Chapter 202: Victory
Chapter 202: Victory
Su Lun dodged the Orc Chieftain’s attack awkwardly, then charged forward again. He had no intention of giving the Orc Chieftain any breathing room.
“Thunder Lightning Spear!”
A surge of lightning force erupted from Su Lun’s body. He didn’t activate his Domain. Casting powerful spells continuously had drained his energy severely. Opening his Domain wouldn’t last long at all.
Su Lun swept his halberd horizontally. The clang of metal rang out. The potent lightning force instantly traveled along the weapon, shocking Gotan Long’s body into temporary numbness. After advancing to the Legendary Tier, the number of pure Warriors became exceedingly rare. Pure Warriors were too easily countered. A single Maze spell from a Wizard could trap them for hours.
The lighting paralyzed Gotan Long’s body for an instant. Though it was fleeting, in a Legendary Tier battle, even a momentary opening could be exploited.
The Purple Dragon Halberd struck fast and fierce like a storm. Gotan Long, slowed down just a bit, could only defend awkwardly. With each attack, another jolt of lightning power passed over. Soon accumulating enough charge, it detonated instantly. Gotan Long’s body stiffened abruptly, followed by a spray of blood fountaining out.
His abdomen bore a horizontal gash over ten centimeters long, sliced open by the Purple Dragon Halberd. The paralyzing effect of the lightning caused him considerable trouble. Su Lun, relying on this lightning-induced paralysis, gained a clear advantage in close combat. As long as his opponent’s resistance didn’t surpass the lightning’s maximum power, repeated accumulations would inevitably lead to paralysis and stiffness.
“Damn human!”
Within just a few exchanges, the Orc Chieftain had sustained repeated injuries. The pain from his wounds affected his body somewhat. Su Lun’s icy stare was fixed unwaveringly on the Orc Chieftain. Skilled in dual-wield combat, the Orc Chieftain swung his massive axe in a wide sweep while bringing his war cleaver down in a heavy chop aimed at Su Lun.
He wanted to cleave this hateful human in two before him. Fueled by rage, his strike carried even greater force.
“Wild Dance!”
The Purple Dragon Halberd left afterimages as it clashed repeatedly with the Orc Chieftain’s weapons. Explosive clangs filled the air without pause. Their battle grew increasingly fierce. The ground around them, extending over ten meters, became covered with deep, crisscrossing cracks.
A searing blade whisked perilously close to Su Lun’s face. The blade edge cut gashes across his body. There were no living things left around the two of them; all who dared draw near had already become corpses.
The Orc Chieftain possessed formidable strength. Though injured, this desperate, unflinching fighting style meant Su Lun gained no real advantage.
Lightning flared brightly on Su Lun’s Purple Dragon Halberd, then exploded outwards. The intense lightning power caused the Orc Chieftain’s body to stiffen once more for an instant. Seeing this chance, Su Lun pushed hard with his feet, his figure resembling a phantom as he instantly lunged forward.
Dodging the Orc Chieftain’s giant axe, Su Lun twisted his body, arriving at his right side. The Purple Dragon Halberd in his hand transformed into a streak of light, piercing straight towards the enemy’s heart. Having been thwarted repeatedly, Gotan Long looked frenzied. He didn’t try to dodge or block at all. Instead, he swung his cleaver backhand towards Su Lun, his posture making it clear he intended to die together.
Faced once again with this tactic, a harsh gleam flashed in Su Lun’s eyes.
“Lightning Spear!”
A spear composed entirely of lightning materialized in Su Lun’s left hand. Simultaneously, the Purple Dragon Halberd in his right swept out, forcefully deflecting the Orc Chieftain’s weapon away. The Lightning Spear in his left hand was thrown out instantly.
Lightning surged violently. The lightning spear struck Gotan Long. He only just managed to twist, avoiding a fatal hit. A bloody hole the size of a bowl appeared in his right chest. The immense electrical current instantly charred the surrounding flesh to a blackened crisp.
Su Lun’s breathing grew a little ragged. Continuous high-intensity bursts placed a considerable strain on his body. Exploding his energy in short bursts had left him feeling drained inside.
However, his current physical constitution was extraordinary. In only one or two seconds, Su Lun had regulated his breathing again. Constitution didn’t just affect his physical stamina limit; it also determined his endurance in prolonged fights. His superhuman physique allowed his body to recover incredibly quickly.
The Orc Chieftain before him looked considerably more miserable. Several wounds marked his body, especially the grievous one on his chest from the Lightning Spear. If not for the Orc Chieftain’s incredibly tough physique, that single blow would have taken his life.
That life was still hanging by a thread. His lung injury forced increasingly labored, ragged breaths. Damage to his internal organs caused his physical condition to plummet sharply. While even a Legendary Warrior, resilient to extremes, could fight on for minutes after suffering heart trauma, such toughness clearly did not equate to immortality.
Fully aware of his state, the Orc Chieftain ignored it entirely. He charged forward maniacally to attack, resolved to take Su Lun down with him. But at this stage, Gotan Long was no longer Su Lun’s match.
“Silver Dragon’s Reverse Scale Spear!”
Halberd shadows danced wildly. An enormous dragon silhouette manifested. Then Su Lun held his ground, unmoving. A dazzling deluge of silver light shot out, piercing through the towering body of the Orc Chieftain in an instant. A furious torrent of blood sprayed out next. Gotan Long’s massive frame froze rigidly. Only after the shimmering silver dragon silhouette faded did the blood-soaked body crash thunderously to the earth.
With the death of their Chieftain, the entire Orc Army lost any will to resist. Their forces dissolved into a general flight. With the White Water River marking one battlefield edge, many panicked Orcs plunged straight into the water, hoping to swim to the other shore. But the White Water River was deep, with treacherous undercurrents. Numerous Orcs, poor swimmers, were swiftly dragged under by these hidden currents.
Simultaneously, massed Archers unleashed volleys upon the Orcs struggling in the river. Instantly, casualties mounted grievously upon the water’s surface.
More Orcs scattered, fleeing in every direction. Yet, in a running contest, how could they possibly hope to outpace the Centaurs? The Centaurs, burning with hatred for the Orcs, weren’t about to miss the chance to strike down opponents. Three thousand Centaurs divided into dozens of squads, initiating a ruthless hunt across the battlefield for the fleeing Orcs.
The forces of Zhenbei City also fanned out widely, joining the Orc chase. Some Orcs, realizing escape was hopeless, began to surrender. Some soldiers started taking prisoners, though the number captured this time wasn’t large. Surrendering Orcs remained a minority.
Part of the reason was the sheer depth of the feud between Orcs and Centaurs. If an Orc surrendered, more than likely, the Centaurs wouldn’t accept it. Once the Orc Army fragmented into scattered flight, the Zhenbei City troops ceased their pursuit.
Zhenbei City’s warriors wore heavy armor, their speed naturally not very high. The pursuit duty thus fell to the Centaurs. With their swiftness, most fleeing Orcs had little chance of escape.
After the Centaurs hunted the fleeing Orcs, Zhenbei City began clearing the battlefield, tending to the wounded. Su Lun also worked amongst them, employing the Body Healing Art on soldiers grievously injured.
The casualty figures were quickly tallied. While Zhenbei City had crushed the Orc Tribe, their losses were the heaviest since arriving in the Wasteland. More than half of the Spearmen were killed or injured. Over three hundred lay dead from Zhenbei City’s own forces, with an additional two hundred casualties amongst the Mercenaries and Caravan guards. Total losses surpassed six hundred Zhenbei City fighters.
Despite the heavy cost, many human soldiers achieved advancement during this battle. Numerous Elite Spearmen evolved into Heavy Spearmen. Some Heavy Spearmen even ascended further, becoming Divine Spear Guards.
Divine Spear Guard was the ultimate advancement tier for Spearmen, yet it wasn’t the end. To join the Trap Camp, Divine Spear Guards had to be the absolute best of the best, a transition with extremely low odds of success.
Prisoners taken included over two thousand Orcs, Gnolls, Hobgoblins, and Bugbears. Close to six to seven thousand had died outright on the field, the rest having fled. Carina Heatherway and others directed soldiers in battlefield cleanup. Chris commanded Slaves to dig pits and bury the bodies.
With so many dead, pestilence was a serious threat if not handled promptly. As for the bodies of Zhenbei City’s fallen soldiers, they were cremated. The ashes were then placed into urns, to be interred according to the rites of Zhenbei City’s Heroes’ Cemetery in the Martyrs’ Park.
Su Lun also began examining his gains from the battle.
“Congratulations, Host. You successfully defeated the Orc Army. You achieved an Epic Victory. Your formidable reputation spreads widely across the Wasteland.”
“Orc Invasion: Moonlight Calendar Year 1687, early April. After defeating the Centaur Tribes, the Orcs turned their sights on Zhenbei City, launching war to conquer it. Under your command, Zhenbei City won this brilliant victory. When the Orcs were exhausted, the Centaurs charged out. Then the Orc Army collapsed like a landslide. During the battle, the Orc Gotan Long was slain. [Prestige +15]”
“Congratulations, Host, for defeating the Orc Army. You gained 62,300 Experience Points.”
“Congratulations, Host, on the war victory. You successfully routed the Orc Army. You obtained two Golden Treasure Chests. You obtained the item: Reinforcement Token.”
“Congratulations, Host, for killing the Orc Chieftain. You gained 21,200 Experience Points. You obtained one Platinum Treasure Chest. You obtained one Legendary Tier Talent Point. Your Talents, Iron Bone and Regeneration, have improved.”
“Congratulations, Host. Your Experience Points are full. Your level has increased. Current Level: 24. You obtained one Golden Treasure Chest. You gained 2 Free Attribute Points and 2 Skill Points.”
Prompts chimed continuously in Su Lun’s ears. He began to examine his rewards.
In total, he had acquired three Golden Treasure Chests and one Platinum Treasure Chest. He opened his Storage Space to inspect them.
Three spiritual flashes of light appeared. System prompts sounded in Su Lun’s ear.
“Congratulations, Host. You obtained a Leaf of Wisdom.”
“Congratulations, Host. You obtained the ‘Record of Real Training’.”
“Congratulations, Host. You obtained a Recruitment Token.”
Following these three consecutive System prompts, Su Lun turned his attention to the remaining Platinum Chest. He took a deep breath and chose to open it.
A flash of spiritual energy appeared. A prompt sounded.
“Congratulations, Host. You obtained a Special Military Token — the Trap Camp!”
Hearing the System prompt, Su Lun’s eyes lit up brilliantly. The Trap Camp was a special unit type. Noticing that several Spearmen had already reached the Divine Spear Guard level, Su Lun planned an attempt. Success would be a huge gain. Failure incurred little cost.