Chapter 45: Wrong Direction
Within the Kingdom of Peru, the Hammerfall Mountains.
Hills of varying heights connected to each other, the low vegetation on them looking like a fungal carpet from afar.
This continuous mountain range stretching across the front nearly split the Kingdom of Peru in two. Crossing the Hammerfall Mountains meant that Su Xiao had already breached Peru's border and entered the interior of the kingdom.
The advantage of having an entire army of beast cavalry became apparent at this moment. Facing the mountainous region ahead, the war beasts traversed it as if on flat ground, and the main force quickly ascended to the top of the Hammerfall Mountains.
The black dragon flew in the sky. Su Xiao looked down from above, seeing green mountains and clear waters. A natural lake was like a mirror, with many wetland water birds inhabiting along its shores.
The soldiers riding on war beasts halted their march. They were at the highest point of the Hammerfall Mountains, looking at the beautiful scenery below. Most of them were momentarily stunned.
In the Sand Flame Kingdom, there was nothing but deserts and Gobi wastelands. So-called oases were just areas with slightly more desert plants. When had they ever seen such picturesque wonders before?
"What is that thing? A fish with wings? Aren't fish only supposed to swim in water?"
"Look over there, a colorful bridge!"
"That's a rainbow. It appears over the Gobi after rain. This is only the second time I've seen one."
The armored soldiers, riding on war beasts, chatted and laughed. Everything before them was novel.
Hmm~
The march bugle sounded. The soldiers charged down from the mountains on their war beasts, bypassed the freshwater lake, and continued their rapid advance into Peru.
Boom!
A crudely made signal flare shot into the sky, exploding into a ball of flame.
"Enemy scouts ahead!"
Shouts spread out. The soldiers' relaxed mood from enjoying the scenery vanished. Full charge. Such encounters were normal after invading Peru.
The thundering hooves of war beasts mixed together, audible from a great distance. The roar of a dragon came from above.
Black oil barrels flew through the air. A sweep of black flames ignited them all, causing them to explode. Large sheets of flame fell like a rain of fire.
A 30,000-strong dwarf force blocked the way ahead, all goat cavalry. After throwing their batch of black oil barrels, they immediately abandoned all war machines and supplies, charging off to the right front.
This dwarf force was buying time. Given the defensive checkpoints within the Kingdom of Peru, trying to stop Su Xiao at any single pass was wishful thinking. The King of Peru was mobilizing dwarf forces, ordering them to march at full speed, attempting to circle around Su Xiao's left and right flanks to form a new defensive line within Peru.
This required time. The current 30,000-strong goat cavalry was responsible for delaying. They weren't as elite as the Ram Cavalry Corps, but they were still elite troops.
Su Xiao ignored this dwarf force, ordering the soldiers to continue marching straight for Peru's central region.
Three hours later, Peru's first checkpoint appeared. It was a vast forest. According to scout reports, at least 100,000 dwarf troops were stationed inside the forest.
After weighing the pros and cons, Su Xiao ordered a frontal assault. If the Ram Cavalry Corps was in the forest, they would retreat temporarily. If not, they would break through this checkpoint in one go.
Rumble~
The beast cavalry charged into the forest. Before long, the sounds of battle echoed from within.
...
In a certain open primordial world.
Within the Crystal Ruins, at the Fire Feather Holy Hall, azure crystals clung to the walls. The stone floor was engraved with patterns, now soaked with blood. Bodies in various attire lay on the ground, some with pierced skulls, others with most of their bodies shattered.
"We... have never seen you before."
A weak voice came. A blood-soaked, burly man sat leaning against the wall, three transparent spikes piercing his chest, pinning him to the wall.
This strong man was a contractor. His eyelids drooped; he was on the verge of death. His vision narrowed to a thin slit. Chaotic memories surged forth, faces appearing before him—his subordinates, his team members, 275 people in total, all buried here today.
No reason, no cause. A woman suddenly appeared and said nothing. One by one, the strong man's subordinates burst like balloons—bang, bang, bang—a series of explosions, as if crushed by an invisible hand, turning into blood and shredded flesh.
The strong man couldn't understand. He was a seventh-rank contractor, and his subordinates were also seventh-rank. Why were they so helpless?
Tap, tap, tap~
Footsteps sounded. From the noise, it seemed like metal high heels striking the ground. The strong man struggled to lift his head, seeing a woman draped in a light red robe, wearing a hood.
"The core. Where is it."
The woman's voice came. Hearing this, the strong man laughed. She was here to seize the World Core. Coincidentally, he knew where the World Core was, but he wouldn't tell her. He would die before telling.
"In your mother's... Ah!!"
The strong man let out an inhuman scream. He felt his soul being randomly pulled and twisted. The instant experience was a hundred, a thousand times more terrifying than death.
"The core. Where is it."
The same voice, the same tone as before. Concise, powerful, and unquestionable.
"I! Don't! Know!"
The moment the strong man finished speaking, the sensation returned.
"Ah!!"
A burly man over 2.5 meters tall screamed until his voice cracked. One could imagine what he was enduring, especially since he was a seventh-rank contractor.
Pale yellow liquid spread beneath the strong man. Tears mixed with blood dripped from his chin.
"The core. Where is it."
Hearing this voice, the strong man instinctively trembled.
"In... the alternate space of the Holy Hall."
A key slipped from the strong man's hand.
Bang.
The strong man's entire body exploded. The blood-stained key was blasted into the air, caught mid-flight by a hand. It was a hand with slender fingers, a black ring on the index finger.
...
Within the Kingdom of Peru, the vast forest stretched endlessly.
Countless beast cavalry galloped through the forest. The first checkpoint had been breached. Once they passed this forest, they would reach Peru's central region.
From fighting all the way from Segona City into the Kingdom of Peru, they had fought several more battles, large and small.
Su Xiao wasn't planning to annihilate the Kingdom of Peru; that would take too much time. His purpose in attacking Peru was both to find the God of Flourishing Life and to reap benefits.
Su Xiao checked his current battle merits, reaching 42,520 points. The battle with Spring Steel Ram had earned him over 30,000 points, and the rest came from invading Peru.
Besides battle merits, there were war-type chests. After invading Peru, he had obtained 11 in total, another batch of Soul Coin income.
Su Xiao's idea was to cease hostilities if possible. He needed to maintain his beast cavalry force at over 250,000. Currently, there were just over 280,000 left. There were casualties in the forest assault, but it was within acceptable limits.
Looking at the map in his hand, after this forest was Stone Marsh City, followed by three more fortresses to attack.
During the march, night fell unnoticed. When the bright moon hung high, Su Xiao led the troops out of the forest, advancing according to the map's direction. The beast cavalry's speed was faster than expected.
Marching through the night, Su Xiao sat cross-legged on the dragon's back, occasionally glancing at the map. The further forward they went, the more he felt something was wrong. Stone Marsh City should have been reached by now.
At 11 PM, Su Xiao encountered another interception by Peruvian soldiers. Only 20,000 dwarf soldiers, barely enough to fill a gap.
The march continued without stopping. Leveraging the momentum of the advance, Su Xiao's beast cavalry charged.
Clang!
Weapons clashed, war beasts roared. The beast cavalry charged into the dwarf army's formation. With just one wave, half of the intercepting dwarf force fell.
Too weak. Su Xiao ordered the entire army to turn and continue the charge.
After two charges, the wasteland was covered with the bodies of dwarf soldiers. Unexpectedly, the surviving dwarf infantry didn't flee. Their formation was chaotic, but they roared and charged back.
Seeing this, Su Xiao controlled the black dragon Midis to lower altitude.
"Form up. Charge."
"Kill!"
Facing this dwarf infantry force—weak in combat but refusing to flee even unto death—Su Xiao's soldiers launched a third charge. Even as enemies, these dwarf soldiers deserved recognition.
Like a steel tide swallowing a small boat, this dwarf force was completely annihilated.
Without wasting time looting spoils, Su Xiao ordered the march to continue.
At 2 AM, Su Xiao encountered another interception: a 40,000-strong dwarf force. Surprisingly, these dwarf soldiers also fought to the death without retreating.
Compared to the previous dozen battles, these two dwarf forces were too strange. Bravery was fine, but they were facing Su Xiao's 280,000 beast cavalry.
Rolling over everything, Su Xiao destroyed 12 dwarf forces in total, the smallest numbering only 500 men, and they came wave after wave.
It wasn't that the dwarf officers were stupid, but the beast cavalry, under the War Lord's blessing, moved at an absurdly fast speed, giving them no time to assemble.
When dawn broke, Su Xiao controlled the black dragon to land. A city appeared ahead. Stone Marsh City had finally arrived. Su Xiao was puzzled. With the beast cavalry's speed, they should have reached the vicinity of Stone Marsh City long ago. Peru's territory was half the size of Sand Flame.
Looking at the city ahead, Su Xiao frowned. He took out the map and compared it to the city. No matter how he looked at it, this city didn't resemble Stone Marsh City. He hadn't heard of a half-mountain behind Stone Marsh City.
"Kaisa, Oss, is this Stone Marsh City?"
"It must be. Isn't that a mountain? A mountain represents stone."
Kaisa nodded seriously, pointing at the map in Su Xiao's hand.
"Woof~"
Bubu Wang expressed agreement. Baha swooped down from above, his expression strange.
"G-great one, this is not Stone Marsh City!"
Deputy Commander Oss stuttered. He swallowed, disbelief in his eyes.
"Then?"
Su Xiao looked at Oss. He also felt this didn't look like Stone Marsh City. They might have gone off course, after all, they had been traveling all night and were intercepted by over a dozen dwarf forces.
"Great one, this seems to be... High Mountain City!"
"High Mountain City?"
Kaisa beside Su Xiao looked confused.
"What the hell! Isn't High Mountain City the capital of Peru?"
Baha was a bit stunned. They had intended to attack Stone Marsh City, but instead of finding it, they had directly marched to Peru's capital.