If the enemy got close, their only fate would be a meeting with the Goddess.

"No need. Prioritizing the protection of Casters is what any commander with an ounce of common sense would do. The situation is terrifyingly chaotic right now, so don’t go out yet. It won’t be too late for you to emerge once Fujero has things under control."

Levi replied while two Beastman Barbarians helped him into his Armor.

Pressed for time, he didn’t bother with the three layers of Heavy Armor that would have armed him to the teeth. He simply donned a single layer of Armor.

"Lord, you must be careful."

Masha said with concern.

In truth, rumor had it that the Lord was invincible, his Martial Arts peerless. But only by being here, on this ground, could one truly feel the terror of war.

If that Giant Stone had fallen on them just now, she, without her ice crystal shield, would have been turned into a pile of mangled flesh along with the Lord.

Levi, helmet in hand, glanced at the seven Priests from the Ice and Snow Church.

As the eldest and highest-ranking among them, Fu Jin remained relatively calm and composed, though a hint of panic lingered deep in his eyes.

The other Priests, however, who looked to be in their twenties, were faring much worse.

Their faces were masks of panic, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

They were clearly flowers raised in a garden, experiencing war for the first time. They weren’t even as stoic as Masha, the only woman present.

Levi understood, though. War, after all, was a deadly business where people died in droves.

To witness cherished lives mowed down like fields of wheat was not something a first-timer could easily endure.

"Don’t worry. Tonight, these scumbags won’t be leaving without me taking a pound of their flesh!" the Lord said viciously.

’He’d been so close to winning Masha over, and now a bunch of scumbags had ruined his moment.’ The Lord was furious.

He led the orderly ranks of the High Cliff Castle Guard Team toward the Thorn Corps’ position.

The faint sounds of battle were already drifting from that direction.

The Catapult barrage had ended a short while ago.

Under the banner of High Cliff Castle, he passed squads of soldiers who, though panicked, were forcing themselves to remain calm.

High Cliff Castle’s Beastman Guard Team was so distinctive that they were instantly recognizable as allies, so no one was foolish enough to block their path.

Along the way, wounded soldiers lay groaning on the ground as medics rushed to give them aid.

When he arrived outside the brightly lit meeting room, the Lord took one look, rolled into a nearby mud puddle, and finished by smearing a couple of handfuls of mud on his face.

Zat’s eyes darted around, and he quickly followed suit.

Although he didn’t know what his boss was up to, his boss was as cunning as an Undead, so copying him couldn’t be a mistake.

Waving for the men from High Cliff Castle to remain outside, the Lord took a moment to work himself up, then furiously kicked the wooden door.

BANG!

With a tremendous crash.

The crudely made wooden door, meant only to block the wind and snow, collapsed under the Lord’s assault, revealing the stunned faces of everyone inside.

The Lord’s eyes swept the room and landed on Fujero, who sat at the head of the table, his brows tightly knitted.

He charged forward in a rage and, with lightning speed, grabbed Fujero by the collar and hauled him to his feet.

"Lord! What are you doing?"

This horrified Si Kai, who rushed forward and grabbed the Lord’s wrist. But no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn’t move it an inch.

"Baron Levi, what do you think you’re doing to the Legion Commander?!"

"Lord Li, we can talk this out! Put the Legion Commander down!"

"Baron Levi, don’t do anything foolish!"

The officers present, great and small, were startled. They shot to their feet to intervene, and a few even gripped the hilts of their swords, demanding sternly.

But for all their clamor, not one of them dared to move from their spot.

After all, everyone had witnessed Lord Li’s strength. If they truly angered him in such a confined space, their fate would be no better than that of the Minotaurs. Thus, they only dared to condemn him with words.

"Si Kai, you try to stop me again and I’ll beat you too!"

After glaring at Si Kai until he reluctantly pulled his hand back, Levi turned to Fujero with a dark expression. "Fujero," he said in a low voice, "I need an explanation!"

Before Fujero could answer, the Lord continued his furious tirade.

"Do you have any fucking idea what just happened?"

"A Giant Stone, big as a man and weighing nearly a thousand pounds, whistled right past my goddamn head! If I hadn’t reacted fast and dived into a mud puddle, all you’d be looking at right now is a pile of minced meat!"

"I thought I was about to meet the Goddess!"

"That’s right! If I hadn’t been quick on my feet, a rock that big would’ve splattered me all over the place, wouldn’t it?"

Zat, covered in dirt, chimed in from the side, an expression of a near-death survivor plastered on his face.

Once Zat finished, Levi continued, "A bunch of Wilderness Natives with Catapults? I’ve lived a long time, and that’s a first for me."

"Their equipment is also ridiculously well-made. And their objective clearly isn’t just to push south."

"I was already wondering why Fulina would suddenly disappear at a time like this, taking a whole Cavalry Team with her."

"Fujero, what the hell are you all hiding from me?! What is this Wilderness Alliance Army’s true objective? And where in the hell did Fulina go?!"

"Do you know how many men I lost tonight? Do you have any idea how I just clawed my way back from the Goddess’s embrace?" the Lord demanded sharply.

"If I don’t get an explanation today..."

"Then don’t blame us for forgetting old loyalties!" Zat cut in fiercely.

Looking at the dirt-caked Lord Li, who had clearly just been through a life-or-death struggle,

Fujero could only manage a wry smile.

"Lord, I never expected this Wilderness Alliance Army to have Catapults either."

"Before this, if someone had told me these natives had Catapults, I would have had them charged with disrupting military morale!"

"But now..."

Fujero looked at the Lord’s bloodshot eyes, paused for a moment, and then said, "Lord, after tonight is over, I swear I will give you a satisfactory explanation!"

His tone was sincere, his expression earnest.

"Hmph. You’d better."

Levi snorted and set him back on the ground.

Then he plopped down in a nearby chair and began pouring himself tea from the pot on the table.

’This Lord is really... quite the character.’ This only deepened Fujero’s wry smile.

’He just escaped from the clutches of the Death God, yet he has the presence of mind to drink tea?’

’A Giant Stone as tall as a man flew right past his head.’

’Just imagining the scene sent a chill through Fujero’s heart.’

Although his Combat Qi was profound, even he couldn’t have stopped such an unexpected Catapult attack in the middle of the night.

Even if he could block the blow with his Thorn Guardian, he would merely survive, and would inevitably be bedridden for half a month afterward.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief and began to take their seats again.

Unless they had no other choice, none of them wanted to make an enemy of this Lord. It had nothing to do with anything else; it was a purely instinctual warning from their own bodies.

"What’s the situation?"

Levi asked.

’The fact that these officers, great and small, were still here holding a meeting proved the situation wasn’t as dire as he’d imagined.’

"They launched attacks on the west and north flanks. I’ve already sent soldiers and Panda Warriors to repel them. The situation is gradually coming under control."

Fujero said grimly, "My men have scouted out their position. They’ve set up three Catapults on a high slope four hundred paces to the north and are still hauling up more ammunition."

"They have a large number of troops defending the base of the slope, so we were just discussing who should lead a party to eliminate the threat."

In fact, Fujero had considered a counter-barrage. They had small Catapults of their own, but he discovered the distance was too great. With the enemy holding the high ground, hitting them was virtually impossible, so he abandoned the idea.

"’A large number?’ How many troops have they stationed there?" the Lord asked.

"Around four hundred Pigmen."

SLAP!

The Lord slammed his hand on the table.

The violent sound made everyone jump.

"Damn it, you call four hundred ’a large number’?" Levi stood up and said fiercely, "There’s nothing to discuss. I’ll take care of those little bastards myself!"