Chapter 380 - 131: Bloody Hand! I’ve Waited a Long Time for You

Chapter 380: Chapter 131: Bloody Hand! I’ve Waited a Long Time for You

Johnny scanned his surroundings. Of his once-elite army of twenty-two hundred, fewer than four hundred battered soldiers remained. His heart twisted in anguish.

But he knew this was no time for grief.

"We’ll rest here for two days!" Johnny ordered through gritted teeth, his voice raspy. "Let the men treat their wounds and recover their strength. Then, we return to Iron Hammer Town."

For the next two days, Johnny barely slept.

He sat by the campfire, watching his soldiers lying and resting about, and the hatred in his heart grew like a wild weed.

Lynch Blackwood.

The name echoed in his mind, every syllable dripping with bloody hatred.

He hated Lynch’s cunning, hated his ruthlessness, and most of all, he hated that damned, mysterious Mr. SK. ’If he hadn’t provided false intelligence, how could I have fallen into such a trap?!’

’How could I have lost eighty percent of my forces without even seeing the enemy’s face?’

"SK..." Johnny clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood. "Don’t let me find out who you are. If I do, I will tear you limb from limb!"

Regardless, he had to get back to Iron Hammer Town.

He still had reserves there, and his troops were stationed at several surrounding strongholds.

Those troops weren’t as elite as the force he’d led out, but as long as the core of his army remained, as long as he had time to rest and rebuild, he, Johnny, would still be a force to be reckoned with in Sardinia Province!

"Lynch Blackwood, just you wait!" Johnny swore through gritted teeth, his gaze fixed in the direction of Red Ridge Mountain. "I will repay today’s humiliation a hundred times over! If I fail to get my revenge, I, Johnny, am not fit to be called a man!"

Thus, they marched for another two days.

When the watchtowers and walls of Iron Hammer Town finally came into view, the listless troops finally regained some morale.

"It’s Iron Hammer Town, we’ve made it!"

"Thank goodness, we’re finally home!"

"Quick, open the gates! We’re Johnny’s men!"

The Soldiers quickened their pace, practically scrambling as they rushed the heavy city gate.

Some even wept with joy, as if simply passing through the gate would free them from the nightmare that dogged their every step.

Johnny also breathed a sigh of relief, the tension finally leaving him.

However...

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

But the response wasn’t the creak of the gate opening, but a series of sharp, piercing whistles through the air.

"ARGH~!!"

The dozen or so Soldiers at the front were instantly riddled with arrows, turning them into human pincushions as they screamed and fell.

Immediately after, the top of the wall lit up with the blinding light of Magic. A volley of ice spikes, Fireballs, and Shadow Arrows rained down, blooming into flowers of death among the crowd.

BOOM~ BOOM!

The two ballistae on the walls had also taken aim at them. Amid a deafening roar, massive Crossbow Arrows screamed toward the men, landing in the blink of an eye and skewering rows of them like bloody fruit.

Then,

BANG! BANG! BANG!

a series of dull booms rang out.

It was musket fire—the signature firearms of the Lakefront Town militia.

"It’s an ambush! Retreat! Quickly, retreat!"

Johnny’s eyes nearly split with rage. He roared hoarsely while his body shot backward. A blast of battle aura erupted from him, deflecting the several arrows aimed in his direction.

The surviving Soldiers, jolted as if from a dream, scrambled to flee, leaving a field of corpses before the gate.

Only when they had retreated to a safe distance did Johnny stop. He looked up at the city wall, his face contorted with rage, his eyes practically spitting fire.

’How is this possible?!’

’Iron Hammer Town is my stronghold, my main base! How could it have been taken by the enemy?!’

But before he could make sense of it,

a Lakefront Town flag embroidered with the emblem of the Ninth Battle Battalion was slowly raised above the city wall, fluttering in the morning breeze.

Beneath the flag, a black-robed figure slowly appeared at the center of the wall.

The man was tall and slender, with a youthful face and a calm, confident smile playing on his lips.

Beside him stood two Purple Zombies exuding a terrifying Evil Qi. He was further flanked by dozens of Skeleton Guards, their eye sockets flickering with Soul Fire. Their presence amplified his majestic aura, making him seem like a young Monarch of Death.

Seeing Johnny’s gaze, the figure gave a distant wave. A young, clear voice, amplified by Magic, carried to every person’s ears.

"Well, well, if it isn’t the esteemed Johnny?"

"A pleasure to finally meet. What took you so long to get back?"

He leaned against the parapet, his tone as relaxed as if he were chatting with an old friend. "I’ve been waiting here for you for days. I was starting to think you’d died in a ditch somewhere~"

"You really kept me waiting, you know~"

Johnny’s face paled, his pupils contracting. He was so enraged that a mouthful of blood surged up his throat, and he sprayed it onto the ground.

His bloodshot eyes locked onto the figure on the wall. His voice, filled with endless fury and despair, was practically squeezed from between his teeth.

"Lynch... BLACKWOOD!!!"

...