The arrival of the beast reinforcements undoubtedly gave the expeditionary force a strong boost in morale.

In Cumberland's view, the launch of a general offensive had become a possibility.

After discussions among the army commanders, the final offensive was scheduled for midnight after a light rain.

At one o'clock in the morning, a light mist filled the forest, obscuring the starlight from the tree canopy, and the sky remained pitch black as far as the eye could see.

The 20,000-strong expeditionary force of the Dragon Kingdom was divided into more than a dozen columns and entered the forest under the cover of night.

Randall's sixth column was personally led by the Crusader commander, Ackerman.

Abandoning their warhorses, the knights, led by lizardman scouts, evaded numerous traps and rapidly approached the nearest stronghold to the east.

“If we go another kilometer, we’ll see our target.” The lizardman Kellogg looked up, glanced at the moon through the leaves, and said back, “It’s about time.”

Randall, wearing the dragon-skin armor, carefully examined the honeycomb on his back and said, "There's still no signal."

The werewolf Aldnan looked at the gray-furred giant wolf beside him, the two of them locked eyes.

Aldenan turned his head with difficulty and asked the beast tamer Joonella behind him, "Why is this guy looking at me like that... weird?"

Joonella glanced at the gray giant wolf behind her and said absentmindedly, "It likes you."

"What did you say?!"

"It's female, and you're male... it's mistaking you for one of its own kind."

Aldenan's eye twitched, and he unconsciously moved to the side.

The minotaur Bulville stroked the battle axe in his hand, looked at Joonella, and slowly said, "First time on the battlefield, nervous?"

Joone tugged at the limbs of the keel parasite: "I did a lot of training before I came here..."

“Training is one thing, actual combat is another.” Bulwell tested the edge of the battle axe and nodded in satisfaction: “The fastest way to adapt to war is to kill an enemy with your own hands.”

Standing in the shade of a large tree, Randall touched the letter of appointment he held to his heart and said softly, "As long as we win this battle, the Kingdom's expeditionary force will be able to clear the road to Tero City, and we can continue the mission entrusted to us by the Holy King."

The orc Carol tightened the handle on the back of his heavy shield and said to Randall, "Once the passage is opened, there will definitely be a gap in the defenses around Tero City."

“That’s right. The defeat of the church’s army will cause chaos around the city of Tero. We can take this opportunity to sneak through the checkpoints and defenses around the city, but we must be fast.”

Carroll turned his head and glanced back, muttering to himself, "I hope everything goes well."

Just then, Joonera suddenly said to Randall, "I've received word that the other columns have begun their operations!"

The latter was skeptical: "Are you sure? Why hasn't my hive shown any activity yet?"

"Because the method of communication I use is not infrasound, but radio waves, so..."

Before Joonella could finish speaking, the beehive on Randall's back suddenly began to vibrate.

Hearing the same buzzing sound coming from the dragon bones of the knights around him, Randall raised his sword and shield and said to Ackerman, "Joonera is right, it's time to act."

Ackerman drew an arrow from his quiver, whistled behind him, and leaped forward using the tree trunk as leverage.

After several leaps, Ackerman arrived at the edge of the forest, less than 100 meters from the enemy's stronghold.

The moon had just passed its zenith, and at this stronghold of the church-led coalition, apart from a few people on guard duty, most of the troops were fast asleep in the camp.

With a barely audible twang of a bowstring, an arrow shot out from the dense canopy of trees, flying toward the watchtower that stood tall at the edge of the stronghold.

With a soft "thud," the arrow first pierced the throat of one sentry, and with its momentum undiminished, it accurately pierced the back of another sentry's head.

After eliminating the two sentries on the outermost watchtower, Ackerman peeked out from the treetops, looked at the lizardman Kellogg not far away, used his mimicry to climb the second watchtower, and silently killed the two enemy sentries with his dagger, removing the threat on the other side.

Ackerman nodded and gestured to Randall under the tree.

Randall lowered his body, and the hive on his back issued command after command.

One hundred and forty knights led the way, followed by more than nine hundred werewolves, orcs, and tauren, with nearly one hundred elves at the rear, as they slowly approached the enemy camp.

The campfire in the center of the enemy camp, which had long since died down, was still emitting wisps of smoke; the snoring of the sleeping soldiers could be clearly heard through the tent.

Randall made a gesture, and Aldenan, understanding immediately, led dozens of his kin, extended their claws, and began slaughtering the night watchmen around the tents.

These soldiers, standing at the tent entrance, dozing off, often had their throats slit by sharp claws before they even saw what was in front of them, falling into pools of their own blood with their eyes wide open.

Looking at the completely unprepared military camp, Randall tapped his shield lightly with his longsword and said to those behind him, "Attack."

The orcs brandished their flails, roaring as they charged into the enemy camp, smashing the heads of enemy soldiers one after another like watermelons.

The minotaur raised his giant axe and chopped down the wooden pillars of the camp, then trampled one howling humanoid after another to death with his enormous hooves.

The elves gathered fire, ice, and lightning in their hands, sealing off all the paths through the camp, leaving any enemy who wanted to escape with only death.

"For the glory of the Dragon God!"

Bourville grabbed two enemies who hadn't even had time to put on their armor, slammed them face to face, and after a spray of red and white, threw the two corpses to the ground.

Taking advantage of the others' inattention, one of the enemies grabbed a musket from the weapon rack, hid behind a wooden crate, hurriedly loaded the gunpowder, and then pointed the muzzle at the minotaur.

Before he could pull the trigger, a giant wolf several meters long suddenly jumped onto the top of the wooden crate, its bloody mouth wide open, staring coldly at him.

"monster……"

He only had time to utter the word before the giant wolf bit his neck in two.

Hearing the commotion, Bulville turned around, first glancing at the musketeer being devoured by the giant wolf, then at the pale-faced beast tamer not far away, and laughed loudly, "Human boy! Well done!"

He fired an arrow at an enemy soldier who was mounting his horse and trying to escape the camp. Amid the soldier's scream and the sound of him falling to the ground, Ackerman put away his bow and arrow, looked at the chaotic stronghold around him, and said, "This is pretty much over."

Randall removed his helmet, parted the parasite's limbs, wiped the blood from his face, and looked east, saying, "We must get to the enemy's next stronghold immediately, the sooner the better."

Ackerman nodded: "The commotion here will definitely alert the enemy, and the next battle will probably be much more difficult..."