Mist Lord

"Master, there are no ambushes around!"

Elua, who had taken the simpleton out to scout, quickly returned with a report.

During this time, due to the strong presence of living beings, Xia Yuan and his group had been attacked by fog monsters such as gray fog rats and scorpion-tailed flies, causing quite a commotion. It was practically unrealistic to stay hidden in the fog zone indefinitely.

"Can you find out the enemy's situation?"

"It's hard to say."

Elua looked troubled. "We're currently located about two hundred meters south of the southern edge of enemy territory. From the edge of the mist, we can see that all the trees on the southern outskirts of the enemy camp have been cut down, making the view extremely open. Arrow towers have been built at both the east and west corners of the wooden city wall, including on both sides of the gate tower."

"The passageway leading to the gatehouse was also dug with many potholes, and there is a high probability that it was set with traps."

As soon as it shows its face, it will be discovered immediately, making it very difficult to conduct any close reconnaissance.

Although the exact time of Xia Yuan's arrival is unknown, the enemy must have been on full alert long ago, making a surprise attack unlikely.

This is the disadvantage for the attacking side.

Don't take on a task you're not qualified for; forcing yourself to take the offensive will only lead to disaster.

"In that case, let's just attack!"

This kind of small-scale confrontation can only be a head-on clash.

With the plan settled, the group quickly traversed the fogged area and headed straight for the enemy camp.

.........

"My lord, the enemy has arrived!"

On the gate tower, Murakami Sousuke, accompanied by the masked samurai, had been guarding the position since early morning.

In the distance, the mist surged, and the intermittent hissing of mist monsters and the sudden flight of scorpion-tailed flies all indicated that the enemy had arrived.

At this moment, Murakami Sousuke was both nervous and excited.

As one of the most outstanding newcomers in the Yingzhou Alliance this year, he was the first to reach Level 2 Lord, receiving special attention from the alliance leaders and being held in high regard. Today's trial is a major test.

If he can hold firm and even strike back hard against the invading enemy, it will not only be a victory, but also a battle to establish his status as the new king of rookies.

Its future potential is limitless.

For this battle, he had done everything he could to prepare over the past three days, just waiting for the big fish to take the bait.

Looking around at the archers standing ready on the arrow towers, the skeleton warriors arrayed in neat rows behind the city gate, and the third-tier heavy knights in front of the skeleton warriors, Murakami Sousuke could not hide his surging excitement and pride.

This is the stage he has always longed for.

Back home, he was a complete failure, only able to vent his emotions online and dream of restoring Japan's former glory, instead of the lifeless state it was in now.

Now, he finally has the opportunity to take charge himself, starting from a small camp, and embark on the path of the conqueror.

"I wonder if it's Lord Yanxia who's coming..."

Murakami Sousuke was equally wary of the warlike orcs, otherwise he wouldn't have chosen to defend himself. As for Yanxia, ​​he both despised and feared her. He instinctively hated her, yet also harbored a vague and inexplicable sense of awe and fear.

There's nothing we can do back home, but here, the Yingzhou Alliance and the Yanxia Alliance are on equal footing, even even evenly matched. Isn't this the perfect stage to prove ourselves?

Rumble!

The enemy finally appeared, piercing the fog, stirring up dust, and creating a clamor.

"This is... an orc? Pfft!"

Murakami Sousuke couldn't help but laugh on the spot.

What did he see?

A group of yellow clowns who are less than a meter tall, with dog heads and toad-like bodies?

Can this thing be used as a soldier?

Those rusty iron knives and worn-out wooden shields could easily be mistaken for children's toys.

I was initially quite worried about encountering orcs, but seeing that they dared to choose to attack with such a bunch of clowns, I couldn't help but laugh. Aren't they just coming to their deaths?

Steady!

This one's definitely in the bag!

.........

"My sword and shield!"

No matter how much Murakami Sousuke mocked them, the wandering swordsmen who were in charge of leading the charge advanced step by step according to their previous drills.

Their main task was to check for traps along the way, fill in large ditches, and clear obstacles for the advance of subsequent troops. Therefore, they moved slowly and patiently, as they had plenty of time.

"...My lord, shall we take the initiative?"

On the gate tower, Murakami Sousuke stared blankly for over an hour, his eyes aching, yet he couldn't advance any closer to the archers' firing range. Even the masked samurai couldn't bear to watch any longer.

"No rush."

Despite the mockery, Murakami Sosuke wouldn't get carried away easily. "The opponents matched in the trial will definitely be of similar strength; it's impossible for it to be just a bunch of cannon fodder. There must be elite troops following behind them."

He wouldn't be easily fooled; it might just be an enemy's trick.

That's really sneaky!

This made Murakami Sousuke think of the people of Yanxia rather than the simple-minded beastmen.

Did I guess wrong?

His hunch was right. Just as the vanguard of wandering swordsmen and shieldmen was about to enter the enemy archers' range, the main force, which had been hidden in the mist, finally revealed itself.

"Why are they still a bunch of dwarfs?"

Looking at the newly appeared soldiers with swords and shields, Murakami Sousuke finally couldn't hold back any longer. Although the new enemies were taller and better equipped, they couldn't be associated with the word "elite" at all.

Is this a joke?

"Wait, there's another expert!"

It wasn't until the elves Satir and Elua appeared that Murakami Sousuke finally took things seriously. Even the skeleton general, who brought up the rear, clearly looked formidable.

"That's... the Lord of Yanxia? Good! Good! Good!"

The moment Murakami Sousuke saw Xia Yuan, he became incredibly excited.

As long as they're not orcs!

Although the fact that there were three third-tier experts in the enemy ranks was somewhat unexpected, he was on the defensive and naturally had the advantage.

Besides, those trash troops can be taken care of with a single charge, victory is assured!

"Whoosh!"

Just as Murakami Sousuke was secretly rejoicing, an arrow suddenly shot from four hundred meters away, nearly scaring him out of his wits. The arrow, swift as the wind, made a whistling sound, leaving him completely stunned and unable to react.

"My lord, be careful!"

Fortunately, the masked samurai reacted quickly and pushed Murakami Sousuke away.

"Thump!"

The arrow whizzed past him and embedded itself in the wooden pillar behind him, making a buzzing vibration.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Before Murakami Sousuke could react, arrows flew faster and faster, aimed directly at the arrow tower and the archers on the gate tower, almost every arrow taking a life.

Satir and Elua cooperated, attacking from both sides. Although there were only two of them and they were on the offensive, they still easily suppressed the enemy archers.

This is the splendor of the elven archer.

Even the masked samurai dared not confront them head-on, and protected Murakami Sousuke as they fled down the gate tower in a sorry state.

The archers were in for a rough time.

Those who are suppressed dare not show their faces at all; if they do, they are instantly killed, and their long-range suppression ability is lost immediately.

"My sword and shield!"

Led by Sword and Shield One, the sword-and-shield dogs, shields on their heads, pressed forward rapidly. They explored as many traps as possible, destroyed barricades, cleared barbed wire, and filled in trenches, clearing obstacles for the subsequent general offensive.

Xia Yuan took out the main body and parts of the dog siege vehicle from his storage space and quickly assembled it with the help of the black armor, making final preparations for the siege.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The enemy was no pushover either; soon, a large number of javelins flew out from behind the city gate, inflicting casualties on the sword-and-shield dogs that were clearing obstacles. However, without the cover and suppression of archers, and with their line of sight lost, the javelins were simply inaccurate.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Soon, the sword-and-shield dogs pushed the siege engines and launched a fierce attack on the city gate. The iron-plated battering rams caused the wooden gate to break under the strain with each impact.

It was only a matter of time before they broke down the door.

The key was that with the two elven archers, Satir and Elua, suppressing the enemy, no one dared to guard the gate tower and instead used stones and hot oil for effective defense.

In a war with relatively small troop numbers, these two were indeed like superhuman beings.

.........

"My lord, prepare for a counter-offensive; the city gates are certainly not going to hold."

Inside the city walls, Murakami Sousuke, who had been so spirited just moments before, now had a grim expression. In the blink of an eye, the battle situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse, with the offensive and defensive positions shifting dramatically.

So, who exactly is the Joker?