Chapter 12 Endgame
While Bai Zhe focused his attention on studying the vast landscape of spatial magic, the flames of war in the Green Forest plane had already spread to its third year.
Over the course of three years, the Holy Terra Empire, with its exceptional military technology and ever-flowing manpower, gradually seized control of the war. The imperial army advanced with unstoppable momentum, steadily and surely encroaching upon the Wood Elves' homeland and land. Meanwhile, the priests of the Cult of Life lurked in the shadows of the battlefield, skillfully employing various methods to divide and weaken the Wood Elves' will to resist. More and more Wood Elf tribes, under the influence of the Cult of Life, chose to surrender or remain neutral, rarely putting up any resistance.
Meanwhile, the gods in the world of gods were busy dividing up their newly acquired share of faith, engaging in internal strife and conflict. Only Bai Zhe remained steadfast, unmoved by the external strife, quietly expanding his faith territory and extending it into new realms.
The Bloodfang Tribe, once renowned as the strongest wood elf tribe in the Green Forest world, became the last bastion against the iron hooves of the Holy Terra Empire. Commanded personally by Chief "Bonebreaker" Kaza, the warriors of the Bloodfang Tribe, drawing upon their profound understanding of the forest, waged guerrilla warfare, tenaciously resisting the empire's onslaught. Though these elven warriors were as agile as the wind, they were ultimately no match for the empire's overwhelming military might and relentless offensive.
Time flies, and as the years passed, the Bloodfang Clan's living space shrank, resources dwindled, and the battle lines became increasingly difficult to maintain. Even more devastating was the fact that the Cult of Life's infiltration had spread like a plague within the Bloodfang Clan. Some Wood Elves, dissatisfied with Kaza's rule, secretly contacted the priests of the Cult of Life, seeking so-called "redemption" and "rebirth."
Finally, in the third year of the Green Forest Plane War, the Holy Terra Empire's army launched an unprecedented all-out offensive. The forces assembled this time were unprecedented, with tens of thousands of elite soldiers, dozens of Titan mammoths, venomous wyverns and earth-walking giant scorpions, and even dozens of high priests of the Cult of Life, all galloping across the battlefield to meet the Bloodfang Tribe's last line of defense.
With the help of the Black Goat, the Imperial army surrounded the last refuge of the Bloodfang Tribe—the Wood Elf city built atop a towering ancient tree. The siege lasted a full month. The Imperial army used catapults and giant crossbows to bombard the city's fortifications, while venomous wyverns circled in the air, spewing deadly poisonous mist, and giant earth scorpions dug tunnels underground like ghosts, attempting to tear the Wood Elves' defenses apart from within.
The warriors of the Bloodfang tribe continued to fight bravely, but faced with the overwhelming enemy forces, their defenses gradually crumbled, and the city's outskirts were on the verge of falling.
On the eve of the decisive battle, Chief Qaza decided to mobilize the tribe's last remaining strength for a desperate fight. Standing in the city square, facing the last wave of soldiers, he raised his weapon and shouted in a booming voice:
"Warriors of the Bloodfang Tribe! Today is a moment of life and death! Those invaders from another world want to trample our homeland and enslave us to death! They are invincible, they kill everything, they harm all living beings, they burn our forests, and they want to force us to surrender! However, we will never yield! For freedom, for the Green Forest, for our glorious homeland, we swear to fight to the death!"
"Even if we fight to the last soldier, we will never let them succeed!"
Kaza's declaration ignited the fighting spirit of the wood elf warriors like a blazing fire. The soldiers raised their weapons high and shouted in unison, "Fight for Green Forest! We will never retreat!"
However, at that moment, a strange figure suddenly leaped out from the ranks of warriors. This person was dressed in tattered animal hides, his face smeared with green paint, and outwardly appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary wood elf warrior. However, his eyes were completely different from those of the wood elves around him—they shone with a fanatical and devout light, his eyes gleaming with the radiance of supreme faith in the god of survival.
"For the God of Preservation!" he shouted, and his figure flashed like lightning to Kaza's side.
The dagger, gleaming with an eerie green light, pierced Kaza's heart with lightning speed. Kaza's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
"You...you..." He hesitated, but a sharp pain prevented him from uttering any sound. The green light spread rapidly, and parasitic plants, bacteria, viruses, and spore mushrooms poured out of the wound like a flood, ravaging his body.
"Chieftain...Chieftain..." a wood elf warrior cried out, but it all happened too fast, and chaos quickly spread.
The wood elves quickly realized that Kaza had been betrayed, and that the betrayer was one of their own. Anger and fear instantly swept across the square. The warriors surrounded the assassin, but he, empowered by the Cult of Life, unleashed astonishing fighting power, wielding his dagger and repelling the wood elves who attacked him like a storm.
"The God of Preservation is our savior!" the assassin shouted fanatically. "He will lead us to true freedom and equality! Join the Cult of Life! This is your only way out!"
Chaos swept across the square like a violent storm, and the Empire's final blow followed. Without leadership, the Bloodfang Tribe warriors were like a headless dragon, unable to mount any effective resistance. Under the onslaught of the Holy Terra Empire's iron cavalry, they quickly crumbled. The Wood Elves' last line of defense finally collapsed.
This protracted battle ultimately ended in victory for the Holy Terra Empire. The Bloodfang Tribe was completely wiped out, and no resistance force in the Green Forest world escaped. The empire's banner flew high over this once verdant land.
Soon after, the entire Green Forest world was trampled under the iron heel of the Holy Terra Empire, and the Wood Elves were forced to accept the teachings of the God of Survival and become his faithful followers. The Wood Elf assassin who killed Kaza was also revered as a hero of the Cult of Life, and his deeds spread throughout the Green Forest world, making him an object of worship for countless believers.
However, few know that the so-called "Wood Elf Assassin" was actually a pawn carefully placed by the Cult of Life. This person was none other than Chris, the legendary problem solver of the Cult of Life, whose sole mission was to assassinate Qaza, create chaos, and pave the way for the Empire's ultimate victory.
Later, when Chris was interviewed by a busybody, he was asked what he felt when he killed Kaza. Chris said that he was trying to calculate the many reactions and effects that might occur when a systemic colony of one ounce of Ser399 parasitic seeds was implanted into the body of an extremely strong wood elf.
Regardless, the conquest of Green Forest brought endless resources and spiritual power, and also provided Bai Zhe with a more solid territory to rule. However, he was not satisfied with this, and his gaze had already turned to the distant and vast void.
Meanwhile, in the world of gods, while the gods were busy redividing the realms of faith, no one noticed that Bai Zhe had quietly taken over another world.
His desires, like the monstrous black goat he created, swelled infinitely and without end