The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World

Chapter 722- Battle of Blacktide (6)

The supplies were never dispatched.

Bargo let out a bitter laugh. "It seems... they’ve given up on us."

No one argued. Because everyone had begun thinking the same thing.

Drystan quietly listened to every report. Finally, he turned toward the man standing before the map.

"Commander, in my opinion... we should abandon the Northern Fortress."

The words caused several Holy Knights to stiffen.

Still, he continued regardless. "Even if it means surrendering part of the northern territories... it is still preferable to sacrificing every knight stationed here. Our supplies are nearly exhausted. Our numbers continue decreasing. Our wounded can no longer recover properly. And... even though we defeated the Eight Demon Generals, several more have appeared to show their faces."

Indeed, they had achieved a great victory. But at what cost? What more, now there are even more Demon Generals to make up for the fallen number. So could it still be called a victory?

Compared to the demons, their forces were already on their last legs. But the most troublesome of all...

"In our last battle, I controlled my presence and sneaked behind the demons’ army to see if I could find any weakness in their lineup. In my search, I moved behind those mountains and finally saw a nerve wracking scene"...

"Those mountains, they have already been hollowed out and colossal shadows lurked under the earth. Every moment, more and more demons came out of it."

The moment Drystan finished speaking, all eyes widened in horror. From the description, they did not need to think too hard to know the identities of the colossal shadows he saw underneath the earth.

If demons were being spawned from the hollowed mountains, then it could only be one thing. Abyss Nests.

Colossal creatures with abominable forms and extremely sturdy hides. Their strength is no less than that of a Heavenly King.

In fact, fighting a Heavenly King is easier than taking on a Nest that can produce more and more demons every hour. It was like fighting a colossal engine of war.

Moreover, given that the demons can quickly strengthen their dwindling number no matter how many the knights cleared, it was obvious that there were more than one Abyss Nests behind those distant mountains.

"Abyss Nests, huh. They really are going all in. Is there a way we can sneak underground and take out those abominations?"

Reinhardt asked. He knew how dangerous ignoring a Nest could be. If possible, he wanted to take them out before the next battle broke out.

However, his hopes were dashed. Drystan shook his head.

"I only managed to sneak deep within their lines by utlizing the chaos of the battle. Right now, there would be many surveillance demons keeping an eye on the surroundings. There is a high chance that we would be discovered even when using a small elite team to strike."

What he didn’t add was that even if they found the Nests, taking them out would be another matter altogether and certainly create a lot of noise. Getting encircled by Abyss Nests, hundreds of thousands of demons, and Demon Generals was not worth it.

Silence lingered inside the command tent. Reinhardt lowered his gaze onto the map spread across the table, his fingers lightly resting on its edge. He did not answer immediately. Instead, he carefully weighed every possibility.

After a long while, he finally spoke. "If we abandon the Northern Fortress... will the civilians suffer casualties?"

That was the question he cared about the most. Territory could be reclaimed, and fortresses could be rebuilt. But lives once lost, they would never return.

As if anticipating this question of his Commander, Drystan smiled. He immediately pointed toward several markings on the map.

"Fortunately, no. The evacuation plan initiated months ago has already been completed. The villages around the large parts of the northern region have already been relocated. The civilians should be in a relatively well protected lands by now"

Hearing this, Reinhardt visibly relaxed. Drystan continued, shifting his finger farther south until it rested upon a narrow mountain pass.

"Even if we give up on the Fortress, we can mount our next defence here. This mountain range forms a natural barrier. The passage is narrow and the demons won’t be able to utilize their overwhelming numbers."

Everyone looked closely at the area he was pointing on the map. Drystan tapped the valley several times.

"Here, we’ll also regain access to the southern forests. There are significantly more wild beasts there, and the demonic corruption hadn’t reached the place. Our hunting parties should be able to sustain the army a while longer."

By now, they had all given up on supplies arriving from the capital and were trying to find ways to be self sufficient to continue the war.

The Holy Knights also approved of the Vice Commander’s plan.

"Retreating now can be called a strategic withdrawal. This way, we can preserve our remaining strength and reorganize our forces and formulate a new plan."

Bargo folded his arms. "I hate giving up ground... but he’s right."

Bob nodded. "We’ve already accomplished more than anyone expected with just our limited number and supplies. Eliminating all Eight Demon Generals alone is enough to shake the entire front."

Mikita sighed. "If we continue to stay here, our greatest enemy won’t be the demons. It’ll be starvation."

One after another, the holy knights voiced their agreement. With all their medical and healing supplies gone, the knights of the Temple of Light had to take over healing the injured. This further expended the stamina of the knights.

Reinhardt listened to all of them. Drystan’s reasoning was sound. By retreating and giving up these grounds temporarily, they would avoid cornering themselves, get a stronger defensive position, and more reliable food sources.

What’s more, this way, they can preserve more of their stamina. Even Reinhardt himself did not wish to lose any more knights. Not if it could be avoided.

With all factors favouring retreat, he also made up his mind. To retreat.

"In that case, we will..."

Before he could complete his sentence...

BOOM...

The entire fortress trembled violently. Everything inside the tent, whether they be tables, chairs, or other small items... everything was shaken up violently.

Then, before anyone could wonder what was going on, an indescribable pressure descended. It was not merely powerful; it was overwhelming. As though heaven itself had suddenly become unbearably heavy.

Everyone instinctively held their breath.

In a couple of seconds, the very air changed, and the grey northern atmosphere was instantly tainted by an oppressive darkness. The temperature plummeted further.

Outside, the sky had rapidly darkened. Thick dark clouds churned violently like a gigantic whirlpool. Deep crimson lightning silently flashed within the black storm, and a chilling wind howled across the fortress walls. Like the mournful cries of the dead.

That was not all; the ominous changes began to intensify. Dark flakes began falling off from the sky like snow, but when they fell on the ground, each black fragment dissolved into wisps of demonic energy the moment it touched the ground, slowly staining it black.

Within seconds, the flakes intensified.

The earth itself began withering wherever they landed, flora perished, and even the fortress walls began becoming weak, with several cracks expanding at a rate visible to the eye.

"This is..." One knight gulped.

They all knew what this phenomenon represented. The demonic corruption had reached an unbelievable degree.

At this moment, their eyes also instinctively caught something in the sky, and in that very instant, every instinct within them screamed the same warning.

Run... Escape... Hide. Something incomparably terrifying had arrived.

Inside the tent, feeling the pressure, Reinhardt’s expression had also changed, becoming incomprehensibly solemn.

He slowly walked toward the entrance of the tent with his Vice Commander and Holy Knights.

The moment they stepped outside, they could finally see what was going on.

The knights who were in a festive mood had all frozen in place. The celebration had long ceased, and thousands of knights stood motionless throughout the fortress, looking high up in the sky.

High above the battlefield, dark clouds surged crazily, like living coiling serpents. Red lightning flashed, and mind numbing darkness surged out.

Then from within that endless darkness, a single figure could be seen slowly descending. Walking in the sky as if there was an invisible platform, the figure in a humanoid form was clad in obsidian armor that seemed forged from living night itself.

Two enormous horns curved backward from his head. Behind him spread vast bat like wings with crimson pulsing veins that made it look very disturbing. His scarlet eyes overlooked the battlefield as though gazing upon insignificant insects.

The surrounding space distorted simply from his presence, and the demonic energy pouring out from his body was not only extremely pure, but also fed the raging storms across the skies.

The sudden sharp saturation of demonic energy made even breathing difficult.

With all eyes on him, the figure smiled, seemingly enjoying the attention.