https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-747-The-Vision-of-the-Beast-Legion/13042220/
Chapter 746: Harvest
Chapter 746: Harvest
September 25, 2017
The final clash with the demonic weapon, though brief, still managed to give Lu HaiKong a good scare.
He had never imagined that his Wilderness Axe could be severed in a single strike, let alone be pushed to such a dire situation by a demonic weapon.
In that fleeting moment, Lu HaiKong was certain that if it weren't for the one-time divine weapon protecting his body, he would have been in grave danger.
Lu HaiKong wasn't sure if the Phoenix Blood would still be effective if he were struck by the demonic weapon, for in that instant, the sensation it gave him was utterly eerie and terrifying.
Under this sense of crisis, the disappearance of the demonic weapon left Lu HaiKong both startled and slightly relieved.
Just as the demonic weapon vanished, the Black Demon Cavalry, engaged in battle with Lu HaiKong's 40,000 raiders, began to fall one after another, and the system notifications followed.
[You have successfully slain the Demi-Demonic Black Demon General (Wu Yanba) and obtained a Mythic Treasure Chest!]
[You have successfully defeated a demonic weapon (????) and obtained a Mythic Treasure Chest!]
[Your forces have defeated the Black Demon Cavalry, gaining a wealth of combat experience. 7,301 of your raiders (Elite) have advanced to become raiders (Superior), and 1,100 of your raiders (Superior) have evolved into Blood Knights!]
[You have triggered a new quest!]
Upon hearing the system notifications, Lu HaiKong momentarily ignored the first two and the last one, focusing on his raiders.
From the initial encounter with the Black Demon Cavalry to the end of the battle, Lu HaiKong had been fighting for over an hour, enduring the most devastating casualty rate he had ever experienced.
In just over an hour, more than 10,000 of Lu HaiKong's raiders had perished, leaving only about 35,000 remaining.
Despite the unprecedented casualty rate, Lu HaiKong also reaped significant gains from this battle.
Among the remaining 35,000 raiders, all were Superior-level, except for around 2,500 Blood Knights (several hundred of whom were slain in combat).
In terms of strength and benefits, Lu HaiKong didn't feel at a loss.
However, war is often cold and cruel, and casualties are just numbers. If Lu HaiKong hadn't been on the battlefield himself, if he hadn't just experienced that moment of life-and-death struggle, perhaps he wouldn't have felt so saddened.
But at this moment, standing on the edge of the battlefield and looking back at the ground littered with the corpses of his subordinates, something deep within Lu HaiKong's heart seemed to stir, something he had hidden away.
At this moment, Lu HaiKong had no interest in checking the new quest or what the Black Demon General had dropped.
Lu HaiKong carefully placed the broken Wilderness Axe in his hand and walked towards his troops.
As Lu HaiKong approached, his legion gathered, forming a tight formation, awaiting his orders.
Without saying a word, Lu HaiKong went forward and picked up each of his fallen raiders, placing them on the empty grassland.
Lu HaiKong's movements were gentle, even though he knew that many of these raiders lacked intelligence, mere killing machines created by the system for war, unless they became generals, the AI of the Data NPC soldiers would rarely develop beyond a certain point.
Death, for these corpses Lu HaiKong held, might not be a tragedy, and his actions might not move the Data NPCs.
From a pragmatic perspective, this was a meaningless act, yet Lu HaiKong did it anyway.
Over the past year or two, as Lu HaiKong's power grew, so did his aura of dominance and authority. It was hard to find traces of the man who had just arrived in this world, pleading for mercy under Yue'er's fist.
Even when Lu HaiKong occasionally dropped his mask with certain individuals, he no longer resembled the man who had just crossed over, begging for Yue'er's forgiveness. It was as if the current Lu HaiKong and the past one were two completely different people.
However, at times, Lu HaiKong would reveal something deeply hidden within him during special moments.
The ruthless killer on the battlefield and the man who carefully gathered his fallen subordinates' corpses after the battle were one and the same, though the latter was usually hidden, even from himself, deep within his subconscious.
Only when he was alone or had experienced a true moment of life and death, like just now, would this side of him surface.
This could be interpreted as a sign of weakness, a fear of death, but perhaps it didn't need a definition.
Lu HaiKong's current actions could also be seen as a form of guilt. If not for his momentary negligence, this war wouldn't have ended with so much bloodshed. Or perhaps it was just Lu HaiKong's impulsiveness.
However, Lu HaiKong's actions, while confusing to the Data NPC soldiers, had a significant impact on the Native NPCs and some Data NPCs with General-level strength.
These two groups had many differences from the Data NPC soldiers, but the most notable distinction was the richness of their emotions.
As the three-thousand-plus raiders, including the Fire Character Battalion, witnessed Lu HaiKong silently embracing the fallen corpses, all their eyes turned red. They dismounted from their warhorses and joined the solemn procession.
Lu HaiKong said nothing about their participation. Deeply moved, he chose silence, and everyone else quietly followed suit, doing what they believed was right.
Under the dim moonlight, hundreds of people silently embraced the corpses, creating a scene that should have been horrifying. Yet, to those with a particular perspective, it was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Wang Ti and his group arrived just as the battle on Lu HaiKong's side concluded, witnessing this very scene.
Wang Ti, Zhao Er, Dian Wei, and some of Lu HaiKong's veteran subordinates showed no great shock but instead smiled warmly as they dismounted and approached Lu HaiKong. These old subordinates were well acquainted with the warmth beneath their seemingly domineering and powerful lord's exterior.
However, Gao Lan, Meng Qu, and Xun You, who had recently joined Lu HaiKong's ranks, were profoundly moved by this sight. They never imagined they would witness such a scene.
When they saw Lu HaiKong gently lifting the scattered corpses from the ground, carefully rearranging them despite his bloodstained hands, an indescribable feeling stirred within them.
Gao Lan and Meng Qu's eyes reddened at that moment, and they too dismounted and walked towards Lu HaiKong, joining his procession.
In the 1619 version of the book, it was error-free!
Xun You, standing nearby, felt a warmth in his heart, but his eyebrows furrowed in hesitation. Despite this, he remained silent.
Xun You did not foolishly order his men to clean up the battlefield but instead stood quietly, observing.
Xun You watched for an entire night as Lu HaiKong gathered the corpses and stood silently before the fallen warriors. Then, with a flick of his hand, he cremated them.
As the fire blazed, Xun You, a few hundred meters away, saw Lu HaiKong turn and glance at him through the flames.
Despite the distance, Lu HaiKong's gaze made Xun You acutely aware of his intentions. Yet, Xun You did not dwell on this not-so-small miracle but instead walked directly towards Lu HaiKong, reaching his side in moments.
"Forgive my laughter, sir!"
Lu HaiKong smiled warmly, his bloodstained face illuminated by the raging flames.
Xun You was stunned by Lu HaiKong's smile. He had seen Lu HaiKong smile before, but never one as bright and cheerful as this.
Xun You had assumed Lu HaiKong would be sorrowful at this moment, but he was surprised to see such a cheerful and radiant smile.
As Xun You gazed at Lu HaiKong's smile, he realized that his previous impression of Lu HaiKong as overly soft and unfit to lead troops was misguided. In that instant, Xun You realized his own foolishness.
Who was Lu HaiKong? He was no delicate flower nurtured in a greenhouse, as Xun You well knew. Lu HaiKong's journey from a small bandit to his current status was paved with bloodshed and slaughter.
To have survived this far and lived well, how could he possibly be the type to wallow in sorrow and self-pity?
Lu HaiKong's recent actions had deeply impacted Xun You, leading to this minor misunderstanding. But it was this personal theater of the mind that allowed Xun You to gain a clearer and more nuanced understanding of Lu HaiKong.
Lu HaiKong was a person who possessed both ferocity and kindness.
In that moment, Xun You recognized Lu HaiKong's charismatic personality.
Xun You began to understand what Xi Zhi Cai had once said about Lu HaiKong. Perhaps he wasn't the wisest lord now, but he was undoubtedly the most worthy of loyalty.
'But the path to becoming such a lord is still long.'
Xun You sighed softly, "Let me witness your growth!"
What Lu HaiKong didn't notice was that as Xun You had this thought, his loyalty grew...
(End of Chapter)
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