Chapter 85 Go and get rid of the priest.

Garros transformed into a burning meteorite, a comet, carrying terrifying power that terrified the jackals, and fell from the sky, landing on a large open space in the territory.

Bang!!!

The earth shook violently.

The entire Howling Cliff shook violently, with rocks falling and dust billowing everywhere. A powerful shockwave, carrying moisture, spread in a ring, blowing away the nearest wooden sheds like pieces of paper. The jackals were overturned by the shockwave, and the Bloodfang Overseer had to dig his claws deep into the ground to steady himself.

As the smoke cleared, Garus slowly straightened up.

At the edge of the crater beneath their feet lay a dozen or so gnolls, stunned by the shockwave.

The scales on his body absorbed the kinetic energy of the fall and turned a scorching red. The intense heat evaporated the fine rain, forming a thick white smoke that swirled around him.

Although I don't understand what branding the red dragon scales represents.

But all the gnolls felt a deep sense of danger and smelled the scent of death.

The target landed as I had hoped.

Shall we fight?

The Bloodfang Warlord was silent for a second, then suddenly sprang into action.

—But not an attack.

It performed a full prostration to Garos, its forehead slamming heavily onto the ground, its face full of obsequiousness, its tail wagging wildly behind it, unable to contain its awe and fawning: "Great Dragon Lord! The Red-Eyed Clan is willing to be loyal to you for generations to come!"

This time, it's from the bottom of my heart.

Garros's size is deceptive; if he doesn't display his strength, the gnoll clan might hunt him as a slightly stronger whelp, but he is much stronger than an ordinary whelp.

Nowadays.

Having witnessed Garros's power, the gnolls were driven by their dragon-like instincts, abandoning all their previous ulterior motives and becoming deeply impressed by Garros.

"Stand up."

"Garos said."

As the Bloodfang Overseer and the other kneeling gnolls stood up, Garros said unhurriedly, "Not every biological clan can become a dragon's kin. You need to demonstrate your worth to me before you are qualified to pledge your allegiance to me."

After witnessing Galos's power.

The gnolls were filled with a desire to worship and follow, and they wished they could pounce on Garros and lick his claws.

Except for the priests.

Fearing that Garos might change his mind and look down on the Red-Eyed Clan, the Bloodfang Overseer quickly said, "Please instruct us, what can the Red-Eyed Clan do to satisfy you?"

Galos narrowed his eyes and countered, "Gnoll, do you believe in gods? Tell me your true thoughts!"

Bloodfang Overseer's ears trembled slightly in the rain, his Adam's apple bobbed, and then he glanced at the priest out of the corner of his eye.

The Red-Eyed Clan worships gods.

It wanted to answer that way, but the words stopped before it could be uttered.

Bloodfang Warlord glanced at the two Jackal Guards out of the corner of his eye.

They were once the most valiant warriors in the clan, but now they have become desireless puppets, unable even to mate, which is the favorite pastime of the other gnolls!

Rotten Claw called it a 'gift'.

But Bloodfang witnessed the ritual firsthand—fifty gnolls were locked in iron cages and tore each other apart, with only the last two surviving to be infused with black blood and receive the blessing.

During a severe drought in the wilderness years ago.

The Red-Eyed Clan sacrificed 30% of their prey in prayer for rain from the gods, but received nothing.

The priest said that the gods needed more sincerity.

This would cause more members of the clan to starve to death, leading the clan to its demise.

The Bloodfang Overseer is inherently cruel and not a kind creature. It shows no mercy to ordinary members of its tribe, but as the clan leader, it values ​​the survival of the entire tribe very much.

The losses from sacrificing to the gods have long outweighed the gains, gradually dragging the Red-Eyed Clan down.

Bloodfang not only doesn't believe in gods, but even somewhat despises them.

More accurately, it's not that it hates the gods themselves; how could a peasant from the wilderness dare to hate a god who is high above them?

What it hates is the humiliation of being fooled and ignored.

Yenogu never truly protected the Red-Eyed Clan, and the Cursed Claw's spells always came at a higher cost than a higher reward.

But this dragon is different.

His power is visible to the naked eye.

After a few seconds of silent contemplation.

Bloodfang Overseer lowered his head and replied to Garos, "Reporting to the Dragon Lord, the Red-Eyed Clan worships gods, but this worship is like a vulture's loyalty to carrion—it only exists when needed."

"Now that you have arrived, faith is a thing of the past, and the loyalty of the Red-Eyed Clan will belong to you."

This loyalty is still the same as 'the vulture's loyalty to carrion'.

That's just the nature of evil creatures.

But what can be guaranteed is that as long as Garus remains as powerful as ever and does not become weaker than he is now, the gnolls will obey him without question.

For dragons, this is a piece of cake.

Dragons will gradually grow stronger as long as they don't die.

Gnolls are keen to follow dragons, and gnoll clans are almost a standard feature of dragons, mainly for this reason.

Only creatures like dragons can bear their 'loyalty', and apart from dragons, few other powerful creatures are willing to take jackals as their kin.

"Hodge!"

The Priest of Rotclaws' gaze darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "This is disrespectful! Take back your words! Faith and loyalty can coexist in the Red-Eyed Clan! As children of the Gnoll God, we must never abandon our faith."

Hodge is the name of the Bloodfang Overseer.

Names like Hogg and Hawk are common among the gnoll race.

opposite.

Bloodfang Overseer did not respond to the priest's words.

In its heart, Galus held more weight, and his thoughts were more important than those of the priest.

"very good."

The Bloodfang Warlord heard the Dragon Lord's whisper, which filled it with joy.

Garros looked around, his gaze sweeping over Howling Cliff in the rain and over the many drenched gnolls, and said, "I will not allow any believers of the gods to exist among my men."

The ordinary gnolls were bewildered and did not react.

Their brains can't hold much thought; they mainly think about what to eat today, who to mate with, what to eat tomorrow, and who to mate with tomorrow. They drift with the tide, and their faith is just a slogan shouted with the warlord or priest. They don't understand the meaning of believers in gods at all.

But the Priestess of Rotclaws understood.

When it came to its own beliefs, its red eyes blazed with fury, and its fur practically stood on end.

"The Red-Eyed Clan will not pledge allegiance to dragons that blaspheme the gnolls' faith!"

Its response was firm and resounding.

Garros didn't take it seriously and said directly to the Bloodfang Overseer, "You, go and kill it, and prove to me your bravery, your loyalty, and your determination."

Bloodfang Warlord opened his eyes wide and looked at the priest.

Professions like shamans and priests are often held by respected and wise elders in the monster clans of the wilderness. The Corrupted Claw Priest is older than the Bloodfang Overlord and has practically watched him grow up.

Bloodfang always harbored a deep fear of it, and even after becoming the warlord, he still dared not be too presumptuous with the priest.

But now, with Galus as its backer, the situation is completely different.

Evil arises from the heart!

Bloodfang Overseer suddenly raised his head, and a roar that rolled in his throat exploded like muffled thunder.

"For the Dragon Lord!!!"

Hunting pack domination!

A crimson halo erupted from its feet, instantly enveloping the surrounding gnoll warriors.

Their muscles swelled up like they were being inflated, as if filled with asphalt and oil, making their fur stand up high, their fangs lengthened by an inch, and their pupils contracted to the size of pinpoint red dots.

This is the warlord's trump card in combat.

The trump card originally intended to combat the bone-chewing cannibals has now been wielded against what was once a symbol of faith.

The warlord held a higher prestige among his people, especially among the warriors, than the priest.

Under the influence of its dominion aura, the elite gnoll warriors did not hesitate, all pointing their weapons and claws at the Corrupted Claw Priest, roaring as they launched their attack.

The Bloodfang Warlord remained at the rear, protecting his warriors in front of him, and did not make any rash moves.

Galos noticed this and glanced at it.

The Bloodfang Warlord smiled obsequiously and said confidently, "Great Dragon Lord, my strength lies in commanding warriors, not in personally fighting on the front lines. Please understand."

"The soldiers are like my hands and feet, my weapons."

After a pause, seemingly afraid that Garos would think it was cowardly, the Bloodfang Overseer puffed out its chest and added, "But if you give the order, I will be at the forefront!"

(End of this chapter)