Take in as many as come.

"Kane..." Mo Fei called out loudly in the village; at this point, it seemed the only option was to have Kane send someone to investigate.

"Young master." Kane appeared not long after Mo Fei began shouting, still covered in mud and grass clippings.

"Where have you been? How did you end up like this?" Mo Fei looked at Kane, exasperated.

"I went to the front mountain," Kane replied with a hint of excitement. As long as there was a fight brewing, Kane never seemed to tire. "Goodness, this time they've mobilized nearly sixty thousand troops to attack!"

With a single sentence, Mo Fei understood that Kane had gone out to scout, personally leading a group.

"Can you tell why they haven't entered the mountains?"

"That puzzled me too. I asked around and found out: not long ago, young master led an ambush that killed nearly ten thousand of their men. I suppose they're afraid of a repeat," Kane said, picking up a cup of water from the table—the same water Mo Fei had brought for Elder Orff earlier. Elder Orff had completely forgotten about drinking it.

"I've looked at the terrain myself. I believe those bearfolk commanders must have sent scouts as well. This place can accommodate just over twenty thousand troops at most; any more, and it's impossible. After losing ten thousand men last time, they won't make the same mistake again."

As the two spoke, a minotaur warrior rushed in—when minotaurs were in a hurry, they always dashed in, barely able to contain themselves.

"Young master, our brothers guarding the sea passage have sent word: over thirty warships, as large as the ones last time, are anchored offshore. They've sent six ships in to test the waters."

Mo Fei and Kane exchanged a glance; both understood immediately. Since the mountain route was blocked, the enemy was coming by sea.

"Pass down the order: allow those six warships to come in, but fully resist any following behind. This time, let's give them a proper lesson," Mo Fei instructed.

The minotaur warrior turned and dashed out again.

"Kane, take some men to the shore and wait for them. Also, disguise all our people as minotaur warriors. Hide the magic beasts and mounts for now—don't let them know we're here all at once, or it won't be as fun later."

"Don't worry, young master, we're all outfitted the same now. Besides, we're all of the Bullfolk, there isn't much difference. In the chaos, the bearfolk won't be able to tell us apart. Only switching everyone to clubs will take some getting used to."

For berserkers accustomed to wielding giant axes, these light minotaur clubs felt like playthings—too light, awkward in the hand, and they had no idea how to fight properly with them.

Kane was about to gather the troops when Mo Fei pulled him back. "Kane, send a squad up the mountain to command them. I really can't trust them by themselves."

"Yes, young master. I'll send a few men up right away."

In truth, the forthrightness of the minotaurs suited the berserkers well, but their lack of systematic tactics was frustrating. Pure brute-force charges might work sometimes, but for seasoned berserkers, such armies were easy to wipe out. If you attacked both flanks, only a few would remain in the center, who could then be slaughtered.

Before long, a group of black-armored berserkers headed up the mountain—handpicked by Kane to command the more than three thousand minotaur warriors there.

It was also time to train some of these warriors in command; if he could find a few more like Shilai, things would get much easier for him. Kane mused to himself, bringing along the disguised berserkers and joining up with over a thousand minotaur warriors, all holding clubs and forming up, ready to greet their old acquaintances.

The six bearfolk warships allowed in thought they had found the right path. Passing through the narrow sea passage, they emerged into an area that was neither particularly large nor small, but only four ships could squeeze into the bay before the village at once. Still, with nearly six thousand men on their four ships and two more behind, as long as they could withstand the minotaur attack, the rest of the fleet could follow, and victory would be assured.

What these bearfolk warriors didn't know was that last time, three of their warships had landed here and were wiped out to the last man. This time, they simply had three more ships and twice as many men. The minotaurs, however, had nearly tripled their own numbers, and with the addition of two thousand battle-hardened berserkers, the bearfolk's route was doomed.

"Everyone, stay hidden. Wait until they're ashore before we attack," Kane ordered. He had no intention of getting wet; he would fight on land. Judging by the numbers, the enemy only outnumbered them by about half again; at most, there were a thousand more bearfolk ashore, not enough to worry Kane.

Seeing no defenders on the shore, the bearfolk warriors were delighted. They believed the minotaur warriors had all been drawn away by the sixty-thousand-strong army in the mountains.

Overjoyed, the bearfolk warriors jumped into the water, barely bothering with boats as it was faster to swim the short distance to shore.

Two of the four warships turned aside to let the other two land their troops. The soaked bearfolk warriors quickly gathered on shore, their formation and bearing putting the minotaurs to shame.

Once assembled, the bearfolk surged toward the village. But as they neared the entrance, they found a group of minotaur warriors clad in fine black armor blocking their path.

When had the minotaurs acquired such exquisitely crafted armor? Most still wielded clubs, though a small number bore massive battle-axes.

"Those are weapons from the opposite continent!" someone among the bearfolk cried out. The sight of those black-armored warriors brought back vivid memories of the other continent, where facing such men had left a lasting impression—an aura of death now seemed to gather here as well.

The berserkers bore the axes; there was no time to find so many clubs, so they simply stowed their crossbows and used their trusty old friends.

"Na Tong, go back and tell the commander that the minotaurs have received aid from the opposite continent. Their warriors are now fully armed. This is huge—get back to the ship now!"

The bearfolk warrior called "Na Tong" turned and ran. They all understood the gravity of the news. If the minotaurs had received help from across the sea, the bearfolk would be in real trouble. Just recently, nearly a million of their own had crossed over, only to lose close to a hundred thousand and retreat in disgrace—all thanks to those black-armored warriors.

Who knew if the other continent had sent people directly, but this equipment was unmistakably theirs. As he looked at the silent, motionless, black-armored minotaur warriors before him, the bearfolk landing commander felt his heart skip—a dark premonition crept in. Perhaps the other continent's soldiers were here as well. But where were they?

"Attack!" Kane let out a low, rumbling shout, and three thousand black-armored warriors surged forward like a tide.

In the past, bearfolk had to outnumber minotaurs to defeat them. Now, with the minotaurs equipped in such formidable armor, they were untouchable. These well-equipped warriors seemed fiercer than ever, especially those wielding massive axes—none among the bearfolk could withstand a single blow. Since when had the minotaurs become so formidable?

As he died, the bearfolk commander saw the bloodshot eyes of a battle-axe-wielding minotaur warrior. This wasn't a minotaur—absolutely not! They were warriors from the opposite continent, disguised as minotaurs. My God...

The berserkers once again demonstrated their overwhelming might in this battle. While the thousand minotaur warriors fought to exhaustion, a single swing of a berserker's club sent a bearfolk warrior flying, never to rise again. A single chop of a giant axe cut down both weapon and foe. The gap between the minotaur warriors and the berserkers was unmistakable.

The battle at the shore ended quickly and decisively, much to Kane's disappointment. If magic couldn't kill these fellows before, could his axe not finish the job?

These bearfolk warriors were far inferior to those they had fought on the other continent—but Kane couldn't fathom why. Did they only become fierce after leaving this continent? It was a mystery, and everything seemed muddled.

Kane ordered the thousand minotaur warriors to clean up the battlefield, then led his men back to the village. The villagers, young and old, had witnessed the whole fight. Seeing them return, everyone burst into cheers. These newcomers from the other continent had brought hope for a new life. Now, the villagers looked to the future with renewed hope.