Chapter 41: Enough to Overwhelm
After the explosion, Apollo expanded to its limit. Within the Solar Flame, all buildings and soldiers were instantly vaporized. On the ground, scorching red weapons and shields appeared, melting into molten iron under the high temperature.
In an instant, the East Valley Fortress fell silent. When the soldiers rushed out of their barracks, they witnessed a sight they would never forget: golden flames were burning everything.
"Roar!"
A dragon's roar came from above. A stream of black flame sprayed down, beginning to incinerate the war weapons on the city walls.
Barrels of black oil exploded from the heat, intensifying the fire within the city. Dwarf soldiers huddled near buildings, looking up at the sky to see a black dragon spewing black flames above.
And on the black dragon's back, a figure seemed to stand. A black velvet cape fluttered in the wind. Due to the darkness, the dwarf soldiers couldn't make out this person's features, only a pair of eyes gleaming with red light.
The black dragon flew high, not continuing to burn the East Valley Fortress, but heading toward the next fortress.
On the dragon's back, Su Xiao ignored the notifications of dropped treasure chests. Being able to see but not pick them up would only affect his mood.
[You have partially destroyed the East Valley Fortress. You have gained 4182 Battle Merit.]
The plan went smoothly. The groundwork laid during the day wasn't wasted. The previous chaotic battle was not only to hold back Spring Iron Sheep but also to provoke the various fortresses of the Peru Kingdom, forcing them to bring out their war weapons. Without the black oil barrels, Apollo and the dragon's flames couldn't have caused such extensive damage.
The Black Dragon Midis flew at high speed. Second stop: Twin Towers Fortress.
...
At the Peru border, Spring Iron Sheep's encampment.
Hasty footsteps approached, waking Spring Iron Sheep. He had been holding a grudge lately.
"Sir, Twin Towers Fortress was attacked half an hour ago."
"How many men did Sand Flame send?"
"One man."
"?"
Spring Iron Sheep was stunned for a moment. One man attacking a fortress? Even a demigod couldn't do that, unless it was a deity of Sand Flame. Deities were fundamentally different from Saint Soul bearers; their abilities were much more subtle.
"One man, and a black dragon."
Hearing this, Spring Iron Sheep sat up from his bed.
"Dig out all the war machines. Assemble the entire army within half an hour. Attack Segona City."
Spring Iron Sheep was decisive. Hearing that the black dragon appeared at Twin Towers Fortress, he immediately wanted to attack Segona City. In his view, this was an opportunity.
"Yes!"
The dwarf adjutant ran out of the tent. Sitting on the wooden bed, Spring Iron Sheep smiled. He had already figured out why Su Xiao had provoked such a large-scale war from yesterday to this morning. It was preparation for a night raid on the fortress cities of Peru.
Spring Iron Sheep prepared to mobilize his entire army. In his view, as long as Su Xiao wasn't in Segona City, the front-line defenses were useless.
"Roar~"
A dragon's roar came from the distance. Hearing it, Spring Iron Sheep slowly clenched his fist. The armor on his forearm cracked inch by inch. He wasn't losing due to decision-making ability, but due to the speed of intelligence transmission.
He couldn't blame the surrounding fortress cities either. After being attacked, they immediately sent out intelligence, but the first few batches of scouts and supernatural creatures were all assassinated by Baha.
Bubu Wang quietly withdrew from the tent. His mission was complete; staying any longer was too risky.
Inside Segona City, the black dragon descended from the sky. The soldiers had no idea that Su Xiao had just left Segona City.
Su Xiao's departure from Segona City carried great risk. If Spring Iron Sheep had taken the opportunity to attack, without the War Lord bonus, without Black Dragon Midis destroying the war weapons, under the bombardment of black oil barrels, his own soldiers wouldn't have held out long. Once the city fell, after a few charges by the Ram Cavalry, his army would have collapsed.
Su Xiao jumped off the black dragon's back and checked his current Battle Merit: 49,584 points. Enough.
The final 120,000 soldiers would arrive by tomorrow morning at the latest. This was the last wave. Combined with the current forces, he would have 340,000 soldiers. How far he could advance depended on them.
Su Xiao returned to the stone building. Just as he was about to push open the door, he sensed someone inside.
Creak~
Su Xiao pushed the door with one hand, the other resting on the sword hilt at his waist.
"Commander, I've been waiting for you~. It's so lonely here with just me."
A seductive voice came from inside the room. Under the moonlight, a figure was lying sideways on Su Xiao's wooden bed, a pair of light yellow eyes full of allure. Seeing this, Su Xiao's composure remained unshaken. He even felt like drawing his sword.
"What demon is this!"
Baha's sudden shout made the figure on the bed visibly stunned.
"Don't be so fierce. I traveled all the way from Sand City to the front lines just to see the Commander."
The alluring woman seemed a bit aggrieved. From her words and actions, Su Xiao could sense that her Charm Attribute was not low, at least over 150 points, and it was a True Attribute.
"Heh, you have no idea about my boss's resistance to charm, and even less about our average charm."
Baha seemed to recall something worth being proud of, raising his head slightly. Su Xiao + Bubu Wang + Baha + Amu + Beini. Their Charm Attributes, rounded up, were essentially non-existent. Bubu Wang looked helpless about this. When he stood beside Su Xiao to negotiate with plot characters, they all trembled.
"Ahem."
Su Xiao coughed lightly, walked into the room, and lit the candle inside.
"Uno sent you?"
Su Xiao looked at the woman in the darkness. He had seen her before; she was one of Uno's trusted aides.
"Lord Uno wants to reconcile with the Commander. We are all rulers of Sand Flame; there's no need for mutual destruction. As a gesture of goodwill, Lord Uno has transferred 300,000 war beasts from the front lines. We all believe that the Commander can break into the Peru Kingdom."
The seductive woman chuckled softly. Hearing her words, Su Xiao's expression didn't change, but a significant ripple stirred in his heart. The situation in Sand City was becoming increasingly unpredictable.
"You have 10 minutes to leave Segona City."
"You..."
The smile on the seductive woman's face froze. She was inwardly furious but quickly disappeared into the darkness.
Ten minutes later, the seductive woman left Segona City. Looking back at this fortress city, she snorted lightly. In her view, Grand Commander Kukulin Bai Ye was merely a pawn in some lord's plan.
Inside the candlelit room, Su Xiao took off his black velvet cape. He was in a good mood. The Peru border had been hard to breach, and someone in Sand City was getting anxious, afraid he wouldn't be able to invade the Peru Kingdom. So they sent 300,000 war beasts.
This indicated one thing: someone in Sand City desperately wanted him to lead the army into the Peru Kingdom, to eliminate or cripple this major enemy. Without external threats, that person in Sand City could accomplish something.
Who that person was, Su Xiao couldn't yet determine. Uno's behavior was certainly abnormal, but his suspicion was high. Sometimes, the more abnormal something is, the less likely it is to be suspected.
The Sand Emperor was also highly suspicious. He very much wanted to uproot Uno and Carros and replace them with his own trusted aides. That way, he would completely control the Sand Flame Kingdom, transitioning from a false king to a true king.
As for the last one, Carros, although this woman kept a low profile, she had a high chance of being a dark horse.
Su Xiao planned to play "blind," seeing and hearing nothing from Sand City. Originally, he intended to leave this world after dealing with Feishi. But now, it seemed he was qualified to participate in the subsequent upheaval in Sand City. That person was too impatient.
However, this was actually normal. Someone in Sand City had probably waited many years for this opportunity. Plus, they didn't know about Su Xiao's War Lord title or his plan to upgrade it. Putting himself in their shoes, transferring 300,000 war beasts wasn't strange.
That person had grown impatient. Or rather, the Sand Flame's consecutive defeats had made them lose hope. Su Xiao's appearance gave them hope. But the recent battle situation made them feel that flame of hope was about to be extinguished. So, risking the front lines being breached, they transferred 300,000 war beasts, arriving by morning.
300,000 soldiers + 300,000 war beasts. The combat effectiveness was not simply 1+1. Although war beasts weren't human, they fell under the category of "soldier-type units" and could receive the War Lord bonus. Su Xiao had tested this.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Su Xiao checked his current Battle Merit. From the surprise attack on the Peru fortresses, he had gained over 22,000 points. He now had 49,584 Battle Merit points in hand. He began to exchange for titles.
[You have obtained 'Blessing of the Departed (★★★ Title)', consuming 1,092 Battle Merit.]
[You have obtained 'Mist Walk (★★★ Title)', consuming 1,100 Battle Merit.]
[You have obtained 'Path of Condemnation (★★★ Title)', consuming 1,250 Battle Merit.]
[You have obtained 'Erosion Flame (★★★ Title)', consuming 1,000 Battle Merit.]
[You have obtained 'Dragon Slayer·Fake (★★★ Title)', consuming 1,130 Battle Merit.]
[You have obtained 'Deity Slaughter (★★★ Title)', consuming 2,580 Battle Merit.]
A total of 8,152 Battle Merit was consumed, and six three-star titles were obtained. Su Xiao activated the Title Refining Authority.
[You have activated the Title Refining Authority. Please select the main title.]
A disc covered with magma patterns appeared before Su Xiao. He selected [Deity Slaughter (★★★ Title)], and it was embedded in the center of the disc.
Su Xiao wanted to create five four-star titles to increase the probability of upgrading [War Lord] to five stars.
[Please select the secondary titles. After completing this title refinement, all selected secondary titles will be consumed.]
He selected the remaining five three-star titles as secondary titles. The magma-patterned disc was filled. The center held [Deity Slaughter], and the five symmetrical grooves around it held the five secondary titles.
[Selection complete. 50 Soul Coins are required to initiate the title refinement.]
Su Xiao chose to begin the refinement. The disc before him turned blazing red, the magma patterns becoming more distinct. A trace of blood-colored electric light emerged.
After waiting for over half an hour, the magma patterns on the disc cooled.
[The 'Deity Slaughter' title has been upgraded to ★★★★ level.]
One four-star title obtained. Su Xiao didn't stop. He consumed 1,120 Battle Merit to exchange for the [Rainbow (★★★)] title. This time, he planned to upgrade this title to four stars.
Including [Rainbow (★★★)], Su Xiao consumed a total of 6,083 Battle Merit to exchange for five other three-star titles.
Using the same method, he selected [Rainbow (★★★)] as the main title and the other five three-star titles as secondary titles. The title refinement began. Half an hour later.
[The 'Rainbow' title has been upgraded to ★★★★ level.]
Su Xiao continued exchanging titles. This time, he exchanged for four-star titles.
[You have obtained 'Ancient Sovereign (★★★★ Title)', consuming 10,000 Battle Merit.]
[You have obtained 'Salvation of Ancient Civilization (★★★★ Title)', consuming 13,000 Battle Merit.]
[You have obtained 'Extreme·Youthful Bloom (★★★★ Title)', consuming 11,500 Battle Merit.]
...
With the final three four-star titles obtained, Su Xiao had only 849 Battle Merit left. Including [Deity Slaughter] and [Rainbow], he now had five four-star titles. He could begin upgrading [War Lord].
He glanced at the attributes of the five four-star titles. Each had its own characteristics, and all were very strong. Although reluctant, War Lord was more important for the subsequent plan.
He embedded [War Lord] in the main title slot and the remaining five four-star titles in the secondary title slots. The refinement began.
[You have consumed 100 Soul Coins. The 'War Lord' title has remaining refinement attempts: 1 time.]
[Title Refining in progress...]
A somewhat lengthy wait began. If the refinement failed, many of his previous efforts would be wasted.
After waiting for nearly an hour, the magma patterns on the disc before him cooled. A notification appeared.
[The 'War Lord' title has been upgraded to ★★★★★ level!]
[You have obtained your first ★★★★★ level title. The Title Refining Authority has been permanently unlocked.]