Chapter 223: Leopard General

"I have been saved, I ascend to the Divine Realm, I praise the Lord God, I fight for Him."

The Kingdom army, like a tide, heeds the shaman's slogan, charging the three defenses of Pan Kulu City with a reckless, death‑defying fury.

Both the central road and the left flank are guarded by Naimi Xisi's simulacrum, yet Walius shattered the strongest central defense before vanishing.

Although Walius disappeared thereafter, this caused the Kingdom army to allocate spare troops to the side forces.

A thousand vanguard knights on the left, led by Naimi Xisi's simulacrum, engaged in a brutal melee; from above the narrow road appears heavily clogged, the soldiers of both sides gathering like ant swarms.

The soldiers tried to slip through the houses lining the road, but stepped on magical traps etched into each building; lightning and flame raged inside, killing many who sought a shortcut.

The side roads are not as wide as the central one; although the Kingdom army has many troops, only a few hundred engage the enemy at a time.

The vanguard knights, like Sparta's war god, won against superior numbers, and with Naimi Xisi's simulacrum's aid the battle oddly stabilized.

But the right side was different.

Although the right road was littered with countless magical traps, the Kingdom army broke through the entire line at the cost of only four to five thousand lives.

The fall of Pan Kulu City is now on the brink.

Soon, armored Kingdom troops reached Pan Kulu's central district, where five thousand vanguards and tens of thousands of Duzula City soldiers stood in formation, raising shields and spears toward them.

"For war!!"

The Kingdom soldiers did not launch an impetuous attack; they merely shouted slogans, the two armies facing off, gazing across the great plaza.

An Liese Tong stood on the platform, suddenly opening his eyes; he felt the hairs on his neck stand up as a sense of danger surged in his heart.

"They're coming—let me see what strength the leader of this army truly has."

Midway along the left road of Pan Kulu City, a massive explosion rang out, the ground trembling slightly; even the soldiers before the pyramid felt the shock.

A black silhouette suddenly leapt from the blast toward the sky, rushing toward the pyramid.

The silhouette halted before the Kingdom army, revealing its true form: a middle‑aged Nik Saran in military attire.

It was the Kingdom's general—Kunade.

He bore no weapon; his clothing was simple cloth, his muscles taut, lacking the exaggerated bulk of most Warriors, his figure resembling a lean jaguar.

"Followers of Taizka, fear not," Kunade said with a detached expression.

"All is a sacrifice to the great Lord God; your deaths will be ennobled by war."

Kunade uttered no words of surrender, even though he judged the Kingdom army strong enough to crush the mere twenty‑thousand troops before him.

Zhal Tek's followers refuse surrender; once war starts, they will not die nor cease.

An Liese Tong's body rose gently, then descended to the ground. As a Warrior who also serves as a shaman, even without being Legendary he can fly unaided, his methods appearing even more composed.

"I am the Feathered Son, Duzula Shiliu Shi."

An Liese Tong drew his spear and sun‑feather shield, a pair of pure white wings sprouted behind him, layers of Divine Spell aura stacked upon him, granting various buffs. "Kill!!!"

Soldiers on both sides let out earth‑shaking roars, colliding like tidal waves, merging into each other.

And An Liese Tong also moved against Kunade.

In an instant, their figures rose into the sky; both near‑Legendary pseudo‑Legends, they did not wish their battle's aftershocks to cause massive soldier casualties.

He considered this only because he knew that even without his aid, Saifar would intervene against the Kingdom army.

But Kunade did not know that the Walius he awaited had long fled, terrified of encountering an imagined "Legendary Mage."

Their aerial duel lasted only a few exchanges before An Liese Tong slammed Kunade hard onto the ground.

"Boom!"

Kunade fell from the sky, yet An Liese Tong's mood did not lighten.

He felt puzzled; Kunade's power was surprisingly weak, hardly befitting a pseudo‑Legendary.

!

The only advantage was the opponent's extreme speed, though it did not surpass the limit below Legendary; with An Liese Tong's keen sight he could barely track the attack trajectory. Relying on Divine Spell‑enhanced supreme strength, a single strike felled the foe.

"Something's off, the Kingdom's general—his strength shouldn't be this weak; his class must be wrong!"

An Liese Tong immediately sensed the discrepancy; the Warrior class is a broad category, yet many self‑created sub‑branches exist within it.

For example, some races possess unique supernatural abilities; merging those with the Warrior class creates a special Warrior profession, or some develop Warrior paths focusing on agility or constitution, still counted as Warriors.

Take An Liese Tong's profession: labeled Warrior yet far from simple. As a Warrior he can grow wings that boost agility and grant flight, and when needed, harden the feathers into a substance tougher than steel to launch.

Clearly stronger than ordinary Warriors, yet still a Warrior class; privately An Liese Tong calls his creation the Feathered Samurai.

Warrior subclasses possess myriad abilities, but regardless, their combat power should not differ so vastly.

As if confirming An Liese Tong's speculation, Kunade, after being slammed into the ground, rose unperturbed.

He did not rush to fly again, but let out a hoarse roar unlike any human's.

"Roar!!"

With the roar, the general's form began a strange transformation: his body elongated, muscles tightened and bristled with power. Hair sprouted like steel needles from his skin, rapidly covering him in a reddish‑brown hue marked with unique black speckles.

His face twisted, mouth jutting forward to reveal sharp fangs that glinted coldly, as if able to tear any object; his eyes turned yellow like gems, radiating madness.

Limbs grew stout and powerful, claws sprang from his fingertips, razor‑sharp as if they could easily rend solid rock. A long tail unfurled behind him, swaying flexibly to maintain balance.

Kunade stared madly at the sky‑borne An Liese Tong, emitting another heart‑pounding roar.

He transformed into a half‑human, half‑leopard creature.

(End of Chapter)