Ch.336Reverse Thinking

When Oleg had just arrived at the northern wall, Rurik’s main force was still running through the forest, buying time against the humans who were attempting a forced breakthrough, having half-abandoned defense and counterattacks to focus on escaping the forest.

That was until Nazar approached Rurik and advised him that they should retreat for now.

Not long after, Rurik’s roaring command to retreat resonated thunderously throughout the area.

Even after the werebeast warriors withdrew like an ebbing tide following their king’s order, the humans continued their charge for some time.

—-

The Faelrun pursuit force didn’t completely stop.

No matter how passionately they ran, there were limits to human endurance.

Marching and fierce battles without proper sleep.

If they had truly sprinted without a moment’s rest, they would have all collapsed from complete exhaustion before even leaving the forest.

“All forces halt! We’ll camp here briefly until they return!”

With several hours still remaining before sunrise, Valdemar ordered his troops to stop and rest while maintaining defensive positions after repelling the werebeasts’ attack.

The knights sat down heavily with expressions that suggested they had aged ten years. Though still in the forest, this was as far as they could advance.

While burning fighting spirit could suppress pain, it was difficult to overcome drooping eyelids.

The knights filled their stomachs with dry rations and took brief naps with their cloaks wrapped around them like sleeping bags.

Chains were haphazardly hung on surrounding trees to prepare for sudden ambushes, and Master-level knights took turns standing guard.

After all, those stronger and more sensitive than others needed to keep watch to detect approaching werebeasts.

“Will this be alright? At this rate, the meaning of our forced breakthrough…”

“We have no choice. The knights are severely depleted from repeated battles. If we continue advancing like this, they’ll only collapse along the way.”

While Valdemar and Karl conversed in serious tones, I leaned against a tree trunk and tried to sleep with a werebeast fur cloak covering me like a blanket.

The dawn in the snow field was bitterly cold enough to freeze blood, but falling asleep wasn’t too difficult thanks to the fur covering my body.

This werebeast fur certainly has good performance, I’ll give it that.

======[ Coniferous Forest ]======

While the humans slept, the werebeasts also recovered their exhausted strength by devouring corpses instead of attacking them.

It was a moment of unspoken agreement between those fleeing and those pursuing. They too needed to rest, even if just a little.

Though the Champions had no time to sleep as they discussed their next plan.

“Are you alright, Your Majesty? Your wound…”

“There’s nothing to worry about. It’s nothing compared to my arm.”

Rurik tightly bound his leg, which bore a vivid sword wound, with cloth torn from a human corpse.

Though this wouldn’t regenerate the wound, it was better than leaving it untreated.

Nazar bit his lip as he looked at Rurik with concern.

‘Aishan-Gioro…!’

With each engagement against that monster, indelible wounds accumulated on the king’s body.

The name Were Eater was becoming an even greater symbol of hatred than Faelrun.

Moreover, Rurik wasn’t the only one with wounds that wouldn’t heal.

Several Masters including Valdemar also wielded pure silver swords. Even those without pure silver weapons wielded weapons mixed with silver.

Basil, who had faced Valdemar, had his right shoulder deeply gouged, and Viktor’s thigh was severely torn by a saw-toothed blade.

Lyudmila and Nazar were also bleeding from cuts across their fur.

“Nazar, we retreated because you suggested it, but what’s your plan now? With them advancing like that, it seems difficult to hold them back in the forest like we’ve been doing.”

Lyudmila asked while fidgeting with her cracked spear tip.

It was certain they couldn’t hold back the humans attempting a forced breakthrough. Though their casualties would increase, it wouldn’t be enough to reverse the tide of battle.

“……”

Nazar’s concern deepened.

No suitable alternative came to mind. Perhaps due to fatigue, his mind wasn’t working well either.

“Can’t we just scatter and move?”

Abigeyl muttered nonchalantly while biting and trimming her nails.

“I was wondering what you meant… Abigeyl, if our numbers decrease any further here, we won’t even be able to slow them down.”

“No, I don’t mean to slow them down. You know, they’re doing this to protect their country, right? So if some of us turn around and head south again, wouldn’t they follow us naturally?”

Nazar’s pupils dilated as he listened.

An unexpected idea.

Abigeyl’s seemingly casual remark surprisingly penetrated the core of this war!

Simple dispersion would be meaningless. The humans would thoroughly target only Rurik’s main force. Nazar would have done the same in their position.

Once the king fell… how could they stop the freed Were Eater?

They would all be devoured without exception by that crazed monster who wore a human disguise but could never be human.

However, what if the dispersed forces headed not north but toward human territory?

“Yes! That’s it! If we send a detachment south again, they’ll have no choice but to follow! They’ll need to protect their territory!”

Nazar exclaimed in admiration.

A detachment alone couldn’t capture Faelrun Castle.

However, it was possible to bypass the castle and rush into human villages to carry out massacres. Valdemar would be able to anticipate this much. So he couldn’t possibly ignore it.

“Indeed… it seems highly possible.”

Basil also nodded.

From his perspective too, it seemed like a realistic idea.

“Hmph. See? Everyone agrees. Right, Lyudmila? I can use my brain sometimes too, you know?”

“Yes, well done, well done. How impressive.”

Lyudmila praised Abigeyl, patting her head as she grinned proudly.

The snow leopard werebeast purred and tilted her head from side to side.

Thus, Rurik’s main force devised a new strategy during the dawn hours.

“We’ll divide our forces into three.”

After deliberation, Rurik and Nazar reorganized their forces into three groups.

Allocating too much power risked the main force collapsing before the detachment could act, but allocating too little would make the dispersion meaningless.

The strategy would be useless if humans didn’t perceive the detachment as a threat.

Hence, three groups.

The main force led by Rurik himself. The strike force consisting of large werebeasts led by Basil and Viktor.

And the mobile force with Nazar, Lyudmila, and Abigeyl.

—-

Four hours later, as the humans prepared to advance again after their brief encampment,

Rurik launched their final attack under his command.

“Don’t you ever get tired, you white bastard!”

Haschal sprang up and hurled himself like lightning toward Rurik.

Sword and claws clashed, creating an explosive sound. The shockwave swept across the area.

That explosion was the signal flare announcing the start of the operation.

“Viktor! Forget about them! Let them go to the northern wall if they want! We’ll strike their stronghold!”

Basil shouted as he leaped back after deflecting Valdemar’s greatsword.

“Ooooooh!”

Viktor and the other large werebeasts roared in unison as they withdrew and began running south.

The strike force. Their role was to disperse the pursuit force by running south.

If the pursuing enemy force was manageable, they would turn and counterattack; if not, they would continue retreating until an opportunity arose.

Creating that opportunity was the mobile force’s role.

“Lyudmila, Abigeyl! We’re moving too!”

Nazar shouted as he climbed up a tree.

“See you next time, little one!”

“Grass-head! I’ll definitely kill you someday! Someday!”

Lyudmila, who had been facing Demian, and Abigeyl, who had been in a psychological battle with Millia, also immediately withdrew.

Along with the other warriors assigned to the mobile force.

Though they numbered only three Champions and thirty purebloods, the unit consisted solely of those with faster movements than other werebeasts.

They too launched a reverse charge toward the south. In a slightly different direction from the strike force’s retreat path.

“These beast bastards, such a vile tactic…!”

Valdemar’s gaze quickly swept across the battlefield.

The large werebeast unit running southwest. Another werebeast unit lunging southeast. And Rurik’s unit still advancing north.

It was an obvious dispersal tactic for anyone to see.

However, it was impossible to ignore.

Rurik was sending all his Champions south, risking the danger to his main force.

Five Champions and dozens of purebloods.

Though they had split up, they were all heading south, and if left alone, they would reach Faelrun’s territory.

To defenseless territory where only soldiers and domain residents remained without any proper knight forces.

‘There will be a massacre…!’

No one would be able to stop them. They would simply avoid battles with soldiers and repeatedly raid civilian settlements.

Valdemar gritted his teeth.

—-

In truth, Rurik’s detachment had no real intention of attacking the south. They only hoped the enemy would assume so.

Their ultimate goal was to reach the northern wall and join the reinforcements.

The detachment’s dispersal tactic was merely a deception to keep them in the forest for as long as possible.