Over the past week, the Quillboar had attacked the Centaurs of Maraudon several times, but unfortunately, they hadn't achieved any substantial victories. On the other hand, good news had arrived from the southwest. With the Elves' help, the Quillboar blocking force had scored a major victory, wiping out the Centaur reinforcements returning to the front. They had cleverly let a few scattered Centaurs escape to carry the news. Their victory had created favorable conditions for today's decisive battle, and there was no need to worry about being attacked from behind. Today was the day they had scheduled for the general offensive. Win or lose, Azar would lead his troops south into Feralas, leaving the mess in Desolace to the Quillboar and Centaurs. The Centaurs had always been a hidden threat. They didn't seem very strong at the moment, but after the War of the Ancients, Zaetar and his wife, Theradras, would breed like crazy, and so would their descendants. It felt like they had nothing to do besides rob people and make more of themselves. Even the Tauren, the strongest warriors on land, had been forced into a great migration by their human-wave tactics. The Quillboar were more peaceable. After Agamaggan's death, they had gained the easily defended fortress of Razorfen Downs and holed up inside to develop in peace. They didn't wander about unless they had a reason, and they were perfectly happy fighting among themselves. As far as Azar was concerned, a place like Desolace was practically useless, except for its strategic location. But Azar had a habit of grabbing all he could. Following the principle that it was better to keep something for himself than give it to someone else, he was now doing his best to claim more land for the Elves. Maybe it would bring some pleasant surprises in the future. As it happened, the kid was lucky enough to be right: Desolace really would provide him with endless treasures later on.
Let's return to the battlefield. The two armies had finished forming their ranks, and a murderous air hung over the field. A strong wind swept by, kicking up a layer of yellow sand and sending even the tiniest grains crawling across the ground. The Quillboar began beating their war drums. Boom! Boom! Boom! It felt as if the earth might split open at any moment. Across the field, the Centaurs sounded their horns in a series of blasts. Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! The sound reminded Azar of the Mongol armies that had swept across Europe and Asia! Was it about to begin? Then let it begin! Azar opened his eyes and walked slowly toward the front of the formation, stopping Daphne from following him.
"Watch closely. This is how I fight." Azar held his head high and strode forward, displaying the self-assurance of the strong! The courage to charge alone into an army of thousands! Standing before the enemy ranks, he bellowed, "Tell the Great Khan Zaetar to come out and answer me!" The nearly ten thousand soldiers behind him shouted as one, "Great Khan Zaetar, come out and answer us!!!" Yes, that was the way. They had to overwhelm their opponent with their presence. Only then would the goddess of victory favor them. Perhaps intimidated by the Quillboar's imposing display, the Centaur ranks stirred briefly, then quickly fell silent. Zaetar had appeared! A creature with a human upper body and the lower body of a deer stepped before Azar.
"I am Zaetar. Who are you?"
"Azar Tikal, Night Elf."
"Why have you joined forces with the Quillboar to attack us?"
"Enough, you scum. When you and the Quillboar and Trolls ambushed us, did you ever think this day would come?"
When the moment came, one had to be bold! Azar didn't care whether his opponent was a demigod's son; he cursed him to his face. Besides, Azar knew all about the mess between Zaetar and his father. Zaetar's marriage had met with strong opposition from his father. How could the essence of life ever feel affection for an elemental creature? Zaetar might have a huge brood of children and grandchildren, but as long as he was alive, his father Cenarius wouldn't come after Azar. In the future, that old gentleman would love the Night Elves even more than his own son.
"But you've killed many of my people, too. Doesn't that settle things?"
Azar heard that and thought Zaetar was backing down.
"Don't think I don't know what you're getting at. You killed my people, so don't expect to settle this so easily. How many of yours have I killed? For every one of mine you kill, I'll kill a hundred of yours!"
Azar had his own little scheme. He didn't care whether they fought or not, but he had to fight Zaetar and find out how strong he was right now. Zaetar was nowhere near as powerful as his father, but he still met the minimum standard. Besides, if he beat up the husband and the wife came running out, that would be even better. His wife was stronger than he was.
"So there's nothing to discuss?" Zaetar made one last attempt.
"Well, we can talk. Fight me one-on-one. If you win, you can do whatever you want. If I win, the Centaurs can never leave Desolace again!"
"Fine! It's a deal!"
On this side, my friends and family pounded their war drums until they shook the heavens. On the other, his cheer squad blew their horns with gusto. The first round of their contest ended in a draw. The two combatants also entered battle stance. For Zaetar, the fight concerned the survival of his people. For Azar, it concerned his own future. Neither of them intended to take it lightly.
Bear Form—Charge! I'd guessed it. Cenarius's son, and the one most like him, was probably a Druid!
Strong Shadow! His opponent lost sight of him and stopped halfway through his charge. Shadowstep! Azar circled around him, looking for an opening. Tree of Life Form—Empowered Vines! Thick vines, each as wide as an arm, spread out from Zaetar in every direction. Azar knew that if the vines touched him, he would be revealed. How could he counter them? He couldn't just cut the vines; they'd never run out. He had to take out their leader! Reveal! His left hand swung Quel'Serrar with a sudden slash! A fire attack—and it worked! The vines were afraid of fire. They stopped growing and slowly began to withdraw. Right after that, Quel'Serrar in his right hand thrust forward, creating a path of ice that shot straight toward Zaetar! The distance was still a little too great, but no matter. Sprint—Charge! He hit him! Zaetar probably hadn't expected Azar to open with such a violent storm of attacks, as if he were staking everything on the fight. He was only a fraction of a beat too slow, and the blow landed. Strike while he's down! Sunder Armor—Eviscerate—(woke him up)—Kidney Shot (stunned him again). Azar's left hand never stopped; he swiftly reversed his blade and drove it down hard. Gouge! It hit! Was it over just like that? Not yet! With a bang, Zaetar shifted into Bear Form and swiped with Claw. A counterattack from someone in pain hit hard. If Azar had carelessly taken that blow, he would have been in for a rough time. He crossed his two swords to block! Damn it, Azar wasn't as strong as him and was actually sent flying. He'd never encountered anything like this before. The real world really was different. Strength could overcome a hundred techniques! No wonder the Elves were suppressed early in the War of the Ancients. A Felguard over three meters tall was far stronger than an Elf who was only about two meters tall. No wonder Elf warriors used deflection so much in their combat skills and had trained their dodging to an incredible level. So that was the root of it. While flying through the air, Azar had to be ready for the enemy's follow-up at any moment. He sharply twisted his waist, flipped like a swallow, and sped up his descent. Stealth!
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"Gah! I'm going to kill you! You actually wounded me!" Zaetar roared as he raised his left hand over his head and cast Rejuvenation on himself! Damn, how was he supposed to deal with this? He could heal himself! This was going to be a problem. Azar had planned to wear him down while he was injured, letting the bleeding finish him off, but that no longer seemed possible. He'd have to go all in! Azar used Shadowstep to slowly close in. Closer, closer—now! Charge! He missed? No matter. He had a follow-up. Sweeping Strikes! Bang! Blade clashed against claw. Azar had learned from his earlier mistake and was prepared this time. The instant his attack was blocked, he used a deflection and twisted his waist with the force of the blow. His main-hand sword came crashing down—Cleave! He'd just thought of this move, borrowing the way sword-wielding soldiers from his previous life generated force. It let him bring his entire body's strength into the strike. Bang! Another muffled impact! The huge bear stood on its hind legs, crossing both forepaws to block Azar's slash. Hmph! Not so fast! White light flashed, and the bear's paws slowly began to freeze. Quel'Delar in his main hand had an added frost effect. He was going to catch that with both paws? And on top of that, Azar had infused it with the Power of Order. How did that feel, Zaetar? Seeing that Zaetar couldn't separate his paws for the moment, Azar showed no mercy. Sunder Armor—Sunder Armor—Sunder Armor (bears had famously thick hides; he wouldn't dare go in without three applications)—Gouge—Blade Dance—Eviscerate—Hamstring. Rejuvenation or not, the pain from Eviscerate and Hamstring would be enough to make him suffer. Cat Form! Trying to run? Not a chance. Azar raised his left hand and stamped his right foot down hard. Consecration! (modified with Order energy) Now he couldn't disappear, and he couldn't get away. Azar quickly caught up, thrust the tip of his main-hand blade forward, and asked imperiously, "Do you still want to fight?"
Zaetar was a tough guy, too. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared defy his own father for love. He shouted through gritted teeth, "If you've got the guts, kill me!"
"You're tough. I don't have the guts, all right?" Azar was thoroughly frustrated.
"There's nothing to gain from killing you, and plenty to lose. We're done fighting, and I'm leaving. Remember, you're not to leave Desolace again. If one of you comes out, I'll kill him. If two come out, I'll kill them both." With that, Azar turned and walked away. His departing figure was impossibly dashing.
Their fight was over, but the soldiers hadn't even started. Seeing Azar take down the Centaur khan with one flashy move after another, the Quillboar squealed with excitement. Before he'd even returned to their ranks, the drums of advance began to pound, and all the Quillboar charged forward eagerly. It looked like they wanted to wipe out the Centaurs in a single battle.
"Sir, should we charge too?" Muru asked excitedly. Seeing the Centaurs' ranks thrown into disarray by the Quillboar's charge, he wanted to rush in and cut down a few horses.
"Don't charge. The Centaurs still have a trick up their sleeves," Azar said gravely.
Sure enough, just as the Centaurs thought all was lost and the Quillboar thought victory was at hand, the soldiers caught up in the melee suddenly felt the ground shift beneath their feet. What was happening? Hmph. Looks like you couldn't hold back after all. On a nearby hill stood an incredibly ugly woman. She had four arms, skin like stone, and an enormous pair of breasts. Her short legs were so thick they nearly matched my waist, and she was wearing a bikini despite that figure. The sight made Azar so sick he almost threw up last night's dinner. He hadn't felt this way when he'd defeated her in the game, but seeing her in person left him at a loss for words to describe his disgust. Daphne, a woman herself, looked just as repulsed and muttered, "Is that even a woman? She's so ugly. Who is she?"
"She's Zaetar's wife! The daughter of the Earth Mother. I think her name is Theradras."
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