Zither Emperor Volume 5 Chapter 30.3

Chapter 30 – Massacring Sonic Blade (III)
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Sura walked up to Ye Yin Zhu. Lightly patting his shoulder, he asked with deep concern, “Are you alright?”
Ye Yin Zhu forced a smile and nodded, saying, “We need to leave quickly. As it turns out, this massacre is a rather painful affair.”
Sura sighed lightly. “In order to protect yourself, sometimes killing people is unavoidable. You will become used to this after many instances. Oh! Look!” She suddenly pointed towards the base of the mountain.
Their pupils all dilated at the same time. They saw, at the base of the mountain, that there were beastmen marching as far as the eye could see, with the leading beastmen already halfway up the mountain. With such vast numbers, even with an indefinite amount of time, they would not be able to count them all. Following the beastmen were a few creatures approaching three meters in height. These beastmen’s bodies were covered in yellow and black stripes. They appeared to be even stronger than the Apemen. Behind them were tawny furred, black-spotted beastmen, who, despite their slighter stature, still approached two meters in height and possessed a surprisingly quick speed that allowed them to overtake the furthest Apeman—practically flying up the mountainside. They had clearly heard the sounds of fighting atop the mountain.
“Tigermen and Leopardmen—the entirety of the beastmen’s main force. With the addition of the Apemen, it’s a powerful military force full of expert climbers. Heavens! What are the beastmen up to?” Sura took a breath of cold air, only to feel a chill shudder throughout his whole body.
Xiang Luan suddenly cried out, “Behemoths! Those are Behemoths!”
At the rear of the beastmen ranks were Behemoths, their gigantic bodies reaching fifteen meters in height. The sun shone down on their iron-gray hair, and rays of light reflected off its metallic sheen. Their bodies were extremely tall, allowing them to be clearly seen even from afar. To say the least, a visual estimate would unexpectedly conclude the presence of a minimum of a hundred Behemoths. Along with the Tigermen, Apemen, and Leopardmen, these were the main powers of their military. This accumulated power was equivalent to a third of Mjolnir Stronghold’s forces.
“Quickly go!” Ye Yin Zhu could no longer allow himself to feel awkward. Both of his hands grabbed Xiang Luan and Hai Yang. Calling out to Sura, he rapidly soared off in the direction of Konya City. That army had several tens of thousands of beastmen! Not mentioning his one person, even if there was a hundred of him, he still wouldn’t dare to confront those gigantic beastmen Behemoths—the main forces of the army.
Sura’s speed was extremely quick. A moment later and he had already passed Ye Yin Zhu. Ye Yin Zhu bellowed, “Sura! You’re fast; go back to Konya City and warn them! Those beastmen are definitely attacking Konya City. Who would’ve thought that they actually did not hesitate to traverse over that natural defense. It seems that our army is still too careless. This Beastmen War might not be as simple as merely plundering food. Konya City is surrounded by mountains, so there is only one path that leads to Milan Empire. If the beastmen rush through, after exiting Konya City and going through Brenner Pass, they could then march right to the wide expanse of Puglia Plains, unstoppable. I’m afraid the Milan Empire will suffer disastrously.”
Listening to Oliveira’s lectures on battle strategies these past days, his familiarity with the battlefield map allowed him to roughly predict the objectives of the Beastmen Army. Puglia Plains could be considered as the most important food source of the Milan Empire. The fertile land had led to the development of many major commercial cities. Due to this region being inland, the city’s defenses were extremely poor. Not considering the inclusion of Behemoths in the Beastman Army, even an ordinary army would easily perish before the Beastman Army. Those cities could be described as the economic lifeline of Milan Empire.
Sura hesitated. “If I go first, what about you?”
Ye Yin Zhu urgently pressed, “Now’s not the time. Go, hurry up and go! Only with early preparation can we get a better chance at stopping them. Tell Elder Brother Oliveira and make him immediately ask for help from Sacred Heart City. If not, it’ll be too late. The beastmen still haven’t arrived, so there’s still time. Quick, go!”
Sura knew that Ye Yin Zhu’s words weren’t wrong. Clenching his teeth, his body suddenly picked up speed. With the effects of the Eternal Substitute Puppet, his speed surpassed his natural limits. He flew past Ye Yin Zhu and sped towards Konya City.
✶
Mjolnir Stronghold.
Chief Guti of the Thor Tribe was a formidable Lionman. As the King of the Thor Tribe, he was their most powerful warrior, his power comparable to a common Behemoth. His height surpassed three meters, and his whole body emitted a threatening air. He had two lion eyes, which, apart from having a powerful sight, shone with radiance and a bit of savage cruelty. Clearly, he didn’t possess the simple brain of a common beastmen.
His large, strong hand unhurriedly beat the table in front of him. Looking at the sandbox on top of the table, his eyes flashed with a proud light.
“Our men should already be crossing Brenner Pass. As long as they clear Brenner Pass, the Milan Empire’s tremendous wealth will inevitably belong to our Thor Tribe. When the moment comes, the Bearmen over at Solomon and the Tigermen at Mars Stronghold will no longer be able to contend against our Thor Tribe’s strength. The Northern Wasteland will be unified under my hand at last. Good, this is truly fantastic. Sir Emerson, you have truly granted our Thor Tribe the greatest riches. Fortunately, we had your advice; otherwise, it would have never occurred to me to break through the pass to directly strike the people within Milan.”
Standing to the left of Guti was a blue-cloaked human. The cloak was very large, covering up his whole body and preventing his face from showing. Lowering his head, he humbly spoke in a low and hoarse voice. “Praise Thor. This is Thor’s grace for his people. At the moment, we need to greatly pressure Milan. Even if they discover our men penetrating deeply into Milan later, they would not dare to transfer more Dragon Cavalry forces there as support. Only like this will we be able to plunder even greater riches. I believe your army will be able to fill the ten space rings I have bequeathed you.”
Guti laughed loudly. “Correct, what you said is correct. Those ten space rings can even hold a city. I believe that very soon, my people will see how immense the riches of Milan are.” Saying this, a cold light flashed across his eyes. “Only, I am quite worried of how Blue Dias will respond. Sir Emerson, you said that if we succeed in attacking the inner regions of Milan, it will destroy the equilibrium of the north. Would this not provoke Blue Dias? We cannot contend against their strength. My ancestors left behind memoirs telling us from beginning to end of the impossibility of contending against Blue Dias.”
Emerson smiled slightly and said, “No, of course not. Blue Dias Seven Pagoda is unlikely to easily intervene in the affairs of the continent. Milan Empire is the most powerful empire. Although you may be able to obtain a lot of wealth this time, but it’s unlikely you will go as far as to destabilize the Milan Empire’s foundations. Even if their nation’s power is weakened a bit, perhaps that is what Blue Dias wants to see happen. Blue Dias’ position will become even more stable with the task of balancing the north and south.”
Guti bellowed lowly, “What does Blue Dias still need to balance?! I’m afraid that even if all the armies on the continent were to stand up together, it would still be impossible for them to confront Blue Dias. Assemble the men. Pass on my commands: All of the Wolf Cavalry Army is to set off. Mjolnir Stronghold will serve as the heart and allow me to ruthlessly attack the Milan defense perimeter. The Lionmen Guard Regiment, Behemoth Army, Minotaur Army, and Centaur Archery Legion will follow my frontline attack, striking Sacred Heart City. Maldini, I want to make it so that you are unable to manage two fronts. By the time the Milan Empire dispatches more troops, my plundering corps might have already returned in triumph. Haha… hahahaha…”
✶
Atop the mountain peak was a large pile of snapped tree trunks. Ye Yin Zhu unceasingly bustled around. After Sura left, he himself did not urgently return to Konya City. Yin Zhu first climbed to the highest peak, stopping there for the time being.