Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 424 The Decisive Battle of the Beast God Festival

This sudden and inexplicable war suddenly escalated into a fierce battle. Of the four major tribes of the West White Deer Plain, three participated in the siege of Vulture Cliff, while the Thunderjaw tribe remained trapped in its lair, not daring to move an inch.

Warlord Kagaras didn't believe them, nor did the other orc tribes.

After all, the troops led by Milos who defected on Vulture Cliff were the garrison sent out by "Thunderjaw".

At one point, "Rayjaw" felt a little regretful.

Was it too hasty to arrange for the Vulture Territory's troops to defect?
But we can't afford not to rush things. If our own people don't surrender, those human servants might surrender first.

The leopard clan always acts faster than they think. As soon as they discover that the humans are secretly contacting the Vast Ocean, they stretch out their claws without even thinking.

They were afraid that if they were even a second too slow, their prey would end up in someone else's mouth.

On the other hand, the reason why the Leopard Clan was able to take on the defense of Vulture Cliff was because they had some ancestral blood relationship with the Lion Clan and received a little bit of care.

If the front lines become critical, Kagaras will absolutely not hesitate to send more "reliable" troops into the mining area.

By then, there won't be anyone left to sell.

The saying goes, "Surrender early, or you'll be slow on the ups and downs." The bloody example of the Dongbailu Plain is right there for all to see!
Throw the food first, then the board!
That's it!

But who could have imagined that Han Hai Territory would get a leopard out of thin air? A few hundred people were brought to the foot of Vulture Cliff, coaxing Milos into making a move.

It was too late for regrets. The Leopard Clan of "Thunderjaw" immediately severed ties with Milosh, sending an envoy to Kagaras, who beat his chest and swore an oath, saying that it was entirely Milosh's individual orcish act and had nothing to do with the will of the tribe.

"This was an accident; we were completely unaware of it. Chief Lei'e is deeply shocked and saddened by this. Your Excellency, we are willing to assist in suppressing the rebellion!"

The newly appointed orc warlord refused them without hesitation, and the Thunderjaw tribe retreated into their main fortress, ready to be beaten.

As expected, Kagaras mobilized his troops to guard "Thunderjaw" like an iron band while unleashing all his anger and strength on Vulture Cliff.

Then, something unexpected happened.

Vulture Cliff, a mere place, could only hold a few thousand guards at most. Despite repeated attacks from the orcs, they couldn't take it down, and the blood of the warriors stained every path in the mountains.

"Rayjaw" secretly hunched over a little more.

Then, the orc warlord personally led an expedition, deploying the elite forces of all three races, and they fought fiercely around the mining area for more than half a month.

There has still been no progress.

Although still somewhat doubtful, the "Thunderjaw" tribe's bodies had already completed the adjustment, involuntarily transitioning from their previous spiny dragon form to their ground-hugging worm form.

Spinosaurus's show of strength is to intimidate its opponents, while the ground worm's show of weakness means it's ready to attack at any moment.

As the fighting on the front lines intensified, the orc forces that were originally locked around the "Thunderjaw" tribe had their forces gradually withdrawn. Although the camps still looked like standard military camps with tents standing in rows and banners waving, the blockade line was now as thin as paper.

Although the leopard race cannot observe in depth, as a natural hunter race, their sense of smell for fighter jets is keen enough.

They chose to launch their attack on the day of the Beast God Festival.

This was an extremely bold timing; even the Golden Mane's Overseer, Kagaras, halted his continuous mountain assault on the day of the Beast God's celebration.

On the one hand, the casualties were too terrible, so terrible that even the major orc tribes could hardly bear it. The blood of the warriors almost turned the land below Vulture Cliff into a red swamp.

If these tribes aren't given a chance to catch their breath and rest, even with the aura of a royal envoy, Kagaras might not be able to suppress the boiling resentment beneath them.

During the Beast God Festival, Kagaras even went so far as to honor the warriors of each tribe.

The orc army has been able to fight on until now because the battlefield has given them a serious illusion: in terms of absolute casualties, the three orcish tribes' allied forces still hold a significant advantage.

Every orc warrior who falls can take several, or even a dozen, "enemies" down with him. For orcs, who emphasize bravery, this is obviously a feat worth boasting about.

Of course, there's no need to specifically emphasize that once this valiant orc warrior falls, the enemy's combat strength increases by one, and the warrior's combat record should be calculated by decreasing by one; such a point would easily damage morale.

The second reason is that the Orcs have great significance for the Orcs.

In the totem worship of orcs, the worship of beast gods and the worship of ancestors are roughly equal, sharing equal importance. Generally speaking, the stronger races place more emphasis on ancestors, while the weaker races place more emphasis on beast gods; this is each race's own survival strategy.

However, as the supreme deity recognized by the beastmen, the Beast God Festival in winter is a grand ceremony that the beastmen hold no matter where they are.

Legend has it that at the beginning of creation, the orcs were weak, helpless, and in grave danger. The temperature of the Starry World was much lower than it is now. Every winter, the orcs driven to the northern ice plains would die in droves.

In the year of the orcs' enlightenment, on the day with the least sunlight, the desperate orc ancestors huddled in the freezing cold of their caves, awaiting their fate of death.

Then, the beast god Ulgo descended, sacrificing his own life to save the orc race from the brink of destruction.

According to ancient legend, the great beast god pulled out his own tusk, which transformed into a sharp spear, giving the beastmen a weapon to hunt the woolly mammoths of the ice plains, thus securing their meat for survival.

He shed his own fur; the soft fur became clothing for the orcs to keep warm, while the stiff fur was used to ignite the ever-burning Urgo fire, dispelling the long, cold nights for the orcs.

He ripped open his chest, and with each heartbeat, the sacred blood of the Beast God sprayed onto the orcs, bestowing upon them fearless courage, a united will, and immense power.

From then on, the orc race grew stronger with each battle and gradually became one of the rulers of the Starry World.

Having accomplished all this, Urgo ascended to godhood amidst the radiance, silently protecting his people in the distant realm of the gods.

This is an epic tale of the orcs, passed down orally from generation to generation without written form. Its rugged and tragic chants have stirred the blood of generations of orcs.

When Chen Mo first heard it, he was also very shocked. The magnificent deeds of these pioneers of the tribe reminded Chen Mo of many ancient legends of Dongxia.

Then, in order to gain a deeper understanding of the deeds of this legendary beast god, Chen Mo tried to find corroborating evidence in the oldest elven texts.

Chen Mo quickly regretted it.

Amidst the complex, ornate, cryptic, and inverted script of the Elven race, Chen Mo came across a record that he couldn't discern as either a record from an Elven ancestor or a malicious conjecture.

Based on Dongxia's repeated analysis of the information provided by the elves, the Beast God Urgo was probably not an individual, but a race, a former leading race among the orcs.

Because of the harsh environment and scarce resources, and because this leading tribe controlled the limited resources, making it impossible for other tribes to survive, Urgo sacrificed his life after a sudden upheaval...

If the elf records are correct, the Urgo people are actually a mammoth race.

The so-called orcs using the tusks of the Beast God to hunt the woolly mammoths of the Ice Plains was just a group of orcs who pulled out the tusks, wiped out the woolly mammoth tribe, cut off their wool to make clothes and firewood, and drank their blood...

As for eating meat, although it wasn't explicitly stated, the elves' vague allusions suggest that it's indeed true.

This completely shattered the last bit of good impression Chen Mo had of orcs.

But thinking about it again, it seems to be just human nature.

Who knows if the orcs' attack on Urgo back then was a starry version of "The heavens are dead, the yellow heavens shall rise"?

Well, judging from the fact that they eat meat, it could also be "waiting until the ninth day of the ninth lunar month when autumn comes"...

From this perspective, it seems that the Beast God's "silent" protection of his people, without ever performing any significant miracles, makes sense.

In short, the lord has lost his filter of the orcs' ancient mythology, while the orcs still worship their beast god.

Regardless of the historical truth, the orcs still attach great importance to the Orc God Festival, and on the day of the Orc God Festival, there is a series of grand sacrificial activities.

For example, walking barefoot on the blood-soaked path of their ancestors, retracing the "path of suffering" paved with ice and blood; cutting off a lock of hair and throwing it into the sacred fire, singing and dancing in the smoke to praise dedication and new life; bringing the tribe's newly opened cubs to the totem pole of the beast god to test their claws, leaving the first mark on the totem pole, proclaiming the continuation of the warrior's bloodline...

Etc., etc!

During such a grand celebration, will the leopard-like orcs of "Thunderjaw" be able to go to war?

It really works.

The Orcs' Festival was originally a significant moment for orcs to demonstrate their power and conquest. One way to do so was through a grand festival, and another was by slaying the enemy chieftain.

On the morning of the Beast God Festival, the Thunderjaw tribe completed a simplified sacrificial ceremony early in the morning and then immediately set out with their troops.

Their slogan was: In the name of the cat race's bloodline destiny, "Frostflow," they would punish the orcs who defied destiny.

It's reasonable and justified!
As these warriors charged out of the fortress, on the nearest guard line, the remaining two thousand-man squads of the Ironspine tribe were holding a crucial part of their festival—the "Barefoot Bloodwalking Ceremony." A thin layer of ice was first laid on the ground, then sprinkled with animal blood, symbolizing the arduous journey of their orc ancestors. From the centurions to the newly recruited soldiers, everyone discarded their boots, barefoot, and trudged slowly through the sticky, cold ice, towards the totem pole on the high platform at the end of the ceremony, accompanied by the shaman's deep chanting.

There, the "Fire of Urgo" burned brightly, making a soft crackling sound.

Every time a warrior leaves a clear footprint on the Path of Ice and Blood, a cheer of respect erupts around them.

Amidst the cheers, the faint sound of the earth trembling could be heard.

Although the sentries of "Iron Spine" issued a warning in a panic, it was clearly too late.

The leopard cavalry charged in, their hooves thundering like muffled thunder, crushing the horns, their long lances shattering the deer antlers surrounding the camp, and then sweeping away tents, battle flags, and orc soldiers like a whirlwind.

Most of the "Iron Spine" warriors didn't even have time to put on their shoes before becoming the new blood donors for this "Barefoot Bloodwalking" ceremony.

Easily crushing the opponent's resistance, Thunderjaw's army swept through the camp, not heading for Vulture Cliff, but straight for the Ironspine Tribe's main stronghold.

These "longcats" had a very clear objective: Vulture Cliff, now a giant meat grinder, was the stage for the orc warlord and the Lord of the Vast Sea, while the other tribal camps, which had been repeatedly depleted of their forces and were left with only the elderly, women, children, and a small number of guards, were obviously more suitable targets.

"Thunderjaw" split into several groups, and in an instant, smoke and flames rose all over the West White Deer Plain. Mixed with the "Fire of Urgo" of the celebration, it added a touch of fireworks to the Beast God Festival.

When the elaborately dressed Kagaras heard the news, he could hardly believe his ears.

However, the orc warlord took immediate action.

He chose to keep the news under wraps.

At this point, sending the troops of the three major tribes back to rescue their homelands, quell the rebels, or even break through the lair of "Thunderjaw" would be meaningless to this warlord.

Only by conquering the mines!

We must take down the mine!

He strode to the Urgo sacred fire basin in the center of the tent, the firelight casting flickering shadows on his狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) face. Under everyone's gaze, he drew the ceremonial dagger from his waist and, without hesitation, cut off the wisp of dazzling golden hair from his forehead, a symbol of his status, and threw it into the blazing "Urgo fire."

The air was filled with the smell of burnt protein.

Overseer Kagaras let out a high-pitched roar.

"By the Beast God!"

"The ancestors are on top!"

"The warriors of all ages atop the sacred mountain are watching us!"

"I, Kagaras, swear by the blood of the Golden Mane and the glory of the Beast God!"

"Crush these lowly humans and their filthy bones, and offer the grandest sacrifice to the Beast God!"

"Soldiers, attack!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"The orcs have gone mad!"

"They have no waves, no formation, no sequence; they just keep charging towards the hilltop endlessly."

"They're swarming with enemies. According to feedback from the front, most of our shells won't even hit the ground!"

"Although the enemy's casualties are increasing rapidly, the pressure on the defensive line is also increasing, and some mages have begun to experience mental exhaustion."

Xia Yuanfeng delivered a report on the battlefield situation in as calm a tone as possible, while simultaneously handing over a newly arrived application.

"The air force has been carrying out maximum bombing support as instructed by you. However, the long gap between the reloading of the nine drone formations that departed from the nearest field airfield in Dingshan County and their return trips is causing concern that the defense line may be breached!"

"Request the use of Heavenly Punishment for decapitation!"

In Han Hai's battle plan, there are many ways to decapitate someone: composite bow, sniper rifle, long-range artillery, aircraft bombardment... But specifically speaking of Heavenly Punishment decapitation, it is a special missile attack.

Since the last advancement, which further enhanced the altar's transportation capacity, Lord Chen Mo has freed up some of the transportation resources and, with the full support of Dongxia, built a missile launch site deep within the Xuan Shui Swamp.

This facility is equipped with two medium-range missiles, one of which is the renowned Dongfeng series No. 117, a hypersonic short-to-medium-range ballistic missile.

The missile is eleven meters long, has a conventional warhead, and a maximum speed of Mach 10. In particular, its unique "water-skimming" gliding trajectory makes it virtually immune to any interception system.

Of course, in the Starry Continent, this "skipping stone" doesn't seem to be very necessary.

The other one is the Longsword series No. 1000, a supersonic cruise missile with a body length of eight meters and a conventional warhead.

Compared to the ballistic missiles mentioned above, its speed is naturally much slower, only Mach 4.

However, as a cruise missile, it has unparalleled flexibility in terms of precise target acquisition and targeted strikes compared to ballistic missiles. Theoretically, it can even be used to track and decapitate high-speed moving targets.

As for whether Xuan Shui City actually carried missiles with unconventional warheads...

Don't ask, the answer is no!

After listening to Xia Yuanfeng's report, Chen Mo stared at the battle map on the electronic screen for a long time.

The elite orc forces of the entire West White Deer Plain were represented by thick arrows on the map, converging from the east, north, and west, and tightly entangling Vulture Territory.

"Get Lin Xiangming here! Qiu Yeyu!"

The communication was quickly established, and the first thing to appear in the holographic projection was Lin Xiangming's face, which was covered in dust but still quite round.

A few seconds later, Qiu Yeyu, looking haggard, also walked in.

These two haven't had a proper rest in ages; their eyes are bloodshot, and there are dark circles around them. They don't look like necromancers at all; they look more like genuine undead.

Without exchanging pleasantries, Chen Mo went straight to the point: "Can you still hold out? How long can you hold out?"

Almost reflexively, Lin Xiangming snapped to attention and slapped his chubby hand heavily on his chest: "We'll hold out as long as the commander-in-chief tells us to!"

Of course, this wasn't just a statement. The newly appointed commander of the Starry Sky Independent Column of the Jiuquan Army bit his lip, seemingly making a decision, and gave a figure: "At least, at least we can hold out for five more days... and try for six!"

"What about Night Whispers? How do you say it?"

Qiu Yeyu, the instructor of the Jiuquan Column, strained his throat, as if speaking was difficult, but his answer was still quite clear: "Yes, six days is fine!"

"The defense line on the mountainside is probably going to fall, but we still have three lines of defense, all of which have been deployed with undead warriors. We can hold them off!"

"it is good!"

Chen Mo raised his right hand and held up three fingers: "Three days, hold on for three more days! After three days, I will personally award you medals!"

"Yes, Commander! Rest assured, we will complete the mission!"

After cutting off communication, Chen Mo turned around and issued orders to Xia Yunfeng.

"Decapitation request rejected. Temporarily unavailable!"

"Kagalas cannot die now."

"It is because of Kagaras's crazy drive here that we have the opportunity to win this battle in one fell swoop. Once we kill him, these hundreds of thousands of orcs will scatter, and we will face chaos. In the future, we will need to spend ten or a hundred times more effort to wipe them out bit by bit!"

"Keep fighting!"

“Tell ‘Thunderjaw’ that I’m giving them two days. They must cut off the orc army’s logistics!”

"Where is the First Army of the Field Army? Tell them to speed up their westward advance!"

"So what if the rice is half-cooked? Let's finish this battle right here!"

(End of this chapter)