Yuelong's response had been quick; however, the escape of those strange, mask-wearing men was even quicker. By the time the successor of the Mu Household managed to catch their traces, they had already accomplished their goal and had escaped into the darkness of the night.
And so, the numbers of the Mu Household faction's army fell once more, and with this incident, the total dropped to below one hundred thousand.
They hadn't even met with their true enemy, the Scarlet Demon Army yet, and they had already lost a third of their men. The entire campaign teetered dangerously close to failure.
A grim feeling settled over Yuelong.
Being the heir of a Sovereign-level faction, his every result and achievement was under the close scrutiny of many people. These included not only the leaders and heroes of foreign organizations but also the people of the Mu Household. A competent employee would only serve an excellent employer; his father was one, and Yuelong could not afford to be any lesser.
It was no exaggeration to say that the entire future of the Mu Household rested upon his shoulders. And to support its weight, Yuelong had to be excellent all-around. Failure, that too in his first overseas affair, was simply intolerable.
Noticing the faltering morale of his men, Yuelong knew that he had to act and act quickly. He keenly understood that he was currently at a precipice and that failure to cross this ridge would result in him going over the edge and falling into the abyss.
Shutting himself off inside a tent, he began pondering a solution. Last night's patrol wasn't without gains; for one, Yuelong at least learnt that his opponents weren't ghosts or spirits –as most soldiers feared- and were merely men. Strange men, but men nonetheless.
These kidnappers seemed very well-versed in the art of guerilla warfare and knew how to use the darkness of the night and human psychology with great adeptness. They were also strong as evidenced by their ability to kidnap and disappear thousands of people with hardly a squeak.
At first, Yuelong suspected these people to be a division of the Scarlet Demon Army. However, he soon denied those thoughts as the modus operandi of the Scarlet Demon Army did not match that of these nightly assailants. Besides, their movement and familiarity with the terrain suggested that these assailants were natives and not foreigners brought through ships to participate in the war.
Strong, native, and strangely dressed, with these three clues, Yuelong summoned his advisors and strategists to deduce the identity of these assailants. And before long, they arrived at the answer: Hielanders!
"But, sire! The Hielands is a closed-off community that has never participated in the affairs of the Lowlands for nearly a thousand years! It cannot be them!"
"Indeed! There is also another point to consider; which faction would these people belong to? Surely they aren't a faction of their own, for if they were they would have joined the war at the beginning and not resorted to appearing now. Also, the Hielanders are known to be highly dismissive and xenophobic! I simply cannot imagine them coming down the mountain to assist any faction."
Such points of contention were frequently brought up during the discussion. However, as Yuelong came to learn more about this unique community of people, he became certain that it was them who were the perpetrators behind the disappearances.
He remained stubborn and his stubbornness earned him some dislike from the locals who had joined the army and turned traitors. However, Yuelong did nothing to correct their impression. He knew that soon he would prove himself to be right.
Having not travelled during the sixth day, Yuelong urged the soldiers to march during the night. He was met with a wave of backlash but forcibly quelled all dissidents and forced them to move. Unwilling yet helpless, the soldiers began their march.
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Travelling during the night was difficult. Fortunately, the route that they took had well-paved roads in place making it easier to stay on track and not get lost. As the night deepened, the soldiers, who walked with each carrying a torch in their hand, grew nervous.
Yuelong became sharp and prepared himself. Given the conditions tonight, he knew that his enemies would surely attempt another set of kidnappings. As they entered the third-watch hour, his considerations proved to be true.
The tail-end of the marching army saw its torches being snuffed out and swallowed by the darkness. Yuelong hardly wasted a second and led his strongest warriors to meet the enemy. Having readied themselves this time, they arrived at the scene on time.
Yuelong saw the Hielanders in earnest for the first time and his impression of them was: cunning and beastly. He was reminded of the predators that he had seen in the wild in the company of his father.
The young heir's impression of the Hielanders was spot-on. They were indeed exactly as he had described being strong, cunning, and beastly, akin to a predator that roamed the forests and mountains. They had to be; for those who fought monsters routinely must be monsters themselves.
Still, Yuelong wasn't disheartened or afraid. He moved instantly upon arrival and attacked the strongest Hielander that he could find. The Hielanders, who appeared to be a Rank 5 master, noticed Yuelong's sneak attack and reacted appropriately. He instinctively disdained his weaker foe and half-heartedly committed to his defence.
This quickly proved to be a major oversight, as Yuelong was far from being an 'average' Rank 4 practitioner. He was someone born and bred to be the future leader of a Sovereign-level organization. His ability and techniques naturally outclassed the majority of the world's cultivators.
Like a snake reaching for its prey's weak point, Yuelong's originally straight blade strangely bent and bypassed the Hielander's defence, heading towards his throat. By the time the Hielander noticed this devious attack, he was already too late to block it. The sword pierced his throat, and Yuelong claimed his first Hielander.
The Rank 5 Hielander died with disbelief and shock in his eyes. Not even in his wildest dreams would he have expected to be outclassed by a weaker cultivator. Yuelong, however, paid no special attention to his opponent. To him, this Rank 5 Hielander was merely another 'strongman.'
While Yuelong's attack seemed elegant and simple, it was anything but that. To pierce a Rank 5 cultivator's energy defence was no simple task, especially when the attacker was the weaker party. Yuelong, however, had overcome this seemingly impossible task rather easily.
His success was to be attributed to two things; his weapon and his technique.
Yuelong's sword was one of the finest blades that this world had to offer. Its ability and rarity were so great that even Rank 7 and Rank 8 cultivators would turn green at the prospect of attaining it; of course, having a World Sovereign as his father meant that gaining such a precious blade wasn't too difficult for Yuelong.
Secondly, his sword technique was the best of the best and had even undergone personal modification by a Sovereign. Wielding such a technique, it would be strange if Yuelong did not come out on top in a battle against a Rank 5 practitioner; on the premise that the battle was sudden and short.
Still, killing that Rank 5 Hielander had exhausted over forty percent of Yuelong's strength. His breathing had grown hurried and his face had turned noticeably pale. Alas, the young heir did not let such changes bother him. With his sword in his hand, he immediately leapt over to his next opponent.
Yuelong and his warriors dealt with the Hielander raid with swift and brutal retribution. Over three hundred men were killed and nearly a dozen were captured. The losses on Yuelong's side had been less severe but still quite sizeable.
Just as they had finished dealing with this batch of raiders, Yuelong suddenly heard a scream from the distance.
"Fire! Fire! They are burning our rations and ammunition!!" Not an instant after that man's voice fell; a great explosion rocked the plains.
A massive cloud of fire and smoke rose into the sky, temporarily illuminating the pitch-black night to become as bright as midday. Waves of force swept across the plains, knocking them out and bursting their eardrums. Some unlucky soldiers that were close to the explosion directly died and had their bodies turned to ashes while most suffered injuries and burns that ranged from debilitating to mildly serious.
Even Yuelong suffered, having parts of his clothes and hair burnt by the heat. Even a few of his ribs had been broken.
Normally, he wouldn't have suffered any injuries as a result of having both his energy and enchanted defensive armour protecting him. However, the explosion had caught him during an extremely inopportune time; having just undergone a difficult battle that had resulted in all his energy and defensive artefacts becoming exhausted and needing recharge.
Desperately gripping his consciousness, Yuelong bit heavily on his lips and used the pain to clear his mind. He looked at this scene of screaming soldiers, dying wounded and burning forests, and turned stunned.
It appeared that no amount of practice and simulation would prepare him for the 'actual' sight of war. War, in reality, had an indescribable sadness and brutality that no texts or stories could ever fully cover.