Black Demon City!
One million two hundred thousand soldiers were stationed outside Black Demon City. The densely packed military camps looked like a huge city.
Everyone was waiting for the arrival of the Mammoth army.
Supplies flowed continuously into the camp, piling up like mountains.
At first, the chiefs of the Black Demon Banner tribes had been unwilling to send troops. Now, however, they were full of enthusiasm. They did not regard this as a war at all, but rather as a military parade, a gigantic event.
An army of more than 1.2 million was going to conquer a near human tribe of fewer than one hundred thousand people, and that tribe was already in ruins. A single monster had nearly destroyed it. Using more than a million soldiers to conquer it was practically a huge joke.
As a result, none of the chiefs had any sense of tension whatsoever.
After the army assembled, they no longer held a small banquet every three days and a large banquet every five days. Instead, they held three banquets every day, wishing they could get completely drunk every day.
Many chiefs had truly never seen such a grand occasion in their entire lives. It was magnificent, spectacular and overwhelming.
At noon, more than a hundred chiefs were holding yet another banquet inside the enormous tent, drinking and boasting loudly.
“This isn’t even a proper war. Once our million strong army reaches that pathetic Flame Demon Tribe, one person could probably destroy their broken settlement.”
“I am telling you, once we charge in, don’t kill everyone immediately. There are plenty of prisoners inside, and we can deal with them afterwards.”
“More than a million of us against fewer than one hundred thousand of them. What could they possibly do?”
“Their chief Lanling supposedly looks rather delicate too.”
“Lanling is probably not someone we ordinary soldiers will get to deal with. Son in law Nai Shu will probably take care of him personally before taking his head.”
“Perhaps Lord Nai Shu will deal with Lanling and his family himself. That would certainly be interesting.”
At that moment, the entire ground suddenly trembled, and the cups on the tables nearly jumped into the air.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
At the same time, dull, thunderous sounds echoed from outside.
“Was that an earthquake?” one chief asked casually.
Immediately afterwards, countless soldiers outside began shouting in alarm.
The chiefs hurriedly pulled open the windows of the tent and looked outside.
They all drew a sharp breath.
They had witnessed a scene they had never seen before.
One enormous figure after another appeared from the west, almost blocking out the sun.
The Mammoth army!
Everyone knew how enormous the Mammoth warriors were, but actually seeing them gathered together was still an overwhelming shock.
This Mammoth army consisted of two types.
The first type walked on four legs, but their forelimbs could transform into powerful hands capable of wielding weapons. These were the Mammoth warriors.
The second type resembled centaurs. They had four massive elephant legs, while their upper bodies possessed two enormous arms. These were the Mammoth riders.
Every upright Mammoth warrior was more than fifteen metres tall. Their legs were over a metre in diameter, and each weighed more than tens of thousands of kilograms.
The Mammoth riders, who moved on all four legs and possessed two powerful arms, were around twelve metres tall and eighteen metres long, weighing more than one hundred thousand kilograms.
Every Mammoth warrior wore enormous armour, making each one look like a moving fortress.
This time, the Mammoth tribe had dispatched two thousand warriors. Apart from those needed to defend their own territory, almost the entire fighting force of the tribe had been mobilised.
Although the Mammoth tribe had been on very poor terms with the Black Demon Banner family, they would still faithfully honour their ancient agreement. At a critical moment, they would fight for the Black Demon Banner without holding anything back.
They had even prepared their own provisions and transported huge quantities of bananas with them.
The two thousand Mammoth warriors looked even more imposing than the million strong Black Demon Banner army.
They stretched for more than ten miles, seemingly endless.
When Nai Shu saw the Mammoth warriors appear from the highest castle, his eyes widened to their limit. For a moment, he even stopped breathing.
When he had previously accompanied his father to visit the Mammoth tribe, he had seen several Mammoth warriors, but only a few at a time.
Now, seeing two thousand Mammoth warriors assembled together was utterly breathtaking.
He could not imagine what it would look like when the Mammoth warriors attacked a city.
The walls of the Flame Demon Tribe would be unable to withstand even twenty of them, let alone two thousand.
Two thousand Mammoth warriors would even be more than enough to attack Black Demon City itself.
Nai Shu even suspected that a single charge from these Mammoths could easily crush the city walls.
Fortunately, the Mammoth tribe was peaceful and had no ambitions of conquest. If such a powerful neighbouring tribe had been led by an ambitious chief, the Black Demon Banner would have faced a tremendous threat.
The two thousand Mammoth warriors entered the army’s camp.
The million soldiers surrounding them all held their breath and stared at this seemingly invincible army, afraid that even breathing too loudly might provoke the Mammoths.
The chief of the Mammoth tribe was an extraordinarily powerful warrior named Blood Fang.
He led several warriors to the gates of Black Demon City and said, “Honoured Black Demon family, according to the agreement made three hundred years ago, the Mammoth tribe has brought its army to provide support and fight for the Black Demon family.”
The Black Demon Banner Lord and Nai Shu flew towards the Mammoth chief on two Gryphons.
“Welcome, honoured Chief Blood Fang. Welcome to all the mighty warriors of the Mammoth tribe.”
Chief Blood Fang gave a flawless formal bow before leading his army towards the Mammoth camp to establish their position.
Now, all the armies had arrived.
One million two hundred thousand Black Demon Banner soldiers, three thousand Gryphon Knights, five hundred Dragon Eagle Knights sent by Rakshasa City, and two thousand Mammoth warriors.
This was a military force capable of shaking the heavens and earth.
Using it to destroy a tiny Flame Demon Tribe was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito.
“Grand banquet tonight. At dawn tomorrow, the army marches!” the Black Demon Banner Lord ordered.
…
Last night, the million strong army outside Black Demon City held an unprecedented banquet and celebration.
There was endless wine and countless delicacies.
Only the Mammoth tribe maintained its simple lifestyle, eating nothing but the bananas they had brought with them.
Many people wondered whether they could really have enough strength without eating meat. How could the Mammoths become so powerful by eating only bananas?
At dawn, the sun rose.
The million strong Black Demon Banner army swept away the atmosphere of last night’s celebration and became solemn and filled with murderous intent.
One million two hundred thousand soldiers stood in perfect formation.
The infantry and cavalry formed enormous battle formations.
Ten thousand infantry formed each enormous formation.
Three thousand cavalry formed each cavalry formation.
One hundred Mammoth warriors formed each Mammoth formation.
In the sky, one thousand Gryphon Knights formed one aerial formation, while five hundred Dragon Eagle Knights formed another.
Two hundred ground formations covered the earth, stretching for dozens or even hundreds of kilometres.
Above them, four aerial formations blocked out the sky.
Such a military force would have been enough to attack an entire kingdom in the human world.
Yet this terrifying force was now being sent against a tiny Flame Demon Tribe.
The commander of this million strong army was once again the Rakshasa King’s son in law, Nai Shu.
This time, he rode a huge Dragon Eagle, circling above the entire army.
“A group of lowly near humans fled here from the northern Wilderness, entered the territory of the Black Demon Banner, killed our people, occupied our land and insulted the dignity of the great Rakshasa King. Are you willing to tolerate this?” Nai Shu roared.
“No!”
The million strong army roared together, their voices shaking the heavens.
“A lowly near human named Lanling has openly established this so called Flame Demon Tribe in the territory of our Rakshasa people. He has even taken women from our tribe. Are you willing to tolerate this?”
“No!”
The million soldiers roared together.
“For the honour of the Black Demon Banner, for the supreme dignity of His Majesty the Rakshasa King, I shall lead this million strong army to crush the Flame Demon Tribe and destroy every man within it. Are you willing to follow me into battle?”
“Willing! Willing!”
The million soldiers shouted together.
“Destroy the Flame Demon Tribe!”
“Destroy Lanling and his forces!”
Nai Shu laughed viciously.
“Then follow me and crush the Flame Demon Tribe. March!”
A thunderous war horn sounded.
The million strong army began moving.
The entire earth trembled beneath their footsteps as they advanced towards the Flame Demon Tribe in a magnificent, unstoppable tide.
This was a magnificent march.
This was an earth shaking march.
Nai Shu’s heart was filled with pride as he looked down upon the endless army.
This was his army.
When his million strong army reached the walls of the Flame Demon Tribe, how terrified would Lanling be?
Would the people of the Flame Demon Tribe be so frightened that they would completely lose their nerve?
This was a destructive force.
It was enough to erase the lowly Flame Demon Tribe from the world.
“Shayan, wait for me to present you with Lanling’s head!”
“Lanling, can you hear my war horn? I will make you understand what Nai Shu’s fury is, and what the fury of the Rakshasa royal family is.”
“Anyone who insults my dignity, anyone who insults the dignity of the great Rakshasa royal family, will be utterly destroyed!”
Nai Shu commanded the million strong army forward, his heart filled with boundless pride.
The million strong army surged eastward like a gigantic black tide.
However…
At that moment!
A Gryphon suddenly appeared on the horizon.
Riding it was the Death Warrior Constantine.
He held a blood red flag in his left hand and a scroll of parchment in his right.
Alone on his mount, he flew directly before the million strong army of the Black Demon Banner.
Everyone stared at him in confusion.
Who was this person?
What was he trying to do?
The Death Warrior stopped one thousand metres before Nai Shu’s army, unfolded the parchment, infused it with magical energy and loudly read:
“Lowly young master of the Black Demon Banner, Nai Shu. You rely on powerful connections and the authority of others to act arrogantly. You have repeatedly offended the Flame Demon Tribe and insulted the supreme dignity of my master, Lanling. Your crimes are unforgivable and deserve death. On behalf of my master Lanling, I hereby issue a final ultimatum to the Black Demon Banner Lord. Hand Nai Shu over to us for execution, otherwise you will bear the consequences.”
The entire army fell into dead silence.
Then countless people burst into laughter.
Lanling had actually sent someone to Black Demon City to demand that the Black Demon Banner Lord hand over Nai Shu?
Was he an idiot?
Had he gone completely mad?
Constantine said, “So you refuse?”
He then took out another parchment and read:
“The Black Demon Banner Lord remains stubborn and refuses to submit. On behalf of the Flame Demon Tribe, I formally declare war upon you. Shortly, my master Lanling will lead his army to your gates and destroy you all.”
A formal declaration of war?
Everyone below was practically going insane.
Their million strong army was already marching to destroy his tiny settlement, yet he had come to declare war on them first?
Constantine finished speaking and threw the declaration of war directly towards Nai Shu.
Nai Shu caught it with one hand.
Constantine then turned his Gryphon around and flew away.
It took Nai Shu a long moment to recover.
He had gathered a million soldiers and had just begun his magnificent march.
And now Lanling had come to declare war on him and claimed that he would soon reach Black Demon City.
This was more than humiliation.
It was as if someone had deliberately ruined his entire moment of triumph.
Nai Shu had been filled with excitement, ready to overwhelm the Flame Demon Tribe and enjoy Lanling’s fear.
Instead, Lanling was not afraid at all.
He had actually come looking for him.
His grand departure ceremony, his pride, his excitement, everything had been ruined.
Besides, where was Lanling’s army?
Could it be that he had brought the remaining forces of the Flame Demon Tribe to attack Black Demon City?
After the three headed Chimera’s attack, hardly any of the Flame Demon Tribe’s forces remained.
In his fury, Nai Shu shouted:
“Charge! Destroy Lanling and his pathetic forces!”
Immediately, Nai Shu’s million strong army surged forward like a tidal wave.
…
Three hundred kilometres away.
Nai Shu finally saw Lanling’s… army?
Outside a huge forest, Lanling sat upon a tall warhorse.
Behind him stood…
Thirteen people.
Was this his army?
This madman had brought thirteen people to attack Black Demon City?
Was he really planning to fight the million strong army of Black Demon City with thirteen people?
He had completely lost his mind!
One chief stepped forward and said, “Lord Nai Shu, I will lead five thousand cavalry to tear that Lanling apart and destroy his pathetic forces.”
“Approved,” Nai Shu said.
Immediately, the chief led five thousand cavalry forward like a surging tide.
Five thousand cavalry were insignificant compared with the million strong army, but compared with Lanling’s thirteen people, they were like a gigantic wave, creating an overwhelming spectacle.
“Boom, boom, boom…”
The thunderous sound of hooves struck the ground.
The five thousand barbarian cavalry drew closer and closer to Lanling.
Two thousand metres.
One thousand metres.
Five hundred metres.
Three hundred metres.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”
Countless arrows suddenly shot out from the forest.
A terrifying rain of arrows.
Every centaur was an expert archer. At such close range, their accuracy was devastating.
In only a brief moment, the entire force of five thousand cavalry had been wiped out.