Elves

Watching some of the buildings slowly vanish, Zhao Fu understood that the outcome was already decided. He ordered an immediate retreat. His withdrawal caught the Kobold leader by surprise, but the leader immediately turned to fight the Orcs with everything he had, buying a little time for the remaining Kobolds to escape.

At this moment, the Kobold leader drew his great blade and engaged in a fierce duel with the Orc leader, Otis.

"Why have you allied with humans to attack our Kobold tribe?" the Kobold leader roared, slashing furiously at Otis.

"Why did you kill my brother?" Otis stared at the Kobold leader, his eyes filled with hatred.

Unfortunately, Otis spoke in the Orc tongue, while the Kobold leader spoke in the Kobold tongue. Neither could understand the other, yet both were enemies meeting on the battlefield, their eyes burning with intense malice as they fought desperately. Neither would ever suspect that a hidden hand was manipulating everything from the shadows.

Zhao Fu also noticed the Kobolds fleeing from the other side and shifted his gaze. The Kobold leader was fighting in a bloodbath, willing to sacrifice himself just so the remaining few could escape.

Countless fleeing Kobolds watched with tear-filled eyes as their leader fought for his life in the center of the battlefield. A certain radiance seemed to emanate from him; perhaps this was what a hero looked like.

Zhao Fu watched the Kobold leader as well. He had already taken several axe blows, his body drenched in blood, yet he continued to fight with all his might. However, his stamina was failing, and the end was clearly in sight.

"Sigh."

Zhao Fu let out a soft sigh. In this chaotic era of endless war, if he did not become strong, his fate would be the same as the leader's, or perhaps even worse. Because if you do not wish to become strong, you will simply be devoured by those who do.

Turning his gaze toward the three hundred or so fleeing Kobolds, Zhao Fu ordered his men to follow.

"Human! Why won't you let us go?"

By now, Zhao Fu had intercepted them on a small path. Nine hundred soldiers surrounded the three hundred fleeing Kobolds. The leader of the group shouted angrily at Zhao Fu.

"I want you to surrender to me. As long as you surrender, rest assured, I will not harm a single one of you," Zhao Fu said, while Duo Ke translated for the Kobolds.

"Ha! You allied with the Orcs to attack our tribe and killed so many of our people, and now you want us to surrender to you?" the Kobold sneered mockingly.

Zhao Fu remained expressionless as he looked at the Kobold, saying coldly, "First, I did not ally with the Orcs. Second, if I hadn't forced you into this situation, would you have surrendered to me when you were so powerful before? Third, I am not negotiating with you. If you refuse to surrender and choose death, I will grant your wish right now!"

Upon hearing Zhao Fu's words, all the archers and crossbowmen aimed their weapons at the Kobolds. A single command from Zhao Fu would unleash a hail of arrows upon them.

The lead Kobold's face turned pale. He thought of how his leader had entrusted these people to him, yet now they faced total annihilation. After a moment of hesitation, the lead Kobold chose to surrender. He knelt on one knee and handed a glowing blue magic cube to Zhao Fu.

The battlefield was now divided into three main areas.

Zhao Fu's side had concluded perfectly, and the situation at the Kobold village was nearing its end. Only a small group of Kobolds remained in a desperate struggle, and in the end, every last one was killed—including the Kobold leader, as the Orcs, driven by hatred, refused to accept any surrender.

In this sector, all the Kobolds were dead, save for the group Zhao Fu had subjugated. Of the four thousand Orc warriors, one thousand had perished, and most of the survivors were wounded.

Otis had intended to pursue the three hundred fleeing Kobolds, but having nearly slaughtered the entire village, he felt his vengeance was complete. Seeing his exhausted men and realizing the Kobolds were long gone, he gave up the chase.

Suddenly, a few Orcs reported seeing human figures, though there were very few of them.

Although Zhao Fu's group had moved stealthily, they had still been spotted by a few Orcs. Fortunately, Zhao Fu had split his forces, so the Orcs had only seen a dozen or so humans.

After hearing their report, Otis didn't give it much thought. He assumed they were from a human village that had been attacked by the Kobolds, and that these few had been captured as slaves.

The third battlefield was led by Bai Qi, who commanded nine hundred soldiers to attack the Orc tribe while it was empty and poorly defended.

Bai Qi had Rogge lead the Goblins in a frontal feint, while he led the rest of his men to hide in the shadows, launching a full-scale slaughter against the elderly and young Orcs left behind.

Some might call Zhao Fu's methods ruthless, but if forced to choose between the death of his own soldiers or the death of these old and young Orcs, Zhao Fu would choose the latter without a moment's hesitation.

On Bai Qi's side, they only made it look as if the Goblins were attacking the tribe. Watching as the vast majority of the elderly and young were shot down, the Orc camp turned into a living hell. To incite even greater rage, Bai Qi even set a few fires.

Once finished, Bai Qi ordered the Goblins to leave behind numerous tracks in the south, creating the illusion that a large force of Goblins had attacked the tribe and fled in that direction, successfully shifting the blame to the southern Goblin village.

Back on the other side, the three thousand Orcs felt a heavy weight in their hearts after wiping out the Kobold village; despite their vengeance, they had lost nearly a thousand of their own.

Yet, they never expected the sight that awaited them upon their return—a sight that sent them into a towering rage. Their elders and children lay in pools of blood, cold and lifeless. These were their own kin!

The few survivors wailed that it was the Goblins from the south who had done this. "Because Bai Qi only allowed the Goblins used for the feint to be seen, while the rest remained hidden, the Orcs only saw the Goblins attacking them and then fleeing south, naturally leading them to believe it was the southern Goblin village."

Hearing this, every Orc grabbed their weapons once more. Ignoring their exhaustion, they surged with killing intent and charged toward the southern Goblin village.

Meanwhile, Zhao Fu and Bai Qi reunited and began their march toward the Elf Village in the east.

A while later!

Zhao Fu, riding Little Black, arrived before the Elf Village with five hundred soldiers. Since his goal was to lure the Elves out, he had brought fewer troops.

Zhao Fu finally laid eyes on the Elves. They were indeed as the legends described: both men and women were incredibly beautiful, with pointed ears, snow-white skin, and exquisite features.

Zhao Fu arrived before the village with an aggressive air, and the entire Elf Village immediately went on alert. The village's defenses were impressive; in addition to wooden palisades, they had constructed several arrow towers.

What Zhao Fu had not expected was that the leader of this Elf Village was a woman of breathtaking beauty. She appeared to be just over thirty years old, with waist-length golden hair and leather armor that perfectly accentuated her mature figure.