Zhan Long
chapter-827

“Kill!”

A group of people were coming in to steal the Boss. It was the players from Run Like Fire. Rumor raised his sword and shouted, “Luo Lin only has 11% of his health left. Charge! Kill him for honor and for the glory of the empire!”

I couldn’t help but smile at the irony. He’s really here for the equipment.

The Run Like Fire players charged at Luo Lin, but never in a million years would they have imagined that this old fogey would take so much effort to kill. [Hero’s Mound] and [Prague] players fought beside them, sealing Luo Lin’s fate. With that many people aiming for his head, not killing him would be difficult.

　　……

I looked up and saw that the thick clouds that hovered over our battle were finally dissipating. We had won this war, truly won it. After killing Gawain, dealing a critical blow to Ignaus, and finally killing Luo Lin, we finally achieved our long-awaited victory. The only issue was… I glanced over at Theodore’s cold corpse and felt my heart stutter. Theodore and I had set out on this battle together and we were the two great commanders of this expedition. Now that Theodore died in battle, would I really be in the clear?

That seems very unlikely. Who knows what the empire will do to me this time when I go back.

Right then, Li Mu and Wang Jian led a group of [Zhan Long] players and came to provide assistance. In the blink of an eye, Luo Lin’s health fell under 5%. It looked as though everyone had come to punish the criminal, but reality was, they just wanted to wait for Luo Lin to drop his equipment. Though Despair was gone now, he still should have some good items left on him.

Unfortunately, Luo Lin was now surrounded by a sea of players from every guild. Most of them came from [Hero’s Mound], [Legend], and [Prague]. Uncle Yan Zhao clearly looked like he was determined to get this drop. He raised his sword and shouted, “Yaya, we must be the ones to kill Luo Lin!”

Six Ya led a charge against Luo Lin, only to be pushed back with critical health. Annoyed, she said, “Did you think that a three-headed monster like Luo Lin could be killed so easily?”

Goodbye Tears raised his staff and forced his way to Luo Lin’s side, “D*mn, why am I always the butt of the joke!”

Luo Lin turned around and dealt a sweeping attack, sending Goodbye Tears flying. Half of his face was covered in a burnt patch of skin. Don’t Be Foolish raised his shield and rushed forward, shouting, “Monk, stand still and recover some health. Leave Luo Lin to me!”

Luo Lin was now standing within a shield of fire. He stepped back and rammed right into Don’t Be Foolish with a fist. “PA!” He shattered Don’t Be Foolish’s shield and reached for his neck, “Bug, why don’t I take you on a trip to Heaven!”

“Shua!”

Luo Lin was a god-tier BOSS and he rushed into the sky. Even though he had critical health, his blows were still incredibly sharp. Don’t Be Foolish’s face was completely green, “Motherf*cking Luo Lin, you better let go of me. I’m not some f*cking girl, what are you planning!”

In the sky, Qing Luo and the Queen Zi Shu flew over to stop Luo Lin’s ascent. Qing Luo dealt one slash, accelerating the drop in Luo Lin’s health. Don’t Be Foolish was even more terrified now. Part of his armor had been chipped in that slash, and some blood even flowed out. He blinked away some tears, “Doesn’t this NPC wench know how to treat a delicate flower like me?”

Luo Lin howled in pain and couldn’t keep his grip on Don’t Be Foolish. In the end, Don’t Be Foolish fell to the ground with 20% health left. As he fell, he shouted, “Brothers, catch me!”

Goodbye Tears dashed forward with his arms out to catch Don’t Be Foolish. He ran a few steps too far and “PA!” Don’t Be Foolish fell headfirst, hitting the ground. The impact was enough to kill him. Goodbye Tears stiffened and was full of regret, “Brother, I miscalculated…”

On the other hand, Luo Lin landed in a group of players. It was the [Thousand Mound] Greedy Wolf Raiders and the [Hero’s Mound] Flame Crystal Knights. After a few seconds, a bell rang in the sky——

‘Ding!”

System Notification: Congratulations to [Q-Sword] for killing the Hybrid Demon King [The Revered One Luo Lin], you have received the following rewards: Level +2, Charm+100, and your reputation in the city has greatly increased: Achievement+300!

　　……

Who would’ve thought that the person to kill Luo Lin in the end would be Q-Sword? The battle was just too chaotic. [Zhan Long] arrived first, and even the guilds who were right next to Luo Lin like [Prague], [Judgement], and [Legend], didn’t end up with the kill.

Either way, this battle was now truly over. The players fought fiercely to kill off the last of the Revered One’s Warriors. Now that Luo Lin was dead, the Revered One’s Empire fell with him. This was no longer the Hybrid Demon territory, but rather a desolate city.

After many inquiries, we managed to find out that after Q-Sword killed Luo Lin, he dropped a Deity Tier Mage necklace which was given to one of the mage girls in his guild. The other equipment he dropped was a Demon Harvest Tier shield, and that was given to the number one knight in [Hero’s Mound]——Glasses. Finally, there was a Demon Harvest battleaxe that was up for a ROLL and taken by Jian Tan. In the end, the final victor of this battle was [Hero’s Mound].

Once the dust settled, the city was wrapped in a deadly silence. Corpses littered the grounds. There were quite a few Flame Dragon Army soldiers who were holding back their sobs. The players started heading back to the main city to receive their rewards. In the blink of an eye, the Revered One’s City was now practically a dead city. Only a few players were left along with the Royal Army, the Dragon City Army, and the Flame Dragon Army NPC soldiers.

The Flame Dragon Army had sent out 150,000 men this time and 15 generals. 14 of those died and only one was left. Not to mention, he severe leg injuries. The man himself was truly a brave fellow. Despite his injury, he still limped over and cut off Luo Lin’s head. He knelt to the ground and cried out, “Your Highness, do you see? We’ve killed Luo Lin, we’ve avenged your death! I hope that your spirit may rest in peace!”

I silently stood on the sidelines and watched. Theodore came here with the dreams of bringing victory back to solidify his position as the heir to the crown. Unfortunately, he never imagined that the Hybrid Demon Army would reserve so much strength. The 150,000 man Flame Dragon Army was so majestic when it first came, and now there were less than 30,000 men left. Even their commander was personally killed by Luo Lin. Theodore had gravely miscalculated and now all that was left for him to do was watch over us from his grave.

I looked at the Marshall’s Sword in my hand and suddenly felt awkward. I walked over and laid the sword by the major’s side and said, “General Yu, this is the Marshall’s Sword that His Highness left behind. Please hold onto it and bring it back home along with His Highness’ remains!”

The general nodded and looked at me. That’s when he saw all of the injuries I had taken. My Violet Heaven Cape was completely dyed red with blood, and it had multiple holes in it. He couldn’t help but sigh, “General Li, Thank you… you… you’ve fought hard…”

I gave a curt nod.

The four generals, Han Yuan, Xiao Lie, Long Xing, and Xia Ye had all taken small injuries, but they didn’t receive anything that was too heavy. After this battle, they gained enough experience to level up again. That fact alone was enough to cheer me up. Han Yuan addressed me, “Lord Commander, how should we deal with this abandoned city?”

I thought for a moment and said, “We’ll bury the brothers who died in battle right here. Afterwards, we’ll burn Luo Lin’s palace and turn this city into ruins. There’s no need to leave any guards posted here. Even if we did, there’s no way they would be able to hold this city. We were extremely lucky that Lanais, Da Lun, and Xi Fu hadn’t appeared, or else we never would’ve been able to make it back alive.”

“Yes, sir!”

　　……

Han Yuan ordered the remaining able soldiers to dig graves for the fallen Royal Army and Flame Dragon soldiers. There were 90,000 graves throughout the battlefield. So that the bodies wouldn’t be revived as undead soldiers, we gathered them in one pile and created a bonfire. Nine fierce fire pits burned before us. All of the living soldiers knelt on one knee before them to show their respect and kinship. The Royal Army and Flame Dragon Army began to hum and then sing a sorrowful eulogy for their fallen brothers——

Tian Ling bright and glistening, warriors brave and fierce.

I swear my life and loyalty, no matter where I am buried.

Tian Ling bright and glistening, warriors brave and fierce.

Dressed in shining armor, our spirits bound to our country.

　　……

Men in the military are fated to die in foreign and strange lands, and that is something we all understood.

Not long after, smoke began to rise above the palace as it caught fire. The blazing flames lit up the city and its surroundings. The Royal and the Flame Dragon Armies were finally done sweeping the city.

On the way back, we continuously made stops to burn our dead soldiers and create graves for them. It took three hours for us to reach Tian Ling City. This time, Frost brought Zi Shu and Odelia along to return to the capital. Frost was smart, and it seems like she knows something is up.

Tian Ling City, a majestic fortress located on the northeastern lands of the continent. It symbolized a wall that protected humanity from the dangers of the north.

As we approached the great northern gates, we could see a crowd of officials wearing mourning clothes. Looks like news of Theodore’s death had arrived long before we did. King Rob, Owen, and Pearl were all dressed in white, standing at the front of the crowd. All of their eyes were red from tears and sorrow. They were here to receive Theodore’s remains.

　　……

The cart carrying the coffin was carefully pushed into the city. King Rob was trembling. In a fit of anguish, he rushed to Theodore’s body and wept over his still son. When he saw that Theodore’s head was separated from his body, he sobbed even harder. Never would he have imagined that he would never see Theodore again. Nor would he have imagined that the number one commander in the empire would end up with a headless doom.

Owen was also sobbing against the coffin, but from what I could see, his tears were fake. He was likely hiding his delight at his brother’s demise.

I led the Royal Army’s officers in line and said nothing.

After ten minutes passed, second prince Owen suddenly turned around and shouted, “Where is the Commander of the Royal Army Li Xiao Yao?”

I gave a curt nod, “Here.”

“Kneel!” Owen angrily shouted.

I calmly stepped forward and replied, “Why?”

“Why?”

Tears streaked down Owen’s face and he shouted, “You left on the expedition with my brother. Now he’s dead, and yet you came back without a single injury. Do you now know what your crime is? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning. I received intel long ago that you’ve always secretly hated my brother’s methods. You tried to take vengeance through this campaign and didn’t save my brother in battle. Isn’t that right!?”

As he said that, Owen shouted, “Guards, take Li Xiao Yao’s badge away, he is no longer a ranking officer and is to be executed immediately!”