Chapter 372: Battle Cry - Iron Fang
As the sun set and darkness descended, the vast Gobu Tiger Tribe finally quieted down.
At night, the Gobu Tiger Tribe was brightly lit.
Large bonfires burned fiercely along the wooden walls, their flickering flames slightly dispelling the surrounding darkness.
Looking up at the walls, countless Goblins stood in strict formation.
Every side of the wooden walls was lined with Goblins of various sizes.
By nightfall, the Gobu Tiger Tribe's forces had grown to nearly twenty thousand.
"I think we should charge out."
"Yeah, those filthy rats don't scare me."
"Me neither. Last time in the forest, I killed several of them."
The Goblins on the walls whispered among themselves.
Goblins tended to be restless.
Making them stand still on the walls was a challenge in itself.
"The night is long. Will they really come?"
"They should. Those filthy rats are cunning."
"Are they as smart as us?"
"I think we're smarter."
"Why do you think so?"
"I don't know, I just know we're really smart."
"Hmm, makes sense. You must be right."
"Listen, there's movement in the western forest."
At that moment, faint sounds emerged from the western forest.
It sounded as if something was rushing through the woods.
The next moment, dark shadows flickered at the forest's edge.
A squad of Goblin Boar Riders burst out of the forest, galloping across the open land.
This squad consisted of seven riders.
The leading Goblin raised a horn attached to his boar's saddle and blew into it.
"Woooo!"
A sharp horn blast echoed through the night sky.
The sound stirred the once-quiet tribe into a frenzy.
"They're here! The filthy rats are here!"
"Great! Tonight, we feast!"
"Rat meat is disgusting."
"Still, I've never tried it. Might as well taste it."
"Stay focused! Check your crossbow bolts!"
The upper-ranked Goblins barked orders from the walls.
Under their commands, the lower-ranked Goblins hurriedly made battle preparations.
The sentries on the watchtowers double-checked the ballistae.
The entire tribe was alive with movement.
Goblins swarmed toward the western, southern, and northern walls like a tide.
Meanwhile, deep in the western forest, a similar commotion erupted.
Under the moonlight, the clashing of metal rang through the trees.
Countless figures filled the forest, stretching several kilometers.
Like a tidal wave, they swept eastward.
Under the moonlight, their forms gradually became clear.
Clad in crude iron armor and wielding long-handled war blades, the Ratmen Tribe advanced.
They looked as if they had been cast from the same mold, making it impossible to tell individuals apart.
Their gleaming blades reflected a chilling light under the moon.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a deep, resonant roar echoed from within the forest.
Among the Ratmen army, a particularly massive figure stood out.
A Savage Bull Beast clad in iron armor.
Its shoulders stood over five meters tall, its body stretching more than ten meters in length.
Perched atop the beast was a small, cloaked figure holding a staff.
"General, the target is just ahead. We will soon reach the enemy stronghold!"
A Ratman soldier approached the Savage Bull Beast, calling up to the figure on its back.
Battle Cry - Iron Fang. That was its name.
Battle Cry was its clan, the Battle Cry Clan.
Iron Fang was the name of the Ratman general on the Savage Bull Beast's back.
Upon hearing the report, Iron Fang's pupils contracted.
He raised his staff high, his gaze glowing green.
A ball of green fire erupted from the tip of his staff.
It rapidly expanded, growing to the size of a soccer ball.
In the next instant, the green fireball shot into the sky.
It tore through the dense canopy, soaring high.
"Boom!"
Hundreds of meters above, the green fireball exploded.
The dazzling light and thunderous roar carried far and wide.
This was the signal.
The signal to attack.
The advancing Ratmen army suddenly split into three forces.
The left and right wings veered toward the southwest and northwest.
The green flash in the night sky was also seen by the Goblins in the fortress.
"What was that?"
"A green flash."
"Must be the Ratmen's signal."
"They're coming!"
"No kidding, we knew they were coming!"
The green flash in the distance stirred discussions among the Goblins on the walls.
They murmured among themselves about what they had just seen.
Time passed, and battle loomed.
In less than half an hour, the western forest was in an uproar.
The chaotic blend of sounds reached the Goblins on the walls.
"They're here!"
At the western gate, a towering figure stood on the wall.
Clad in black armor, his entire body was encased except for his head.
His armor bore crimson engravings that shimmered under the moonlight.
Beside him rested a massive black spiked club.
A huge helmet hung on the battlements.
His five-meter frame made his identity unmistakable.
He was Gobu Tiger, leader of the Gobu Tiger Tribe.
Gobu Tiger glanced down at his subordinate.
Looking along the walls, one could see rows of Goblin warriors clad in heavy armor.
With increased steel production, all upper-ranked Goblins had been equipped with full armor.
"Extinguish the flames. Prepare for battle."
Tonight, the sky was clear, the moon full.
The bright moonlight dispelled some of the darkness.
The fires on the walls would only hinder the Goblins' vision.
A Goblin warrior removed the horn from his belt and blew into it.
As the horn's call echoed through the night, the fires across the tribe were extinguished one by one.
Soon, the entire settlement was cloaked in darkness.
Standing atop the wall, Gobu Tiger narrowed his eyes, scanning the western forest.
The disturbance in the forest grew ever closer.
It felt as if something could burst out at any moment.
A five-hundred-meter buffer zone lay between the wall and the forest.
All Goblin tribes, regardless of size, maintained such buffer zones around their settlements.
In times of war, this buffer zone would become a killing ground for the enemy.
"Boss, they're here!"
A Goblin warrior beside Gobu Tiger tensed up.
All the Goblins on the northern wall saw it.
At the edge of the western forest, armored figures emerged.
Like an endless tide, the Ratmen army surged from the woods.
Glancing left and right, the ranks stretched beyond sight.
Under the moonlight, their iron armor and gleaming war blades shone with a deadly light.