Lord: I can see loyalty.

Soon, as the Cooper tribe's horns sounded, the entire camp was fully awakened and began to bustle with excitement.

The aroma of cooking food mingled with the clanging sounds of weapons being sharpened, like a prelude to their battle.

After last night's feast and sparring, the already thin ties between the Southern soldiers and Cooper warriors have lessened considerably.

Vio did not participate in the specific preparations; he went straight to the center of the camp, where another nearly thousand-year-old giant tree had been chosen as the Cooper tribe's treehouse.

The treehouse has a spacious interior, simply furnished with a long table in the center made of heavy wooden stakes, on which is spread a map of the southern Loba Mountains drawn by Cooper hunters based on generations of records.

The core command of this operation had already gathered around the long table.

Albright, looking solemn, was marking something on a map with a twig, while Valerie, with her sharp eyes, stood beside her.

On one side of the long table, Jimmy, from the southern border, stood with his arms crossed, staring at the map in deep thought, while Ansquie and Xavier sat beside him exchanging opinions in hushed tones.

Vio's arrival caused everyone to stop talking.

"Your Excellency," Jimmy nodded in greeting.

"Count Vio seems to have had a good rest." Albright looked up, noticed Vio's aura, and a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes.

"Time is of the essence, let's get started." Vio simply walked to the head of the table, pointing to their current location on the map. "This is our position. According to intelligence and clues from previous battles, the main area of ​​the Haro barbarians, and the source of that black mud monster, is roughly in this area of ​​the Sacred Forest..."

His finger traced two large, marked areas on one side of the map.

"It's difficult to get here," Valerie said, her voice cold. "From here, heading north, there are many wild beasts and places to ambush along the way before you can enter the Sacred Forest, an ancient forest that our people have rarely ventured into for nearly a hundred years."

An old Cooper hunter, his face scarred and his voice hoarse, added, "And the most troublesome thing is the traps they set, which aren't even entirely man-made. In some places... the ground itself becomes slippery and oozes out parts of those black mud monsters."

Several village elders from the southern border, though not directly involved in combat command, also attended the meeting as observers.

Albright also marked several points on the map with a branch: "We've already had these places taken care of; they can serve as temporary rest stops."

"However, the people of Harlow like to ambush in the dense forests and rocky areas along the banks of the stream, so we need to be careful here." He pointed to a bend in the stream.

Just as everyone continued to discuss the details of the battle, a steady and loud horn sounded outside the treehouse.

Waaah—waaah—!

The sound of bugles echoed through the camp, drowning out the noise.

This is the horn that summons the warriors of the Cooper tribe, preparing them for departure.

The discussion inside the treehouse also came to an abrupt end.

Albright straightened up, the last trace of hesitation in her eyes vanishing, leaving only determination.

He looked at Vio: "Count Vio, the route is clear, the strategy is set, the rest depends on the swords in our hands and the land beneath our feet."

Vio's gaze swept over every face at the table, from Cooper's warriors to the knights of the South, finally settling on the silent Glenn.

"Let's go." He said succinctly, turning first and heading towards the treehouse exit.

The sun was just rising, illuminating most of the forest and bathing the camp in a golden glow, while the allied forces had already assembled in the open space.

The knights and militia of the Southern Territory stood in relatively neat rows, their armor gleaming, and a few newly crafted magic-ore weapons radiating a magical aura in the sunlight.

Jimmy and the others stood at the front of their respective teams, counting the number of people.

The Cooper warriors, in twos and threes, carried spears and hunting bows, and wore equipment provided by the Southern Territory, their eyes constantly scanning the surrounding dense forest.

Vio walked to the front of the group, with Gina beside him, her hand on her sword hilt, without saying a word.

Albright and Valerie also came to the front row, standing shoulder to shoulder with Vio.

Without a lengthy pre-battle speech, Vio drew his Southern Will, pointed his sword at the rolling mountains, and his clear, cold voice reached everyone's ears:

"For the Southern Territory, for the Forests, for our Allies—Forward!"

"Yes!" A thunderous response rang out, startling countless birds into flight.

The vast group, like a torrent, left the camp and headed deep into the Loba Mountains along the path pointed out by the Cooper hunters.

The initial journey was relatively smooth, but the disadvantages of marching through the mountains and forests soon became apparent.

Although the dense canopy blocked out most of the sunlight, the ground was covered with fallen leaves and tangled roots, and the air was humid and stuffy, forcing the group to stretch out and proceed cautiously.

Cooper hunters, acting as scouts, scattered into the woods on both sides, their figures appearing and disappearing, conveying signals with distinctive bird calls or hand gestures.

As expected, the Harlow barbarian attack came soon afterward.

Less than an hour after entering the deep mountains, a short scream suddenly came from the forest on the left, followed by the vibrations of bowstrings and weapons.

Almost simultaneously, the bushes on both sides directly in front shook violently, and several warriors clad in animal skins roared and charged out, brandishing their weapons and rushing directly to the front of the column!

"Enemy attack! There's one on the right flank too!" a warning shout rang out.

But the coalition forces were already prepared.

"Stand up the shields!" the squad leaders of the Southern Militia shouted sternly.

The militiamen in the front row quickly raised their iron-clad wooden shields, forming a makeshift barrier.

"Fire!" The militia crossbowman behind the shield pulled the trigger, and the bolt whistled through the air as it struck the oncoming figure.

The Haro barbarian, struck by an arrow, staggered but managed to continue charging forward until several crossbow bolts pierced his vital organs, finally causing him to fall. The blood that flowed out was dark red and carried a faint stench.

The Cooper hunters reacted even faster, their arrows, fired from the flanks through the woods, precisely piercing the throats of the ambushing barbarians.

Valerie and Albright appeared at various ambush points, their weapons flashing as two barbarians who had just emerged from under the fallen leaves collapsed, clutching their bleeding necks.

Vio did not make a move easily; his eyes were sharp as he surveyed the battlefield.

These attackers were indeed stronger than ordinary people and unafraid of minor injuries, as the intelligence indicated. However, lacking weapons and organization, they were like cannon fodder sent to their deaths in the face of the well-prepared and better-equipped coalition forces.

The battle ended in minutes, leaving behind countless barbarian corpses, with only a few allied soldiers suffering minor injuries.

"Don't stop! Check the wounds, move on quickly!" Jimmy commanded as he rode back and forth through the group.

The column sped up, leaving behind the highly mobile Cooper hunters to quickly dispose of the carcasses, while the army continued its advance into the deep mountains.

On the way forward, similar harassment and small-scale ambushes occurred three or four more times, with the frequency and intensity seemingly increasing slowly as they went deeper, but they never managed to hinder the coalition forces.

In the afternoon, the team took a short break in a relatively open clearing in the woods, where they ate and drank.

Just then, a Cooper hunter who had been sent to scout further ahead slipped back silently and came straight to Albright and Vio, his face grave.

"My lord, my lord," he lowered his voice, "less than a thousand paces ahead, on a hillside there is... a place that looks like an outpost."

"A low wall was built with rough timber and stones, and you could see people moving around inside, as well as a simple watchtower."

"An outpost?" Albright frowned. "When did those lunatics in Harlow set up a post?"

Jimmy, who was resting nearby, also came over, his expression turning serious upon hearing this: "Are you sure it's not natural terrain?"

The hunter shook his head: "Absolutely not. The wood was all freshly cut, the marks are very obvious. Although it's not a large area, it's located on one side of the only path leading to the forest, offering excellent visibility."

Xavier pondered, "The closer we get to the source, the more 'normal' these guys' behavior becomes. This is worrying..."

Vio looked at the hunter: "How's the defense? Is it possible to get around it?"

"The two sides are steep slopes, making it impossible to pass through on a large scale. It is easy to fall into an ambush, and the outpost is heavily defended on the front."

"However... the side near the mountain wall, because of the protruding rocks and trees, has less of a low wall for defense, and there aren't many patrols." The hunter had clearly observed very carefully.

Vio turned his gaze to the map he was carrying, and exchanged glances with Albright and Jimmy.

"Taking a detour seems impossible; it's too risky and time-consuming," Jimmy analyzed. "Now that we've discovered the weakness..."

Albright licked his chapped lips: "Let's start here. Take men and break in from there. Once we create an opening, we can send in a large army and end the battle quickly."

They quickly made a decision, summoned several captains and the leaders of the Cooper tribe, and made rapid arrangements.

Led by Jimmy, the Sky-Top Knights and some militia slowly approached from the front, feigning a strong attack to draw attention.

Albright and Valerie selected their most elite hunters and militia led by Viogran and others to form a commando team to break through the defenses.

Ansquier and Xavier led the rest of the team, ready to provide support at any time.

"Once the breach is opened, use the firelight as a signal and act quickly."

"Understood!" the group replied in hushed tones, their eyes sharp.

The atmosphere in the rest camp, which had been tense all the way, finally became tense as the soldiers silently checked their weapons and adjusted their equipment.

The real battle has begun.