The Herb King

The next day, the camp of the Ford Empire finally stopped burning.

The normal soldiers felt so tired that some of them sprawled on the ground. They weren't able to sleep last night because they stood guard in case the Leone Empire would attack once again. However, no one came after the burning incident and they ended up wasting their time.

Lexter's expression was still dark and gloomy. He stayed up all night, waiting for the enemy to attack, but the damnable bastards didn't come.

"We continue our march!" Lexter shouted.

The soldiers complained in their minds, but they didn't dare voice out anything. Lexter Ford was known for being brutal even to his subordinates so no one dared to cause a ruckus.

Everyone moved into their positions and followed behind Lexter who was riding a Level 3 magical beast mount.

Everyone was on edge, especially after what had happened last night. The soldiers warily scanned the surroundings to check if there was an enemy hiding.

"Grand General, the path ahead is clear. We noticed a large camp about two miles away from here. From the number of their tents, they have approximately fifty thousand soldiers." A scout reported to Lexter.

Hearing this, Lexter frowned as he thought deeply. He knew that Vale City only had fifty thousand soldiers. That means, no reinforcements were sent to them yet. 'Are they underestimating our Ford Empire?! Let's see if you still dare to underestimate us after we destroy all of you!' He thought angrily.

"What's the terrain over there?" Lexter asked the scout.

"It's at the center of the valley. They constructed a stone wall and there are twenty watchtowers armed with ballistas." The scout answered.

"Where are the other scouts?" Lexter narrowed his eyes as he looked at the scout.

"They are still-"

Puchi!

Lexter stabbed the scout with his sword and the scout smiled strangely at him before he shouted. "The Grand General is attacking his own people!"

In his rage, Lexter grabbed the man's head and tore it off his body. He then crushed the decapitated head under his boot, sending blood and brain matter all over the ground. "You are too strong to be a scout..." He muttered to himself. This guy was a Level 3 Esper and all the scouts he sent to observe the path ahead of them were only Level 1 Espers.

The soldiers were stunned when they witnessed this scene. Why did the Grand General attack their scout?

When he noticed that some soldiers were clamoring, Lexter frowned as he said. "This is an enemy soldier posing as our scout! Don't be fooled by the enemy!"

The soldiers didn't relax after hearing this and they couldn't help but look at the people beside them.

Seeing this, Lexter's mouth twitched in annoyance. "Dammit!" He cursed under his breath.

Suddenly, he felt that the ground was trembling. He looked up the mountains and saw huge boulders rolling towards them. "Activate the Defensive Runes!"

Rumble! Rumble!

The soldiers also noticed the boulders and they shakily activated the Defensive Runes.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Defensive Runes produced a shield of light that prevented the huge boulders from flattening them, but because the inscriptions on the runes were merely made by Level 1 and Level 2 Engravers, they couldn't withstand so many attacks. Cracks formed in some shields and it made the soldiers anxious.

Soon, more boulders rolled down from the top of the mountains, causing the earth to shake intensely.

"Enemy attack!"

"Use your shields to protect your bodies!"

"Don't move out of the formation!"

Lexter didn't let the boulders kill his soldiers. There would be major casualties if he didn't make a move.

He jumped down from his mount and unsheathed his sword. He then waved his sword, sending dozens of wind blades that destroyed the boulders.

Looking at his mighty figure, the soldiers of the Ford Empire recovered their courage.

Lexter ignored the cheering of his subordinates. He lifted his head and looked at the mountains. He saw thousands of people suddenly appearing with bows in their hands.

"Raise your shields!" He hurriedly shouted.

The soldiers quickly raised their shields after hearing his commands and a rain of arrows blotted the sky before falling to them.

Suu! Suu! Suu! Suu!

Suu! Suu! Suu! Suu!

Some normal soldiers who were too tired to lift their shields turned into sieves as the arrows penetrated their bodies.

"Ahhh!!!"

"Heellp!"

"I'm shot! Help me!"

Anguished cries echoed but they soon died down as more arrows fell from the sky.

Even the Defensive Runes they brought with them started breaking and only the Level 3 Runes managed to remain intact.

After the final arrow struck them, thousands upon thousands of cavalries suddenly appeared on top of the mountains and sprinted toward them. They were riding the most ferocious breeds of Equus, making the soldiers of the Ford Empire restless.

"Cavalries!"

"Shields! Spears!"

"Move into formation!"

The person leading the cavalry was a stern-looking old man who was a mid stage Level 4 Esper. He was holding two broadswords that were almost as tall as an adult male. He brandished the two broadswords with ease, killing the soldiers that pounced on him.

Lexter dashed in the direction of the cavalry leader. He had to stop their momentum!

However, the cavalry did a U-turn and retreated into the distance.

Lexter only managed to slay a few dozen slow enemies.

"Fuck*ng bastard! Fight with me!" He bellowed.

"Charge!" Lexter pointed his sword in the direction that the cavalries retreated into. He then jumped back to his mount and urged it to move.

Soon, he caught sight of the cavalry unit and he also saw the enemies camp further ahead. Their camp was surrounded by stone walls and there were more than two dozen watchtowers equipped with ballistas.

Seeing this, Lexter pulled the reins of his mount. "So you guys are hiding here!" He muttered coldly. Now that the enemies were in his sight, he was confident that he could crush them with their overwhelming numbers.