The nights on the desolate highlands were always particularly quiet. Only occasionally, the calls of the two-legged flying dragon would echo in the night sky, but the soldiers had also become accustomed to it since leaving Brakada, as these massive beasts circled above their heads at all times. At first, some soldiers couldn't help but try to attack with bows and arrows, but the height and airflow generated by the two-legged flying dragon's flapping wings made all long-range attacks fall back to the ground, sometimes even injuring comrades. The beastmen also seemed to cherish these precious creatures and were unwilling to recklessly command them to dive down and attack. By the time they set up camp that night, dozens of soldiers holding strong bows and crossbows stood guard at each fire pit around the campsite, on high alert for a sneak attack by the two-legged flying dragon.

  A few werewolves approached the campsite under the cover of night. Even on a quiet night, their approach did not make any sound, and they didn't need any lighting, even in such a moonless dark night, they could see things clearly, so they could approach without making any noise or light. This is an ability that humans absolutely cannot match, making them excellent sneak attackers.

  The edge of the camp didn't even have patrolling soldiers, it was eerily quiet. The werewolves quietly approached the edge of the camp. Of course with such a small number they wouldn't cause any effective harm, this was just a probe and harassment.

  Suddenly a strange squeaking sound came from the camp. It seemed to be the voice of some animal, and before several werewolves could react, the entire barracks had been activated by this sound. Torches lit up everywhere, and soldiers poured out of their tents. The previously quiet barracks suddenly became a boiling ocean of shouting, with waves of soldiers rushing towards the werewolves.

  The soldiers had no officers to give orders and direct them, they were completely like street thugs who spontaneously fought in a disorderly manner, shouting and rushing out with weapons in hand. What directed them was not discipline but emotions of anger and hatred.

  The two soldiers at the forefront immediately became sacrifices to the werewolf's meteor hammer, their mangled corpses flying far away, blood splashing everywhere. However, the soldiers who had gotten their comrades' blood on them did not show any hesitation or fear, but instead charged forward even more bravely, their mouths letting out cries that were no longer human, but those of ferocious beasts. Under the illumination of the torches, the eyes filled with bloodshot veins all bore the mark of frenzied fighting spirit.

  Several werewolves were frightened by this scene and started turning around to escape.

  A massive figure in the group of soldiers rushed to a werewolf's side with several swift arrow-steps, raising a huge axe to strike. This was a man almost as tall and large as the werewolf, and the enormous axe in his hand also showed extraordinary killing power, just like the werewolf's Flowing Star Mace.

  The werewolf dodged the attack by a hair's breadth, swinging the meteor hammer in his hand at the attacker. The weapon that could shatter shields and armor collided with another axe in the man's hand, producing a deafening crash of equal intensity.

  The werewolf let out a pained yelp as the other axe, now empty of its previous target, was swung back with great strength and skill by its wielder, striking horizontally to sever the werewolf's arm that held the weapon.

  Under the intense pain, the werewolf's empty claw also scratched a piece of flesh from his opponent's body. Just such a pause, the surrounding soldiers rushed up, and the werewolf only managed to kill two or three soldiers with his claws and teeth before being hacked to pieces by countless knives, swords, and spears around him.

  The other werewolves had already begun to turn and flee. The upper body of the man who had just felled a werewolf was now soaked in blood, and if he hadn't dodged quickly enough, that swipe would have disembowelled him.

  The long-lost pain and passion for battle completely ignited his fighting spirit, he let out a loud roar, took a step forward and threw the giant axe in his hand, the axe head made a fierce whistling sound as it chased after the werewolf that was fleeing in front of him. A mournful howl, the werewolf fell to the ground. The other werewolves quickly disappeared into the night.

  Asa emerged from the tent, just in time to see the soldiers cheering as they surrounded the general on his return. The bloodstains all over him did not make the general look defeated or disheartened; instead, he looked even more spirited, as if the battle had infused him with new vitality. He saw Asa and pointed at the small animals tied up in the corner of the tent, chuckling and saying, "Thanks to your idea."

  Those were mouse rabbits, a kind of herbivorous small animal in the wasteland, with extremely sensitive sense of smell. When Asa and General Braka were discussing wilderness warfare, Asa had told the general about this method, capturing these sensitive little animals and tying them to various parts of the campsite. As soon as they smelled the peculiar stench of carnivores, they would make a collective cry. This method was originally used by adventurers when resting in places where beasts roamed, but Asa adapted it, unexpectedly finding it effective against the silent and stealthy wolfmen. The general had already ordered all soldiers to sleep with their weapons, and as soon as they heard the mouse rabbits' cries, they would immediately get up and attack the attackers. This arrangement indeed produced a huge effect.

  The soldiers behind tied up the werewolf that was knocked down by the general's axe and carried it in. The general's blow wasn't fatal, and relying on its own tenacious vitality, this werewolf hadn't died yet. The general ordered to tie this werewolf firmly in one place.

  One man knocked down two werewolves, and the general was completely an incarnation of the god of war in the eyes of these young soldiers.

  The soldiers gathered around the general, watching as he poured liquor onto his wound. The gash was deep in his fleshy muscle, and the general himself sewed the two sides of flesh together with needle and thread. He threaded the needle with thread and stabbed it into his own flesh, pulling it out from beside the wound, then stabbing it back in again before tightening the thread. The skin and flesh were squeezed together under the tension of the thread.

  The general's face was calm and composed, as if he were sewing clothes. Most of the young soldiers were on the battlefield for the first time, and seeing such a scene made them admire the general even more.

  Asa watched with a cold eye, he didn't go forward to use healing techniques on the general, he didn't want to help this person who was eager to die soon. Besides, he could also see that the general's performance was originally a way to boost the morale of these young soldiers.

  The performance is over, and the general lets the soldiers all go back to rest well. After this time, there should be no more sneak attacks.

  Asa didn't leave, after the soldiers left, only he and that dying werewolf were left here.

  He wanted to take a look at this werewolf. Here, he didn't have any hostility towards these beastmen. In Aofu's time, he was used to seeing these beastmen working with tools and living their lives just like humans, so in his eyes, they weren't much different from humans either.

  Judging from his physique, he should still be a wolfman who has not fully grown up, and even the white fluff on his body has not completely fallen off. If converted to human age, he is probably just an adolescent. The general's axe left a very deep wound on his back, with broken ribs clearly visible in the wound. If it weren't for the hard leather armor on his body, this blow would have taken his life.

  The werewolf had been tied up securely by the soldiers, but even if he hadn't been, he wouldn't have had the strength to struggle. His wolf-like or dog-like face looked very weak, and his eyes, half-open and lifeless, stared at Asa, with tears suddenly welling up in them. His young age made him look even more vulnerable.

  There was once a poet who sang the praises of tears as humanity's specialty, but those who understand animals know that this is not true. Asa, although he never thought such things had any special or noble meaning, still felt an unusual sensation in his heart when he saw the wolfman's tears. He leaned forward, reached out and pressed a healing technique on the wolfman's wound.

  Because he always thought about traveling outside in his heart, during that time in Brakada, when he had free time, he would still study various spells and teach the priests under him. Although he didn't remember much of the tedious incantations for auxiliary blessings, his healing and detoxification spells made great progress. The power of the World Tree's leaves and the Sun Spring probably also greatly benefited his magic. His healing techniques, although not yet as divine as old Sandru's, were already far superior to those of ordinary priests. As soon as he used them, the wolfman's wounds stopped bleeding and even healed a lot.

  "Th-thank you..." The wolfman's spirit lifted a bit, and he spoke in a vague voice. These young beastmen were generally trying hard to learn the human language. To have received such unexpected help here, this little wolfman also felt extremely surprised. "P-please... let me go, okay?"

  "Impossible, they'll chop me into minced meat if I let you go, and that crazy old man might be looking for an excuse to get rid of me."

  "I... don't want... to die." The little wolfman's face twitched and he let out a whimper like an injured dog.

  Asa's heart stirred at the familiar plea, but he also knew he couldn't let this werewolf go. "Actually, you really shouldn't have come to launch a sneak attack..." Asa felt a bit awkward due to his own sympathy. It was precisely because of his suggestion that the general had been able to thwart the werewolves' sneak attack so easily. If they were to truly defend against such nocturnal creatures' sneak attacks, it would be an extremely costly endeavor in terms of military strength and morale.

  The wolfman's spirit recovered a bit, and in the wolfman's unique tone, he said: "We are not ambushing... just... coming to scout out... General Gru wants to figure out the purpose and intentions of this unit..." It can be seen that this is a very clever little wolfman, who speaks human language without much difficulty.

  What's the intention? Should I say it's to flatten Europe or just send them to death?

  Asa could almost imagine the consequences when this unit faced General Gru's beastman army head-on. Of course, it was still impossible for General Gru to resist all 5,000 soldiers here with his own strength alone, but it would not be difficult at all to directly rush into the midst of these thousands of troops and twist off the general's head like an apple or crush it like a tomato. The soldiers who lost their commander and spiritual leader, witnessing such a disparity in strength, no matter how high their morale was, would immediately collapse, and then they could only be slaughtered by the beastmen at will.

  The purpose of his participation this time is to try to avoid such a situation as much as possible. To save the lives of 5,000 young people... Honestly, Asa never thought he was so great, but just didn't want to see mountains of corpses and seas of blood, didn't want to have a massacre dozens of times more brutal than what he experienced half a year ago. No matter how the general's old brain-dead bastard thinks, these 5,000 soldiers are all innocent after all.

  But as for how to solve the current situation, Asa can't think of any way now, and can only follow the army's advance, hoping that when they reach the mountain, there will be a road.

  Looking at the little wolfman in front of him, what would the general do with this captive? Wait until the two armies clash and use it to kill and establish prestige? In fact, he is also innocent like these 5,000 soldiers. Asa patted the wolfman's head and said: "I'll try my best not to let them kill you. This battle actually had nothing to do with you guys in the first place."

  The little wolf-like creature kept nodding and wagging its tail at Asa, expressing gratitude. "Thank you for your help... The lord of the city said that we will be negotiating immediately, and after the negotiation, we won't have to fight anymore. Please come to Oufu..."

  Suddenly hearing such a naive invitation, Asa couldn't help but want to laugh, he suddenly had the idea of saving him. He patted the wolf man's head and said, "Don't worry, I'll take you back to Oufu."

  The little wolf man let out a low howl twice, and his eyes actually had some tears in them.

  Asa got up and walked back to his own tent to sleep. He suddenly felt that this time following the troops was indeed meaningful, being able to reduce the number of innocent deaths was always good.

  I was vaguely woken up by the noise outside and opened my eyes to find it already daylight.

  The soldiers are ready to depart. They are gathered in one place, listening to the general's orders.

  Asa walked over, astonished to find the general standing beside the wounded werewolf, one foot on the werewolf's head, majestically pointing at the bound beastman prisoners on the ground and shouting: "Everyone has seen it, these beasts that once harmed our comrades are not worth fearing. Because what we possess is unparalleled bravery and justice for revenge for our comrades."

  The soldiers responded with a passionate shout. Although the method was not exactly the same, the general did this kind of motivation every day, not letting the flames of revenge in these soldiers' bodies go out, ensuring their high morale.

  The general continued to speak: "That beastman's nest is already very close, and soon it will be crushed like a stink bug by us. All the beastmen will die under our righteous swords. Now let's first slaughter this wolfman, all warriors come and hack him with one knife, use his blood to cleanse our swords."

  The soldiers let out another yell.

  "Hey, wait!" Asa didn't expect the general to bring this captive out for execution so early in the morning and hastily jumped forward to stop him. "This captive is no longer capable of resisting. Aren't you warriors......"

  "Get out." The general swung his axe in a threatening manner. "You weak clergyman, you think we don't know? You're also under the orders of those noble powers, trying to soften our warriors."

  Ah Sa knew it was no use saying anything to the general, so he turned around and shouted at the soldiers: "This wolfman is only five or six years old, it's impossible that he has ever harmed humans. Haven't those wolfmen who have eaten humans been killed off already? We don't need to do this..."

  "The debt of blood owed by these savage races, is it to be forgotten just because they are dead? Is the hatred of those who were killed and eaten by them to be so easily settled?" The general waved his arm, his face flushed with excitement, making every soldier feel it even if they couldn't see clearly. "Tell me, can we just let it go like this."

  "No!" and the general's matching high-pitched fierce cry, Asa felt himself almost deafened by the surrounding shouts, drowned out.

  The little werewolf on the ground struggled desperately. He could hear that he was probably going to die, but the rope was tied very tightly and he could only flail about futilely on the ground. A low growl suddenly came from the werewolf's mouth.

  In the midst of the deafening shouts of the surrounding soldiers, Asa still heard the wolf's voice very clearly and distinctly. It was a sound of desperation and beastly instincts simmering in the face of death. In that instant, he had an illusion that it was another self lying on the ground.

  The general swung his massive axe, and with a voice full of mission, said, "Slaughter it." The soldiers shouted in unison and began to swarm forward.

  A Sa wanted to go up and intercept, but in the thousands of people tide immediately rushed him back. The soldiers swarmed over like a group of starving ants surrounding a locust, countless knives and swords chopping down at the werewolf on the ground.

  The werewolf let out a mournful howl, the howl mixed with the sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing, as if it was a direct cry from his body, and suddenly, goosebumps appeared on Asa's skin.

  Asa was pushed away and couldn't see how the werewolf was being dismembered in the crowd, only seeing blood and small pieces of fur flying up with the soldiers' swinging weapons, then sprinkling onto their bodies.

  It was probably due to their robust physique and strong vitality that the werewolves did not die immediately. The mournful howls continued for a while before slowly weakening, eventually disappearing into complete silence. However, the soldiers who came later continued to surge forward, ceaselessly hacking and slashing, the sound of flesh being torn apart sending shivers down the spine without any pause. The soldiers eagerly lined up to take turns stepping forward to strike a blow, thrust a sword, as if participating in a long-awaited sacred ritual.

  It wasn't until a good while later that this grand ceremony finally came to an end and the soldiers returned to their ranks.

  The werewolf was gone, leaving a large patch of deep red mud on the ground, like some kind of garbage. Inside, apart from some larger bones and some traces of young beast fur, newcomers would never be able to tell what it had been.

  The soldiers waved their weapons stained with these crimson objects, and many of them had bloodstains on their faces, but without exception, they were all heroic and enthusiastic, as if those red things were medals of honor, proof of warriors, symbols of loyalty and bravery.

  The soldiers were shouting with excitement. They knew that this was a virtue that excited them. Killing the enemy, aliens, and enemies is a noble virtue of loving one's family, country, and nation. This primitive collective frenzy and self-affirmation mixed together, complementing each other, making morale infinitely high.

  A Sa stared blankly at the soldiers in front of him. Only now did he realize how naive he was, thinking that he could save them. But they didn't need it, nor did they want him to bother.

  He didn't feel angry or sad. Looking at the mangled limbs covered in blood over there, he just felt nauseous.

  The general remained still beside him, like a statue overlooking everything that was happening in front of him.

  Asa silently turned around, led a horse over, mounted it, and turned the horse's head in the direction of Brakada.

  "What's wrong? Didn't you die waiting for me here? Doesn't matter what I lead them to do?" The general finally spoke, with a hint of triumph in his eyes. He could see right through this young man. Having finally scared off that annoying little brat, the general felt proud of the impact of this glorious cause he had devoted himself to. This is war, and it's just like this - these are just minor dishes, small and insignificant, not even worth mentioning.

  The eastern sun had already risen, red and bright. Under the morning sunlight, Asa only felt his blood boiling as he turned around to stare at this fanatical leader and his 5,000 followers, shaking his head weakly and saying: "Go die, I don't care, nor can I."

  In the town hall of Oufu City, Lord Cedro was standing and reviewing a mountain of documents.

  Eufo City continued to expand, its population constantly increasing, and foreign beastmen constantly joining. How to better manage the attitudes of various countries towards this place, the imperial army... All these things required his brain to analyze the complex relationships, sort them out, and come up with the most effective solution that could kill two or more birds with one stone. The Lord of Sedros City slept no more than three hours a day during this period.

  But this nearly ancient old man is still so spirited and full of energy, he even keeps standing while working to concentrate more spirit. Because he isn't finishing work, but enjoying work.

  Every time he completes a task, he feels a sense of pride and satisfaction, knowing that this city he created with his own hands has become even stronger and more perfect. The joy and fulfillment he gets from it injects him with new energy and life. In fact, in his eyes, these things don't even count as "work", but rather as "games". He enjoys the sense of accomplishment just like a child building a sandcastle, except that he is infinitely more serious and hardworking, and the sense of accomplishment he gets is also infinitely stronger, and this project itself is enormous beyond measure.

  The footsteps outside the door sounded, and Sedros furrowed his brow, knowing that something was probably wrong. He could tell it was General Gru's footsteps, and they were slightly hurried, which was rare for his friend.

  General Gru pushed open the door and reported, "A corps that left Braakada on the Ein Fafnir border is approaching here with all its might. At this speed, it will probably arrive in about seven or eight days."

  "Uh-huh." Sedros didn't even lift his head, still looking at the file. "What's their intention?"

  "They have been observed for several days, without any signs of worry or hesitation, advancing directly towards here. Several pairs of flying dragons were dispatched to scout them out, and there are no signs of reinforcements, ambushes, or logistical supplies, only that one unit. Last night I sent someone to probe their attitude," Gru said with a cold hum. "Their attitude is very clear."

  "Huh?" Cedros was taken aback, finally stopping his work to say, looking at Gru. "Please tell me everything in detail, without leaving out a single thing."

  After listening to General Gru's words, Sedros fell into thought for a moment and shook his head helplessly: "The envoys of various countries have gathered in the capital, and we have shown enough friendly attitude. They should understand that this is a futile war, let alone Ronis should also make some statement. So it's impossible for Emperor Ainfarst to order them to attack, and I estimate that the order to retreat has already been given. But such a small team without any plan or tactics, rushing in hastily... really can't understand why they would do such a thing." Sedros sighed, bent his waist, twisted his neck, stretched his muscles, and patted General Gru's shoulder. "Come out and take a walk with me."

  Two leaders of the Oufo walked out of the city hall and onto the main street. The surrounding beasts did not seem particularly surprised, at most occasionally nodding in greeting before hurrying off to attend to their own work.

  "That unit is indeed very clear in its attitude, they are here to die." Sedros looked at General Gru and asked: "What do you plan to do?"

  "It's simple. When they're at their most exhausted from the long march, I'll lead the charge and take them down." General Gru's tone was casual, as if it were truly a simple matter. "I'll kill the leading general first, and the remaining soldiers will naturally be demoralized, perhaps even fleeing in all directions, making them much easier to deal with."

  "What damage would we suffer if that were to happen?" Sedros asked.

  "It will never be more than five people." General Gru replied calmly, his tone no longer confident, but rather a matter-of-fact calmness. As if someone would never doubt that they could crush a boiled egg with one bite.

  "Five?" Sedros raised his own right hand, carefully examined the wrinkled fingers on it, and let out a sigh, as if reluctant to put it down. "No, not one can die."

  "Although five such small numbers may not be a big deal for our current troop size, what we want to avoid is not the loss itself, but its impact. If one's own kind are killed by other races in war, there will inevitably be feelings of resentment towards humans. Racial hatred is detrimental to everyone and especially dangerous for a multi-ethnic country like ours. So it must be avoided."

  "You wouldn't want to persuade them to turn back, would you?" Gru asked.

  "Since it's against the Emperor's will, it means they've lost their sanity, so a fight is unavoidable. And this is exactly the time for us to show our fighting power to other nations, and wipe them out in one go......" Sedros sank into thought. The strong sunlight on the high ground made his silver hair shine brightly, making him look like a statue symbolizing wisdom, unable to tell that he was thinking about how to kill 5,000 people.

  Two people walked to the street where the workshop gathered, craftsmen and those beastman apprentices were working hard, the heat from the furnace made the air rise, and the sunlight formed some wave-like shadows on the ground under the distortion of these hot airs. Sedros looked at those shadows, then raised his head to look at the dazzling sunlight, nodded, turned around and said to Gulu: "You ride a double-footed flying dragon for me to send a message to the southeast, and then bring a few people over."