The Herb King



The Necklace of Heaven was a powerful Holy Artifact. After Noctuna activated it, the injuries of the soldiers of the allied army started healing. They began to fight back with more ferocity which forced the Underworlder army to steadily retreat. 

Aethelwolf and Empress Shiphra also joined the battle. They specifically targeted the strongest Underworlders. Their presence decreased the pressure on Ramiel and the other experts.

The lion-headed Underworlder was quite strong, and even Aethelwolf was forced to use his strongest skills to fight him. They battled for over five minutes before the lion-headed Underworlder fell under Aethelwolf's sword. His severed head rolled on the ground, shocking the Underworlders who had witnessed his death. 

"The leader is dead! Let's retreat!" 

"Retreat!" 

The remaining commanders of the Underworlders immediately commanded their troops to retreat after the death of their leader. 

"They finally retreated..." Ramiel clutched his injuries as he muttered those words. He thought that he was already strong after becoming a Level 5 Esper, but he found out today that there was always someone stronger than him. He vowed in his heart to train more in the future.

Behind him, Aenwyn stared at Aethelwolf who was standing in front of the lion-headed Underworlder's headless corpse. There was a tinge of tenderness in her ice-cold gaze, but she soon frowned when she saw the beautiful veiled woman standing beside Aethelwolf. 

"Bring our injured comrades to the clinic and have them treated! Send more reinforcements to the scattered regiments!" Ramiel shouted.

The soldiers started moving after hearing his words. Although the Necklace of Heaven healed their wounds, not all of their injuries have recovered. Some soldiers with severe wounds were still having difficulties moving. There were even those who could no longer walk after losing their limbs. 

Nocturna called the Doctors of the Mystic Island to help in treating the wounded soldiers. 

"You guys saved our asses. You have my thanks." Victor said as he walked towards Aethelwolf and Empress Shiphra.

"I'm glad we arrived in time. I never thought that the Underworlders would actually send so many experts to attack the Jasper Empire. We were careless this time. Some of our Level 5 Espers even died." Aethelwolf lamented while shaking his head.

The others sighed upon hearing his words. This was war and death was inevitable. 

"We should go back to the camp and report our losses to the ancestor." Aethelwolf suggested. 

"Alright. Let's do that." Victor and the others nodded their heads. 

***

Xymera furrowed her eyebrows after hearing Aethelwolf's report. "The Underworlders are more cunning than we had thought. It looks like the Transcendent expert leading them is not simple." She muttered in a grave tone. She had fought with the Underworlders before so she was very familiar with them. Most Underworlders focus on their strength and it was rare to see a smart character among them. 

"Ancestor, what do you think we should do?" Victor asked nervously when he saw Xymera's serious expression. 

Xymera turned her gaze to Victor and said in a cold voice. "We must attack them before they gather more soldiers!" 

Hearing this, Aethelwolf and the others were startled. 

Eliazar couldn't help but say. "Ancestor, the other leaders are not here yet. Shouldn't we wait for them before making a move?" 

Xymera shook her head and replied. "There is no time to wait. The Underworlder's army is steadily growing as we speak. If we give them more time to prepare, things might become more difficult for us." 

Suddenly, Aethelwolf said. "The ancestor is right. We shouldn't give them more time to prepare! Summon the other leaders to come here as soon as possible! Our army should march to the Northern Region!" 

The four Holy Generals, Lark Whitmond, and the others glanced at each other when they heard his words. After a short discussion, they said. "Let's do this!" 

***

The scattered remnants of the Underworlder army were soon killed by the soldiers of the allied army.

The Jasper Empire also noticed the commotion happening in their territorial borders so they immediately sent their soldiers to scout the area. When they found out that it was because of the Underworlders, they were scared. However, they still sent half of their forces to support the allied army. 

It took another week before the battlefield was cleared up.

After making their preparations, the allied army started marching to the Northern Region. 

Meanwhile, Aethelwolf called Irithel and told her to gather the remaining Barbarian tribes who haven't been transported to the Barden Territory to meet up with them. 

"Aenwyn, I miss you so much!" Irithel ran towards her daughter as soon as she saw her. She carefully checked her daughter to see if there were injuries on her body. When she saw that she was fine, she heaved a sigh of relief. 

Aenwyn was a bit embarrassed, but she also felt warmth in her heart when she sensed her mother's concern. "Mother, there are other people watching." She whispered.

Irithel chuckled at her words. She then turned her gaze to Aethelwolf and nodded at him. "I've brought the Barbarian tribes. There are eleven of them. Zachary and Albert are taking care of them." She reported. 

Aethelwolf nodded his head upon hearing this. "You've worked hard. You, Zachary, and Albert can take your men back to the territory. We will take care of things here." 

Irithel frowned and asked. "What about the Underworlders?" 

"The allied army will be responsible for that. I'm worried about the territory. You should go back. I will be at ease if you are there." Aethelwolf was worried about his family. Although the Barden Territory was heavily fortified, it was better to add another layer of protection. 

"Fine. I'll gather some Barbarian soldiers and send them to support you. I don't think they will reject the person who saved them." Irithel smiled while saying those words. 

"Alright. You can ask the Shadow Guards to lead them." With the help of the Barbarian soldiers, the pressure on the allied army would decrease substantially. After all, there were also many experts among the Barbarians.