Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Battle (1)
Hawk Territory.
The situation did not seem tense due to the arrival of the storm.
Although the two armies faced each other across the river, small-scale conflicts were escalating. Yesterday, there was a fierce battle, with the Dragon Legion led by the Chosen of Terra arriving first. By the time the imperial reinforcements showed up, they could only see the retreating figures of over twenty dragons, along with the scorched black marks on the ground.
The generals hesitated, anxiously waiting for the emperor’s latest orders. Meanwhile, George was still discussing with the emperor how to release the power of Terra. In Latin, “Terra” refers to the earth, and it can also denote Earth itself.
George did not want the Four Gods of Darkness to take notice of Earth, so he used the term “Tera” from Chinese as a codeword.
Theoretically, the release of 300,000 tons of Terra power would have a lethal radius of four kilometers. There are several forms of damage.
One is light radiation, where, at the epicenter, it resembles the birth of the sun, capable of incinerating everything within hundreds of meters, turning even the earth into glass.
The other is the aftershock wave, which, while powerful, might not be sufficient to kill the Eternal Chosen if the distance from the fireball’s damage radius is too far. Look at that scene. The steel-reinforced concrete buildings are still standing.
I discussed with her that, no matter what, the Eternal Chosen must be caught within the fireball. Here, I seek your opinion, Emperor.
The emperor asked, “What opinion?”
Misunderstanding you. If the Eternal Chosen leads their forces into the formation, even to your side…
The imperial emperor looked at the screen of the laptop, where a frozen mushroom cloud appeared.
Under such flames, death is instantaneous; everything burns away, and others won’t realize they’re cowards.
Imagining the worst outcome, he felt strangely relaxed.
“If I get entangled with the Eternal Chosen, do not hesitate; release the power of Terra,” he said. “The emperor said: ‘But the imperial army… I do not wish to turn to ashes with them; the empire still needs them.'”
George only felt more respect for the emperor, who seemed to exhibit a sense of self-sacrifice.
With your permission, shall we deploy Terra? George said: “But to avoid collateral damage as much as possible and to maximize harm against the World-destroying Demon Lord, I believe this terrain is just right.”
George pointed to the river separating the two armies in Hawk Territory, and the central mountains beyond the river.
One side is hilly, while the other is a river and flat terrain. The river can impede the demonic army’s advance, and there will be many demons near the river’s edge, where the flat terrain will not weaken the power of Terra.
Our forces can retreat to the hilly area. Therefore, I suggest digging trenches in the hilly area in advance to avoid the shockwave.
The imperial emperor said, “I understand. Our army will feign defeat and retreat to the hilly area, sending warriors to resist the enemy step by step, and finally release the power of Terra to maximize damage to the demon army.”
George nodded: “Yes, but it will require sacrifice.”
Sacrifice is the cornerstone of the empire.
The emperor said, “I plan to send the vanguard battalion to lead the rear guard.”
This was most suitable indeed.
The troops fought fiercely, even more resolutely.
However, if the general’s camp is moved to the central mountains, resupply from Tarabek City will become more difficult.
Although Tarabek City was under siege, its harbor had not fallen. The demonic army watched helplessly as a large amount of supplies flowed in from the rear of the empire to sustain the imperial forces.
The imperial emperor poured cold water on the plan:
This means we cannot afford to lose Tarabek City; if we lose it, we won’t last much longer. We must hold out for as long as possible.
As long as the preparatory work is done.
George said: “We can provoke the Eternal Chosen and make him attack.”
The emperor smiled rarely and said:
The prerequisite for a battle is that both sides believe they can win. The initiative is not in our hands; if our army crosses the river face-to-face, defeat is inevitable. The Eternal Chosen is not our puppet; the timing of their attack is uncertain.
George said: “Perhaps, the Demon King Jima can break the siege of Tarabek City.”
Do you have faith in her?
George replied calmly: “But she is the most talented military strategist I have ever seen.”
In a distant place.
Jima stood on a flying saucer, which spat blue flames, carrying her forward with the vanguard legion.
She suddenly cursed in Chinese: “What siege? Does she really think I’m Doraemon?”
The strategist, who had an exquisitely refined demeanor, trembled in fear, mistakenly thinking Jima was cursing a plot against her to consolidate her power and knowledge.
“Your Majesty?”
“Nothing.” Jima glanced down: “I’m merely cursing the Eternal Chosen for being cowardly and not heeding the frontline, sending four demon legions to encircle me, humph.”
She sneered: “Why are you trembling?”
“It’s… it’s the demonic winds blowing too fiercely.” The strategist managed to suppress his shivering.
He had just learned that the enemy had four legions.
“Hmph.”
Relying on her “divinity,” Jima sensed any mention of her name. So when George mentioned her full name, she realized that he certainly did not know that the Eternal Chosen had sent four demon legions to encircle her.
She did not seem to like this situation very much, nor dared to make it public, despite its earth-shattering implications.
Why was that three-eyed guy so cautious?
Didn’t he know that this would diminish his strength? Delaying the attack rhythm at the frontline could lead to serious issues.
Jima was quite tired of fighting now; in her past life when she was the Blood God’s champion, she had achieved an epic victory but only managed to reach the gates of the Lust Palace.
As a result, the true embodiment of Lust held onto a great grudge. Using deceitful tricks, they ensnared and transformed a pure two-meter-tall man, turning him into a succubus—she had even done it herself.
She truly couldn’t afford to lose.
The strategist observed Jima’s expression carefully and cautiously said: “Your Majesty.”
“My great king.” Jima added: “Only you can address me in that way.”
“Great… great king.”
The strategist thought deeply and advised: “Your Majesty, while this name sounds powerful, it seems rather ominous over in the Tian Da Dynasty.”
“No, great king.”
Having gained a slight advantage over the Eternal Chosen verbally, Jima felt a bit more comfortable.
The strategist continued: “Your Majesty, how about we defend the city? The enemy’s numbers far exceed ours.”
“Oh? That makes sense.”
The strategist said: “Should I convey your loyal orders? Your Majesty.”
“No.” Jima said: “Defending the city is fine, but what am I defending this city for? To lose the initiative and slowly wear down the enemy? No, we can’t wear them down. After taking some hits, they will pull back, dust themselves off, or escape. And us? Even if we defend until death, we won’t receive any reinforcements. Of course, when hope is lost, they will tear me apart and surrender the city because I cannot fulfill the promise made to you—of slaughter.”
The strategist quickly bowed his head and said: “Your Majesty, I only truly wish good for our army.”
“Order the army to continue advancing.” Jima said: “Otherwise, after all the effort and the numerous bizarre heads I purchased from Lust, what purpose would they serve against a formidable enemy?”
Beneath Jima’s feet was an immense army. Many people possessed a Lust war steed or even Lust beasts, some of which looked like humans and appeared to be crafted from human materials.
Even the Bloodflow Demonic warriors had stripped off some armor to load onto wagons.
Since winning the challenge against the Blood God.
Jima had garnered a considerable amount of divine favor, augmenting her cavalry with a hundred Sin Walkers crafted from warped pink silk. Along with some cultists wanting to make a name for themselves, seeking to escape their status as cannon fodder and gain honor, Lust met their desires, granting them Lust war beasts and mutations, resulting in their right arms growing long sharp claws.
Thus, Jima had bolstered her ranks with nearly three hundred mounted units. These Lust cavalry, combined, made up over one-fifth of her army.
She also added a number of flesh-hunting hounds trained to control their heads in order to command the entire pack.
Jima looked down at her newly crafted army, hopeful that this highly mobile legion could create miracles under her command.
Just as she thought this, chaos erupted below.
Looking down, she saw a group of Blood God warriors with bare chests, covered in blood, brandishing their swords.
The scale of the conflict visibly intensified. The remaining Blood God warriors also sought to join the fight.
Someone blew a whistle, but no one paid attention.
Someone shouted: “Rebellion! It’s a rebellion!”
Chaos began to spread.
What a headache.
Jima charged down, yelling and entering a state of terror-inducing invincibility, personally blowing away the two combatants.
Upon inquiring about the situation, it turned out as expected—it was still due to the armor issue.
The armored demonic warriors moved slowly, leading them to leave their armor on the wagons.
However, many of the demonic warriors had armor that grew from their bodies, and to maintain mobility, Jima had forced them to take it off.
Once they did, a conflict over the armor erupted, transforming the disagreement into a fight. The already enraged warriors naturally clashed.
This was indeed troublesome.
Jima began to question herself: Am I leading a demonic army, or some sort of a new year’s army?
