Chapter 373: Sertans’ Oath

“They haven’t gone far.” Ling disengaged the Gundam-like exterior and walked over to Wu Qingsong.

Figures clad in blue armor still moved within the forest, but perhaps fearing another ambush, they kept a considerable distance from the village.

Those assigned to a mission to hunt down magic-seeded beings were unlikely to be ordinary regional defense troops. At the very least, judging by their equipment, they were far superior to any defense force soldiers Wu Qingsong had encountered before.

Moreover, their cold-blooded slaughter had left a deep impression on him.

Sertans had once fought Nina. In his transformed state, he could easily defeat Nina in her normal form, but once she awakened her abilities, he quickly fell into a disadvantage. Such strength was already considered formidable among ordinary beastfolk, yet against these soldiers, he had been powerless, forced to watch helplessly as they massacred the villagers.

Yet these same soldiers had been utterly defenseless against Ling. This gave Wu Qingsong an even clearer understanding of the power disparity between extraordinary people and ordinary people.

Perhaps ordinary people could overwhelm an extraordinary one with sheer numbers, but the price would be unimaginably steep, and they would need to maintain absolute morale to achieve it. 

However, before they could wear down a superhuman’s strength, that superhuman could always retreat at any moment, rendering all their sacrifices meaningless. Faced with such odds, how many would still march willingly to their deaths?

This world ultimately belonged to the extraordinary.

“They’ve probably already sent someone back to report.” Wu Qingsong said.

He and Ling could, of course, chase them down and kill them, but with just the two of them, tracking down and eliminating all the scattered soldiers in such a complex mountain forest would take a great deal of time and effort. In the process, some of these soldiers might escape to nearby towns and spread word of what had happened here, which could draw even stronger enemies.

The likelihood of high-ranking elves appearing in this region wasn’t great, but this area was only about five hundred li from the newly designated Abyss Gate, the latest manifestation of the Gate of Calamity. Currently, a large number of powerful elves were stationed there. Staying here and escalating the situation further, attracting stronger adversaries, or even diverting their attention to Nagrand was not a wise move for Wu Qingsong.

“Sertans, what are you planning to do?” He turned to the tigerfolk.

Sertans had already examined the remaining wounded, providing basic treatment and bandaging them. Wu Qingsong’s question seemed to strike a nerve, causing his movements to freeze for a moment.

“My lord…” After a long silence, Sertans gripped his spear, dropped to one knee, and bowed his head before Wu Qingsong. “Please, save them.”

In just these few short moments, countless thoughts had already raced through his mind.

With their own abilities alone, they could never escape the soldiers’ pursuit.

This mountain forest was their home, and they knew it well. If the survivors had been young tigerfolk warriors, he was confident he could lead them in a prolonged guerrilla fight against the executioners who had destroyed their village.

But now, nearly all the adult tigerfolk had perished. Those who remained were either old or young. He had no way to both sustain them and evade the soldiers at the same time.

Their only hope lay with the enigmatic half-elf before him.

He was strong—Sertans was certain of that. Years ago, the wolf-woman who had arrived with him, claiming to be his wife, was the most powerful beastfolk warrior Sertans had ever encountered. He had even thought she was close in strength to the elven warrior-mages he had once seen during his service at the Gate of Galos. And now, the mixed-blood dog-girl before him was equally formidable.

Sertans had no way of comprehending what that silver, giant humanoid machine had been—some kind of magic? But the blood-soaked corpses strewn across the ground and the fleeing soldiers in the woods spoke for themselves.

This led Sertans to conclude that they must belong to some kind of organization, one that was not afraid of the elves—perhaps even opposed to them.

If there was any place that could shelter magic-seeded beings, protect these children so they wouldn’t have to live in fear and exile, it was people like them who would know.

The only issue was that aside from their own lives, they had nothing to offer in return.

“You wish to pledge your loyalty to me?” Wu Qingsong was slightly taken aback by his action.

“I know that my strength is insignificant before you,” Sertans said. “But I have nothing else to offer. My lord, if you are willing to take these children with you and give them a chance to live, I swear that for the rest of my life, your will shall be my only will. I will be your spear. I will fight for you, and I will die for you!”

Wu Qingsong considered for only a second before nodding. “I accept your oath, Sertans. These children will be well cared for and protected until they grow up. But I do not need you to die for me. I need you to protect others as you would your own home, to put an end to the suffering and injustice of this world.”

These words, with their deeper implications, made Sertans pause. He looked up, slightly puzzled.

“There are still a few hours until nightfall,” Wu Qingsong continued. He didn’t explain further—words alone were abstract and powerless. Once they saw for themselves, they would understand. “Their reinforcements shouldn’t arrive too soon. Burn the bodies of the fallen and take their ashes with us.”

Though he didn’t understand why Wu Qingsong wanted to stay here longer, the thought of preventing their fallen kin from being left to rot, or worse, devoured by war wolves, was enough for him to see the importance of the task.

“Do you need me to drive away those soldiers?” Ling asked.

Wu Qingsong shook his head. “Take a break. We have a long journey ahead tonight.”

Sertans and the remaining tigerfolk, suppressing their grief, dismantled what remained of their village, gathered the fallen, and set fire to the wood, watching as their loved ones were consumed by the flames.

The young tigerfolk growled and wept softly, while the elders stood in silence, watching without a word.

“We old ones are useless now, my lord. We will launch an attack on them and draw their attention,” an elderly tigerfolk said to Wu Qingsong. “Please, take this chance—”

“No need for that,” Wu Qingsong interrupted, glancing up at the sky. It was a new moon. The night would be dark, with only the stars shining overhead—perfect for a silent escape. “No one else needs to die. Take their ashes. We’re leaving.”

A massive airship suddenly emerged in the darkness, causing the distant sentries among the soldiers to gape in astonishment.

“By Ams… What is that…?”

Moments later, the colossal vessel ascended into the sky and vanished into the night.

“Captain, what do we report? If we go back like this, Lord Samuel will kill us!”

“I don’t know.” Their captain stared blankly into the dark sky, shaking his head. “I don’t know.”