Chapter 174: Baya's Retreat
“Kill these little pests—avenge our kin!”
Seeing the Great Goblins reloading their ammunition, Baya finally snapped back to reality. With a furious roar, he swung his Dragon Bone Pick and charged straight into the line infantry’s formation.
At the sight of their Chieftain’s ferocity, the Frost Giants surged forward in unison, brandishing their weapons, their auras blazing as they stormed the enemy line.
But the front-row Great Goblins stepped back, allowing those in the rear to step forward—once again executing a Voluntary Volley.
This was the Rotating Volley Tactics engineered by Steel Tide for their Goblin Line Infantry. With firearms now firing at blistering speed, three ranks could maintain a relentless, continuous barrage, never letting up.
Meanwhile, several Chimeras soared overhead, weaving through the sky. As they passed over the path of the Frost Giant charge, they unleashed a torrent of fire, shielding the Line Formation Battalion from the assault.
The Frost Giants were forced into a defensive position—unable to close in, they could only endure the storm of bullets.
“Ready… fire!”
Bang!
Another thunderous gunshot split the air. Another dozen Frost Giants fell.
Thanks to his Dragon Scale Armor, Baya remained unharmed—though a few stray bullets pierced his arm.
Gazing around, he saw that the bravest of his warriors, the ones who had charged alongside him, were now lying dead or dying. The survivors had grown cautious, hesitating to press forward.
“Damned!” Baya’s eyes flared with rage. His scarred forehead bulged with veins, veins pulsing like live wires. “You dare defy the mighty Frost Giant Warrior? I’ll paint my body in your blood!”
Indeed, he had once fought alongside the legendary Hunters of the Dragon—no ordinary warrior.
With a bellow, Baya charged forward, shield in one hand, Dragon Bone Pick in the other, his Dragon Scale Armor shielding him from the storm of lead. He cut through the line like a blade through silk, tearing a bloody rift in the Great Goblin ranks.
The Dragon Bone Pick swung with ease, piercing through the front-line Goblins. The pale, bone-white blade was now slick with crimson.
In mere breaths, the massive Frost Giant tore through the formation, leaving dozens dead in his wake.
“Foolish giant! How dare you defy the Kingdom of Ashen?”
Drool roared, riding a Land Drake, charging straight at the enraged Frost Giant. The beast had gone berserk, and the sudden impact sent Baya sprawling.
But Baya was no rookie. Rolling across the ground, he twisted with feral instinct, slipping beneath the Land Drake’s belly and plunging his Dragon Bone Pick deep into its abdomen.
Rip!
The thick hide split open. Rich fat and glistening internal organs spilled out in a geyser of gore.
“Awooo—!”
The Land Drake let out a heavy, guttural wail as it collapsed sideways, shaking the earth. Drool was thrown clear, tumbling into the dirt.
“Chimera, save me!”
Seeing Baya lunging for him, Drool screamed for help.
The Chimera was one of the oldest beings in Dragon Vale, and indeed, across the entire kingdom. Though his followers often called him a beast, even the Earth Giant Commander Dolo respected him. Drool, of course, was far more eager to please.
Seeing his old sycophant in peril, the Chimera dove from the sky, slamming into Baya’s back with claws like scythes. The beast’s head snapped open, unleashing a searing torrent of fire.
Boom!
Flames engulfed the Frost Giant’s back—already ravaged by burns, the flesh charred further, blackened and blistered.
At that moment, Baya no longer looked like a Frost Giant. He resembled a Stone Giant of the Obsidian Subspecies, forged in fire and fury.
But the Chimera had not anticipated the backlash.
“Aaagh—!”
Baya screamed in agony—but his instincts remained razor-sharp. With one hand, he seized the Chimera’s front leg, yanking it violently from his back.
Boom!
The ground trembled again as the massive beast crashed into the earth, rolling several times before struggling to rise.
“Come on!”
“Chimera, your hide will become my new cloak!”
The Frost Giant didn’t give it a chance to recover. With a sudden leap, he pounced onto the Chimera’s back, locking his thick arms around its Lion Head—crushing the neck.
Roar—!
But the Chimera had three heads. One bit down on the giant’s arm, fire spewing from its maw. Yet Baya held fast, unyielding.
Dust roared into the air as the two titans—nearly equal in size—locked in a brutal, grinding struggle.
The other two female Chimeras tried to intervene, but without the Dragon Blood Blessing, their strength and form were no match for this clash.
Baya, with superior strength and battle mastery, was steadily driving the Chimera to the brink. The only weapon the beast had left was its fire.
Taking advantage of the Chimera’s exhaustion, Baya seized its head from behind, wrapping his arms tightly around its neck—straining to snap its spine, just like his brother, Kasa, the Bonebreaker.
“Hah! Got you!”
The Chimera fought with every ounce of strength—claws slashing, Sheep Head ramming, Lion Head biting—but it was futile.
“Breathe… steady…”
For a fleeting moment, the struggle paused.
Drool seized the opening. He held his breath, raised his Long Spear, aimed at the Frost Giant’s body, and squeezed the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet struck home. Baya howled in pain, his grip loosening just enough for the Chimera to wrench free.
“Aaaah—!”
The beast gasped for air, then flapped its wings with desperate force, rising into the sky. It would not face this madman again—no matter the cost.
The Frost Giant rose slowly from the ground, glaring after the fleeing Chimera, then slammed his chest with a thunderous Battle Cry.
“Coward! Come back and fight!”
He turned and marched back toward the Frost Giant lines, not a single warrior daring to challenge the raging warlord.
Then—far off—the sound of a Horn Blast rang out.
“Woo—!”
The note cut through the air like a howling winter wind—deep, heavy, and unmistakable.
Baya froze. He knew that sound.
It was the War Horn of the Youshuang Tribe.
Kasa Youshuang was calling the clans home.
He looked at the fortress—unyielding, unshaken. He surveyed the battlefield littered with the heroic fallen of his people. His face darkened.
“Damned… wasted so many warriors for nothing.”
Temaa stepped forward. “Captain… Kasa ordered us to assemble at the sound of the horn. And….”
He paused.
“Our people have already bled too much in this worthless Ruined Valley.”
Baya’s expression hardened. He narrowed his eyes, staring at Temaa—then finally exhaled.
“Retreat. We’ll find Kasa.”
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
