The South Seraph restorationists were divided into over ten factions. Although nominally under Jonan's command, they operated independently and often without coordination.
During the siege of Interlaken, Duke Joseph's counterattack shattered at least three factions of the restorationists. Charlot Mecklenburg defeated and absorbed one faction while rallying the remnants of the Yahoo Knights. To save Anastasia, he virtually annihilated another. Now, the South Seraph restorationists numbered just over forty thousand, split into eleven factions.
Among them, the faction led by Hughes was the strongest, boasting nearly ten thousand troops.
Two other factions, each with six to seven thousand men, loosely opposed Hughes, forming a fragile balance of power.
The remaining factions varied in strength. Their effectiveness depended solely on their leaders' prowess. The soldiers lacked the discipline of city patrol guards or even the cohesion of the Lukavaro district gangs, and they were inferior to the Silver Dove militia.
Charlot had chosen three of the weakest factions as his targets.
After demolishing the first camp, he moved swiftly to the second, taking the time en route to inspect his weapons.
Since acquiring the two Firequell Silver Rhinos, Charlot had experimented with crafting energy bullets. Manufacturing a sixth-tier bullet required an entire day's effort, making it less productive than dedicating that time to cultivation. Thus, he only made a batch of first-tier bullets for regular use. However, the power of first-tier bullets was equivalent to a full-strength attack from a first-tier Transcendent, making their impact fairly moderate.
For the stealthy assault on these camps, a lance was too cumbersome, and a rapier too delicate. Wielding a Firequell Silver Rhino in each hand, Charlot specifically targeted the skilled leaders of the South Seraph forces.
Under Charlot's twin pistols, countless South Seraph soldiers fell. Even though he was only using first-tier Blood Glory bullets, few could withstand a single shot.
If one bullet wasn’t enough, Charlot fired a second.
If two bullets weren’t enough, he hurled a Vampiric Hand Axe.
During the raid on the first camp, Charlot encountered no opponent that his Vampiric Hand Axe couldn’t dispatch.
The skirmish, though brief, lasted long enough—half an hour—for the South Seraph restorationists to react. As Charlot approached the second camp, he noticed dark gun barrels protruding from the hastily constructed wooden palisades. Although not many, they posed a considerable threat.
Charlot refrained from sending the West Wind Knight Order into direct combat. He wasn’t one to sacrifice his soldiers’ lives recklessly for victory. With a wave of his hand, eighteen armored warriors brandishing giant axes, meteor hammers, spiked clubs, and heavy war hammers charged forward.
The defenders began sporadic gunfire, but their bullets bounced harmlessly off the armored warriors or embedded ineffectively into their bodies. This display of invulnerability threw the camp into chaos.
A disheveled South Seraph restorationist officer murmured in fear, “So, this is the West Wind Knight Order, capable of stalemating Hughes’ army. If I hadn’t escaped quickly, I’d be dead by now.”
Another officer, visibly irritated, scolded him, “Stop spouting nonsense! You abandoned your men without even attempting to resist. You've disgraced the South Seraph name.”
The disheveled officer had led the first camp Charlot attacked. Completely unprepared for a midnight raid, he had woken to find his camp in chaos, unable to mount any resistance. He fled alone, leaving his soldiers to their fate.
Charlot, during his assault on that camp, had found no enemy requiring more than two bullets or a Vampiric Hand Axe—except for the escaped leader, who had avoided combat entirely.
Now, watching the berserk warriors attacking the second camp, the officer, Oulei, felt his heart sink. Regret weighed heavily on him as he thought, If only I had agreed to join Hughes’ army. At least they have Saint-rank powerhouses. These monsters wouldn’t be a threat then.
Suddenly, one of the warriors wielding a Meteor Hammer leapt high and hurled his weapon, smashing the palisade to splinters with immense force.
Oulei roared and charged forward, brandishing a Knight’s Lance to intercept the warrior. Their weapons clashed once, and Oulei attempted to deflect the meteor hammer. But the bloodthirsty battle energy emanating from the hammer chilled his heart. He couldn’t help but shout in shock, “High-tier Transcendent!”
The warrior with the meteor hammer let out a low chuckle. “Finish the fight and drink! Finish the fight and drink…”
Although Oulei managed to block one warrior, the remaining seventeen stormed into the camp, slaughtering indiscriminately like relentless war machines.
Dubin, watching from afar, swallowed nervously. “Are these bearfolk really this terrifying?”
Indeed, these eighteen warriors were the transformed Redback Bears, now serving as loyal Labyrinth Guards under Charlot. Though no longer beastfolk, they were perfect killing machines.
Even Charlot swallowed hard at the sight, thinking, So NPCs and Labyrinth Guards are fundamentally different. NPCs remain human, while Labyrinth Guards are lifeless abominations. They lack emotions, reason, or desire. They cannot reproduce, think independently, or defy the strange rules governing them…
“An Evil God truly is an Evil God.”
Within moments, the eighteen Redback Bear warriors obliterated all resistance in the second camp. Despite the camp leader's valiant efforts, he could barely hold off Big Bear, the lead warrior. After Honey Bear killed over ten South Seraph soldiers, he hurled a captured Knight’s Lance, piercing the camp leader through the back and pinning him to the ground.
Oulei spat blood as he collapsed, his life fading fast.
The camp fell into disarray as the remaining South Seraph forces scattered.
Charlot immediately ordered his forces to pursue the fleeing soldiers into the third camp. This time, he refrained from leading the charge, leaving the task to the eighteen Redback Bear warriors. They breached the enemy camp with brute force, allowing Charlot's main force to clean up the remnants.
After crushing the third camp, Charlot promptly ordered a retreat, personally covering the rear. He didn’t linger to savor the victory or overreach in pursuit of additional gains.
When Hughes arrived with reinforcements, he found only the ruins of three camps. His furious roar echoed across the battlefield.
This battle...
Charlot's night raid, which decimated three camps in one night, quickly spread across Mostar Castle and its surroundings.
His reputation soared, solidifying his status as a fearsome force.
For the South Seraph restorationists, Charlot Mecklenburg was no longer just a name—they had witnessed firsthand the brutality of the West Wind Knight Order’s leader.
Charlot himself was surprised by how much infamy he had gained from targeting the weakest factions. It was, as he mused, very un-Charlot.