Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 398 A Thunderous Shot: The Final Battle on the Western Front
He said he would give Leonid three moves, but in reality, he only gave him one.

It wasn't that he cheated; he felt that his opponent had cheated a bit, but he didn't dare to say it.

When the two sides clash head-on, there are naturally no restrictions on weapons, at least according to the traditional understanding of the Starry Continent.

You can't force an archer to engage in close combat with a swordsman!

The petite figure opposite pulled out a weapon that looked rather strange.

It was longer than the little girl's body, with a matte dark gray finish and a rather complex structure. Leonid felt a chilling sense of crisis.

He was originally very confident in his defense.

This "Thunder Roar" chieftain is 2.35 meters tall and has a burly build. He is covered in armor of the Gold Dawn level or above, which is of the Excellent level. The dark gold plate armor is etched with the totem of a roaring tiger, and the joints are inlaid with polished scale armor plates.

On the surface of the armor, faint shamanic runes shimmered, indicating that it was a specially blessed protective item.

It was precisely because of this equipment, which was enough to charge into and out of the enemy ranks seven times over, that he was able to withstand wave after wave of concentrated fire from the Han Hai Army's composite bow formation, leaving only some dents of varying depths on his armor.

But now, for some reason, he feels his heart beating a little fast.

This stems from the innate wild instincts of the tiger clan.

When Frost adopted a ranged attack stance, Leonid immediately retreated a distance cautiously, cast several runes on himself, tensed all his muscles, slightly hunched his body, and held his breath.

We are fully prepared to withstand this attack from our opponent.

His preparations were undeniably thorough, except for one thing: the original version of the thing Liushuang had was used on Blue Star to fight armored vehicles and tanks.

Faced with a world like Fanxing, where super military power exists, Dongxia's military industry system has made a super-enhanced version of its original anti-materiel guns.

Even setting aside the guns, a single QBU-100 [Judicator] special bullet, officially called a segmented, tandem, magic circle-enchanted, fin-stabilized, armor-piercing discarding sabot round, costs 700,000 East Xia Yuan to fire, even more expensive than some missiles.

Yes, this is only at cost price. This thing is completely non-saleable, a military-controlled supply, and there is no market price for it.

Pull the trigger, and a luxury car flies into the sky.

Therefore, although Leonid was one of the strongest among the plains orcs, and although he was covered in heavy armor, had runes, and his muscles were strong enough to withstand the direct hit of the battering ram, this spear was not one he could withstand.

However, his statement of "giving you three moves" and "you can do whatever you want with me if I lose" ultimately saved his life.

The main reason is that the Tiger Clan chief's attitude made Liu Shuang feel a subtle sense of guilt for "bullying an honest person".

It wasn't because I shot him; it's a duel, how could I not use a gun?

Liu Shuang even had a plan: if the first shot didn't work, the second shot would be a rocket, and the third... a thermobaric bomb!

Liu Shuang felt a little guilty mainly because the other party had acted so honestly, while she had lied to him.

What did they lie about?

Just now, Leonid said, "If I win, you will step down, and from now on, your Han Hai will never again invade my 'Thunder Roar' territory!"

Liu Shuang's response was: "What if I win?"

In everyone's mind on the battlefield, this meant that Liu Shuang had agreed to the "winner takes all, loser accepts fate" gambling rule, which is why she directly asked about the conditions for winning.

In fact, only Liu Shuang herself knew that she had deliberately avoided giving a direct response.

She could never agree to this condition. The overall strategy of the Han Hai Territory would never change because of this battle.

Even if she couldn't win the duel, she would continue to command her troops to launch attacks until she occupied the entire East Bailu Plain.

But the little girl still had some kindness in her heart, so she felt a little bit apologetic towards Leonid.

Not much, just a tiny bit.

With this in mind, after aiming, she slightly turned the muzzle of the gun, not aiming for the head or the chest, but instead aiming for the left arm of the "Thunder Roar" chieftain.

On Leonid's arm armor was a small round shield, which was one of the most heavily protected parts of his body, second only to his breastplate.

Before pulling the trigger, Liu Shuang even gave a prompt: "Your left arm is reattached!"

Leonid frowned, turned slightly to the side, and opened his left arm a little outward.

To everyone on the battlefield, it was an incredibly traditional duel, with both sides displaying exceptional sportsmanship.

One displayed the demeanor of a great tribal chief, standing still and voluntarily yielding the initiative; the other not only openly and honestly pointed out the attack point, but even deliberately chose to strike the opponent's strongest, non-vital position.

This is definitely a story that will be passed down through the ages.

Of course, it also had a great effect on spreading the word.

Liushuang pulled the trigger.

Contrary to Leonid's expectations, there was no buzzing of an arrow leaving the bowstring, no dazzling burst of magic, only a muffled, short, yet heart-wrenching thud—'Bang!'

The fin-stabilized discarding sabot armor-piercing projectile, with the addition of special alloys, has an extremely exaggerated length-to-diameter ratio of 15 to 1, a special structure usually found only in armor-piercing projectiles with a diameter of hundreds of millimeters.

The warhead is divided into nine different impact stages, which explode in cycles and advance layer by layer.

In order to ensure that this overly slender bullet structure remains stable and achieves maximum penetration depth when rotating at high speed and penetrating complex media, each bullet is activated by a miniature magic array inside the bolt to enchant the bullet surface with the [Anchor of Amber Field].

This magic array technology from the Starry Continent can briefly put the warhead into an "absolutely stable" state.

At the same time, at the moment of leaving the barrel, the pre-installed rune array at the front of the barrel will instantly apply [Breath of the Gale] and [Array Acceleration], giving the bullet a secondary acceleration after leaving the muzzle.

On the path of combining technology and magic, the current Han Hai Territory and even the entire Dong Xia are still in the initial exploratory stage of "miracles through brute force." The main method is still to forcibly pile on materials regardless of cost, resulting in bricks flying with great force. This is the main reason why this QBU-100 [Judicator] is so heavy.

But never mind how heavy it is, just see how fierce it is.

Time seemed to stretch out in the instant before the bullet touched the Tiger Chieftain. Leonid only felt a slight tremor in his arm, and before he could even feel the pain, his left arm had taken the full force of the terrifying blow.

The rune attached to the tiger chieftain's arm was the first to be pierced. The bullet, with the purest and most brutal physical impact, pierced through the psionic protection that could deflect arrows and weaken magic.

Then comes the second burst: the tungsten core responsible for armor penetration, within a millionth of a second of contact with the shield, deforms, liquefies, and even partially or directly vaporizes due to the immense pressure and speed, releasing all its kinetic energy and leaving a slightly collapsed crack on the shield surface.

Then, the third armor-piercing segment immediately followed, delivering another complete, explosive impact.

The fissure quickly expanded into a large hole.

Then comes the next paragraph.

The superior-grade round shield that had accompanied Leonid in battle for more than twenty years, withstood countless sword blows and axes, and even withstood the direct fire of siege crossbows, had a bowl-sized hole blasted open from its center, with the edges torn in a radial pattern.

The entire shield, centered on the hole, was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and then quickly shattered into more than a dozen metal pieces of varying sizes, scattering everywhere!
After the shield was pierced, it was the arm armor's turn.

Behind the arm armor were the Leonid chieftain's strong muscles and bones.

Next, there's the arm armor on the back.

An uncontrollable roar of pain burst from Leonid's clenched teeth. He clearly felt a scorching heat forcefully pierce through his arm, taking away a part of his body.

His left arm, along with the left side of his body, swung uncontrollably backward. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a gaping hole in the center of his arm, its edges charred black from the intense heat.

The warhead, trailing a wisp of blood mist and fine bone fragments, continued its flight, completing a full penetration of the "Thunder Roar" chieftain's arm.

Then, although the speed had been greatly reduced, the bullet, still with residual force, flew a distance and, about 500 meters behind the chief, knocked down three Tiger Clan warriors like a string of gourds.

One grazed the shoulder, tearing away a piece of flesh; another pierced the thigh, leaving a bloody hole; the last one was the unluckiest, struck in the abdomen, and fell down screaming.

The bullet released all its kinetic energy and should have remained inside the last orc's stomach. This orc was quite fortunate, receiving a portion of his own chieftain's body tissue, which could be considered a form of "blood ties."

The battlefield fell into deathly silence.

Only the whistling of the wind across the grassland echoed Leonid's heavy, painful gasps.

In fact, this long series of actions happened in the blink of an eye.

However, the effect was sufficient!

Ignoring the excruciating pain in his arm, Leonid Thunder Roar made an immediate assessment.

Being able to call out the location and accurately hit the center of the round shield on one's arm, there is absolutely no possibility that the opponent will miss or deflect the shot.

The tiger chieftain glanced at his arm again. He had no doubt that this strange weapon would deliver a penetrating blow to any part of his body.

Therefore, the other party definitely held back.

He lost an arm, but in reality, it was like he had been given a second chance at life.

Thinking deeper, perhaps the entire clan was spared the rest of their lives.

In the hearts of the tiger warriors, the sky had fallen.

His own chieftain, his fearless leader, had his left arm pierced by just one attack.

Even if the other party has specified the attack point and made all the necessary preparations.

A chill that seeped into the bones climbed up the spine of every orc.

"Chief!" Finally, one of the guards reacted, letting out a mournful cry and trying to rush forward.

"Don't come any closer!" Leonid roared, forcefully suppressing the commotion of the army behind him. Then, he made a difficult gesture to "drop your weapons."

With just this small movement, blood gushed from the wound, mixing with the physiological sweat caused by the pain, instantly soaking Leonid's thick hair.

A few minutes later, under the absolute deterrence of force and the chief's decision, the tiger warriors on the battlefield, despite their eyes filled with resentment, fear, and confusion, gradually put down their weapons.

Although Leonid was seriously injured, the great chieftain still showed an extremely tough demeanor. He simply tied his arms, pushed away the tribesmen who wanted to help him, and walked alone to the foot of the tribal war flag that was raised high.

He looked up at the golden tiger-head banner, his eyes filled with regret and resentment, but in the end it all turned into a long sigh.

Grasping the flagpole with his right hand, he pulled it down sharply, and the banner of the "Thunder Roar" tribe slowly descended. Then, the chieftain, along with his brothers, children, and the remaining tiger tribe generals, respectfully welcomed Liushuang into the tiger tribe's temporary tent.

After the elves finished inspecting the scene, Liushuang sat down in the huge chair that originally belonged to Leonid.

The chair was a bit too big for her; it looked like a raisin on a book. Liu Shuang felt slightly uncomfortable, but with the hope of eliminating the enemy on this front ahead of time, she had to try her best to straighten her back and make herself look more imposing.

The stark size difference, however, lends a touch of endearing stubbornness to this effort.

If you ignore the disproportionately large gun behind her.

Elven high-ranking warriors surrounded the chairs, while the tiger elders, their weapons removed, sat cross-legged on the ground below at a distance.

This isn't preferential treatment for the tiger race, but rather a unique skill of the elves. Standing or kneeling makes it easy to launch an attack or dodge instantly. However, sitting cross-legged is definitely one of the slowest to get up and the most inconvenient sitting postures for generating power, minimizing the risk of sudden attacks.

The atmosphere on the field was somewhat tense, and Liu Shuang's mind raced.

She wasn't good at political rhetoric and preferred to be straightforward. Finally, she broke the silence and asked, "Are you willing to surrender?"

"No, no, it's not surrendering..."

Leonid excitedly raised his upper body, a movement that aggravated his wounds, causing him to bare his sharp white teeth in pain, and beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

But he didn't care about that, his tone was quite urgent, afraid of causing Liu Shuang to misunderstand.

"Yes, it's a return... a return!"

Liu Shuang's eyes were filled with confusion.

What are you talking about?
Leonid lowered his right arm, braced himself against the ground, and gasped for breath before explaining, "The great Beast God gave birth to many Beastman offspring. We, the Tiger Clan, the Leopard Clan, and the Cat Clan, are all one family, an extension of the same bloodline!"

"I sense the noble bloodline of the orc race here, the bloodline of the cat-tiger kin!"

"You are the messenger sent by our ancestors to guide our lineage. To be able to return to your supreme guidance is the greatest honor for 'Thunder Roar'!"

"???"

It took Liushuang, who almost crashed, quite a while to finally figure out the old guy's logic.

Orc totem worship is divided into two parts: one is called beast god worship, and the other is called ancestor worship.

The Beast God is the universally acknowledged ancestor of all orcs. According to the oral history passed down among the orcs, the Beast God enlightened the first orcs from among wild beasts, freeing them from the ignorance of beasts and making them members of an intelligent race, who eventually became one of the most powerful races on the continent.

Regardless of whether they are tigers, cats, bears, bulls, dogs, or rats, they all worship the same beast god.

The ancestors were the first orc predecessors who were enlightened by the gods.

Among these, many orcs acknowledge deep kinship ties, but have simply taken different paths during the long course of evolution; the tiger and cat tribes are examples of this.

In the legends of the orcs, the tiger, leopard, and cat tribes all share the same ancestor.

Aside from the lion clan, long ago, the lion clan's ancestors mingled with everyone else. However, after the lion clan became the royal family, their ancestors established a separate lineage and became "noble" on their own.

In this context, the relatively weaker cat tribes would habitually seek refuge with the neighboring leopard and tiger tribes. These large tribes were also more willing to accept races with similar habits and some blood ties as vassals. For example, the "Shadowclaw" was a vassal of "Thunder Roar".

However, it doesn't seem impossible for the tiger clan to turn the tables and recognize the cat clan as their superior relatives.

After all, even on Earth, there's a saying: "Northeast Golden Shaded Dog, South China Giant Tabby Dog."

Liu Shuang was stunned for a long time before she couldn't help but ask, "Then...then you still want to surround and kill me?"

"We were too foolish and blinded until the moment you made your move, when I finally felt the guidance of our ancestors!"

Please forgive my offense!

The other tiger clan elders below, hearing their clan leader's humble words, felt immense sorrow in their hearts, but they all bowed down in unison. Some of them, with obvious atavistic traits, even wagged their tails slightly.

In any case, submitting to someone of orcish blood is psychologically more acceptable than submitting to a human.

As for whether this bloodline is real or fake, and how "advanced" it is, the victors say so, and that is it.

Moreover, isn't the opponent's terrifying strength itself the best proof of being "advanced"? Orcs are, after all, a race that reveres the strong.

Looking down at the dense mass of Tiger Clan high-ranking members lying prostrate below, Liu Shuang finally understood what the other party meant.

This provides her, and also the "Thunderous Roar" tiger-like beastmen, with a dignified and traditional way of surrendering.

The young commander pondered for a moment.

A swift victory, minimizing casualties, and fully seizing the war potential of a large tribe and its vassals is in the best interests of the Vast Ocean Territory.

As for whether it's nominally a "surrender" or a "return to one's roots," and how to handle the aftermath, let Chen Mo worry about that.

And so, after this hasty and somewhat absurd "family reunion" ceremony, "Thunder Roar" and his vassal races were the first to complete the change of allegiance.

The western front of the war on the East Bailu Plain thus came to an end.

(End of this chapter)