Ben had driven along an off-road path that shot off the main trail near the entrance of the fortification. It had taken them through the wooded area before a few clearings started to appear, along with their hideout, which had been created by a unit of soldiers the day prior. There was enough space for the van to be parked there, and it was adequately shielded from any nosey advancing enemies by bunches of bushes.

  “It should be alright here,” Ben muttered before knocking on the ceiling. “Keep low so you don’t stick out like a sore thumb before we even get a chance to make our move.”

  Jerry knocked back. “You don’t worry, I’ve got that covered.”

  Ben switched the engine off, so they were silent. He turned to Alfred and was about to ask something when he noticed him meditating. Ben realized what was going on and closed his eyes to follow suit. All the time he had spent practicing had paid off, as he could see a visualization of the area with the individual soldiers on each side. What surprised him the most was how detailed it looked as if he was using some insane 3D sonar technology from a science fiction film that made him feel like that Daredevil superhero.

  The horde of infected soldiers marched towards the fortification with unnatural, jagged movements that made them look like animatronics. There were too many to count, but Ben figured they numbered in the five-hundred range. Almost two hundred former Meso knights and their mounted commanders were behind them.

  When Ben set his sights right at the back, he was dumbfounded to get a glance at Sudfield, who was pointed for the taste of battle. His energy began to radiate so much that it seemed to surpass that of the super sporemancer. A singular thick strand of energy pumped him with more and more energy from the direction of the Chateau.

  Suddenly, the image around Sudfield became distorted to the point it was unbearable to observe. Annoyed, Ben shifted his focus back to the fortification.

  Although the Hollow Moon were outnumbered, they had formed into a large defensive formation. The infantry soldiers at the front stood side by side with their Knight Lieutenants and formed a shield wall. The ones behind had their spears poking out from between the shields while the rest stood ready for their orders. Another detachment, consisting of a dozen mounted knights, had taken their place in the nearby treeline.

  Come on, guys! You can do this!

  As the enemy soldiers arrived near the trenches, Ben noticed small threads of magic emerge from Sudfields distorted blob. They connected like puppet strings to the heads of the infected soldiers, who stopped in their tracks before falling victim to the trap laid out for them.

  “Damn it!” Alfred yelled with frustration filling his voice. “That blasted Sudfield knows what we’ve laid out for him.”

  The Hollow Moon archers appeared dumbstruck as they readied their bows in panic. The trap had failed as they had intended, but it didn’t stop them from going through. Before the enemy could move away, a hail of arrows had been shot at the trenches. An earthshattering explosion followed by a shockwave of flames shot outwards.

  Although half as effective, the plan had been salvaged from how the first few lines of enemy soldiers were knocked back. The way the fire spread amongst their ranks made it look like an unstoppable wildfire. More puppet strands appeared before the burning ones were contained, and they were tossed into the source of the fire.

  Some threads from Sudfield began to get thicker before a group of enemies transformed into blobs of slimy infectious matter. They ran into the ones on fire, spreading their fireproof slime before pushing a few comrades into the trenches to extinguish and plug the fires. Once the danger had passed for them, the remainder rushed towards the men of the Hollow Moon like wild animals.

  Bodies crashed into the shield wall, causing the line of defense to be pushed back a few meters before the spearmen started poking. They had managed to impale a few slowly down the enemies at the back. The allied soldiers at the ends moved out in what looked like a semi-circle pincer while others secured the flanks.

  The mounted knights emerged from the treeline in full stride, sweeping across the enemies' main body as they traversed the trench area. Many enemies had been knocked over, while others had been struck by the violent swings of maces that left fire trails through the air as they moved. That tactic had been repeated a few times and had stalled the enemies down enough so that a few soldiers could break from their defensive positions and counterattack with their fiery weapons.

  The infected knights, Sudfield and his commanders, started advancing when the allies' situation improved.

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  “Get ready!” Alfred yelled. “It’s nearly time for us to make our move. We’ll emerge before the treeline when most of their knights have passed.”

  Ben had already broken his concentration, and his hand shot into the ignition before he shook his head disapprovingly. “Hang on. If we do that, then the others may be in trouble. We don’t have enough knights to counter theirs, so our guys will easily become overwhelmed. You’ve seen their numbers. If I drive out earlier, we can take some of them before cutting Sudfield and his commanders off from their host.”

  Alfred wasn’t too pleased and frowned. “Look, I’m not the kind of person who likes deviating from the plan. We’ve strict orders to engage Sufield and his commanders.” He scratched his head in frustration before continuing, “But you’re not wrong. They will overwhelm our men. Alright, but you must go when they're almost at the end of their column.”

  “Understood.” Ben nodded before knocking above him, “Jerry, did you hear that?”

  Jerry thudded in response. “Understood. From what I can see, they’re nearly at the end of their column. If you want to make a difference, I suggest you move now. Go, go, go!”

  Ben started the engine, shifted into reverse, and hit the pedal to the metal. His tires spun in the grass before he reversed and positioned himself to face the main trail. Beyond the trunks of a few trees, he could see the enemy knights marching. Some of them had noticed the van and adjusted their trajectory to intercept it but were burst into flames by Jerry’s good aim.

  Luckily, there was enough space between the trees for the van to go through. The smaller bushes and shrubs were run over and squashed before Ben contacted almost a dozen infected knights. Slowing down, Ben steered towards the end of the column and thudded into another dozen bodies.

  [+850XP. +0MP (Full)]

  [You are now Level 9: +1 Skill point available.]

  [Order of the Hollow Moon (Faction): You have been promoted to Sergeant Major.]

  Sudfield and his commanders stopped in their tracks before spreading out across the width of the main road. They readied their weapons before a dark energy started spiraling out of their bodies. Their looks were pure malicious terror, like those of demented serial killers.

  The entire thing gave Ben a spine-trembling chill before he stopped and looked up. “Pull it!”

  Hauxwell, Le’Vieux, and the mages materialized out of the portal. Alfred and Ben both stepped out at the same time while Jerry untied himself and jumped down.

  Le’Vieux turned to the mage commander. “You know what must be done. Attack them from the rear, hard and fast, with lightning precision. Then, work with the others to get rid of these dark clouds. The mages and knights then must make their way back here for the assault on the Chateau if we survive that far.”

  Just as the Grand Marshall had finished speaking, a faint buzzing sound emerged from the treeline. It got louder with time till it felt like it was almost there. Within moments, the figures of fairies, all elite warriors, leaped from above the treetops. They were led by Quicksilver, who motioned for them to take their place above the van before he descended to the ground.

  “Thanks for pulling through for us.” Ben smiled, greeting Quicksilver with a wave.

  “Apologies for the delay. We were waiting for another tribe to arrive so we could come here in greater numbers. Where do you want us?” Quicksilver asked as he and the other fairies removed their weapons from their sheaths.

  Ben turned to Le’Vieux for a response.

  “You should stay with us here to fight those ones since you are the strongest amongst your people. Ask your warriors if they would kindly follow my mages back to the fortification and dispose of any remaining enemies.” Le’Vieux motioned to Ben. “I am the Grand Marshall of the Hollow Moon, and I give you my word that the peace agreement you made with Ben will stand once the battle concludes.”

  Quicksilver nodded. “The agreement will stand.” He flew up to his warriors and motioned at the mages, explaining the orders. When he returned, he said, “They will follow the orders of the one in charge of your mages.”

  Once the mages and fairies had set off, Le’Vieux walked ahead. The rest of the party followed a few steps behind before stopping a dozen meters away from the enemies.

  “Sudfield,” Le’Vieux started, “You are one sly conniving bastard. We should have taken care of you a long time ago when you first started acting up, being a pain in our asses like the turd you were destined to be. Look around and see the damage you have caused to the people of Meso and the Hollow Lands.”

  Sudfield let out a vicious snarl like some rabid dog. “Shut it, you old fool! These lands were destined to be under my control. They were mine, and you all know it. That fool Meso thought he would escape when he and your knights stole power from my grandfather. These lands rightfully belong to me, and I would have taken them for myself if it wasn't for you and your hollow scum showing your faces.” His voice no longer resembled any hints of a human but sounded like a demon who smoked ten packs of cigarettes a day, seeping in deep raspiness.

  Hauxwell cleared his throat. “That’s the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard. Meso was the firstborn son, and then it was your grandfather who, if you don’t remember, was a bastard born out of wedlock.”

  Sudfield shot a deathly glance at Hauxwell. “I thought I killed you back at Dimmiwood. How did an old fool like yourself survive that?”

  Hauxwell clicked his neck side to side. “I told you before, it won’t be easy to kill the likes of me. You thought sticking that little bug in my neck would be enough to change the colors of my cloak. I hate to break the bad news to you, but it gave me back my youth, and now I’m stronger than ever.” He put his hand out and waved it about. “I’m going to slap the crap out of you.”

  Sudfield burst into demonic laughter as the words he heard were just some last-ditch ploy before instantly shifting to an aggressive, serious demeanor. “Even if you manage some miracle, my power is just a drop in the ocean of what my master is capable of. You and all the knights in the Canrich Kingdom won't be able to stop it.” He turned to his infected commanders before ordering, “Bring me their heads.”