The arrival of the Eastern Giant Eagles greatly relieved Matthew's visual pressure.
Flying high, their vision could penetrate the thick fog, and as soon as they detected any movement, they could report back to Hoven, who would then relay the information to Reaga or Zeller.
Matthew could finally take a break.
As the night grew deeper, Watcher's Hill gradually quieted down.
Except for the vigilant soldiers still staring nervously down the dark slopes, most had slipped into varying depths of slumber.
Around 1 AM, a loud horn startled everyone!
"Woo-woo-woo!"
Along with the horn came a flurry of flames appearing in the southwest!
"The enemy is attacking the mountain!"
"There's a night raid!"
Panic spread throughout the camp, with everyone scrambling to arm themselves.
However, as the soldiers rushed out of the camp, the horn abruptly stopped.
Matthew, riding his flying horse, descended and returned with a grim expression.
"It was just a harassment."
"The horn was a feint, a group of humans sneakily approached, lit torches, waved them around a bit, and then fled. I didn't dare pursue too deeply."
Reaga nodded in understanding.
It was wise of Matthew not to pursue too aggressively.
But the enemy commander was clearly no novice.
His intent was obvious.
To disrupt the soldiers' morale on Watcher's Hill through continuous harassment!
Sure enough, just two hours after the soldiers were calmed and returned to camp, another round of horns sounded.
This time, the flames appeared in the northwest, more numerous and dense, with faint orcish roars in the distance!
Once again, the horn startled most people.
Matthew couldn't rest well either.
With a sense of anger, he flew down with Hoven, only to find the orcs had thrown torches towards the mountain before retreating.
Considering the Black Dragon still hadn't appeared, he swallowed his frustration.
Upon returning to the hill, the camp remained chaotic.
Many soldiers, thinking battle was imminent, were searching for their commanders.
Zeller had to quickly spread commands using spells to quell the chaos.
The situation was not optimistic.
The most dreaded aspect for the defenders was this relentless harassment.
The enemy only needed to dispatch a small group to unsettle the majority.
Long-term harassment not only affected the soldiers' sleep but also their combat effectiveness and morale.
This was a trouble that needed to be resolved.
Matthew and his team had contingency plans.
Facing harassment, the solution was the Special Operations Force.
Because if the enemy wanted to harass, they would not deploy large forces, and a small group was no match for these skilled individuals.
As long as the enemy dared to come, just Lumiere and Craig alone could wipe out several squads.
Not to mention Matthew himself intervening.
The awkward part was, the Black Dragon remained elusive!
The Special Operations Force lost its target and was instead distracted by the potential presence of the Black Dragon.
To ensure they could focus fire on the enemy once the Black Dragon appeared, Matthew required his companions to remain on standby in specific locations.
This made them somewhat constrained.
"Is this also part of the Black Dragon's strategy?"
Matthew was genuinely surprised.
Reality was such that even if you prepared a thousand or a hundred plans, unexpected situations could still arise.
Even if you considered yourself clever, the enemy might not be foolish.
While the forces of Highleaf had various issues, their overall commander undoubtedly possessed strategic acumen.
"If the Black Dragon learned about the Special Operations Force's existence, it's indeed possible for them to make such a decision..."
Matthew's mind spun rapidly.
Soon, he decisively modified the previous strategy:
"Pairs of two, take turns lurking below the mountain. If there's another feigned attack, confirm the numbers and immediately wipe them out."
"But be cautious, don't pursue too deeply, lest the Black Dragon suddenly appears."
Under Matthew's arrangement:
Lumiere and Leila formed one pair;
Craig and Samantha formed another;
They were responsible for vigilantly watching over the feigned attacks from the southwest and northwest.
Richard, alone, guarded the southeast.
His energy was abundant, not even needing sleep, with only Lolan being comparable in this regard.
But correspondingly, the legendary bard couldn't contribute much in this situation.
At most, he could play a lullaby when everyone couldn't sleep.
But when Lolan suggested doing so, Matthew politely declined—
He didn't want to sleep too soundly!
To complement the Special Operations Force's attacks on the harassment squads, Reaga also dispatched some reinforcements.
Afterward, there was a lull in activity for some time.
At 5 AM, the horn sounded for the third time.
By this time, the soldiers in the camp seemed somewhat numb.
Many were awakened but didn't immediately search for their weapons, instead, they questioned each other if it was another enemy harassment.
And as they leisurely got up.
A urgent report from Hoven came from the sky:
"In the dense forest to the northwest, there's a large human and orcish force!"
"This isn't a feint, the enemy's main force is moving!"
At once,
The camp erupted into chaos.
The tense Reaga and others quickly organized the troops for action.
And at that moment,
At the foot of the mountain to the northwest.
The vanguard of the orcish force had already clashed into a fierce battle with the zombie skeletons!
In the darkness,
Matthew rubbed his swollen eyes.
Mounting his flying horse, he rushed towards the battlefield.
The vanguard composed of orcs was remarkably powerful. In less than 10 minutes, they had torn several gaps in the undead defensive line.
The foremost orcs had nearly reached one-third of Watcher's Hill!
Matthew watched this scene with a solemn expression.
Just then,
A figure dashed across the ground.
It was Reaga!
But instead of engaging in conversation, Reaga charged towards the orcs, wielding his large sword high and striking down with force!
Boom!
The orc blocked for a moment.
His weapon broke into two pieces.
Reaga's sword cut through his shoulder blades and into his chest cavity.
The orc let out a painful roar.
Reaga kicked him in the chest.
The orc rolled down the slope like a ball.
And at the foot of the mountain.
More enemy vanguards engaged with the undead.
The pre-dawn fog was dense, making it difficult for Matthew to discern the specifics.
"Send in my people!"
"Pull the undead's front line towards the north!"
Roared Reaga loudly.
Matthew focused, beginning to relocate the undead front lines.
Meanwhile, behind Reaga, infantrymen who had organized quickly reached halfway up the mountain.
They formed defensive formations.
With the undead being pulled back and retreating, infantrymen from both sides faced off across a gap.
It felt as if even breathing had become as heavy as mercury!
...
Just as the two sides were about to clash on the slope to the northwest, a dark figure took advantage of the mist and chaos to sneak up the mountain from the northeast.
The Zolotendron assassin, Horns, moved as gracefully as a cat.
After evading two patrolling cavalrymen and three heavily guarded sentries, he successfully infiltrated the camp located on the northeast slope.
His movements were cautious yet elegant.
The Zolotendrons' innate abilities gave them an advantage in nighttime operations, and Horns' skills in stealth were tailored for this environment.
But even in this situation, his heart still raced.
Yes, he had executed similar missions countless times before.
But this was his first time participating in a real war.
He knew what his actions meant for the Highleaf Realm's army.
He had to succeed.
He had no retreat!
Fortunately, his actions seemed to be going smoothly for now.
Rolling Stone Town had deployed a large number of troops to guard the northwest, southwest, and southeast.
So, the northeast naturally appeared somewhat vulnerable.
They had also considered the possibility of an advanced assassin.
So, on the high points of the camp, Horns found the presence of True Sight Gems—
These were treasures capable of naturally detecting invisible units.
But for true roaming masters, the limited range and rigid mechanism of True Sight Gems were nothing more than a few extra steps.
With powerful perception and perfect control of distance, Horns slipped into blind spots from the True Sight Gems' view.
Once inside, it became even easier for him.
This was the logistics camp.
Although the logistical soldiers had also been awakened by the horn, this place was far from the main battlefield.
Their attitude was not particularly tense.
More importantly, the logistical soldiers' strength was generally low.
It was impossible for anyone to sense his presence as a high-level assassin!
Thinking of this, Horns couldn't help but smile.
He touched the poison pouch at his waist.
He was about to head towards the kitchen.
But at that moment.
He suddenly saw among the soldiers, a minotaur skeleton sitting with vacant eyes!
She was gazing faintly in his direction.
At that moment, Horns' heart tightened.
He almost thought he had been discovered!
But immediately.
The minotaur skeleton tilted her head.
Horns breathed a sigh of relief. He chuckled at himself:
"Was I too nervous?"
"I almost got scared by a low-level skeleton!"
Horns felt ashamed of himself.
So, as he passed by the minotaur skeleton, he gave her a fierce glare, muttering to himself:
"What are you looking at?!"
"Can you even see me?!"
The minotaur skeleton seemed dumbfounded, showing no reaction.
Horns felt bored and continued towards the kitchen.
Eight minutes later.
He arrived at the temporary kitchen.
He began to look for suitable poisoning targets.
He walked carefully in the narrow space.
After a moment, he saw a huge water tank.
Immediately, his face lit up.
But just as he reached for the poison pouch at his waist.
A sharp pain shot from his spine!
"Ah!"
Horns cried out in agony.
In that instant.
He looked down, only to see a sharp axe protruding from his chest!
A tremendous pain surged through the Zolotendron assassin's nerves.
At that moment.
He vaguely heard a voice of righteousness:
"What are you sneaking around for?!"
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