Volume 5, Chapter 35 – The Battle Begins

“Since I’ve said I’ll help you repel Chazo’s soldiers, I will naturally resolve this matter. But which one of them is Chazo?”

A distance of two kilometers was too far for a human to see anything clearly, but the vision of elves and beastfolk was much stronger. Therefore, even at this distance, Fia could clearly see the expressions of the soldiers in the opposing army—it was a bloodthirsty and bellicose gaze.

On the World Tree Continent, only a few countries had armies with strict military discipline. This depended on the overall education level of a country’s people. The higher the level of education, the less likely a commander was to let his soldiers commit atrocities like slaughtering a city, and the soldiers were also more civilized. Conversely, the lower the level of education, the worse the military discipline, and the more feared and hated they were.

For example, the soldiers of the Holy Kingdom and Silvar were both relatively well-educated. So, even when Silvar conquered city after city of the Holy Kingdom, they did not commit acts of raping women, looting men and children as slaves, or slaughtering cities. The Cold Night and Alfrieg Kingdoms, on the other hand, were limited by their national strength. Only noble males could receive a decent education. Therefore, if the soldiers of these kingdoms encountered a city that was difficult to conquer, they would often slaughter all the residents within it after victory to vent their hatred and comfort the spirits of the fallen soldiers.

It was precisely because of this that the soldiers of the Cold Night were despised even in their own country. As the Demon General of Lust had said, it was an unspoken “custom” for soldiers to ravage the villages along their way. However, it should be noted that there was also racial discrimination involved. The king was from the Lionfolk, and other members of his clan naturally held high positions. This was followed by a sense of superiority of the entire clan. With the tacit approval of the Lionfolk nobles, the soldiers could naturally do whatever they wanted.

With such bloodthirsty eyes and barbaric appearance, even if not all of these thirty thousand soldiers were guilty of crimes, there were surely very few innocent people among them.

However, she would still follow Silvar’s procedure for starting a war and first give them mercy, that is, the option to surrender, and then let them see what magic was.

Should I use [Stellar Radiance] to control the plants, or [Spatial Rift]—

“Lord Woz, look over there!”

Just as Fia was thinking, with dozens of beastly roars and the dull thud of heavy objects stomping on the ground, the Snake-folk soldiers standing in formation on the city tower instantly became noisy, their faces filled with unease and tension.

The source of these sounds was the giant creatures that were slowly walking out from behind the army of thirty thousand. In Fia’s eyes, these pitch-black giant creatures looked somewhat like mammoths, except they were larger, like moving castles on the ground. They were at least fifty or sixty meters tall, only a size smaller than Radric.

A body of this size could level the city wall just by walking slowly, without even having to charge.

“That’s… a War Behemoth? Fifty of them? How is that possible! Where did Chazo get so many!”

“Don’t worry, Lord Woz! We’ve already set up a swamp within a hundred meters of the city wall! Even if it’s a War Behemoth, we can hold them off for a while!”

A Snake-folk soldier comforted Woz, but his trembling legs had already betrayed his fear.

Fia didn’t know what fifty War Behemoths meant, but she could estimate their power based on the level of warfare in this world. These mammoths had multi-story, wooden-tower-like structures on their backs, with archers and shaman-dressed magic casters standing on them. They also had siege ladders hanging from their trunks, like mobile war fortresses. Without a powerful single-target spell, it would be difficult to stop these huge monsters from advancing.

An old man from the Elf Tower adjusted his monocle and squinted, craning his neck.

“So this is the Cold Night’s War Behemoth? I’ve heard of it for a long time, but because I’ve been in the Elf Tower, I’ve never had the chance to witness it. Now that I see it, it truly deserves its name. I just don’t know how strong they are.”

“Stop discussing how strong they are! They’re coming! Load the crossbows, poison the bolts!”

Woz waved his arm and shouted, commanding the soldiers.

Radric had to take over the explanation.

“Only the Rhino-folk of the beastmen can tame and breed War Behemoths. Each one is at the Fifth Tier. They have tough skin and vigorous life force, making them harder to deal with than a Fifth-Tier human of the same level. And they are always equipped with archers and priests for support, healing, and defense. To kill one, you need more than four Fifth-Tier warriors. They are an absolute main force that can turn the tide of a battle.”

At this, Radric turned to Fia with a solemn expression.

Rеаⅾ oո ΚаtReаⅾіոɡСаfe

“It seems Chazo has bet everything on this to deal with you. I just don’t know where he got so many. If he had the ability to breed so many, the Holy Son Faction wouldn’t have survived until now.”

According to the history of the Cold Night, even at the peak of the previous Holy Son’s rule, they had less than ten War Behemoths. Now, fifty had appeared at once, and their spies had been completely unaware. It was impossible to hide such behemoths.

But this was not Radric’s fault for being ignorant. The truth was that without the help of the Demon Generals, the most Chazo could have scraped together was three. These fifty came from the Demon General of Gluttony, who was not the Demon General of Absolute Death or Lust. He had provided these behemoths, and the Demon General of Lust could store them in his infinite storage as living creatures.

“Is their meat tasty?”

Fia only asked a simple and direct question.

These past few days, Fia had seen the lives of the Snake-folk. Because the land of the Cold Night was barren and it was difficult to grow crops, they did not live well, eating only one meal a day, and every meal was vegetable soup and gruel ¹ a thin liquid food of oatmeal or other meal boiled in milk or water. . And with her experience of seeing people eat monster meat in Byrne City, Fia had asked this question.

A mountain of meat fifty or sixty meters high, and it was now winter when meat had a long shelf life. If she could leave them a whole corpse, this meat could be eaten for a long time. The whole city would become lively. She liked the atmosphere of everyone gathering happily, singing and dancing.

“Well… I have not tasted it. War Behemoths are extremely rare. One can crush a small city. Even I have not had the chance to try.”

“Then let’s give it a try.” Fia shrugged with a smile. She looked at the two eager old men beside her. “Do you want to take two back to the Elf Tower?”

“I… I think they are of great research value. Please allow me to go and capture one alive, Your Highness.”

The old man from the Elf Tower bowed deeply and requested.

“Permission granted. You may go. Remember to stay far from the battlefield.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Finally getting Fia’s permission, the two old men immediately activated [Flight] and headed straight for a War Behemoth on the far left of the battlefield.

“What about Nagg? Aren’t you going with them?”

Faced with Fia’s question, the youthful-looking Nagg gave a wry smile.

“I was specifically ordered to protect your safety at all times before I departed. I will not join in the fun.”

This was probably a private order from Mother Yulisha, Fia guessed. Nagg had special feelings for her. Although she did not reciprocate, from the tone of their conversations, she at least regarded him as a friend.

So complicated.

Fia resolved not to get involved in this matter. It could easily become another unsolvable problem.

“You watch here. I’ll take Tilulu over.” Because she caught a glimpse of Radric’s hesitant expression, she added another sentence to Nagg. “You’ve witnessed my power. You don’t have to worry about anyone threatening my safety.”

Radric politely closed his mouth.

Finally, Fia took Tilulu’s delicate hand and gave a slight wave to Claire with a smile.

Rеаd οn ΚαtRеаԁіոɡСαfе

“I’m going over then.”

“Mm, don’t forget to tell me what happened last night when you get back.”

“Uh…”

Fia’s expression stiffened. She had thought Claire would automatically fill in the blanks. Other things could be said, but the fact that she and Tilulu had slept in the same bed last night, and when she woke up, she found herself hugging Tilulu tightly for warmth, was something she should probably hide for now. She had to blame Tilulu for being too soft, like a natural hug pillow.

“Ahem, I know.”

Coughing awkwardly, Fia took Tilulu and flew straight towards the enemy army.

…

“They’re not surrendering even after seeing the War Behemoths?”

Facing the still-closed city gates of the Snake-folk, the Lionfolk warrior captain was puzzled. With fifty War Behemoths in hand, even if the enemy were truly Silvar, he would dare to fight them. So when he saw that not only did they not wave a white flag and open the gates, but they also began to prepare large crossbows and magic, he was at a loss.

As if in regret, the Demon General of Lust sighed softly.

“They’re just a bunch of country bumpkins who have never seen the world. If we don’t teach them a lesson, they won’t surrender easily—hmm?”

As soon as his words fell, he frowned. He saw two magic casters flying towards the right flank of the army.

“Those two people are…”

“They must be running away in fear! Haha, not everyone here is a fool. They know their lives are important. My men will stop them. You don’t have to worry, my lord.”

No, there’s something strange about this. If those two were really running away, the commander on the city tower would have surely dealt with these two deserters first.

However, before the Demon General of Lust could voice his doubts, the Lionfolk warrior captain’s next words made his suspicions disappear completely.

“Oh, the ones surrendering are coming over. And it’s just the treasure you had your eye on.”

“It’s that white-haired elf? Where?!”

Almost without needing to search, the Demon General of Lust caught sight of Fia flying straight towards the army. And when he saw that she was also bringing a gray-haired Tiger-kin girl, the joy in his heart grew even greater. He hadn’t expected this white-haired elf to not only throw herself at him but also know to bring a gift. How thoughtful.

The Demon General of Lust rubbed his hands excitedly. He didn’t wait for Fia to arrive but flew over to greet her. Along with him, the Lionfolk warrior captain, with the heart of a superior victor, also flew into the air to accept the Snake-folk’s surrender.

Unfortunately, things were the exact opposite of what they had imagined.

When the distance between the two sides had closed to less than three meters, Fia, with a cold expression, spoke first. She gave the Demon General of Lust an extra look. The viscous aura emanating from him made her feel disgusted, and she wished she could burn him to ashes right now.

“Are you the commanders of this army?”

Rеaԁ οո KαtRеaⅾiոɡСаfе

“That’s right.”

The Demon General of Lust answered impatiently. He just wanted to accept Fia’s surrender as soon as possible and admire this rare treasure.

His gaze made Fia frown deeply, and her voice became even colder.

“Which one of you is Chazo?”

“His Majesty is not here, but I can represent him.”

The Lionfolk warrior captain raised his head. He was extremely dissatisfied with this elf who had a stinky face despite being here to surrender.

Not here? Fia couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She had planned to make Chazo kneel before Tilulu in public and admit his defeat. That way, even if it didn’t accumulate much prestige for Tilulu, it would make him lose all face and never be able to claim the throne again.

“Not here… alright. Out of the mercy of Her Majesty the Queen, I represent the orthodox royal family of the Cold Night, the future Queen Tilulu Alexia Lujue, and advise you to surrender. I will give you fifteen minutes to discuss. During this time, you can choose to disarm and surrender, or you can try to run. But if you do not listen to my advice and attack, I can guarantee that all who attack will die here.”

Since the faces of the Demon General of Lust and the Lionfolk warrior captain began to twitch, knowing they wouldn’t believe her, Fia lightly snapped her fingers. The next moment, a flash of lightning that crossed the sky shot from behind her straight at the nearest War Behemoth. With a crackle, the thunder spear plunged into the behemoth’s rear in the blink of an eye.

Then, a terrifying hole the size of a bucket appeared in everyone’s eyes. After easily piercing through the behemoth’s body, the thunder spear plunged diagonally into the swamp. The huge explosion sent up a dozen-meter-high wave of mud and turf, and the deafening thunder threw the entire army into chaos. The soldiers standing on the behemoth were even thrown to the ground by its painful struggles, becoming a pile of mush.

“This is just a small warning.”

“Ugh…”

The twitching muscles on the Lionfolk warrior captain’s face stiffened. He had originally thought Fia was extremely arrogant, to come over with a queen and advise an army of thirty thousand to surrender. It was the biggest joke in the world. But after seeing her snap her fingers, the contempt in his heart vanished without a trace.

What kind of monster was a War Behemoth? A Fifth-Tier monster whose vitality and magic resistance were comparable to a dragon’s. Not to mention, its body length exceeded a hundred meters. Yet, this elf in front of him had completely pierced it with a wave of her hand. If that killing power were directed at him, he would have been instantly killed.

Although it was winter, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. The behemoth’s whimpers and painful cries that echoed across the plains made his ears ache. He felt his throat was extremely dry, as if he had swallowed a knife. It wasn’t until he had mustered all his courage that he finally recovered from his fear and asked with great difficulty.

“Who are you? You are an elf. Why are you helping the Snake-folk?”

“Me?” Fia thought for a moment, then said with a smile, “I am The Witch of Calamity Flame, the one who brings order to the Cold Night. As for why I’m helping Tilulu, it’s because she is my daughter.”

Then, Fia patted Tilulu’s back from an angle the two couldn’t see, signaling that it was her turn to state her position.

With Fia’s opening, Tilulu did not cower at the critical moment. Although she was still the same Tilulu who couldn’t do anything right, she was no longer alone. She now had a strong support and warmth. She could try things she had never dared to imagine before and slowly do the things she couldn’t do well.

I must have the determination to become a queen.

As if to calm herself, she took a deep breath and then put on a majestic and serious expression.

“I am Tilulu Alexia Lujue, the orthodox royal of the Cold Night. Chazo has been hunting my people for a long time. It is time for him to pay for the unforgivable sins he has committed. Captain of the Lionfolk, surrender to me with your men now. I can, in the name of the Queen of the Cold Night, allow you to atone for your crimes with merits. Otherwise, your fate will be the same as this War Behemoth’s, to die here today.”

If he had a choice, this warrior captain would certainly not surrender to such a little girl. However, the facts were laid out before him. Even a War Behemoth had been pierced through with a snap of the fingers. How could he fare any better? He wanted so much to deceive himself that this was an illusion, but the tottering behemoth and the trembling earth were constantly reminding him not to repeat the same mistake.

Rеαⅾ оո KаtRеаdіոgСαfe

However, just as he was about to answer, the Demon General of Lust at his side began to applaud appreciatively.

“Excellent, excellent. So they’re mother and daughter. In my opinion, you should be close to the age of adulthood for an elf, but not quite there yet, right? To have a twelve or thirteen-year-old daughter at this age, elves are truly perverted. But the combination of an elven young mother and her petite beastman daughter is even better—no, you can’t find a second pair in the entire continent! Come with me quickly. Girls of this age are not suitable for fighting and killing. To be forced to come here by those Snake-folk, it must be very uncomfortable, right?”

Is this guy an idiot?

Almost at the same time, the expressions of Fia and the Lionfolk warrior captain became extremely strange. But the Demon General of Lust’s next words explained why he was so fearless.

“To set up a powerful spell here in advance, and then send two little girls over to show that you’re confident. When we arrive, you activate the pre-set spell to scare us away. A good strategy, but a pity that only an inexperienced general would believe you. This kind of magic trap can only work on those who are standing right on the target. You originally wanted to deal with us, who are commanding this army, but the appearance of the War Behemoths forced you to use it early. Otherwise, once the behemoths break through the city walls, no trap, no matter how good, can scare away the enemy. Am I right?”

“But even so, I must praise your mastery of magic traps. There are very few that can pierce a War Behemoth. But since you have this ability, why don’t you just use an area-of-effect spell? Or is it that you haven’t mastered a suitable one? If that’s the case, as long as you two are willing to submit to me, I can ask my brother, the Demon General of Knowledge, to teach you.”

S-so that’s how it is!

With the Demon General of Lust’s reminder, the Lionfolk warrior captain instantly reacted. Everyone knew that the power of a magic circle was usually higher than that of a chanted spell of the same tier. If this was a pre-set magic trap, then it was indeed possible to achieve this.

Thinking about it, how could there be such a thing as releasing such a powerful spell with just a snap of the fingers? It was impossible without a complicated and lengthy chant.

Not only had he been tricked, but he had also seriously considered the possibility of surrendering.

The feeling of losing face made the Lionfolk warrior captain flush with shame and anger. He immediately drew the heavy sword from his back, his whole face turning red. But the Demon General of Lust quickly reached out to stop him, as if to mediate, and extended his palm towards Fia with a disgusting smile.

“My two darlings, don’t be used as a weapon by that group of Snake-folk. Become my wives, and I guarantee you’ll live a life envied by all—”

“Enough. The stage of mercy is over.”

These beastfolk wouldn’t shed a tear until they saw the coffin. And she had had enough of this disgusting man in front of her who was neither a vampire nor an elf.

[Thunder Spear]

At point-blank range, the thunder spear shot straight at the Demon General of Lust’s smug face.

However, to Fia’s surprise, the spear did not explode in front of her. At the last moment, the Demon General of Lust’s entire body vanished without a trace.

[Instantaneous Movement]? But this reaction is too fast, almost on par with mine.

Fia’s heart was instantly filled with vigilance. She hadn’t used [See Through] on him. Perhaps the strength reported by [Wind of Exploration] had been altered.

Could it be an opponent of my level?

The thought had just appeared in her mind when the Demon General of Lust’s terrified shout came from above her.

“What is this thing?!”