Chapter 90: The Decisive Blow and the Valley Ambush

Clang!

Two weapons intersected, locking together, the saber above, the sword below.

To an observer, this clash appeared unremarkable, yet it swiftly blossomed into a fatal opening.

In that very moment, Wang maintained her defensive posture, shielding Cai. Her right hand, extended behind her back, was poised to bring an end to the protracted battle.

From You’s perspective, the longsword, deftly manipulated by his opponent’s fingertips, crossed paths with the sharp saber.

The sword hilt spun forward, thrusting directly towards You’s wrist.

*Thwack!* The pain caused You to instinctively jerk his wrist upwards, sending the saber flying over his head.

Cunning schemes were You’s forte; a decisive finish with a sword was Wang’s advantage.

The instant You, blinded by rage, forgot his stratagems and exposed himself to his opponent’s superior skill, his fate was sealed.

The sword’s edge, following the upward sweep of its wielder’s arm, executed a downward slash.

The blade didn’t touch him directly; it merely cut through the air between them, a phantom strike.

Clang!

As the sword descended, the saber rang out. A faint, thin line appeared on You’s forehead, separated from the blade by only a hair’s breadth.

Red began to spread from both ends of the mark, not deepening the cut but changing its color.

*Crack!* The sword fell, and the saber shattered.

Simultaneously, the blood-red mark branched out, tracing across You’s entire body, from his forehead downwards, severing his life force from within.

Then, silence. Only a body remained, toppling backward to the ground.

Perhaps dust stirred in its wake, but until the moment his form returned to the earth, no unusual sound or tremor was heard.

****

In his final moments, Wang did not turn back.

She had no desire to look upon her deceased opponent, nor words to speak to him.

Wang’s lips curled into a crooked smirk, her brows furrowing before relaxing, her teeth bared in a defiant, untamed grin.

The sword was simply raised, then held high. Its absolute sharpness was fixed in a single direction, yet the ripple it caused shook the entire battlefield, inside and out.

“Who wishes to be the next to sleep eternally? Step forward!”

The shock of their commander’s death far surpassed the casualties among the rank-and-file soldiers.

Already, more than half the soldiers had been terrified into submission by You’s sudden demise.

When Wang’s roar echoed, an intense will to survive seized the tens of thousands of ordinary people surrounding them.

To step forward, or to stand against the sword-wielding monster, both meant instant death.

Many soldiers, and even several generals, lacked the self-discipline to faithfully carry out their mission.

Their obedience to You had been born of his authority and their position within the army, compelling them to follow orders.

Now that the one who issued commands was dead, what purpose did it serve for the officers and soldiers to remain?

The possibility of slaying the demon leader was utterly nonexistent.

If the soldiers bravely charged forward, the best they could hope for was to be posthumously honored as martyrs.

Ultimately, they would only receive a title, while their families back home would not receive a single coin in compensation.

This outcome—rushing to the battlefield only to return home in a coffin—was something no one, from the highest ranks to the lowest, was willing to accept.

The entire army chose to believe the demon leader had shown mercy, granting them a chance to leave alive.

How could such enthusiastic goodwill be refused?

This army, having lost all will to fight, turned in unison, a collective, awkward chuckle rippling through their ranks.

Those with horses were fortunate, able to whip their steeds into a swift escape.

Those without had to toil, forcing their two legs to perform with the efficiency of four.

In a short while, the vast battlefield was left with only two figures.

The two figures clung to each other. Once the slightly taller one confirmed the area was safe, the last vestiges of her strength dissipated.

“It’s still… time for it to end…”

The person who had been protecting Cai leaned her head, relieved, half her body collapsing onto the soft shoulder beside her, preparing to do something.

As if in response to her expectation, a dense, radiant light spontaneously swirled around them, bringing with it the voice of a young girl:

“Do you need me?”

Listening to this unfamiliar cry, the person pressed her dizzy head, laboriously contemplating her cherished wish.

She needed a little more time before expressing her final request.

During this interval, attention could turn back to the fleeing army…

The long-standing habits of military life meant that even as this army collectively deserted, no one among them broke formation.

Perhaps they felt that even in their desperate flight, they and their old comrades, with whom they had eaten in the same unit, should remain orderly.

Not dispersing to flee had obvious benefits.

Should they encounter self-employed brigands, the soldiers could at least form teams to resist.

The drawbacks of maintaining formation were equally apparent.

Should they face a significant danger, every soldier in the army would be buried in a foreign land.

Unfortunately, an unprecedented catastrophe awaited the tens of thousands of soldiers ahead.

“Rolling stones, wooden barricades! Throw everything down without reservation!”

The army entered a valley, not yet truly returning to safety, when death descended upon them.

The ambushers, long lying in wait along the sole unavoidable path, appeared one by one from behind the cliffs.

These burly soldiers, in groups of ten or more, pushed out massive boulders, each large enough to crush an adult, with no hesitation.

The boulders rolled a mere fraction of an inch, then lifted off the ground one by one, losing their support as they hurtled rapidly into the valley.

With the momentum of their plummeting descent, the rolling stones let out a tremendous roar, smashing into the valley floor with thunderous force!

*Boom! Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!*

As the colossal stones descended, the soldiers, enveloped in their vast shadows, instinctively looked up.

In the next instant, these men were transformed into blood-soaked skeletons, and vivid crimson immediately stained the entire valley a gory red.

Escape from this death trap was virtually impossible.

Stone blocks formed a solid barrier seven to eight meters high, sealing off the valley’s rear exit.

As for the path ahead, it stretched for hundreds of meters.

Considering the destructive power of the rolling stones, merely avoiding them was a challenge for the soldiers; how could they possibly preserve their lives while advancing to the distant exit?

Furthermore, who said stones were the only means of attack?

“First wave complete! Second wave, continue!”

The commander on the cliff waved his signal flag repeatedly, ceaselessly directing his subordinates.

Under strict orders, archers and crossbowmen, each with bows strung and arrows at their backs, replaced the strong soldiers at their original positions.

From four different directions on both sides, countless crossbow bolts rained down, a furious barrage.

The arrows formed a deadly rain, leaving no blind spots as the lambs to the slaughter entered their range one by one.

The massive,环状 compressed encirclement naturally tightened at a certain moment, closing in from all directions, piercing each targeted individual.

After two waves of ambush, You’s subordinates were left in a tragic state.

Most soldiers, facing a threat to their lives, had no leisure to notice the ambushers on the hillside.

Only a handful, having luckily dodged the stone bombardment, quickly glanced up, their eyes sweeping to the flag planted on the mountaintop.

This sight was alarming; some individuals froze on the spot, utterly dumbfounded.

Two or three soldiers who hadn’t been scared senseless struggled to gasp out a word, their hoarse cries spreading through the air:

“The Kingdom of Sero’s flag! How are those people here?”

The mastermind behind the ‘Seven Great Nations’ Extermination of the Demon Race’ incident, that cunning king, calmly overlooked the reactions of the clowns below.

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