204: Capture the Earl

"My Lord, the village ahead has been burned down!"

The knight who rushed back brought news of the village ahead; this was already the second burned village Reyn had encountered.

"How can these people from the Stag Territory be so lawless?"

"To commit such acts of slaughtering villages and arson!"

Reyn's face was ashen; the Stag Territory had gone too far this time.

The relationship between the Rage Bear Territory and the Stag Territory hadn't deteriorated to the point of being mortal enemies; this time was merely a dispute over interests, resulting in some conflicts.

Such matters were usually settled on the battlefield to determine the winner, which was considered an established unspoken rule in the North. He didn't know how it had turned out like this; the Stag Territory people were clearly aiming to create a blood feud.

"Find them and eliminate them!"

Thinking of the charred corpses of the villagers, a surge of anger welled up in Reyn's heart with nowhere to vent.

The Flying Eagles and Magic Wolves he brought for scouting had already pinpointed the main force of the Grand Duke of Stag in the eastern region of Thorn Castle. Currently operating nearby was a secondary force.

Reyn decided to take out this secondary force to teach the lawless Stag Territory people a lesson.

"My Lord, we've found them. They're in a town just ahead."

The target Reyn found was precisely the unit led by Count Torrens of the Stag Territory.

At this moment, Count Torrens was resting in a small town with his vassal knights.

Torrens tore off a large piece of roasted meat and threw it to his beloved hound. Watching the hound feast heartily, his mood improved significantly.

"Master, the Third Battalion has returned. They destroyed two villages. I have already burned thirteen villages and two small towns in the Rage Bear Territory."

"Not enough!"

Torrens was still dissatisfied with the number, as if the lives slaughtered by his subordinates were insignificant.

"To make that raging bear and that damned Illegitimate Son fight to the death, just slaughtering these few villages and towns is far from enough!"

"It's a pity that Illegitimate Son didn't take the bait and wouldn't let us capture Thorn Castle. Otherwise, if we had taken Thorn Castle and killed Count Porcupine Zaradok, the Grand Duke of the Raging Bear would never have let the matter rest."

"Then shall we continue? Master!"

Torrens looked at the hound frantically gnawing on flesh, his expression dark and uncertain.

"Didn't that Illegitimate Son say there are still three days? Then we'll kill for two more!"

"This time, we must provoke the rage of the raging bear, preferably making them both suffer."

"Don't be soft-hearted. Kill every villager you can find, leave no one alive!"

"Yes!"

The vassal knight, having received the order, was preparing to lead his men to complete the hunt assigned by his master when he suddenly felt a vibration. Looking back, a silver light flashed.

With a bang, the vassal knight was sent flying by a massive force and then went silent.

"Enemies! Prepare for battle!"

Torrens was also a veteran of many battles; he responded immediately the moment the vassal knight was attacked.

No matter how fast Torrens was, he couldn't outpace the arrows that followed. Hundreds of fine steel long arrows arrived in an instant, piercing their respective targets. Some people's bodies were blown to pieces by the exploding arrows, and mists of blood erupted in the air.

After a round of ranged attacks, Reyn led the Gale Wolf Riders into the battlefield. Before the blades of the crimson slashers could even fall, wind blades already blanketed the battlefield, and countless Stag Territory warriors were sliced to pieces.

Then, the Wind Wolf Knights swung their crimson slashers to harvest the enemies before them. A single charge left Torrens's unit in tatters.

By this time, Torrens had lost the ability to command his army; Reyn personally sought him out.

"Are you a grizzly bear fief noble?"

"I am Count Torrens of the Stag Territory. There's no need for Your Excellency to work so hard, is there? In this game, those two Grand Dukes are the protagonists. We supporting characters are just going through the motions; why be so serious?"

Torrens was intimidated by the aura of the young man who suddenly appeared before him; he felt as though he was no match for this person.

Torrens, with Middle Gold rank strength, had entered his later years. It had been decades since he last fought an opponent of the same level.

Wearing a custom-made Wolf King Full Plate Armor and holding the Wolf-Running Battleblade, Reyn was like an ancient beast. Without saying a word, he answered Torrens's question with surging battle qi.

Torrens's strength was already inferior to Reyn's, and coupled with his desire to retreat, he was completely suppressed by Reyn in just one exchange.

"Kid, you're looking for death. His Highness Heisenberg is not far from here. If you dare lay a hand on me, you won't survive either."

Torrens blustered, unaware that the more he shouted, the more openings he left. Soon, several blade wounds appeared on his body.

Reyn suppressed the battle qi within him, using only Middle Gold rank strength to fight Torrens. He didn't know if there were other hidden enemies nearby, so he concealed his true strength to handle any potential changes in the situation.

As for Torrens, he didn't have the qualifications to make Reyn use his full power.

The Wolf-Running Battleblade swung down swiftly and fiercely once more, knocking the weapon from Torrens's hand. A massive iron fist slammed into Torrens's head, knocking him unconscious with a single blow.

The unconscious Torrens finally shut up. Reyn dragged him along the ground like a dead dog.

Having captured Torrens alive, Reyn looked toward the battlefield.

The Gale Claw Legion had completely crushed Torrens's legion. Two thousand cavalrymen, constantly roaming and hunting on the periphery, were harvesting the Stag Territory army in swathes.

Torrens had about four or five thousand troops; now, fewer than a thousand remained.

"Kill them all!"

Reyn had no intention of taking these remnants as prisoners. As he joined the fray, the surprise attack quickly came to a close.

"Let's go, into Thorn Castle!"

After the battle ended, Reyn rushed toward Thorn Castle without pause, arriving at the city walls moments later.

There weren't many Stag Territory legions on the western side of Thorn Castle to begin with. Reyn led the Wind Wolf Knights through without hindrance, and the occasional small units of Stag Territory troops were quickly routed by Reyn.

The banners of the raging bear and the Magic Wolf were held high. The defenders of Thorn Castle, who had noticed Reyn long ago, had already opened the city gates in advance.

In the distant Stag Territory military camp, Heisenberg watched Reyn lead his troops into the city without making any move.

"That knight riding the White Wolf is Reyn Derrick, right?"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"He not only crushed Torrens's army but also captured that old fellow alive. He's quite strong!"

"Those Magic Wolf Knights under him aren't bad either; they're all elites!"

Heisenberg commented on Reyn.

"It seems this rising star of the Rage Bear Territory does indeed have some skill. He looks very young, too—a talent indeed. If only he could be used by me."

Heisenberg greatly admired Reyn.

"Your Highness, Count Torrens was captured by him. Count Trolkavin and his group have already come looking for you, saying they want you to go rescue Count Torrens!"

"Rescue him?"

Heisenberg's expression turned cold.

"Acting on his own without my orders, and deliberately indulging his subordinates to slaughter the Rage Bear Territory people to create conflict between us and the Rage Bear Territory—does he take me for a fool?"

"He brought this on himself. Even if he hadn't been captured, I wouldn't have let him off easy upon his return. Being captured now is just right; it would be even better if the Rage Bear Territory people killed him."

"If he's killed, an Count's position will become vacant. Then I can find a way to distribute some territory among you."