"We once had peaceful lives!"
On the north bank of the Harnen River, the Haradrim commander delivered his final mobilization speech to the army assembled there. He raised his scimitar high and shouted to the soldiers:
"Some of you were once farmers; some traveled freely as merchants. All of you once enjoyed tranquility, until those Gondorians arrived!"
"They destroyed our farms, attacked our caravans, freed our slaves, forced us to lose our property, and compelled us to take up arms against them!"
"Those evil Gondorians will pay for their deeds. The time has come, warriors. Tonight, we repay them in blood!"
"In blood!"
The soldiers shouted loudly, their eyes filled with hatred. The great army departed, surrounding the lakeside stronghold from all directions. This was an encirclement leaving no gaps. No one could hide.
...
"Don't linger, don't linger. Retreat immediately!"
At the front lines, where the strike team was located.
Having just completed a perfect operation, the strike team showed no signs of relaxing their vigilance. The captain immediately issued orders for everyone to withdraw quickly.
"Something's not right. The vanguard is much larger than I expected. Why would they send so many people?"
Cain wasn't letting this nearly lossless victory go to his head.
"Many?" Levi glanced back. Seemed like only about a hundred people.
"Approximately two hundred cavalry."
The experienced Cain gave a rough number with just a glance.
"If it were unprepared frontal combat or being ambushed, even half that number would be more than we could handle."
For ease of movement and disguise, all strike team members wore leather armor, cloaks, and hoods. Their equipment often worked wonders in chaotic environments or small-scale surprise attacks, but in open battlefields where neither side could hide, it was questionable.
This had nothing to do with the warriors' combat quality. It was simply a matter of specialization and equipment mismatch.
"If the vanguard alone has 200 people, there must be even more behind."
Cain said: "I don't believe they only sent these forces."
"Though the Harnen River basin commander is crude and despicable, he's not that foolish."
"Given his cunning nature, he definitely wouldn't send just this one force."
"Makes sense."
Levi nodded and asked: "So what do you plan to do next?"
"Head north; retreat first. If necessary, we can withdraw to home territory, then properly see what they're planning."
"Captain!"
Just as he said this, a scout hurried back.
"There are over a thousand Haradrim approaching from behind."
As expected. Cain's eyes narrowed.
At this moment, several other scouts also came running back.
"There's an army approaching from the east."
"There's major movement to the west."
His frown deepened.
"You said major movement... how major?"
Thud!
The earth shook. Everyone couldn't help but look back to see a huge shadow approaching in the darkness.
Thud!
War drums sounded from all directions. Patch after patch of shadows gradually approached.
"Stop!"
Cain quickly shouted, and everyone halted. They could see some figures ahead as well.
Surrounded.
What's going on? Was that cavalry unit just bait to buy time? Why? It's completely unreasonable. Why would they use a full two hundred cavalry as 'bait'?
This seemed like giving them too much credit. How strange, no matter how you think about it.
To call the Haradrim commander stupid wasn't quite right. After all, he truly hadn't underestimated them. Using so many people to ambush their eighty-odd members, if the surprise attack succeeded, surely few would survive.
But it didn't seem right to call him clever either. If he knew his plan was exposed from the start and the strike team was waiting to counterattack, why send so many cavalry to their deaths?
Just to buy time?
If so, why not directly surround them while the strike team was still in ambush? That would be more concealed and have a higher success rate.
In just a few seconds, multiple thoughts flashed through his mind. At one moment, Cain suddenly turned to stare at Levi, his heart sinking.
This was the only unexpected element. He had disrupted everything.
Damn.
"They're coming for you."
Levi raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
Woooo.
Horns sounded as Harad's great army gradually closed in, sealing the last gap for passage.
Cain drew his sword and shouted: "We break through to the north!"
Swish.
Levi drew 'Bane' and stood at the front of the formation.
"Mind if I lead?"
Cain hesitated; strictly speaking, it wasn't allowed. Levi was from another faction, so bypassing Gondor's higher command to lead the strike team was out of bounds.
However, military custom permitted wizards this flexibility, as they belonged to no faction or any free faction.
But in this situation...
Cain nodded: "Then..."
Swoosh.
An arrow suddenly struck from behind, its bloody tip piercing through Cain's waist.
"Then please..."
Before he could finish speaking, he clearly couldn't stand steady.
"Captain!"
Two team members quickly supported him. After a quick check, they found it hadn't hit anything vital. He'd just lost mobility.
Levi glanced back to see an obviously different, burly Haradrim several hundred meters away lowering his great bow, punching and kicking someone beside him, apparently venting something.
"Good thing I have a couple potions left."
With a meaningful smile, Levi tossed Cain an instant healing potion. Cain quickly caught it, first yanked out the arrow, and then rapidly drank it down.
"Follow me through!"
Hood thrown back, sword raised high, Levi charged forward alone, single-handedly withstanding various Haradrim attacks and crashing into their formation.
Arrows, spears, blades... nothing could penetrate that black armor or the amber runes that occasionally glowed on his body.
Boom!
Several Haradrim warriors united to fend off the elven longsword, only to feel their arms go numb on contact. The opponent before them was more than human, and his weapon was not simply a sword.
He was a towering behemoth, swinging a hammer wider than any person.
Crash.
With just one upward strike, several soldiers flew high, struggling in flames midair.
When firelight blazed and shadows appeared at their feet, people could finally see the newcomer's face in that brief moment.
That face... black hard armor, amber runes glowing on his body, fire-breathing elven longsword...
"Ahhh!"
Someone screamed in terror, then, like a mute, couldn't squeeze out a second sound from their throat.
This shout was like an alarm bell, confirming everyone's premonitions at that moment. Doubts were revealed.
Levi turned to look left. The soldiers on the left immediately retreated together, desperately pushing back those behind them to keep them from advancing.
He turned again and swept his sword to the right, causing the soldiers on the right to also start pushing backward.