The group decided to sleep after going over their plans once more. However, considering they were under the threat of a horde attack at any time, no one was too keen to close their eyes, Red included.

Thankfully, morning arrived with no overnight attacks. Yet, none of them got more than a few hours of sleep. As they got out of their tent, it was clear that others in the ruined fort shared their restless night.

Soldiers were still busy moving items and bodies everywhere, and there was an atmosphere of anxiety and fear permeating the camp. The usual feeling before a life or death battle, or so Red presumed.

His group had barely taken a step outside their tent when they spotted a soldier waiting for them. He approached the group.

“Captain Orvin requests your urgent presence in his tent.” The man said, looking at Eiwin.

The woman nodded. “We were just going there.”

Red and his companions made their way to the command tent. However, the boy noticed something peculiar around the fort on their way over.

“They’re not repairing the walls.” Red said.

“It doesn’t matter.” Rimold shook his head. “You saw how much those log walls helped them yesterday. They can barely be used as a weak first line of defense, but against those wolves, I doubt they will be much use.”

The boy remained skeptical. Just after the battle, he saw the soldiers scrambling to rebuild the walls at Orvin’s orders, so what had changed? He decided to let the matter go for now.

As they got closer, Red felt a few familiar fluctuations inside the tent. Captain Orvin and Gustav’s bodyguards were there, and yet what caught his attention was another strong fluctuation belonging to someone he had met less than a week ago.

Red looked at his companions. “The Baron is here.”

“Already?” Narcha seemed surprised. “Did he travel nonstop through the night?”

Rimold grunted. “That’s still two days of travel for us. Even a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator would take some time to arrive.”

“Let us go inside.” Eiwin cut their discussion short. “The Baron himself can give details on what happened when we meet him.”

The younger woman led the way in. Sure enough, as soon as they entered the tent, they were met with the Baron’s figure at the head of the table, occupied as he read something in his hands.

“Lord Baron, you’re already here?” Eiwin was smart enough to feign some surprise.

“Ah, Miss Eiwin.” the man put the paper down. “I arrived at the crack of dawn. I had to make my way here in a hurry, though, so most of the camp is still unaware of my presence.”

“You came here alone?” The woman looked genuinely surprised this time.

The Baron smiled. “Of course. In as much of a hurry as I was, how could I bring anyone else with me and still arrive in time?”

Red still had a hard time imagining the graceful Baron doing any kind of physical activity, but the proof of his might was right there in his fluctuation.

The boy also gauged the reactions of others inside the room. Gustav’s bodyguards still betrayed no emotion either behind their masks or their fluctuations. As for Captain Orvin, he had a badly disguised expression of irritation on his face.

The Baron continued. “There are some matters I need to discuss with you, but first we need to make you aware of our latest reports.” he looked over at Orvin. “Captain, if you would.”

“Yes, my lord.” the Captain looked over at the group. “It seems like the surrounding native monsters and the surviving creatures of the first wave have returned to their usual behavior. Some of them are still fighting and vying for territory right now, as it should have happened in the first place.”

Narcha frowned. “You mean we don’t need to worry about them attacking right now?”

“It seems to be the case, yes.” Orvin nodded. “However, if they do end up attacking us, I can guarantee we will not be caught off-guard again.”

The group looked relieved at this revelation.

Rog, however, had a pondering expression. “I wonder what prompted this sudden change in behavior.”

The Captain shook his head. “We don’t know for certain, but we still have to assume that whoever was behind this is still around, biding their time.”

Red could warrant a guess as to why the native monster went back to normal. As that invisible cultivator told him, the beast tamer’s control over those creatures was limited by distance. If he was intent on controlling the alpha wolf for the next battle, then obviously he couldn’t go about gathering an army of lesser monsters.

“What about the wolves?” Narcha asked. “How long until they arrive?”

“Between three to four hours.” Captain Orvin said. “We won’t be able to get the fort back in proper shape before then, so we have decided to forego its shelter and meet them right at the river line.”

The warrior grunted. “And the alpha? What will you do about it?”

The Captain’s expression worsened, and he didn’t respond.

“I will deal with it.” The Baron interjected. “Or at the very least, delay it for now.”

“A most terrible idea.” Orvin said with a frown. “You are no Hector, and to presume you can achieve the same as him is foolish.”

The Baron sighed. “I know my own limitations, yet what other choice do we have? I’m the only one that can keep the wolf from massacring our men, even if only for a few minutes.”

The Captain remained unconvinced. “What will a few minutes afford us? The wolf will still just beat you senseless in the end, and we won’t even be through with half the horde. We should have retreated while we still had the time.”

The Baron hesitated. “… That is not a choice we had the luxury of making.”

His mysterious words left Red and the others puzzled. Before anyone could ask about it, though, the Baron moved on.

He looked over at Red’s group. “Do you think Hector is still alive?”

The question caught them off guard.

Eiwin, however, simply nodded. “We do.”

“Do you think he will be here tomorrow?” The Baron asked.

“That…” she hesitated. ”I can’t say it for certain, but if he’s still alive, then he most definitely will be making his way over in a hurry. As for whether or not he will arrive in time, that I cannot promise you.”

The Baron frowned at this. “I made a promise to him that I would look after his sect if something happened to him, and I intend to keep it. If something goes wrong or it seems like the tides of battle are going against us, I give you my permission to retreat without question. In fact, I want you to retreat without question. Is that clear?”

“I…” Eiwin seemed stumped at these words. “We will do as you say.”

“Good.” the man nodded. “I have left plans on how to proceed with my trusted subordinates who remained behind, in case we can’t stop the horde here. You would do well to approach them if it comes down to it.”

No one said offered any protests to his plans.

Once more, they went over their strategy for the upcoming battle. The Baron would deal with the alpha wolf, Gustav’s bodyguards would deal with the Lesser Ring Realm monsters, while Red and his companions would act as a free force to reinforce their allies where it was needed.

Earlier estimates spoke of at least six Lesser Ring wolves in the next wave of the horde, which was more than Gustav’s bodyguards could deal with on their own at once. This meant that Red’s sect would be required to fight a few of them, at least. They still had a few talismans at their disposal, but it was questionable whether it would be enough for the upcoming battle.

Of course, the boy himself had his own plans, which were probably more risky than anything the group had in mind. He could feel Narcha throwing him some meaningful gazes now and then, but thankfully for him, no one seemed to notice.

Once their meeting was over, the group left the tent under a heavy atmosphere.

Now, all they could do was wait until the moment of truth.

…

A few hours later, their forces gathered at the river line.

The army was a hubbub of discussion once they noticed their Baron was in their midst. Still, knowing that their lord was going to fight alongside them for the upcoming battle served as a much needed morale booster for the soldiers.

Their formation was composed of a line of a few hundred soldiers, with a few dozen archers to offer them support in the back line. These types of formations were merely a formality, though, strategies meant for battle against other human armies. Against monsters and their enormous strength, it was likely they would be unable to keep any kind of semblance of formation once the first clash was done and the ensuing battle would devolve into a chaotic melee. Still, the soldiers knew they needed to do their best to act in tandem as much as they could if they were to have any chances of winning this battle.

The Baron himself stood at the very front of the army, flanked by Gustav’s two bodyguards, who seemed to be in fine health as far as Red could tell. As for the sect, they stood amidst the soldier’s vanguard alongside Captain Orvin.

It didn’t matter how strong they were, the first clash against a horde would always be the worst one. The Lesser Ring Realm cultivators and monsters would generally take the charge at the front, and no one beneath that level could survive such an initial impact.

Other than the sounds of the flowing river, there was almost absolute silence amidst the army. Red and his companions were focused too, with steely expressions and their weapons at the ready. At least, most of them were.

Allen, on the other hand, looked extremely nervous, a fact that was made apparent by his trembling hands and expression both. Red thought this was a reasonable reaction. It didn’t matter how much stronger the young master was than the average soldier, he was still just a child. This kind of atmosphere was too much to handle even for most adults.

Eiwin put a hand on Allen’s back in an attempt to comfort him. “Just stay close to us and everything will be fine.”

The young master nodded, and his worries seemed to be partially assuaged.

They waited for ten minutes in their formation, but there were still no signs of the horde who was supposed to be arriving right around this time. Sounds of hushed conversation started to spread amidst the soldiers when all of a sudden they heard it.

A howl.

The sound lasted for almost ten seconds. It was so deep and penetrating that it sent a shiver down everyone’s spines. It seemed to pierce into their soul and mind alike, and even after the sound was gone, Red swore he could still hear it echoing in his mind.

No words needed to be said between them to recognize what beast that howl belonged to.

“Get ready!” Orvin shouted as he raised his sword in preparation.

The time of truth was upon them.