Chapter 257: The Rampage of High-Ranking Hunters!

Chapter 257

The Rampage of High-Ranking Hunters!

"Now, we have 4,000 soldiers and 8,600 beasts ready. The group of poison users are also prepared. We must be very cautious in this battle for the city. The hunters of the Ares Kingdom’s association are highly versatile fighters. Their unpredictability will be a challenge for us. However...it won’t be too difficult if our poison strategy succeeds; they have a chance to win."

"Even though they know we have poison users, it doesn’t mean they’re always ready to counter it. While our soldiers engage the enemy, they will likely search for the poison users and try to eliminate them quickly. During this time, we won’t reveal our poison users."

"Once the battle is halfway through and they let their guard down, the poison users from the Seven Night Poison group will disguise themselves as ordinary soldiers, riding alongside me. They’ll pose as high-ranking soldiers in full armor. I will then challenge the enemy leader to a duel."

"Of course, the duel is just a ruse. Regardless of the outcome, the poison users will attack from the center and annihilate them. This will be our way to deal with these unorganized fighters who lack a proper battle plan!"

The leader of the Rhea Kingdom spoke with confidence. He was sure his plan would succeed. By using himself as bait to challenge the enemy, he would give the poison users time to decimate the enemy troops from within. By the time the enemy realized it...their poison users would already be in the center of the enemy ranks.

They had lost 3 out of 5 battles so far because the major noble families had managed to counter their poison effectively. Their strategy had always been to launch poison attacks first to reduce the enemy’s numbers. However, the noble families had ample resources. Once they detected poison, they quickly consumed antidotes.

The Setter family was even more formidable. They only used magical devices to gather and contain the poison instantly, rendering it useless.

Upon learning that the Ares Kingdom had developed better methods to counter poison, the Rhea Kingdom had to adapt their strategy. Using all their poison at once without effect and relying solely on combat strength would leave them at a disadvantage.

It should be said that the fighters of the Rhea Kingdom were well aware that their physical abilities were not on par with the rigorous training of the Ares Kingdom. However, they had powerful beasts under their control, which allowed them to gather resources comparable to other kingdoms.

Unfortunately, their beast training was not as advanced, and the beasts under their control could still escape in emergency situations. This put beast users in a difficult position, making it common for them to control more than 1 beast to spread the risk. Among the 2 beasts, one might not betray them.

Despite this, if a beast user was ambushed, it would be the end for them due to their weak physical strength. How could they protect themselves?

The Ares Kingdom’s people surely knew about their physical weakness. So, if they issued a one-on-one challenge, the Ares people would likely be surprised and accept the challenge easily. Well...who wouldn’t seize a chance for victory when it seemed so close?

"If you understand...then move forward! Show them that the Ares Kingdom isn’t superior to us! Today is the day the Rhea Kingdom rises above them!"

The army leader declared boldly. Although many in the army were initially reluctant to fight, once the war began, they had to muster their courage. Even if they didn’t want to fight, they would be dealt with anyway. So, why not fight for their survival!?

"Hooray!!" The soldiers’ voices roared, loud enough to reach the ears of the hunters in the Ares Kingdom. However, unlike the Rhea Kingdom soldiers who had to pretend to want to fight, the Ares hunters were eager for battle!

"Remember, one head equals 20 silver coins! That’s more than a day’s work! Even if I get injured, I have to take down at least one enemy. If I have to die...I’ll make sure to take an enemy with me!"

"Ha! I’m doing this for my wife and kids. Just let me kill 10 of them!"

"Come on, little kitties, become our money!!" The association leader had never expected to see the hunters so bloodthirsty. Hearing their eagerness was shocking. Who would have thought they valued money this much?

Oh, well! Never mind the reason, but thanks to Luke, who disappeared before the war started, he helped him find a great way out. Now, there’s no need for orders; the hunters were all ready to fight.

Time passed, and the enemy’s footsteps grew closer. Just like the students used to do, this was their battlefield, so the enemies had to face various stratagems laid out in advance to welcome them. However, the enemy wasn’t foolish. Before engaging with their own forces, they released their beasts from the cages first.

It seemed they had learned from previous experiences. Worthless beasts were sent out to trigger the stratagems, revealing their locations and its type. Thus, the stratagems meticulously laid out became ineffective.

"Roar!!"

"Howl!!!"

"Kee, kee, kee!!" The sounds of the beasts from the Rhea Kingdom soldiers echoed, serving as an excellent intimidation tactic. While the hunters numbered around 4,000-5,000, the enemy had 3 times as many. Without steadfast resolve, they might have been terrified.

"They aren’t panicking at all. As expected of the hunters from the Ares Kingdom, they seem seasoned. Their demeanor is no different from the soldiers of the major families. Our cautious approach from the beginning was indeed the best strategy," the military leaders of the Rhea Kingdom exchanged glances.

If it were the 2 cities that had already fallen, their reactions would have been obvious. Seeing the enemy with such a multitude of beasts, they would have been frightened. Some might even have fled to the back. But these hunters, even the soldiers from the 3 major noble families, showed no signs of fear.

Initially, they thought these hunters were just commoners without background and would be easily intimidated. They never expected them to be this brave.

"Even if they aren’t panicking, the outcome is already determined. Now...let the frontline advance!!" The army leader sneered. He was eager to see the confident hunters’ reactions when they realized that sheer strength wouldn’t be enough. He wondered how they would feel when that time came.

The frontline of the Rhea Kingdom moved as ordered, sending massive beasts to clash with the hunters. Most of these beasts were large bears with thick hides, making them tough to deal with, and powerful claws and immense strength.

With the initial charge, many hunters fell prey, but several beasts were also taken down. It was a fair exchange of blows.

However, amid the fierce battle, with continuous sounds of fighting and some bodies of the hunters from Ares side falling, alternating with the Rhea side, it took nearly 3 minutes for them to notice something was wrong.

Boom!!!

The figure of a beast, over 7 meters tall, was only a shadow before it crushed both the Rhea Kingdom soldiers and their beasts in one fell swoop, taking down 20-30 in an instant. The beast’s weight wasn’t immense, but the deafening explosion it caused ensured no one beneath it had a chance to react. Those within a 100-meter radius began falling mysteriously, one by one.

“W-What is that?!!”

“Oh my God!! Is that a frog? A beastly frog? Does the Ares Kingdom have such beasts in their forests???”

“No! It’s not a wild beast; it’s definitely controlled! Look at the back of that demon frog! There’s a human riding it!”

“What? This beast is tamed?”

“Impossible! Even our Rhea Kingdom, known for our prowess in taming beasts, can’t capture and control such a high-level beast!”

“Then what could it be!? It’s clear enough, isn’t it?!!”

“God!! Be careful! That’s a poisonous beast!!!” The soldiers of the Rhea Kingdom shouted in panic as they suddenly faced this strange beast. With just one attack, the Demon Frog had already killed nearly a hundred of their soldiers and beasts.

“Ah, only managed 94 so far, huh? Next time I’ll need to use the bomb in a denser group,” Luke muttered, though his voice wasn’t low at all. The hunters of the Ares Kingdom were starting to feel disheartened by the overwhelming odds. When they fought with one beast, they would immediately be surrounded by beasts 3 times their number.

If the battle continued like this, they didn’t know what the outcome would be. It seemed they had no chance of winning from the beginning. Ultimately, they might all be surrounded and killed. And as for the money and rewards, if they lost, there’d be nothing to claim. Perhaps when that time came, the Rhea Kingdom might even exact brutal revenge.

However, seeing Luke leap and take down nearly 100 enemies in one move restored their confidence.

Little Apple, or the Demon Frog as the hunters saw it, used its tongue to sweep up and swallow over 50 enemies in one gulp. This fearsome display boosted the morale of the Ares Kingdom and terrified the Rhea Kingdom soldiers.

“Well done...kid.” But it shouldn’t be forgotten that Ellie wasn’t the only powerful hunter in the Ares Kingdom. This was a gathering of the best hunters from the entire association, and many strong hunters were present.

“But it’s a pity you’re still so young.” Once that hunter finished speaking, he disappeared and reappeared in the midst of hundreds of soldiers and beasts.

Bam!!!

A massive earth-shattering explosion caused by an enormous surge of magic power spread across the area, turning the once smooth terrain into a massive crater. More strikingly...the ground that once teemed with life had been flipped over, burying the enemies in an instant, like tilling a field.

"200 lives at once, or double what you managed," the hunter said, immediately pulling out a potion to restore his magic power, indicating he had used up all his magic power in the attack. However, the sheer power he displayed instilled fear in everyone. Even Ellie couldn’t help but admire him.

"Typical of a four-star hunter. But...you’re still inexperienced. As an earth magic user, that’s a bit embarrassing to be able to do just that," a middle-aged man’s voice came from nearby as he was sitting on a large tree, not far from the previous attack radius.

As he spoke, numerous rocks and clods of earth began to rise into the air, forming over 300 arrow-like projectiles.

"Let’s see how you handle my Three-Centurion Arrows technique."

As soon as he finished speaking, the 300 arrows shot forward quickly, their speed seemed to keep increasing, relentless until they hit their targets.

"Fewer than expected, but still, 270 kills," the man laughed in satisfaction. With just the actions of these three hunters, they had already wiped out over 500 enemies in one fell swoop!