Chapter 1212 - Saving Their Last Hope
Chapter 1212: Saving Their Last Hope
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Red Bear, you’re right. If it were just me, I swear that I would be willing to roll over together with you even if there were a mountain of daggers and a sea of flames in front of us. My body would be riddled with holes and my flesh would be a mess. I wouldn’t even frown even if I was burned to ashes!”
“However, we still have so many brothers with us.” Mountain Dog gnashed its teeth. “So many brothers who have been with us for so many years, who have crawled out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and entrusted the lives of their elders as well as deceased comrades to our hometown. They are eagerly looking forward to it!
“All of them are tough men. If they can live one more day, the cause of millions of rats will have one more hope. It doesn’t matter that the two of us are dead. Do you want the lives of so many good brothers to be lost here for nothing?”
Red Bear sniffed, and he was about to retort.
However, Mountain Dog waved his crescent-like saber hard, tearing it through the air before raising his voice. “Open your eyes and face the reality, Red Bear. We have nowhere to go!
“If there’s a chance of survival, I wouldn’t be willing to make such a humiliating choice.
“But you know as well as I how difficult our situation is!
“We’re already on the verge of running out of medicine, ammunition, and food.
“Even the White Bone Battalion’s most elite core combat unit, led by you and me, only have three to five days’ worth of rations left.
“Many of our brothers who are in charge of supporting us at the periphery have been reduced to the point where they’ve had to uproot mandrake trees and harvest their root tubers to fill their stomachs!
“All the rat warriors have been holding on with one breath, trying to hold on until they break through Hundred Blade City and seize a large amount of rations and armaments.
“However, the fire in Hundred Blade City last night completely fueled the anger in our hearts.
“After that, it seems that even the Rat God abandoned us. The majestic Rat God must have also appear in front of your eyes, gradually withering, rotting, and dying, right?
“If this isn’t considered a sign that the great horn army is about to collapse, why do so many people have the same terrifying illusion in front of their eyes?
“There are also so many priests who can listen to the Saintess’ voice directly and command the entire army as if they were commanding their fingers with their arms.
“However, they are all crazy. They are either bleeding from their seven orifices and their brains bursting out, or their brains are spontaneously burning, their entire heads turning into devilish torches. They’ve even had mental breakdowns and become Origin Warriors who are as crazy as demons. Without these priests to convey the Saintess’ orders, the entire Great Horn Army would be a pile of loose sand!
“As for the Saintess herself, didn’t we send out a small team of scouts to investigate the camp she set up in the depths of the stone forest in an attempt to get through to the message?
“In the end, we saw something—the burning camp, our comrades who killed each other, the deformed and twisted Origin Warriors, the broken limbs and dried blood pools all over the ground, but we didn’t see the Ancient Dream Saintess!
“What does all of this mean? Do I have to tell you the cruel answer?”
The corner of Red Bear’s eyes, mouth, and the muscles all over his body were twitching. He shouted at the top of his voice, “No, the Saintess will not die without any reason. Don’t you shake the morale of the army here
“Even if the Saintess is still alive, she can no longer control any troop. This is a fact that anyone can see and hear with their eyes!”
Mountain Dog helplessly said, “In such a situation, what else can you do to keep so many brothers alive?”
“I…”
Red Bear was dazed for a long time before he furiously said, “Even if I can’t keep our brothers alive, I can at least lead everyone to a glorious death like a true Turan warrior.
“Then, what will our death bring?” Mountain Dog asked aggressively.
“Will it bring us the victory of conquering Hundred Blade City, the mandrake fruits that fill the entire valley, ‘Jackal’ Kanus’ head, and the heads of so many wolves, tigers, and leopards, or will it bring us a way out for our family in our hometown and our fellow rat people?”
Red Bear was at a loss for words for a moment.
His two hands that were as big as cattail fans and his spiked clubs that were as hard as iron were rattling like dry branches.
“If our death can be traded for these things, even if we can trade for a part of them, or even the hope to achieve a part of our goal, I, Mountain Dog, am willing to die with you. Together with my experienced brothers who are not afraid of death, anyone who blinks will be a b*stard without an ancestral spirit!
“But is it possible? Based on our current situation, would it be useful for us to charge at the wolf army? Would we be able to get anything in return?
“Death is very easy. We just need to open our eyes wide, puff up our chest, and roar meaninglessly. We will charge forward like headless flies, and we will be able to die comfortably soon. We will no longer have to worry about our compatriots who are still living on this cruel and cursed land.
“However, it is very difficult to live. For the future of millions of our compatriots, it is too difficult to live with humiliation. It is too difficult.
“I don’t blame you if you can’t figure it out or do it.
“But I still hope that you, Red Bear, my best brother, can trust me one more time on account of the many times that we fought side by side and saved each other’s lives in the past. Live on and lend me a hand!”
His heartfelt words, which somehow reeked of blood, made Red Bear gnash his teeth and stay silent.
The muscular man, who looked like a brown bear, was holding a mace that was thicker than his thigh, but he was still shivering and shaking.
It was unclear whether he was exhausted, furious, or in despair that he could not even resist death.
“Surrender, Red Bear. Help the Great Horn Army save the last seed, and also save the last hope for the millions of rat people.”
Mountain Dog closed his eyes, and two turbid streams of heat rolled out of the corners of his eyes. He sighed and said, “As the saying goes, ‘natural selection favors the strong.’ Submitting to the strong has always been the tradition of advanced orcs.
“After the five clans compete, the four clans that are at a disadvantage will have to submit to the strongest clan.
“At that time, whether it is the violent blood hoof warriors or the unruly thunder warriors, they will have to lower their arrogant heads. Even they don’t think that this is a disgrace to the glory of the ancestral spirits. What are we, the rat people who have been abandoned by the Rat God and have no place to go and no place to return to?
“Besides, ‘Jackal’ Kanus is different from the others.
“He is different from the barbaric, brutal, cruel, short-sighted chiefs and chiefs that we have seen in the past.
“According to our brothers who have run to the other side, ‘Jackal’ Kanus not only strictly restricts his troops but also never does anything like killing, surrendering, or killing captives. After the brave soldiers of the rat nation ran over, the treatment they received was almost the same as that of the wolf cavalry.
“Moreover, the dignified Wolf King even appeared in front of the rat militia in person to appease everyone’s emotions and made a lot of generous promises in public.
“Some brothers heard ‘Jackal’ Kanus say with their own ears that there was no deep-seated hatred between the Wolf Clan and the rat people that could not be resolved in the first place. The reason why the Wolf Clan fought with the rat militia on the battlefield was because they were forced by the Lion and Tiger Clans to do as they were told. On the other hand, the Lion and Tiger Clans did not send their elite troops but forced the Wolf Clan warriors to fight with the rat warriors. Who knows what they were planning!
“From a certain point of view, the Wolf Clan and the rat people are in the same boat. They’ve both been chess pieces that can’t be helped.
“The Great Horn Army’s splendid performance on the battlefield deeply aroused the respect of all the Wolf Clan’s brave warriors, including himself. They believed that the rat people, who had been through countless trials and tribulations, were all brave warriors who were qualified to fight alongside them.
“Therefore, we just need to be willing to lay down our weapons. It doesn’t matter even if we don’t. As long as we are willing to obey the command of the Wolf King, he will do his best to protect the commanders of the Great Horn Army and the structure of the troops on all levels. Not only will the Lion and Tiger Clans and the other clans not hold us accountable for our crimes, the Great Horn Army will be able to continue to exist in a different way!”
Upon hearing this, Red Bear was so furious that he laughed instead. As he laughed, he coldly asked, “Mountain Dog, you actually believe ‘Jackal’ Kanus’ nonsense?”
“I’ve said it before. We have no other choice!”
Mountain Dog was equally furious. “If the Big-horned Rat God hasn’t abandoned us yet, and the Saintess is still alive, as long as they can bring us even the slightest hint of inspiration and signs, I won’t even look at ‘Jackal’ Kanus no matter how high his conditions are or how sincere his promises are.
“But right now, ‘Jackal’ Kanus’ promise is the only life-saving straw that we can grasp.
“Besides, I’ve thought about it carefully. The Wolf King’s words are not without reason. The war between the five clans and the Battle of Glory have begun. After that, the flames of war that will last for decades will come. A great war is coming. Who would be so foolish as to kill all the seasoned soldiers like us?
“Even if the enemy doesn’t kill us for the time being, it’s only to tie us up at the front of the battle formation and become cannon fodder!” Red Bear roared.
“Cannon fodder is cannon fodder. At least we can live for the time being. As long as we’re alive, there’s hope. As long as we’re alive, there might be a turning point. Since ancient times, there have been many legends from cannon fodder to generals. Why Can’t you and my brothers become new legends?” Red Bear retorted.
“Shut up. Whatever you say, I’d rather die than surrender!” Red Bear was furious.
“Then what about your brothers? Do you want them to be buried with you one by one?”
Mountain Dog was also enraged from embarrassment. “For thousands of years, why have the rat people been bullied by everyone? It’s because we’re too weak! “Right now, we and the Saintess have painstakingly nurtured so many strong rat people. After breaking through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the ones who are still alive are right in front of us!
“As long as the strong rat people in front of us are still alive, others will have to think twice before bullying them.. But you want them to be buried with you. You-You are destroying the rat people’s last hope!”