Chapter 317 - 168: Palamede 2

The bodies of over twenty thousand Vanguard Army soldiers were of quite high quality, yielding more than 1.3 million Soul Energy for Li Ziyu.

He could power up another wave. Li Ziyu had no intention of saving this 1.3 million-plus Soul Energy. He planned to use it all to summon new Undead Species, primarily focusing on Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Short Bowmen, and Skeleton Longbowmen.

Two thousand Skeleton Short Bowmen, one thousand Skeleton Longbowmen, and another two thousand Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors completely depleted the Soul Energy he had just acquired in one go.

After several battles, the advantages of the Short Bowmen had become apparent. When used effectively, their combat power was even more terrifying than the Longbowmen’s. At close range, as long as they had enough arrows, they were like machine gunners, firing an endless barrage.

Human Archers had their limits. Their Power was finite, as was their stamina. Firing a bow was strenuous work; shooting too much led to fatigue, which affected the arrow’s might. But the Undead had no such worries. They were only affected by their Soul Fire; Power and stamina were non-factors, making them incredibly stable.

Li Ziyu now commanded a total of over two thousand Skeleton Longbowmen, three thousand Skeleton Short Bowmen, and five thousand Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors. A force of this magnitude would be absolutely terrifying on the battlefield against the Cancerous Tumor Alliance Army!

The enemy’s Vanguard Army had been repelled. Now, all that was left was to wait for their main force to arrive for the final showdown!

Li Ziyu felt a fire igniting within him, his blood boiling with excitement. ’Come on! Let’s fight!’

...

The routed Vanguard Army, having cast off their helmets and armor, dragged their exhausted bodies back to the Alliance Army.

The sudden rout of the Vanguard Army, which had even lost half its men, sent shockwaves through the Alliance Army’s high command. It wasn’t that the vanguard had been defeated that surprised them, but that they had been utterly crushed overnight.

That was an army of nearly fifty thousand! Even if the Undead were numerous, it shouldn’t have been possible for them to be routed so completely overnight. It would have been acceptable if they had at least held on for a few rounds, buying the alliance some time before their defeat.

The Alliance Army’s high command convened an emergency meeting and summoned Momonai to explain the reasons for the battle’s failure.

Momonai walked into the temporarily constructed meeting hall. It was already filled with high-ranking generals from the three Races. Seated in the main chair was a bald Headhunter Race man who, despite looking somewhat old, had a burly and powerful physique.

This Headhunter was known as the Slaughter Conqueror—Palamede. He was a Legendary Race Leader of the Headhunters who had lived for over 300 years. The fact that the Headhunter Race had developed to its current state was largely thanks to his efforts. Two words could be used to describe him: brutal and terrifying.

Palamede was born into a small Headhunter Tribe of only a few dozen people. His humble origins, however, could not stop him from embarking on his legendary path. From a young age, Palamede displayed astonishing combat talent. On the day he came of age, he gave himself a coming-of-age gift: he personally killed the Clan Leader of his small Tribe and successfully became the new Clan Leader.

And becoming the Clan Leader was the beginning of his legendary path.

It was as if he had a cheat code. He carved a path of slaughter, killing anyone who stood against him and butchering their tribes. For a hundred years he rampaged, leaving rivers of blood and mountains of severed heads in his wake. The once-small Tribe of a few dozen people grew into a Great Tribe with hundreds of thousands of Headhunter Warriors.

The name of that small, original Tribe has long been forgotten. The Tribe took a new name, one based on their Clan Leader: the Palamede Slaughterer Tribe.

And this was only part of Palamede’s legend. The Headhunter Race are a branch of Humans, and they are bound by human lifespans. The inherent nature of the Headhunter Race isn’t particularly good; they were originally a group of vagrants with almost no talent for cultivation. Thus, their lifespans are around 100 years. Some of the stronger ones might reach 200 before dying of old age.

But Palamede’s lifespan seemed to have mutated. Not only did he live to be 300, but he also maintained an extremely terrifying level of combat strength. He didn’t seem like an old man at all and was in no way weaker than the many elite Warriors in the Headhunter Race. Furthermore, he had continuously held the position of Clan Leader of his Tribe.

In Palamede’s presence, the Clan Leaders of the other Headhunter Tribes were nothing but little brothers. When they met him, they had to bow respectfully. This wasn’t out of respect for the elderly or any moral obligation; it was purely out of fear that he would cause trouble. Getting your entire clan annihilated for a simple show of disrespect would be a terrible loss.

About a hundred years ago, Palamede gradually faded from the public eye. Although people still respected him, he became very low-key, seemingly having lost his former edge. However, the formation of the Tri-Race Alliance to march against the Undead drew him out. He subjugated all others and became the Alliance Supreme Commander.

One could only say that forming an Alliance Army to deal with the Undead was too great an opportunity for boosting one’s fame. No one with ambition was willing to miss it. Aside from the Headhunter Race’s Legendary Race Leader, the "Slaughter Conqueror" Palamede, the other important positions in the Alliance Army were also held by the Clan Leaders of other powerful Tribes.

Meanwhile, Clan Leaders like Nado and Moss were marginalized. Who could they blame? Their status, prestige, seniority, and qualifications were all insufficient. They could only obediently listen to orders from their subordinates’ tents.

Momonai scanned the room before dropping to one knee and bowing to Palamede, who was seated in the main chair at the head of the hall.

As a Lizardman, he did not want to bow to one of the Headhunter Clan People. But before the Alliance Army set out, rules had been established. They stipulated that there must be etiquette between superiors and subordinates, and that orders must be obeyed. Failure to comply meant on-the-spot execution, and this one-knee bow was part of that code.