Chapter 271: Things Are Different Now
Deep in the Stairway to the Sun Mountains, on top of a towering mountain, there is a howling wind all year round, and often surrounded by loud roars -
Usually that's a mating call.
As the closest lizardmen to dragons on the continent of Janna, the wind lizards not only have wings that other lizardmen envy, but their living habits are also highly similar to those of the legendary dragons.
As the offspring of Uranus, the god of the sky, and Gutaf, the god of the dragon, they consider themselves the people of the sky and believe that only the most dangerous mountains are worthy of their habitation.
Of course, it is not ruled out that their natural enemies lived at the foot of the mountain, so they had to migrate to this poor and remote area.
At this moment, in a cave hidden among the peaks, the Wind Chief of the Wind Howling Tribe and the elders of the tribe are holding an important meeting concerning the future destiny of the tribe.
The cold and hard rock walls were engraved with ancient "Storm Marks". The faint light of magic slowly overflowed from these marks, illuminating the dark and mysterious space within the cave, while also illuminating those ambitious faces with gleaming scales.
"Everyone, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
In the cave, a strong wind lizardman spoke in an excited voice, his amber vertical pupils flashing with bright light, and his right claw in front of him clenched into a fist.
"...Outsiders from the Ancient Continent have once again set foot on our coast, and they have appeared in the heart of the Holy Armored Dragon Kingdom! Unlike before, this time they were not eliminated by the hunting team of the Holy Armored Dragon Kingdom, and they have taken root on the beach! If we can form an alliance with them, we will definitely deal a heavy blow to those hypocritical, greedy and cunning Ankylosaurs!"
A whisper was heard in the cave. Except for the Great Wind Leader Urga Windcrack, who was sitting at the head with an expressionless face, the other lizardmen were exchanging glances, trying to figure out what their leader meant and thinking about their own interests.
To be honest, Urga didn't care about their opinions.
He had already made up his mind about the alliance. The reason he convened this meeting was just to inform the elders of his will and see if anyone objected.
Unlike the Kingdom of the Holy Armor Dragon, the Wind Howl Tribe did not have a cumbersome bureaucracy or complicated factions. The strongest person in the tribe was the leader, and the leader's will was the tribe's will. As the Great Wind Leader, he did not need to gain support from anyone. If anyone did not support him, he would break his wings and throw him off the highest mountain.
Although they did not think that forming an alliance with outsiders was a good idea, the elders who held opposing views did not dare to refute fiercely and could only speak in hesitant voices.
"But the Holy Armor Dragon Kingdom is not easy to deal with...Those outsiders are powerful, but the Holy Armor Dragon Kingdom is also strong. In the past thousand years, ships from the Ancient Continent have run aground on the coast countless times, but in the end they were just sacrifices on the altar. What's the point of forming an alliance with a group of dying people?"
This statement was recognized by many lizard people.
really.
Although the group of outsiders stranded on the coast repelled the attack of the Holy Ankylosaur Kingdom, in the final analysis, it was just a hunting team that attacked them.
If the Holy Ankylosaurus Kingdom sent out regular troops, their fate would probably not be much more optimistic than that of their predecessors.
However, after hearing the elder's doubts, the strong wind lizardman smiled slightly and continued speaking without any panic.
"This is exactly why we want to form an alliance with them! Only when they are weak enough and need our help will our alliance have enough binding force on them. Only then can we make them obey us and become our pawns in the fight against the Kingdom of the Holy Armored Dragon! If they are much stronger than us, we will become their puppets in turn. This kind of alliance with unequal strength will have no meaning to us!"
The elder sitting in the corner of the cave had a slight flicker in his eyes, and Dafengshou, who had been silent, also nodded slightly, with a hint of approval in his eyes.
This young man is a talented person and has basically figured out the plan in his mind.
The alliance is just a cover.
His real intention was to use the power of those outsiders from the ancient continent to weaken the power of the Holy Armor Dragon Kingdom.
Fulfill the covenant?
He never thought about it.
The Wind Lizards are the people of the sky. They live on the most dangerous peaks in this mountain range and do not even have a fixed residence. Their allies can only get a verbal promise at most, and as for substantial help, don't even think about it.
At most, when the Holy Ankylosaurus Kingdom is in a mess, they can go down the mountain to plunder, which can be considered mutually beneficial.
Looking at the expression on Dafengshou's face, the elder who had raised doubts earlier sighed in his heart, knowing that the matter had already been decided, and even the envoy might have been sent out.
However, out of responsibility for the tribe, he still gave a cautious reminder.
"What if the Holy Armor Dragon Kingdom retaliates against us?"
"Revenge? Haha!" The strong wind lizardman sneered and said in a mocking tone, "Haven't they bullied us enough in the past thousand years? Think about what they have done to us! They hunted our compatriots like hunting prey, captured our people, and offered us as sacrifices on their altars... We are just trying to get back some interest from those villains!"
After a pause, he continued.
"Or do you think that if we just stay in the cave and behave ourselves, they will show mercy and let us go?"
This sentence resonated with all the wind lizardmen present, and even Urga, who was sitting at the first seat, showed a moved expression on his face.
indeed--
Even if they showed mercy, the Holy Ankylosaurus Kingdom would not be grateful to them. Instead, after recovering from the shock, it would become even more aggressive in demanding compensation for the losses suffered from them.
In that case, why don't they seize this opportunity to teach those ugly lizards a severe lesson?
At least let those guys know that they are not a lump of mud that can be kneaded at will! "This matter has been decided."
Urga spoke slowly and announced the results of the meeting.
"We will form an alliance with the outsiders, of course... it's just a verbal alliance."
"As allies, we will give those outsiders the courage to go deep into the Janna continent, as well as intelligence to lead them to Assam City, and urge them to engage in more intense conflicts with our enemy, the Holy Armor Dragon Kingdom. Other than that, we don't need to make any substantial sacrifices."
Glancing around at the tribesmen present, he continued in a calm voice.
"I have sent messengers to the coast where the outsiders landed and have contacted friends from the ancient continent. I believe that it won't be long before there will be results—"
Before he finished his words, the guard at the cave entrance suddenly rushed in hurriedly.
"Gale Head, Sark is back!"
Urga stopped talking, frowned slightly, and his eyes quickly darkened.
So soon? "Let him in!"
"yes!"
The guard took the order and left in a hurry.
Soon, Sark Swiftwind walked into the cave.
There were no scars on his body, but his expression was filled with fatigue, and the expression on his face was as gloomy as the dark clouds in the sky.
A slight sense of uneasiness crept into Urga's heart.
At this time, Sack knelt on the ground, bowed his head and said respectfully.
"Great Wind Head, I met those outsiders. They claimed to be the people of the Great Cemetery and were loyal to a guy called the Demon King. I tried to contact them, but... the result was not optimistic. The situation there was far beyond our expectations."
The cave suddenly became silent.
Everyone, including Urga, waited with bated breath for what would happen next.
Sack looked up, his voice trembling a little.
"The power of the Demon King's army... is far more terrifying than we imagined. In just three days, they built a fortress in the forest that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Not only that, they also master terrible magic that can drive the undead and spiders to work for them without sleep!"
"Spider?" The elders looked at each other in disbelief.
Urga frowned, also confused by these words.
He could understand the undead, as there would occasionally be living dead people in the tribe who could not sleep.
But what the hell is a spider?
"That's right... those are not ordinary spiders. They are much bigger than those we have seen before." Sack nodded with difficulty and continued incoherently, "The trouble is not just that. They also have a terrible weapon that can shoot spider webs into the sky."
Having said this, he paused for a moment, his voice becoming a little heavy.
"I can't estimate their strength, but many of the things I saw have exceeded my previous understanding..."
The discussions in the cave gradually grew louder, and some elders began to look worried.
Urga remained calm. He waved his hand to signal the elders to be quiet and continued to ask the questions that concerned him most.
"So, what about their leader? The demon king...how did he respond to our proposal?"
Sack took a deep breath and spoke with a bitter expression.
"The Demon King... rejected our request for an alliance."
The cave suddenly became as silent as death, and all eyes were focused on Sack.
"What else did he say?" Urga asked in a deep voice, his mood already sinking to the bottom.
Facing that sharp gaze, Sack swallowed hard, hesitated for a long time, and finally spoke hesitantly.
"That arrogant and stupid guy has no sincerity in considering us as his allies. He ignored your goodwill and asked me to bring you a message -"
"Submit, or die."
This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, instantly igniting the emotions in the cave.
“Arrogant!”
A young wind lizard warrior stood up angrily and cursed with gnashing teeth, "How dare these lowly bugs be so arrogant!"
The other elders also started to curse, and the originally relaxed atmosphere suddenly became extremely chaotic! Urga's face was terribly gloomy, but he finally suppressed his anger, raised his paw, and signaled the tribesmen to be quiet.
"It seems that we overestimated these outsiders..." He said in a low voice, with a bit of suppressed anger in his tone, "We overestimated their civilization. They are even more short-sighted, arrogant, and stupid than we thought... It seems that the war that has lasted for thousands of years has caused the civilization of the Ancient Continent to degenerate to the same level as slime."
He used the most vicious curse he could think of.
Although he didn't know, in the ancient continent he mentioned, even slimes had evolved their own civilization and even gave birth to demigod-level strongmen.
"...What should we do?" an elder asked anxiously.
Urga said with a sharp look and a sneer.
"Don't worry about it. Uranus, the god of the sky, will naturally punish them for their arrogance and disrespect... Besides, this may not be against our interests!"
Since they were so arrogant, it saved him the effort of instigating them to take the initiative.
Let them challenge the Holy Armor Dragon Kingdom alone.
When both sides are defeated, it will be the best time for the Wind Howl Tribe to take action! As for the threat of "surrender or die", Urga didn't take it seriously at all. After all, the conflict between those outsiders and the Kingdom of the Holy Armor Dragon was ahead of them, and it was not their turn to decide their own fate.
At this time, a scout suddenly ran in from outside the cave and reported in a hurried voice.
"Report! The army of the Holy Armor Dragon Kingdom has appeared in the forest north of the Stairway to the Sun Mountains. There are tens of thousands of them! Judging from the direction the baggage train is moving, their target is the northern coast!"
Upon hearing this, Urga's face lit up with joy and he laughed out loud.
“Haha, it seems that the wrath of the Dragon God has fallen on these stupid outsiders before the wrath of the Sky God!”
Tens of thousands of Armored Dragons! It seems that the Holy King who was soaking in the lake is serious this time! As the strongest force on the Janna continent, the Holy Armored Dragon Kingdom has the most powerful army on this land. Even as their enemy, Urga has to admit this.
Tens of thousands of armored dragon soldiers launched a charge together, and the overwhelming force was so strong that even the Stairway to the Sun Mountains would tremble!
He had no doubt that the group of dead crabs lying on the beach would not be able to survive even one round and would be drowned in the sea! Or -
Captured by the Ankylosaur tribe, he became their sacrifice to the Dragon God!
It’s not just Ulga.
The other wind lizardmen in the cave also showed joy on their faces and laughed at the group of arrogant outsiders, as if they had already seen their tragic fate.
Upon learning that the Holy Armor Dragon Kingdom had sent an army of such a scale, Sak, who was kneeling on the ground, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
However, for some reason, when he thought of the scene he had seen in the Demon King’s camp, his heart rose to his throat again.
Will it really be so smooth?
Just as he was thinking this, Dafengshou suddenly jumped off his chair, strode towards the cave entrance, and spread his wings behind him!
A violent airflow poured into the cave. Sack looked at him in surprise and blurted out subconsciously.
"Master Fengshou... what are you doing?"
Urga grinned, squinted his eyes and looked at the mountains and rainforest in the distance, and said lightly.
"It would be a shame to miss such a wonderful show!"
After saying that, he turned his gaze to the wind lizardman warrior following closely behind him and gave a majestic order.
"Kadar, follow with my guards!"
"Let's see how long those arrogant guys can hold out against the wrath of the Dragon God and the Sky God!"
A gleam of brilliance flashed in the eyes of the wind lizardman named Kadar, his right claw clenched into a fist, and a cruel smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Yes, sir!"
…
Surrounded by more than a dozen confidants, Urga flapped his wings and leaped into the air, leaving the mountains where the Wind Howl tribe lived.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Kuchar led 30,000 armored dragon soldiers to march through the rain forest and head toward the northern coast! Unlike ordinary lizardmen, this group of bloodthirsty warriors were burly, wearing rattan armor on their shoulders, holding obsidian spears and battle axes, with blazing eyes and chests as solid as a wall. Their heavy breathing and high drums made the entire forest tremble under the majesty of the Holy Armored Dragon Kingdom!
As the elite of the Holy Armored Dragon Kingdom, they are best at destroying the enemy's positions head-on. That is why they never know what concealment is - and they simply don't bother to hide their tracks.
Marching at the front of the army, General Kuchar rode on the back of a giant dragon turtle, gazing ahead with cold and arrogant eyes.
The group of outsiders stranded on the beach would surely have heard such a huge noise. They must have been trembling at the sound of the tide rising from the land!
Thinking of this, Kuchar couldn't help but smile, and the bloodthirst burning in his vertical pupils became more intense.
The more the prey struggles and panics, the more it shows that the soul in its body is alive and strong, and the more suitable it is as a sacrifice! Kill the prey completely amid its screams of fear, and pour the blood of fear on the pyramid in the center of the holy lake - there is no better gift to the Dragon God than this!
The despair of those poor creatures should be enough to calm the Dragon God's wrath and restore peace to the unstable barrier...
Although Trakl suffered a loss at the hands of those outsiders, Kuchar did not take them too seriously.
After all, that guy is just a hunter. Neither his own strength nor the strength of his subordinates can compare with that of a general like me.
A monster that can walk on land without feet or wheels?
This kind of thing might surprise an experienced hunter, but compared to himself and the army behind him, it can only be considered a unique trophy at best.
I hope its head isn't too ugly!
Just as Kuchar was thinking about how to torture these "guests" who came from afar, a loud roar was heard in the air.
He looked up suddenly and saw dozens of wind lizards flying through the air. After circling half a circle, they flew towards the hills in the south.
Looking at the direction where the group of wind lizards disappeared, Kuchar sneered and his amber vertical pupils narrowed slightly.
A lizardman with vine armor covered with obsidian scales strode up to him and reported in a low voice.
"It's the Wind Knight of the Wind Howling Tribe! A scout saw Urga's face. It seems that he is leading the team himself and is circling near us."
Ulgar? The barbarian leader?
Kuchar chuckled, but his face didn't look very happy, as if he saw a fly landed in the bowl.
"It seems that we are not the only ones interested in the group of outsiders that landed on the coastline."
The heavily armored warrior looked hesitant and continued in a deep voice.
"I'm worried that they will join forces with outsiders to deal with us."
"Join forces? Just those dozen bugs?" Kuchar curled his lips in disdain, leaning back slightly, leaning on the seat on the back of the dragon turtle, "Let them attack together, so we don't have to search all over the mountains for them... Go down, and send two scouts to keep an eye on them."
"yes!"
The heavily armored warrior responded and then returned to the marching team.
Kuchar turned his gaze back to the front, and was about to close his eyes and rest for a while, gathering his strength for the next slaughter... However, at this moment, his eyes suddenly swept across a standing figure in the shadow of the forest in front of him! It was a tall lizard-man corpse ghost, and his gray-white scales were dry and cracked, and his lifeless eyes were like a corpse.
He was wearing old but sturdy metal armor, and holding a huge black iron long-handled battle axe in his right hand. The axe blade was wrapped with strange dark green runes, and he exuded a strong smell of death from head to toe.
Faced with the might of 30,000 armored dragon soldiers, there was no fear on his face, and he just stood carefree on the marching route.
Kuchar quickly sat up straight, his face darkening, and he felt vaguely uneasy.
He had not received any warning from the scouts, but the sudden appearance of this corpse ghost here was obviously a bit strange. However, he was too conceited to show any intention of retreating. He waved his hand to signal the front army to stop, and rode the dragon turtle that was like a war elephant forward.
"Who are you?" Kuchar raised his chin slightly with an arrogant look, as if looking down at the prey that had fallen into his trap.
He tried to provoke the other party to attack first, just to see the depth of this guy's strength, but his plan failed.
The lizardman corpse was not angered by his arrogance. His cold expression was as if he was looking at a bug, but it made him feel angry.
"Octo."
"Okto? What's your name?" Kuchar laughed and continued with a mocking look on his face, "I asked what species you are, not your name... I don't care what the dead are called."
Not caring about the interruption from the lizardman in front of him, Octo continued speaking slowly.
"... Overlord of the first floor of the Great Cemetery Labyrinth, I am here on the orders of the Demon King to persuade you to surrender. If you surrender now, you can avoid death."
The air was eerily quiet for a moment.
Until a wild laugh echoed through the forest.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Kuchar, who was riding on the back of the dragon turtle, suddenly burst into laughter, and the ankylosaur soldiers following him couldn't help but smile.
If it weren't for the discipline of the Ankylosaur Army, they would probably have laughed out loud along with their general.
surrender?
To a group of ants? "How arrogant!"
Kuchar suddenly stopped laughing and stared at the guy named Octo, with a ferocious expression on his scaly face.
"Unfortunately, even if you surrender, we will not let you go. From the moment your dirty claws set foot on this land, your fate is doomed - you will be offered as a sacrifice to the great dragon, and only in this way can the sins in your soul be washed away!"
As he spoke, he had already pulled out the obsidian battle axe hanging on the dragon turtle, and kicked the turtle's back with his heel, urging the dragon turtle to charge forward.
"With your blood—"
"Come and be the first sacrifice!"
The dragon turtle, like a war statue, charged forward with heavy steps, and the whole earth trembled under its huge weight.
The grass was trampled flat, and the trees were knocked down! The ankylosaur soldiers gathered in front of the battle consciously made way for their general, watching the towering dragon turtle like a mountain crush the blind corpse ghost! Looking at the corpse ghost lizard man standing still, Kuchar estimated that this guy was probably scared silly, and a triumphant expression appeared on his face.
It turned out that at this moment, his eyes suddenly blurred.
The towering figure suddenly soared into the air like a flying crossbow, dragging a huge gust of wind towards his face!
Without any time to hesitate, Kuchar almost subconsciously swung the obsidian battle axe in his hand and smashed it in front of himself.
Bang! The sound of sharp weapons clashing spread violently, and he felt as if the battle axe in his hand had hit a mountain. The huge impact almost made his arm numb.
Feeling the pain of his torn tiger's mouth, Kuchar looked at the lizardman corpse standing at the head of the turtle shell in surprise, his eyes full of shock.
That power... can the undead possess it?! Octo looked at him expressionlessly, waved the battle axe in his hand, and assumed a fighting stance again. The cold axe blade once again reflected a faint green light.
Looking at the lines of strange symbols appearing on the axe blade, Kuchar became more and more panicked, and at this moment, the battle axe in his hand suddenly made a clear clicking sound.
Cracks spread along the axe blade like a spider web, and suddenly it collapsed and shattered into pieces like a broken glass bottle! The surrounding ankylosaur soldiers were stunned.
Shattering the obsidian battle axe with one blow...
What kind of terrifying power is this? ! "What kind of monster are you?" Kuchar retreated in shock and anger, almost falling on the dragon turtle's tail.
He drew the obsidian dagger from his waist, but the light weight did not give him any sense of security.
That's just an ornament he wears on his body!
Octo watched him retreat in silence, and suddenly a mocking sneer appeared on his expressionless face.
"It's not that I'm strong, it's that you're too weak."
Generally speaking, the main generals of Hell and the Empire are mostly gold or silver level, but this guy... is probably only at the bronze level, at most just reaching the steel level.
As for Octo himself, after several months of training on the planet Kao, his level is even higher than Sarah and has reached the silver level!
He admitted that he might have been a bit of a bully.
Hearing the undisguised taunting, Kuchar was furious, but he remained calm and did not dare to step forward.
He doesn't understand!
Why is it that as a "Holy Blood Warrior" I have reached the pinnacle of the Saint General level, but I can't even deal with a mere servant of a necromancer! Could it be that this undead... has also awakened extraordinary power? !
He let out a low growl and prepared to charge, but suddenly he jumped back, decisively gave up his mount and broke away from the huge turtle shell.
Looking at that set of fake moves with rich inner drama, Octo's heart was calm and he just carried the double-edged battle axe on his shoulder.
His feet landed steadily on the ground, an expression of success appeared on Kuchar's face, and he swung the dagger in his hand with a grin.
"Go ahead! Kill him!"
Even if his strength is above Saint General level, what does it matter? Even if he is God General level! He can't stop thousands of Armored Dragon Soldiers from trampling on him!
The charge horn sounded in the army, and the ankylosaur soldiers surrounding Kuchar drew their weapons and rushed towards Okto, howling.
This is not over yet!
Kuchar made up his mind and slashed the dagger in his right hand across his left arm, splashing the inky blood on the ground while chanting a spell.
Just as he uttered the spell, a black aura floated out from the blood and rushed towards his mount!
The moment it inhaled the black gas, the originally docile dragon turtle suddenly became manic, hissing and growling, its four legs pacing restlessly, and its shell shaking violently.
Standing indifferently on the violently shaking turtle's back, Octo quietly watched the performance of the lizardman general and the thousands of troops rushing towards him, without any panic.
Seizing the opportunity, the battle axe in his hand suddenly sank down, and the spear head at the end of the axe handle pierced the back of the dragon turtle's neck squarely.
Blood spurted out like a fountain! The softest part of the dragon turtle's body was pierced, and its eyes instantly turned blood red. Finally, it fell to the ground with a wail of pain, and stopped moving.
The ankylosaur soldiers who rushed nearby climbed onto the back of the dragon turtle, trying to kill Octo who was standing on the turtle's back with their numbers.
However, at this moment, a series of shrill screams suddenly came from the air.
Kuchar, grinning, suddenly looked up and saw burning tracks appearing in the clear sky, like a rain of fire falling from the sky!
What is that? A ballista?
magic?
His face was full of confusion, and a trace of fear gradually crept into his heart.
That was the instinct of living things when facing the unknown! His intuition told him that the fire that fell from the sky contained a power far beyond his imagination...
The double-edged battle axe in his hand created a gust of wind, and Octo easily knocked away the dozen or so ankylosaur soldiers who were the first to climb onto the turtle's back. Then he looked at Kuchar, who was staring at the sky in amazement, and announced the end of him and his soldiers.
"It seems that you have made the decision to serve my Lord with the bodies of the dead."
"My Lord respects your choice."
(End of this chapter)
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