However, the agonizing stalemate did not last long. A sudden, thunderous burst of galloping hooves echoed from the far end of the ruined town, instantly signaling a critical shift in the battle's momentum. When the human Professionals saw who arrived, their collective expression changed drastically, plunging from grim determination into outright panic.
The Centaur Clan's fresh, terrifying reinforcements had arrived!
Leading the charge was a Centaur youth of astonishing power, a Tier 3 Battle Mage named Lord Carlos. His four hooves barely touched the ground as he charged, his gaze a streak of white-hot lightning. "Kill all humans!" he roared, his voice amplified by magic. The next moment, he brandished his crystal staff, and instantly, a huge, swirling ball of Sky-Burning Flames—a Tier 3 area-of-effect skill—appeared, screaming through the air toward the massed human Professionals.
The human front line's faces went stark white. They scrambled backward, attempting to break formation and dodge the unavoidable devastation. It was too late. The crimson flames erupted in the center of the human ranks, a single, catastrophic attack that struck dozens of targets simultaneously.
Damage Notices flashed in the HUD:-4567 (Critical Hit on Tier 2 Warrior)-4679 (Critical Hit on Tier 2 Mage)-3894 (Direct Hit on Tier 1 Archer) ...
A terrifying series of damage numbers erupted above the heads of the human Professionals. Their health bars instantly dropped by a massive chunk, leaving many at critical status, glowing red with the bleed effect of the fire.
The Centaur Clan were instantly and powerfully invigorated! "Lord Carlos is here!" they bellowed, their spirits soaring back into the manic frenzy that had started the day. "KILL!!!" They launched a fierce, renewed offensive, slaughtering the reeling human Professionals who retreated chaotically. Even with the frantic efforts of the Healers and Priests, whose green light desperately pulsed over the field, dozens of Professionals had their health bars instantly emptied and fell to the ruined ground, their blood flowing freely into the dust. The Centaur Clan advanced triumphantly, threatening to wipe out the human contingent in one fell swoop.
"YOU'RE COURTING DEATH!!"
Just as the human front line began to collapse, an even larger force—hundreds of human Professionals—charged in from the opposite direction. Leading them was Fred, the veteran commander who had just saved the innocents at the Sky Serpent Secret Realm town. He roared, unleashing a massive, devastating Tier 3 Blade Aura that scythed through the Centaur ranks, tearing into the charging formations.
Damage Notices flashed in the HUD:-10,540 (Tier 3 Blade Aura)-11,212 (Tier 3 Blade Aura)-9,880 (Tier 3 Blade Aura)
The damage dealt was eye-popping, instantly shattering the Centaurs' charging momentum. The Centaur Professionals' health bars plummeted, their expressions changing drastically from triumph to stunned apprehension, their charge slowing to a standstill.
Silas and the Long Reach City Combat Affairs Department Director, whose faces had gone pale with dread moments before, both let out long, profound sighs of relief. The tide had been held.
"Damn it, it's Fred!" Lulufu and Titus's expressions darkened simultaneously. Fred was clearly a human powerhouse of continental renown, and their eyes showed an immediate, palpable hint of apprehension. His presence alone was enough to impose respect and fear.
The arrival of the hundreds of human Professionals under Fred's command immediately calmed the tactical situation. Fred's single, devastating slash had forced the Centaur Clan to retreat, creating a temporary, fragile ceasefire.
Silas let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He knew the moment was perfect: the Centaur Clan had vented their rage, suffered catastrophic casualties, and now faced a fresh, equal force. The bloodlust was temporarily replaced by self-preservation.
Silas stepped forward, his voice cutting through the ringing silence. "Lulufu, Titus, shall we talk? The point of a battle is not mutual annihilation."
Lulufu and Titus's already grim expressions darkened with renewed, cold fury. Lulufu responded instantly, his voice a raw snarl. "There's nothing to talk about! If you don't hand over the two murderers who killed Vera, I will fight you to the death! Your death, and the death of every human here!"
"That's right! Hand over the demons who harmed our clan's children! Otherwise, there will only be war, and we will pursue it to the very gates of your cities!" Titus added, his anger fueled by the memory of the children slaughtered at Xiwa City.
Fred, the newly arrived human commander, narrowed his eyes, his gaze like a wolf's—cold, absolute, and utterly unforgiving. "If you want to fight, then fight! Do you really think we humans are afraid of you?!" he barked. "Even if all the humans here die today, do you truly believe I won't kill every single one of your Centaur Clan people present? Do you think the bodies of your lords and commanders will not join the corpses in this square?"
Lulufu met the challenge, his rage overriding his sense. "Is that so? Then let's fight! Why talk? FIGHT!!"
The Centaur Clan immediately erupted in furious, echoing roars. The human Professionals, having suffered heavily, were equally enraged. "I'VE PUT UP WITH YOU HORSE-FERS FOR TOO LONG!* Do you really think I'm afraid of you? FIGHT!" they screamed back.
"COME ON!" "COME ON!"
The two sides immediately launched into a frantic, chaotic, and deafening verbal assault, hurling curses, threats, and racial slurs at each other. But the cursing was fierce and relentless. The ones actually fighting… were none.
The battle had raged for hours, and both sides had suffered extremely heavy casualties. The dead lay scattered across the ground, grim, stark testimony to the cruelty of war. Under these circumstances, with both sides now appearing perfectly evenly matched—and critically, neither side in an absolute disadvantage—in reality, both had an intense, subconscious desire to retreat and lick their wounds. The immediate bloodlust was exhausted. It was simply that no one was willing to be the one to back down, as backing down meant losing face and giving the enemy a moral victory. This need for mutual, face-saving withdrawal was precisely what kept the situation locked in this stalemate, fueled by sound and fury rather than actual action.
The chaotic roars from both sides did not change Silas's expression; his gaze remained calm and strategically focused. He waited for the shouting to peak and begin to subside, then spoke, his voice carrying the sober weight of true authority.
Lulufu's grim expression was fixed, his eyes overflowing with fierce, unyielding light. "You don't need to worry about that! My concern is justice for my beloved, not your diplomatic nightmares!"
"I am certainly not worrying about you, Lulufu," Silas said, his voice laced with disdain. "I merely pity the countless innocents of both races who will die for your arrogance. You, Titus, and the other generals have lived through the great wartime. You know precisely how cruel a full-scale war between the races can be, especially when it is unnecessary."
Silas's expression remained calmly accusatory. "And this time, it was your Centaur Clan who threw the first, unprovoked stone, and you, Lulufu, were the one who charged blindly into the fray! Once a full-scale war breaks out, one that consumes territories and nations, you will not be a hero or a martyr. You will be universally branded the greatest sinner in the history of your clan."
Lulufu's face became absolutely ferocious. "I DON'T CARE!"
"Of course you don't care," Silas replied, his tone chillingly dismissive. "You are reckless, arrogant, cold-blooded, and unforgivably ruthless. You are the kind of leader who would personally send your own beloved—your Vera—to the battlefield simply to satisfy your vengeful greed, and then let her die because of it. What do you care about the lives of your soldiers or your civilians? Nothing. But what about others?"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Lulufu shrieked, his eyes almost literally spewing fire magic, his hand instinctively gripping the hilt of his weapon, ready to charge. The mention of Vera had ripped away his composure entirely.
But Silas ignored him completely. He had cornered the brute. Lulufu, with his single-minded obsession, was no longer the target. Silas turned his attention, his gaze locking onto the much more rational eyes of Titus and Locas, the other commanding Centaur Clan generals.
"Titus, Locas," Silas began, his voice taking on a reasoned, almost paternalistic tone that unnerved the Centaurs. "I heard about what happened today. Paradise retaliated against you, yes, killing many of your young clan members. For this, I express my deepest, official regret. However, I must state this truth for all to hear: the greatest responsibility for today's incident lies not with us humans, not even with the rogue assassins of Paradise, but with Lulufu."
He gestured dismissively toward the raging Centaur lord. "If it weren't for his greed, his attempt to hunt down our human genius purely for your clan's so-called rewards, how would things have escalated to this devastating point? He drew the assassin's sword onto his own people. He is the original sinner, not us."
Silas let his words sink in before delivering the final, tactical blow. "I can tell you, very responsibly, that today's incident is, for now, officially recorded as an accident—a localized friction. But if the situation continues to develop like this, with you blindly attacking our innocent citizens at the Sky Serpent Secret Realm and here at the Gloomy Jungle, then today's tragedy will no longer be an accident, but the norm! Are you truly prepared for such an endless result?"
"Humans do not actively seek trouble, but they are certainly not afraid of it. Today's battle, where you suffered horrific casualties and still stand opposed by a fully fresh human force under Fred's command, is the best proof. Do you think you can genuinely scare us into submission?"
Silas's voice became low and conspiratorial, directed only at the generals. "To take a step back: even if we lose today, and all the humans present are killed by you, and even I fall here. Do you think the matter will end? Will you be able to rest easy from then on, having massacred a sanctioned force?"
"I tell you, that is impossible."
"Our human high-level officials will never tolerate you tearing up the sacred Three-Race Truce Agreement. If you do so, our human high command will definitely make you pay the ultimate price—even if it means an all-out, existential war with your Centaur Clan, they will not hesitate! This is not vengeance; this is a necessity of statecraft."
He saw the fear flicker across Titus's face. "You probably think I'm exaggerating for effect? Then I must tell you—this is not an exaggeration, but a certainty. Because the truce agreement is a pact forged in blood between three great races! Besides you and us… there is also a third party: the Three-Eyed Clan."
"Even if it's only for the sake of maintaining the continued survival of the human race, our high-level officials must demonstrate to the Three-Eyed Clan the horrific consequences of easily tearing up the ancient agreement. They must see that we will fight to the last, thereby preventing them from being tempted to imitate your recklessness."
Silas paused, letting the geopolitical weight of the Three-Eyed Clan hang in the smoking air. "So if we continue to fight here, right now, at least for us… there will be no true winner. Only a catastrophic, mutually assured loss."
He glanced dismissively at Lulufu. "Lulufu is an absolute madman; he has no reason left, only his consuming bloodlust."
"But Titus, Locas… are you sure you want to go mad with this madman, sacrificing your entire clan's future for one senseless act of revenge?"
Silas's calculated words left Titus, Locas, and a host of the senior Centaur Clan Professionals stunned in place, the strategic argument overwhelming their emotional rage. They subconsciously looked at each other, the same question burning in their eyes: Are we committing suicide?
Lulufu, seeing his influence crumble, grew instantly anxious and roared furiously, "DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! Humans are always good at such glib, deceitful talk! They are trying to trick us!"
But Silas didn't even glance at him, his expression calmly fixed on the men who still held positions of sanity and power.
Titus's eyes flickered, the weight of the war, the dead children, and the threat of the Three-Eyed Clan pressing down on him. After a long, agonizing while, he finally raised his head, looking at Silas through gritted teeth. His voice was thick with reluctant, defeated fury.
"Then what do you propose to resolve this matter? Our innocent young clan members—and Vera—can't have died in vain, can they?! Give us the terms of peace, if you dare!"