Chapter 35: Charging into the Giant God Tribe Command Camp
The Giant God Tribe's leadership camp was a whirlwind of activity. Strictly speaking, the Giant God Tribe wasn't a centralized kingdom but more accurately a confederation of tribes. Among them, the Dark Bear Tribe held the most overwhelming power, and their chieftain, Urka, had taken the lead in this invasion—proclaiming it in the name of the so-called Dark Bear Kingdom. It was a kingdom that would dissolve once the invasion ended, but Urka thought differently. With the empire's north already in ruins, he believed that successful negotiations could secure vast territories and transform it into a true kingdom.
But negotiations would have to be with the emperor himself. The reason he'd summoned the enemy commander now was simply to kill him and shake the imperial army. They had brought 150,000 troops, but the tribes had 200,000. Given their superior physiques, Urka was certain they could crush the enemy and march straight to the capital.
Urka pitched his tent between the enemy camp and their own lines, waiting with a handful of subordinate chieftains, advisors, and about a thousand elite warriors.
"Report! The enemy commander is Viscount Aron of the empire—the hero and war noble!"
"Viscount Aron?"
"He's the knight of God's Herculean Strength, the one who supposedly stormed the Espado Kingdom's royal castle alone and tore everyone to shreds."
"Isn't that just a rumor?"
"Nothing but bullshit propaganda from the empire."
"Heh, as if anyone could solo the capital of Espado Kingdom and rip them all apart. The empire's like an old tiger these days—spreading tall tales to scare people."
Urka, the chieftain who had crushed the empire's northern regions, brimmed with confidence. No enemy had ever survived his axe; their skulls always split open. He figured the enemy commander would be no different.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Soon, a knight on a phantom warhorse charged from the enemy lines. The man wore ornate armor, his build lean and slender. Even from afar, he was strikingly handsome.
"A pretty boy like some gigolo charging in alone? Perfect! Is that really Viscount Aron?"
"Yes, confirmed!"
The messenger verified it again. Lust flashed in Urka's eyes.
"Loose arrows! Then charge! We'll crush these bastards and march on the imperial capital!"
"Waaaaah!"
A thousand arrows flew first. The elite guard on horseback followed with three volleys in quick succession—three thousand arrows arcing through the sky. They were sure the so-called Herculean Knight would drop.
Rumble!
Suddenly, massive lightning and gales erupted head-on, followed by a cascade of pure white light raining down from above. It was just a single swing of his fist. Yet white clumps of sword aura, thunderbolts, and storms exploded forward.
Crack!
"Gaaah!"
"Aaaagh!"
The elites struck by the fist aura exploded into mangled limbs, tumbling across the ground. Lightning hit Urka's face simultaneously, snapping his mind like a twig.
Boom!
Hundreds of meters ahead were obliterated in an instant. He'd just unleashed Thunder God Fist casually, and an entire area vanished. Charred corpses rolled everywhere.
The gods' laughter echoed in his ears. But this wasn't enough to satisfy them. The mad deities craved more spectacle. His mission wasn't just to repel the Giant God Tribe but to subjugate them. Still, to make submission easier, he had to demonstrate absolute dominance with unhinged fury. Sorry, but over half the Giant God warriors would die today.
"Charge! Charge!"
"Waaaaah!"
Thunder energy surged into both fists. As the enemy command vanished, the tribe panicked but maintained enough order to charge together.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The earth shook, dust billowing. Alone, he leaped into their midst. How powerful was Storm Fist, unlocked as a special perk? Activating it unleashed thunderous booms and gales ripping outward, razor winds laced with fist aura shredding everything within hundreds of meters.
Rumble!
"Gaaah!"
"Aaaagh!"
He unleashed Storm Fist repeatedly. The vanguard was annihilated, and the charging Giant God Tribe hesitated.
Now for the synergy perk? Experience told him synergies packed more punch. Dubbed Flame Storm Fist.
"Die!"
Plunging into the heart of the enemy, he unleashed Flame Storm Fist. Blazing flames flickered from his hands, merging with storms to devastate a kilometer-wide radius. Flame storm clouds blanketed the sky, igniting the packed ranks.
Boom! Rumble!
"Kuhahaha! That all you got?!"
A hot thrill surged in his chest. What about the Fist God's fist art? Mid-tier, like Formless Swordsmanship, but as fists. Fist aura spread in all directions, sweeping the enemy ranks indiscriminately. Thunder and flame intertwined, mowing down thousands in a flash. It guzzled mana, but it reversed the battle in seconds. The earth flipped, flames erupted from below, and quaking tribesmen were sucked into the inferno.
Hell unfolded. Tens of thousands of the Giant God army were slaughtered in moments; they halted their advance, desertions breaking out.
About time for karma to pour in.
The God of Destruction and Regeneration, Mahadev, has sponsored you with 42,000 Karma.
The Goddess of Love, Venus, has sponsored you with 35,000 Karma.
The Goddess of Abundance, Demeter, has sponsored you with 40,000 Karma.
The God of the Sky, Jupiter, has sponsored you with 50,000 Karma.
The God of Giants, Talos, has sponsored you with 36,000 Karma.
The Fairy God, Rebra, has sponsored you with 50,000 Karma.
The Goddess of Wisdom, Bibian, has sponsored you with 150,000 Karma.
The God of Fists, Temur, has sponsored you with 100,000 Karma.
"Kuhahaha! Kill 'em all! Gotta smash every last Odin worshipper!"
"No, the goal is to convert them into our followers, but showing overwhelming power comes first."
"Hohoho, worthy apostle of the Fist God! But was my fist art really that potent?"
"Kyaa! Oppa, go go!"
"……."
Massive karma influx, as expected. But who was the goddess yelling "Oppa, go go!"? Sounded like the Fairy God, Rebra. The elves would freak if they knew her true nature.
Tens of thousands of karma piled up in a blink. Killing Odin cultists had the gods in a frenzy. Madness upon madness, but smashing Odin worship seemed the fastest way to rack up divine favor. At this rate, he might chug an upper-grade mana potion soon.
Giant God Tribe command camp.
With their overlord Urka, several chieftains, and advisors wiped out in a flash, command fell to the lesser chieftains watching from the rear. Brushing it off as a stroke of luck, they hastily elected bison tribe chieftain Kalton as interim leader and issued march orders. This showed the tribe wasn't run on pure whimsy.
Victory in war meant opportunities for lesser chieftains too!
Rumble!
But as the Herculean Knight moved, their dreams shattered. His fist extended, unleashing flame storms that swept away tens of thousands of warriors in one go. It was like a god incarnate. As vanguard warriors dropped dead, they sensed the crisis.
The chieftains had marched south assuming the imperial emperor was weakened. They never imagined the empire hid a monster like this. They'd heard rumors of the Herculean Knight but not that he could solo tens of thousands.
Someone blurted it out.
"Grand Master!"
"……!"
"A Grand Master?!"
Kalton recoiled in shock. Now that he looked, Viscount Aron wielded fist aura instead of a sword, ravaging their lines. Flames and thunder blurred the aura, but up close, it danced through the air. A one-kilometer range—impossible without legendary Grand Master status.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The Herculean Knight plunged solo into their center, while the imperial army formed encirclement. Rear fugitives were cut down by imperial cavalry. It hit him: everything was planned. The knight would rampage to flip the battle, then the army would envelop them. The knight wasn't just brute force.
Kalton groaned.
"R-rumors downplayed him!"
"Overlord! What now? We'll be annihilated!"
Terrifying. 200,000 versus 150,000—physiques made defeat impossible, especially on open plains. Yet one man crumbled their lines. The long march here was undone in seconds.
The Herculean Knight bellowed,
"Kuhahaha! Surrender! Surrender and live! Refuse? I'll slaughter you all!"
No joke. He rampaged like a maniac. God-possessed aura made warriors drop axes in droves. They'd won against humans so far. But now? A god blocked them—no south to the empire. And the empire wouldn't sit idle. The tribe could face extinction.
Thud!
As Kalton snapped to, the blood-soaked Herculean Knight landed.
Crackle!
Viscount Aron, thunder and flames coiling in his fists, declared,
"Surrender? Do it now and live. Refuse, and I'll wipe out the Giant God Tribe."
"I-is there a way for the Giant God Tribe to survive?!"
"Surrender and drop your weapons! Then you live."
Clang!
Kalton and the chieftains tossed axes without hesitation and knelt.