Chapter 385 - 132: Kill Lynch! Slay the Scoundrel

Chapter 385: Chapter 132: Kill Lynch! Slay the Scoundrel

"We will conquer Grey Stone Pass together!"

"We will fulfill Master Blood Hand’s last wish!"

The grand army marched out, kicking up clouds of dust.

However, as Angus led his army out, he made a special "detour" past several former strongholds of the Blue Crow Battle Group, as well as its headquarters, Harlan Town!

"Though Lord Blue Crow has unfortunately fallen, in life, he held the deepest trust for Master Blood Hand. Our two battle groups were like brothers. Now that Master Blood Hand has also passed, it is only natural and logical that we merge!"

Angus stood before the gates of Harlan Town, calling out to the defenders within. His voice was filled with sincerity and grief.

"Brothers! A great enemy stands before us. Only by uniting can we avenge our two masters! I, Angus, swear this: the brothers of the Blue Crow Department will be treated generously. You will not be wronged."

The defenders exchanged uncertain glances, but seeing the vast, dark mass of the army outside the city and the banner of the Blood Cross behind Angus, they ultimately opened the gates.

And just like that.

Angus "naturally" took control of all the former Blue Crow Battle Group’s territory and its remaining reserve Soldiers, and quickly assumed command of the defensive sector.

He didn’t travel quickly, but his mobile forces grew to nearly three thousand men.

It had to be admitted that while Angus’s personal combat prowess couldn’t match the Tier Five battle group commanders, his leadership skills and personal charisma were exceptional.

Furthermore, he was clear with his rewards and punishments. By reorganizing the troops as they marched, he managed to forge this cobbled-together force into an increasingly disciplined army, one that was beginning to resemble an elite unit.

「Meanwhile, at Grey Stone Pass, garrisoned by the Iron Wall Battle Group.」

Unlike the pass Lynch had built himself in Gray Claw Gorge, Grey Stone Pass was a proper military fortress belonging to the Empire.

It was built in a critical, treacherous location.

Flanked by steep rock faces, it commanded a vital chokepoint in the narrow corridor between them.

Its walls were built from massive blocks of grey granite, making them incredibly sturdy. The fortress was enormous, large enough to garrison several thousand troops.

However, Grey Stone Pass had its flaws.

Because it was built at the narrowest point of the corridor, the rock walls flared out in front of it like the bell of a trumpet, which allowed a larger enemy force to form up for an assault.

Furthermore, the terrain in the corridor was flat. Aside from the height of the walls themselves, there was no geographical high ground, preventing the defenders from leveraging the terrain for plunging fire.

Even so, with its sturdy walls and comprehensive defensive installations—including arrow towers, catapults, and ballistae—Grey Stone Pass remained an exceptionally difficult fortress to breach.

And as its name suggested, the Iron Wall Battle Group was exceptionally skilled at defense.

Its commander, Leonard, was a Tier Five Shield Warrior of commoner birth. Built like an iron tower, he wielded a greatshield large enough to cover his entire body. His style was incredibly tenacious, embodying the "turtle" philosophy—seek no glory, just make no mistakes. He would defend to the death and endure any assault, but never recklessly advance.

It was for this very reason that even the combined might of the Iron Fang and Dark Thorn Battle Groups—both powerful forces active in Sardinia Province, with over ten thousand elite troops and countless fierce warriors between them—had failed to breach the pass after a prolonged siege.

Recently, things had become even more difficult, as Lynch from Lakefront Town had sent reinforcements to help defend Grey Stone Pass: elites from his Ninth Battle Battalion, three hundred militia riflemen, and a unit of Undead Elite Forces.

The Skeleton Mages and Zombie Corps were fearless and incredibly difficult to deal with, to say nothing of the Tier Four Peak Corpse Demon leading their charges.

The three hundred elites and four hundred militia riflemen also demonstrated incredible combat power. The moment their guns roared, the allied Soldiers charging at the forefront fell in droves.

The arrival of these reinforcements had helped the Iron Wall Battle Group stabilize their crumbling defensive line.

「At this very moment.」

On an open plain a few miles from Grey Stone Pass, the encampment of the allied Iron Fang and Dark Thorn armies stretched as far as the eye could see—a spectacular, endless sea of tents.

In the center stood the two largest pavilions, the command tents for the commanders of the two battle groups.

Not far from them was the central command tent.

Inside the central command tent, the two battle group commanders and their high-ranking officers were gathered for a meeting.

However, the atmosphere in the tent was far from amicable.

"Damn it! This Grey Stone Pass is like a turtle’s shell! We can’t put a dent in it!" A burly, bushy-bearded man with a fleshy face slammed his palm on the table, making the teacups jump. "We in the Iron Fang Department have already lost over two thousand brothers! If this keeps up, we’ll lose everything we’ve got!"

"You think things are any better for the Dark Thorn Department?"

Hearing this, a man dressed like a Ranger across the table shot him a glance, his eyes sinister and cold.

"Over a hundred of my elite commandos are dead. Those were elites I spent years training! That Leonard is like a coward hiding in his shell. He refuses to leave the city, no matter how we try to lure him out."

Clearly, these two were Iron Fang, commander of the Iron Fang Battle Group, and Black Thorn, commander of the Dark Thorn Battle Group—a powerful Fallen Ranger.

"That’s because your methods are shit!" the Iron Fang commander roared, his eyes wide with fury. "If you hadn’t been in such a rush to send your commandos up the walls yesterday, would they have been riddled with holes by their riflemen? My men were making a feint, taking heavy losses to draw their fire, and what about you? Your troops were cowering in the back while mine went to die!"

"Bullshit!" Black Thorn shot to his feet, a murderous glint in his eyes. "It was your pathetic feint that failed to pin down the defenders on the wall, leaving my commandos exposed! If you’d been willing to commit another five hundred men to the push, we would’ve taken that wall long ago!"