals. They were all elites who had earned considerable military merits in the Border Defense Army, exchanging those merits for practicing the War Bear Breathing Technique to advance to become Professionals.

The War Bear Breathing Technique was rumored to be a simplified version of the Angry Bear Breath Technique. Although it was only a Black Iron Rank introductory Breathing Technique, it was still a legacy unattainable by ordinary people.

It was only in the regular army of the Rage Bear Territory that such a low-level Breathing Technique could be relatively easily acquired.

Earning military merits in the army and exchanging them for low-level Breathing Techniques not only allowed nobles to significantly reduce reward expenditures for meritorious soldiers but also cultivated a large number of low-level Professionals to enhance the army's strength.

This mutually beneficial arrangement was a mature system explored by the Kingdom of Asriel over many years.

A regular army needed about ten percent of its personnel to be Professionals, while elite troops needed twenty percent.

If the number of Professionals in an army exceeded thirty percent, it could be considered an army of exceptionally strong combat power, usable as a trump card unit.

The Rage Bear Territory’s Border Defense Army was an elite unit with twenty percent Professionals. This included a large number of Black Iron Rank Professionals practicing the War Bear Breathing Technique. These soldiers formed the foundation of the Border Defense Army; almost all lower-ranking officers in the Border Defense Army were warriors cultivating the War Bear Breathing Technique.

The ten Professionals were officers equivalent to squad leaders in the two hundred-man infantry companies. To deal with this Evil Beastman threat, Ren had no choice but to reassign them.

"If only there were a few more Professionals, I wouldn't have to pull these grassroots officers away for support."

Ren watched the ten men assemble urgently, thinking that he needed to cultivate a batch of Professionals for the Red River Territory as soon as possible.

"Let's go!"

Mounting his horse, Ren led Alger to support Ross late into the night.

Dean took the lead, guiding the way, and the dozen or so people quickly disappeared into the night of the wilderness... Ross chopped off the head of the Evil Beastman in front of him with a sword, then turned to look at the Cavalry Squad following his charge.

After sensing the Fel Orcs's attack just now, he reacted quickly. Before the Fel Orcs could get close, Ross led the Cavalry Squad to launch a charge.

Under Ross's command, the Cavalry Squad annihilated the Fel Orcs preparing to ambush them with overwhelming force.

As the spearhead of the charge, Ross first targeted the Fel Orcs's leader, cleaving the Bronze Rank Evil Beastman in half with one sword strike. Then, with his left and right swords, he cut down four or five more Fel Orcs.

The Evil Beastman minor leader only possessed the strength of the early Bronze Rank, and having been struck first by Ross, he was killed before he could unleash his full combat power.

As Ross swung his longsword, a fierce Battle Qi instantly erupted, illuminating the nearby night sky in the blink of an eye. After tearing apart the enemy's flesh, the bright longsword dimmed again.

Releasing Battle Qi externally is the hallmark of a Silver Knight. Ross could now briefly master the skill of external Battle Qi release, indicating he had one foot already stepping into the Silver Rank.

After killing the Evil Beastman minor leader, Ross seized the initiative on the battlefield, and the Fel Orcs were routed.

After one swift charge, three members of the Cavalry Squad were thrown from their horses, their conditions unknown, while on the Fel Orcs's side, few were left standing.

"Kill them all!"

The Cavalry Squad began surrounding and killing the remaining Fel Orcs. Ross smoothly drew his longbow and began sniping them down one by one.

In just a moment, the Fel Orcs who came to ambush were completely wiped out by the Cavalry Squad.

The battlefield quickly quieted down!

"Tally the casualties!"

Ross looked at the corpses of the Fel Orcs on the ground; his previous suspicions were now completely confirmed.

There were about thirty Fel Orcs who attacked them, led by a Bronze Rank Evil Beastman minor leader. Aside from five or six Black Iron Rank Evil Beastman Warriors, the majority were Evil Beastman War Slaves.

It was only because Ross sensed the attacking Fel Orcs were not strong that he decisively launched the attack. The facts proved his judgment was very correct, and the results were significant; this Evil Beastman squad was completely annihilated.

"Vice Commander, the casualty report is out. Five brothers suffered minor injuries, two brothers are seriously wounded and have lost combat capability, and the rest of the brothers are fine."

"A total of thirty-five Fel Orcs were slain, not a single one escaped. This was a brilliant annihilation battle."

Eric reported with slight excitement. Having killed thirty-five Fel Orcs without losing a single warrior on their side, such a result was indeed glorious.

This small-scale battle highlighted Ross's importance. Ross single-handedly eliminated one Evil Beastman minor leader of the Bronze Rank and four Black Iron Rank Evil Beastman Warriors, nearly wiping out all the high-end combat power of this Evil Beastman group, which is why the Cavalry Squad's fight was so easy.

"Take the wounded and withdraw from the battlefield. We will set up camp a bit further away to rest."

In the wilderness at night, there are many predators. A battlefield full of blood and corpses will quickly attract scavengers. Just in case, Ross led the Cavalry Squad to quickly leave the battlefield, and the temporary camp was moved a bit farther away.

When Ren arrived, Ross had just finished leading the Cavalry Squad in re-establishing the camp and was treating the wounded.

Ren also confirmed Ross and the Cavalry Squad's location after spotting the light from the campfires and rushed over without stopping.

"Fighting has already broken out? How many Fel Orcs were there?"

"What about the casualties?"

Looking at the wounded on the ground, Ren immediately asked.

"Lord!

"We encountered an Evil Beastman squad, and they have all been eliminated. Five men in the Cavalry Squad sustained minor injuries, and two are seriously wounded. The seriously wounded men are temporarily not in life-threatening danger; they will be fine after resting back in the territory."

Ross reported briefly. Hearing the results, Ren also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well done, Ross, and to the brothers of the Cavalry Squad, you all deserve credit. I will have rewards for everyone when we return to the territory."

Afterward, Ren checked on the wounded, confirmed the seriously injured soldiers were not in mortal danger, and comforted them a few words.

Since there were no major casualties, Ren also relaxed and rested; the non-stop journey had left him somewhat fatigued.

"Everyone rest well. Tomorrow, I will personally lead a team to probe the Fel Orcs's strength and weaknesses."