Chapter 676: A war on a knife edge
Riva's actions now amounted to a seizure of power. Had Sogian's king been present, he would never have tolerated it, but the soldiers and generals felt differently. Serving under Riva meant victory, honor, and a powerful sense of purpose. None of them resisted, and the Guerrilla Army's ranks swelled to a hundred thousand.
The Sogian Royal Family, meanwhile, was remarkably pragmatic. They knew their country's situation all too well, so as long as most of the troops remained nominally part of the Sogian Kingdom's army, supplies and cooperation kept flowing. It was also an easy way to earn the Guerrilla Army's goodwill.
Half a month later, with support from the Sogian Blockade Army and the Reinforcement Corps, Riva led his forces to crush the two Savage Beastmen armies that had originally besieged the mountain city. Almost none survived.
After just over a month, news that more than two hundred thousand Savage Beastmen had been annihilated spread throughout the world. Numerous horrifying Jingguan-mounds of severed heads-had also been erected on the battlefields.
The Guerrilla Army's Jingguan successfully provoked the Savage Beastmen armies. Large numbers of troops were diverted from both the Grasslands and the front lines to pursue and encircle the Guerrilla Army. This tied down at least three to four hundred thousand Savage Beastmen, nearly half of all their troops currently at the war front.
Meanwhile, members of the Long-Lived Species from around the world kept finding their way to the Guerrilla Army by various means and joining its ranks. Independent fighters confident in their skills and accomplished mercenaries also yearned to join the legendary force.
The conflict had truly become a world war. The Four Great Kingdoms of the Soma People naturally remained the main force fighting the Savage Beastmen head-on.