Chapter 315: Surrender Or Die [Part 1]

The Chieftain of the Bonegnash Tribe, Osteon, could not help but feel anxious these past few days.

He had yet to receive new reports from his men, who had collaborated with the Monster King to wipe out the tribes that had gathered at Grimjaw Mountain.

According to the information he had gathered, all the chieftains, except Godwin, had gone to Grimjaw Mountain.

Although his spy in the Warclaw Tribe couldn’t confirm Godwin’s whereabouts, Osteon believed the Chieftain of the Warclaw Tribe might’ve also gone to Grimjaw Mountain in disguise.

If that was the case, there was simply no better opportunity than that to wipe them all out with a single strike.

Of course, if these tribes had brought more than half of their armies, the chances of them winning against the monster army were high.

But why would they do so for a visit?

At most, the Warclaw Tribe and the Grimhowl Tribe must’ve only brought a few thousand warriors with them.

Sure, the Aslan Tribe also had thousands, but that wouldn’t be enough to turn the tide against the Monster King.

As the attackers, the Darkmane Tribe had brought a big army, but Osteon believed they were as good as dead if they fought the monster army in the open.

Without a fortress that would allow them to take cover, they were as good as dead.

And yet, many days had already passed, and he still hadn’t received any news about it.

"Did the Monster King call off the agreement?" Osteon frowned.

The possibility existed, but he believed that the chances of this happening were low.

Though the more he thought about it, the more baffled he became. News should have already arrived by now, but not a single one of his men had reached out to tell him any news of what happened during the battle.

Just as he was thinking of what to do next, he heard a loud explosion that made him stand up in shock.

"C-Chieftain!" One of Osteon’s aides ran inside the room in panic. "We are under attack!"

"Is it the Bronze Dragon?!" Osteon’s face immediately turned grim after hearing the news that they were being attacked.

"No!" the aide replied. "I believe it’s the Darkmane Tribe! However, there seem to be flags of the other tribes in the distance."

"What did you say?!" Osteon couldn’t believe what he was hearing. "The Darkmane Tribe survived?!"

As if to answer his question, several booming sounds reverberated in the distance, forcing Osteon to grit his teeth as he ran to personally see what was happening.

After leaving his residence, he immediately saw black smoke rising from the walls of his fortress.

A few seconds later, part of the wall exploded as a pillar of fire rose to the sky.

"Fire Catapults!" Osteon could easily tell what kind of attack had hit them, for he and the other tribes had once worked together to repel the Kingdom of Britannia from invading the Borderlands.

However, the Fire Catapults that he saw back then weren’t this devastating.

Then again, he wasn’t aware that the Darkmane Tribe were now using the eight Fireshard Catapults Leone had stored inside the two storage rings that he had given to Jafar.

"Destroy their fortress walls before you enter any negotiation with them."

That was the young man’s request.

Naturally, Troy and Jafar were more than happy to oblige. The Bonegnash Tribe had long been a thorn in their side, so it was just a matter of letting loose.

When they realized that they had collaborated with the Monster King to get rid of them once and for all, the anger they felt toward Osteon surpassed the resentment they had toward the Aslan Tribe!

Soon, screams of panic, fear, and confusion spread throughout the surroundings. Everyone was running toward the back of the city, trying to gain as much distance from the fortress walls as possible.

"Chieftain, the walls won’t hold!" one of the warriors reported. "Please give us your orders!"

The attack was so sudden that the Bonegnash Tribe was completely caught by surprise.

The warriors who had tried to go to the walls had either died or fled after repeated bombardment from the Fireshard Catapults.

Determined to obliterate the fortress walls of the Bonegnash Tribe, the Darkmane Tribe continued the bombardment continued without mercy.

At that moment, the fortress walls, which Osteon believed to hold out against a siege, were being destroyed so easily, crumbling right before his eyes.

"R-Retreat!" Osteon shouted. "Tell everyone to retreat!"

The chieftain shouted with all of his might amidst the repeated explosions that were happening in front of him.

Flames and black smoke rose with each thunderous explosion, making Osteon wonder where his plan went wrong.

"This is impossible," Osteon muttered. "How could this have happened?!"

He was certain that once his plan succeeded, he would be crowned as the Barbarian King of the Borderlands.

Everything was perfect.

There was no way anyone would have been able to survive the monster army led by the Bronze Dragon.

And yet, the Darkmane Tribe, whom he had looked down upon in the past, was now knocking on his doors with a vengeance!

A few minutes later, the explosions finally died down.

When the smoke cleared, Osteon saw the devastation that was left behind in its wake.

The fortress walls were no more.

Even the houses that were near the entrance of their city were now engulfed in a blazing fire.

"Put out the fire!" Osteon ordered. "Put it out! Now!"

The warriors hesitated at first. However, after sensing that no more attacks were headed their way, they all gritted their teeth and worked together to put out the fire.

While this was happening, two creatures emerged from the black smoke and flew in Osteon’s direction.

A Black Manticore and a Giant Hawk.

Riding on the back of the Manticore was a Beastkin Osteon had never seen before.

However, he did recognize Gundar, who was riding on the back of the Giant Hawk.

He watched as the two beasts descended a few meters away from them.

"Osteon, we have come to make you pay for betraying the tribes of the Borderlands," Gundar said calmly. "You are to surrender quietly or face total annihilation. The choice is yours to make."

"W-What nonsense are you talking about, Gundar?!" Osteon shouted back. "What betrayal?! I did no such thing!"

"Oh, really?" the Lionkin replied with a sneer. "Give it up, you fool. Rhogar has already confessed everything. Of course, you can continue to pretend that you didn’t collaborate with the Monster King. That’s fine too. The Darkmane Tribe will just immediately declare death upon you."

Hearing those words, Osteon stared at the Lionkin long and hard. There was only one person in the Borderland who could talk to him in that manner.

"T-Troy?" Osteon looked at the Beastkin in disbelief. "What happened to you?"

"The same thing that will happen to you." Troy grinned fearlessly, showing his fangs to his mortal enemy. "Now you have to choose. Surrender as a prisoner or die as a traitor. There are no third options."

The Dark Manticore roared at Osteon, making the chieftain subconsciously take a step back.

"I changed my mind." Troy sneered. "There is a third option. Become food for my Manticore."

Soon, screeches filled the sky as the Dread Wyverns of the Bonegnash Tribe appeared to defend their tribe.

If Daedalus was there, he would have said that all of them were only Rank 5 Monsters.

Thinking that he might have a chance of winning, Osteon decided to take a risk.

Though, just as he was about to order the Dread Wyverns to attack, twelve Dark Manticores flew past the rising smoke of the city as they roared back against the Dread Wyverns.

They were weaker than their Guardian, which was a Rank 6 Monster.

However, all of them were still Rank 5 Monsters, which was more than a match against the Dread Wyverns!

Troy narrowed his eyes and was ready to pounce at Osteon anytime.

But at that moment, Gundar lightly tapped his staff on the ground, sending a ripple of power that washed over everyone like a tide.

Osteon finally remembered that he wasn’t just dealing with Troy.

He was also dealing with the great shaman of the Borderlands.

A being that defied all odds, as well as the only person that Osteon believed could face off against the Monster King.

"It was you!" Osteon pointed at Gundar. "You defeated the Monster King!"

Gundar neither confirmed nor denied Osteon’s statement.

Meanwhile, Troy only chuckled as if he had heard something very funny.

Had he arrived on time, perhaps Gundar would’ve been the one to take down the Monster King.

However, there were no ifs in life.

Instead, it was Troy, Godwin, and the Aslan Tribe that faced off against the Monster King, barely managing to turn the tide of battle in the process.

Some might call it a miracle.

While others may say that it was thanks to all the tribes working as one.

However, those who were there knew the true story. Of how two tribes, who were previously at each other’s throats, decided to hold hands and fight against the Monster King that had tried to kill them all.

Still, this was a story that Osteon would only know after barely escaping death after being beaten black and blue by Troy.

Then again, if not for the fact that Hagen had intervened, the Chieftain of the Bonegnash Tribe would have become the food of the Dark Manticore that Troy was using as his mount at the time.