Chapter 385: Utilizing All Strengths
March 6th.
Dark Forest.
Clear.
The troll vanguard, having received orders, was about to reach the plains of the bison.
They would take all the preserved meat and hunt more bison to supply the entire allied force.
Compared to their former brutality, the Gurubashi trolls were now utterly insane.
They joyfully slaughtered any living creature they could see, chopping off their heads and placing them haphazardly.
It looked like some sort of terrible ritual.
But what was even more terrifying was the completely unpredictable madness of the Gurubashi trolls.
Arnold, who had seen it all, couldn't help but feel a bit troubled by the trolls' state.
"My goodness, how do these trolls even manage not to kill each other when they're all gathered together like this?"
They were just like mindless maniacs who only knew how to kill, with their best skill probably being chopping off others' heads.
Lokfar remained silent upon hearing this.
If it wasn't like this, why would they rather become slaves to humans than fall into the hands of the Gurubashi trolls?
If it weren't so, how could the Rot Moss Clan, with trolls numbering in the millions, fall apart like this?
Having made up his mind, Lokfar spoke without hesitation:
"After starving for a whole winter, these monsters won't regain their sanity anytime soon."
"If we can take out the Troll Priest who controls them, they'll start killing each other."
"They've lost all reason and self-awareness; they're merely puppets and marionettes controlled by the Troll Priest."
Everyone fell into deep thought upon hearing this.
Only now did they truly understand the nature of the enemy they were facing.
If these monsters were to break into Bay Territory, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Glancing back at the Bay soldiers behind them, Lokfar and Batum exchanged a look, then led the anxious trolls cautiously towards the designated position.
It was a path of no return!
But they had no choice!
Watching them move toward their destination, Beelzebub hesitated for a moment before asking:
"Arcane Master, are we going to eventually recruit these trolls?"
Feeling a gaze almost physically penetrating from beneath the cloak, Beelzebub suddenly felt a lot of pressure.
Matthew didn't hesitate long. Recalling his past encounters and the troubled Material Plane, he said in an indifferent tone:
"For those beyond redemption, kill them all and make sure they are utterly destroyed. That's the only right choice."
Everyone present understood the deeper meaning behind the Arcane Master's words.
Those who were willing to listen could be brought into the fold, just like the kobolds and murlocs.
Though everyone had doubts in their hearts, thinking that this might be part of the lord's plan, none continued asking.
Instead, Matthew looked at them and, with a calm and resolute tone, said:
"Anyone who acknowledges our Bay Territory's rules and knowledge, and sincerely works to uphold and spread them, can become one of us."
"We must unite all the forces that can be united."
"But we must also firmly believe."
"That we can only truly rely on ourselves!"
Swoosh!
The whistling sound of an arrow came from behind.
It brushed past Lokfar's head, embedding itself into a nearby tree trunk.
As he ran by, Lokfar even saw the still-quivering fletching.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The other trolls panted heavily, running for their lives.
Occasionally, a troll was struck by an arrow. They just grunted, pulled the arrow out, and kept running.
Running alongside him, Batum could clearly feel that the attackers were closing in from both sides.
He gritted his teeth and charged ahead, fixing his eyes on a dense thicket.
If they could just make it there!
Swoosh!
An arrow came flying; Batum casually slashed it away with a single swing.
Lokfar, with the trolls behind him, charged forward. Many sharp-eyed trolls noticed that they hadn't escaped the encirclement.
The enemy was steadily tightening the encirclement, preparing to divide and eliminate them.
The trolls felt a faint fear but had no choice but to grit their teeth and keep charging behind Lokfar.
Soon!
Lokfar led them to the destination.
Once they rushed into the thorn-filled thicket, Lokfar was surprised to discover.
There was a makeshift wall, with over a dozen dark holes all over it.
Seeing them approach, the waiting construction team waved them over:
"Come on, hurry into the holes!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the construction worker jumped into one of the holes.
Without hesitation, Lokfar and Batum directed the trolls to enter.
They themselves led their elite guards to stand on top of the walls.
"What's the point of all this?"
"Are we supposed to guard these pits?"
"Those lunatics will be here any moment now..."
Regret flashed through his heart, but Lokfar quickly brushed it aside, his eyes filled with a fierce and sharp determination.
"No matter what, since we've already made our choice, we must follow orders unconditionally."
Seeing the Gurubashi trolls drawing close, Lokfar raised his hand and threw a short spear.
It turned into a dark shadow, swiftly striking a strong troll in the head.
The entire body of the troll didn't even have time to resist or struggle before it "thudded" to the ground, limbs twitching slightly.
"Retreat!"
Having succeeded with one strike, Lokfar obediently followed orders and led his guards down the pit.
Seeing that they had reached their target, Matthew, who had been waiting, raised his staff toward the encroaching Gurubashi trolls.
The surging mana followed the established spell model, amplified by the staff, and fell upon the distant target.
Four or five spinning fireballs.
"Boom!" They exploded just outside the walls.
After the explosion of the red fireballs, the panicked Gurubashi trolls looked around but could not find the despicable enemy.
Except for a dozen unlucky trolls killed by the fireball, the others were preparing to rush towards the pit.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
The roaring sound, shaking the mountains, was accompanied by flames rising from the ground.
In just an instant, the area within hundreds of meters of the pit was transformed into a sea of fire.
Those 3,000 Gurubashi trolls were immediately engulfed by the blazing fire, with no sound left in seconds.
Only a handful of trolls, scarred with burns that might never heal, managed to escape this inferno.
All the other Gurubashi troll soldiers were trapped there.
The blazing flames illuminated the once-gloomy surroundings.
"This wildfire oil provided by the Silverleaf family is really useful; we should trade for more next time!"
Matthew calmly turned his head and spoke to the fully armored Annie:
"And also, thank you for the support of the Silverleaf family, and thank you, Miss Annie, for your help. We should move now."
Annie, her face slightly pale, patted her trembling mount, clenched the reins, and asked, looking at the scene of tens of thousands of gold coins' worth of wildfire oil set ablaze:
"Where are we heading?"
"To crush them!"
Picked up the child, got rained on.