Chapter 1120: One Strike, Thunderous Slaughter

The three cities of the Head‑Hunter Tribe are arranged in a triangle, only about eighty li apart; the three tribes serve as each other's rear guard, ready to rush to aid allies at any time, yet they also check each other.

However, Hazlek fell from the start of the battle to conquest in less than an hour.

The fall was too swift; there was no time for rescue.

On the second day after the Blazing Sun Tribe seized Hazlek, Tanzar and Kazurua jointly dispatched an elite force of roughly two thousand men, reaching the outskirts of Hazlek City to probe, but as soon as they emerged they were wiped out by the pre‑set ambush of the Blazing Sun's Edge, the entire army annihilated.

Nevertheless, the two tribes gathered information on Hazlek through the hawk's eyes; both cities were as if facing a great enemy.

Three days have passed.

The chieftains of the Shattered Bone Tribe and the Sharp‑Tooth Tribe, along with the upper‑level Demonkin, stayed awake, debating countless strategies, yet none yielded a result.

The only certainty they had was that revenge was required.

To avenge the Blood‑Spear Tribe and restore Hazlek, the Blazing Sun Tribe's desecration of temples and faith is a heinous crime that cannot be forgiven!

What they did not know was that hundreds of spies had long been hidden within Tanzar and Kazurua, and even as they quarreled fiercely, a Demonkin disguised as a Thundercast Celestial Soldier was beside them, relaying all information to Kelsaro.

The two tribes sent Demonkin infiltrators to hide outside Hazlek City.

Kelsaro did not remove these eyes, deliberately leaving them; when he led his army out of Hazlek, the Demonkin scouts instantly sent the news back to Tanzar.

The Shattered Bone Tribe's chieftain was instantly startled.

After the panic, he urgently consulted the Sharp‑Tooth Tribe, decisively concluding that a stubborn defense of Tanzar was a dead end; the two great tribes must unite, pool all strength, and take the initiative. The decision was quickly approved, and both Tanzar and Kazurua mobilized.

On the road from Hazlek to Tanzar, Kelsaro, riding atop a terror‑horned dragon, smiled.

The opponent wanted a decisive duel, which hit the mark.

He immediately ordered the march to slow, giving the enemy time to assemble forces.

The Holy Warriors were somewhat puzzled, yet none questioned the chieftain's order; now, in their eyes, the chieftain was almost godlike, and everything he did was inevitably correct, even if initially incomprehensible, later always proved so.

The short eighty‑plus li journey took half a day, feeling less like a march and more like a stroll.

Along the way, the Blazing Sun Tribe's troops had pairs of eyes lurking ahead and on both flanks, and many Demonkin infiltrators were stationed behind, yet Kelsaro pretended not to notice.

The Demonkin scouts did not wish to stir up trouble, nor did they themselves.

Finally.

Near noon, Tanzar was almost reached.

This Demonkin city was built within a massive canyon; a river ran through it, its banks fertile and forests dense. From the riverbank up to the canyon cliffs the terrain rose gradually, forming slopes, upon which the Shattered Bone Tribe erected a city, naming it Tanzar.

In the Demonkin language, Tanzar means "elongated city."

Tanzar's area is smaller than Hazlek's; the Demonkin population is about three hundred thousand, also divided into three tribes, but the Shattered Bone Tribe holds absolute rule, its people outnumbering the other two tribes combined, and the Shattered Bone chieftain is Tanzar's sovereign.

Entering Tanzar from the ground, there are only two canyon entrances, east and west.

Hazlek lies to the west of Tanzar, so Kelsaro's army entered via the nearest entrance, the western end of Tanzar Canyon.

The Shattered Bone Tribe erected fortifications at both ends of the canyon; from afar one could see a wall stretching several hundred meters, nearly forty meters high, built entirely of massive rocks, its ends embedded into sheer cliffs, the steep walls almost vertical and unscalable.

Such a pass is certainly easy to defend and hard to assault.

When Kelsaro's troops appeared outside the pass, the city guards were already in tight formation; countless Demonkin hunters crowded the broad walls, and the gates were completely blocked with boulders.

Below the wall, layers of defenses and traps were also laid on the ground.

The Holy Warriors halted at a safe distance; they had long heard of Tanzar's formidable defenses, and now seeing them, they were somewhat troubled.

The Holy Warriors cannot fly, and the terror‑horned dragon cannot even leap.

So they could only launch a ground assault.

Facing Tanzar's mighty gate, even with a ten‑fold superiority in troops and strength, it would likely be unattainable. Moreover, the Blazing Sun Tribe currently fielded only a little over ten thousand Holy Warriors and the chieftain's guard; even if they miraculously breached the city, the cost would be catastrophic.

For a moment, the Holy Warriors felt uneasy and looked toward the chieftain.

Kelsaro had long understood everything.

The strongest fortresses are always taken from within; the Thundercast Divine Soldier and Thundercast Celestial Soldier hidden within Tanzar could seize the gates at any time, blasting open the boulders blocking them.

However, he did not order an immediate attack, because what lay before him was merely a lure.

The guards on the wall were indeed Tanzar's elite troops, but not all; over eighty percent of the elite had already left the city, merged with the Sharp‑Tooth Tribe's army, and were ambushed about five li away, waiting to strike from behind once the siege began.

With enemies at their backs and flanks, the Holy Warriors could not hold.

This is a good scheme, very bold, and if executed smoothly, has a great chance of victory.

However…

Kelsaro smiled.

In the face of absolute power, numbers and morale are not decisive, appearing feeble; likewise, strategy is no different before absolute power.

"Chieftain."

Zan Jin, riding the terror‑horned dragon, approached and shouted, "Give me two thousand Holy Warriors; I will lead the charge and break Tanzar for the chieftain!"

Kelsaro gave him a glance.

The Blazing Sun Warrior's will to fight was strong, his genuine intention, to prove his merit before me.

Bravery is commendable, but unnecessary.

Kelsaro nodded, "Zan Jin, you will have many chances to earn merit in the future; no need to rush now." Before Zan Jin could grasp it, the chieftain shouted, "Holy Warriors, north!" He turned his terror‑horned dragon and led toward the north.

"Not attacking Tanzar anymore?"

Zan Jin was bewildered, then thought the chieftain intended to bypass to the other end of Tanzar Canyon and assault from the eastern pass, but both entrances were similar, attacking either first made no difference.

The other Holy Warriors were equally perplexed.

Yet they strictly obeyed; amid a booming sound, the army marched north with the chieftain, the chieftain's guard's terror‑horned dragon leading the way.

The Demonkin on the wall saw this scene and were all dumbfounded.

The upper‑level Demonkin of the Shattered Bone Tribe panicked, because the elite troops of the two tribes were to the north, not far away.

Did the enemy see through us?

Crack...

The heavy footfalls of the Fearhorn Dragons echoed through the forest; they tore aside the brush and weeds blocking the path as if walking on flat ground, and under the urging of the Holy Knights their running speed increased, not yet a charge but astonishing in momentum.

"Prepare for battle!"

Ke Er Sa Luo shouted loudly, "The enemy is ahead!"

Zan Jin and the Holy Knights finally realized, breaking out in cold sweat; if they rashly attacked Tanzar, the enemy would ambush from behind, and the outcome was obvious.

Soon, the Holy Knights heard sounds ahead.

Riding atop the Fearhorn Dragons, they could see countless trolls appearing in the forest, dense and covering the hills, impossible to count; from the trolls' weapons, armor, and adornments they judged them to be elite Bonecrush Trolls!

However, the trolls' faces showed some panic.

They had prepared to ambush the enemy, but now they were ambushed themselves, contrary to expectations, and the scene was chaotic.

Harsh commands rang out, restoring order to the troll army.

"Kill…"

"Eradicate the blasphemers, for the Way of the Hunt, for Urels' honor!"

"For Hazlik's revenge!"

Breaking from the chaos, Bonecrush Trolls and Fangtooth Trolls roared and charged at the Sunfire Tribe, countless troll warriors and hunters, with their tamed beast companions, surged like a tide, roaring through the forest.

The Holy Knights of the Chieftain Guard were unafraid; after the battle at Hazlik Summit, their confidence surged, and even when facing foes a hundred times stronger, their Willpower did not waver.

"Glory above!"

"Do not betray Sheng Jilesi's blood!"

"Kill!"

Boom—…

Both sides clashed head‑on in the forest, colliding without any pretense.

Weapons clanged, beasts roared, blood sprayed, limbs flew, and in an instant the superiority was decided; the Chieftain Guard crushed the enemy, and over five hundred Fearhorn Dragons trampled the corpses, continuing their high‑speed charge!

Except for Ke Er Sa Luo, no one knew that among the thousand members of the Chieftain Guard, three hundred were Thunder‑forged Divine Weapons.

Each Thunder‑forged Divine Weapon was a Legendary High-rank, its strength comparable to the Loa Warriors of the Southern Continent.

One Loa Warrior could match at least ten high‑rank warriors.

Across the entire Southern Continent, all Loa Warriors combined might not even total three hundred; even the elite armies of the Bonecrush and Fangtooth Tribes, with front‑line trolls at most high‑rank warriors and hunters, could not match Thunder‑forged Divine Weapons.

Even without Thunder‑forged Divine Weapons, Holy Knights wielding Divine Technique had an average strength far surpassing the enemy.

The Chieftain Guard was like a sharp sword, cutting through the Bonecrush Trolls as if they were soft tofu; any enemy standing before the Fearhorn Dragons, regardless of class, strength, or Willpower, was smashed into fragments and trampled into pulp in an instant.

The Bonecrush Trolls' defense collapsed at the first touch.

Charging, the Chieftain Guard spread into a triangular arrow formation, widening the breach in the enemy line.

Where they passed, the forest was littered with broken corpses.

Following closely, the Sunfire Edge Holy Knight faced the terrified, unresisting enemies and unleashed merciless slaughter.

The morale of the troll coalition completely collapsed, and they fled in all directions through the forest.

Behind the troops, the leaders of the two tribes gathered; when they realized their scheme had been uncovered and the enemy abandoned the siege to charge them, they were caught off guard. After barely stabilizing their forces and preparing to make the best of a bad situation for a final battle in the forest outside the city, the fight ended as soon as it began.

"How can we fight like this?"

Chieftain Na La Ka Ha of the Bonecrush Tribe stared at his tribe being slaughtered, his complexion pale, his face full of pain and despair.

"When did the Sunfire Tribe's Holy Knights become so powerful?"

Chieftain Jia Er Song of the Fangtooth Tribe cursed bitterly. He saw with his own eyes a high‑rank warrior under his command rush forward, only to have his head cleaved off by an axe. The axe‑wielding Holy Knight seemed to have used no holy light at all, taking almost no effort.

Even if he acted himself, it would be hard to do so easily.

And there were many such Holy Knights within the enemy ranks; his own troops had no chance to retaliate, any encounter meant certain death.

Jia Er Song shouted and cursed, cold sweat already dripping from his back, his confidence waning.

If he stepped forward to meet the enemy, he would likely not escape death!

The ten present—King of Hunters, troll warlords, and shaman priests—who were usually the tribe's elite, were now all extremely panicked.

"What should we do?" a troll warlord asked softly.

A shaman priest said, "The Way of the Hunt tells us that when facing an unbeatable prey, daring to retreat is also a form of courage."

The troll leaders wavered.

"You mean run away?" Na La Ka Ha glared, shouting, "Abandon eighty‑thousand elite tribesmen to die, and you walk off?"

The shaman priest retorted, "Chieftain, any other opinions?" He gestured at the fleeing trolls, "Our tribesmen are already fleeing."

Na La Ka Ha's complexion froze.

But he remained unwilling; gazing at Ke Er Sa Luo riding a massive Fearhorn Dragon, he said gravely, "If we can kill him, the Sunfire Tribe's Holy Knights will lose their chieftain's leadership, perhaps we can turn the tide and claim victory!"

Ke Er Sa Luo had not acted personally; though his aura of power made souls shiver, the troll leaders did not know he already wielded a Loa of the Temple, so they clung to a sliver of hope.

Hearing Na La Ka Ha's words, he was instantly stirred.

Ten against one!

Even if Ke Er Sa Luo's strength were greater, could ten united still not defeat a single him?

"Go all out against him!"

Chieftain Jia Er Song of the Fangtooth Tribe gritted his teeth; having fought countless battles, rising through blood and fire to become a troll warlord and chieftain, he would never flee the battlefield and bear the shame of a coward.

"Alright…"

"As long as we can kill him, even death is worth it!"

Spurred by the two tribal chieftains, the troll leaders resolved to act, but suddenly found Ke Er Sa Luo on the Fearhorn Dragon's back had vanished.

"Where is he?"

The troll leaders were startled; then golden light flickered before them, a towering figure rapidly magnified in their sight, growing taller, a terrifying pressure enveloped them, shaking their minds and making their bodies feel unresponsive, as if sinking into quicksand.

In the next instant, a massive axe crashed down from above, and countless high‑temperature flames engulfed the troll leader's figure.

Boom…

A mushroom cloud rose, breaking through the forest canopy straight into the sky.

When the explosion's aftershock dispersed, a clearing several hundred meters in diameter appeared in the forest; the ground had been turned into glassy lava, flowing molten rock, and the two tribal chiefs and several troll leaders had vanished without a trace, dead and without bodies.

In the clearing stood only a troll figure over five meters tall, its whole body ablaze with golden flame, a pair of massive seraphic wings behind it, wielding a battle axe, its presence as imposing as a mountain.

The battlefield fell silent for a few seconds.

Then the holy knights erupted with thunderous shouts: "Chief invincible! Chief ten‑thousand victories!"

(End of chapter)