Chapter 275 - 116: My Precious Granddaughter Is Yours, Use Her As You Please

Chapter 275: Chapter 116: My Precious Granddaughter Is Yours, Use Her As You Please

Reconnaissance from the ghosts confirmed that the vast majority of the Gnolls were now confined to the core of their camp, trapped like fish in a barrel.

As a result, the morale of the troops soared.

Many officers and Soldiers felt that victory was within their grasp. They believed just one final assault was needed to completely eradicate the Gnolls, the great scourge that had plagued Lakefront Town for so long.

However, Lynch’s frown only deepened.

’Too easy.’

’Everything was going exactly to plan—so smoothly, in fact, that it made him uneasy.’

After all, Gnolls weren’t stupid goblins.

Not only were they powerful individually, but they were also highly organized. With a considerable number of Shamans in their ranks, their intelligence was not to be underestimated.

The dragnet tactic was reliable, and the cautious, step-by-step advance minimized errors. But for that very reason, it was impossible that the Gnolls hadn’t seen through their strategy. It was even more unlikely that they would simply do nothing and wait for death.

Lynch had expected them to at least try to concentrate their forces and break through a weak point before the encirclement was complete. He thought they might use their familiarity with the terrain for guerrilla raids, or even relocate their camp ahead of time.

He had even prepared contingency plans for a follow-up pursuit and a war of attrition.

But...

Nothing happened.

It was as if the enemy had been scared witless, holing up in their camp and watching helplessly as the encirclement closed in.

An abnormal situation like this meant trouble was brewing.

Lynch decisively halted the army and issued new orders.

Soon, the various units made camp on the spot. They used their positions to fell trees and quarry stone, building more solid fortifications like arrow towers, wooden walls, and trenches. They even placed simple Magic Traps at key locations.

At the same time, patrols and guard duties were reinforced, especially at night.

The core principle was simple: since something felt wrong, there was no need to rush a risky attack.

The Gnolls were surrounded, anyway. They had high metabolisms, and as a race of hunters, the food stored in their camp was surely limited.

Meanwhile, his own forces were backed by Lakefront Town. Although their supply line was a bit long, it was still open, allowing a continuous flow of resources to the front.

He could simply besiege them without attacking, resting his own troops while the enemy grew weary. It would be a contest of attrition—see who could hold out longer.

And so, the stalemate dragged on for several days.

The atmosphere within the Gnoll camp grew visibly more agitated.

Food grew scarcer by the day for the besieged Gnolls. As more and more of them went hungry, a volatile mood began to spread. Arguments and conflicts became more frequent, even escalating to brawls and casualties. It took the intervention of their great Chieftain to barely suppress the violence.

But anyone could see that the Gnolls were reaching their breaking point.

「Inside the main tent.」

Spine Breaker Grom paced anxiously, his eyes bloodshot. "Lord Prophet, we can’t hold on any longer! The lads are so hungry their eyes are practically glowing, and they’ve started tearing each other apart for the last few scraps."

"If this drags on, we’ll collapse on our own before the humans even attack! Lord Prophet, can you give me a straight answer? When can we use Lord Yenogu’s ’trump card’?"

The Blood Claw Priest sat cross-legged on a beast hide, a bloody light flickering uncertainly in his eyes.

’He hadn’t expected the human named Lynch to be so cunning and cautious. Despite holding an absolute advantage, Lynch had chosen the safest, most time-consuming tactic of a siege, giving them no opportunity to set their own traps and lure him in.’

"A cunning human... He is indeed worthy of being the target Lord Yenogu himself named for elimination," the Blood Claw Priest said, his voice raspy. "We cannot wait any longer. If this drags on, the tribe’s strength will be sapped by worsening hunger and constant infighting."

"Our only option now is to go on the offensive. We will concentrate all our forces for a direct assault on their central army to kill the human, Lynch Blackwood. Only by killing him will we have a sliver of a chance to survive, and only then can we fulfill Lord Yenogu’s divine command!"

Grom Chieftain took a deep breath, a savage light flaring in his eyes. "Good! Then let’s stake it all! We will not fear sacrifice! For Yenogu!"

"For Yenogu!" The Blood Claw Priest raised his bone staff and chanted in a low voice.

Soon, rallied by the roars of Spine Breaker Grom, the entire Gnoll camp erupted.

Every Gnoll capable of fighting—male or female, young or old—was gathered.

Their eyes were already red with hunger, their fangs bared. Goaded on by Spine Breaker Grom, their latent ferocity was ignited, and they unleashed sky-shattering howls.

Soon, led by their Chieftains and Centurions, the mighty Gnoll host surged forward like a burst dam, launching a ferocious, desperate charge straight for Lynch’s central army.

"AWOOOOO! FOR YENOGU!!"

This brutal and direct tactic even took Lynch, who was commanding from the center, by surprise.

If the Gnolls wanted to break out, their best option would have been to concentrate their forces on the weaker militia-defended flanks. That would have given them a better chance to punch through and escape.

Charging head-on into the main army—the most heavily fortified and powerful part of his line—was suicidal. It completely defied all military logic.

Moreover, the name "Yenogu," repeated over and over in their howls, instantly set alarm bells ringing in his head.

The reason was simple:

He was all too familiar with that name.

The last time he was in the mines and killed the Gnoll Chieftain Hog, Hog had sacrificed his own packmates to summon the will of Yenogu. In the end, Lynch had only managed to repel it by using the mark of the Pale Elegy.