Divine Beast Ascension

612 Iron’s True Strategy Unfolds

Two blurs appeared, racing out of the woods with incredible speed. Spotting both figures confused Rakan at first. Until half a moment later when he spotted a flood of bestial figures appearing at the tree line.

Rakan pulled his saber back and hurried to step away from Lambier.

But Lambier had already bolted to the side, forcing Rakan to change positions and defend himself or accept an unguarded blow.

Rakan blocked and reset his footing with haste. He made sure to not lose a single second of ground, determined to keep Lambier from gaining any advantage whatsoever. “You’re faster than when you fled…”

“Thanks for noticing. Had you actually tried to attack instead of con me, then maybe our battle would’ve taken place much closer to your ally army,” jested Lambier.

Rakan was stuck with Lambier in front of him, cutting Rakan off from rushing to warn the Prodson troops of the advancing beasts. And Rakan’s frown was sinking deeper and deeper into the folds of his face. “... How much will it cost me?”

“For what? To let you by? For me to turncoats and join your side?” Lambier questioned. His confidence was growing now that Rakan was visibly unsettled.

“To get you back to Prodson, ideally. But I’ll settle with allowing you to escape now, with the guarantee of no bounty being placed on your head after all this is over,” Rakan stated. “I’ll even write you a letter of recommendation to help you re-establish your guild.”

Lambier teasingly tilted his head to the side in thought. “Hmm… That’s not too bad of an offer. For letting you by and making my personal retreat, I can settle for one head.”

.....

“Very well,” Rakan agreed without hesitation. “Whose head do you most want to satiate your worthy thirst for vengeance?”

All smiles, Lambier calmly replied, “Rokkal Prodson.”

Chting! Crunch!

Rakan retaliated with his saber and hammer, getting parried and destroying a chunk of the ground. “Ingrate! I offer you a chance at vengeance and you dare drag my father’s name into this!?”

“Also,” Lambier continued, “I want it neatly wrapped, with a bow on top.”

Ch-chting! Chtung!

Lambier hurriedly parried and lightly sidestepped Rakan’s flustered, impulsive attacks.

“Disgraceful!” Rakan shouted.

But Lambier didn’t stop. “I need it as a gift, so it has to look pretty.”

Chtung! Crunch. Ch-chting!

“Dishonorable!” barked Rakan.

Still, Lambier continued, “That way, my wife and sword brother will finally get their vengeance.”

For a single moment, the two combatants stopped their clashes. Rakan, startled to hear those words, blinked in surprise.

Shrugging and shaking his head momentarily, Lambier put on his own furious frown. “What? Do you think we’re fools you can keep playing with? … Blood Moon has assassins for hire. So, why else would they suddenly target our families, apart from someone paying them?”

“... Then there’s no point in speaking further,” Rakan remarked with a disgusted tone. “No matter what else you want to say, I’ll kill you regardless.”

*********

Leading an army of nearly two hundred beasts, four people were at the very front. A Thunder Jaguar and a Shadow Drake, each with a human man riding on their backs.

“It seems Marsel managed to draw away the general. Dad hasn’t signaled otherwise,” commented the rider Sarpo’s back.

Nodding, the human on Oli’s back replied, “In that case, if the second in command was smart enough to take a portion of troops out of their hideout, I’ll take him on. You’ll hand the low or early-perennials, Sarpo.”

“Got it,” Sarpo chuckled. “If you’re anything like your dad, then I won’t worry about you.”

“Just leave it to Mertin. As the second-strongest swordsman of the family, he won’t disappoint!”

Glancing at his brother, Mertin said, “That’s only due to your accident, Lyle. And my regrettable delay of your recovery…”

Lyle shouted back, “Nonsense! You almost condemned yourself as a criminal just to protect the family from irreparable damage! So just fight while I hurry and catch up, that’s enough apology for me.”

“Very well… Vero, Lyle, join the other elders after dropping me off,” Mertin ordered, refusing to say on that current out of both duty and guilt.

“You got it.” The drake’s naturally menacing, fang-bearing grin appeared.

Behind those four, there was a second line of beasts leading the charge.

The clan chief of the Tri-horned Wildebeests, Eefran snarled with rage at the middle of that line, carrying Hurman’s fiancee, Lizbeth, on Eefran’s back. On either the wildebeest was a huge stallion, an aged early-perennial and a young peak-elder. Beside Hollen, Chief of the Thick-skinned Stallion Clan, the right-hand of the Vanishing-night Foxes, Eila was effortlessly keeping up. To the side of young Yeter, Karos was at the helm of his fellow Long-tailed Lynxes, with Karos’s half-cut tail moving with the wind behind him.

At both ends of that second line, an Iron-body Gorilla was pounding the ground with every step they took. Ania and her hammer marched on one side with the one-armed Fontu on the other.

Those two were leading another dozen gorillas running at the front of the bestial army. Proud and unwavering, the gorillas would be shields against Prodson’s first attacks and plows to rip through the ranks of the human army.

Behind the gorillas was a horde of stallions, wildebeests, lynxes, and foxes stormed toward the far-off back tunnel of the Prodson camp. Numbering over one hundred and fifty beasts, Iron’s bestial army was finally mobile and on the prowl.

Mertin, Sarpo, and the other leading figures didn’t pay Lambier any attention when they crossed his not-too-distant fight. Lizbeth, however, silently leaped off of Eefran’s back. In a flurry of wind and dark essence, Lizbeth sped through the air toward Lambier’s and Rakan’s duel.

As the Iron army started to approach the main hill concealing the Prodson camp, two things happened.

Galloping out of the hidden passage on horseback, Commander Ephar immediately directed his attention northward. His countenance sank for a split second. But Commander Ephar instantly recovered and turned his men toward the incoming beasts. “Enemy incoming! ATTACK!!”

Thanks to Commander Ephar’s quick and simple commands, the Prodson troops did their best to not lose confidence against the surprise, bestial army.

But when the charging wildebeests separated themselves from the other beasts, more confusion set in. And the first seed of fear for the unknown firmly took root in the minds of Prodson’s soldiers