This news, which nailed the Roots to their spots, had already been learned by the units of the Lands of Light and the Empire of Machines. Although these two groups shared a common goal, they wouldn't even think of helping those who were also their rivals.
Especially on the front of their arch-enemies, the situation the Black Lilies had fallen into was the biggest mockery of the day; unaware of everything, these people were laughing uproariously at their rivals for falling into such a helpless situation against a few orcs.
When another day ended and evening hours arrived, the news Lord Galeno had been waiting for finally reached him.
"My Lord, two-thirds of our units are ready to move at your command!"
Aware of the situation and fearing their commander's wrath, the warriors had managed to get ready for the order in the shortest time possible.
"Our target is the Mercenaries' main support headquarters. All armies, forward!"
The army, numbering over one hundred and fifty thousand, surged forward as if the rage in Galeno's voice were a whip to their hearts. They all knew what was happening; as members of the Black Lily Clan, they had bound their entire fates to him, and they knew very well they would suffer the pain of any shame they brought upon their Clan here.
At almost the same moment, in the Grey Hyenas' former main support headquarters, the soldiers and druids had packed everything and were waiting, ready to move.
"The enemy has made their move; I suppose we should slowly set out as well!"
"Alyon, you lead the army. I'll be there shortly!"
Once Nafız finished speaking in the command room, the hulking orc and the two commanders took their places at the head of the soldiers as instructed and began advancing toward the Orc Steppes.
"Come on then, old man. I'm going to leave some very nice gifts for you here!"
As blood trickled from her bracelets to her finger and dripped onto the ground, the female orc walked toward a wall as white as if it had been painted with lime.
In less than ten minutes, Nafız caught up with her friend. Seeing her, Alyon's eyes looked at her as if asking what she had done.
"Your girl is coming back; I left a few things for her and her uncle. I'm very curious—I wonder if they'll like them?"
Because there was always a mystery in her actions, no one dared to ask, but the key to knowing when the enemy would attack was hidden in the blood essence belonging to Nafız inside Gregoria.
Even though they were far away now, the female orc could feel the presence of what belonged to her; thus, by leading those following her on a safe route, she wouldn't cross paths with the Black Lilies.
"I'd be shocked if you ever gave a straight answer when I asked anyway; all you do is show off!"
After grumbling a bit at not getting a clear answer, Alyon took his place at the head of his units, which he led separately from the other soldiers. The grey-haired, brave orc had already grown accustomed to his role.
Galeno's forces were about three times the size of the Druid Liberation Army, and this numerical superiority made it difficult for them to advance through the dense forests in an unfamiliar region.
How unfortunate that they had no druids among them; the forces of Nafız and Alyon, who possessed this luxury, were practically on a pleasant country stroll, walking rapidly through wide paths where tree branches blocked the moonlight from hitting the ground.
Consequently, while the army of one hundred and fifty thousand, possessed by the rage of a wild bull, had only covered half the distance by morning, their enemies—who had crept behind them—were stepping onto the lands that had been besieged by them for a century.
"The time has come. From this minute on, we will meet at the northernmost tip of the continent in three days' time. When you're done, I want you to send the survivors among your soldiers to the Orc Steppes as I said; we won't need them in the next step."
Since leaving the main support headquarters, the female orc had traveled with her friend and the warriors behind him for a while to explain her plans.
Accordingly, the druids, numbering around a hundred, would be left in safe lands before entering battle with the Black Lilies; the soldiers stolen from the Grey Hyenas could only accompany the druids if they survived the upcoming struggle.
"Don't you worry. When it comes to burning and destroying, who can do it better than an orc?"
The two friends, saying goodbye by slamming their hands hard against each other's shoulders, moved into an attack stance with the units they took and began advancing toward their first targets.
Unlike them, Galeno and his army rapidly lost their momentum in this new region due to some abnormalities they couldn't understand.
They had advanced with a grandeur befitting the size of the army and easily reached the border of their own territory, but from that moment on, things grew uglier by the hour.
"My Lord, the speed of our units is decreasing dramatically. When we ask the lower-ranking warriors why, they say they feel as exhausted as if they were carrying a mountain on their backs!"
The old commander didn't need any report to understand what was happening; he was already experiencing this phenomenon in his own body.
"I will not tolerate laziness! If anyone falls behind, I will consider it insubordination!"
Galeno knew as well as he knew his own name that there was some trickery afoot, but he had neither the courage to speak the truth nor would it benefit them in their current situation.
The old man aimed to reach a solution by directly threatening the warriors under his command; even if this didn't change their speed, he would at least be sure that everyone exerted their last bit of strength this way.
When they finally arrived at the Main Support Headquarters after a long march, the sun was slowly preparing to leave its place to the moon. The great army, which was exactly one day behind their calculations, did not seem likely to wait for the big yellow sphere to show its face again.
They formed a siege circle from which escape was impossible; they waited at the very edge of the walls surrounded by water, ready to attack at any moment.
"Show yourselves, you dishonorable orcs! I have come to settle the score for what you did to those of my blood!"
Lord Galeno's voice, infused with his energy, echoed throughout the entire siege area. Even the echo bouncing back from the stone walls was enough to make his units overflow with excitement.
The angry commander had to shout a few more times, hardening his words; each time there was no answer, the flame burning inside him grew a level higher.
"Move aside, I will clear the path!"
The Black Lily Warrior, who had traveled all that way in pursuit of revenge, had run out of patience. He would reveal the weapon he pulled from his inter-spatial ring in all its majesty.
The weapon possessed that savage black color that dominates the surroundings during the darkest times of the night; its seven-foot-long handle was decorated with lily figures. The cutting part attached to this shaft was two feet long, tapering to a point at the end.
Dawn Killer. This was the full name of the spear that would allow Lord Galeno to take all his spite out on the stone walls standing before him.
Stepping forward with his left foot, the old man lowered his waist to the ground and took an attack position. The spear, which he gripped from the end with his right hand, was shaking wildly due to the soul power its master poured into it.
The pitch-black weapon was about to be covered in a dark grey mist. Some of the Black Lily Warriors, witnessing their commander's grandeur for the first time, were breaking into cold sweats from fear.
"Die!"
With a sharp thrusting motion, Lord Galeno hurled his weapon, which had begun to scream due to the loaded soul power; the last obstacle before the energy he had suppressed for a while was gone.
The attack, its majesty growing with every second, sliced through the walls it touched like a piece of dry leaf. This event, which might be considered normal by those who knew the old man, might not have created much of a resonance, but the real surprise would emerge when witnessing what followed.
Previously, one of Galeno's subordinates had also easily destroyed high walls, but this time, the destruction was not limited to the first wall that took the blow.
The spear attack, sowing seeds of fear in the hearts of the spectators, passed through the enemy's support headquarters, splitting it in half, and only stopped after demolishing a small hill a hundred paces ahead.