“Kill!”

The Northern Expeditionary Army soldiers and the cannibals clashed fiercely, the battlefield erupting with flashes of energy as the knights of the Northern Expeditionary Army collided with the cannibal warriors.

As the second and third legions entered the fray, the cannibals, despite reinforcing their numbers with nearly a thousand additional warriors, were still completely overwhelmed.

Though the human soldiers suffered greater casualties, the Northern Expeditionary Army was resilient, and with victory so close at hand, the humans’ spirits remained high.

Veru, leading the Northern Expeditionary Army’s cavalry, grew increasingly restless. In his eyes, the battle was nearing its end; if he did not act now, any later and he might miss out on the opportunity to earn any military merit at all.

Veru continually signaled to Marquis Wade requesting to be allowed to lead a charge. With Marquis Wade’s permission, the Northern Expeditionary Army’s cavalry under Veru’s command would charge forth like lightning to deliver a final blow to the cannibals and end the battle once and for all.

Yet, Marquis Wade remained unresponsive to Veru’s requests, leaving the latter no choice but to suppress his urge to charge forward.

Marquis Wade kept a close eye on the battlefield from afar. Although the number of demon warriors in this tribe was unusually high, the situation was still under control. Yet he felt uneasy, and Lin Xuan’s words rang in his mind.

Beasts have a natural instinct for self-preservation; they understand that they must avoid danger to protect their own lives. Even if demons are considered intelligent, why would they engage in suicidal behavior?

Marquis Wade’s lingering apprehension compelled him to keep Veru firmly restrained. The five thousand cavalrymen remained poised, ready to strike, but never actually did, serving as an important reserve force.

Within the demon’s camp, all manner of bone decorations hung from the tents, ranging from fierce beasts like bears and wolves to large herbivores such as bison and gazelles. There were even human skulls, complete with helmets, which instilled awe in any who saw them.

Several dozen strong demons sat densely within the tent. Judging by the iron armor that still clung to their bodies and the weapons gleaming at their sides, every one of them appeared to be a warrior or stronger.

The seated demons seemed entirely unconcerned with the state of the battlefield outside, their attention respectfully directed upward instead.

Four even stronger demons stood at the upper end of the tent. While it took careful observation to discern the difference between these beasts and ordinary demons, the four towering figures loomed conspicuously above their two-meter-tall compatriots, their three-meter frames drawing immediate attention.

It was also unusual to see them clad in full metal armor, and they were undoubtedly the demon equivalent of Great Knights—chiefs of large tribes, each leading thousands of their kind. Yet here, four such chiefs had congregated within a single tent.

Yet, compared to the reverent and respectful demon warriors below, these four demon chiefs appeared somewhat anxious.

“Sir Priest, our warriors are at their limit. Shall we not attack?”

“Big Brother, if we wait any longer, our warriors may lose the battle.”

“What a bunch of useless trash.”

Though only one demon sat upon the great chair atop the dais, two distinct voices echoed from the lone figure. Upon closer inspection, this seemingly frail demon had two heads, each possessing its own consciousness capable of independent speech.

Unlike his fellow demons, his figure was not particularly large, but rather slightly smaller, comparable to an average human. The skin that covered his body was also smoother and less green, with a faint blue hue.

“What a pity. That cavalry regiment never managed to charge up the slope.”

Clearly, the initial feigned weakness had been a ploy to draw more Northern Expeditionary Army soldiers into the trap. If they had deployed this many demon warriors and chiefs from the start, even an idiot like Marquis Wade would have realized something was amiss.

If the Northern Expeditionary Army retreated now, forming a defensive encampment, it would be difficult for the cannibals to breach their defenses. The army had hundreds of castles across the Wilderness, some large, with thousands of soldiers, and some small, housing only a few hundred. Each tribe typically had a Great Knight-ranked chief, and the larger tribes might even have a warrior or two.

Regardless of size, the tribes generally minded their own business, with no particular allegiance to one another, and conflicts between larger tribes were not uncommon.

Fortunately for the Northern Expeditionary Army, the cannibals had remained disorganized and fractured for all this time. Otherwise, if the over one hundred thousand cannibals in the Wilderness were to heed a single command, the northern nobles would have had their hands full.

But now, things had changed. An ancient prophecy of the cannibals foretold the arrival of a Two-headed Ogre priest, who would serve as the earthly representative of their gods.

This Two-headed Ogre priest, born with exceptional intellect, had been hidden away under the protection of a large tribe for many years, during which he used his unique appearance to subdue several large tribes.

The attack on the Northern Expeditionary Army was his idea. In his eyes, humans were the greatest enemies of ogres, and the Northern Expeditionary Army was the first enemy he needed to defeat. While he remained hidden, the Two-Headed Ogre Priest dug a massive trap for the Northern Expeditionary Army.

After making his decision, the priest stood from his chair. “Attack, my warriors! Crush these humans and take back the land that is rightfully ours!”

This wasn’t entirely false; the territories of the Northern Lands’ northern nobles had once been the hunting grounds of ogres. However, these nomadic ogres had never understood the concept of territory, which was more or less a new invention of the Two-Headed Priest.

Nevertheless, attacking and crushing humans was something they understood well.

When the Two-Headed Ogre Priest issued the order to attack, the ogre soldiers shouted as they walked out of their camp no longer hiding their numbers.

Four ogre chiefs guarded the Two-Headed Ogre Priest, leading fifty-some ogre warriors and all the remaining ogre soldiers along with the dog-headed people in a wave of attack.

With such a large-scale operation, it was unsurprising that the Northern Expeditionary Army caught wind of it.