Chapter 32: Eternal Mortal Enemy
Su Xiao looked down at the battlefield below. He barely needed to command; sitting there was enough. It seemed easy, but if the troops under him were defeated, all previous efforts would be wasted.
The good news was that due to his soldiers' superior individual combat strength and the morale reaching 100 points within the first half hour, the Bloody Battle effect had been successfully triggered.
Su Xiao was waiting for Spring Iron Ram to reveal his war machines. Black Dragon Mydis had limited time to spew black flames, which could only be used to counter the enemy's war machines.
"Roar."
Black Dragon Mydis let out a low, irritable growl. After attacking Segona City, this creature had become somewhat addicted to battle. Now that Su Xiao wouldn't let it rampage on the battlefield, it was very displeased.
Strangely, Black Dragon Mydis remained hostile toward Su Xiao but had warmed up considerably to Bubu Wang. The reason was that Bubu Wang often fed it delicious things.
The first time Bubu Wang fed Black Dragon Mydis, it almost got burned by black flames again. But after a few feedings, Black Dragon Mydis's attitude improved greatly. Black Dragon Mydis had no choice—who could resist the increasingly fragrant food Bubu Wang brought? As the feedings continued, Black Dragon Mydis looked at Bubu Wang with ever more friendly eyes. Now, whenever it heard Bubu Wang's footsteps, it would immediately wake up and twitch its nose.
Soldiers on the battlefield fell one by one. After three hours of chaotic fighting, the Ram Cavalry began to struggle. They weren't machines; each charge consumed considerable stamina. In contrast, Su Xiao's soldiers fought with increasing ferocity.
Five hours into the battle, Su Xiao's soldiers began advancing. On a battlefield of hundreds of thousands, all schemes and tricks seemed pale and powerless. Hard strength was everything.
After nine hours of fighting, the soldiers began to feel fatigue. While Su Xiao's soldiers had strong physiques, one must not forget that the enemy's physical condition was also formidable.
Eleven hours into the battle, the setting sun on the horizon looked like blood. After this prolonged engagement, the dwarves could no longer hold on. The enemies they faced were like demons on the battlefield—charging forward in a chaotic mass without any formation.
Looking down at the battlefield, Spring Iron Ram's face had turned pale. He knew what losing this battle meant.
Spring Iron Ram made a decisive move, ordering the rear troops to bring out the war machines hidden underground.
One hour later.
Bang, bang, bang...
In the sky, which had already darkened, large volleys of metal crossbow bolts arced down toward the densely packed areas of Su Xiao's soldiers.
"Finally can't hold back, huh."
Su Xiao watched the metal crossbow bolts falling from the sky but still didn't act. Spring Iron Ram wasn't a fool—how could he not have a plan to deal with Black Dragon Mydis?
After one volley, the rear of the dwarf army fell silent, clearly not having deployed all their war machines.
"That bastard Kukulin."
Spring Iron Ram laughed through gritted teeth. He had feinted one round but failed to bait out the enemy's black dragon.
"Go, dig out a third of the war machines. Also, prepare the Dragon-Hunting Crossbows."
"Yes, my lord."
After a long while, when the sky was completely dark, whistling sounds came from above the battlefield.
Explosions rang out in succession. Barrels of black oil flying high in the air burst open, flames erupting and forming hundreds of fireballs, each dozens of meters in diameter.
Boom, boom, boom...
One massive fireball after another crashed to the ground. Flames and mud splattered everywhere. Large groups of Su Xiao's soldiers turned into human torches, screaming and running for a moment before collapsing to the ground.
Flames once again illuminated the battlefield. Seeing this, Su Xiao knew he couldn't wait any longer. Spring Iron Ram wouldn't reveal all his war machines at once, but what he had brought out this time was considerable.
Su Xiao leaped onto Black Dragon Mydis's back. The black dragon roared, spread its wings, and took flight.
Su Xiao crouched, pressing one hand on the dragon's back. A crystalline layer spread, forming pale blue scales on the black dragon's body surface, enhancing Black Dragon Mydis's defense.
Wind whistled past his ears. Su Xiao looked down from high altitude. The enemy's rear was pitch black. His first priority was to find Spring Iron Ram.
Earlier, he had sent twelve Holy Soul assassins to kill Spring Iron Ram. The result was that these Holy Souls were eliminated before they could get within a hundred meters of Spring Iron Ram. Similarly, Spring Iron Ram had sent fifteen Holy Soul assassins to kill Su Xiao, and they also failed to get within a hundred meters of him.
Both sides sending Holy Souls was a bit like buying lottery tickets—if the assassination succeeded, it was a huge win; if not, it was expected.
Unable to locate Spring Iron Ram, Su Xiao directed Black Dragon Mydis into a dive. Baha had already locked onto the general position of the enemy's war machines.
Whoosh!
Black flames spewed wildly. Explosions came from below one after another. The flames from the exploding black oil barrels illuminated a large area, turning war giant crossbows red-hot.
Bang!!
A bowstring vibrated with a deafening sound. A giant crossbow bolt nearly ten meters long pierced through the air with a piercing sonic boom, entering from Black Dragon Mydis's abdomen and completely penetrating its body.
Pfft!
The barbed giant crossbow bolt emerged from the dragon's back, caught by the black dragon's body. This giant bolt was less than two meters away from Su Xiao.
Black Dragon Mydis let out a mournful cry. It raised its head, gathered black flames, and began spraying them at a patch of ground. The ground was burned to glass. After a series of screams from underground, an explosion occurred. The Dragon-Hunting Giant Crossbow relied on the detonation of black oil barrels to achieve such terrifying power.
Su Xiao directed Black Dragon Mydis to fly to a barren area, ordering it to spray black flames at the ground.
The black flames scorched the earth. After a full half minute, explosions erupted from underground like fireworks. The firelight from the explosions spread horizontally, blasting dirt into the air.
At a certain spot on the battlefield, seeing the row of firelights in the distance, Spring Iron Ram collapsed into his seat.
"Defeated."
Spring Iron Ram wasn't furious. He had reached his current position not because of the surname Spring, but through several times the effort and achievements of other commanders. The surname Spring had brought him no convenience; King Peru had to avoid favoritism, so this was the only way.
"My lord, please retreat."
"Nonsense. I lost at Rongsha. If I run now, at the Gate of Peru, I won't leave. This is the Gate of Peru. I have no face to return to my brother. Kukulin will give me an honorable death."
"My lord! Please retreat!"
A dozen dwarf officers all knelt on one knee, speaking in unison. Seeing this, Spring Iron Ram laughed heartily.
Bang.
Spring Iron Ram felt the back of his head go numb, and darkness enveloped his vision.
"Send him away. I, Raiton Redbeard, will take over this war."
A calloused hand steadied Spring Iron Ram. Wine-red braided beard hung down.
"As you command."
The dozen kneeling dwarf officers shouted in unison. One of them carried Spring Iron Ram on his back and disappeared into the night with a group of Ram Cavalry that had been waiting.
Flames blazed fiercely. Broken weapons were stuck in the battlefield. The scene before them was like hell—or rather, the battlefield itself was hell.
Of the 300,000 dwarf soldiers, 190,000 had died in battle. The Ram Cavalry had withdrawn 40,000, and the rest had all fled in rout. Peru suffered a crushing defeat, the worst in a century. The Gate of Peru was completely lost.
In the firelight, Su Xiao's soldiers surrounded the enemy's rear. From within a burning tent, a dwarf in armor walked out, his expression calm.
"Redbeard, where is Spring Iron Ram?"
Os stepped forward, holding a curved blade.
"He's returned to Peru. Os, give me a bottle of wine. Also, tell Kukulin Bai Ye that I won't be tricked by him again. Definitely not."
Hearing Raiton Redbeard's words, Os crooked his finger. A thousand-man commander ran over and handed a bottle of wine to Os.
Raiton Redbeard's mood was exceptionally complicated. This was his third time being captured. Compared to last time, he was much calmer now. This time, he was dying in place of his brother—nothing shameful about that.
On the battlefield littered with broken corpses and blades, Su Xiao pulled a broken sword from the ground. Winning this battle meant he now had the capital to invade the Kingdom of Peru.
[Tip: The Hunter has won this battle.]
[You have received 10,572 Battle Merits.]
[Due to the war, your reputation with the Kingdom of Peru has been forcibly activated. Current reputation: -197,500 points (Eternal Mortal Enemy).]