Chapter 124: After the Battle
"Almost there."
With Light Snow 's Speed, it wasn't long before, accompanied by the misty coolness of the Cool Breeze and fine rain, the Shouts and sounds of slaughter coming from the grey Sky faintly reached our ears—it seemed the Battle at Thomas Village was still ongoing!
Waves of increasingly strong Blood smells drifted over with the wind. I impatiently patted Light Snow and darted up a Hillside with higher Terrain. Instantly, the entire Battlefield of Thomas Village unfolded In Front of us.
Thomas Village, bathed in firelight, was enduring wave after wave of Monster attacks. The constant Screams and Roars mixed together, allowing us, still several kilometers away, to feel the lingering heat of the fierce Battle. However, after observing for a few moments, I found that the overall situation in Thomas Village seemed better than I had expected. Upon closer inspection, because the Terrain was similar to Vita Village, Thomas Village had also dug a giant Ditch around its periphery. But what was different was that this Ditch actually flowed with gurgling river water, truly resembling the Scale of a small Moat. Following the path of this Moat, I had a Realization.
Not far from Thomas Village, there was a large river with sufficient flow. So, these clever Warriors dug river channels resembling two arms on either side of the Ditch. The two channels Connected the upper and lower reaches of the river. This way, the Ditch would form a circular current. The river water would come from upstream and flow away downstream. Once Enemies fell into the Ditch, they would be washed away by the river water. For the Monster Army, whose intelligence was not high, this Moat was a truly insurmountable obstacle, much safer than Vita Village. However, this meant the engineering work was also enormous. It seemed the Organizers of Thomas Village had been prepared long ago.
At this moment, the Battle situation in Thomas Village seemed to have already transitioned from the initial intense Ranged Attack engagement into a prolonged War of attrition. Almost identical to Vita Village, after enduring the initial heavy Casualties and completely suppressing the Enemy's Ranged Attack Monsters, Thomas Village had entered a relatively stable period. Although the Monster Army's Ranged Attackers still had a considerable Scale, their Attacks were too scattered due to lack of Command, posing no significant threat to Thomas Village anymore.
However, I'm not boasting. Although Thomas Village also had Special Action Team Members, they were ultimately not as abnormal as me, capable of eliminating Blood Raven and hundreds of Crippled Fiends one by one amidst a vast army. As seen before my eyes, although Thomas Village had done its best to suppress with Ranged Attacks, a small-Scale army of Crippled Fiends still lingered on the outermost layer of the Monster Army. Their fierce Lightning Bolt Attacks occasionally caused a commotion within Thomas Village. And...
"Older Sister, look!!"
I pointed to the outer perimeter of the army, where an Arrow, like a Laser, was occasionally Shot towards the Village.
"It must be Cold Raven, no doubt."
Sister Sharna said softly behind me, her Tone cold and chilling, making me shiver.
A "whoosh" sound came from beside my ear. She had already leaped off Light Snow 's back. The Scale Mail on her Body and the Golden Hunting Bow in her hand had been Equipped at some point. Her golden hair fluttered in the wind, accentuating her graceful and upright Figure. The dazzling Confidence and demeanor on her face made her look as Holy and inviolable as a female War God.
"You should go back quickly too. Don't let those Little Guys/Kids in Vita Village think that Sharna's Younger Brother is irresponsible. I can handle these Minions."
Sister Sharna looked at me with a warm Vision. The next moment, her gaze was tightly locked onto Cold Raven's dodging Figure. Her calm and composed Tone made me feel for a moment that even an army of ten thousand was just like Small Insects in her eyes.
I also understood that although Vita Village had successfully defended against the first and most crucial wave of Attack, there were still many Matters to deal with after the Battle. It was indeed not the time for me to be away for long, so I didn't act coy. Leaving things here to Sister Sharna was enough. With her Archery, focusing on Cold Raven and those Ranged Elite Level Monsters would be a Small Thing, much more useful than me staying.
After a hurried farewell to my Older Sister, I urged Light Snow . We rushed back to Vita Village at the fastest Speed. The round trip had taken quite some time. By now, the Monster Corpses outside Vita Village had all disappeared. Only the Scorched Earth and Blood smell lingering in the Air still spoke of the fierceness and cruelty of the Battle that had just occurred.
Meanwhile, many Warriors were gathered around the Ditch, cheering loudly. I curiously pulled Light Snow closer.
"Lord, you're back..."
These Warriors turned their Heads and made way for me. They seemed to be celebrating something, their faces flushed with excitement.
"What happened?" I leaped off Light Snow and put it away casually.
Looking down from above, some Class Changers of not low Level were doing cleanup work below. There were still many Monsters trapped in the Ditch that hadn't died. Their current job was to clear out these Monsters.
These Class Changers were surrounding several Giant Beasts and Moon Clan members below, toying with them, harvesting their Life Single Point by Single Point. Opportunities to observe like this were rare, so the Ditch was currently surrounded by enthusiastic Warriors, cheering on the Warriors below. If someone accidentally made a fool of themselves, a wave of Boo/Jeer and laughter would follow.
This Atmosphere and scene couldn't help but remind me of a famous building—the Roman Colosseum. Weren't these watching Warriors just like those highly excited spectators?
I couldn't blame these "spectators" for being cold-blooded. In the past, I also held an extremely hateful view towards this Form of Entertainment that only Demons could invent. But after gradually Integrating/Blending In with the Diablo World, I held a different perspective—along with War, Blood, Slaughter, and Hatred, in this Act, there was only one thing that was never worthy of sympathy, and that was the Enemy. Who knew how much Blood of the people of Sanctuary those few Giant Beasts and Moon Clan members below had on their hands? Only by experiencing it firsthand could one understand the Sorrow and Helplessness represented by this cruel Method of Entertainment.
I didn't appreciate this act of torturing Enemies, but I didn't reject it either. So, I simply left a faint remark: "Make sure to clear out all the Monsters in the Ditch before the Moon rises Mid-air," then turned and walked into the Village.
Along the way in the Village, I seemed to be able to empathize with the cold-bloodedness and cruelty on the faces of the Warriors watching by the Ditch. Everywhere my gaze touched, there were Wounded soldiers groaning. These young Lives were suffering Pain and Torment. Some lay there quietly, their Blood flowing all over the ground, unable to open their eyes ever again.
Yes, these were all Soldiers.
In Sanctuary, Class Changers and Mercenaries could enjoy the special Treatment of God's crude Rules. As long as their Life didn't drop too low, their Enemies couldn't leave any scars on their Body. Adventurers on the Battlefield had only two choices: Survival or Death, unrelated to being Crippled or Injured.
But Soldiers were different. God's Rules did not protect them. Like ordinary Civilians, if they were Hack by a knife, they might not die, but an arm could be cut off, or an eye could be Stabbed blind. After a Wound appeared on their Body, it wouldn't heal immediately like Class Changers and Mercenaries. If they didn't receive timely Healing, they would die from excessive Blood loss. This was also why Class Changers and Mercenaries had to shoulder the heavy responsibility of driving the Hell Forces out of Sanctuary and go out for Trial, while Soldiers only needed to be Responsible for daily Guard duty.
Therefore, the biggest Consumables in this Village defense Battle were these Soldiers. Weaker than Mercenaries, who knew how many Casualties they suffered under the Monster Army's repeated Arrow Volleys. Seeing the Wounded and Corpses lying everywhere, and hearing the painful groans that occasionally reached my ears, my heart felt a wave of Helplessness. I wished I could pick up the Weapon in my hand and Slaughter the remaining Monsters in the Ditch to vent the Hatred in my heart.
"Ah! I'm sorry..."
Just as I was looking around at the ground full of Wounded with Helplessness, a Petite Figure suddenly bumped into my arm by accident and then fell to the ground with a thud.
"Ai Lu La...?"
In the misty Light of the Moon, I Reluctantly made out from the face covered in Blood and Dirt that it was actually an Acquaintance.
"It... it's Lord. I'm so happy to see you're alright." Her serious Tone and the cute Accent of calling herself "this one" made the Sadness in my heart lessen a little.
This Rogue Archer, who was only 16 years old, still held a large roll of rough Bandages in her hand. Her playful black ponytail had slid down from her neck. Her face was a bit charred and dirty, and her Leather Armor had several holes in it. Her fair Skin was faintly revealed from within. She must have suffered quite a few Attacks, but luckily she had already completed her Job Advancement to become a Mercenary. As long as she drank a few bottles of Potion, she would recover completely. Otherwise, she might have become one of those lying on the roadside, unable to bounce around like this.
"Alright, Little Guy/Kid, if you're busy, go quickly, but remember, don't wear yourself out."
Seeing the Bandages in her hand, I couldn't help but smile. I took out some Life Potions from my Inventory and handed them over. These Potions, after being diluted, were still very helpful for Wounds.
"Yes, yes..."
She clumsily took the Potions, then bowed respectfully to me and hurried away in a panic.
After meeting Ai Lu La and seeing her lively Appearance, my Mood also improved a little. I quickened my Footsteps and soon arrived at Druv's Large Tent.
Everyone else was already there except for me. A heavy Atmosphere filled the Tent at this moment.
"Wu, you're here."
Everyone's greetings sounded somewhat listless.
"Have the post-Battle Statistics been compiled?" I didn't bother to respond to them and quickly picked up a Report from the Table to read.
"Soldier deaths: 114, Mercenary deaths: 21, Class Changer deaths: 3, Seriously Wounded Soldiers: 396, Lightly Wounded who can still participate in Battle have not yet been counted, and there were also 17 Villagers killed by Stray Arrows..."
A string of shocking numbers flowed through my eyes. It felt as if all the strength had been drained from my Body. I slumped powerlessly onto the Table.
"The number of Casualties is already much less than expected. This is thanks to you and Lady Sharna." Druv tried hard to squeeze a smile from the Corner of his mouth, but failed.
"..."
"Alright! Alright! Don't look like we lost the Battle. The Battle isn't over yet, we can't lose heart first. Now is not the time for mourning." After a moment of silence, Druv was the first to break the quiet Atmosphere in the Tent.
"First, after the Wounded are stabilized, those who still have Combat Power should Rest for a night as soon as possible. The Wounded will be taken care of by the Villagers. Second, regarding the Warriors Responsible for keeping watch tonight..."
Everyone snapped back to attention. Druv had already meticulously planned the next steps and assigned them to the others one by one.
"Right, how is the situation with the Monsters?" As soon as Druv finished speaking, I impatiently asked.
"On the Enemy side, the Dark Wanderer and Skeleton Archers have lost seven out of ten. The Quill Rats are almost completely wiped out. As for the other Monsters, if they insist on attacking tomorrow, I believe the Ditch we dug should be mostly cleared out by then."
Speaking of the situation with the Monsters, everyone's faces finally showed a faint smile. There were not many truly threatening Ranged Monsters left on the Enemy side. This meant that in the upcoming Battle, we were very likely to seize the Fruits of Victory without losing a Single Person.
Thinking of this, my Mood also relaxed a little.
"If the Monster Army continues to Attack tomorrow, then we will finish them off in one go, annihilate all their Ranged Attackers, and then, them..."
Druv made a crude cutting gesture with his hand, grinding out the last few words through his teeth.