Chapter 64: Our Tribe Is in Danger

Midnight.

A bright moon hangs in the sky, a few wisps of thin cloud drift with the wind.

On the fields of Crescent River Valley, a group of figures hid in the drainage ditches between the ridges, gazing at Crescent City situated on Round Moon Hill.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flew soundlessly from the sky and lightly landed on one of the figures' shoulders, emitting a "goo-goo~~goo-goo-goo~" sound.

It was a black-feathered owl.

After it hooted for a while, that figure spoke softly in a language utterly different from the Natural Alliance's common tongue, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Lord Fei Nikesi, it says Crescent City has many soldiers on patrol."

Following those words, a male voice tinged with contempt came from the drainage ditch again.

"Te De is still a warrior, but his son is a coward, just shrinking back like a turtle!"

That remark drew many agreements, and a low murmur of assent rose from the drainage ditch.

After receiving the news, they urgently gathered, hurrying over, intending to give the new Baron a bit of colour to see.

They went to Sea Wind Outpost, but it was empty; then to Sturgeon Dock, which was also deserted, not even a dog in sight.

They felt a suffocating anger stuck in their chests, unable to vent, utterly miserable.

After a while, the male voice spoke again: "We can't just leave like this; we must make the humans know our might!"

As he spoke, a figure rose from the drainage ditch; frost‑white moonlight fell on him, revealing clear facial features.

He had a wild‑cast visage, amber‑gold eyes, and a head of dark green hair braided into dozens of thin plaits.

Looking at his build, his body wrapped in animal‑hide clothing was very slender, narrow waist, broad shoulders, long arms and legs, full of explosive power, like an elegant leopard.

If any island resident saw him, they'd recognize at once that he was the foreign Forest Spirit of White Sturgeon Island.

This Forest Spirit warrior's golden eyes gleamed in the moonlight, fixed unblinkingly on distant Crescent City, while one hand gripped a war hammer carved from a burl of hardwood.

"Crescent City's wall is low; we can easily climb over it. Although many soldiers patrol, the city is large, so there are always gaps."

"We'll sneak in, find a military camp, go all out for the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, then leave immediately."

He was the commander of this night‑raid operation and the tribe's hero; more than twenty human strongmen had fallen by his hand, so now that he had decided, the other Forest Spirit warriors immediately began preparing for battle.

Some drank water, some ate, some relieved themselves—all to get their bodies into peak fighting condition.

About half an hour later, Fei Nikesi issued his final order: "All Forest Warriors, drink the potion."

Forest Spirits lack the battle qi of human warriors, but those Forest Spirits called Forest Warriors possess at least the physical strength comparable to that of a human High‑Level Warrior.

Following his command, of the 200 lurking Forest Spirits, 50 rose—including Fei Nikesi himself—each pulling out a clay pot from his waist and gulping its contents dry.

As the potion took effect, each Forest Spirit's eyes showed a thread of blood‑red light, and his exposed skin took on a conspicuous silvery‑gray metallic sheen, like a band of steel warriors.

"Move out!"

Fei Nikesi leapt first from the drainage ditch, strode forward, using the various dark shadows in the fields for cover, and with near‑ghostly speed silently crept toward nearby Crescent City.

The fifty Forest Warriors followed close behind, then came a crowd of ordinary Forest Spirit fighters.

According to past combat experience, even with high vigilance, humans would likely fail to notice the Forest Spirits swiftly sneaking through the darkness.

First, Forest Spirits excel at concealment and possess an uncanny affinity with flora and fauna, so the hunting dogs raised by humans would not give warning.

Second, humans' night vision is far inferior to that of Forest Spirits; a Forest Spirit need only hide where even he can barely see, and the humans become blind.

But this time, for some unknown reason, as they drew nearer, Fei Nikesi felt a sudden uneasy premonition.

It was as if a savage beast had locked its gaze on him in the forest.

When he charged to about fifty meters from the wall, this sense of danger peaked to the point that he had to raise his hand and give a new signal.

"Hold position, retreat!"

"Retreat immediately!"

His rich battle experience told him he might have stepped into a trap carefully laid by hunters.

But the force numbered two hundred, its formation scattered by the need for stealth, so although the order was given, it hadn't yet reached everyone.

For a moment, some advanced, some halted, some withdrew, and the formation grew confused.

Just then, a row of bright light‑balls shot up from behind the wall, flooding the Forest Spirits' position with daylight brilliance.

Immediately afterward, a row of figures rose atop the wall.

At a glance, they were thick as thorns—at least two hundred strong, and every one an archer.

Then, movement stirred in the fields to their flank.

It was the sound of hooves!

The uniform hoofbeats linked together, making the ground tremble slightly.

It was human cavalry!

Judging by the commotion, the number exceeded one hundred fifty, likely all of Crescent City's warhorses had been brought out.

Without a doubt, they had charged headlong into a trap meticulously set by the humans.

Fei Nikesi felt his heart pound "thump‑thump" and was filled with shock.

It had always been the Forest Spirits who set ambushes in the woods to trap humans, yet tonight they themselves were ambushed by humans!

"Break out~~all‑out break out~~~"

Fei Nikesi roared loudly, and under the potion's effect his voice also carried a strong metallic tang.

He swung mightily at the sage‑blessed burl war hammer, charging ahead of the unit and rushing fiercely toward the nearest woods.

"Archers~~~shoot~~~"

A voice came from behind the wall that made Fei Nikesi feel somewhat familiar; after a moment's thought he recalled who it was.

It was Crescent City's Knight Commander Kao De Lin, who had crossed swords with him several times before—each bout indecisive—but today he had been utterly defeated.

"Thud~~~"

A barrage of arrows rose up behind him.

Phoenix roared: "Dodge~counterattack~~"

To humans, dodging arrows is an advanced maneuver, but for the agile Forest Spirit, this counts only as an intermediate maneuver.

Many Forest Spirits can even counterattack while dodging, shooting with considerable accuracy.

Because Forest Spirits live in the mountains and forests, they have been shooting arrows and hunting since childhood.

"Puff puff puff~~"

At least ninety percent of the human archers' shots missed, but still ten percent of the arrow barrage hit their marks, killing or wounding more than twenty Forest Spirits.

In this situation, being wounded by an arrow is no different from death.

Phoenix also saw many comrades counterattacking, but the usually sharp counterattacks had no effect tonight.

Because he didn't hear the humans' cries of pain.

In the midst of the chaos, he glanced back and discovered a strange sight on the defensive wall.

Clearly there was nothing there, yet human arrows could shoot from behind the wall, while the Forest Spirits' arrows could not get through.

It seemed to be blocked by an invisible force.

"It's human magic!"

Phoenix immediately understood the enemy's intent—not only to wipe them out, but also to minimize his own casualties.

Obviously, this is a death trap meticulously crafted by the enemy; there's probably no chance to break through.

This discovery filled Phoenix with despair, and after despair came a surging rage.

He couldn't help but let out a long howl to the heavens.

"Forest warriors, follow me in a charge—charge into the city and let these vile humans taste our might!"

Before, he wouldn't have had this courage, but now he has received the power of the dragon's blessing.

Even if he dies in battle, he will fiercely bite a chunk of flesh from the enemy.

"Howl~~~howl~~~"

The fifty forest warriors all let out loud howls in response, turned and followed Phoenix, charging fiercely at the defensive wall.

Facing the intercepting arrow barrage, if the arrows were aimed at their bodies, they would not dodge at all; if aimed at the eyes or other vulnerable spots, they would either lower their heads or knock the arrows aside with their hard wooden weapons.

This is a combat technique summarized from past battle practice, and it used to be very effective.

But after charging less than ten meters, Phoenix realized something was wrong.

He actually heard the forest warriors' cries of pain. "This isn't right! How could ordinary iron arrows wound a blessed warrior?"

In his shock, suddenly an arrow flew toward him.

The arrow's trajectory was straight, its speed much greater than that of the previous thrown arrows; relying on a strong warrior's intuition, Phoenix knew this must be a human godly archer specifically sniping him.

In the midst of the chaos, he dodged to the side.

"Hiss~~"

With a hissing sound like a venomous snake, the arrow grazed his arm as it flew past.

The arrowhead gleamed with an unfamiliar strange luster, and as it scraped his skin, it easily cut a bloody line on his arm.

When the burning pain from his arm reached his heart, Phoenix knew something serious had happened.

The enemy wielded an exceedingly sharp weapon that could easily pierce the body blessed by the dragon.

"Ugh ah~"

"Mmm~~"

Cries of pain from the forest warriors kept coming from around him.

After charging less than forty meters, when the wall was still about ten meters away, the fifty forest warriors had dwindled to fewer than twenty.

At the same time, Phoenix also heard dense cries of pain coming from the fields behind him.

In the midst of the chaos, he glanced back and saw that the human cavalry wore fine thick leather armor, wielding either spears or steel crossbows, frequently unleashing battle fury, madly attacking his kin.

The human cavalry's equipment was too fine, their weapons too sharp, and when their battle fury erupted, they gained strength and speed far beyond the limits of the flesh.

In open-field melee, the Forest Spirits are no match for human warriors at all!

Moreover, the humans have warhorses, so there's no escaping!

At this moment, Phoenix's heart bled.

These were the tribe's bravest warriors, yet because of his one mistaken decision, they fell into this death trap and were harvested by the enemy like wheat.

"Ah~~~~"

He roared in grief and fury, his eyes instantly turning blood-red.

He no longer cared about anything else; his vision was filled only with the earthen wall ahead.

He wanted to charge up, climb over, rush into the human city district, and kill every human warrior he saw, until he exhausted all his strength and shed his last drop of blood.

He was indeed an outstanding warrior, a hero of his people, and after gaining the power of the elixir, he became an even more terrifying killing machine.

With a sprint, relying on terrifying physical strength and extremely high magic resistance, he forced his way through the resistance field before the earthen wall and climbed onto the defensive wall.

He wanted to slaughter! To slaughter madly! But there was no one on the wall; the archers, seeing him approach, had already retreated to a distance.

He immediately charged toward the nearest archer.

"Die!"

He let out a loud roar.

After just two steps of pursuit, he saw a tall figure charging toward him—his old rival, Knight Codlin! "Codlin, you've come at just the right time!"

Phoenix bellowed and swung his Tumor Wood War Hammer violently at Codlin.

Codlin instantly unleashed his battle fury and raised his steel round shield.

"Thud~~"

With a dull, heavy impact, Phoenix stepped back two paces, while Codlin was smashed straight off the wall.

Fei Nikesi roared again, first dodging an arrow aimed at his thigh, then immediately leapt down from the city wall.

He must kill this old rival tonight! 'Puff~'

He landed on the ground, but didn't see Kaodelin's figure; suddenly he heard hoofbeats, turned his head, and saw a knight slowly approaching from the left.

Beneath the silver moonlight, black armor and black steed, the man tall and the horse strong, with two exquisite crystal daggers slowly spinning around him.

At this moment, even as a mortal enemy, Fei Nikesi had to admit that this human knight was an extraordinary individual.

At least that's how it appeared.

He soon noticed that this person looked especially like Old Baron Ted, but much younger than Ted, his armor far more ornate, and his warhorse noticeably more handsome.

A thought arose in Fei Nikesi's mind.

"This must be Ted's son, the new Baron Luosen!"

"Nice~ you actually hid here~ and dare to face me alone~ I happen to kill you!"

With an explosive roar, Fei Nikesi surged forward in a lunge.

That baron didn't flee, still seated on his horse, his expression icy and indifferent, but the two crystal daggers around him instantly turned into two streams of light, whistling toward Fei Nikesi.

"Haha~ useless trick!"

Fei Nikesi fiercely swung his Tumor Wood War Hammer to block.

As a hero of the Forest Spirit tribe, he blocked the lightning‑fast daggers like flowing light without letting a drop through.

'Clang clang clang clang~'

Dense reverberations sounded in the night.

Two streams of light swirled continuously around Fei Nikesi, as if an invisible assassin were madly stabbing.

Fei Nikesi blocked for two seconds, and his contempt vanished completely.

Because he felt a terrifying pressure.

Although these floating daggers weren't strong, their attack angles were extremely tricky, not only evading his counterattacks but also aiming for the hardest‑to‑defend blind spots.

It was as if he faced an assassin master with perfect combat skill.

Defending was extraordinarily difficult; he even dared not breathe, fearing his strength would falter from the slightest interruption due to breathing.

But how could a person not breathe? Especially now, under such immense pressure.

After holding his breath for about 15 seconds, Fei Nikesi finally couldn't hold it and took a slight inhale.

In the next instant, that tiny opening was seized.

Only a soft 'Puff' was heard.

Fei Nikesi felt his left arm go cold, instantly losing sensation, and his movement stalled.

"Oh no!"

Just that stall, his body suffered successive blows.

'Puff puff puff puff~'

Arms, thighs, abdomen, etc., were repeatedly stabbed; the hard body blessed by the Dragon Clan lost all defensive capability.

In less than two seconds, Fei Nikesi was struck nine times!

He felt his strength completely drained, 'Thud' he collapsed softly to the ground, and a thought arose in his mind.

'Strong!'

In terms of strength, he could be several times that of his opponent; a single hit would decide the battle, but the opponent gave him no chance to attack.

'Tap tap tap~~'

Hoofbeats rang in his ears, and from above came a calm, almost indifferent voice, like that of a deity governing fate.

"Kaodelin, tie him up, stop the bleeding, don't let him die so easily."

"Yes, my lord!"

It was the voice of his old rival Kaodelin.

This stubborn farmer‑knight who rarely submits to anyone actually sounded with deep reverence.

"Is this Ted's eldest son? My clan, my clan is in trouble!"

Before losing consciousness, Fei Nikesi's mind flashed with one final thought.

The book's sales were lackluster, I was in a bad mood, so I decided to write a princess side story to soothe my wounded feelings.

PS: This book really isn't well written; Lao Mo knows it clearly in his heart, but I truly gave it my all.

Here I swear a sacred oath: no matter what happens, I will update normally.

After release, ignoring sales good or bad, I will post three chapters a day without stopping, unless faced with force majeure, in which case I will finish all main plotlines.

Again PS: I will write the side story when I have time.

(End of chapter)