Chapter 775

The setting sun glowed like blood; the battlefield roared with shouts and combat.

Though the war had lasted eight hours, the human and beast soldiers still fought with vigor—not because of exceptional stamina, but because those who had grown weak had already died; those still fighting were fresh reinforcements from the rear lines of both armies.

Su Xiao continued slashing through enemies; in such large-scale battles, it was easy to lose one's reason and descend into madness.

He cut down a short, stocky goblin—a rare sight on the battlefield—and glanced around; no one nearby had noticed him.

With a thud, Su Xiao "fell" to the ground—not from exhaustion, but to feign death and regain strength; even lying down, he still gripped his blade, ready to strike any enemy who approached.

No sooner had he fallen than he noticed something odd among the corpses beside him.

A dwarf and two human soldiers lay among the dead, close together, all severely drained, quietly recovering their strength.

The dwarf was pinned under a beast soldier's corpse—a good cover. One human soldier's abdomen spilled intestines; the other was half-submerged in blood.

"Hey, should we kill him?"

A tall, thin soldier kicked the nearby one-eyed soldier.

"Don't talk. Maybe we can sneak through until the battle ends."

The one-eyed soldier's face was caked with blood and dirt; his single eye darted around.

"I keep feeling that dwarf's gonna punch me. Let's kill him—we've got three of us now."

Clearly, the tall, thin soldier had noticed Su Xiao pretending to be dead a few meters away.

"Don't count me in. I need to rest a while longer."

On either side of Su Xiao lay beast soldier corpses; his position was perfect.

"Coward of the Empire, who did you just call short?"

The dwarf spoke from three meters away—but didn't rise. The reason was simple: he was utterly drained.

"What, dissatisfied? Got the nerve to get up and hit me?"

The tall, thin soldier sneered.

"I'll fight you!"

The dwarf inside the corpse pile tried to rise—typical dwarf: hot-tempered, blunt, and proud.

"Then get up."

The one-eyed soldier also sneered. The dwarf started to rise—but found three pairs of eyes fixed on him. After a moment's hesitation, he squeezed deeper into the corpse pile. Out of sight, out of mind. Better to live than vent his rage.

The battle continued. Time passed. The sky darkened, lit only by flickering flames.

About an hour later, the sun sank below the horizon. Night battle began.

Su Xiao stood up. The two human soldiers beside him rose too. The dwarf? Long gone—he wasn't stupid enough to wait there for death.

Su Xiao's strength had recovered significantly; the aching in his arms had eased. This was the lingering effect of repeatedly using Huan Duan.

Though the battlefield was brutal, no imperial soldiers fled. Not because they were exceptionally disciplined, but because five thousand crossbowmen stood behind them as enforcers—deserters were executed on the spot. Besides, most soldiers had families; if they ran, they'd never again set foot in any imperial city.

Around Su Xiao, no soldiers were locked in close combat. The imperial forces, well-coordinated and well-led, held a clear advantage, having pushed the tribal forces back a considerable distance.

"Soldier, why aren't you at the front killing enemies?"

A group of over a dozen enforcers in leather armor, heavy crossbows in hand, approached from behind. While overseeing the battle, they also eliminated tribal soldiers feigning death.

"Tired from killing. Resting a bit."

Su Xiao turned and walked toward the front lines. The enforcers paid no mind—they'd sensed his aura. No deserter carried such a presence.

"Soldier, have you eaten?"

An older enforcer spoke up.

"Ate one meal this morning."

Su Xiao was genuinely hungry—he'd been fighting all day.

"Good. We've got some rations. You two, join us."

The older enforcer waved, signaling two other soldiers to come along.

Amid the stench of blood and strange odors, the dozen men ate dinner. It wasn't lavish—just dried cakes made of flour, meat, and vegetables, baked then air-dried. Unlike pies, they were rock-hard; only those with strong teeth could chew them.

This was standard wartime rations: easy to store, ready-to-eat, portable, nutritionally balanced—ideal for maintaining strength. But they were awful. Imagine mixing flour, meat, vegetables, salt, and water, baking it, then drying it. If it tasted good, that'd be a miracle.

After eating five field rations, Su Xiao felt full. He stood and walked toward the front lines.

"Leaving."

"Mm."

The enforcers merely nodded. The battlefield wasn't a place for bonds. Some veterans refused to learn new recruits' names—friendship was dangerous. New recruits died unpredictably. Over time, veterans chose isolation. No one wanted to relive the pain of losing a friend.

The night battlefield wasn't dark. Explosions lit the ground with fire. Occasionally, a green "meteor" streaked across the sky—it was a tribal green phosphorus firebomb.

Minutes later, Su Xiao saw human soldiers ahead and blended in.

He slashed, killed, sought the next enemy. When enemies grew dense, he used his energy blade. When they pressed too tightly—shoulder to shoulder—he unleashed Huan Duan to clear the area.

Su Xiao noticed fatigue in some soldiers' eyes—not physical exhaustion, but soul-deep weariness.

He felt none. He made himself remember every enemy's features he'd slain, reminding himself: these were his kills. He must bear it all with unwavering resolve.

Killing was a habit. Su Xiao might never break it—but he refused to grow accustomed to it. That was the mark of a killer.

He didn't know how long he'd fought. His hands ached. The enemies around him thinned. The surviving beast soldiers now looked at him differently—with hatred, resentment, and mostly, fear.

"Bro… brother, that one under your foot's already dead. Don't step on him."

A human soldier stared at Su Xiao, swallowing hard. He thought he saw a swirl of blue and red aura.

"Mm."

Su Xiao kicked aside the beast corpse. When he looked up, the eastern horizon glowed pale—dawn had come. He'd fought all night.

He stretched his aching arms, gazing at the Black Earth Fortress half a kilometer away. This battle was nearly over. The next one would be taking that fortress. Only then could he move freely in this world.

Around 8 a. m., imperial forces annihilated the last tribal unit on the battlefield. The day-and-night war ended.

The imperial victory wasn't as overwhelming as imagined: roughly eighty thousand of the two-hundred-thousand tribal soldiers died on the field; the rest fled into the Black Earth Fortress. With open plains and a fortified rear, total annihilation was impossible.

Su Xiao sat atop a corpse pile, smoking. The deafening battle cries had faded, replaced by the moans of the wounded from both sides.

Medical teams, enforcers, and logistics units soon entered the battlefield. Medics treated imperial wounded. Enforcers killed tribal wounded or prisoners. Logistics teams handled corpses, directing captured beast soldiers to dig graves.

Combined casualties on both sides exceeded one hundred thousand. Leaving such corpses unattended would cause disaster—not just environmental contamination, but plague. Plague always followed war, precisely because corpses weren't properly disposed of. In this low-tech world, more died from plague than from battle.

Imperial corpses were piled onto carts like trash, then identified. Belongings were collected. Items that could be traced to families were sent to them. Unidentifiable items were seized as military property. All bodies were buried together. Officers received slightly better treatment—they could be sent home.

Tribal corpses were stripped bare. Anything valuable was kept. Naked, lifeless bodies were stacked and burned.

"Huh…"

Su Xiao exhaled a plume of smoke, holding a tablet, playing a game he didn't remember downloading. It was a parkour game—likely installed by Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang. No one else could touch his tablet.

【Announcement: The enemy has successfully obtained the World Core. You must reclaim it within twenty natural days. After twenty natural days, the World Core will fully activate.】

Upon receiving this shocking news, Su Xiao immediately checked Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang's vital signs. They were normal.

Su Xiao exhaled in relief, then began strategizing. The situation was clear: he had to reclaim the World Core within twenty days.

At that moment, a message from Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang popped up.

"Master, stay calm. This dog has successfully infiltrated the enemy's ranks. I'll steal back that shiny rock soon."

As Su Xiao read the message, the Cycle Paradise alert appeared.

【Announcement: Our side has successfully obtained the World Core. You must hold it for at least twenty natural days. After twenty natural days, the World Core will fully activate.】

The cigarette slipped from Su Xiao's lips. This was too fast. He immediately typed a reply to Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang.

"Xiang Bubu, well done. Keep it up…"

Before he finished typing, another Cycle Paradise alert flashed.

【Announcement: The enemy has successfully obtained the World Core. You must reclaim it within twenty natural days…】

Su Xiao was utterly stunned. Gaining the World Core was fast—but losing it was faster. What the hell happened over there? Or worse—what idiotic thing had Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang done? Most importantly… would he get so excited he'd actually eat the World Core?

Su Xiao sighed. He had to resolve this quickly. Otherwise, Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang might do something utterly insane. When he wasn't around, that dog ran wild—so absurd it left you breathless.