Chương 92: The Last Roar of the Leopard

As the siege dragged on during that massive clash of war, we finally reached the walls. The metal-like fence of the leopard-shaped stronghold towered over us, iron-coal plating stacked thick, green accents pulsing the same sick glow as the bamboo. The moment the siege became ours, aide commander Shipal screamed from the top of the battlements.

"DO IT NOW!" Thousands of bandits tipped hundreds of buckets over the wall, unleashing a tidal wave of mud. Thick, foul sludge laced with razor-sharp bamboo shards rained down upon us. The ground dissolved into a reddish-brown pit that swallowed our boots and killed our momentum, leaving us baffled as to why these usually over-eager killers were suddenly fighting with such methodical precision on wasting time.

"Hold formation, for now!" Zhuofing roared.

"Do not break line!"

"They are wasting time," Whousal added.

"But for what? Are they waiting for reinforcements?"

"That's impossible," Shiqifan snapped.

"No other Overlord would help another. It's always better to lose a competitor. Right now, they are probably celebrating." I forced my Cor Flamma Vestuto to burn fully. My heart slammed molten blood through every vein. I leaped and smashed the second fence with Elsa di Fuoco, making it easier for us to attack from another position. Since I was currently the only one capable of handling the flank, my strike successfully secured us another access point. Molten sparks exploded from the partially destroyed fence.

Three bandits who stood closest to it were caught in the aura blade as it came apart in mid-air. Their burning halves dropped onto the men behind them like over-crisped meat, charred too black to be identified.

"Lets push this spot forward!" I roared with high vigor. I will cut them bastard´s down!" The field went to slaughter. On the left flank, Mo of the Giant Fierce Panda Agency struck the line like a living mountain, standing as three meters of pure, mystical earth. With each swing, his razor claws ripped through dozens of foes. His earth-shaking roars cracked the very mud that held them trapped. Right on his heels, his elites crushed the survivors and carved a fresh path right through the fence.

On the right flank, Woushal and Shiqifan operated as a single, lethal machine. Woushal played sharp notes on his iron-coal flute, channeling the melody into his Krakis Vestuto until he transformed into a towering humanoid kraken. Eight arms thrashed, sending spinning water-ring chakrams tearing through the bandit hordes. Beside him, Shiqifan's white Presence Vestuto blazed like a war-angel. Her shield acted as a walking fortress, completely neutralizing the enemy archers and bombardments.

Her overwhelming presence dragged nearby bodies inward; the moment they crossed into her domain, her double-edged halberd carved them apart. Executing their assault with ugly discipline, their line slammed directly into the main gate to forge a massive opening. In the center, Zhuofing the Dirty Finger led the Golden Tooth charge like a madman. His Taotie Earth Vestuto flared, allowing his gauntlets to absorb incoming damage and spit it right back. Every punch blasted holes through the drying mud.

Nearby, Xihua's smoke whips lashed out from a dense incense fog. Xhife bounced through the chaos in his demon-monkey form, his staff moving like a green-black hurricane. Together, they slaughtered the bandits, shattering the heaviest concentration of the enemy horde. From my position, once I made it through, bandits swarmed around me like locusts. I cut down wave after wave. My flames turned men into screaming torches, yet their will stood tall.

"Come at me i will slaughter you all!" I shouted at the incoming Bandits. Blood turned the mud into grease. Steel screamed. Vestutos roared. Bamboo cracked without rest. We were winning. Every minute still bought with corpses. Then, the main gates burst open thanks to the teamwork of Shiqifan and Whousal. Troublingly, a massive force of bandits immediately rushed out to meet them. Thousands more poured out of the fortress. Up on the towers, the Three Great Hounds watched with sick smiles, not yet intervening.

Shipal raised his hand to signal the second phase of their tactical plan. Bandits from the backline hurled smoke bombs into the wide field, blanketing themselves in dark mists. The entire bandit army took the freshly created smoke as their cue to strike. Their attacking chant building a deafening roar from the top of their lungs, that hit the field like a solid wall. We answered with our own battle cries and pushed harder against their charging wave, standing tall against the oncoming force.

My Animo climbed under the intense pressure. The fire in my chest wanted more, as if it were not yet satiated. It was a bizarre sensation, like a hidden epiphany that I did not fully understand, nor did it fully reveal itself. Yet, the pulsating feeling of a new technique throbbed within me. I tasted iron, smoke, and that ancient rage that never truly left the river. A bamboo spear lunged directly for my throat. I incinerated it to ash mid-flight, taking the thrower's arms with the return cut of a brutal counter.

I tossed the severed limbs behind me into the drying mud. Instantly, I drove my weapon's pick-edge straight through another bandit's mouth as he tried to sneakily slice me with his daggers; he was ultimately far too slow. Still, the Hounds did not move. That was our true warning. They were waiting for the mists to finish swallowing the battlefield.

In that moment of pure chaos, as the mists finished being uploaded into the field Bushan the Crazed Heart Eater leaped at me in a frenzy with his eyes to eager to enjoy a super punchy succulent meal. His Dark World Vestuto was fully on — sleek shadow armor, violet veins pulsing through monstrous plates, long fangs bared, two dripping double swords in his fists. He looked like a nightmare that had crawled out of a hole and decided to wear a man.

"You!" he snarled, spit flying from his mouth.

"How did you keep this beauty so tender?! I can feel the heat of that heart flame from here… I am already salivating to enjoy it! I CAN'T CONTAIN IT; GIVE ME YOUR HEART!" he utterly screamed at me at the end, demanding a taste. Suddenly, Qixian appeared at my side. She had been constantly behind me, unknowingly covering my right flank. It was strange that she covered that side, considering no ambushes or attacks ever came from there. She was Mo's strongest elite soldier...

the very one who had glared at me the entire journey and wanted a piece of me herself. Her Darkness Wings Vestuto erupted, and massive black wings tore through the air right at the standing powerful enemy.

"He is mine to beat, you disgusting freak!" she yelled. He answered back in anger, "Out of my way, ugly wench!" The duel turned violent at once. Bushan rushed into the exchanges like a rabid dog.

"I only used eighty percent against your leaders to test them… but against you all... I present to you my true power!" His dark swords moved like living shadows. The first exchanges were his. I was driven back the moment I joined the battle, making it a two-versus-one fight. My right hand locked onto my sword-axe as pain and pressure stacked against my ribs. He pushed us deep into an undercave, keeping Qixian and me constantly on the defensive against his onslaught.

Before his next strike could land on me, I was driven further back under his hungry gaze. His mouth twisted as if he were about to devour his prey. In that exact moment, something woke in my left fist. Fueled by my Heart Flame, it pulsated in an entirely new, subconscious manner for the very first time. Ignis Ardente — Fire Aura in a partial manner. The fiery aura enveloping my fist could not be contained. It exploded forward and smashed directly into his chest at point-blank range.

Bushan crashed heavily into the ground. He rose slowly, spitting blood, completely paralyzed with shock by what had just happened to him. Finally recovering, Qixian caught up to us. Just as I was about to slash the man myself, she shoved both of us hard against the cavern wall because we were still standing so close together. The impact sent us all spilling into a massive, dark hidden cave deeper inside the stronghold.

"You freak, die!" she yelled, but her attack hit me as well. She went completely crazy on him, with jealousy and rage fueling every wing-beat and every cut. During the brutal clash, a piece of her clothing tore as the Heart-Eater cut back. The left side of her B-cup breast was exposed in all its glory inside the deep, dark cave, illuminated only by the faint light glimmering through tiny holes in the rock. Bushan licked the blood from his cheek and laughed like a sick animal.

"All this effort for so little? You will have to do better than that, or you will die!" He slammed her into the wall with a powerful knee-kick. Thanks to her reckless attack, I finally found the time to recover and get to my feet. I stepped in, grabbed her hand, and hauled her up even though she clearly did not want my help. The glare she gave me still burned with a chaotic mix of emotions.

"Team up with me!" I whispered.

"We finish him together, or we both die here!" It was reluctant, ugly, but effective. She finally caved in due to my pleading, but she accepted with an added condition. She demanded that I fight her whenever we had the time. I sighed and agreed to the deal. Combined, we rushed at the man who stood ready for another round. Our combined team strikes finally forced him onto the defensive.

Every time he had one of us cornered for a devastating, lethal move, the other would push their partner out of harm's way and counter him. After ten minutes of relentless teamwork, a decisive moment arrived. He tried to corner her with a massive attack, but her saving grace pushed me directly behind him. I used that momentum, driving the razor tip of my sword-axe deep into his open mouth. The blade tore through his split tongue and throat, killing him on the spot in a brutal surprise.

His tongue and lower jaw were ripped open while Qixian added savage cuts to his upper scalp. His brain matter and dark, wasted goo spilled onto the ground like a puddle. We had finally won, but we could both barely stand, our vestuto reaching the absolute limit of its power. shaking in pain because the man had cut us so many times. Then, as the brightness increased, I saw her exposed breast in its full glory, which I had not noticed or checked out in the heat of battle. My face went hot for some reason.

She noticed my physiological reaction, driven by the lingering adrenaline and tension, and she slapped me across the face with full fury. An awkward silence followed since I did not understand why she did that. However, after the tension settled, I told her to take a part of my clothes. Together, we repaired her clothing as best we could, covering her exposed skin before we walked out of the cave. We were weak, but we were alive. We were still not friends, but we were survivors.

On the left flank I saw Mo fight the worst thing we had faced that day. The two-headed plant monster stood four meters tall and two tons heavy as it was called from Shipal´s personal collection. Sick yellow body. Dark aggressive patterns. Veins pulsing like they wanted to eat. Three hours without feed. Ravenous. Both heads snapped and roared with jagged, tooth-filled maws. It looked at Mo with hunger for his Animo and with combat lust. Mo went full mystical earth. Three meters. Claws from arms and legs.

Thick panda skinned armor.

"Come on, you oversized weed!" His voice hit like an earthquake. The monster charged too fast for its size. Its jaws locked onto his shoulder with bone-crushing force, spraying acidic sap everywhere. Mo roared and ripped one entire head off with raw strength. The beast screamed as its remaining head thrashed. Green-yellow sap gushed from the wound like blood. They completely wrecked the courtyard. Ancient bamboo snapped like twigs, and stone walls came crumbling down.

At least three thousand bandits died in the crossfire, crushed, dissolved, or buried under the rubble. Mo tore the second head off and crushed the monster's core. Then, his Vestuto died on him. He dropped heavily to the ground, bruised and bleeding badly. He had a deep bite on his cheek and was down on one knee, barely conscious. On the right side, Xhife and Xihua fought against Haifa the Male Reaper. It was a high-speed nightmare.

Haifa's fire lashes whipped through the air at three thousand degrees, and his scythe carved bloody arcs marked with one hundred twenty-one X's. He stared at Xhife with flushed cheeks and sick lust, breathing heavily over the tail and filled his brain with extra dopamine.

"That monkey boy… I want him so badly! I will cut it off and keep it warm while he screams!" Haifa shrieked at him. Xhife lost both arms in one brutal exchange. The burning scythe took them off clean, and he screamed in agony. Xihua took heavy damage across her torso and shoulder, but she still refused to fall. Even though Haifa was an overwhelmingly strong force against them, his steps closed in on the screaming, agonizing Xhife.

Haifa completely ignored Xhife's sister now, walking with heavy steps toward his target with his weapon ready for his ultimate act. Xihua unleashed her final combo. Her thorn whips wrapped tightly around Haifa's neck and yanked him high into the air. He tried to break free using his power, but the whipping movement thrashed against him, compressing the air away from his lungs and keeping his scythe out of reach.

Her brother Xhife, though armless, jumped from the top of a giant bamboo stalk out of pure rage despite the horrific damage he had received. Gripping the staff in his teeth, he brought it down with every ounce of his remaining strength. The genitals cracked under the impact. Tremendous, sickening damage was dealt as the tail was flattened and kneaded thin like flatbread. The two jewels cracked open like eggs, gushing white and red goo underneath. Through his own twisted obsession, Haifa had marked his own death.

Both siblings collapsed to the ground. They pulled their healing herbs out in a desperate attempt to survive and close the wounds whom started to heal albeit slowly. Meanwhile, Woushal and his son took on one of the remaining Hounds inside the summoned Water Gate. Woushal fought in his towering, humanoid kraken form, utilizing all eight arms and spinning water-ring chakrams. He used every ounce of his power, but the Hound was vicious and incredibly strong.

In a final act of devotion, Woushal took a fatal blow meant for his son, creating a desperate opening with his own body.

"Live… for the family…" Woushal gasped as he fell. Watching his father die right in front of him, the son went completely berserk. He sliced off the Hound's leg and hacked away its arms. He delivered one last screaming strike, taking the beast's head clean off. The severed head rolled down the field, sinking into the dried, bloody mud to be forgotten in time. For a few seconds, he stood over the corpse in victory, breathing heavily. Then, the grief hit him like a hammer.

He dropped to his knees beside his father, his tears mixing with the blood on the ground. On the center, Zhuofing fought against Shipal the Aide. Shipal's aquatic humanoid Vestuto manifested as sleek, metallic-aquatic armor with green highlights, two powerful legs, and a wide mouth that threw sonic yells. These shrieks made ears ring and caused anyone's balance to fail. He submerged partway into the water and charged at super speed while his water blades cut through the air.

Zhuofing landed a devastating, accumulated gauntlet strike at one hundred five percent power. Yet, it was still not enough to kill the foe, as Shipal barely dodged the main impact, though it was enough to hurt him heavily. Both fighters were completely wrecked and left gasping for air after their long exchanges. Then, the merchant Faihzu's elite guards jumped into the fray and surrounded Shipal. Spears pierced him from every side as he emerged from his attack.

His dying scream rolled across the field and broke the bandit morale like glass. Their commander was dead. The remaining twenty thousand broke and ran from the stronghold in droves, screaming. Shiqifan had held the main force the whole time. In that mud, they never got a clean surprise on our people. I stood in the gate-mouth with fire still leaking off my skin, Qixian silent and furious beside me, and watched a fortress full of killers turn into a flood of cowards. Then the ground shook hard.

It started as a low rumble, thunder trapped under the earth. Glowing bamboo trembled. Cracks spiderwebbed through the mud. Every surviving warrior froze mid-motion as a terrifying pressure dropped on the whole stronghold. Master Bao had come out. Not fully healed. Only twelve minutes left of his three-hour recovery when Shipal's dying scream reached the underground cave. That one sound tore him from meditation like a blade through the heart. Blood still leaked from the stab in his chest. Steps heavy. Labored.

Full of fury that had no lid. Each footfall cracked the earth. Metal plating of the leopard stronghold groaned as he walked into the open courtyard. A massive golden-green long sword rested on his back, humming with power that wanted out. His eyes burned primal.

"You… dare… kill my brother in arms?!" The roar shook the Bamboo Sea.

"SHIIIIIPAAAAAAL!!!" He moved the ground was shaking on each step. In an instant he tore through merchant Faihzu's remaining elite guards like a storm of death. Even in Vestuto they stood no chance. The golden-green sword drew clean, beautiful arcs. Limbs. Heads. Torsos. One stroke each. His death count climbed past seventy in seconds. Blood sprayed wide. Bodies fell like broken dolls. Bao's Vestuto erupted in his own dying rage. A poison pink-green humanoid leopard form wrapped him in Armor.

Sleek dark green armor in design. Glowing dark pink spots pulsing like venomous flowers. Sharp predatory lines across the plates. Eyes burning murderous pink. His Animo ripped upward to 125, 165 way past his normal limit of 121, 000. The air warped around the build up pressure. He knew he was dying. Interrupted recovery. Heart would bleed him out in minutes. He no longer cared. Bao reached into his pouch, grabbed the iridescent pearl, and shoved it into his own mouth. Swallowed it whole.

"You want it?!" Blood sprayed from his lips.

"Then kill me for it! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" That laugh shook three hundred kilometers. Bamboo snapped. Ground trembled. Every survivor felt their heart seize. The last fight started ugly. All remaining elites hit him at once. Mo fought in his three-meter panda earth form, rolling forward with heavy impact, yet the man withstood the blows and countered them easily. Zhuofing landed accumulated gauntlet strikes at eighty-five percent power, but it was still not enough to truly damage him.

Shiqifan stood as a radiant fortress with her cuts and her shield held high, but the angelic presence could not stop the sheer weight of the dying leopard's strike, which sent her flying far into a wall. I poured everything into my Elsa di Fuoco slashes in my base form. Because I was completely exhausted, the attacks felt like mere parlor tricks of heat, dealing zero damage to the enemy, though I still desperately wanted to help end this war.

Xihua, who had recovered slightly better, sent her thorn whips cracking through the air to bind Bao's left arm. Yet, he simply pulled the whip with a violent shake of his body, sending her flying high into the sky. Woushal's son, Woushi, fought right beside us out of pure grief and rage. He spun his father's fallen chakrams alongside his own weapons, but his attacks did very little damage to the monstrous foe. Bao tore through us like parchment paper. Bao laughed while more blood ran from mouth and eyes.

"Is this all you have?! Come! Come and take it from me, you useless oafs!" Time ran out on him. Movements a fraction slower. Breathing ragged. The wound in the heart was killing him from inside. He raised the sword for a final killing blow on Shiqifan who did the best out of any of us constantly recovering and joining the fray. His body froze mid-swing. The sword slipped. Heavy thud in the mud. Master Bao, Overlord Number 21, known as Zhài Zhǔ Bào, dropped to his knees.

Even in death, he refused to fall all the way. His knees sank into the muck, his head remained held high, and blood leaked from every hole in his face. A monstrous grin was still plastered on his lips. He remained a true monster until the very end. The Leopard of the Bamboo Sea was finally dead. We had won. Faihzu rushed the corpse like a madman, cutting forward in a desperate attempt to claim the pearl. However, Mo and Zhuofing stepped in and stopped him before he could even touch it.

"Tell us the real truth," Mo said cold.

"I knew from the beginning you were hiding something big." Faihzu denied like a lunatic until he was beaten and broken. Then he confessed. The pearl was one of Liush-Dao's keys to the True Body Reconfiguration Art. Mo took the iridescent pearl. It lit in shifting rainbow. The ancient marking 「一」 glowed. He looked at all of us. Voice heavy. Ambition under it.

"No fairytale. There is real merit here. This is one of the keys to the True Body Reconfiguration Art of Wujiren-Dao, the Progenitor. The superior version no sect or clan of today has fully recovered." He looked at every surviving leader and elite.

"We team up. We go after the rest of the keys together. We split the art evenly among all agencies that stood here today and fought with honor." Then, he crushed Faihzu's skull with a single fist while the merchant was still begging for mercy, desperately apologizing for his massive lies. We agreed. Weak. Bloody. Empty. A bigger goal burning anyway. The surviving members of all four agencies left the Bamboo Sea together. An Agency Alliance born from the spilled and shared blood.

Final Battle Report – After the Siege Four Agencies + Allied Forces If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Started the siege: 379 elites Survived the final battle: 214 elites Leaders dead: Woushal? Enemy Forces 36, 000 bandits → fewer than 4, 000 fled alive to tell the tale Master Bao, Shipal, and all three Great Hounds: Dead