"Damn it!" Biggy and Secondy were furious. They roared and tried to run forward, but Lilia and Cynthia held them back.
"Don't be foolish. If the soldiers find us, we're all dead," Elyse glared at them coldly.
Biggy and Secondy tried to calm down, but their eyes were still red with anger.
Plump!
Biggy dropped to his knees in front of Leo and begged, "Sir, please save them. I'll serve you forever."
"I'll do the same," Secondy also knelt down.
Leo helped them up and said quietly, "Don't worry. I always keep my promises. Is there any free Minotaur on this island besides the ones being forced to work?"
Biggy shook his head. "There was a group of Minotaur who tried to fight back. But the place they used to hide was destroyed. They probably didn't make it."
Leo frowned and thought. There wasn't time to find out everything about the island.
He looked at Lilia and asked, "Do you have a way to catch a soldier?"
"Maybe," Lilia said. She looked at the soldiers below. Their guard wasn't tight.
Leo nodded. "Okay, catch one."
"Elyse, you come too," she said.
"Okay, Princess, be careful," Cynthia said, then disappeared into the dark with Lilia.
Leo and the others waited silently.
Not long after, the bushes moved. The two women appeared, like they were arguing. Each carried a soldier who had been knocked out.
Leo woke the two soldiers and forced them to tell him what was happening on Giant Whale Island.
It was worse than he thought.
The Minotaur resistance group on the island had been completely wiped out. Some were killed, others captured.
But at least the Minotaur and the Black Dragon Kingdom soldiers and sailors didn't live together.
Besides the captured Minotaur who were kept for fun, the others were all working in the mines, with no hope of ever getting out.
After getting the details, Leo looked at Elyse and asked quietly, "Are you sure your people will be here by midnight?"
"No problem," Elyse said confidently. "I already sent the message. As soon as the cannons fire, they will move in."
Leo nodded. He turned to Marina and said, "Marina, go tell Anna to be ready at midnight."
"Okay. Sir, will you stay here?"
Marina nodded and agreed, but she was still worried about Leo's safety.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine," he said. He wanted to stay and help the Minotaur in the mines during the chaos. He would work from the inside.
Marina said nothing more and left quietly.
Leo followed the two soldiers' directions to the mine area.
The guards here were even tighter. Soldiers stood on watchtowers, ready to shoot any movement from the mine. Even at night, the Minotaur workers couldn't leave the mines to rest.
"Leo, there are hidden guards here. At least thirteen of them. And there are more than three hundred soldiers stationed here," Lilia looked around and whispered.
Leo nodded and said quietly, "First, find the hidden guards. Wait until the soldiers move, then we act."
"Okay," Lilia whispered back and disappeared into the dark with Cynthia.
Time passed slowly. Soon, midnight came.
Boom... boom...
In the distance, the sound of explosions echoed across the sea, instantly waking up the soldiers on the island.
"What was that? Go check it out!"
The soldiers panicked. Torches waved. A big commotion started.
Leo listened to the continuous explosions. He was frustrated in his heart.
He didn't need to guess. He knew Anna was using the explosives without any limit. With the way things were going, the gunpowder he brought from Flame Island would be gone in no time.
But Giant Whale Island had volcanoes. They could get more gunpowder there.
"Something's wrong! It's an attack! There are a lot of warships coming from the sea!"
The soldiers below were in panic. They shouted and ran.
The soldiers stationed on the island rushed to the shore.
But the ones guarding the mine didn't move.
Leo whistled. He signaled Lilia and Cynthia to take out the hidden guards and the soldiers on the watchtowers near the mine.
"Biggy, Secondy, you go into the mine. Tell the Minotaurs the truth. Tell them to gather and fight back," Leo said. He handed them two crossbows.
These were the new repeating crossbows made by Barnett and his team. They had limited range, but they worked well in tight spaces.
"Okay, Sir, be careful," Biggy said, then took the crossbows and ran with Secondy toward the mine.
"Enemy here! Shoot!" The patrol soldiers saw them and immediately ordered.
But the watchtowers were quiet.
Lilia and Cynthia had already silently taken out the guards on the watchtowers and the hidden sentries.
"What's going on? Why are the watchtowers silent?" The leader of the soldiers looked worried. He realized the situation was serious.
"Quick! Guard the mine entrance. Anyone who comes out, kill them!" He ordered and led three hundred soldiers to surround the small, dark mine entrances.
Leo got nervous. Three hundred soldiers were enough to trap all the mine entrances.
He pulled out a flintlock from his wide sleeve, loaded it with gunpowder, and prepared to attack.
"Kill them..."
At that moment, loud battle cries came from the shore. Explosions and cannon fire echoed. The sea was on fire.
It was the reinforcements from the Kano Kingdom.
The soldiers guarding the mine were clearly nervous.
At that moment, two dark shapes moved like ghosts and rushed toward the soldiers.
It was Lilia and Cynthia.
Plop, plop...
Blood splattered. Four soldiers were killed without warning.
"Damn it! There are more enemies! Archers, prepare!" A soldier shouted. The soldiers panicked, looking for the two girls.
"Kill them!"
Suddenly, more shouts and roars came from deep inside the mine. A lot of figures came out.
It was the oppressed Minotaur workers. Biggy and Secondy were among them.
These Minotaurs were mostly thin and weak, with yellow faces and pale skin. They held mining picks in their hands, but their eyes were like wild animals, burning with angry fire.
The soldiers tried to fight back quickly. Arrows flew through the air.
The first Minotaur who rushed out fell under the arrows.
But the ones behind didn't care. They stepped over their fallen comrades, let out angry roars, and charged toward the soldiers. They hit the soldiers hard with their mining picks.
Bang!
Blood flew everywhere. The pick broke in half. It was made of wood, clearly because the Black Dragon Kingdom was afraid the Minotaurs might fight back.
Even so, the fierce Minotaurs showed no fear. They threw away the broken wooden picks, some clenched their fists, others picked up big rocks from the ground, and hit the Black Dragon Kingdom soldiers hard.
Years of oppression and slavery had built up a huge anger in the Minotaurs. They didn't fear death at all. Their eyes were full of rage, and they just wanted to tear everything in front of them apart.
At first, the soldiers could fight back a little. But soon, they were completely scared by these brutal Minotaurs.
"Quick, ask for help! Minotaur rebellion! Call for the main army..." The leader soldier shouted, but before he could finish, his head was smashed open by a big rock.
"Go, tear these bastards apart!" The Minotaurs roared. They were cruel. There wasn't a single soldier left whole on the ground.
Lilia and Cynthia were also shocked and stepped back to Leo's side.
In just a few minutes, more than three hundred Black Dragon Kingdom soldiers were dead.
The Minotaurs sat on the ground, confused. Some cried, some laughed. They looked like madmen.
"The fight isn't over. Everyone, gather up!" A hunched, old Minotaur shouted angrily.
The Minotaurs came to their senses. They took care of the injured, took armor and weapons from the dead soldiers, and quickly gathered together.
Leo and the others walked over.
"Still enemies!" One Minotaur shouted. A few more came rushing toward them, holding weapons and full of anger.
"Stop it, you bastard!" Biggy rushed forward and kicked the one running ahead. He shouted, "No respect! This is Mister Leo. He saved us."
The Minotaurs calmed down and looked at the group with curiosity.
The old Minotaur, supported by another, walked over. He looked very careful and said, "I am the old priest of the Minotaur tribe. There are still soldiers outside, aren't there? I don't know which country you belong to."
Elyse quickly said, "Don't be afraid, sir. These are Kano Kingdom soldiers. We won't enslave you like the Black Dragon Kingdom. I want to make a normal trade with you. Iron for food, clothes, and other daily goods."
Leo gave her a cold look.
This woman probably wanted the iron from Giant Whale Island from the start.
"Impossible. We won't trade with humans," a Minotaur said angrily.
Cynthia stepped forward and glared at the Minotaur. The man took a step back in fear.