In terms of raw strength, even in their berserk state, these barbarians couldn't match Douglas. As for combat skill, Douglas was a battle-hardened warrior-priest who could easily overwhelm these straightforward, uneducated barbarians. The disparity in equipment was even more pronounced—a complete and utter crushing.
The outcome of the battle was, of course, predictable. In mere moments, Douglas had brought down every single barbarian.
All eleven lay sprawled on the ground, their arms broken or ribs fractured. The Broken-Nosed Barbarian, who had taken Douglas's punch full force to the face, lay bleeding profusely, his nose shattered.
Yet, astonishingly, these barbarians refused to yield. Many had already struggled back to their feet, glaring at Douglas with bloodshot eyes, as if preparing for a second assault.
Seeing this, Douglas couldn't help but wear a slightly exasperated expression. Incapacitating these barbarians without killing them was proving far more difficult than he'd anticipated.
"Do I have to break all their limbs?" Douglas muttered to himself, taking another step forward. Just then, the Barbarian whose nose he had broken earlier snapped out of his Berserk State and shouted, "Stop! Don't fight anymore!"
While the Berserk State greatly diminishes Reason, it doesn't completely turn a Barbarian into a fool. After the initial exchange, it was clear that Douglas far outmatched them, yet he hadn't resorted to lethal force. In such a situation, continuing the fight would be pointless.
The Broken-Nosed Barbarian's words carried weight. Instantly, the other Barbarians ceased their attacks, reverted from their Berserk States, and bared their teeth in pain. Astonishingly, even with veins bulging on their foreheads from agony, not a single one uttered so much as a groan.
During the Berserk State, they possessed a buff that suppressed pain. But now that the Rage had subsided, the agony of fractured bones would be unbearable for most mortals. Yet these warriors stubbornly endured it all, gritting their teeth and bearing the torment in silence.
The Broken-Nosed Barbarian glared at Douglas, his brow furrowed as he demanded, "What's your real purpose here?"
Upon hearing this, Douglas couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed his mission was complete. He remained silent, stepping slightly aside to make way for Cerydra.
Cerydra approached with dainty, measured steps, her gaze sweeping over the assembled Barbarians. Crossing her arms, she declared with disarming simplicity: "It's simple. I came, I saw, I conquered! This entire Northern Territory will soon be mine, and you will be the first to submit to my rule."
Cerydra's voice retained a childlike lilt, as her age had long been fixed in that state within the Honkai: Star Rail game. Her vocal range naturally belonged to a young girl.
However, she deliberately strained her vocal cords, lowering her voice, and combined with her audacious declaration, it actually lent her an unexpected air of authority.
The Broken-Nosed Barbarian stared down at the girl, who barely reached his waist, yet he genuinely felt a faint sense of pressure emanating from her.
It was primarily her presence! Cerydra's expression and bearing exuded unwavering confidence. She didn't seem to be boasting or making empty threats, but rather stating an impending reality.
The Broken-Nosed Barbarian couldn't help but chuckle. "Conquer the entire Northern Territory? You lot? Ha! As if!"
As a native of the Northern Territory, he knew better than anyone just how chaotic and xenophobic the region was. How could some foreign dwarf girl possibly rule over it?
Even Cerydra herself had privately mocked the idea. A foreigner, a dwarf, and a woman? Isn't this just the template for a savior of France? Unfortunately, the Northern Territory was nothing like France.
Hearing the barbarian's words, Cerydra showed no anger. She merely raised her right hand slightly and said, "So, you still refuse to submit, do you?"
Douglas, understanding her unspoken command, stepped forward and picked up his weapon again.
But the Broken-Nosed Barbarian was a tough nut to crack. He refused to back down. "I thought you lot had some grand scheme," he spat, "but all you want is to have this dwarf rule over us? I'm telling you now! This is impossible!"
The other barbarians chimed in, "We were living just fine before! Why should we let some outsider tell us what to do?"
Cerydra tilted her head slightly, glancing at the speaker. "Do you truly call this living? In my eyes, you're like hyenas struggling in their death throes, one step away from oblivion. If mere survival is such an ordeal, what of living?"
A Barbarian retorted, "What, you think you can conjure food out of thin air for us?"
"Why not?" Cerydra replied. "As a Demigod of Law, I swear in the name of the Imperator: if you pledge allegiance to me, I will grant you an inexhaustible supply of food and clothing, leading you from the brink of extinction into prosperity and power!"
The Barbarian paused, momentarily taken aback, but quickly scoffed, "Ha! Anyone can boast. You think we'll just believe whatever you say?"
Before he could finish, a series of crackling sounds echoed as the ice shattered. A massive circular hole, over five meters in diameter, opened in the ice beside them. Then, to the Barbarian's astonishment, a cascade of plump, glistening fish leaped from the depths, crashing down upon him.
In mere moments, the fish on the ground had piled into a small mountain, burying half of the Barbarian's body. One fish still flopped frantically, its tail slapping against the Barbarian's face with a crisp thwack-thwack!
Seeing this spectacle, Douglas, Feidric, and Aria simultaneously turned to Hysilens, who shushed them with a gesture and winked.
The Barbarian, nearly buried alive, stared at the fish around him with an expression of utter shock. "Fish... so many fish! I've never seen so many fish at once in my entire life!"
Though these Barbarians relied on nomadic Fish Tracking for survival, catching fish had never been easy. He had never witnessed such a massive pile of fish before.
Beside him, a second Barbarian swallowed hard and asked, "W-what about the clothes?"
Instantly, a horizontal Century Gate appeared above the Barbarian's head, and brand-new, warm garments began raining down, burying him as quickly as the fish had buried his companion.
Whether buried alive by fish or now suffocated by clothes, for these barbarians, it was probably no different than an ordinary person walking down the street and getting knocked unconscious by a shower of coins.
"Th-this... this..." the barbarian stammered, struggling to form coherent words.
The third barbarian, still stunned, asked, "You said earlier that you're a Demigod of Law... is that true? You're a god!?"
"Of course," Cerydra replied.
"I... I just never imagined a god would look so... petite," the third barbarian murmured.
After all, the Northern Territory had its own indigenous beliefs, such as the Northern Wolf God, who embodied savagery, violence, and bloodlust. In the eyes of Northerners, gods were supposed to be incomparably fierce and powerful. He simply couldn't fathom that a god could appear as such a small girl.
Cerydra frowned slightly. "What? Do you have a problem with that?"
The third barbarian shook his head frantically. "N-no, no! Not at all!"
The three Barbarians turned to the Broken-Nosed Barbarian, their initial leader, and tentatively suggested, "Hey, Boss Dirk, maybe... maybe this Imperator could actually conquer the Northern Territory? Letting her rule us might not be such a bad idea?"
The Broken-Nosed Barbarian, called Dirk, frowned deeply, his face betraying obvious hesitation. He was clearly convinced, but likely too proud to admit it openly.
Cerydra said, "There's no shame in kneeling before me. Countless others have knelt at my side in the past, present, and future. You are merely among them."
"You are all valiant warriors. Join me! Help me achieve the unification of the Northern Territory!"
Conquest should never be forced through oppression. True victory lies in earning the enemy's loyalty and voluntary submission.
Overwhelming force, generous rewards, persuasive words, and even a subtle compliment—despite their defeat, the Barbarians felt strangely empowered. Though the little girl before them appeared so delicate, the Broken-Nosed Barbarian genuinely sensed the aura of an 'overlord' emanating from her.
The Broken-Nosed Barbarian nodded firmly. "Very well!"
Cerydra turned to Aria and said, "Dux Gladii Sacri, these people are in your care."
"Coming, coming!" Aria hurried forward to the Barbarians, her hands glowing with a soft, pale golden light as she began healing them.
This was one of Aria's fundamental Paladin Skills, though she rarely used it in practice.
However, many of the Barbarians had broken bones, requiring precise alignment before healing. Without proper alignment, their bones might set incorrectly. Astonishingly, these Barbarians were casually snapping their own broken bones back into place with their bare hands, silently enduring the pain as they awaited Aria's healing.
Within moments, all eleven Barbarians were revitalized and full of energy, expressing their gratitude to Aria.
Meanwhile, Dirk turned and walked back to the main group. After a brief discussion, he led the entire Clan to Cerydra's presence, where they collectively knelt on one knee with a resounding thud.
Looking up at Cerydra, who stood before them, the barbarians spoke in unison, their voices rising and falling in waves: "Great Law Demigod, future Empress, Your Majesty the Imperator! We swear by our ancestors to pledge our allegiance to you this very moment!"
These barbarians were truly straightforward. Once they had agreed, they immediately swore allegiance without the slightest hesitation.
Moreover, a barbarian oath sworn in the name of their ancestors was absolutely inviolable. To break it would invite the scorn of the entire tribe. In an instant, Cerydra had gained over a hundred loyal subordinates, each with maximum devotion!
After the oath of allegiance, the barbarians—except for Dirk's eleven companions who had met Cerydra earlier—saw her for the first time. They stared at her with undisguised curiosity, whispering among themselves:
"Boss Imperator is so tiny! She looks younger than my daughter!"
"But... do you know what 'Demigod of Law' means?"
"Law? Is that similar to the clan rules in our tribe?"
"No, I'm not asking about the Law itself. I'm asking what 'Demigod' means? What's the difference between a Demigod and a god?"
"Hmm... I don't know either. Maybe it's a god who hasn't fully grown up yet, so they're called a Demigod?"
"Oh, oh! Is that it?"
Although the Barbarians' voices weren't loud and the chatter was noisy, Cerydra couldn't quite make out what they were saying. But Cipher was also present, her cat ears twitching slightly as they filtered out the ambient noise, allowing her to clearly hear the conversation.
A helpless expression crossed her face. These Barbarians were undeniably loyal, but they didn't seem particularly bright.
Cerydra approached Dirk on her small heels. She had to admit, these Barbarians were remarkably strong. Even kneeling on one knee, he still stood slightly taller than her, forcing her to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.
Cerydra pondered for a moment, then declared, "I hereby grant you the title of Dux Aquilarius, Lord of the North Wind. From this day forward, your people will no longer need to migrate in search of fish schools; the fish will come to us. Now, do you know of any suitable settlement locations nearby?"
Dirk considered briefly before answering, "If we're settling down, the further south we go, the better."
After all, the south would be warmer and closer to the All Nations Alliance, allowing for potential trade and access to goods.
Noticing Cerydra's apparent dissatisfaction, Dirk quickly added, "Or perhaps further north? While the climate is harsher, the Ice Plains hold snow-capped mountains where a unique plant called the White Flower grows. Clans with more White Petals in their possession tend to be stronger."
A single petal could instantly send any Barbarian into a Berserk State, greatly enhancing their clan's combat power.
Still, Cerydra remained unconvinced. "Anything else?" she pressed.
Dirk scratched his head, racking his brains. After a long pause, he finally admitted, "Boss Imperator, that's all I've got!"