Chapter 167: A Scream of Agony
Chapter 167: A Scream of Agony
Watching the golden beard and hair scattered in the wind, Blackrock King’s face turned ashen. This humiliation was like being seized and slapped hard in public. Rage instantly burned to consume him, but at the same time, the faint chill at his neck stopped his anger from erupting.
Obviously, King of Champoo’s power far exceeded the descriptions in earlier intelligence reports. He definitely had the strength and confidence to cut off his head in an instant… This was truly terrifying!
Blackrock King unwillingly turned to glance at a cavalryman beside him, fully clad in silver armor, with no visible face.
He saw that person’s eyes flash and give an almost invisible shake of his head.
Blackrock King sighed. In that moment, he understood the other’s meaning—King of Champoo’s strength had far surpassed their plan’s expectations. The strategy set before departure clearly couldn’t work out… Despite the deep unwillingness in his heart, he was powerless.
On the Azeroth Continent ruled by the Law of the Jungle, a strong individual’s threat overshadowed armies. Blackrock King was born with ordinary talent, reaching only Two-Star Level Fire Warrior strength by his fifties. But he became king of a military-built nation mainly through patience and cunning, not just royal birth. So he knew what approach was best at this moment.
“One… two…”
Sun Fei ignored what this long-time enemy of Champoo was thinking. Your Majesty the King sat high on Black Whirlwind’s back, counting down coldly. Each word hit like a heavy hammer on Blackrock King and all Blackrock Knights’ hearts. The icy tone made their hearts race uncontrollably, and they tightened their weapons without thinking.
“Four… five… six…”
Sun Fei went on counting unhurriedly.
A bleak autumn wind blew, and for some reason, Blackrock City’s army felt this crimson-dawn morning turn chilly for the first time.
“…Seven… eight…”
Just simple numbers, but spoken slowly by Your Majesty the King, made every Shampoo City soldier feel pumped, as if something rushed to burst from their chests. Once, Blackrock City had bullied Shampoo City again and again, finding excuses to raid and loot. But now, their king alone, with a sword and a few words, scared off two thousand elite Blackrock knights. Even their arrogant Blackrock King stayed silent, too afraid to breathe out loud. The Shampoo warriors roared alongside Sun Fei, counting as one, spilling out years of shame.
A hundred burly Shampoo men yelled together, their voices soaring with fierce energy, like the clang of swords in battle.
The tables turned instantly.
The outnumbered Shampoo Expeditionary Force now had the upper hand.
Their war cries formed a battle aura.
This force overwhelmed the battle aura from two thousand elite Blackrock knights earlier, when their horses pounded with lances raised. It felt sharp and overwhelming!
No one dared meet their eyes!
“Nine…”
At the word ‘nine’, Sun Fei reached out, and a shimmering purple sword appeared in his grasp. Seeing his move, chains of clanging metal rang out… All Shampoo warriors drew their bright swords.
That series of chilly battle-ready draws was the last straw. Blackrock King Kant panicked, almost seeing the phantom-like figure charge in again. His warhorse reared and neighed as he yelled, “Retreat…!”
Rumble—!!!
Like a black tide receding, over two thousand elite Blackrock knights pulled back fast, kicking up white dust and vanishing into the distant Blackrock Fortress.
“Ptooey!” Golden Knight Drogba spat in scorn.
“They ran so quickly…” Golden Knight Pierce sounded disappointed.
…
A dozen minutes later, the Shampoo Expeditionary Force reached Blackrock Fortress’s gate.
Sun Fei expected the angry Blackrock King to make trouble about passage. He even prepared to push Princess Tanasha out to ‘knock on the door’. But surprisingly, the fortress gates stood wide open. The guards clearly had orders already, raising no block. They let Sun Fei and his group in right away.
“Did Blackrock King mean to trap us in here… oh, crap, I’m not a dog… or box us in like dumplings?” Sun Fei thought casually, unafraid. He patted Black Whirlwind under him and took the lead, trotting into Blackrock Fortress first.
Behind him, Cech and Lampard clearly had the same idea. Quiet orders went out, shifting the expeditionary force’s formation. More Urban Management guards closed in around Angela and Princess Tanasha in the Magic Carriage. They looked loose but were tight inside, everyone on full alert.
But from start to finish, no attacks came.
Inside Blackrock Fortress, all was quiet and orderly.
Sun Fei examined this enemy nation’s top military fortress thoughtfully.
By nature of its place and strategy, Blackrock Fortress was purely military. Every building stood from stacked black stones, no wood in sight. Structures sat high and low, cleverly placed, dotted with small rock towers and posts, heavily guarded. Built on mountain slopes, the peaks flanking it held tight-packed stone rooms and watch spots. Archers in full gear showed and hid, clearly holding a big force.
Streets were narrow and winding, like a maze. If enemies broke in, they couldn’t attack as a big group. Split into small parties, they’d lose their number edge and be taken out by Blackrock forces using the terrain.
The fortress perfectly showed cold-weapon-era genius, like a cold-blooded killer curled in the valley.
Blackrock King prized it highly. Before Sun Fei entered, he’d hidden many defenses to keep secrets from Shampoo City’s foes. Sun Fei saw just a tenth of the military power now.
The widest street cross-cutting the fortress was only two meters wide, barely fitting one cart. Few people walked there—no residents or peddlers. Mostly armored soldiers and some big caravans passed through. Blackrock Fortress choked the nearest path to Imperial Capital Saint Petersburg, taxing all who used it. Only caravans could afford it.
After soldiers and few caravans, slaves made up the largest group.
Mine slaves!
Blackrock City had many pits and holes in the Scorching Sun Mountains, digging out loads of rock. This funded their kingdom and let Blackrock King wage endless wars. With enough people, he could always form big armed forces. Tools for war never slowed down growth like they did in Shampoo City.
His only problem was too few mine slaves. That’s why his country loved war—it captured prisoners, perfect for the mines. In his thirty years on the throne, this ambitious king drove countless Empire Vassal State clashes. He stirred bloody fights between nations, secretly backed bandits and mercenaries, and stole folk as slaves. Shampoo City suffered badly, especially after three years of weakness. Its king was a fool, and traitors like Bazel wrecked the government. Over a sixth of young workers were stolen away to the Scorching Sun Mines as slaves, countless dying or rotting. Blackrock Kingdom’s glory built on piles of bones.
The hate ran too deep to end.
That’s why Sun Fei slaughtered non-stop last night, and why Pierce, Drogba, even Prison Warden Oleg fought so fiercely against Blackrock soldiers—Shampoo City had suffered too much. So many wives lost husbands, so many children became orphans, so many old folks had no one left… This tragedy all came from Blackrock City.
The Shampoo Expeditionary Force slowly moved through the streets.
At the fortress’s heart, Sun Fei frowned.
He saw three or four hundred stone pillars of different heights, stained with blood, standing by a small central square. White against black buildings, the blotches stood out, covered in buzzing flies even in deep autumn. But what troubled him more was that some pillars had thin, naked figures chain-bound, filthy and bony, hair tangled like straw.
Every one bore awful wounds.
Sun Fei’s sharp eyes spotted some already dead, some passed out, some with just a sliver of mind left, moaning or crying in agony. Their sounds weren’t human—like wounded beasts—faces twisted beyond life.
“Your Majesty, these must be mine slaves punished for mistakes, hung as warnings,” Cech whispered.
Sun Fei nodded without a word.
In the barbarian cold-weapon age of Azeroth Continent, such scenes were expected. He couldn’t change things or fix it all—but it still disturbed him, darkening his mood.
At that moment, an utterly wretched scream tore from the far end of the square.