Chapter 52 – Stampede

The recruiter was confused at Han Wu’s request.

He asked, “Han Wu, do you intend to rescue the captured black dragon?”

Han Wu nodded in response. “Yes, I have to rescue it. It is my contracted partner.”

From the moment of its release, the black dragon had remained faithful to their agreement. It went so far as to offer Han Wu its blood to aid in his Class advancement, even though its reasons for doing so were undoubtedly questionable.

After all, it had extorted 500 valuable Energy Stones from him and, in essence, boiled him alive, cackling with delight throughout the process. However, their relationship had deepened over time, and now Alpheus had transitioned from a mere asset to a valued friend.

“Han Wu, you must think this through. Your intention to save the black dragon means facing the united power of all four remaining Heroes. Doron City also commands millions of adventurers and tens of millions of militia. Their collective might would likely defeat even a Demigod, and you are only a Divine Being.”

“I understand the gravity of the situation, which is why I formally request your permission to summon all of my units from my divine realm to assist me. In return, I am prepared to accept an increased mission difficulty, changing my objective to the complete destruction of Doron City.”

“I have to applaud you for your boldness.”

Han Wu’s sheer nerve earned the recruiter’s admiration. The recruiter had last met such an intriguing student ten years ago. That student, now a Major God, had outstripped his former teacher in strength and currently held the position of Imperial College’s youngest deputy dean.

“Your willingness to take on such a challenge is commendable. I hereby accept your proposal.”

Han Wu expressed his gratitude to the recruiter. The recruiter, despite having no obligation to, had chosen to accept his request based on trust.

“Before you proceed, however, I need to give you a crucial warning. You are in that civilization with your real body. Avoid death at all costs.”

Immediately after the recruiter’s cautions, a gigantic gate appeared before Han Wu, and his four major races stepped out in formation. His races had also been influenced by the Will of the Civilization and underwent slight modifications.

[Swordwind Race: Steelcutter Swordwind, Heroic life form. Level 132]

[Scorching Dwarf Race: Divine Hammer, Heroic life form. Level 106]

[Minotaur Race: Sarman, Heroic life form. Level 128]

[Skeleton Race: Skeleton Lord, Lord life form (Incomplete) (Sealed). Level 127]

[Skeleton Race: Osteomancer, Heroic life form. Level 70]

[Skeleton Race: Skeleton Reanimator, Heroic life form. Level 80]

His remaining units were generally below level 60, with a large portion stuck at level 59. Han Wu provided them with equipment and Class Fragments from his inventory, enabling them to select their desired enhancements, resulting in many of them leveling up upon receiving their Classes.

Steely, the strongest of the group, ascended to Level 140. His Class progressed from Warrior to First Class Swordsman, and then further to Second Class Hurricane Swordsman. The aura emanating from him was now comparable to the wounded black dragon’s.

Though the other Heroic life forms had become more powerful with the new equipment and Classes, their overall strength was still not enough for Han Wu to lay siege to Doron City.

Han Wu had only 1.3 billion locusts remaining. While their sheer numbers were intimidating, their individual combat strength was still too low. Only several hundred thousand locusts were capable of putting up a decent fight.

Realizing his current army was inadequate for a siege against Doron City, he chose to recruit additional fighters before launching an assault, and using his locusts, he promptly reached out to the monster alliance he had recently established.

However, the response Han Wu received from the monsters filled him with rage. None of them were willing to offer assistance. Despite only a few hours having passed, the monsters had already learned of the black dragon’s capture and without its intimidating presence, the monsters were unwilling to cooperate.

While some gave feeble reasons for their refusal, most outright rejected his plea. What was more concerning, however, was that certain monsters, emboldened by the power they gained from the Energy Stones, were now contemplating imprisoning Han Wu to exploit him for more.

Han Wu spat in disgust, “These damned monsters. Very well then. They shouldn’t blame me for being forceful.”

Considering the monsters’ deliberate defiance, he saw no reason to extend any leniency. He immediately issued orders to his units to eliminate all monsters who refused to cooperate with him.

Despite being unable to defeat Doron City with his present army, Han Wu was still powerful enough to overcome the scattered monster tribes. His Heroic life forms, in conjunction with the locusts, proceeded to assault these tribes.

In a single night, Han Wu annihilated seventy-three tribes, many of which were powerful and contained thousands of units. The remaining monsters, intimidated by his power, reluctantly consented to his plan to save their own lives. He subsequently ordered his monster army to commence their march on Doron City at the break of dawn.

Meanwhile, Doron City was filled with celebration following the dragon’s defeat, and preparations were underway for the Dragon Slaying Ceremony. The powerful creature was bound and displayed in the city plaza, a spectacle for the adventurers. The Dragon Slayer, seated on the platform, sipped fine wine while overseeing the ritual’s setup.

A Third Class adventurer approached him. “Dragon Slayer sir, the Briar Saintess is asking about Wind Sage’s whereabouts. Do you know when he will be back?”

The Dragon Slayer frowned, displaying his concern. He had returned to Doron City twelve hours prior. Had the Wind Sage encountered some trouble?

Despite his brief moment of doubt, the Dragon Slayer remained confident in the Wind Sage’s abilities and dismissed any lingering concerns.

“He is likely held up by something,” he said. “Relay to the Briar Saintess that her concerns are unnecessary. If the Wind Sage doesn’t return by the end of the ceremony, I will personally embark on a search for him.”

The Dragon Slayer had barely finished his sentence when he felt a slight tremor in the ground. Abruptly, the alarm systems throughout Doron City began to sound loudly.

“A monster stampede is upon us! A horde of monsters is launching an attack on Doron City! All adventurers, prepare yourself for battle! Women and children, proceed to the underground bunker for safety. Men and adventurers, take up your weapons and prepare for the defense! Protect Doron City with all your might!”

Shouts echoed from every street and alleyway within Doron City. The four major adventurer groups quickly mobilized the adventurers to prepare defensive lines beyond the city walls.

“Treants, goblins, giants… virtually all the major monster tribes are here! Have they gone completely mad?”

“And there’s a multitude of flying monsters too! But hold on, why is there such an immense swarm of locusts among them?”

“Mages, attack the flying monsters with magic, immediately!” a Third Class adventurer ordered.

However, before her command could be fully executed, a barrage of arrows rained down, killing numerous adventurers.

The Locustmen initiated the attack. They had received Han Wu’s orders to eliminate Doron City’s vanguard, clearing the way for the monster horde approaching from behind.

However, the adventurers were not easily defeated. Despite the initial casualties, a flood of adventurers emerged from the city, unleashing magical attacks upon the Locustmen. However, the Locustmen had anticipated this, and immediately took to the skies, quickly reaching a height where they were safe from the incoming magic and projectiles.

With the adventurers preoccupied by the Locustmen, the main monster army made its appearance, initiating a massive battle outside Doron City. The fighting was intense, with thousands dying each second, transforming the city’s outskirts into a bloody battlefield. The years of pent-up hatred between the adventurers and the monsters reached its climax on this very day.

Meanwhile, Han Wu was observing the unfolding battle from a considerable distance, seated atop a Unique locust.

The adventurers were initially taken by surprise by the sudden stampede and suffered significant losses at the onset of the battle. However, their rigorous training made them highly adaptable to unexpected situations, and they gradually turned the tide of the battle in their favor.

Han Wu, however, was determined to ensure the adventurers would not achieve victory so easily.

“’Little skeleton, Skeleton Reanimator, your moment has arrived.”

Riding Unique locusts, the Skeleton Lord and the Skeleton Reanimator entered the fray. Their presence shifted the momentum of the battle, with the bodies of the deceased adventurers rising as skeletons.

Skeletons and Skeleton Knights burst forth from the corpses, grabbing their previous weapons and turning them against their living comrades. Caught completely off guard by this unexpected attack, the adventurers suffered heavy losses in a flash. The initiative they had fought so hard to gain was lost almost immediately.

Once the monsters breached Doron City’s gates with the skeletons’ assistance, the four Heroes finally decided to intervene.

The Briar Saintess activated her Heroic Mystic Art: Briar Forest, creating an impenetrable wall of thorny vines to seal the breach in the city gate. While the monsters struggled to destroy the vine barrier, the Twin Elemental Swordsman launched an attack.

With his Flowing Flameslash skill, the Twin Elemental Swordsman ignited the Briar Forest, causing a sudden burst of flame that incinerated numerous monsters and effectively discouraged the rest from further attempts to breach the city. The adventurers capitalized on the crucial time provided by the swordsman to fortify their defenses within the city.

Following the Heroes’ instructions, the adventurers established assault teams. The mages, grouping together, channeled their combined mana into devastating spells. Meteors plummeted from the sky, while blizzards and thunderstorms tore through the battlefield, resulting in the deaths of numerous monsters.

Meanwhile, in the plaza, the Dragon Slayer was concluding the ritual. He gripped his two blood-soaked sabers and prepared to execute the black dragon to complete the ritual.

The situation had deteriorated to a critical point, leaving Han Wu with no alternative but to deploy his most powerful unit, the Osteomancer.

The small Osteomancer was discreetly deployed onto the battlefield, unnoticed by anyone. The scattered bone shards strewn across the battlefield swiftly converged around the Osteomancer, assembling into a massive 20-meter bone giant.

Without delay, Han Wu used Inspect Eye to examine the bone giant’s data.

[Bone Giant: Level 149]

The most powerful Heroic life form had now entered the battle.

Resistant to both fire and heat, the immense bone giant casually moved through the burning Briar Forest and proceeded to uproot the vines, thereby opening a direct route for the monsters to invade Doron City.

Han Wu and his Heroic life forms, leading the charge into Doron City, were instantly confronted by the four Heroes. Nevertheless, he yelled, “Alpheus! I’m here to save you!”

The weakened Alpheus, on the verge of death, struggled to keep its eyes open. Perceiving Han Wu’s familiar form, appearing colossal, like a mountain, it was certain it was hallucinating in its final moments.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep