"Beautiful one, don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you."
An Imperial soldier held a wolf-headed demi-human, a female half-beastman. For soldiers who had been stationed at Black Soil Fortress for years, female decent figure equaled beauty. As for the wolf head, it could simply be covered with clothing because the structure of half-beastn bodies was largely similar to humans, aside from the head.
The female wolf clan half-beastman hung her head low, devoid of fear, only numbness. Under the long-term crushing weight of war, the fate of civilians was as such.
"Ah!!"
A shriek echoed; a male kobold covered in wounds was hanging upside down, watched by several Imperial soldiers.
"I suggest bleeding him out."
"Burning him alive is more satisfying."
The soldiers laughed while discussing how to execute the wounded captive. These soldiers might be kind fathers or good husbands, but in war, they were all butchers.
They finally decided to burn the captive. Others who witnessed the scene were veteran Imperial soldiers already accustod to it.
The fire was lit, and the beastman captive wailed in agony, but he didn’t plead, he rely cursed and hurled insults at the Imperial Army.
A dozen new recruits witnessed the scene. They were soldiers newly conscripted at Black Soil Fortress. Although trained, it was their first ti in battle.
The dozen new recruits had just begun adapting to the battlefield’s cruelty, but the sight before them was hard to accept.
What they didn’t realize was that if an Imperial soldier were captured by the Tribal Army, the sa fate awaited them—burned alive, throat slit, or even flayed alive.
War is devoid of humanity; even if soldiers initially possess it, it withers with the war.
Swish～
The sound of breaking void pierced the air, prompting a dozen new recruits near Su Xiao to instinctively dive to the ground.
Boom!
A residential building exploded, rocks and wood splinters flying. The recruits lay prone on the ground, no courage to look up.
"No need to be afraid; this ca from afar, not a precise hit. You’ll get used to it, since things like this fly into Black Soil Fortress often."
An old soldier cuddled a female beastman, watching the recruits with a teasing expression.
Su Xiao looked at the compressed biscuit covered in dirt in his hand, hesitated for a mont, then threw it away, taking out a new one, calmly continuing to eat.
The recruits eyed Su Xiao in disbelief, wondering if he’s not afraid of death.
As Su Xiao started chewing the biscuit, a green ’teor’ flew into the town—it’s a Green Phosphorus Burning Bottle.
As proven, bad luck ans death can co from stray attacks, no matter survival on the battlefield.
Su Xiao stood, sensing life from the residence behind him. As a ’civilized person,’ he knocked on the door.
A thud sounded from inside, followed by deathly silence.
With no response, Su Xiao resorted to less civilized ans, kicking the door open.
Inside the residence, though it was day, all windows were tightly covered, casting the room in darkness.
The residence was sizable, a two-story structure with a combined area of at least 300 square ters, indicating the owner’s status was not low.
Su Xiao sensed the house’s state, finding three life auras in the room upstairs.
Ascending the stairs, Su Xiao’s sharp hearing picked up faint breathing. The one breathing seed tense, suppressing the sound consciously.
"Co out."
Su Xiao sat on a wooden table on the second floor, putting the [Lan Kai Windcoat] into storage space and taking off his dusty and blood-stained undershirt, baring his chest. His face and torso were sared with dirt and blood, tiny stones in his hair.
The room door across opened; a female lion-headed person erged. She looked tense, gripping a dagger behind her back. The dagger wasn’t for fighting but to end her own life.
"All of you co out."
Su Xiao lit a cigarette, relaxed entirely, reclining on the chair.
"I’m alone..."
The female lion-headed person barely completed her sentence before Su Xiao turned his gaze towards her.
"I’m not interested in female beastn, even if I were, you couldn’t resist."
Hearing Su Xiao, the female lion-headed person clutched the dagger tighter.
"Even if I die, I won’t be humiliated by you, definitely not!"
Her stance was firm; killing Su Xiao wasn’t her intention. It was escaping degradation by the victorious Imperial soldiers.
"You have ten seconds. The other two, co out, and bring so hot water."
Su Xiao, though ruthless in killing, refrained from senseless murder—it yielded no gain. Soldiers differ from civilians.
The female lion-headed person hesitated briefly, then relented.
"Yula, Shirley, co out."
An adolescent lion-headed and a lion-headed girl erged hesitantly, eyes locked on Su Xiao, a total of three lion-headed females. It’s unsurprising, considering male lion-headed people enlist.
Soon after, the adult lion-headed woman brought a basin of hot water, carefully placing it beside Su Xiao on the table. Su Xiao took a towel, washing away blood and dirt from his body.
The water soon turned black and red; Su Xiao motioned for fresh water from the woman.
Monts later, feeling fresher, Su Xiao reclined on the wooden chair for a quick nap, water droplets falling from his hair.
"Don’t co within five ters."
Dragon Slash lay on a nearby wooden table, ready for any threat.
"Do... need food? As long as you don’t harm us, we won’t do anything foolish."
"No need."
All Su Xiao wanted was rest.
Noisy footsteps echoed from downstairs; soldiers entered the residence, loudly chatting, creating a racket. Hearing the commotion, the lion-headed won’s faces went pale.
Quickly, mud-stained soldiers charged upstairs, their gaze lighting upon the lion-headed won, yet dimd upon seeing Su Xiao resting. They shook their heads in disappointnt, descending back downstairs.
"Soone beat us to it, search elsewhere. This guy’s fortunate, a big and two small."
The soldiers laughed while leaving, silence engulfing the house. They were survivors of the war; quarrels over female beastn would be absurd.
After the soldiers left, the lion-headed girl knelt, weeping silently.
That’s the plight of tribal civilians; the lion-headed’s situation was fairly decent, hunger wasn’t an issue. Others faced starvation and daily survival uncertainty, prompting war easily.
Having occupied the tribal town, the Imperial Army’s ’celebration’ comnced.
With nightfall, fires dotted the streets. Imperial Army soldiers, hugging female beastn, laughed heartily around the fires, indulging in montary pleasures, aware they could die anyti—be it tomorrow, or the next minute from a goblin weapon overhead.
Ooh～
A horn sounded—a gathering call.
Su Xiao awoke from his nap. Uneasy sleep was inevitable—for vigilance against falling goblin bombs or burning bottles.
Su Xiao donned his windbreaker, yawned, and headed downstairs, watched by the three silent lion-headed females as he left.
Under normal circumstances, tribal town female beastn would be captured, sold as slaves. However, with Black Soil Fortress’s limited food supply, and fortress repairs underway, capturing beastn wasn’t feasible.
Moreover, Legion Commander Carlos had a trait—only capturing tribal soldiers for labor, never selling female beastn as slaves. His subordinates followed suit.
The most effective ans would be a massacre, yet cleanup was necessary to prevent plague outbreaks. Given the proximity to Black Soil Fortress, a plague could extend there.
Leaving carelessly isn’t feasible either. Female beastn here could, within years, birth a new generation of beastman soldiers. Thus, a harsh asure was adopted—not fatal but rendering future births impossible—post-relaxing, using thin daggers on female beastn’s uter|us.
War rendered everyone cruel. Continued conflict ant eventual racial extermination, already near-complete for so like the Centaur tribe.
The gathering call sounded; the Imperial Army swiftly assembled. Regional Tribal Army forces had dissolved—it was ti to return to Black Soil Fortress.
Su Xiao joined the march towards Black Soil Fortress. The situation favored them; reclaiming Black Soil Fortress was achieved, now considerations turned to World Core issues.
Firstly, Su Xiao needed to quickly exchange [Holy Oak Tree Trunk].
User Comments
0 comments from readers