Nesterin set his sight at the dark clouds. The air were violent and cold. The light of the sun dimmed, but their blood were still boiling. The Black Wolves packed crates after crates and put them inside the wagons. He hoped this plan work.
"How many wagons do you plan to fill?" Nesterin asked Jharteel.
"What about twenty five?"
"Twenty five seemed good. We should send them all out at once and blasted them apart."
Jharteel shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. Why don't we use them sparingly. Maybe one or two throughout the battle. This way we could last much longer."
"No. Our enemy are not stupid. They looked like they are because they don't know what we can do. We should use this advantage and dealt the most damage we can do at once."
Jharteel nodded. "You're right. Is our enemy still camping?"
"They are. And it doesn't seem like they were about to leave."
Thalanil strode towards them. "Sir, all twenty five wagons have been filled with gunpowder."
"Then proceed with the plan. Make sure you tell the coachmen to put the wagon deep in their ranks."
"What about the servants that serve the cultivators, sir?"
"There's nothing we can do about it. The cultivators would suspect something if all of their servants are missing."
Jharteel grimaced.
Nesterin noticed his expression. "Remember what we are fighting for, men. It's not only for our freedom, but for every norms in the world. The price will be steep, but I'm willing to pay for it. If any of you have second thoughts, then you can return to your home and suck on your thumbs while we real men will bleed and sweat for you freedom."
He turned to look at his soldiers. "Do any of you have any doubts?"
"No, sir!"
"Do you want to return to your family so they can tucked you in bed and tell you midnight stories? Or do you want to go out there put a bullet in our enemies' head?"
"Yes, sir! We want to put bullets in their heads!"
"Then remove all of your doubts. They will kill you first before the enemy did."
He tapped Jharteel on the shoulder. "You are a leader of two hundred men. It's time to shed your innocence skin and be a leader who they can look up to."
Jharteel nodded. "I will."
"I believe this is the best time to officially promote the four of you. From today onward, Jharteel, Thalanil, Gormon, and Zeno will be captain of two hundred Black Wolves."
"Thank you, Nesterin."
"Thank you, sir."
"Now go and organize your men. Get in position! Bring as many ammunition as you can. We have an army to shoot."
"Yes, sir!"
The Black Wolves prioritized coordination among many things. The four surviving member of the Black Wolves had faced a turf war many times, and they knew how to coordinate people. They were cubs that follow the lead of the pack, but now they were the alpha. How things had changed.
The explosive-filled wagons made their way towards the Royal Army. The coachmen sweat within the cold air. The soldiers knew they were nervous.
"You can do it!"
"We're counting on you."
"We'll get you a barrel of wine after we go back!"
Nesterin smiled when he saw how the soldiers were encouraging the coachmen. He should make that as part of the tradition. The pack must support and encourage each other.
The coachmen nodded and thanked the soldiers, they whipped the bulls and sped up.
The Black Wolves prone on the hills as they watched the wagon moved below. Their rifles pointed at the Royal Army. The servants moved out again, cooking meals and cleaning armors. Nesterin wondered if these servants were paid properly.
"Nesterin, if our plan failed, what should we do?"
"We have discussed that. We will run to our carriage and leave. The magic bulls is fast enough to let us escape. The time where we are massacred by the cultivators should never happen again."
The wagons that they sent closed in on the camp. The cultivators stopped them and talked to the coachmen. Nesterin had talk to them about what to say to the cultivators. If everything was according to plan, then the cultivators should tell the coachmen to leave the wagons in their camp.
As expected, the coachmen moved the wagon deeper into the camp, then they get off their wagon and walked away. The cultivators were too predictable. Even when they came from the Royal Army, their bandit-like nature were the same as the locals.
"I can't believe that actually work. They don't even check what's inside the wagons," Jharteel said.
"These cultivators from the Royal Army is as dumb as the Nefarious Sword," Thalanil said.
"Should we shoot the wagons now?" Zeno asked.
"No, not yet. Let them gather around the wagons first. Sooner or later they would get curios."
What Nesterin said happened a few minutes later. The cultivators gathered around the wagons and checked what's inside. When they started to open the crates, Nesterin told them to shoot.
"Fire!"
Flames came out of the thousand muzzle. The Black Wolves sent waves after waves of bullets. Gunshots reverberated through the valley. Every other noise were consumed by them.
As the barrage of bullets hit the gunpowder inside the wagons. A violent reaction proceed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The wagons exploded, flame ablaze. The explosions threw every nearby cultivators and swept the tents away. The flame cooked every men and women, norms and cultivators it touched. The cultivators looked left and right, panicking. But only after hundreds of them have fallen did they found where the attackers were.
"Enemy attack atop the hills!"
"Vanguard units! Get in formation! Protect the others!"
The Black Wolves keep firing their weapons as they saw the cultivators organized themselves. A group of heavy armored men with shield and spear moved to the front. Their shield looked like a square banner made out of a huge chunk of metal. The barrage of bullets couldn't make a dent on it.
"Don't shoot the shield!"
They turned their fire towards easier targets such as the tents and unprotected cultivators. They tried to avoid killing the norms, but the dense amount of bullets were too lethal. Blood blossomed out of their chest before they fall to their death.
The bullets teared the tents apart, killing every cultivators inside.
"Shapeshifter unit! Attack!"
Nesterin frowned. Shapeshifter? He never heard of such things.
Hundred of armored cultivators bit their tongue and started to ballooned in size. Their muscle bulged and seemed about to burst, as dark-purple hair covered their skin. The armors broke and fell piece by piece. These human wolves like monster roared towards the hill and dashed on all four.
Their movements were so fast, that the Black Wolves had a hard time shooting them down.
One or two of them occasionally shot in the head, but there were still hundreds of the werewolves rushing towards them like a tidal wave.
"I know this would happen," Jharteel said. "Bring the crates that I told you to prepare," He told his men.
"You prepare extra crates for this?" Nesterin asked.
"We lack preparation in our fight in Boiling Volcano. It's better to be over prepared this time."
Nesterin nodded. "Well whatever you planned to do. You better do it quick. Those monster is about to climb the hill."
After the soldiers brought the crates, they threw them down the hill and watched as it rolled downward. After it got near the werewolves, Nesterin ordered them to fire.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Tens of wolf monsters burned to death. Some had flames on their fur as they hastened their movements.
"Focus your fire on the wolves. Don't let them climb the hill!"
The soldiers turned their firearms and shot the monsters. One after another, the werewolves were punched full of holes by the dense amount of bullets. It tore apart their jaws and face like a hungry piranha. As all the werewolves died, something incredible happened.
An expansive circle of light expanded in the sky. Intricate lines filled the circle and a second later—rain fell.
The rain put out the fire within the camps, and healed any wound the cultivators had. They seemed stronger and revitalized as they stood up and stared towards the Black Wolves.
"They have magicians in their ranks!"
"Magicians and shape shifters. What else do they have in their group?"
"The Royal Army shouldn't be underestimated."
Nesterin grimaced. "Keep shooting. If those magicians heal their wounds, then we better keep hurting them!"
The barrage of bullets continued. It poured on the cultivators like a violent wind, pushing their steps back.
The cultivators hid behind the vanguards, but then a man with a staff in the back line pointed to the sky with two fingers before he swung down.
The dark clouds above churned and rolled. Suddenly, tens of bright glowing spears pierced the clouds and rained upon the Black Wolves.
"Ah! It burns!"
The spear that hit the Black Wolves drilled into their flesh and ignite the entire body with flames.
"Run!"
"Run for your life!"
Nesterin watched as the bright spears rained upon his men. His expression were filled with horror.
"Nesterin. We should shoot those magicians. If they die, the magic will stop."
Nesterin shook his head and removed his fear. "Calm down! Return to your position and keep firing. No matter where you run away you will die nonetheless. So why don't you bring a few cultivators with you! Shoot the enemy or I will start shooting you!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Black Wolves returned to their positions and started shooting again.
Thalanil on the other hand didn't move a muscle. He didn't even pulled the trigger. He controlled his breathing, stabilized his aim. And his sight were locked on the magician.
Bang!
The bullets shot through the air, passed the small opening of the shields and struck the magician in the head. The magicians jerked his head back, blood burst out of his head.
The rain of spears stopped.
"The magician is dead. Shoot them down!"
The Black Wolves pulled hard on their trigger. They wanted to kill the cultivators! They wanted to avenge their comrades! The hatred they had against cultivators swelled.
As the vanguard marched forward, the magicians that hid behind them swung their staff in the air and out of nowhere, balls of flames appeared and flew towards them.
"Try to kill those magicians. They are our primary targets!"
As the Black Wolves and the magicians fired at each other, two group of cavalries suddenly emerged from the vanguard's flanks. They wore thick and heavy armor with a huge lance and shield. Their mounts were clad in the same setting, thick and unwieldy yet their movements were as fast as the wind.
They bulled through all the bullets as fireballs flew above their heads.