Chapter 234: Taking Control

Under Rod’s coercion, the soldiers and warriors retreated reluctantly, their eyes filled with resentment, though their unwillingness and anger were clearly evident.
“Send reinforcements to support the west side. Have the soldiers there withdraw to rest and regroup to withstand the attacks of the magical beasts!” Rod roared, using force as he made the Dark Dragon slice through the officer’s skin.
The officer gasped in pain as his skin was cut, feeling the blood seep out slowly. His face paled as he realized he was still afraid of death—unable to overcome his fears and still vulnerable in the face of death. Having survived three waves of beast attacks, those experiences hadn’t truly hardened his resolve.
“Pass the order: reinforcements shall take over defense on the west side. Soldiers should withdraw to rest. Strengthen defenses in the center, and maintain defense on the east side!” After taking a deep breath to calm himself, the officer shouted orders to the military advisor in front of him.
The orders quickly spread to every corner. As the dangerous battle continued, troops began to rotate. With the commander held hostage, everyone was anxious. Fortunately, the man holding the commander captive didn’t seem like a villain; he seemed to be aiming for victory as well, which gave everyone some relief. Though morale was greatly affected, it wasn’t yet low enough to cause them to collapse in the face of intense fighting.
“You can release him now,” said the Saint-class warrior standing in front of Rod after everything had been done according to his instructions.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill him. I’ll release him once this attack is over,” Rod replied. Of course, he wasn’t that foolish—releasing him now would be tantamount to seeking his own death. Those people wouldn’t let him go.
By now, news of the commander’s hostage situation had spread throughout the allied forces. Chaos had begun to arise outside the city. In the distance, a group of officers leading troops was rushing toward them—among them was Domio, the commander of the Black Fang Legion stationed in Iron Bar Town, known as the Bloodred One.
He was furious. While he had been overseeing operations from the rear headquarters, he suddenly heard news from the front that the frontline commander, the Black Fang Legion’s deputy commander, Nagran, had been held hostage by a warrior, creating a critical situation. Morale was slipping, and the fact that that man was controlling the entire battlefield made him furious.

“That bastard Nagran! After this, I want him to get lost—our Black Tooth Legion doesn’t need such a good-for-nothing!” As he ran at full speed, Domio couldn’t help but curse furiously due to his anger.

Nagran was after all a veteran who had been part of the Black Tooth Legion for over thirty years. He had fought side by side with Domio countless times, braving death time and again until they reached where they were today. For such a mistake to happen to him was simply unforgivable.

“General, the front line is stable for now. That guy is now taking control of the entire battlefield!” A soldier rushed from the direction of the city walls to report on the front line situation to Domio and his group.

By the time he arrived to report, the battle situation had already stabilized. With the reinforcements becoming the main force, they immediately demonstrated their strong combat capabilities, using their individual skills to make up for the lack of coordination and turning the tide of battle, stabilizing the once precarious situation and getting the defense back on track.

Listening to the soldier’s report, Domio gradually slowed down and frowned slightly. From what the soldier said, it was clear that the guy who had taken Nagran hostage wasn’t an ordinary person either. He was able to command the battle so well under such circumstances, seemingly even outperforming Nagran in leadership.

“Who is he? Does anyone know his identity?” Thinking of this, Domio couldn’t help but ask.

“We don’t know. No one recognizes him. It seems he appeared in our ranks only today. During the previous battles, when the east side was in crisis, he showed great strength, standing out among the others by killing dozens of magical beasts, including many of imperial and gold-tier ones!” Rod could hardly believe that his own information had already been fully grasped and reported by this soldier in such a short time.

“Is that so? What about morale? How are the soldiers and reinforcements reacting now?” After pondering for a moment, Domio, who no longer needed to rush, continued to ask questions. The main reason he had rushed over so quickly was not only because Nagran had been taken hostage but also because he was worried that the magical beast army might invade the city if the defense failed. Since they could hold their ground now, it seemed that the guy’s strength and command skills were quite good, so he didn’t need to rush anymore.

“Morale has been somewhat affected, but not too much due to the chaos of battle. It’s mainly the reinforcements! Those reinforcements, mercenaries, and adventurers seem to obey that guy completely, following his orders without question. Under his command, we’ve gradually gained the upper hand! In such circumstances, the soldiers have also gradually become more confident in fighting, and the situation is much better than we thought.” Thinking of what he saw before returning—those reinforcements and adventurers actually respecting the guy who had taken General Nagran hostage—he felt not only shock and surprise but also a sense of respect.

Although he had committed an unforgivable act that should have earned him the death penalty, seeing his command skills, how he organized the battlefield efficiently and strengthened defenses, made people feel a hint of admiration.

Especially the invisible aura he exuded made everyone unconsciously willing to follow his orders, as if they were conquered by his personal charm.

“I understand. There’s no need to rush this for now. Go back and tell everyone to refrain from taking hasty actions. Wait for me to arrive before making any decisions!” After hearing the soldier’s report, a glint appeared in Domio’s eyes. His initial tension and seriousness vanished instantly, and as the soldier turned to convey his orders, a thoughtful smile appeared on his lips.

“General…” Seeing this, the officers standing beside him couldn’t help but look at him in confusion and ask.

They knew well enough about the general’s personality. Such a situation surely wouldn’t end here. He should be furious, wanting to tear that damned guy apart. But that smile… they had never seen him smile like that before.

“Let’s go and take a look. We need to see who this mysterious person really is!” Taking a deep breath, Domio turned to look at the people around him and said surprisingly calmly.

He walked forward slowly, without the previous urgency or haste, even with a hint of leisure and laziness. This only increased the officers’ confusion. Anxiously, they frowned at the general who seemed increasingly unfamiliar.

“Aaaah…” A furious roar soared into the sky. With the arrival of reinforcements, the beast army faced a terrifying counterattack. Each of these reinforcements was extremely powerful, far beyond the capabilities of ordinary soldiers. Coupled with their fighting spirit, this meant they would not cower on the city walls and take passive hits like before. While defending, they began to look for openings to counterattack. On the east side, with the influx of reinforcements, a counteroffensive began. The two Earth Bears collapsed loudly, dying with expressions of resentment, while the other beasts also suffered heavy losses, with their corpses covering the ground. The situation on the west side had stabilized. A shock team composed of several imperial-level warriors, led by a quasi-saint-level fighter, rushed down from the city walls and launched attacks and sweeps among the beasts, throwing their concentrated assaults into chaos and giving the defending troops on the walls a chance to catch their breath.

Their formidable attacking power was also on full display. Wherever they went, screams, wails, and roars merged together as a bloody storm began to rage amidst their howls.

As for the defense in the center, it continued along the same pattern, with no major fluctuations, though the urgent situation had been greatly alleviated.

Watching all this, Rod breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, looking at the sea of beasts in the distance, as well as the mysterious Collins Forest and the even darker Source of Darkness beyond, he couldn’t help but worry.

“Don’t let them go too deep. Pull back when it’s time, rotate the troops. I want the land to be soaked in blood today—let the sky be filled with the scent of blood, and the ground covered with the corpses of these beasts!”

After a moment of thought, Rod gave orders to an officer surrounding him.

He knew that relying solely on these few teams for attacks would yield no real results, at most only temporary effects. With limited combat energy and stamina, they were nowhere near a match for those beasts. If their attacks weakened, danger would return, and they too would fall into peril. The only viable strategy now was to rotate attacks and give everyone a chance to rest—perhaps only this way could they maintain the initiative they had gained so far.

“I’ll go give the orders!” After hesitating for a moment, glancing at the battlefield and at General Nagran held captive by Rod, the officer agreed and turned to leave.

General Nagran is not in danger, and the tactics used by the warrior who held General Nagran captive clearly worked, prompting him to obey. Victory is what they need most. No matter who the commander is, as long as they can achieve victory, everything else is unimportant to them now. This man’s abilities are evident to everyone; since he will not harm General Nagran and can lead them to victory, from any perspective, everyone is willing to set aside his capture of the general for now and help him win this brilliant battle.