42 Aureus Astrea 9 (2/2)

Lendar wondered why Aureus would go for the harder task when the easier one is present but acknowledged that such matters were far too weighty for him to consider. He was merely a grunt and hacking down the enemies in front of him was what he does best.

As Lendar took a break from an overlooking hill, he saw Aureus cutting his path forward on the front lines. No matter how many times Lendar has witnessed this, he always thought that Aureus's movements carried a combination of grace and lethality.

The men closest to Aureus fought as if possessed by demons themselves. The way they hurled themselves at anything that appeared remotely like a threat that neared Aureus.

As Aureus reached the back of the demon horde, he shot a green globe of light straight into the sky.

Immediately, a team of roughly fifty assembled around him. Within a few minutes, Aureus and said team charged forth and broke through the enemy ranks.

Aureus immediately headed for a forest located to the northeast of where he broke out from.

As Lendar prepared to return back to his company after his break, he wondered how long the enemy demon beast would last against Aureus. One minute would be a good time, Lendar thought as he chuckled and jogged down the hill to rejoin the battle.

---

As the eastern wall's demon beast hordes fell in disarray after Aureus took down the enemy leadership, the troops closest to the northern and southern walls formed into companies and made their way to assist their allies.

This was all part of Aureus's plan to land a killing blow on the beast horde. Regardless of whether he succeeded or not in incapacitating the eastern wall enemy leadership , he would ensure that the horde would either retreat or suffer complete annihilation if they were to stay for another day of battle.

Finishing off the demon beast leadership simply made things easier.

As expected, the beasts routed and ran for the hills as it became clear that there was no way they were going to win the battle.

-

The night was filled with riotous cheers and celebrations as the barbarians and the Aureus army celebrated their victory.

Mugs of beer and ale were passed and drunk as the night deepened.

The stores of meat and grain were broken open and the aromatic scent of various meats being skewered and cooked floated across the fort.

While the rank and file celebrated, the mood was grim the building that housed the leadership of the two forces.

Aureus displayed the grisly heads of the two werewolves he slew. They were the leaders of the demon beast hordes on the eastern wall. The other assumed enemy leaders of the other walls made a clean escape.

While it was suspected prior that the demon beasts were being led by a being with higher intelligence, Aureus has now procured proof.

Unfortunately, it was only one type of leadership that he has uncovered- and it was likely only the middle level.

Nevertheless, as Aureus conjured an orb of flame and incinerated the heads, he cautioned his officers to never let their guard down when confronting the demon beasts.

”We need to be aware that the reality is that the demon beasts now are not like those of the past. They are far more dangerous and cunning.”

”Underestimating them will only result in further losses.”

As Boulder looked at the ash gathering and how the officers took to Aureus's statements, he was secretly glad that the barbarian tribes were no longer hostile to the Astrea Empire. For one thing, going up against a figure such as Aureus was certainly a proposition that had a hundred losses and not one gain.