Chapter 410 - 384: Power of Corrosion

Although Ridder and Carlos had already killed the enemy commander, the battle still dragged on for quite some time.

After all, the enemy had them outnumbered. Even slaughtering this many chickens would have taken some effort, let alone people.

The battle didn’t truly come to a close until the sun began to set.

Aside from Taini’s men and some ordinary humans who threw down their weapons and knelt in surrender after seeing the battle was lost, every last Witch Soul Race soldier fought to the bitter end and was slain.

"These insane bastards!"

Marvin cursed. Even though they had won, he felt a chill creep into his heart. These enemies, who fought like mindless beasts with no regard for their own lives, were terrifying.

’Thank goodness most of them are just commoners, not Professional Knights,’ he thought.

If that mob had been made up entirely of Knights—not even Bronze Level, but just Intermediate or Advanced Level Knights—charging suicidally, even he, a Silver Knight, would have been overwhelmed.

"How are things? Are the losses heavy?" Ronin asked as he walked over.

Marvin grunted. "The Knights of Intermediate rank and above are mostly fine, but the infantry took heavy casualties. The Hyde Clan are absolute bastards, colluding with these inhuman creatures!"

They all believed that a powerful, unknown expert from the Witch Soul Race must be backing Ossen.

Ronin sighed. He had just spoken with Rig, and the situation was much the same for the Knight Squad from Wubei Territory.

Out of sixty infantrymen, their casualties had reached the double digits.

"Ronin!"

Kabil ran over, a panicked look on his face.

Ronin started. "What’s wrong?"

"Quick, go check on Sandro! His arm was slashed by Omar’s longsword during the battle. We can’t stop the bleeding, and the wound is starting to look worse!"

Everyone was shocked to hear this. ’How could that be?’

Ronin, however, had an idea of what was happening. ’I’m afraid Sandro has been tainted by the power of the Witch Soul Race, just like Ridder was.’

Sandro was currently on the ground, gritting his teeth while his knights tried to bandage his arm, but it seemed to have no effect.

"My Lord, this looks similar to what happened to me," Ridder reported. "I’m afraid we’ll need to send for Elron."

"That won’t be necessary."

Ronin took out a Magic Scroll. "I have a Purification Skill Scroll right here."

As the light of the Purification Skill washed over him, the Power of Corrosion around the wound on Sandro’s arm was instantly cleansed. His condition quickly improved, and the bleeding stopped.

"Thank you, Ronin. I owe you one!" Sandro said gratefully.

"We’re comrades-in-arms. No need to stand on ceremony."

Ronin glanced at the many other wounded men. They had injuries, too, but none of their wounds showed signs of corrosion.

’Perhaps only the more powerful members of the Witch Soul Race possess this Power of Corrosion?’ he speculated.

’The cannon fodder, for instance, didn’t have it. But Omar, a Silver Knight, did.’

The reality, however, was slightly different from what Ronin guessed.

Among the three levels of Mephisto’s transformations, only a Witch Soul Race member who had reached the second tier, the "Frost Level," possessed the Power of Corrosion.

Given the limited time, it was already quite an achievement for him to have created so many Shadow Mist Level Witch Soul Race soldiers. There were only a handful of Frost Level individuals.

Examples included Omar, as well as Alan Hyde and Laurent—the three High Tier Knights from Black Python City.

"Ronin, what should we do next?"

Sandro asked with concern. The wound on his arm was deep; if there was more fighting to come, he likely wouldn’t be able to take part.

"We’ll rest here tonight. Tomorrow, we march on Black Python City."

Most of Black Python City’s forces had been deployed to the front lines, so the castle’s garrison was bound to be weak.

Ronin was confident that with this force, he could take the castle.

After finalizing the plan, Ronin tasked Ridder with leading the advance the next day. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the remaining daylight, he mounted Carlos and flew to Lurans’s camp.

The battle near Splendid City had already concluded, but Lurans and his forces on the main front had yet to engage the enemy.

Based on their marching speed, the two sides were projected to meet in the wilderness the following afternoon, likely near the same stretch of plains where Wiggin was ambushed and lost a leg.

"Who’s there!"

This time, Ronin didn’t have Carlos conceal himself. After being fully revealed at Splendid City, there was no longer any point in using Refraction and Reflection to hide his form.

So, the moment he had Carlos touch down in the camp, he was met by the challenging shouts of Broel, Daun, and Miroslav.

Their senses were particularly sharp, and they had felt the faint, oppressive aura that accompanied Carlos’s arrival, thinking an enemy was launching a surprise night attack.

Ronin leaped off the Giant Dragon’s back. "Don’t be alarmed! It’s me!"

His eyes couldn’t help but drift to Broel.

’It made sense for Daun and Miroslav to notice, since they were Mages with strong Spiritual Power. But for Broel, a Meteor Knight, to have such keen perception... It seems he’s more than just a typical Meteor Level Knight.’

"Ronin?"

Broel stepped forward cautiously, his eyes wide with shock as he took in the massive creature before him.

"What is that?"

He was both awestruck and curious.

"It’s a Giant Dragon!"

Daun and Miroslav were more worldly and recognized Carlos for what he was at a single glance.

"To think such a legendary creature actually exists!"

"Ronin, how did you tame it to become your Magical Beast? Did you use a Magic Beast Contract Scroll?"

Ronin smiled. "Carlos is indeed a Giant Dragon, but he’s still just a juvenile. Meeting and taming him was pure luck."

Broel mentally compared Carlos to his own Griffin. ’In terms of both size and appearance, the Giant Dragon seems superior,’ he thought.

"How strong is he?"

He couldn’t help but ask, "The Giant Dragons in the knight novels possess world-shattering power. Is your Giant Dragon... Is Carlos a Legendary Level creature?"

"How could that be possible!"

’He’s really letting his imagination run wild. How could I possibly subdue a Legendary Level Giant Dragon?’

"Carlos is still considered a juvenile. It’s taken him the past several hundred years just to reach the Sixth-level. At his own cultivation speed, he might not even become a Seventh-level Magical Beast in another hundred years, let alone reach the Legendary Level."

Daun, who was standing nearby, nodded. "Giant Dragons are indeed long-lived, but they are also creatures that mature relatively slowly."

Broel breathed a sigh of relief. ’This trip to Wushan Territory has really been an eye-opener. I’ve not only encountered the strange "Witch Soul Race," but I’ve even seen a Giant Dragon.’

He considered that Wushan Territory already had two Meteor Knights. If this Giant Dragon were to reach the Seventh-level or higher, Wushan Territory’s top-tier combat strength would be on par with the first-rate families of the Kingdom.

Wushan Territory would once again be a force to be reckoned with.

’Fortunately, it’s just a juvenile dragon with limited power. It’s probably not that much stronger than a Griffin.’

Just then, Lurans emerged from his tent.

"Ronin, your being here must mean the battle near Splendid City is over, correct?"

Everyone’s attention slowly shifted away from the Giant Dragon, though they couldn’t help but steal glances at it from time to time.

"It’s over, Grandfather. We won a decisive victory. I’ve ordered our men to rest on-site, and tomorrow they will march on Black Python Castle."

Ronin continued, "Barrington, Taini, Omar, and many of the Knights from Black Python City and its vassal territories fell in the battle."

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions relaxed.

"Well done!"

Lurans clapped Ronin on the shoulder, immensely pleased.

But at the thought of all who had died, he couldn’t help but sigh.

He recognized their names; he had even had dealings with some of them in the past.

Taini, for example. He remembered him well. The man had made a name for himself on the battlefield back in the day.

Now, they were all dead. ’They probably never imagined their lives would end so abruptly,’ he mused.

"I came here mainly to share some intelligence."

Ronin went on to describe how Barrington had blown a horn to unleash the hidden potential of his ordinary soldiers.

This immediately put everyone on high alert.

"That’s a vile artifact!" Daun declared.

Miroslav nodded in agreement. "A vile artifact indeed. And the Witch Soul Race... a people like that shouldn’t exist in this world. They are a threat to us all!"

"Marquis, we must capture the one backing Ossen of Black Python City this time!" he said resolutely. "Their existence poses a grave threat to all nobility, and even to our Oduin Kingdom!"

The ability to transform ordinary people into puppets was repulsive and terrifying enough, to say nothing of their ability to mass-produce them on such a scale and enhance them with vile artifacts.

If someone like that were allowed to operate unchecked, the consequences would be horrifying to contemplate!

"I understand!"

Lurans was even more worried than Broel, because the mastermind was operating right in his own Wushan Territory.

’If we don’t catch them this time, who knows which noble will be the next victim?’

’If they manage to do this a few more times, my Wushan Territory is finished!’

"Tomorrow, we must capture Ossen alive and make him confess everything!"