Getting up from the region belonging to the Hell Realm and coming to the Grey Hyenas' Main Support Headquarters was no easy task, but advancing toward the southernmost tip of this unfamiliar place turned into a completely different story.
Despite the terrifying nature of the spear whose shadow they felt looming over their heads, they were human too, and even though they pushed themselves to their limits, their speed was still very slow.
"Sir, I want to give a report!"
All his subordinates had lost hope of communicating with Galeno; only the young commander close to him had the courage for this.
"Speak, Fraco!"
Looking at the man standing before him, the rage covering the old commander's heart seemed to dissipate a little; with his purple robe and sharp gaze, Fraco was a subordinate he liked.
"Sir, our warriors are doing their best, but there is an abnormality in these lands that prevents our advance."
This was exactly why the young man was Galeno's favorite; he had figured out that the effect slowing them down bound only them, while other living beings could move normally. Secondly, he did what needed to be done regardless of the situation; knowing he might face wrath, he still had the courage to appear before him and explain the warriors' condition.
"I know, kid, but no matter what, I cannot turn back from this path. Take charge of the army and get me to where I want to go as soon as possible!"
"Meanwhile, I want to meditate!"
The old man had been forced to undergo major psychological delusions for the last two days; he wanted to be in his best shape before facing the challenge thrown at him.
If Nafız had the opportunity to see him in this state, I'm sure she would have laughed her head off; though perhaps not that much, since she was already joyfully pillaging the abandoned region of the man she had tricked.
"Dimitar, spread all the potion powders I gave you quickly throughout the region; I want to advance to the other target as soon as possible!"
Looking at the final ruined state of the walls she sat upon while the attack continued, the female orc gave her orders to the traitor commander she had taken with her. Nafız had specifically brought Dimitar along; she was both keeping an eye on him and leaving Fox Jurij to her friend so he could fight comfortably.
"As you command, we will have finished that job within a few hours!"
Seeing the short-haired orc nod in satisfaction, the scrawny commander's heart lightened, for he did not want to anger this person whose capabilities he knew very well in any way.
"Come to me before we set out, I'll give you your new potions!"
Alyon and his units, who had captured the first outpost, were performing the same operation; on one side, Pehlivan tearing corpses apart, on the other, soldiers scattering potions created a very strange tableau on the wide plain.
"Alyon, we need to set out quickly so we can finish our mission within the remaining two days!"
Jurij had addressed the hulking orc by adding a title to his name a few times, but the answer he heard would be the same every time.
"Address me by my name!"
The grey-haired orc warrior didn't need the fake respect of someone not of his own race; instead, he preferred brave humans with whom he would fight back-to-back.
"One is gone already; how many more outposts do we need to take down?"
Nafız's choice was truly very clever; Alyon, whose eyes only saw the enemies he would kill, needed someone who knew how to calculate.
"One down, four left. Although it won't take long to destroy them, we'll have a bit of trouble due to the distance between them!"
After shaking his head like that, Alyon would say his last word.
"Let me know if the kids' morale drops; other than that, I'll tell Pehlivan to finish his job quickly!"
The reason Fox Jurij came to the grey-haired orc was that the power animal, busy eating corpses, was hindering the army's advance. Not knowing they could leave the giant brown bear behind, he had panicked a little, but Alyon would take care of this business too.
When the first day ended, while one side was advancing empty-handed struggling with difficulties, the other side had already destroyed their first targets. The Black Lilies, who were on the losing end of this comparison, would be devastated once again by the news they received at midnight; although the Druid Liberation Army acted very carefully, news of their actions had reached Galeno.
When the old man fell into the clutches of a great dilemma, his body remained where it was, but his entire self withdrew to a place far from everyone. Should he advance while his lands were under attack, or should he swallow his pride and turn back?
Lord Galeno thought for a while before making a decision he could consult no one about, a decision whose weight only he could shoulder. Even though he had to make a snap decision, his mind kept drifting to the past.
He had never married; he would never know if this was out of necessity or simply because he didn't want to, because he hadn't had much time to think in the past. Unlike himself, when he lost his brother who had a family in a war, the responsibilities of other people unexpectedly landed on his back.
Young Galeno got used to this over time; while he began to love and protect his two nephews, the need to be strong born inside him—even if he wasn't aware of it—would be his driving force.
He was a member of an insignificant family within the Black Lily Clan, but his achievements carried him to the command of the forces occupying the Wild Swamp continent. As the next step, he ensured that Astute, his brother's legacy, was appointed as governor to the city of Parthenia, and by providing unlimited tolerance to Gregoria, who was always by his side, he had established his little utopia.
As this dream world collapsed moment by moment, white-haired Galeno now had only one question in his mind: Will I turn back and do my duty, or will I take revenge for those entrusted to me?
What would a person do if the motivation that brought him to where he was were destroyed? While the things you strove for slipped from your hands, would you not hold on to the last remaining one of them and run to your duty?
This decision was very subjective, and for Galeno, who wanted to protect the values he dedicated his life to, the answer was clear from the start.
"I do not want the units to slow down; our direction is the southern coast of the region!"
These words echoed inside the established mobile command center; for a moment, the worry on the face of Gregoria, who thought her uncle might choose to turn back, would also be wiped away.
Compared to the insult she suffered, the tongue she lost was nothing; the beautiful woman was after the head of the orc who raped her, not a limb that could grow back with a few medicines.
Returning to his meditation, the commander would send a single message to the units in the region under his responsibility.
"Forces other than those attacking the shield should unite with other units in their regions and defend their current positions!"
Galeno didn't believe the two orcs had sent all their forces behind him to occupy his region; according to his calculation, if his warriors gathered and defended, they could buy him time to catch up.
The order would be transmitted via magical communication arrays; although this was a very expensive method, its security could be guaranteed compared to mechanical birds.
"Hmm, they woke up to the business earlier than I expected!"
A thin smile caught the eye on Nafız's face as she spoke looking at the empty support headquarters standing before her; clearly, the female orc had given place to this possibility within the game she set up in her head.
"Since the enemy abandoned their position and fled, there could be two possibilities; either they advanced toward the shield or they went to the last support unit to combine their forces!"
Dimitar spoke with the air of a seasoned commander to ingratiate himself with Nafız, whom he feared to death; it was impossible for someone who didn't know him not to be impressed by his demeanor and actions.
"Get lost, you pimp!"
This state of Dimitar, posing with his acting talent, only made the female orc beside him laugh; the scrawny commander, stunned by the slap he took to the back of his neck, was currently fleeing in fear.
"Half of you destroy this shitty castle, the other half pour the potion powders. We set out in the morning; I won't forgive anyone who's late!"