Chapter 451: Chapter 451: Extermination

Duke glanced at the five young wizards beside him, who seemed slightly nervous yet forced themselves to remain calm, abandoning the thought of having them coordinate the attack.

Rather than counting on their potential mistakes in coordination, it’s better to leave it to the professionals.

“You five,” Duke’s voice was calm and emotionless, “Stay here, guard the rear and the flanks, prevent any stragglers from escaping or enemy reinforcements from other directions.”

The five young wizards paused for a moment, seeming somewhat disappointed at not being able to join the frontal assault, but they also visibly relaxed, quickly nodding in agreement.

Assigning them to relatively safe guard duties suited their wishes perfectly.

Duke nodded to Vivian: “We coordinate with the Beastmen squad.”

Vivian understood and started quietly exploring forward with Duke.

At this moment, the Beastmen squad was already in position, forming an encirclement, just waiting for Duke’s command to attack.

Duke hesitated no longer and signaled an attack gesture to the green-skinned orc squad leader.

The orc leader let out a low growl and swung his sturdy arm forward forcefully.

In the next moment, the previously silent valley was suddenly disrupted by the rhythm of war.

“Waaagh!!”

Ten green-skinned orc warriors appeared like phantoms from behind the hidden rocks, their shoulder-mounted heavy energy rifles firing simultaneously.

Ten scorching beams of light, almost without interval, precisely concentrated on the entrance of the Mountain People’s stronghold, bombarding the crude wooden fence and watchtower.

“Boom!”

The deafening explosion sent wood chips flying and rocks splitting.

The entrance of the stronghold was instantly blown open, and the sentries above turned into charcoal before they even had a chance to scream.

“Enemy attack!!” A furious and shocked shout came from inside the stronghold, as the remaining Mountain People warriors hastily grabbed their weapons.

But the orcs’ attack was like a torrential storm, relentless.

After the first volley, another ten orcs immediately joined in, the energy beams like the call of death, precisely targeting anyone daring to show themselves or attempt to assemble.

Simultaneously, twenty orc warriors moved like black lightning, splitting into two forces, quickly flanking along the rock walls on both sides of the valley, their actions swift and silent, entirely unlike how their massive physique would suggest.

Their task was to block all potential exits from the stronghold, preventing anyone from escaping.

The remaining ten orcs served as reserves and provided fire cover, continuing suppressive shooting.

Neither Duke nor Vivian was idle.

Beside Duke, yellow sand floated, gathering in the air into shields, just enough to block the incoming arrows, protecting the green-skinned orc squad from these projectiles.

Vivian, on the other hand, stood on a breeze, almost floating above the ground, constantly releasing Wind Blades to attack the enemy.

While the Mountain People warriors were courageous, their physical fitness was slightly superior to the ordinary orc soldiers, but under absolute firepower, tactical dominance, and magic attacks, their resistance seemed pale and futile.

The stone spears they threw were blocked by Duke’s yellow sand, and their attempts to utilize awakened abilities to manipulate rocks or cause ground tremors always had very limited range and were pacified by Duke before affecting the orcs.

Duke possessed a highly talented affinity for the Earth Element far superior to these Mountain People in terms of control over the surrounding elements.

The battle was almost a one-sided slaughter.

Within a few minutes, the resistance at the stronghold rapidly weakened.

The sound of energy rifles buzzing, explosions, and the desperate shouts and screams of the Mountain People dying gradually subsided.

When the last Level 1 awakened trying to climb and escape from the rear cliff was shot into pieces by the flanking orc squad and fell from the cliff, the entire valley returned to silence.

Only the sizzling sound of energy beams scorching rocks remained, along with the lingering smells of smoke, blood, and charred remains in the air.

Fifty green-skinned orc warriors began skillfully alternating between cover, entering the now ruined stronghold to sweep the battlefield, check for any fake dead enemies, and simply collect spoils, doing the process efficiently, calmly, and professionally.

“Report, master! Target stronghold cleared! Fifteen enemies killed, none escaped, no casualties on our side.” The orc leader walked up to Duke, reporting in a gruff voice, calm and composed, as if they had merely completed a routine exercise.

Duke nodded: “Very well done, gather valuable intelligence and items, withdraw in ten minutes.”

Although both sides spoke different languages, the meaning was mutually understood through spiritual power communication.

At this point, the five wizards behind finally came over, shocked at the high efficiency, resolving this stronghold so swiftly.

Duke ignored their expressions, directly reporting the situation through the Wizard’s Mark, even Catherine was somewhat surprised.

Because Duke’s team was the first among many groups to complete the task, and none of their slave creatures suffered any casualties, completing the mission with exceptional grace.

Duke did not find it particularly remarkable, given the significant disparity in strength and equipment between them.

Moreover, with well-laid plans for ambush and proactive attacks, achieving such results was quite normal.

Additionally, Duke’s metallic yellow sand defense was overwhelmingly strong, rendering the Mountain People’s resistance utterly ineffective.

Every green-skinned orc was taken care of, and Duke did not ignore their injuries or deaths simply because they were slave creatures.

As they were in the Plane Battlefield, maintaining vigilance at all times was crucial, and keeping the green-skinned orcs in good condition also aided Duke.

In the following days, the Seventh Squadron made the forward camp the base point, meticulously combing through the outer areas of the Black Wind Mountains.

Under Catherine’s comprehensive command and the stationing of those Level 2 slave creatures, each group efficiently cleared multiple outposts and small strongholds set up by the Mountain People on the perimeter, with the support of assigned slave creature squads.

Of course, there were some unexpected incidents; many young wizards lacked practical experience and were instead ambushed or attacked by the Mountain People, leading to some casualties.

The majority of deaths were slave creatures, with only one young wizard dying, and the rest suffering various degrees of injuries.

Because those slave creatures cannot defy a wizard’s orders, even if the commands are reckless, they had to carry them out despite knowing the high risks.

Not everyone commanded as orderly and reasonably as Duke.

Many acted impulsively, relying only on random thoughts to command without considering practical situations.

These Mountain People were not fools; they were skilled in combat, familiar with the terrain, ready to exploit any negligence, resulting in losses.

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