Sword of Salvation-Chapter 105: - Battle In the South (2)

Oz had never worked this hard in his life.

Even compared to when he was not yet Bearbro’s trusted man, this was still more exhausting. Mariel had truly pushed him to work until he barely had time to rest. Even this late at night, he was still required to empty the city’s logistics center before morning arrived.

"Boss, there are a total of 72 soldiers on guard," one of Oz’s trusted criminals reported. "One of them is someone we can’t handle, Boss."

Oz’s eyes immediately shifted to the large building that served as the city’s main logistics warehouse. From where he stood on a rooftop, he couldn’t see the soldiers clearly. However, without being told, he could already guess the location of the soldiers his subordinate was referring to.

"Is everyone in position?" Oz asked.

"The distraction team is ready. The slaughter team is also set to act. But the looters still need some time to prepare. We can start in fifteen minutes."

Oz nodded in understanding. Unlike previous operations, this one required more people to steal the goods. The main logistics warehouse was large. Ten or fifteen people wouldn’t be enough. Even if they were careful, it would take a lot of time, which could compromise their secrecy.

For this operation, the looters consisted of forty people, divided into four teams. They would steal goods from four different directions and transport them to four separate locations. Because of this, the preparation time needed was significant. That was why Oz nodded without complaint.

And once the fifteen minutes passed, the operation began. Oz and his trusted criminals immediately dashed to two different points. Their movement also signaled the distraction team to act. They all sprang from their hiding places and attacked the patrolling soldiers.

Of course, they didn’t engage in battle near the building. As their name suggested, the distraction team’s job was to divert attention so the looters could carry out their mission. Meanwhile, Oz’s trusted criminals were responsible for monitoring the looters’ safety. And as the boss, Oz’s duty was to ensure the enemy leader didn’t ruin their crucial operation.

Oz burst through one of the upper windows of the building in an instant. The owner of the room—the leader of the soldiers—was visibly startled by Oz’s sudden intrusion. However, his extensive experience allowed him to grasp the situation immediately and react. Without asking any questions, the man attacked Oz directly.

Oz liked the soldier’s reaction. Acting without unnecessary questions was a wise move. Because of that, he also acted without delay. He leaped to the side, dodging the soldier’s strike. Then, Oz unleashed his spirit power and counterattacked.

His opponent was quite strong—Oz admitted that. However, he was far more experienced and powerful. After exchanging blows for a while, Oz managed to dominate the fight. Within seconds, he had completely subdued the soldier.

"I know you have people who depends on you. The people you support will grieve and suffer because of your death. But this world doesn’t revolve around you. More than that, weren’t you prepared to die the moment you chose to become a soldier?"

After saying that, Oz took all the money from the soldier’s pockets. Then, he exited the room and observed his subordinates as they carried out the looting. He didn’t need to shout for them to move faster—they were already swift and efficient.

"Should we burn down this warehouse to erase the evidence, Boss?" one of Oz’s trusted criminals asked as he approached.

"That’s a good suggestion, but order the distraction team to bring the soldiers’ corpses here. We’ll burn the warehouse along with their bodies."

"Understood, Boss. In that case, I’ll leave the security here to you. I’ll go meet them now."

Oz nodded.

The criminal immediately hurried off, jumping out through the open window.

Oz felt no empathy for the dead soldiers or what he was about to do. He was a criminal. They were soldiers. People like them had to be ready to face death at any moment. If they weren’t prepared, they shouldn’t have become soldiers or criminals in the first place.

"But I hope this will be the last...."

--------[ ooOoo ]--------

About two hours after sunrise, Stewart led his troops toward Eolamoza. However, he only brought half of his total forces. General Rutherdof had taken the other half to approach Eolamoza from another direction. They had departed half an hour before sunrise.

Stewart wanted to attack Viertino and his troops from two sides. Since the battlefield was right near the city, he couldn’t use the terrain to his advantage. Because of this, he relied solely on an encirclement strategy. While not significantly effective, it would still give them control over the battle.

Being only ten kilometers away, Stewart’s troops reached the city in less than an hour. They could have arrived faster by moving at full speed, but conserving their stamina was necessary. This was no leisure march—they were going to war.

Stewart’s arrival had already been anticipated by Viertino and his troops. They were lined up in front of the closed city gates. Stewart’s and Viertino’s forces were about forty meters apart. However, unlike the previous intelligence reports, Viertino’s forces were only half of what was expected.

"Did they realize General Rutherdof is coming?" Stewart murmured to himself.

He wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case. Viertino was known to be brilliant. Besides, Stewart’s strategy was quite straightforward. The Prime Minister wouldn’t have needed long to figure it out.

However, with General Rutherdof leading his troops, Stewart had no doubt they would win. Moreover, the infiltration team General Rutherdof had sent the night before had returned about two hours before sunrise. Not only did they report that Julia was not in the city, but they also confirmed that Zalestino was missing.

Because of this, as soon as Viertino sent an envoy for negotiations, Stewart immediately ordered his soldiers to attack.

The envoy from Viertino was shocked and panicked at Stewart’s sudden action. But Stewart ignored him. He also didn’t let the envoy rejoin his comrades. Just as the man turned to run back, Stewart fired a lightning laser through his back.

Stewart showed no mercy. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Seeing their envoy killed, Viertino’s troops immediately charged forward. However, unlike Stewart, who led from the front, Viertino remained behind. Stewart had no idea what Viertino was thinking, other than possibly trying to exhaust him by making him fight through his soldiers.

Did he not care about his troops’ survival?

Stewart pushed the thought aside and focused on the enemy soldiers surging toward him. The moment his sword was within reach, he coated both his body and weapon in lightning and began cutting down his enemies at lightning speed.

The Crown Prince of the Denland Kingdom tore through the enemy ranks like an arrow piercing through a sheet of plywood.