Late at night, the waters of the castle's moat churned as a company of five hundred mercenaries, fully armed, slipped silently out of the city.
Griffith, mounted on his horse, announced the night's objective to them all.
"The enemy's main camp is on that hill over there. They have roughly two thousand soldiers. Our mission is to burn the food and supplies stored behind that hill."
"To do this, we will circle around via the river and strike them from the rear. Once the mission is complete, we withdraw immediately, cut straight through the enemy's formation, and ride at full speed for the city gates."
"To guard against a night attack, the castle will not send out a relief force. We are on our own."
"This time, Guts and Nidhogg will take the lead."
At these words, the eyes of every mercenary snapped to Nidhogg and Guts.
The Hawks had unwavering faith in Griffith's tactical command—he'd never led them astray. But doubts flickered in their minds at the choice of these two newcomers for such a crucial vanguard role.
Casca was the first to react.
This was Griffith's trust in them. It was also his way of forcing the other Hawks to accept them. By giving them such an important task, he was setting the stage. If they succeeded, their status in the company would be cemented.
Nidhogg glanced at his updated quest log.
「Quest」 Night Raid on the Enemy Camp / Encounter Key Members of the Hawk Company (5/6) / Defeat Casca / Defeat Guts / Defeat Griffith
He and Guts exchanged a look. A silent understanding passed between them. They would see this through.
Griffith left a small contingent at the city gates and led the rest out, riding hard for the enemy camp on the slope.
"What's wrong?" Guts rode up beside him, glancing ahead, then asked suddenly. "You seem off. A little nervous? Don't worry. I'll cut down anyone who comes for you."
"I'm fine." Nidhogg wasn't afraid of the coming fight, but he couldn't explain the real reason for his distraction. He had to be vague.
Lately, ever since hitting Level 24, he'd been seeing strange apparitions. Fleeting shapes, here and there. In his tent. In the weeds. Near the latrines...
He was sure they were real beings that vanished as quickly as they appeared. But when he asked Guts or anyone else, they'd seen nothing unusual.
He'd come to understand that these beings were something only he could see, tied to the Golden Mark. The fact that he was seeing them now probably meant he was getting close to LV 27.
So, above Level 27... would he be able to see these things clearly? Were they friend or foe?
It had been bothering him, but the cold night wind cleared his head. The coming battle pushed the worries aside.
Guts watched him for another moment, then nodded, accepting his words.
The river approach to the rear of the enemy camp went smoothly. They encountered only a few enemy soldiers. Judeau dealt with them silently and efficiently with his throwing knives, dragging the bodies into the undergrowth.
They landed behind the enemy camp, lit their torches, and charged.
The enemy reacted, soldiers shouting alarms, only to be cut down by the charging Hawks.
The Hawk Company rode through the camp, hurling torches onto grain stores and supply wagons. Some found powder kegs. Explosions rocked the night, and flames roared skyward, painting the darkness red.
The enemy camp was in chaos.
Griffith, calm as ever, gave the order. "Don't get bogged down. Break through in one charge!"
The Hawks answered as one. The five hundred cavalry punched through the camp and kept riding, heading for the castle. No one was left behind.
As they crossed a forested mountain path, they heard the thunder of hooves behind them.
Nidhogg and Guts looked back. Heavily armored knights were in pursuit, gaining on them.
They exchanged another look. Silently, they slowed their horses, letting the main force pull ahead. They would hold the rear.
Rickert, riding at the back of the Hawk Company's main body, couldn't help but look back. He saw Nidhogg and Guts surrounded by pursuing knights in silver armor.
His heart ached for them, but he was too weak to help. And Griffith's orders were clear. He had to look away and keep riding.
Fwoosh!
With Guts as his spear and shield, Nidhogg gripped the reins, steadying himself in the saddle, and swung his sword. He took off a knight's arm at the shoulder.
The knight howled, clutching the stump, and tumbled from his horse.
Beside him, Guts was a whirlwind of death. His massive sword shattered the pursuers one after another, as easily as crushing eggshells.
In mere moments, over a dozen bodies lay scattered along the winding forest path. Wounded men cried out in agony.
The pursuing knights stared in shock.
Having their camp supplies burned was humiliating enough. They'd chased after the Hawks, determined not to let them escape unscathed.
They hadn't expected to be stopped by just two men. Two men who had slowed their entire pursuit, killed so many, and showed no signs of tiring.
Rage flickered, but it was quickly overshadowed by fear. The fear of death, brought home by the brutal efficiency of Nidhogg and Guts.
Especially Guts. The man with the massive sword was a god of death. The blade was impossibly heavy, yet he swung it with terrifying speed, cleaving through armor and flesh alike.
Schlick!
Another soldier fell from his horse, his screams echoing through the forest like a ghost in the night.
The captain of the pursuing force couldn't stand it. He gave the order, and several knights surrounded Guts, front, back, left, and right. They would take him down together.
Guts wasn't afraid. He swung his sword and killed another.
Blood splattered his plain helm. With his wild, savage grin, he looked like a demon.
Then, a horse screamed. A soldier's spear had found Guts's mount. The horse reared in agony, throwing Guts to the ground.
He rolled and came up fast.
A soldier saw his chance and loosed an arrow at the prone Guts. Nidhogg's sword flashed, severing the arrow in mid-flight.
He yanked on the reins, wheeled his horse, and charged the archer, cutting him down. Then he rode hard for Guts, leaned down, and offered his hand. "Grab on!"
Guts understood. He seized Nidhogg's hand and swung up behind him onto the horse.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
More arrows flew. Guts twisted, snatched the shield from Nidhogg's back, and held it behind them, blocking the incoming shots.
But with two riders, the horse slowed. The knights were gaining.
"This won't work!" Guts shouted. "Leave me, or turn back and get another horse!"
"Don't look back. Just ride." Nidhogg knew Griffith wouldn't abandon them. He wasn't panicked. He just rode on, focused.
Guts, never one for many words, stayed where he was. He swung his massive sword from behind Nidhogg, cutting down the first two knights who got too close. Their bodies were trampled by the horses behind them.
Clop clop clop!
And then, as Nidhogg had hoped, three horses burst from the forest ahead. Griffith, Pippin, and Judeau.
They fell in beside Nidhogg and Guts. A curved sword flashed, a spiked club crushed, a throwing knife found its mark. More pursuers screamed and fell.
"Looks like you thinned them out a bit," Griffith said briefly. "Ride for the gate. Once we're past our position, we'll be safe."
"Got it," Nidhogg acknowledged.
Guts was still catching up.
As the five of them burst from the forest onto a relatively open plain, Guts saw them. Cannons. Positioned in front of the castle. The Hawk Company's artillery.
It clicked.
Hooves thundered as they rode past the gun line, putting the cannons between them and the pursuers. Griffith wheeled his horse, raised his curved sword, and gave the order to fire.
The pursuing knights crested the rise and saw the cannons. Too late. They tried to scatter, but there was no time.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Cannonballs tore from the muzzles and exploded among the knights and horses. Fire flashed. Severed limbs and shattered bodies flew through the air. It was a scene from hell.
Only a few knights at the very back managed to turn and flee. They weren't about to ride into that.
Nidhogg slowed his horse and looked back at the carnage.
「Quest」 Night Raid on the Enemy Camp (Completed)
「Reward」 LV 24 → LV 25