A sentry, overly tense, mistook a passing owl for a Pegasus knight and shrieked at the top of his lungs: "They're here! They're here!"
Instantly, the camp exploded. Countless men jolted awake, scrambling for weapons and looking wildly at the sky. "Where? Where?!" "Ready for battle!" Karl and his lieutenants rushed out, staring into the dark.
"What are you screaming for? It's just a bird!" a sharp-eyed leader snapped. The sentry was kicked and curled up on the ground, not daring to make a sound. After the false alarm, the atmosphere became even more suffocating. This state of constant paranoia was draining the mercenaries' energy and morale to the dregs.
In stark contrast, Blackstone Town was a scene of orderly preparation. In the council hall, Ed reported to Leylo.
"Well done, Ed," Leylo nodded with approval. "The initial harassment achieved its goal. We've broken their spirit and delayed them." He pointed to the map. "Karl is brave but lacks strategy. He overestimates his core strength and ignores morale and logistics."
A logistics official stepped forward. "My Lord, the knights are rested, and the Pegasi have been fed the best fodder. As per your orders, we have prepared a large quantity of fire-oil and incendiaries."
"Very well," Leylo's eyes turned cold. "Tonight, let these wolves who covet Blackstone taste the fire." He looked at Ed. "Your objective is maximum chaos. Burn their supplies, burn their tents, and shatter their will to resist. Do not linger in combat."
Late at night, the moon was swallowed by thick clouds. In the Blood Wolf camp, the fires had dimmed to embers. Most bandits had succumbed to exhaustion, curling up on the cold ground. They didn't know that in the pitch-black sky above, true reapers were unfolding their wings.
"Depart!" Ed whispered. Twenty-plus Pegasi rose like ghosts into the night.
From the heights, the campfires below looked like scattered sparks. Ed signaled, and the knights spread out like a wide net. In the center of the camp, Karl tossed and turned, unable to sleep. A sense of unease made his eyelids twitch. He sat up, grabbed his scimitar, and stepped out of his tent.
At that exact moment, disaster struck.
"Do it!" Ed's voice, cold as a reaper's whisper, pierced the silence.
The knights dove from hundreds of meters up like falling stars! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! This time, it wasn't the sound of arrows, but the roar of ignited oil-sacks and clay jars frictioning against the air.
Boom! The first jar smashed into the largest tent. Oil splattered, caught a nearby campfire, and erupted into an inferno! Dried beast-skins and wood provided perfect fuel.
"Fire!" "Enemy attack! It's the bird-men!" "Help me!"
Screams and panicked cries filled the valley. Bandits woke up to a world of flame. Smoke choked the lungs, and heat scorched the skin. Panic spread like a plague; men ran blindly, some trying to douse flames on their clothes, others being trampled in the rush to escape into the dark wilderness.
Karl roared, brandishing his blade. "Return fire! Archers! Shoot them!" But his orders were useless. His archers were either burning or had lost their souls to terror. The few arrows fired skyward were weak and missed the high-speed aerial targets completely.
The Pegasus knights were cold executioners. After dropping their incendiaries, they circled back with bows, sniping anyone who tried to organize resistance. The bearded lieutenant, trying to rally his men, took an arrow to the shoulder and collapsed in a scream.
The tattered wolf-head banner flickered in the heat before being consumed by the flames, turning to ash.
Karl watched in despair. It was over. His "main force" was as fragile as paper before this fire from the sky. "Blackstone... Leylo..." he growled like a wounded beast. He knew the Blood Wolf Mercenaries were finished.
Far away in Blackstone Town, Leylo watched the distant glow lighting up the horizon.
"Only aerial cavalry can counter aerial cavalry!" Leylo remarked with a sigh.