The night had arrived, and the slaves prepared to leave. With little to pack, they began their journey, heading west—away from the territory of Baron Gregor Duvain, the enemy of Baron Capet—and into a vast forest.

  "Did they proceed with the plan, Uncle Dalangpan?" Lakan asked, his voice tinged with nervous anticipation.

  "Yes, they followed through with it. But are you really sure about this? They're risking their lives," Dalangpan replied, concern evident in his tone.

  "I'm sure! If they execute it properly, we can lose our pursuers. And if we're lucky, we might secure a map that will aid us on our journey. Since they left before us, they've had more time to prepare," Lakan affirmed, though a flicker of doubt crossed his face.

  The group that went ahead consisted of Baloga, four other demonkin, five orcs, three terrakin, and a lone beastman. Despite their differences, they had no trouble working together—they had all been slaves for far too long to let race divide them.

  Baloga frowned. "Will this plan really work? I mean, it came from a child."

  A burly orc with a battle-hardened look, Drogath, crossed his arms. "Even if it's from a child, the elder approved it. Our job is to follow through."

  Baloga sighed, still unconvinced. His gaze landed on the lone beastman. "Hey, beastman, what's your name? Why are you the only one here?"

  The beastman, a panther-like figure with sleek black fur, a missing eye, and a battle-worn body, narrowed his gaze. "You’ve got a real attitude, don’t you?" he said coolly.

  Baloga smirked. "Relax, I'm just asking a question. No need to get all worked up."

  The beastman’s frown deepened. "Name’s Zarik. I was assigned to guide you back to the main group and oversee this mission." His tone was firm and commanding.

  "I see, I see," Baloga said, his smirk widening. "Well then, let’s get this done, C-A-P-T-A-I-N."

  Drogath let out a frustrated sigh. "Can you two stop your bantering? We just finished preparing. We should all be focused on waiting for the pursuers."

  The plan was set in motion. The group took their positions inside the forest, lying in wait, while Zarik stood at the forest’s entrance near the abandoned camp.

  Afternoon arrived.

  Thud. Thud.

  Zarik's lone eye widened. "Right on time... just like the boy predicted. But to think it's Tancred, the youngest Mana Frame user."

  A gruff voice broke the silence. "After following the river… so this is where they’ve been hiding. Tsk. They knew we were tracking them, so they fled in a hurry. Hey, did you find their escape route?"

  "Sir Tancred, they’re heading east. There are footprints and broken twigs leading that way."

  Tancred let out a booming laugh. "Hahaha! What a bunch of fools. They panicked! Leave the horses here—we can’t ride them through the forest. They are still near; we can catch up to them. Move out!"

  Hidden in the shadows, Zarik murmured, "I should go now and inform them."

  With the agility befitting a beastman, Zarik moved swiftly back to his companions.

  "They're coming—twenty in total. Since its afternoon, we should avoid engaging them directly. We'll wait until nightfall and proceed with the plan."

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  The group nodded in unison and waited. Hours passed.

  Night had fallen, and the knights, weary from travel, settled into their camp after eating. Their fire crackled in the night, illuminating their resting figures.

  The dispatch group prepared for their ambush.

  "Mosswick, tell them to prepare the fire and add the paralyzing powder your terrakin group made," Zarik ordered.

  "Alright," Mosswick, a small terrakin with a long beard, replied.

  Zarik whispered, "Orcs, get into position. When the time comes, throw the big rocks we collected. Aim to kill."

  "Hehehe, I can't wait to crush them," Baloga said, grinning wickedly.

  Smoke began to accumulate.

  "Alright, mask yourselves with cloth. Wait for the paralyzing smoke to take effect, and make sure to execute the plan so that there are no casualties on our side," Zarik whispered to his group.

  They waited for a while, observing the knights movements.

  “Now!” Zarik said commandingly.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Rocks rained down upon the knights. Coughing and stumbling, many were caught off guard. The barrage, combined with the effects of the paralyzing smoke, left many of them incapacitated.

  Tancred, shocked and dumbfounded, struggled to move. "What the fuck is happening!? Why can’t I move!? Hngh!"

  Forcing his mana to surge, Tancred expelled the poison from his system. "Use your mana to dispel the toxin!" he roared.

  Just as the knights began to channel their mana—

  Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

  Wooden spears shot through the air, piercing the knights. The demonkin, moving with unnatural speed, struck swiftly and mercilessly.

  A brief but brutal skirmish ensued. By the time it ended, the only knight still standing was Tancred. Bloodied but defiant, he had managed to kill one demonkin before the others hesitated.

  "You filthy slaves… You dare to ambush us?" Tancred spat, coughing. "I’ll kill you all!"

  "Let me fight him," Baloga said, stepping forward with a grin.

  Tancred scowled. "You lowly demon, you think you can kill me? Hooo!"

  Assessing Baloga Tancred, he concluded that he didn’t have a chance to win against this demonkin. Then, Tancred closed his eyes to focus.

  “Mana Frame” Tancred Whispered.

  Sensing the surge of Power Zarik stop Baloga from fighting. Even if Baloga is an experience fighter the knight is a mana user.

  "Don't be stupid, Baloga," Zarik warned. "We can finish him together."

  “Don’t underestimate me—Blood Surge!” Baloga said.

  Baloga ignored him. Closing his eyes, he steadied his stance and let his blood surge. His muscles tensed, veins pulsing as his body strengthened beyond its limits.

  Without warning, he launched himself at Tancred.

  Caught off guard, the knight barely managed to react.

  Clang!

  Tancred blocked Baloga’s stolen sword. Sensing the stunned knight, Baloga twisted his wrist, redirecting the blade to slice across Tancred’s forearm.

  The knight snarled in pain but retaliated with a knee to Baloga’s ribs, sending him stumbling back.

  Tancred lunged forward with a powerful downward slash, but Baloga ducked, rolling under the blade. Using his enhanced speed, he shot forward, ramming his shoulder into Tancred’s chest, knocking the knight off balance.

  “Augh! Why is he so strong” Tancred said.

  Baloga followed up with a rapid flurry of blows, each strike landing with crushing force. Tancred barely managed to parry, his arms growing numb from the sheer intensity.

  Tancred unleashed his mana outward, forcing Baloga back and halting the barrage of blows. Stumbling from the sudden force, Baloga struggled to regain his footing.

  "What was that!?" Baloga exclaimed, startled.

  Seeing his opponent momentarily shaken, Tancred launched himself toward Baloga.

  "That Mana Burst took a lot of my mana... I need to finish this quickly," Tancred said.

  Tancred slashed downward.

  Baloga focused his Blood Surge in his legs, regaining his footing before swiftly sliding to the side.

  Using his momentum, Tancred followed up with a sideways slash, aiming for Baloga.

  Seeing this, Baloga used his pivot foot to spin around Tancred’s back. Then—

  Baloga feinted a left hook to the knight’s face.

  Thrown off, Tancred gathered his mana to his face to minimize the damage. But—

  Baloga swiftly swept Tancred’s legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground.

  Before the knight could react, Baloga leaped onto him, driving his blade deep into Tancred’s neck.

  Tancred gasped, his vision blurring. "Damn… you—Augh!"

  With a final, brutal motion, Baloga twisted the sword and wrenched it free.

  "You fought well, but you're still inexperienced," Baloga said with respect in his voice.

  Tancred’s body convulsed before falling still, his lone eye staring blankly at the night sky, the last embers of life flickering out.

  Zarik crossed his arms. "Oho… You’ve got some skill. Not bad."

  "Let's wrap this up quickly before the monsters arrive due to the commotion. Take their belongings as well," Drogath said.

  They worked quickly, burying the fallen. By the time they finished, the night had reached its peak.

  Exhausted but victorious, the group finally allowed themselves to rest.