Chapter 384 - 132: Kill Lynch! Slay the Scoundrel

Chapter 384: Chapter 132: Kill Lynch! Slay the Scoundrel

"This man conspired with Lynch to murder Master Blood Hand! He deserves a thousand deaths! Kill!"

After making his rounds, Angus’s forces had swelled from just over 2,300 men to more than 3,000.

The old, weak, and infirm from the original troops were assigned to garrison various outposts.

As for his current mobile force of over three thousand, while not all of them were elites, at least half were. Their combat effectiveness was a cut above the ragtag army he had before.

In addition, a few scattered and routed soldiers who had been lucky enough to escape the battle at Gray Claw Gorge had made their way back over the mountains to Sardinia. Upon hearing Angus’s call for "revenge," they too flocked to his banner.

Though not numerous, this group consisted of one to two hundred men, all of them veterans hardened by bloody battle.

Angus turned no one away, accepting them all into his ranks.

On this day, the sun shone brightly.

Clad in silver armor, Angus sat astride a tall warhorse. Behind him were over 3,500 soldiers, their morale high. Banners snapped in the wind above a forest of blades and spears.

He drew his longsword and pointed south, his voice booming, "Brothers! That villain Lynch Blackwood used treachery to murder Master Blood Hand and seize our Iron Hammer Town! Today, I, Angus Fisher, swear I will retake Iron Hammer Town and avenge Master Blood Hand!"

"Revenge! Revenge!"

"Retake Iron Hammer Town!"

"Kill Lynch!"

The army let out a deafening roar.

"March!"

With a wave of his longsword, Angus set the vast army in motion, marching toward Iron Hammer Town.

However, when Angus’s army arrived outside Iron Hammer Town, they found the city almost completely deserted.

The defenders on the walls were few and far between. Seeing the massive army bearing down on them, they simply opened the gates and raised a white flag.

"My lord, Lynch’s forces... they ran?" Barton asked, a look of stunned disbelief on his face.

Angus’s brow furrowed slightly as he urged his horse into the city.

The city was a complete mess, signs of having been thoroughly ransacked everywhere.

The granary was emptied, the armory was plundered, and even the anvils in the blacksmith shops had been pried away.

Only the old, the weak, women, and children remained on the streets. When they saw this "army of liberation" led by Angus enter the city, they huddled together, trembling with fear.

"Report!" a scout cried, galloping up. "My lord, Lynch’s forces withdrew half a day ago! They plundered all the resources and people they could carry and are now retreating through Gray Claw Gorge toward the Red Ridge Mountain area!"

A cunning glint flashed in Angus’s eyes, but he immediately feigned outrage and cursed, "That damn Lynch! How shameless! Give the order—full pursuit!"

"Yes, sir."

The army immediately turned and gave chase towards Gray Claw Gorge.

However, with one side chasing and the other fleeing, a great distance had already opened between them. By the time Angus’s vanguard reached the pass into the gorge, they could only catch a glimpse of the tail end of Lynch’s forces disappearing into the rugged mountains.

"My lord, should we continue the pursuit?" Barton asked.

Angus reined in his warhorse. He stared at the treacherous gorge ahead, a flash of frustration in his eyes, before gritting his teeth. "Forget it! The terrain in Gray Claw Gorge is perilous—easy to defend and difficult to assault. That scoundrel Lynch will be prepared. A rash pursuit would likely lead us into an ambush."

He turned his horse around and, with a look of sorrow and fury, bellowed to the soldiers behind him, "Lynch, you whelp! You can run, but you can’t hide! I, Angus, will remember this slight! The day will come when I lead my army to flatten Lakefront Town in the Red Ridge Mountains and tear you limb from limb to appease the spirit of Master Blood Hand!"

"Flatten the Red Ridge Mountains! Avenge the Master!"

The soldiers roared in unison, their voices thundering to the heavens.

Although Angus didn’t immediately attack Gray Claw Gorge and push deep into the Red Ridge Mountain area, everyone felt his decision was perfectly reasonable.

Master Blood Hand had lost over two thousand elites in this godforsaken place last time. Now that the scoundrel Lynch was prepared, they certainly couldn’t take it with their current numbers.

Rather than charge in and die for nothing, it was better to recruit more soldiers, conserve their strength, and once they had recovered and grown stronger, they could plot their move on Lakefront Town and avenge Master Blood Hand.

「Three days later.」 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

「Iron Hammer Town.」

By now, several days had passed since Angus successfully drove off Lynch and retaken Iron Hammer Town. As news of his exploits spread, his prestige within the group soared to its peak.

The original remnants of Master Blood Hand’s forces and the other strongholds of the Draenei Brotherhood alike now saw him as the successor to Blood Hand Johnny.

Angus didn’t change the group’s name. Instead, he publicly declared that he would carry on Master Blood Hand’s legacy, making the Crimson Cross Group a great and powerful force, renowned throughout the Empire.

"Master Blood Hand may be gone, but his spirit lives on! I, Angus Fisher, hereby swear an oath! I will lead our brothers to the pinnacle of power and see the banner of the Crimson Cross Group flying over all of Sardinia Province!"

His words brought tears to the eyes of the old guard from Master Blood Hand’s faction, many of whom had still harbored doubts. One by one, they pledged their loyalty.

In the days that followed, more routed soldiers from the Blue Crow Department and the Crimson Cross Group trickled back, having escaped over the mountains from Gray Claw Gorge. Hearing of Angus’s heroic feat, they too came to pledge their allegiance.

Angus turned no one away, incorporating them all into his forces.

Combined with his own active recruitment efforts, in just half a month, his forces in Iron Hammer Town swelled to over four thousand men.

After a brief period of rest and reorganization, Angus personally selected two thousand elite soldiers and set off northward in a great host.

His target: Grey Stone Pass, garrisoned by the Iron Wall Battle Group.

"Master Blood Hand’s greatest wish was to break through Grey Stone Pass and annihilate the Iron Wall Battle Group. Though our master is gone, we must not defy his final wish! Men, follow me! We will reinforce the Iron Fang and Dark Thorn Battle Groups, shatter the defenses of Grey Stone Pass, and finish the work Master Blood Hand began!"