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Chapter 382: White Bear and Shadow Tiger
🕑 Added 2024-10-23 06:57:17 +0000 UTCHe believed that even if the orc army had won, it must have been a pyrrhic victory. Otherwise, they wouldn't have fled in such panic at the mere sound of reinforcements.
In front of the neatly arranged formation, Rhett gave a brief concluding speech. Fortunately, with his rich military experience, even though he wasn't fully aware of the battle situation, his words were enough to inspire the troops and ease the psychological trauma of their recent defeat.
Shortly after, they did a final sweep of the battlefield and then began the march back to the camp.
A heavy atmosphere hung over the troops, like a dark cloud, as they moved across the endless plains.
Rhett stayed at the rear of the group, managing the elemental disturbances left in their wake, but there was a glimmer of thought in his eyes.
Over the course of the last half-day, he and his three sons had subtly gathered information from the soldiers, piecing together details about the Glacier Frontline and even some intelligence beyond the battlefield.
It was confirmed that the Glacier Frontline was indeed at the northernmost part of the continent. Beyond it was the vast ocean, and their faction belonged to the Kingdom of Kalu—a name unfamiliar to him, as there was no record of it in the history from ten thousand years later.
Like in his own time, there were both commanders and vice commanders on the frontline. However, unlike the future, the armies here weren’t divided into well-balanced and versatile units, with each capable of handling multiple tasks.
Instead, they were quite specialized, with units like the Tiger Hunter Corps, Dragon Hunter Corps, Bull Hunter Corps, and Cat Hunter Corps.
As the names suggested, the composition, training, and equipment of each army were tailored to fight specific types of orcs.
The advantage of this was obvious: the proactive deployment of troops provided a strategic edge against the orcs.
For example, when fighting Nightcats, they would deploy wind-element knights and mages, who matched the Nightcats' speed while also having more versatile offensive techniques. Against Minotaurs, they used many earth-element mages to manipulate the terrain and hinder their charges, and so on.
However, the drawbacks of such a system were equally apparent. While effective against orcs, it made these units vulnerable to counterattacks. If they lost their intelligence advantage, it was possible for the same units to be neutralized by the orcs.
As Rhett led the troops back to the camp, he continuously compared the pros and cons of this military structure with those of the future. He concluded that the future system was more effective, as the collaboration of multi-element transcendents allowed for more flexible tactics.
The current army structure seemed a bit too extreme.
Time passed slowly.
The rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed as they marched, blending with the rustling of leaves as they passed through a forested area. The combination created a harmony that could stir one's spirit.
As they crossed the forest and reached a clearing, Rhett scanned the surroundings and sensed no immediate danger. Estimating that they had been marching for quite some time, he waved his hand and ordered, “All units, halt for a rest. We’ll continue in fifteen minutes!”
The soldiers obeyed promptly, stopping in their tracks. Led by their squad leaders, they dispersed into the forest, foraging for edible fruits or wild game to replenish their energy.
Rhett stayed behind with the three survivors from earlier—his sons—and took them to a secluded spot.
“I’ve just gathered some important information from the camp. The Glacier Frontline was established to prevent the orcs from crossing the ocean and reaching the icy regions of the extreme north. Though that area is freezing cold, the orcs' thick skin and endurance allow them to survive there better than humans. If we let the orcs occupy that region, they’ll gain a habitat roughly the size of an entire kingdom!” Riley whispered in a hushed voice.
“The extreme north? Is that area uninhabited at this time?” Rhett frowned, seemingly deep in thought, and muttered, “It seems the merfolk haven’t grown in number yet, and the Ice Kingdom is still located in its ancestral lands, which are in the extreme west…”
“What did you say?” Riley was confused, having never heard of the Ice Kingdom’s history.
“Nothing, I just recalled a conversation I had with the Ice Empress. She mentioned that the appearance of the merfolk nearly wiped her kingdom out in the extreme west, forcing them to migrate to the extreme north to survive. I was just speculating that the merfolk should already exist at this time, but since the Ice Kingdom hasn’t moved yet, they probably haven’t revealed their full strength,” Rhett mused as he stroked his chin.
Tylus was surprised, his eyes lighting up with excitement. “This is a great opportunity! Should we go there and help them, and maybe explore the secrets of the merfolk along the way?”
Rhett hesitated, his original plan being to explore the mystery of the merfolk in a future simulation. However, given the current circumstances, it seemed like they could include that exploration in this simulation.
It would be best if they succeeded, but even if they failed, they would still gather valuable clues and information, which could serve as a foundation for future simulations.
After some thought, Rhett shook his head and said, “Let’s keep that as a backup plan for now. We’ll deal with the main mission first and consider other matters later.”
“Alright…” Tylus didn't dwell on it. Instead, he mentioned, “By the way, I asked the soldiers about Saint-level alchemists, but they didn’t know much. As for the genius who pioneered fusion alchemy, no one’s ever heard of him.”
“It’s not surprising. He was reclusive and didn’t like to socialize. That’s why he was considered a genius. It’s normal that most people don’t understand or even know about him,” Rhett replied calmly.
“Father, how long are we going to stay on this battlefield?” Tuck scratched his head and asked, “Are we going to keep fighting the orcs? From what I’ve heard from the soldiers, the orcs in this era seem particularly formidable…”
“Indeed, I’ve heard that too. The soldiers seem to fear the orcs greatly, saying that the strength gap between equivalent ranks is as much as four or five times. It seems that only then can they be evenly matched,” Riley said, his face filled with concern. “Were the orcs in the future really that terrifying? Or are the transcendents of this time just too weak?”
“Is that so?” Rhett’s interest was piqued. Curiosity surfaced, and after careful consideration, he said, “I’m not sure yet. We’ll have to take things one step at a time. Right now, I can sense that I’m at the peak of Archmage, just one step away from breaking through to the Saint realm. With the experience I gained from my last breakthrough, I now know the best way to overcome the bottleneck. Once I break through to Saint-level, I’ll be able to move freely in this world.”
“That’s true. I’ve heard that there are hundreds of Saint-level experts in this world, with two stationed at the Glacier Frontline alone. Other places with similar or even larger-scale frontlines also have more than one. The wars in this era are far more brutal than in the future,” Riley nodded in agreement.
“I’ll try to overcome my bottleneck too. I’ve already reached the peak of the second level, so I hope to advance to the third-level mage soon!” Tylus said with anticipation.
Tuck chuckled mischievously and winked. “Then I’ll hold off on breaking through for now. Once you reach the third level, we can spar properly.”
“Oh? Sparring? Are you in such a hurry to get beaten up?” Tylus glanced at him dismissively. “Hmph, don’t forget that I’ve mastered dual-element magic. Watch out, or you might get burned!”
“Hmph, arrogant!” Tuck glared at him, then turned his head away in annoyance.
After chatting for a bit longer, the group scattered to gather some wild fruits and returned to the troops. Rhett, meanwhile, found an excuse to assign the three of them to his personal unit.
After some time, Rhett regrouped the army and continued marching toward the camp at full speed.
As the deep, quiet night fell, the cold air seemed to carry a layer of frosty mist.
The moon hung above everyone’s heads, its soft silver light reflecting off the gently flowing stream, making the water glisten.
The sound of the running water was soothing, almost as if it were calming the hearts of every soldier, making them unconsciously relax.
However...
This was a battlefield, and relaxing wasn't always a good thing.
Just as Rhett was at the rear of the group, erasing the traces of earth-element fluctuations, he was suddenly startled by the sound of three agonizing screams from the front of the line, accompanied by faint, hoarse growls.
It was clear they were under attack. Rhett’s expression changed drastically. His soldiers had been ambushed, and as someone just shy of Saint-level, he hadn’t sensed it until now?
Furthermore, though the auras up ahead were powerful, they didn’t reach the level of Saint, making Rhett all the more cautious.
He recognized that growl well—it was from Shadow Tigers, a species known for their ambushes.
“You’re courting death!”
Rhett’s face turned grim. No matter the circumstances, he would never allow his troops to be trampled by orcs.
His eyes burned with rage as his spiritual energy surged, gathering in the sky to form a violent storm of earth elements.
It was as if the night was driven away by the brilliant light that illuminated the sky.
Under precise control, countless sharp spikes of earth rained down like a torrential downpour, filling the air with the sound of whistling projectiles, creating a symphony of rain and wind.
In the radiant light, evil had nowhere to hide. Rhett’s spiritual perception detected three unusual auras quickly moving through space, trying to evade the spike rain.
A cold smile played on Rhett’s lips. This was perfect. He had been worried about catching up with the Shadow Tigers, but now they were delivering themselves right to him.
A smooth, stone-like barrier of light appeared around him as he charged forward.
Amidst the crowd, the leader of the medical team, who had been rushing to the front to assist, stopped in his tracks, shocked at the sight of the earthen spike rain in the sky. What kind of magic was this?
When had earth-element magic ever possessed such destructive power?
There was no time to ponder. The elder quickly reached the wounded soldiers, who had been disemboweled and were bleeding profusely. With a wave of his hand, beams of elemental light shot forth, healing the wounded lower-level transcendents with ease.
Not only did he finish healing them, but he also had enough energy left to fend off an incoming Shadow Tiger!
River of Light!
Facing the unpredictable Shadow Tigers, the elder's expression grew serious. In truth, light-element transcendents were somewhat effective against Shadow Tigers.
Certain light-element spells made it easier to detect a Shadow Tiger’s shadow state, but that was the extent of it—detecting them was one thing, but accurately tracking their speed and countering them was quite another.
In an instant, endless light elements flooded the area, like a river flowing around the elder. The light was even more dazzling than Rhett’s spike rain spell, instantly turning the night into day.
This exposed the terrified face of the Shadow Tiger charging at the elder.
The aura radiating from this Shadow Tiger was of mid-tier strength compared to the three, and knowing it was no match for Deputy Commander Dagula, it had set its sights on another high-level transcendent.
However, it had never expected such a mysterious spell to severely limit its movements. Just dodging the spikes had cost it several precious seconds, ruining its perfect opportunity for an ambush.
“Damn it, what kind of magic is this? Has someone among the humans developed a new advanced spell?”
The Shadow Tiger's mind raged. It had lost all courage to face Rhett. Seeing the River of Light spreading around the elder, it charged forward, slashing its claws to form black afterimages.
However, the spike rain from the sky had already fallen.
Under Rhett’s precise control, not a single spike hit his own soldiers. Instead, they blocked the retreat routes of the three Shadow Tigers, pushing them toward the edge of the formation.
The weakest of the three, a mid-tier Shadow Tiger, tried to help its companions encircle the white-robed elder. But even in its shadow form, it couldn’t dodge the deadly spikes. After several attempts to blink away, it was pierced and fell to the ground, letting out an anguished cry.
Only two high-tier Shadow Tigers remained—one entangled with the elder and the other, the strongest of the three, charged straight at Rhett!
“Human mage, your talent is astonishing. Was that spell you just used a new creation of yours? Hmph, no matter. Today, you will die!”
A cold voice echoed through the night.
In the next moment, like black lightning, the Shadow Tiger shot toward Rhett, its long, sharp claws slashing down to pierce his head.
The Shadow Tiger revealed its figure just as its claw landed, a sinister smile spreading across its face. So this was the Deputy Commander of the Glacier Frontline? He wasn’t nearly as formidable as the intelligence suggested.
Perhaps he was still disheartened from the recent defeat?
But just as the Shadow Tiger thought something was amiss. Its claw didn’t encounter the warm, wet sensation of blood. Instead, it felt a cool, soft mass of flowing sand.
“Damn it, it's the Scatter Technique!”
Realizing too late, the Shadow Tiger knew it was in trouble.
With the Scatter Technique, Rhett would be hard to deal with, and they were already too close to human reinforcements. To avoid being surrounded, the Shadow Tiger knew it had to retreat.
However, as it pulled back its claw and twisted its body, the air around it suddenly distorted with a terrifying force field, locking down the space.
Rhett stood unharmed, casually retreating ten meters, while the Shadow Tiger remained trapped under the crushing power of Rhett’s Gravity Field spell, unable to move and feeling the unbearable pain of its flesh being torn apart.
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