Chapter 35: Not a Chaotic Retreat, but a Strategic Withdrawal

Chapter 35: Not a Chaotic Retreat, but a Strategic Withdrawal

After burning all the corpses of the Human Race to ashes, Airael and Axi gathered their remains and buried them underground.

Just as they finished this task and were about to set off, they heard a large pack of wolves galloping towards them.

Peering into the distance, they spotted the wolves charging in their direction, their backs laden with their riders—the Orcs.

From afar, the sight of these Orcs and their wolf cavalry left Airael and Axi with a sense of unease.

The spirit and energy were different; this unit of Wolf Cavalry was clearly more elite.

Especially the leading Orc; he exuded an air of danger from a distance.

“Are we going to fight them?” Airael asked Axi.

The incoming Orc Wolf Cavalry was clearly not to be trifled with, considering they had just come from battle.

Although their stamina was not severely depleted, they were not at full power, let alone the fact that even at full strength, defeating this new Orc force would be difficult.

“Run! Run fast!” Axi shouted back at Airael without looking.

“We can’t fight them.”

There was no way to stand and fight.

They were outnumbered, and there were heroes among the enemy ranks just like Axi; the two of them couldn’t hope to match up against them.

In a head-on clash, they would only end up injured.

Upon hearing Axi’s words, Airael did not hesitate and immediately mounted her horse to flee alongside him.

Though retreating seemed disgraceful, it depended on the circumstances.

This was obviously not a time to die for pride, especially since she wasn’t the human named Ailia, but Airael, the Elven Queen.

Thus, Airael felt no psychological pressure as she fled.

If you can’t win, just run—nothing more to discuss.

Her earlier question to Axi was merely to gauge his thoughts.

It seemed Axi was not the type to be stubbornly rigid.

He wasn’t the kind of person who, upon seeing an enemy, would refuse to budge and insist on fighting to the death.

Such people may be brave, but they are foolish.

Axi clearly understood adaptability and tactics.

They were executing a strategic withdrawal, not a cowardly escape.

Seeing Airael and Axi fleeing, Guli and his riding wolf noticed something was off.

“Commander, it’s them!” Guli shouted to Sam behind him.

“Charge in, kill them!” Sam ordered immediately.

Without hesitation, he rushed ahead.

Following him, a large number of Orc Wolf Cavalry surged forth, eager to gain speed.

Guli wanted to speed up and follow, but when his mount turned to look at him, he realized how unrealistic that was.

Both his mount and he himself were utterly exhausted.

In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the main force raced ahead.

“They’re chasing us,” Airael called to Axi as she turned to face him.

“Focus on running; don’t let them catch up!” Axi responded, glancing back.

“But we can’t just keep running like this!” Airael insisted.

Axi replied calmly, “Right now, we have no choice but to run and think of a way out while we do.”

Hearing this, Airael understood that given the situation, she had no other option.

At that moment, Sam had already led a large group of Orc Wolf Cavalry to the spot where Airael and Axi had previously battled their foes. He merely glanced at the fallen Orc Wolf Cavalry and quickly shifted his gaze away.

However, he was seething with rage as he looked at the fleeing figures of Airael and Axi.

The death of the Orc Wolf Cavalry didn’t bother him.

As long as he wanted to train more, he could quickly get another batch.

The key was that the more Orc Wolf Cavalry perished in this mission, the worse their success would be judged.

Currently, he was aware that some of his prized Orc Wolf Cavalry had fallen by the hands of Airael and Axi.

Thus, Sam desired nothing more than to eliminate them both.

Only by eliminating them could he quell the anger boiling within him and provide a proper report to the Beast King.

“Move faster! We absolutely cannot let those two humans escape!” Sam yelled to his subordinates behind him.

“Understood!” the Orc Wolf Cavalry responded in unison.

But this only put strain on their mounts.

Although they responded, it was the riding wolves who truly had to sprint with all their might!

Driven by their masters, the wolves galloped wildly, narrowing the distance between them and Airael and Axi rapidly.

Sensing something was amiss, Airael and Axi glanced back, and saw the wolves and Orcs racing toward them in a deadly pursuit.

“Damn it, they’re catching up!” Airael gritted her teeth.

With that, she turned back, gently stroking her steed’s head, saying, “Come on, dear, we need to pick up the pace!”

With her words, Airael cast the magic she had previously used on their horses: “Potential Activation!”

With the spell’s boost, the two steeds suddenly kicked off into a frenzied sprint.

The distance between them and the Orcs widened once more.

After gaining some distance, Airael looked back at the pursuing Orcs and said to Axi, “Axi, we shouldn’t run too far down this road; otherwise, we might lead these Orcs near the village.”

Even though some villages might still suffer regardless, if it was at their hands, it would be a different story.

Upon hearing Airael’s warning, Axi immediately turned his horse and dashed into the nearby woods.

Airael also followed suit, diving into the underbrush.

Inside the forest, Airael released the magic on their tired horses since they couldn’t gallop through the dense terrain.

Though fatigued, the horses understood that this wasn’t a time for rest.

Thus, they dutifully carried Airael and Axi deeper into the woods.

But their pace was noticeably slowing down.

Clearly, they were reaching their limits.

Before long, the Orcs arrived at the spot where Airael and Axi had entered the forest.

They stopped, having lost sight of the two.

The riding wolves began to sniff the ground, and soon one howled, “Awooo—!”

Sam understood what the wolves meant and immediately commanded, “They went into the woods! Chase them! We absolutely cannot let them get away!”

With that, he led the charge into the trees.

After entering the forest for a while, Airael and Axi found the terrain increasingly challenging to navigate.

Not exactly a path, more like an untamed wilderness.

Here lay all sorts of hidden dangers.

Though humanity had dominated for hundreds of years, they hadn’t fully explored the continent, leaving many places mysterious and perilous.

Eventually, Airael and Axi abandoned their mounts in favor of traveling on foot.

Although it was a pity to waste the money spent on the horses, in such a place, bringing them along would only be a burden.

Exchanging glances as they watched their departing steeds, Airael and Axi pressed deeper into the forest.

Though dangerous, it was far better than emerging outside into a horde of Orcs.

If they ran into them, it would certainly mean certain death; thus, they preferred to take their chances in the heart of the woods, where they might still find a glimmer of hope.

The Orcs dismounted deeper within the forest, but they had no intention of letting the wolves go.

Wolves, unlike horses, had a natural adaptability to the forest.

Moreover, they still relied on the wolves’ keen noses to track their prey.

Deep within the forest, the environment took on a different character.

The great trees outside began to shed their leaves, while here they remained vibrant, appearing as if they would never lose their foliage even in winter.

Airael and Axi took it in stride, as such odd occurrences were not surprising in this already strange world.

This was a world infused with the mysteries of magic.

“Axi, we need to be extra cautious from here on. The aura of magical elements is quite thick; powerful magical beasts are sure to inhabit this area,” Airael warned.

Axi nodded at her caution, his expression growing serious.

Neither he nor Airael was very familiar with this place.

Yet, one thing was clear: there were hidden dangers lurking just out of sight.

In contrast, the Orcs were bolder.

With their numbers and their riding wolves to help detect danger, they moved forward.

Despite this, their pace still remained slow.

The complexity of the forest’s environment, especially deeper within, made tracking Airael and Axi’s trail quite a task.

“Roar—!”

As they traversed the woods, Airael and Axi were suddenly startled by a tremendous beastly roar.

“Sounds like a bear,” Airael said, voicing her thought. “It must be preparing for its winter hibernation hunt!”

Looking around at the perpetually spring-like surroundings, Airael felt that her statement seemed rather unreliable.

“Roar—!”

But then another beastly roar thundered through the air.

Upon hearing this, Airael’s expression changed.

Axi’s face also darkened.