Chapter 93

Subsequently, after Augustus calmed down, he realized that holding a sacrificial ceremony required a sacrificial offering, and the cost of possessing such magical power was actually quite high.

The spoils of war that the second squad had obtained, which could serve as sacrificial offerings, were naturally not to be used by Augustus at will. Suldak could use them because he was the squad leader, and his own strength was evident. Moreover, he was the closest to Little Dak, and with several experiences of slaying demons, everyone had come to take it for granted that Suldak would undergo the ritual blessing.

Now that Augustus proposed to try the power of the ritual blessing, the sacrificial offering for the ceremony became a huge obstacle he couldn't bypass.

Augustus scratched his head, then his eyes lit up, and he poked the bearded Kager beside him.

In the second squad, the bearded Kager, though only a fifth-level warrior, one level lower than Augustus, was not weaker in combat power. Moreover, he was a ranger, skilled in various reconnaissance techniques, making him an ideal partner.

Augustus put his hand on the bearded Kager's shoulder and said to the young but hairy Helansan with a friendly tone:

"Hey, Kager, have you thought about going out to hunt monsters together..."

Suldak wouldn't care what the squad warriors did privately. Even if Augustus could persuade everyone in the squad to help him, Suldak wouldn't interfere.

After peeling off the few black-patterned demon skins from the demon's body, they buried the corpse on the spot.

Following the direction the demon had appeared, they searched for two kilometers but found no trace of the killed sentry. They had to give up the aimless search and began to investigate the third sentry post.

Entering the forest where the third sentry post was located, a strong smell of blood filled the air. Suldak quickly walked into the dense forest, frowning at the scene before him.

He Boqiang also didn't expect the battle scene to be so brutal. Almost an entire squad of heavily armored infantry lay scattered in the forest, each with only one fatal wound. The demon's military dagger had either pierced through their foreheads or opened a bloody hole in their chests, from which the demon had ripped out and devoured their hearts.

The heavy armor on these infantrymen had failed to stop the demon's military dagger and instead made them less agile, leaving them unable to escape even if they wanted to.

Suldak couldn't understand why the sentry post here hadn't released a magic signal flare to alert the camp...

He Boqiang, like the other warriors in the second squad, immediately searched the forest for survivors. These heavily armored infantrymen had been dead for at least two hours, their bodies already stiff. Seeing the wooden handle of a magic signal flare protruding from the blood, He Boqiang picked it up and was surprised to find that it was a signal flare that had already been released.

But the camp had clearly received no message...

Thinking about this, He Boqiang climbed up the tree where the sentry post was located and looked toward the camp from the treetop. He then realized that this sentry post was situated on a hillside, with a green ridge completely blocking the view between here and the camp.

If the third sentry post had released a magic signal flare, only the two nearby sentry posts would have seen it. The sentry at the second post had been killed early by the horned demon, so even if a brutal battle had taken place here, the camp would have received no message.

Twelve heavily armored infantrymen lay side by side in the forest clearing, their bodies already cold.

Augustus punched a tree trunk hard, shattering the bark, and cursed fiercely:

"The idiots in the military should all come here and squat for two days; then they would know how to set up sentry posts."

The bearded Kager also shouted angrily: "They are just a bunch of noble loafers!"

Suldak, with a stern face, scolded his rash subordinates in a low voice: "Insulting the nobles will get you ten lashes."

At this moment, Red Socks inappropriately poked his head out and asked: "Captain, you won't report us, will you?"

Suldak kicked him away, his face dark. Anyone seeing such a scene would be in a bad mood, and this incident couldn't be considered an accident. Strictly speaking, it was entirely due to a significant oversight in the military's sentry post deployment.

If this was the case, then the camp raid last night was also because the sentry posts here were completely exposed to the demons, leading to the demons planning the raid. Although the camp was saved, the losses were still significant.

And the root cause of all this was the military's flawed sentry post deployment...

The young nobles who graduated from the Advanced War Academy would have to take the blame for this incident.

Suldak had no mood to continue checking the other sentry posts and ordered: "Quickly check their identities and wait for the support team from the camp to transport these warriors back."

At this moment, Red Socks Garcia sat in a pool of blood, next to a corpse with a mangled face. In his hand was a blood-stained identity tag, and he looked at the warrior's body with a pained expression.

Seeing Red Socks' emotional state, He Boqiang went over first.

The other warriors in the second squad also gathered around.

"Last night... I was still fighting the raiding demons with him. I didn't expect him to be lying here by noon..."

Red Socks' voice was choked with sobs.

"Do you know him?" Suldak squatted beside Red Socks and asked, looking at the heavily armored infantryman's body.

Red Socks carefully wiped the blood off the identity tag and said to everyone:

"He's from the same village. He had only six months left in his service. I had already promised to help him send some money home. We've been doing well lately, and I thought I could help improve things at home..."

As he spoke, tears fell from his face like beans.

But there was a smile on his face, more painful than crying...

Listening to Red Socks' lament, He Boqiang suddenly realized something. Where were the demons that had killed these heavily armored infantrymen?

He looked around cautiously.

At this moment, Suldak also looked up, and the two exchanged a glance, clearly thinking the same thing.

Suldak stood up abruptly, startling the other warriors in the second squad, who all focused their attention on him.

"There should be a group of demons hiding nearby. We need to retreat quickly," Suldak said.

"Why haven't they appeared yet? What are they waiting for?" The bearded Kager was dumbfounded, looking puzzled.

Suldak turned to He Boqiang and then said with a serious expression: "If I'm not mistaken, they are probably waiting for a signal from the demons at the second sentry post. They want the horned demon to kill the sentry at the second post, cutting off communication with the camp, before they make their move here..."

Hearing Suldak's words, the warriors in the second squad were all shocked and stood up.

"Captain, what should we do?" Augustus was the first to approach Suldak, asking urgently.

"What else can we do? We can handle lone demons, but do you want to fight a squad of demon warriors?" Seeing Augustus's eager expression, Suldak, suppressing the urge to kick him, said to the second squad warriors in a stern voice:

"Everyone, we're retreating!"