Northern region of the kingdom, Tezhi Province, Qiwo City.
“Duke, Amelo's negotiator has returned. Shall I receive him?”
An old man with a head of white hair bowed to the man in the seat and asked respectfully as he entered the town hall.
“No need. I’ve already replied several times. If Amelo wants to rebel, let him be prepared to suffer the consequences. You don't need to notify him either. When the time is up, he'll leave on his own.”
“Understood.” The old man stood up, hesitated for a moment, and whispered, “However, that man said this is the final ultimatum. If you refuse, the Princess's Zerg legion will launch a direct attack on you.”
“Oh? Hahaha, a green girl? Setting aside whether the Princess is even alive, even if she is, how could she possibly command so many troops? I suspect Amelo wants to rebel himself and is using the Princess and magic beasts as scapegoats. If that's the case, I'll play along with the magic beasts he’s raised.”
At that moment, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the door.
“Duke, this is bad! A large number of monsters have appeared in the countryside!”
“Monsters?”
Hearing this, the Duke's brow furrowed, his expression turning sinister. “Fine, Amelo. You couldn't wait to make your move?”
“In that case, I shall order the garrison to meet the enemy.”
The old man bowed and walked out.
...
A few minutes later, atop the city walls.
A commander walked to the top of the wall and looked into the distance.
Zerg squads were chasing fleeing soldiers in the sparse woods far away.
The well-equipped human ranks looked like they were made of paper, easily broken by a few zerglings or forcibly torn apart and annihilated one by one.
The sight struck a chord of fear in those on the wall.
“Don't be afraid! Everyone, don't be afraid! They're just a pack of beasts!”
The city defense officer roared at the nervous soldiers around him.
One must realize this wasn't Amelo's territory; the appearance of magic beasts here was abnormal.
“Sir, should we open the city gates and let the fleeing men in?” a battalion commander asked.
The city defense officer frowned.
He hesitated.
Based on a rough judgment, he knew just how powerful those insects in the distance were.
From the top of the wall, the entire battlefield was clearly visible. In fact, further out—at least two or three kilometers away—a dark expansion line was already approaching.
The fleeing soldiers nearby were actually being pursued by the enemy's vanguard, but not a single group could reach the city walls; they were all intercepted and killed by the Zerg squads halfway.
“Open the gate, but only for a moment.”
The enemy's expansion line was still far off.
At this distance, it was impossible to even determine the true number of the Zerg.
Hearing the order, the adjutant on the wall immediately ran to the other side and shouted, “Open the gate! Two meters!”
Rumble—
The massive city gate was slowly hoisted up, revealing a two-meter-high gap.
Seeing the nearest group had approached within three hundred meters, the defense officer roared again, “Archers, support! Kill those damned insects!”
The name 'Zerg' had unknowingly spread here.
Thus, 'insects' wasn't exactly a slur.
However, most people still believed the Zerg were just a special race of magic beasts.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—
Iron arrows fell from the sky, carrying not only incredible force but also the vitality that the archers had refined for many years.
The arrows even bore a faint glow.
Though far less brilliant than the magic of mages, at a glance, it was indeed quite impressive.
Several of the fastest arrows pierced through the bodies of the zerglings almost instantly.
The sharp arrows even emerged from the bottom of their bodies and struck the stones on the ground with force.
Hum—
The vibrating iron arrowheads made a metallic hum, their tails still quivering slightly.
There was no doubt that the users of these arrows were all powerful experts.
The arrows that followed weren't as powerful.
Some with glowing trails were alright, at least managing to pierce the zerglings' shells and cause damage.
But many more were simply bounced off by their outer armor.
“What?”
Seeing this, the defense officer was stunned.
The archers on the wall had been carefully selected. While not as elite as the kingdom's main legions, there were plenty of Tier 4 and even Tier 5 experts among them.
Yet the final result was that only arrows reaching Tier 5 could cause significant damage to the zerglings.
Of course... 'significant' was relative.
After receiving such attacks, those zerglings merely slowed down for a moment before continuing their pursuit of the human soldiers as if they had sustained no damage at all.
“Why can they still run after being pierced?”
The defense officer's eyes widened.
Another volley of arrows followed, with one even accidentally hitting their own man.
But the result was the same as before.
One zergling that was singled out finally lost its balance and collapsed after being struck by seven or eight arrows.
The vitality of the warriors had taken effect, destroying its internal organs.
But one insect compared to such a massive number of enemies was a mere drop in the bucket.
Seeing the first few people about to rush through the gate, the soldiers at the entrance hurriedly closed it.
They had no choice; they were too fast.
The speed at which the insects ran was absurd. They had thought they could save at least dozens, but only three managed to get inside.
With a loud boom, the city gate slammed shut.
The soldiers inside breathed a sigh of relief.
The same was true for those atop the wall.
However, their hearts soon tightened again.
As they reached the wall, two zerglings suddenly beat their wings and began to climb the wall with extreme agility.
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