Chapter 40: Spoils of War
On the plain before the Aier Great Forest, 500,000 of their own wolf cavalry were marching at high speed across the plain. After the War Lord was upgraded to seven stars, their marching speed had increased by another 24%.
Su Xiao stood on the back of the Demon Flame Dragon, Barbatos, overlooking the distant forest. The Aier Great Forest was vast, but compared to the entire Southern Region, it wasn't that large.
Flying to a point several kilometers in front of the Aier Great Forest, Su Xiao faintly saw a glimmer of light within the forest, and a sense of threat surged from below.
Boom, boom, boom…
One after another, arrows three meters long, covered in green patterns, flew out from the forest, heading straight for the Demon Flame Dragon, Barbatos.
These thousands of arrows tore through waves of air. If Barbatos were hit, he would be instantly killed, no question about it.
Dragonflame spewed forth, scorching the incoming arrows. Su Xiao leaped onto Barbatos's head, drawing the Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist.
'Blade Path Sword: Slay.'
With a whoosh, a blood-red chain of light slashed out, shattering all the massive arrows that had just pierced through the dragonflame.
Within the forest below, 260,000 Morning Radiance Warriors and 500,000 elite Elf Clan soldiers formed a loose formation among the trees. This was the strongest force the Elf Clan could muster. If they lost this battle, the Elf Clan could only close their eyes, surrender, and await death.
Only the sound of bowstrings being drawn echoed through the forest. All the Elf warriors were on high alert. The forest was their home ground; here, they could unleash 120% of their combat power.
"Prepare to engage!"
A loud shout rang out. A few seconds later, the ground within the forest began to tremble. The Orc Hero, Wobor, was the first to charge into the forest.
Bowstrings twanged. Dozens of arrows simultaneously struck at Wobor. Wobor swung his warhammer horizontally, leaning his body to the side, while his mount, a dire wolf, immediately leaped sideways.
Clang, clang, clang…
One arrow after another struck Wobor's warhammer. Three of them pierced the armor on his chest. He swung his large hand, snapping the arrows embedded in his chest.
The dire wolf lunged forward with all its might. Upon landing, it was already in front of a Morning Radiance Warrior.
Wobor swung his warhammer, bringing a whistling wind. The Morning Radiance Warrior before him raised his saber to block. In the previous campaign, he had fought Wobor and was not afraid of this old adversary.
Thud.
A wave of air spread. The long-handled warhammer swept past. The saber shattered. The hammerhead smashed into the Morning Radiance Warrior's chest. His upper body instantly exploded, turning into a shower of gore that splattered backward. Some bone fragments pierced trees that would take several people to encircle.
"Hahaha."
Wobor laughed wildly and ferociously. His dire wolf charged forward as he flipped his long-handled warhammer and swung it into a giant tree.
Another thud. The giant tree turned into a shower of wet splinters, shooting forward and knocking back over a dozen Morning Radiance Warriors.
"Kill them all! Leave no one alive!"
Wobor pointed his warhammer forward. Wolf cavalrymen surged past him from both sides.
Densely packed giant arrows flew from the front. The wolf cavalrymen at the forefront were sent flying backward in a large swath. Some Grey Orcs were pinned to trees, while some dire wolves fell to the ground, howling in agony.
The Elf Clan had prepared an ambush, and the results were evident. Unfortunately, the wolf cavalry's charge was too fast. The Elf warriors' giant arrows required half a minute of charging before they could be fired, and they also needed the blessing of natural energy.
Leveraging their speed advantage in the charge, wolf cavalrymen swarmed into the Aier Great Forest. To kill the enemy, they first had to cut down the trees, as most Elf warriors were positioned in them.
In an instant, the trees at the front of the Aier Great Forest fell in large numbers in a very short time.
Chaotic battle began. The sounds of killing and screams echoed endlessly within the Aier Great Forest. The Elf warriors had yet to realize a very serious problem: the enemy they faced was vastly different from the day before.
A wolf cavalryman with an arrow lodged in his neck was fighting a Morning Radiance Warrior. The wolf cavalryman wildly swung his serrated greatsword forward. After a series of crisp clangs, the Morning Radiance Warrior, who was blocking with his sword, nearly died on the spot. He felt like a pitiful carrot being hammered into the ground by the enemy.
Clang~
The green-glowing longsword shattered. The Morning Radiance Warrior's eyes widened. The next moment, he was hacked to death by several blows. The wolf cavalryman who killed him then pulled the arrow from his own neck. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the wound on his neck was gradually healing. This was the effect of the War Lord's blessing.
When using cold weapons, each attack inflicted 120 points of True Damage. Applied to the Elf Clan's bodies, one or two strikes wouldn't be fatal.
But applied to their weapons, it would cause the weapon's durability to plummet, eventually leading to the weapon's destruction. On the battlefield, being without a weapon meant death.
The Wolf Cavalry Legion surged into the Aier Great Forest like a torrent. The current wolf cavalry was what Su Xiao intended to use against the Duoyin Empire. If they couldn't even defeat the Elf Clan, they had no right to clash with Duoyin.
Facts proved that the Wolf Cavalry Legion did not disappoint Su Xiao. Half an hour into the battle, they had gained an overwhelming advantage. With all attributes increased by 20 points, all ability levels increased by Lv.10, maximum Health Points increased by 45%, and physical defense increased by 30 points, the Elf Clan simply couldn't withstand this barrage of buffs.
Looking down from above, one could clearly see their 500,000 wolf cavalry charging straight through. Except for a chaotic hour-long melee with the Morning Radiance troops, they basically charged all the way.
After three hours of battle, the Elf Clan forces had suffered over 30% casualties, and small-scale desertions began.
After five hours of battle, the Elf Clan forces had suffered over 70% casualties, morale had dropped to 29 points, and large-scale desertions occurred.
The wolf cavalry pushed forward relentlessly until 'Ailanye'er City' appeared ahead.
A waterfall cascaded down, crashing against the jagged edges of rocks, splashing up droplets of water, eventually converging into the pool below.
The main gate of Ailanye'er City was wide open. On both sides of the gate stood Elf warriors, their weapons lying at their feet.
This was the Elf Queen's order. The Elf Clan had surrendered. Their front-line forces had been routed. Continuing to fight would mean sending ordinary Elf warriors to their deaths. If they resisted to the death, they would have to arm the civilians.
The Demon Flame Dragon, Barbatos, landed from above. Su Xiao leaped off the dragon's back and walked toward the main gate of Ailanye'er City. Wolf cavalrymen followed behind him and on both sides.
Entering the city, Su Xiao found it eerily empty. He proceeded along the main street in the center. After walking a long distance, a series of ascending steps appeared ahead. A grand hall stood high in front of him.
Su Xiao walked up the steps. Many years ago, the Great Lord, Old Snake-Man, had come here, bringing a piece of armor from the Dark Lord, Agamemnon, as a trophy of the Elf Clan. Back then, Old Snake-Man had crawled up these steps one by one because the Elf warriors had raised their swords, preventing him from walking upright.
Last time Su Xiao returned to Black Furnace City, Old Snake-Man, drunk, had laughed while telling this story. He wasn't holding a grudge; he was talking about the Elf Clan's stubbornness. The fact that Old Snake-Man, as a Great Lord, hadn't died before the Elf Hall was proof of their adherence to promises.
This was the price of failure. Honor does not favor the defeated; only disgrace does.
Wolf cavalrymen followed behind Su Xiao, smashing the steps beneath their feet as they advanced.
When Su Xiao reached the front of the Elf Hall, an Elf knelt on one knee before the hall, holding a black piece of armor in both hands.
Su Xiao picked up the armor piece, glanced at it briefly, and put it away. This item was very useful.
Entering the Elf Hall, Su Xiao saw the Elf Queen inside, along with several Elf Elders and an Elf Prince standing behind her.
"Thank you for not slaughtering my people."
The Elf Queen's expression remained gentle.
"We will withdraw from the Aier Great Forest."
After saying this, the Elf Queen's body seemed to weaken.
"What?"
Baha looked at the Elf Queen in confusion.
"You attacked the Aier Great Forest because you wanted this territory, right?"
"You're overthinking it. This place is full of trees, the rotting leaves smell strange, the soil is all rocks. Only you would live in this godforsaken place year-round. The Southern Battlefield has the most fertile land, and you built a bunch of fortresses there? Interesting logic."
Baha flew over and landed on Amu's shoulder.
"You're… not after the Aier Great Forest? Then… why did you start a war with us?"
The Elf Queen clenched her fists as she spoke.
"Can't beat Duoyin. The Northern Region is cold. So, we beat you."
"You, you…"
The Elf Queen was furious. She felt that the War Demon was toying with her. The Elf Clan had been nearly crushed, and now the enemy didn't even want the Aier Great Forest? They were more interested in that large territory in the Southern War Zone, which, as of yesterday, no longer belonged to the Elf Clan but to the Chaos Legion.
Su Xiao sat down on a wooden chair, picked up an apple from a nearby table, and took a large bite with a crunch.
"Give me everything you have, or I'll kill you all."
Su Xiao chewed, the sweet and sour juice bursting in his mouth. He didn't think the enemy was stupid. Before he breached the Aier Great Forest's defenses, the Elf Queen would definitely have moved the Elf Clan's stored resources away as a bargaining chip.
"Everything…"
The Elf Queen's lips parted.
"Wobor, kill all the Elves in this hall except the Queen. In 30 seconds, kill her too."
As soon as Su Xiao finished speaking, Wobor rushed forward and smashed his hammer, killing an Elf Prince. He had been annoyed by this guy staring at him all along, and the Prince was hiding a weapon.
"Please… don't. We have gems, high-quality timber, and craftsmen who can build cities."
The Elf Queen knew very well that the Chaos Legion's territory was now too large, and they needed help to build cities.
"Not enough. I want Soul Stones, various secret treasures, and… one fruit."
"Fruit?"
The Elf Queen was even more puzzled. She didn't think Su Xiao had conquered the Aier Great Forest just to get some common fruit.
"Fruit…"
The Elf Queen suddenly thought of something. She did know of a fruit—one that the Duoyin King, the Extreme Ice Lord, the Lizard Clan Elder, and even legendary heroes had all fought over.
The Elf Queen went to the innermost part of the hall, took off the pendant from her neck, and inserted it into a sculpture. The sculpture began to rotate. Once its back faced the Elf Queen, a hidden compartment opened.
The Elf Queen took out an object and turned to face Su Xiao.
"Is this it?"
"Damn it!"
Baha almost lunged forward to finish off the Elf Queen, because in her hand was a stone slab with a drawing of a fruit.
"Where is this fruit?"
Sensing Su Xiao's unfriendly gaze, the Elf Queen didn't hesitate and immediately answered:
"It's in Duoyin's royal capital."