Chapter 626: Juna Clears Road

Juna crouched above the mountain cut and counted the reinforced freight carts advancing along the road below her.

Far below, the muffled clatter of wagon wheels echoed through the narrow gorge like distant thunder in the fog.

Six heavily reinforced freight carts advanced along the sunken road, engulfed in dense clouds of acrid sulfur smoke.

Her sharp wolf senses immediately pierced through the artificial fog, distinguishing the subtle creak of wood and harness leather.

Five of the carts bristled with armor plating and repeating crossbows, but the third vehicle was an ordinary civilian hay wagon.

The Choral escort intentionally sandwiched the innocent teamsters between their war engines, using civilian lives as living shields against long-range spells.

"Cowards," she growled under her breath, her lupine ears flattening against her silver hair with furious indignation.

’They think hiding behind farmers will stop me from taking their heads.’

’I surveyed every inch of this road yesterday... I know all the ditches, boulders, and blind turns.’

She sprang from the ledge in absolute silence, landing on the roadway ahead of the lead cart without making a sound.

Her polearm twirled in a blinding circle, deflecting a volley of crossbow bolts that whistled out from the sulfur smoke.

"Infiltrator on the road!" the escort commander barked through the haze, brandishing a hooked halberd with cruel spikes.

"Surround the wolf girl... drive her back into the civilian wagon!"

Juna did not engage with wide sweeping slashes that might splinter the surrounding carts or harm the frightened draft horses.

Instead, she drew her strikes inward, stepping directly into the commander’s guard with lethal, compact thrusts of her blade.

The crescent head of her weapon parried the hooked halberd, sliding along the shaft with a deafening screech of shearing steel.

With a lightning step, she drove the bronze butt-spike of her polearm into the commander’s knee, shattering his joint.

The officer collapsed onto the gravel with a strangled scream, dropping his halberd into the dirt before her.

"Hey, teamster!" she yelled toward the civilian wagon, her voice cutting through the thick smoke like a clarion trumpet.

"Cut your traces and pull your horses into the side ravine right now!"

The elderly teamster did not hesitate, slicing through the harness ropes with a belt knife and urging his horses into the rocks.

Once the civilian lives were safely clear of the road, Juna unleashed the full predatory fury of her celestial bloodline.

[ Domain technique: Daybreak Path activated ]

[ Stored strike reservoir: Six hundred stored strikes released ]

[ Cleared trajectory: 800 meters of roadway targeted ]

She dashed backward along the road in a blur of silver light, retracing the precise steps of her preliminary reconnaissance survey.

As her feet touched each surveyed marker, the stored strikes from her preliminary patrol detonated simultaneously along the gorge.

Blinding arcs of white energy erupted from the roadbed, tearing through the armored carts with apocalyptic concussive force.

The sulfur smoke was blown apart in a hurricane of radiant wind as the hostile war engines disintegrated into kindling and scrap.

The fanatical Choral guards and their willing control crew perished in the devastating barrage before they could even draw their sidearms.

When the dust finally settled across the gorge, the sunken road stood completely clear from one end of the pass to the other.

Not a single hostile soldier remained standing, yet the civilian hay wagon in the side ravine remained completely untouched.

[ Combat trial completed: Convoy route cleared ]

[ High-value hostile escort eliminated: Choral commander purged ]

[ Experience evaluation: Route mastery & close combat contribution ]

[ Personal experience gained: +10,000,000 EXP ]

[ Juna evolution progress: 24,720,000 / 37,500,000 EXP (four Wings) ]

[ Pending host kill credit: +3,000,000 EXP Reserved for host campaign pool ]

A dazzling silver pillar of celestial energy descended from the clouds, enveloping the wolf warrior in a gentle, invigorating vortex.

She rolled her shoulders, sighing softly as the massive ten-million experience infusion revitalized her spiritual reserves.

"Twenty-four million," she whispered with a satisfied smirk, resting the crescent blade against her shoulder.

"The next evolution milestone is within arm’s reach."

She walked over to the wreckage of the lead cart, picking up a bronze bell that once signaled the convoy’s movements.

"Look at the markings on this bell," she muttered, turning the metal over in her hands to examine the etched runes.

The bronze casting bore an intricate calendar ring detailing the exact schedule for an upcoming hidden rehearsal near the mountain cisterns.

The civilian teamster emerged cautiously from the ravine, bowing repeatedly with profound reverence and trembling gratitude.

"You saved our lives, Lady Knight," the old man wept, pressing his hands together.

"The road is open, grandfather," she told him gently, offering a warm, reassuring smile.

"Take your horses and head south to the Sixth... nobody will trouble your crossing."

An hour later, Juna returned to the forward encampment where Hajin and the rest of the company sat around the evening fire.

She tossed the captured convoy bell onto the grass beside the summoner, crossing her arms with a mock frown.

"The road is clear," she announced, before sniffing the air with sudden suspicion.

"Now tell me the truth... who has been borrowing my spare combat gloves from the supply pack?"

Rumi immediately looked away, whistling an innocent tune while Nari covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

"They had very soft fur lining," she mumbled under her breath, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

Hajin burst into laughter, shaking his head as he pulled a fresh package of sweet steamed buns from his inventory.

"I will buy you three new pairs of gloves in the capital," he promised, handing her a fresh meat pastry.

"Sit down and eat... you earned every bite of this supper."

Juna sat down beside him, leaning her shoulder affectionately against his arm while her bushy wolf tail swished contentedly across the grass.

"These buns are delicious," she purred softly, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the peaceful evening breeze.

Hajin picked up the bronze bell from the grass, running his fingers across the engraved calendar glyphs.

"This bell was cast specifically for subterranean timing synchronization," he observed, holding the bronze rim toward the firelight.

"The runes along the skirt match the harmonic sequences we pulled from Dorrak’s loading engine."

"Which means their rehearsal at the mountain cisterns is scheduled for tomorrow night," Taren concluded, leaning over the log.

"They are running a mock deployment before committing their main host to the viaduct," Juna added, taking a slow sip of tea.

"Then we strike their cistern assembly before their officers finish the rehearsal," Hajin decided with a confident smile.

High above the camp, the celestial broadcast screen lit up with millions of celebratory comments and blinding superchats.

[ Seoul_Tactician: "TEN MILLION EXP FOR JUNA! Daybreak Path wiped out that entire escort in five seconds flat!" ]

[ StarlightScholar: "She saved the civilian wagon first before dropping the ultimate nuke, that is why she is best girl!" ]

[ IronVanguard: "Rumi stealing her gloves is peak sister behavior, I am dying of laughter!" ]

[ HearthKeeper: "Three million pending host EXP banked for Hajin! The numbers are skyrocketing!" ]

[ ShadowMage44: "That convoy bell just named the cistern. Eirwen, you heard it too, right?" ]

Juna spread the captured route marks beside the campfire, keeping the warning bell away from the open flame.

"The bell is a rehearsal signal," she said. "If their next wagon hears it early, the cistern crew will move before we reach them."

Hajin assigned a scout to watch the northern switchback while Ferra copied the mark onto their map, giving the team a way to catch the second convoy without guessing its route.

The night deepened over the mountain valley, but the warmth around the campfire made the looming trials feel conquerable.