The next morning, just as the sky began to lighten at dawn, the sentries on the outskirts of Black Stone Town sounded a frantic alarm.
On the horizon, a thick cloud of dust billowed into the air.
A troop of over forty mounted bandits appeared in the open fields south of the town.
They didn't approach the town's newly built, crude wooden fence. Instead, they patrolled at a distance, circling like vultures. The bandits on horseback wore arrogant expressions, letting out shrill, taunting cries as they brazenly sized up the vulnerable little town.
The townspeople, who had just begun to relax, felt their hearts leap back into their throats. Panic spread like a plague.
They hid behind their doors and windows, peering in terror through the cracks at the cavalrymen outside, who reeked of blood. Their palms were slick with cold sweat.
However, to everyone's surprise, the bandits did not attack immediately.
"My Lord, they... they don't seem to be planning an assault?"
Ed stood beside Raylo, his face etched with confusion and unease as he watched the horsemen milling about in the distance.
Raylo stood on the temporarily reinforced wooden watchtower, his expression grim.
"They're making a show of force."
Just as Raylo predicted, the Blood Wolf Corps cavalry did not launch a full-scale assault on the prepared defenses of Black Stone Town.
Over the next few hours, a suffocating stream of bad news poured in.
Like a plague of locusts, the Blood Wolf Corps cavalry bypassed Black Stone Town and began to frantically pillage the smaller, less protected villages nearby!
The piercing screams, the crackling of burning houses, and the desperate reports from messengers begging for aid washed over Black Stone Town like an icy tide, straining its already taut nerves.
The color drained from the townspeople's faces. Though they were safe for the moment, hearing the tragic news from the neighboring villages filled them with a chilling fear and rage—a sense that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.
"My Lord! We can't just stand by and do nothing! Those villages..."
Old Mayor Buck knelt before Raylo, his cloudy old eyes filled with pleading and grief-stricken anger.
Raylo was silent, his knuckles white from clenching his fists.
'It's not that I don't want to send troops to help immediately.'
But Black Stone Town's own defenses were weak, and its number of Knights was limited. If the main force moved out, the town would be an empty shell, and Carl would likely seize the opportunity to attack.
'I can't gamble with the fate of the entire town.'
This was precisely the Blood Wolf Corps' goal in parading their cavalry outside Black Stone Town in the morning.
They wanted to intimidate Black Stone Town, then leisurely plunder the surrounding villages to vent their anger.
"Mayor Buck, the most important thing right now is to defend Black Stone Town," Raylo said in a low voice. "If we lose Black Stone Town, we lose our entire foundation."
Old Mayor Buck's lips trembled, but he ultimately let out a long sigh.
He knew the young Lord's decision was the only correct one at this moment.
"Bolin, calm the townspeople and reinforce the defenses!" Raylo commanded.
"Yes, my Lord!"
As Bolin and the old mayor departed, Raylo's gaze shifted to his feet, where Moonlight was lazily licking its paws.
The creature seemed completely unaffected by the tense atmosphere outside.
"Moonlight."
Raylo crouched down, gently patting Moonlight's soft back. He then pointed in the direction the bandit cavalry had disappeared. "Go see where the ones who aren't on horseback are hiding."
Moonlight's pale gold eyes glanced at Raylo. As if it understood, it let out a soft cry, and with a flash of movement, vanished into the shadows.
Its small body and agile movements made it the perfect Scout.
Time ticked by, each minute and every second stretching on for an eternity.
Outside Black Stone Town, the oppressive arrogance of the Blood Wolf Corps cavalry made sleep impossible.
At dusk, a white shadow darted back into town like a phantom. It was Moonlight.
It leaped onto the table, rubbed against Raylo's arm, then cocked its head. It let out a few low "meows" and gestured with its paw.
Raylo and Moonlight seemed to share a strange, unspoken understanding.
He listened intently, his brow gradually smoothing out as a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"You're saying... the horsemen have all gone far away, and they left a camp behind? And there aren't many of the walking ones left, about... this many?"
Raylo held up four fingers, then added a fifth.
Moonlight nodded affirmatively and licked its paw again, as if savoring a memory.
'Forty to fifty foot soldiers!'
'The main cavalry force is out pillaging, leaving only some infantry to guard the camp!'
'This is the perfect opportunity!'
Raylo shot to his feet, a cold light bursting from his eyes.
"Ed!"
"My Lord!" Ed, who had been standing solemnly by his side, answered at once.
"Assemble all the Knights immediately! Prepare for a night raid!"
Raylo's voice was sharp and decisive, filled with an authority that could not be questioned.
"A night raid?"
Ed froze for a second, but his eyes immediately lit up with excitement. "Yes, my Lord!"
The night was as black as ink, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
Over twenty Knights, including Ed, assembled silently at the town's rear gate. Only Bolin remained behind to oversee the defenses.
Their horses' hooves were wrapped in thick cloth, and all metal equipment had been muffled.
They were like a pack of cheetahs lying in wait in the darkness, awaiting Raylo's command.
Raylo swung himself onto his horse. Moonlight leaped nimbly onto his shoulder, acting as their guide in the darkness.
"Move out!"
There were no other words, only a cold killing intent that filled the air.
The twenty-odd riders melted into the night like phantoms, galloping in the direction Moonlight indicated.
About an hour later, a temporary bandit camp appeared ahead.
The camp was small, with only a few scattered campfires. The guards seemed lax, clearly not expecting anyone to dare launch a surprise attack at a time like this.
There weren't even any proper lookouts on the perimeter.
"Kill!"
Raylo's voice was low and cold, like the whisper of death itself.
In the next moment, the twenty-odd Knights shot forward like arrows released from a bow. An earthy-yellow glow of Fighting Spirit was the first to flare to life around Ed!
The Earth Knight's Fighting Spirit formed a Giant Hammer as his warhorse charged at full speed.
"Enemy attack!"
Someone inside the camp finally noticed the disturbance, and a terrified shout tore through the night sky.
But it was too late!
Ed took the lead, smashing into the camp gate like a cannonball fired from a gun!
His condensed, earthy-yellow Fighting Spirit erupted into a violent shockwave, instantly tearing the crude wooden gate—and several bandits behind it who were too slow to react—to shreds!
The Knights following close behind were like tigers plunging into a flock of sheep, their Long Swords glinting with deadly light under the flickering flames.
They were well-trained and coordinated perfectly, each swing of their blades precise and efficient.
Most of the bandits in the camp were foot soldiers, almost all of them Knight's Attendants or Apprentices. Only a few of their captains were Official Knights.
With the bandit corps' main force of Knights away pillaging with Carl, the bandits left in the camp were no match for Ed and his men.
Under the Knights' torrential assault, they barely managed to put up any organized resistance.
Screams of agony, the clash of weapons, and the roar of burning flames intertwined to compose a bloody symphony of death.
Ed, in particular, was like a humanoid beast. No one could withstand the sweep of the sharp blades formed from his Fighting Spirit!
The sheer presence of an Earth Knight shattered the morale of the common bandits, making them wish they'd been born with two more legs to run away.
The battle started suddenly, but it ended even faster.
In just a quarter of an hour, the entire camp had been thoroughly purged. Bodies lay strewn everywhere, and the air was thick with the stench of blood and burning.
"Count the bodies, check for survivors, and gather any usable supplies!"