"Slaughter the city!?"
Cerydra was stunned.
Hysilens was also a little dumbfounded.
Tribbie, Trianne, and Trissha stopped giggling and opened their eyes wide.
"Yes!"
"Only by slaughtering the city to establish dominance and deter the surrounding city-states can we eliminate the kings' covetousness towards the 'Tribbies' and quickly end the Chrysos War."
Saying this, Ryuga looked at Tribbie.
"How many of you are left?"
Tribbie: "113."
"One thousand 'Tribbies', and now only 113 remain. Nearly 900 Tribbies died due to the greed of those kings."
Ryuga clenched his fists, the joints cracking.
If he hadn't arrived in time, would there only be 112 left?
"You came from there. Tell us the latest situation in Olenos."
Ryuga looked at Trissha.
"Mm! Olenos has fallen into a long night. Terrifying creatures are constantly emerging from the Black Tide, and the entire city-state is in chaos."
"Many, many Olenos people have been corrupted into monsters by the Black Tide."
Even though it was over, Trissha's small face was still pale as paper, her lips trembling slightly.
It wasn't fear; it was pain.
If she had tried harder.
Could she have saved more people?
"Look! Since they've all been corrupted anyway, we might as well slaughter them all."
Ryuga said, without the slightest hesitation.
"But—"
"There will still be innocent civilians and unknowing soldiers hiding in the city-state. If we indiscriminately slaughter them all..."
Cerydra clenched the scepter in her hand, her brow furrowed.
The world called her a tyrant, but that was a term of contempt.
Don't forget, she is the Demigod of Law.
She only kills the guilty.
"At this moment, we must place our hope in our future Demigod of Death."
Ryuga suddenly raised his hand, patted Castorice's shoulder, and smiled.
"Huh?"
Castorice blinked blankly.
"I see!"
Tribbie understood.
"The Demigod of Death also has the ability to perceive souls. The pure are like morning dew, and the corrupted are like sludge."
"The guilty will be executed; the innocent can be ferried and resurrected."
Ryuga said.
"Resurrection?"
Cerydra was stunned, staring at Ryuga's profile.
With that, the slight emotional resistance to slaughtering the city instantly vanished.
Kill them well.
Kill them very well.
They didn't have the time to individually discern the guilty from the innocent.
But the Demigod of Death does.
"Yes, people know that the Demigod of Death can bestow death, but they overlook that she can also reject death."
"New life can sprout even in the midst of deathly silence."
Hysilens gently nodded.
The wind blew, and the bonfire crackled.
"..."
Castorice sat there in a daze, feeling a heavy burden suddenly placed on her shoulders.
"Alright, I'll go alone."
Saying this, Ryuga opened the Anywhere Door. Under Trissha's guidance, the children passed
through one by one, heading to Okhema.
"..."
So, why did you even make us come here?
Cerydra sat by the fire, giving Ryuga a blank look, feeling a bit speechless.
Even though Olenos was corrupted by the Black Tide, the remaining forces were estimated to be around ten thousand.
"I brought you here to collect the spoils of war."
Ryuga grinned at Cerydra, flashing a mouthful of white teeth.
Then, he leaped onto the back of the World-Ender dragon.
The dragon spread its wings and soared into the sky.
"March, you stay with Cerydra."
"Sakura, come with me."
Ryuga commanded from above.
It was getting dark, and March 7th would likely freeze into a block of ice again. Staying with Cerydra was safe.
Don't let her small stature fool you; her strength is considerable.
"Yes, Boss."
Sakura lightly parted her cherry lips, her toes barely touching the ground as she gracefully leaped onto the dragon's back.
Ryuga patted the giant dragon's head. The World-Ender let out a low growl, flapped its wings fiercely, and sped towards Cerydra's Legion.
It circled high in the sky, like a deity looking down on the mortal world.
"All nations in the four directions—all who dare to offend the Saintess shall have their country destroyed, their race eradicated, and their lineage severed!!"
"Men of Cerydra's Legion!"
"Follow me to war!"
Ryuga's voice boomed like rolling thunder, echoing in the ears of every soldier.
In an instant, the soldiers' blood boiled.
The flames of vengeance burned in their eyes.
They raised their weapons, roaring and shouting, converging into a monstrous tide of fury.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
"Destroy their country, eradicate their race!"
"Destroy their country, eradicate their race!"
The shouts swept across the battlefield like a tsunami.
Ryuga's eyes were cold as iron. He turned the dragon's head and quickly flew towards the city-state of Olenos.
The entire city-state was deathly black. Half of the ground had been corrupted by the Black Tide, and viscous black sludge was everywhere.
The remaining soldiers were no longer human.
Their corrupted bodies were twisted and deformed, with bizarre black and orange-red rock formations growing on their skin.
Their eyes were empty, and they wandered the streets like walking corpses.
Occasionally, they let out low, muffled whimpers.
"How disgusting."
"They look even more disgusting than the 'zombies'."
Sakura frowned, her fingertips instinctively covering her cherry lips.
This was the first time she had seen the product of the Black Tide's corruption. The twisted forms and putrid stench instinctively reminded her of the Honkai zombies.
In fact, the humanoid ones looked quite similar.
"Heh, you stay on the World-Ender's back."
Sakura nodded. She was a woman of few words.
She does what the Boss tells her to do.
"World-Ender, surround the city-state with a sea of fire. Absolutely no one is to escape."
Ryuga commanded.
"Yes, Master."
The giant dragon let out a low cry, and bright purple flames ignited in its eyes.
Then it soared high, spitting out a raging inferno. Pillars of fire rained down from the sky, relentlessly scouring the ground and completely encircling the entire city-state.
The flames blazed, illuminating half the sky.
Ryuga leaped down from the dragon's back.
He crashed into the city center square like a falling meteor.
Before the Black Tide creations could react, the Heavenly Blaze in his hand swept out, and shadowy flames engulfed the surroundings in swathes, devouring the wandering, aberrant bodies.
Where the fire passed, the monsters' bones shattered, and the stench of decay and scorching instantly filled the air.
"Soul-Siphon Strike!"
Stack one layer if possible.
The Blaze was like thunder, and the power of shadow condensed into a spiral shockwave, erupting with a roar.
Countless corrupted soldiers were torn into ashes amidst their screams, their souls swept into the Underworld.
Ryuga's stern face showed no pity or hesitation, only killing to deter further killing.
Fighting!
So satisfying.
To be continued…