"Don't panic! Don't get flustered! It's all an illusion! It's all..."
Before the King of Bones could finish, a Warrior slammed into him, sending him flying. After knocking down a few others, the King of Bones finally came to a stop. He shook his head, trying to clear the dizziness, and struggled to move the person on top of him.
But that person felt like a pile of mush!
When he reached out to touch them, it felt like touching a boneless lump of flesh. With the help of several nearby Warriors, the King of Bones finally pulled the thing off.
Upon closer inspection, he found the creature was dead, its bones completely shattered, as if trampled by a Mammoth!
The King of Bones looked thoughtfully at the spot where the Warrior had crashed into him, and saw that a giant monster made of rock had appeared there at some point.
Its terrifying fists were covered in sharp barbs, capable of smashing a Warrior into pulp with a single blow.
The King of Bones' forces were thrown into chaos. Some Warriors, suppressing their fear, charged forward to attack the two Elemental Creatures. Others turned their attention towards Mako and his group. Mako opened his Grimoire and cast Mass Deflection Missile. A magical light screen suddenly appeared near the city gate, enveloping all the system soldiers in golden energy, coating them with an invisible force field.
Then, another magical light screen flashed, and Mass Divine Power enveloped the soldiers as well. Seeing that the enemy was within range, Loren Hawk-Eye immediately ordered an attack. Crossbow Bolts were forcefully launched, and after flying for a while, they accurately struck the first wave of Savage Warriors. For a time, the charging ranks were filled with cries of pain. With the second volley of crossbow bolts, the Savage Warriors began to fight back.
However, once the arrows reached the city gate, they seemed to be affected by some force. Either their trajectory was deflected, or they lacked the power to reach their target, and they caused no real damage. Especially those idiots using bone arrowheads!
Mako and his crew had returned to the vicinity of the main hall early, using a simple telescope made on Skaggs Island to observe the battlefield from afar.
Mako had once casually expressed interest in such a device, and they had actually produced one.
Behind the second wall, the Savage Warriors, under Wolf Fang's command, launched an attack. Iron Arrows rained down from the sky, causing heavy losses for the soldiers outside the walls. Their leather and bone armor offered no protection, proving as ineffective as paper.
The Brute Soldiers formed a phalanx, arranging themselves in an inverted "品" formation. Spears over three meters long extended from behind their tower shields, gradually compressing the Savage Warriors' space.
Crossbowmen on the wooden walls and Savage Warriors behind them continuously fired arrows, disrupting the enemy's advance.
The two sides were locked in a stalemate, but the Savage Warriors' casualties steadily increased. Numbers weren't always an advantage; a vast disparity in equipment could turn the battle into a one-sided massacre, especially with the added advantage of Mako's magic.
Meanwhile, the Fire Elemental and Earth Elemental, engaged in a distant struggle, were broken into pieces by the Savage Warriors' attacks. However, before the attacking soldiers could celebrate, another massive summoning magic circle appeared at the city gate. After a gust of wind, a Wind Elemental materialized on the battlefield.
Then came the second magic circle, and the Water Elemental, with its azure, spiral-shaped body, also appeared on the battlefield. Fortunately, Mako had restored some of his magical energy through blood drinking after his return, otherwise, he would have been unable to sustain such a massive expenditure today.
The Wind Elemental wreaked havoc on the attacking troops' formation, like a sheep entering a wolf pack, providing the Brute Soldiers with opportunities to encircle and kill the enemy. The Water Elemental, however, was rather insidious, staying behind the main force and launching "Winter Ice Ring" attacks at areas crowded with Savage Warriors. The attacking troops suffered heavy losses, resulting in a large number of casualties.
Finally, after repeated failures, Mans Rayd's soldiers lost their courage to attack. One by one, they dropped their weapons and fled toward the main force. With some soldiers taking the lead, more and more warriors joined the fleeing ranks.
The Warriors following the King of Bones nearby also dropped their weapons. No amount of scolding or threats from their leaders made any difference. They could only try to gather the remaining soldiers, hoping to minimize their losses.
Meanwhile, the battle at the city gates was basically over. Under Wolf Fang's orders, Mako's Savage Warriors began to clear the troops outside the city. Some rounded up prisoners, while others burned the corpses.
About three hours later, a Savage Warrior holding a white flag suddenly appeared in the center of the battlefield. Seeing the enemy's intention to negotiate, Wolf Fang quickly sent someone to parley. After the envoy reached the city gate, Wolf Fang relayed the message to Mako.
Mako and the others were currently sitting in the hall, drinking. Those former tribal leaders were each holding a cup of wine, toasting Mako with flattering tones.
Mako's display of magical ability had once again intimidated everyone. Last time, when Mako conquered Hardship Town, he had only used the "Underworld Banshee," relying on the system soldiers for the rest. The Savages who had returned from the Far North had been spreading the word that Mako was the incarnation of a god, capable of killing thousands of ghouls with a single blow!
Many Savages had always been skeptical of this claim. However, this time, many had witnessed Mako's miraculous magic with their own eyes, which further elevated their worship of him. Many with ulterior motives quietly suppressed their unrealistic thoughts.
In their eyes, Mako was no longer the black-robed freak who used witchcraft. They all believed that Mako was using divine magic, because the display had completely overturned their previous understanding. The ability to summon water, fire, earth, and wind giants, in their view, was a power only a god could possess.
Many believed that this was a power only the old gods possessed, which also made everyone believe in the prophecies of the forest witches. This invisibly strengthened Mako's rule!
At this moment, a tall, imposing middle-aged man suddenly slammed his goblet onto the table, drawing everyone's attention. Mako remembered this fellow; he was also named Mans. Because he always wore his pair of golden wrist guards, he was also known as "Golden-Wrist Mans."
Mans addressed the crowd, "Everyone! Let's stand and offer another toast to the Lord! May the gods protect us! The Lord has once again brought us victory and food! Cheer, everyone! Long live the Lord! Hoorah!"
"Long live the Lord! Hoorah!"...
Mako also raised his goblet to acknowledge the crowd. The wine they were drinking was a special fruit wine produced on Skaggs Island. The yield wasn't very high, so Henk and the others had offered it to Mako as his exclusive banquet wine. It was somewhat similar to the blueberry wine of his previous life.
Although Mako wasn't a big drinker, he had gradually been influenced by these wine-loving people from the frontier. However, he had always been relatively restrained, never allowing himself to get drunk.
Just as everyone was cheering and feasting, a Warrior suddenly walked in from outside the hall. Seeing someone come in to report, the tribal leaders around them stopped their revelry.
After the Warrior saw that everyone had quieted down, he bowed to Mako and reported:
"My Lord! Those fellows outside the city have sent an envoy again. He is currently outside the door. Do you wish to see him?"
Mako chuckled at the words. After a moment of thought, he said, "Alright! Let's see what the King of Bones has to say! Hopefully, it's not another attempt to get us to surrender!"
"Hahaha!"
Amidst the laughter of the crowd, a man dressed as a Savage Warrior shakily walked in. He first glanced at everyone present, finally focusing on Mako at the head seat. He said,
"This, this leader, I am, a messenger from the tribes outside, I, I..."
Mako waved his hand, interrupting the stammering. He pretended to be profound and said,
"Alright! Alright! I know what you want to say.
Hmm! Let me see what you want to say, hmm! You're from those Shapeshifter tribes, oh! You've captured Mans Rayd's men, not bad! Not bad! And that King of Bones!
If that's what you're trying to say, I think there's no problem. I agree to let your tribes join my ranks!"
Mako's maneuver stunned everyone present, especially the messenger, who was utterly terrified. In the end, he even forgot how he left the hall.
Seeing the messenger had left, Mako rose and said to the crowd, "Alright, we'll continue the banquet tonight! Now, let's go to the door and welcome these compatriots who are about to join us! The legendary Shapeshifter, Valamir, I've heard of him many times! I wonder how he compares to Henk. It's a pity he's not here, otherwise it would be interesting!"
After speaking, Mako took the lead and walked out. The others in the hall followed closely behind him. The battle outside the city gates was basically over by now, as groups of prisoners were being sent into Hardship Town, where Wolf Fang would handle them.
After a simple reorganization of the troops, Mako and the others came to the city gates again. More than half an hour had passed, and the people outside the city gates had also arrived nearby.
Leading the way was a short, thin young man riding a Snow Bear. He wore a coat made of Shadow Lynx fur, making him stand out.
Behind him were six Savage Warriors riding wild boars. Each of them wore strange clothing, and their bodies were covered with gold and silver jewelry. They likely were the leaders of the Shapeshifters that the envoy had mentioned earlier.
Following behind these people was a large group of animals. Shadow Lynx, bears, Snow Bears, forest wolves, and ice wolves – all sorts of wild beasts from the frontier were present, as if it were a grand animal parade.
Those with the Shapeshifter talent were always highly respected in the frontier regions. They were considered to be the closest to the gods. Aside from some weaker individuals, many Shapeshifters with powerful animal companions could become tribal leaders.
Upon seeing Mako and the others, these people dismounted their mounts respectfully. It was evident that the envoy had already informed them who was in charge of Hardship Town.
Valamir, who was at the front of the group, walked forward alone. He first respectfully bowed to Mako, then sized him up before saying:
"Hello! Lord! Am I speaking correctly? My teacher taught me the common tongue, I hope I haven't been rude! I am Valamir, pleased to meet you!"
Mako instinctively activated Soul Link, wanting to probe his thoughts, but found he couldn't get any information. Soul Link only retained its ability to extract pain. Although a bit strange, Mako returned the greeting and said:
"Hello! The legendary 'Six-Shaper', I've heard your name for a long time! I didn't expect you to be such a young man. Wolf Fang, look at him, he already has six animal companions, you still need to work harder!"
Wolf Fang, standing to the side, respectfully bowed to Mako and said:
"Lord! A truly powerful Shapeshifter must be able to communicate with their animal companions through their minds.
If it's just pure subjugation, then I could at least subdue ten Snow Bears right now, but these things aren't worth mentioning compared to you, my Lord!"
"Hahaha! When did you learn to flatter people? Alright, I won't waste any more time. Valamir, I ask you, are you here to pledge your allegiance to me?"
Mako laughed, then changed the subject, focusing on the "Six-Shaper" Valamir, asking word by word.
There seemed to be magic in Mako's words, a trace of faint blood-red energy directly assailed Valamir, forcing him to take a step back.
"Uh! We, we just wanted to form an alliance, no, not..."
Valamir stammered, but before he could finish, Mako cut him off.
"What I need is submission, not some alliance. I don't care about your so-called 'free will'. If you want freedom, go find your king beyond the borders. My time is only for my people. I'm not happy, I feel like you're wasting my time!"
As Mako finished speaking, a giant angelic shadow appeared behind him, and a terrifying pressure emanated from Mako, slamming into the savages opposite him.
"We, seize..."
"Submit or leave!"
"We..."
"Prepare for battle!"
Mako raised his hand slightly. Sass Ting, standing behind him, immediately understood and shouted an order.
The soldiers behind the wooden wall also became alert, as if a conflict could erupt at any moment.
Valamir's expression changed repeatedly, finally settling into a sigh of helplessness.
Then, starting with him, the savages in front of Mako knelt one by one, swearing their allegiance to him.
"Don't worry! As long as you obey the rules, I will give you a better life than you have now," Mako said calmly, as if stating a fact.