The wings flapped, and the two disgusting lumps of rotten flesh on the bat-woman's chest wobbled with every movement. There was no grace to it, and it was utterly revolting.
With a single dive, she snatched up one of the female slaves, a pitiful subhuman who struggled and screamed, but there was no one who could save her. In just a moment, the bat-woman tore the slave in half, and blood splattered, causing a chorus of horrified gasps. The bat-woman let out a mocking cackle.
"Shoot that ugly bitch down!" Field's anger exploded.
Without needing any further prompting, the furious crossbowmen immediately raised their weapons and began firing in rapid succession. Crossbow bolts and arrows flew, and the bat-woman, caught off guard by the human's ranged attacks, was hit three or four times. She crumpled to the ground like a tattered rag.
"Such an ugly creature, daring to attack my people! Every one of these mouths I've bought with my money!" Field shouted in fury.
Without bothering to maintain his noble demeanor, Field grabbed a spear from the cart and swung it in a wide arc, smashing the bat-woman's head into a bloody pulp.
To kill the bat-woman, the flanks had become chaotic. A large number of the undead, without the distraction of crossbows, rushed forward.
"Everyone, get back!"
As soon as the order was given, Asina unleashed her power. The black scales along the dragon-wolf's neck began to sizzle and crackle, gathering terrifying energy that twisted the very air around them.
"Boom!"
A blast of eerie blue flame erupted from the wolf's mouth, sending a searing wave of heat forward. The blue flames engulfed a wide area in front of Field, incinerating the twisted figures in an instant. Field could even feel the surrounding gray mist thinning out.
"That's hot!" The guards, all in their armor, were scorched by the heat, and they winced in pain, their teeth gritting as they let out muffled cries. The putrid blood of the zombies was dried by the heat, sticking to their armor.
Asina stuck out her tongue apologetically. "Sorry."
The continuous flames wiped out a large group of the undead. What remained was no longer a threat, and the group was able to withstand the first wave of the zombie horde.
Three slaves and one slave guard had died, but that was still tolerable.
"Rest for half an hour," Field said. "Women, go collect the arrows."
Field took the water flask from the butler and took a long swig, the cold water rushing down his throat, bringing him back to his senses and reminding him that he was still in the real world.
"Thanks, Asina," Field said, reaching out to pat her head. Asina blushed, and her wolf tail wagged like a propeller, almost as if she were about to take off.
Asina shook her head and humbly replied, "It's nothing. I'm just doing what I should."
But her expression was clearly asking: (≧▽≦) Keep praising me!
No wonder the Northern Territory is called the Cursed Land. If the original owner had come here... no, if I didn't have Asina's help, I probably wouldn't have lasted much longer.
Field felt a surge of dread but quickly pushed it aside. His eyes caught the new marker on his map, moving closer. It was a cluster of red exclamation marks.
"That symbol, could it be more monsters? No, they're in a formation. And there are exactly 19 of them," Field frowned. After a moment of thought, he turned to Asina and pointed forward, "You go set up an ambush in the gray mist, get ready for anything."
The cavalry captain Connor and his men were also moving forward in the gray mist.
"This damn fog lamp is about to go out," one of the soldiers grumbled. "Why does that idiot baron have such a big lamp, and ours is so small? Damn second lady is so stingy, wanting the donkey to work but not giving it any carrots."
"Shut up, you fool! Watch your big mouth, or you'll draw the undead here," someone beside him nervously snapped.
"I feel something behind us," a sharp-eyed cavalryman said, his voice trembling. He was holding a spear, and his unease was palpable. "We should have killed Baron Field before we entered the Northern Territory, not now."
Connor sighed, "You think I don't want to? But killing a noble so openly would get us all hanged."
That was why they had said goodbye to Field earlier and then circled back—to avoid being seen with him.
Soon, Connor's cavalry found Field's trail. The fresh blood on the ground and the bodies were perfect signs to follow. The trail of over 200 people was impossible to hide.
"Brothers, once we get to Field, we kill him first, then we'll assault the slaves, steal their fog lamps. The gray mist will kill everyone soon enough."
Connor's plan was perfect.
After arranging the cavalry in formation, the men urged their horses to trot forward.
"I can already imagine Field begging for his life!" Connor sneered, licking his lips.
However, as soon as he saw Field, his smile froze.
A group of thirty fully armored guards stood in a defensive formation, shields raised, spears ready. The long spears glinted brightly, and the corruption and gore of the undead clung to their armor, showing they were not to be taken lightly.
Field stood behind the cart, with two rows of crossbowmen already having their weapons loaded. At a single command, they would fire at Connor's cavalry. Even without professional training, crossbows were so easy to use that even a child could fire them and easily pierce an adult's body.
"Damn it! We've been spotted!" Connor's eyes widened, and he felt like a fool.
"How could this be? Field is supposed to be a coward with no support. Where did he get a guard like this?"
The cavalrymen began to panic. Their surprise attack was lost, and it turned into a joke. Charging with heavy cavalry against a well-formed spear wall? Or crashing into that damn cart?
"We're retreating!" Connor yelled, pulling hard on the reins. His warhorse neighed and reared, and the cavalry turned to flee.
"Roar!"
A black giant wolf, over two meters tall and as muscular as a bear, appeared behind the cavalry, causing Connor's horse to stumble. Connor was thrown to the ground, his heart racing with fear.
"Damn!"
Before he could grab his weapon, a spear was already pressed against his throat. A stunning wolf-human hybrid, with a smile that was neither a smile nor a sneer, stared at him coldly. Connor knew that if he moved even an inch, he would be dead.
Even worse, his fog lamp had been taken from him.
"Damn! This is the slave Field bought!" Connor realized with a jolt.
He remembered the strange slave Field had insisted on buying, one who could move freely in the gray mist without a fog lamp.
The others were stunned. "By the gods! How unlucky can we be? We've run into a chosen one!"
Who would have thought Field would have a Chosen One? If they had known, they wouldn't have dared to come for even a million gold coins.
"Hey, Captain Connor, what are you doing here? You scared me!" Field's voice rang out from the front. He didn't immediately order their deaths but instead looked slyly at them and spoke casually, as if meeting an old friend, "Were you worried I wouldn't show up on time? Don't worry, expanding the family's territory is a noble's duty."
"Uh…" Connor was left speechless. Between life and death, his mind had short-circuited.