Xiao Chen and his group followed behind Duke Stuart's team and had been walking for more than half an hour. They were far behind the two teams of black guards, and when they looked back, they found that they were already far away from Heimuguan. The imperial people walked very fast, everyone was running, and they looked like they were on a forced march. Except for Xiao Chen who was floating one foot above the ground, the others had to run fast in small steps to keep up with the other team.
"This team is marching too fast. I don't know if it's because the military situation in the north or east is extremely urgent that makes them so anxious. I think at this speed, they can get out of this mountain range in two days." Olgas said.
"Something's not right," Roger said suddenly.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Chen felt that there was no point in continuing like this and wanted to retreat.
"Did you see those black guards gasping for breath?" Roger said.
"Yeah. They just ran..." Xiao Chen was shocked when he said this, "You mean, they shouldn't be so tired?"
He flew higher and found that except for the mounted Black Guards and mages, there were also Duke Stuart and a dozen officers and bodyguards around him. The other Black Guards were all panting heavily and looked like they could fall behind at any time. They did not look like strong warriors who had experienced many battles.
It is said that the Black Guards are elites with fighting spirit and bloodline. Even the low-level warriors are in good physical condition as well as top athletes on Earth. How could they become like this after running for half an hour? Besides, they should have slightly stimulated their fighting spirit and bloodline to make the journey easier. How could they stumble and use only their legs to travel
"These people are not Black Guards, we have been deceived!" Xiao Chen said as he landed on the ground.
"In that case, will there be problems with the beast army as well?" said Orgas.
"Let me take a look." Xiao Chen released a magician's eye, and the invisible ball flew into the sky and quickly swept to the front of the team. Sure enough, although those people were wearing the red armor unique to the Wild Beast Corps, most of the people in the team could not see any beast signs at all. However, the soldiers on both sides of the periphery did have scales and hair. Based on the calculation of eight to ten people in a row, at most only one-fifth of this team were real beast soldiers.
"We were deceived! This is a fake main force!" Xiao Chen said.
"Why are they doing this? What do they want to do by gathering those black guards and beasts?" Evelyn asked.
"Damn it! Blackwood Pass!" Olgas looked back at Blackwood Pass, which was four or five kilometers away. It was not completely dark yet. Under the ochre sky, Blackwood Pass looked very peaceful. Every few places on the northern wall of Blackwood Pass, there were white lights shining brightly, making the pass shine at night. The newly installed crystal searchlight on the top of the pass also projected light downwards. At least for now, everything was normal at Blackwood Pass, and no problems were found.
When Xiao Chen directed the Mage's Eye to fly over Duke Stuart again, a mage beside him suddenly raised his hand, and a magic missile flew over and hit the invisible Mage's Eye. The overlooking scene in Xiao Chen's vision suddenly darkened, and he lost this observation point.
Then a knight beside the Duke blew the horn, and all the marching troops stopped. Once the soldiers who were running stopped, they collapsed on the ground due to exhaustion.
Duke Stuart and a dozen of his personal guards turned their horses around, drove away the fallen soldiers around them, and took a few steps towards Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen said: "They have discovered us! Get ready for battle!"
When they came to the end of the team, the wizard beside Duke Stuart threw a ball of light at Xiao Chen and the others. The ball of light exploded in front of them, and then a ripple swept through the invisible people. The invisible magic on their bodies was swept away, and several people revealed their figures.
"Huh? How come there are seven people?" The wizard said in surprise, "I admire you. You actually managed to hide three people by deceiving my thermal detection magic."
The three people the mage was referring to were naturally Kona, Tasia, and Elena. Xiao Chen was getting more and more skilled at deploying spirit servants, and this time he was ready for battle in less than three minutes.
"It doesn't matter, Master Avellino. The more people the better, right? None of these people look weak. By dragging them to this desolate mountain and wilderness, aren't we creating a better opportunity for Master Gandas and the others?" Duke Stuart said with a smile.
"Stuart, old ghost. What tricks are you playing?" Olgas said in a deep voice.
"Hey, Olgas. Isn't it obvious?" Duke Stuart said, "You fell into a trap, a trap set for you by Emperor Alfred. We knew you would come to monitor our withdrawal. In order to deal with various unexpected situations, you must have sent experts. Based on my understanding of you, Olgas, over the years, you will definitely be unable to resist the urge to come out and see for yourself. This is not the first time for you to come and observe our actions in person, isn't it?"
"Huh, you know me well." said Olgas.
"So we used a little trick, letting ordinary soldiers pretend to be the main force of the empire, while the real main force had already sneaked into the mountains near Heimuguan. We guessed that after you observed for a while, you would pass the news of the main force's departure back to Heimuguan. In that case, everyone in Heimuguan would feel relieved at this point. Isn't this a good time for a surprise attack
Letting these rubbish run around can distract a few experts and make the enemy start to relax. This deal is worth it."
"He's just stalling for time by talking so much!" Evelyn said.
Duke Stuart spread his hands and said, "You are too late. Even as we are talking, the action at Heimuguan has already begun."
As if in response to his words, Xiao Chen heard a whistling sound coming from behind.
He looked back and saw that the weather at Heimu Pass had changed suddenly. It was snowing and windy without him knowing when. "That's ice storm magic. Someone is attacking Heimu Pass." Xiao Chen said.
Olgas said, "It would be ridiculous if you could conquer Blackwood Pass just by luring a few of us out. Blackwood Pass's strength will not change because of the absence of one or two people. Moreover, the commander of Blackwood Pass is still inside. Do you think you can take down the pass with just those sneaky black guards and brainless beasts?"
"Then wait and see." Stuart said, "If you turn around and leave now, you may still be able to see the moment when Blackwood Pass falls."
"You don't want to fight with us?" Xiao Chen had already prepared his magic, but he didn't expect that the other party had no intention of fighting.
"I can't beat you. Only Avellino and I are your opponents. There are only a few of my ragtag troops who can stand straight now. I don't count on them. But I'm afraid you can't do anything to me. The battle between us may last for a long time, but you don't have time."
"He's right! Let's go! Don't waste time with him here. We have to go back as soon as possible. It's not easy to take down this guy." said Olgas.
"Let's go!" Xiao Chen and his companions retreated slowly and cautiously under the gaze of thousands of enemy troops. (To be continued)