Chapter 39: Attack on the Town
The tribal soldiers on the battlefield were quickly repelled, with casualties skyrocketing.
Mass casualties, coupled with the failure of the orc and troll chieftains to stabilize the situation, led to a large-scale rout among the tribal soldiers.
The first to flee weren't the orcs, whose chieftain was injured, nor the trolls, but the goblins. Sensing the tide of battle turning, they immediately grabbed their beloved war machines and ran.
The second to flee were the trolls, due to their heavy losses.
After the goblins and trolls routed, the orcs couldn't hold their ground and began a mass retreat. As for the hot-tempered dwarves, they also fled—if the other three races were running, what were they even fighting for?
"Kill them all, hahaha!"
Imperial soldiers formed battle formations, encircling and slaughtering the tribal forces that couldn't escape in time. What had been a stalemate moments ago was now a one-sided massacre.
Su Xiao moved among the crowd, occasionally cutting down a tribal soldier. He was surprised to find that his innate ability, "Soul Devourer," restored a peculiar type of health upon killing enemies. Each kill recovered about 13 to 15 points of health and mana. This recovery amount was possible because the mana increase from Soul Devourer had reached its 200-point cap, boosting the kill recovery effect by 50%.
The health restored through Soul Devourer slowly healed Su Xiao's injuries. Though gradual, this healing was more thorough than potions.
After killing over a dozen enemies, the tightness in Su Xiao's chest faded, and his breathing became noticeably smoother.
Realizing this, Su Xiao fought even harder, slaying dozens of tribal soldiers in no time.
The battlefield was different now. Killing tribal soldiers required luck, as they were in full retreat while the Imperial army pursued.
Screams and battle cries mingled. A contractor from Apocalypse Paradise looked utterly despairing, surrounded by too many Imperial soldiers.
Just a few minutes later, that Apocalypse Paradise contractor's mana ran out, and he was swallowed by the tide of people. If the Empire had lost, the Reincarnation Paradise contractors wouldn't have fared any better.
The pursuit began. The Imperial army left a small force to guard the fortress while the rest chased the tribal soldiers.
Su Xiao was among the pursuers. As long as the chase continued, the war wasn't over. As for exchanging for the [Saint Oak Branch], he couldn't think about that for now. Once the war started, Reincarnation Paradise had notified that the Merit Exchange Shop was closed. It would reopen only when the Imperial army successfully garrisoned the Black Soil Fortress.
During the earlier battle, Su Xiao had observed the Black Soil Fortress's condition. The interior was heavily damaged, and both the stone and magma slopes at the front and back needed clearing. The blocked internal passages also had to be reopened. These passages allowed easy access into the fortress, so after the tribal army captured it, they sealed off dozens of them.
Until all this was handled, the Imperial army couldn't garrison the Black Soil Fortress. Resolving everything would take at least one to two days.
That meant the Merit Shop wouldn't open for at least one to two days, so Su Xiao wasn't in a hurry. Being anxious wouldn't help anyway.
...
Three hours later.
A column of Imperial soldiers marched in orderly formation deep into the tribal alliance's territory. This was the same army that had fought on the Black Soil Fortress.
Three hours of pursuit might sound like a deep incursion, but that wasn't the case. This force wasn't advancing deep into tribal lands; they were clearing out scattered pockets of tribal soldiers around the Black Soil Fortress.
An Imperial officer rode at the front on a warhorse. His name was Russell, a staunch supporter of Carlos and a powerhouse in the Iron Blood Legion.
After Carlos rose to power, Russell, who was both capable and skilled in command, received several promotions. His humble origins had previously held him back, but fortunately, the new Legion Commander Carlos valued ability over background.
"Report, Commander Russell! A town under the tribal alliance's control spotted ahead."
A scout knelt before Russell's horse, his expression respectful.
"Population."
Russell was a man of few words, stern and unsmiling. His first impression was one of iron discipline, severity, a lean frame, and a chilling aura.
"Roughly 20,000 to 40,000. Due to time constraints, I couldn't obtain more specific intelligence."
The scout swallowed hard.
"Guards, execute him."
Russell's tone was flat. The scout froze.
"Mercy, Lord Russell! I truly..."
The scout's face turned pale with terror.
"Silence."
As Russell spoke, a male wood elf emerged from behind him. The elf moved with incredible speed. Before the scout could react, the elf's short sword had already fallen, and a head flew through the air.
"That old fool Marquis Mark is truly useless. Tribal spies have infiltrated even the scout unit. Every time Lord Carlos wants to deal with the spy problem, that old man hesitates and dithers."
Russell didn't even glance at the scout's corpse. As a member of the scout unit guarding the Black Soil Fortress, not knowing the situation of a nearby town was a basic failure. Even if he wasn't a spy, such negligence during wartime cost him his head.
The Imperial army advanced toward the town. Su Xiao moved with them. Before long, a sizable town came into view.
Whoosh~
A projectile arced toward the Imperial army—a goblin bomb.
Boom!
Flames erupted, shattering a large number of Imperial soldiers. A leg wrapped in tattered cloth landed near Su Xiao.
"Full charge!"
The Imperial army surged toward the tribal town. The remaining tribal forces nearby quickly retreated inside.
The town wasn't far. Within minutes, a flood of Imperial soldiers poured in, engaging in street-to-street fighting with the tribal remnants.
Screams echoed from within the town—civilians, including orc and goblin women and children. In the tribal alliance, all able-bodied males, young or adult, were forcibly conscripted into the army.
By the time Su Xiao entered the town with the main force, the fighting had subsided. The earlier attack had come from a small group of tribal soldiers.
Su Xiao walked through the streets. No civilians were in sight; they hid behind windows, staring blankly at the Imperial soldiers. Most houses were stone, two stories high, and densely packed. The streets were muddy from a recent rain.
The Imperial army began searching the town, occasionally skirmishing with scattered tribal soldiers.
Pushing deeper into tribal territory wasn't wise, so Su Xiao's unit halted in the town to rest before returning to the Black Soil Fortress.
After clearing out all tribal soldiers in the town, the Imperial troops gradually dispersed, their demeanor noticeably more relaxed.
Su Xiao sat on the stone steps of a house, eating compressed biscuits to regain stamina. The biscuits weren't bad, just very dry.