Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

However, he did not act rashly.

Instead, it flies to a distance, patiently waits until nightfall, and takes the opportunity to recover its arc.

……

About three miles from the cavalry camp, there was a sparse grove of trees.

At the edge of the woods, several cavalrymen were on guard—these were scouts on the outskirts of the army, responsible for keeping watch over the surrounding area.

Observation alone is not enough to be safe; it's best to capture someone alive and question them.

Lance set his sights on a lone individual.

The young cavalryman, who looked to be in his early twenties, was leaning against a tree, yawning. His horse was tethered beside him, grazing on the dry grass.

Lance landed silently behind him.

[Bewitching humans!]

A flash of pink light appeared.

The cavalrymen were completely unaware of the unusual activity above them.

Lance landed five meters behind him, his footsteps so light they were almost silent.

Then he moved.

[First-level spell - Sleep!]

He began to fall.

Lance caught him and gently placed him on the ground.

Using the [Mage's Hand], they lifted the cavalryman's body and walked into the depths of the forest.

……

In the woods, Lance leaned the cavalry against a tree trunk and raised his hand to cast a spell.

A pink light flooded the cavalryman's eyes, his body stiffened abruptly, his pupils gradually dilated, and when he opened them again, they were filled with obedience.

"What's your name?" Lance asked.

"Marcus...Marcus Wayne..." The cavalryman's voice was wooden.

Which unit do you belong to?

"The Kingdom of Sassanids... the Northern Legion... under General Redmond... the Third Cavalry Battalion..."

Lance's eyes lit up.

The Sassanid Kingdom, that's right.

"What are you doing here?"

"The vanguard cavalry... depart first... arrive thirty miles west of Rield City before nightfall the day after tomorrow... remain hidden and await orders..."

How many people are there in total?

"Three thousand... cavalry..."

"How are the weapons and equipment?"

"Standard scimitars... spears... leather armor... hunting bows... all excellent equipment..."

Lance frowned. Three thousand cavalrymen, well-equipped and highly mobile, were indeed a tough nut to crack.

Rild City will probably have to defend itself... but it seems that it was meant to be defended anyway.

"What about officers and professionals?"

"General Redmond... Level 11 warrior... Exemplary rank... and about a dozen elite centurions and decimals... and... and two or three hundred professionals from level 1 to 4..."

It was roughly in line with Lance's prediction.

"What special abilities does Redmond possess?"

"The general is... Blood Axe..." Marcus's voice remained wooden. "His battle axe is a magical weapon... It's said that it becomes heavier after being stained with blood... and it restores his strength every time he kills an enemy..."

Lance silently noted it down.

"Do you have any military magistrates with you?"

"No...the mages are all with the main force...with Master Edwin..."

Perhaps it really isn't true.

"How long until the main force arrives?"

"We should be able to reach the outskirts of Rield City the day after tomorrow..."

Lance nodded and continued, "Of your three thousand cavalry, besides Redmond, are there any other Exemplary Ranks?"

"No...only the general..."

"Sure?"

"It's confirmed... The general said... He alone could raze Rield City to the ground..."

Lance smiled.

He was laughing very happily.

A paragon-level warrior, leading three thousand cavalry, probably thought he was there to reap the rewards of war.

Unfortunately, I met him.

"One last question," Lance said, "How's the security setup going tonight?"

"There are... twenty hidden sentries on the perimeter... one every fifty meters... shifts changing every two hours..."

"Shift change time?"

"One in the morning... and three in the morning..."

Lance nodded and raised his hand to dispel the spell.

Marcus's eyes gradually cleared, and he stared blankly at Lance, still not realizing what had happened.

"You..." he opened his mouth as if to shout.

A ghastly green beam of light pierced through his brow.

Little Black perched on his shoulder: "Master, can you defeat that Exemplary General?"

Lance looked at it, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Just a level 11 warrior."

He paused.

"It's not like we haven't killed before."

Paradigm level? The projection of the Lord of Thirst he killed was also a level 10 elite-level Great Perfection, not much different from level 11.

Moreover, he was only level 4 back then, but now he is a level 5 mage and has mastered seven third-level spells.

The advantage lies with me.

"So what do we do now?" Xiao Hei asked.

Lance looked up toward the valley, where firelight flickered and three thousand cavalrymen were resting.

Three thousand people.

Add a model general.

If handled properly...

His eyes gradually turned dangerous.

"Strike first, strike hard!"

Little Black blinked: "But Master, there are three thousand of them..."

"What happened to three thousand people?"

"As long as there are no elite-level mages, we can fight them however we want."

……

In the very center was a cowhide tent that was a size larger than the other tents.

That was Redmond Bloodaxe's tent.

Lance silently calculated the distance and angle.

Where should the first fireball land?

He flew around the camp once and finally chose a location—the southeast corner of the camp.

There are many professionals there.

Lance didn't plan to fight Redmond first, otherwise, if Redmond escaped, Lance would have to give up a group of professionals he could have killed in order to chase after him.

He lowered his altitude to the optimal casting distance of 150 meters.

He raised his right hand, and orange-red light gathered in his palm.

With a push forward, the blazing fireball in his palm flew out.

The fireball left a bright trail in the air, streaking across the night sky like a shooting star.

It was so fast that the soldiers in the camp didn't have time to react.

There is only one exception.

Inside the central tent, a towering figure suddenly opened his eyes.

Redmond Bloodaxe.

A level 11 warrior, of the Exemplary rank, his warrior instincts allowed him to instantly sense danger.

He grabbed the battle axe beside him and rushed out of the tent.

Then he saw the fireball.

The orange-red color, carrying an aura of destruction, headed straight for the southeast corner of the camp—

"Enemy attack—!!!"

His roar shook the entire camp.

But it was too late.

The fireball landed precisely in the center of the group of professionals who were gathered drinking.

Then--

"boom--!!!"

The enormous explosion shook the entire valley.

The blazing flames exploded, and the orange-red fireball rapidly expanded, growing to a radius of twenty meters in the blink of an eye.

Those thirty-odd professionals didn't even have time to react.

The two centurions at the center of the explosion were instantly engulfed in flames, their bodies rapidly turning into charcoal in the intense heat.

The same happened to the dozen or so Level 5 centurions around them; their flesh was charred, their bones shattered, and then they were torn to pieces by the shockwave.

Needless to say, the rest are even more obvious.

Within a spherical blast radius of twenty meters, everything was reduced to ashes.

The tent was blown away, leaving a huge, charred crater in the ground. Several other tents nearby were also overturned by the shockwave, sparks flying and quickly igniting.

The southeast corner of the camp was instantly engulfed in flames.