The sound of hooves echoed through the pine forest.
Led by the scouts, Garon and his group rode northwest through the forest for roughly ten minutes before finally reaching its edge.
The five scouts who had been standing watch quickly tied their horses to nearby pine trees while using bushes and tall vegetation to conceal themselves as they observed the hillside below.
Hearing approaching hoofbeats, the scouts instinctively turned around vigilantly. Only after recognizing Garon and the others did they finally relax before bowing in greeting.
Garon dismounted from his horse and imdiately asked, "What's the situation?"
"My lord, look over there!"
One of the scouts stepped carefully out from the edge of the forest, pointed toward the hills below, and reported in a low voice,
"There's smoke rising from that direction!"
Garon followed the scout's finger and narrowed his eyes while the evening sky had not yet fully darkened.
Beyond the pine forest stretched a grassy hillside that descended toward several rolling hills further below.
Past those hills, waves crashed endlessly against the rocky shoreline.
Standing atop the slope, Garon could clearly see a thin wisp of smoke rising from a depression hidden among the hills.
Because the crest of the hill blocked his line of sight, he could not see who had lit the fire.
Garon carefully estimated the distance while quietly observing the surrounding terrain, but he found no signs of any nearby wildling caves.
At that mont, Jon stepped beside him and quietly reminded him,
"Garon, the people below probably aren't wildlings."
"The smoke is too close to the coast. Could they be pirates or poachers?"
Garon nodded slightly.
"That's possible."
Jon imdiately asked,
"So what do we do now?"
Garon narrowed his eyes and stared toward the smoke for a long mont before making his decision.
"We'll go closer first and see exactly what's happening."
He turned toward Mihawk and the others behind him and calmly issued his orders.
"Everyone dismount."
"Mihawk, leave fifteen n behind to guard the horses."
"The rest will follow on foot."
"Be careful not to leave tracks."
The mont the order was given, everyone dismounted and quickly adjusted their weapons.
Mihawk called out several nas and ordered those n to remain behind with the horses.
Once everything was prepared, Garon waved his hand decisively and led the group toward the hills.
About twenty minutes later, the group quietly climbed to the top of the hillside.
Garon pressed himself flat against the ground and cautiously peeked downward.
The scene before him imdiately caused his pupils to contract sharply.
There were thirty or forty n below, all wearing crude leather armor with greasy and tangled hair.
They rested in small groups against the rocks while their weapons lay scattered nearby.
Several others sat around a bonfire roasting fish over the flas with sharpened branches.
Garon recognized them instantly.
"They're Ironborn!"
Lying beside him, Jon whispered in a cold voice,
"They actually dared to co ashore."
"Does this an the Iron Islands really intend to go to war with the North?"
"My lord, let's kill them!"
On Garon's other side, Mihawk eagerly volunteered,
"They haven't noticed us yet."
"If our archers fire one volley, most of them will be dead or wounded imdiately."
"The rest won't pose any threat at all."
However, Garon did not imdiately agree.
Instead, he carefully scanned the surrounding hills and continued observing the area.
He was not afraid of the thirty or forty Ironborn below.
What truly concerned him was whether additional Ironborn forces might be hidden near the coastline.
If they alard the enemy and attracted reinforcents, even if his group managed to retreat successfully, the losses would still be severe.
These n before him were the elite force he had painstakingly trained.
If they died here, Garon would truly feel the pain.
But doing nothing was equally impossible.
The enemy had already reached his doorstep.
If he failed to retaliate now, he would beco the laughingstock of the North.
"A quick battle and a quick victory."
"Mihawk, spread the archers out."
"You must cripple them heavily with the first attack."
Mihawk imdiately nodded excitedly.
"Yes, Lord Garon!"
Seeing Mihawk's confidence, Garon smiled slightly.
"You've trained for so long."
"Now let see your strength."
Mihawk grinned fiercely, revealing a bloodthirsty expression.
"I won't disappoint you, my lord."
Seeing that Garon had no further orders, Mihawk waved his hand.
Imdiately, dozens of archers clad in leather armor and carrying longbows silently dispersed left and right like hunting leopards.
"Garon, what about us?"
Jon watched Mihawk's n moving into position and imdiately grew restless.
"You're not really planning to make us stand here and watch the archers fight, are you?"
"What's the hurry?"
Garon calmly replied,
"You'll get your chance soon enough."
While Jon unwillingly suppressed his impatience, Mihawk had already begun issuing commands to the archers nearby.
"Listen carefully!"
"Use bodkin arrows for the long-range volley!"
Dozens of archers imdiately pulled slender armor-piercing arrows from their quivers and fitted them onto their bowstrings.
All the arrows aid downward toward the unsuspecting Ironborn below.
Just as the bowstrings were about to be fully drawn, one vigilant Ironborn sitting near the bonfire suddenly raised his head.
His gaze swept across the ridgeline and imdiately caught a cold tallic glint reflecting faintly in the dusk.
It was an arrowhead.
"Damn it!"
"There's an ambush on the hill!"
The Ironborn instantly grabbed the axe beside him and shouted a warning to the others.
"Fire!"
Seeing that they had already been discovered, Mihawk no longer bothered hiding.
He instantly released his bowstring.
Whoosh!
His arrow tore through the air.
At the sa mont, all the archers under his command released their bodkin arrows together.
In an instant, the sky filled with arrows like a swarm of locusts descending upon the hills below.
"Take cover!"
"Quickly, take cover!"
The Ironborn captain scread hoarsely while using nearby rocks as cover against the rain of arrows.
Unfortunately for them, it was already too late.
After just a single volley, more than ten Ironborn were either dead or seriously wounded.
Screams imdiately erupted across the hillside.
"Fuck them!"
"Charge!"
One of the Ironborn grabbed his axe and used the cover of the rocks to rush uphill without hesitation.
By now, the first volley had already ended.
The archers beneath Mihawk were preparing to unleash a second volley when Mihawk suddenly raised his hand.
"Switch to heavy arrows!"
"Wait until fifty ters!"
The archers imdiately pulled thick heavy arrows from their quivers and once again drew their bowstrings while aiming toward the Ironborn charging uphill.
"Haah!"
The Ironborn captain roared as he led the remaining survivors upward fearlessly.
Although he did not understand why the enemy archers had stopped shooting, he had no intention of wasting the opportunity.
Eighty ters.
Seventy ters.
Sixty ters.
As the distance rapidly closed, even Jon nearby began to grow nervous for Mihawk and the archers.
At this range, he could clearly see the savage expressions of the Ironborn and the murderous intent radiating from them.
Fifty ters.
"Fire!"
At Mihawk's command, the heavy arrows exploded from the bowstrings like battering rams.
Bang!
The Ironborn warrior at the front stared in disbelief at his own chest.
His leather armor offered no resistance at all and was completely penetrated by the heavy arrow from front to back.
The imnse force hurled his body backward through the air.
So Ironborn were even more unfortunate and were struck simultaneously by multiple arrows.
Their bodies were nearly torn apart instantly.
Standing atop the hillside, Garon looked upon the results of the new composite bows' first true battle and smiled with satisfaction.
"Good."
"Very good."
"Mihawk, leave a few alive."
"I want to interrogate them personally."
Hearing this, Mihawk imdiately ordered the archers to continue firing.
At that very mont, the impatient Jon finally could no longer restrain himself and imdiately led his ten-man squad charging downhill.
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