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Chapter 291: Victory and Harvest
🕑 Added 2024-10-05 05:19:32 +0000 UTCTagra faced the formidable strike, deflecting the cold blade aura with a quick motion of his elbow. Though he felt a slight stiffness in his arm, he quickly shook it off, and the surging vitality within him soon restored it to normal.
However, in that instant, the earth beneath him stirred slightly, and the highly vigilant Tagra was startled. Relying on his exceptional speed, he leaped nearly a hundred meters into the air, then kicked off from the air again, changing direction swiftly!
“Damn it! The Shadow Tiger's speed is still too fast!” Ledros cursed, then shouted, “Don’t worry, Rhett! I’ll keep him occupied. You just focus on attacking; don’t worry about hitting me! I’ve got plenty of high-level healing potions!”
As he finished speaking, Ledros rapidly struck several parts of his armor, and the heavy plate pieces fell to the ground with a loud crash. He had removed all his defensive gear, opting for a lighter load to slightly increase his speed.
“Whew!”
Rhett exhaled slowly, his brow furrowing. At this moment, the course of the battle had shifted slightly from what had occurred in his last simulation. The Shadow Tiger’s escape route wasn’t supposed to be like this...
But Rhett wasn’t overly surprised. Battles were inherently unpredictable, especially high-intensity ones.
As a result, he had to initiate another simulation to determine the next course of action. After three consecutive real-time simulations, Rhett’s eyes gleamed with determination—he had found a way to kill the Shadow Tiger!
Following the trajectory revealed in the simulation, the earth elements in the air began to gather wildly again as Rhett cast a Rain of Spikes on a seemingly empty patch of land.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Brilliant lights flared as countless spikes descended!
When the light faded, the ground was covered with golden spikes resembling thorns. This sight left Ledros puzzled and even made the Shadow Tiger suspicious. What was the human doing, attacking empty air?
Rhett remained expressionless, and while the Shadow Tiger was still engaged with Ledros, he cast another Rain of Spikes on a different spot.
Ledros, thinking Rhett was concerned about hitting him, anxiously shouted, “Don’t worry about me! Just make sure this Shadow Tiger doesn’t escape!”
“Hmph, you’d better worry about yourself!” the Shadow Tiger sneered coldly, feinting an attack on Ledros’ throat while preparing to turn and flee.
But to its surprise, the earth-yellow cloud in the sky slightly shifted direction, and the second wave of spikes rained down, blocking the escape route. The ground ahead was now densely packed with spikes.
At that moment, the Shadow Tiger found itself entangled with Ledros again, and every attempt to retreat was hindered by the scattered spikes on the ground.
Suddenly, the Shadow Tiger was filled with dread, realizing that the human Grand Magus's seemingly errant magic was intended solely to restrict its speed!
Tagra shivered with regret for not realizing this sooner. His fear turned into determination as he resolved to flee at all costs, disregarding the massive sword that Ledros was about to bring down.
Slash!
A black-and-purple striped arm, dripping with blood, fell to the ground—Tagra had severed his own arm to escape Ledros’ grasp!
“Frosty Breath!”
Ledros, both furious and shocked by the Shadow Tiger’s ruthless decisiveness, decided to unveil a newly mastered advanced combat technique.
He raised his greatsword horizontally in front of him, then slammed his left hand down onto it. His hands filled with powerful combat energy, transforming the sword into an icy blade that radiated a chilling aura. Then, with a mighty throw, he hurled the sword forward.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The greatsword spun rapidly through the air, like a giant buzzsaw, spreading freezing energy that caused the temperature to plummet.
Even the Shadow Tiger felt the cold seeping into its body, freezing the wound on its severed arm and slowing the flow of its vital energy—the core of a beast’s strength.
At this critical moment, as the freezing energy sapped the Shadow Tiger’s speed, Rhett, who had anticipated this exact scenario in his simulation, seized the opportunity. His mental energy surged, and he cast a Sand Flow spell!
Under the icy blue aura, a whirlpool of earth-yellow sand formed, and just as the Shadow Tiger’s speed faltered, it was engulfed by the swirling sand.
“No!” Tagra roared in despair.
At the same time, a giant shadow covered the ground, and a massive boulder, nearly a hundred meters in diameter, plummeted from the sky, carrying an overwhelming pressure that seemed to compress the surrounding space.
Tagra looked up in horror, knowing that begging for mercy on the battlefield was no different from saying a final farewell. His dark eyes filled with despair as he raised his arms in a last-ditch effort to fight back.
“Even in the underworld, I will curse you!” Tagra’s voice, filled with rage rather than fear, echoed as his final defiant shout.
In the next moment, Boom!
The massive boulder crushed down, flattening the Shadow Tiger as if it were a mere insect underfoot. Though there was some resistance, the boulder quickly settled into the earth, completely obliterating its target.
Dust and debris scattered, but the cold air froze them into tiny ice particles that slowly drifted through the night sky.
The grueling battle had come to an end.
“Whew, it’s finally over!”
Watching the Shadow Tiger get crushed, Ledros exhaled deeply, his voice filled with relief. To him, this battle had been full of close calls and lucky breaks. The victory was hard-won.
Whether it was Ledros nearly being overwhelmed by the Shadow Tiger or Rhett narrowly avoiding its sneak attack, the battle was filled with tension, where even a minor mistake could have led to a completely different outcome.
For Rhett, though the battle was filled with unexpected twists, it wasn’t truly dangerous or difficult. What he sought wasn’t just victory, but ensuring that none of the enemies escaped...
And he had succeeded.
Rhett didn’t linger in the victory; he quickly gathered his thoughts and shouted to Ledros, “There’s still the beast army over there. We need to help our soldiers quickly and prevent unnecessary casualties!”
Ledros retrieved his greatsword and shattered the massive boulder with his fists, revealing the high-rank Shadow Tiger's corpse, now flattened like a sheet of paper. He sighed with a hint of sorrow but quickly turned at Rhett’s urging. He then struck the Tiger’s corpse with a blast of cold combat energy, freezing it into a solid ‘beastman board.’
Ledros grabbed the frozen corpse and swiftly chased after Rhett, who had already started heading back.
In no time, Ledros caught up to Rhett and joined the fray against the beast army. Standing on a cliff’s edge, he took a deep breath, and after his chest heaved, his voice boomed across the battlefield:
“All soldiers, listen up! The two high-rank royal beasts have both been slain. This means their forces are doomed. Now, it’s time for our slaughter fest!”
“Charge! Let’s drive our swords into their hearts and deliver the final blow!”
As he shouted, he held the frozen corpse of the high-rank Shadow Tiger aloft like a flag. The blue, frozen body waved in the night, eerily resembling the Frost War Banner of the Cold Stream Front.
Hearing Ledros' call, both the human superhumans and the beastmen turned their gazes toward him. The sight of that frozen, pitiful corpse stirred powerful emotions within them.
“Haha, both royal beasts are dead! The commander is mighty!”
“Beastmen, none of you will escape today!”
“Charge! Pierce them through!”
The knights, their blood boiling with excitement, roared as combat energy surged through their chests. They unleashed their full strength, recklessly slaughtering the beastmen.
Everyone knew the beastmen’s fate was sealed; victory was inevitable. Now was the time to fight hard and earn as many merits as possible.
Even the wind mages reduced their use of Wind Wall spells, no longer aiding the archers. Instead, they unleashed attack spells, hoping to personally reap more beastmen’s lives.
In short, the humans’ morale soared, and they quickly drove the beastmen into disarray, utterly crushing their forces.
Tucker, in the midst of the army, fully utilized his Phantom Rewind technique. Combined with the enhanced physique granted by the Sanctuary-level bloodline potion, he was like a mighty lion, weaving through the battlefield. The flames of combat energy on his sword never extinguished, and he frequently claimed the lives of beastmen!
[Family member kills an enemy one rank higher, Fate Points +1]
[Family member kills an enemy one rank higher, Fate Points +1]
Messages continuously appeared before Rhett, indicating the steady rise in his Fate Points.
Although Tucker was only a Rank 3 knight, his combat power far exceeded that of ordinary warriors at his level. He could deal considerable damage to beastmen a rank higher, especially when striking their weak spots.
Before the battle, Rhett had instructed Tucker to act as a beastman harvester during the conflict, focusing on taking down enemies who were already surrounded or struggling, thus accelerating the death of weakened foes. This was a viable combat strategy, and Tucker had the right qualities to execute it effectively.
With Rhett and Ledros joining the fray, the battlefield quickly turned into a one-sided massacre. Rhett specifically targeted the beastmen around Tucker, using his earthen spikes to inflict critical injuries, making it easier for Tucker to deliver the finishing blow.
In less than half an hour, the beastmen’s morale had plummeted to an all-time low. The ground was littered with their corpses, and rivers of blood flowed freely.
The remaining hundred or so beastmen, having lost all will to fight, lowered their proud heads and knelt on the ground in surrender.
Initially, Ledros found the idea of taking these beastmen back to the Cold Stream encampment troublesome and considered simply executing them on the spot. However, at Rhett’s request, he quickly changed his mind, deciding to follow Rhett’s suggestion and escort the beastmen back to the camp.
Though he wasn’t sure why Rhett insisted on this, Ledros knew that Rhett was the hero of this battle, and such a small request had to be honored.
“All units, listen up! Do not harm these beastmen any further!”
Ledros’ voice echoed across the entire army. Although a few of the soldiers couldn’t resist giving an extra stab or kick, it didn’t cause any serious issues.
Ledros then cast a sharp glance around the troops and ordered, “Third and fourth squads, I command you to escort these beastmen back to camp immediately. No delays!”
“Understood!”
Several squad leaders quickly responded from within the disordered ranks. They conducted a headcount and formed a group of over three hundred soldiers to encircle the beastmen. Meanwhile, dozens of others ran to the rear of the valley to fetch supplies brought by the logistics teams. Of course, what they brought now wasn’t food or water but chains specifically designed to restrain beastmen.
Given the beastmen’s formidable physical strength, the soldiers broke their limbs before securing them with iron chains. Even with broken limbs, the beastmen wouldn’t completely lose their mobility, but their combat effectiveness would be significantly reduced.
“Reporting, Commander! The beastmen captives are fully secured. We’re ready to escort them back to the Cold Stream encampment,” a knight captain reported to Ledros, giving a military salute. “However, among the captives is a sixth-rank minotaur. Our squad’s highest rank is only a fifth-rank knight, so I’m concerned about possible incidents during transport. I request a few sixth-rank earth knights to assist with the escort.”
Ledros glanced at the beastmen, who appeared utterly defeated and drained of all strength—this was the fate of the vanquished, not worthy of pity. He shifted his indifferent gaze back to the knight captain and smiled lightly, “No need to worry. I will personally accompany the escort this time, as I need to return to camp to report the battle results.”
He then turned to Rhett, giving him a friendly nod, before surveying the surroundings. His voice once again rang out loud and clear:
“In this battle, both high-rank royal beastmen were killed by our Vice Commander Rhett. His strength and accomplishments are clear to all. Therefore, I am officially appointing him as Acting Commander. During my absence from the sixth legion’s temporary outpost, Vice Commander Rhett will have full authority to act in my stead.”
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