Chapter 7: The Frontline
Seeing this kind of Great Lord ability, Su Xiao narrowed his eyes. The situation was better than expected. Although he hadn't yet reached Chimney Mountain, things were already promising.
Being able to conscript Grey Orcs, Serpentfolk, Ancient Tree Clan, and Demon Ghosts within a 5-kilometer radius meant Su Xiao's plan could be implemented.
Within the Chaos Legion, Grey Orcs were the absolute backbone. They had the largest numbers, could fight and endure, charge and breach, and even serve as cannon fodder. They would fight to the death for a full belly. Aside from being ugly and lacking personal hygiene, they had no major flaws.
The Serpentfolk were equally important, though they rarely went to the battlefield. Their appearance wasn't the classic upper body human, lower body snake; instead, their heads resembled snake-like creatures, with mouths that could split open to their ears and forked tongues extremely similar to snakes.
The Serpentfolk had no scales on their bodies. Within the Chaos Legion, they played the role of the oppressed. They did the hard labor, forged weapons and armor, received the least benefits, and got beaten the hardest when things went wrong. They were often bullied, but they had their own territory, and their personal property was protected by the Chaos Legion.
The Serpentfolk hadn't risen in rebellion because, before the Chaos Legion was established, they were slaves. No matter their talents, they were born as slaves, sold to various regions across the continent.
Aside from the Grey Orcs and Serpentfolk, the remaining Ancient Tree Clan and Demon Ghosts were elite combat forces. The problem was that these two races often couldn't stand each other, each thinking the other was an idiot. Mutual brawls and even killings occasionally occurred.
Whenever a conflict arose between the Ancient Tree Clan and Demon Ghosts, the Grey Orcs would gleefully gather around, forming a circle and cheering loudly, while the Serpentfolk would tremble nearby, afraid of being blamed again.
Usually, after the Ancient Tree Clan and Demon Ghosts fought, both sides would be confined. Then the Grey Orcs who had been watching would be hung up and whipped with metal-wire-laced lashes, screaming miserably. Without their instigation, most fights wouldn't have broken out in the first place.
As for the Serpentfolk watching the spectacle, they sometimes joined the ranks of those hung up and whipped. These guys were actually quite sly, the sneaky type. The weapons used in the Ancient Tree Clan and Demon Ghosts' brawls were sometimes secretly thrown to them by the Serpentfolk.
These beings, labeled as evil by the Six-Tribe Alliance and accused of committing all kinds of atrocities, also had their unique customs and even an interesting side.
Su Xiao had now arrived at the edge of the war zone. Crossing the war zone immediately to return to Chimney Mountain seemed like the best choice, but that wasn't the case.
Su Xiao's identity as the War Demon had been imprisoned by the Doyin Kingdom for over a decade. People's hearts change, and the same was true for the high-ranking members of the Chaos Legion.
Dark Lord Agamemnon was the absolute ruler, but beneath him were four Great Lords. That meant, besides Su Xiao, there were three other Great Lords of equal status within the Black Ring Fortress at Chimney Mountain.
Over a decade had passed. Among these three Great Lords, only one remained unchanged; the other two were newly appointed. The current Chaos Legion was under the control of these three Great Lords.
Both newly appointed Great Lords were ambitious. It wasn't that they had a strong desire for power, but rather they both wanted Dark Lord Agamemnon to lead the Chaos Legion again and restore its former glory.
If Su Xiao returned directly to Chimney Mountain, he would undoubtedly be respected. But if he wanted to conscript large numbers of Grey Orcs, Ancient Tree Clan, and Demon Ghosts to start a war, those two Great Lords would likely oppose it.
The reason was that the current Chaos Legion could no longer afford to gamble. If they lost even once, it would mean extinction for their entire race.
In other words, these two newly appointed Great Lords weren't unwilling to gamble; they just wouldn't gamble blindly. However, if they saw even a glimmer of hope, they wouldn't hesitate. If the Chaos Legion's internal affairs were full of scheming, they would have been wiped out long ago. All Great Lords understood this.
Su Xiao moved quickly with Bubu Wang and Baha. Before long, he arrived near a battlefield where flames still hadn't died out, and several piles of Grey Orc corpses were burning.
Su Xiao activated his Great Lord ability. The ground beneath him began to tremble. With a loud rumble, a dark red giant hand emerged from the earth. The inside of this giant hand seemed to flow with dark red magma.
A humanoid creature over ten meters tall crawled out from underground. This was the Primordial War Soul. It had ram-like horns on its head and held a massive horn in its hand.
Hmm~
A long, heavy horn sound was blown. The 5-kilometer range wasn't small, and since a small-scale battle had just ended nearby, the scattered Chaos Legion troops should be in the surrounding area.
The horn sound lasted for over ten seconds before stopping. The Primordial War Soul gradually faded into the air.
After waiting for a few minutes, chaotic footsteps came from a distance. Several Grey Orcs wearing form-fitting armor with gray skin appeared. These Grey Orcs had flat ears, bald heads, and looked quite ferocious. Their muscles weren't exaggerated but were explosive and tough.
The Grey Orcs stopped a dozen meters away. Most of them were injured, and the weapons in their hands were covered in blood and flesh.
The Grey Orcs stared at Su Xiao, their eyes full of confusion. They couldn't understand why a Doyin could conscript them.
"Roar!"
After a symbolic roar, the Grey Orcs charged. It wasn't that they didn't have their own language, but the Doyin couldn't understand it anyway. Roaring was the best way to intimidate.
Boom! Blood energy exploded outward. The charging Grey Orcs nearly stumbled and fell to the ground. At that moment, their thoughts were unanimous: this was definitely not a Doyin.
Su Xiao pulled up his left sleeve. In this world, the Black King Bracer was special. When Reincarnation Paradise performed identity disguise, the Black King Bracer became a representative item, symbolizing the War Demon.
Seeing the Black King Bracer on Su Xiao, the Grey Orcs looked as if they'd seen a ghost. They froze for at least a few seconds before falling to their knees with a thud, placing their hands behind their backs and pressing their foreheads to the ground.
"Da dei, wu li sa" (Grey Orc language: Respect and Great Lord).
As soon as the Grey Orcs knelt, Su Xiao received a notification from Reincarnation Paradise.
[Notification: The Hunter now has a temporary army.]
[Affiliation: Chaos Legion.]
[Great Lord Skill: Primordial War Soul.]
[Number of Soldier-Type Units: 6 (May desert at any time during battle).]
[Supplies: None.]
[Battle Record: None.]
[Battle Merit Earned: 0 points.]
...
This was still the early stages. With the identity of Chaos Legion Great Lord, Su Xiao would naturally make the most of it.
After about half an hour, the Grey Orcs gathered in the surrounding area numbered 625. These were all defeated Grey Orcs, and their morale was understandably low.
Although these Grey Orcs showed great respect for Su Xiao, almost to the point of reverence, Su Xiao knew that if he ordered them to engage the enemy now, they would scatter in no time.
Besides these 625 Grey Orcs, there was also an Ancient Tree Clan member. This was Su Xiao's first time seeing one. These creatures were quite bulky, standing over eight meters tall. Overall, they looked like a large tree that had come to life.
The Ancient Tree Clan had a characteristic: their combat power was impeccable, making them war beasts. However, their eyesight was a serious weakness. Within 10 meters, their vision was blurry; beyond 20 meters, they couldn't distinguish people from animals; beyond 30 meters, they couldn't tell friend from foe; and beyond 50 meters, everything looked like blobs.
At this moment, the severely injured Ancient Tree Clan member was standing three meters in front of Su Xiao. Its single eye under the tree canopy stared at Su Xiao, trying its best to memorize his aura.