Chapter 389: A Shocking Reversal

Got him!

Quinn grabbed Wu Qingsong by the throat, lifting him in front of himself before quickly turning around.

“Stop now, or I—” he shouted, only to be struck heavily by a tigerman, nearly sending Wu Qingsong flying out of his grasp.

The tigerman flailed in midair, desperately trying to grab onto something. His claws raked across Quinn’s fur, leaving a bloody gash. Quinn gritted his teeth through the pain, tightening his grip—one hand clutching Wu Qingsong’s head, the other pressing down on his shoulder.

“Stop! Or I’ll—” he roared again.

But Nina didn’t spare him a glance. Silver moonlight shimmered around her as she grabbed two beastfolk, swinging them like weapons to batter aside the surrounding attackers.

A bearman charged at her with a furious bellow, but she flipped forward, slamming her knee into his chin. He let out a muffled groan and was sent flying backward.

“Are the clans of Stampede Plateau declaring war on Nagrand?” Nina finally halted, but instead of looking toward Quinn and Wu Qingsong, she directed her gaze at Storm, who had retreated to the side.

“If you surrender now—” Storm’s unease deepened. 

Nina’s stance didn’t resemble someone trapped in a snare at all.

“Is the Sarl Clan declaring war on Nagrand?” Nina asked again.

Storm’s unease turned into outright alarm.

Quinn let out an enraged roar. “Stop now, or I’ll twist his head off!”

“Sorry, I don’t think so.”

“I’m warning you for the last—” Quinn suddenly realized that the voice didn’t belong to Nina.

A searing pain shot through him. He howled in agony, his hands reflexively tightening around Wu Qingsong, who inhaled sharply from the discomfort.

Nina chuckled at Wu Qingsong’s predicament before flinging the beastman in her grasp toward them. The impact knocked Quinn down, finally freeing Wu Qingsong from his awkward position.

“You… You’re…” Storm stammered in shock.

“That’s right. I was faking it.” Wu Qingsong rolled his neck, tugging at his now-tattered clothing with a sigh. “Storm, Chieftain of the Sarl Clan, I thought you understood mutual respect.”

“Impossible…” Another beastfolk blurted out.

They had all seen Wu Qingsong drink so much alcohol. Given his size, he should have been thoroughly inebriated. Even more unbelievable was the fact that Quinn had clearly subdued him, using his full strength.

“Everything is possible,” Wu Qingsong said with a hint of amusement. Unfortunately, no one in this world would understand the reference. He could only sigh at the wasted joke as he stepped toward Storm.

At that moment, the warriors finally charged in.

“Kill them!” the chieftains roared.

Wu Qingsong shook his head in disappointment. He raised his hands, unleashing the soul fragments he had gathered during their journey.

The charging warriors let out agonized screams, their bodies convulsing as they collapsed onto the ground. A few unlucky chieftains caught in the blast also crumpled, clutching their heads as they writhed in unbearable torment.

Their cries sent a wave of terror through the other leaders. The sound was inhuman, as if their skulls had been pried open and molten iron was being poured directly into their brains.

They could accept dying in battle—but this?

By the ancestors, what had this demon done to them?

“As pretentious as this sounds, I must tell you, you’ve picked the wrong person to cross.” Wu Qingsong finally spoke again, now that their voices had been reduced to hoarse gasps, unable to scream any longer. “I came with goodwill to make allies, but clearly, that was not your intention.”

Two chieftains had been inching toward the tent’s exit, hoping to flee. Just as they made their move, Nina’s sword whistled through the air, pinning them both to a nearby pillar.

They screamed but fell silent the moment Nina began approaching them.

“I thought you had learned to respect me,” Wu Qingsong said. “But it seems I was mistaken?”

“This… this is all a misunderstanding…” Storm stammered incoherently. “Lord Sidre, I have always respected you! But them! These southern bastards—”

His mind was a complete mess, his mouth moving purely on instinct, desperately grasping for a chance at survival.

Wu Qingsong chuckled. “I understand. Of course, I understand.”

“Lord Sidre! The southern forces are attacking your camp!” Corwin, who had been hiding in the corner, suddenly shouted. “There’s still time to stop them! I can go—”

“We can halt the attack!” a touren immediately bellowed.

“I’ll go stop them right now!”

The chieftains, as if suddenly grasping a lifeline, all scrambled to speak up at once.

A deafening roar, like thunder, erupted from outside, cutting through their words.

Wu Qingsong couldn’t help but smile. “Too late. But come, everyone, you’re about to witness the first display of a brand-new power in this world. From this moment on, the entire world will change.”

Nina drew her sword, and the two beastmen groaned in pain, but they dared not make a sound.

Wu Qingsong glanced at them with a smile before stepping out of the tent. The chieftains hesitated, but under Nina’s piercing gaze, they finally followed.

The thunderous roar sounded again. This time, they saw countless flashes of fire erupting along the edges of the Nagrand camp.

Thick plumes of white smoke billowed into the sky, obscuring their vision. No one knew how much time passed before firelight flickered once more beyond the wooden barricades, followed instantly by another round of thunderous booms.

“Ahhh—!” A chieftain gasped in disbelief as he saw his son standing dazed near the strange metal netting. In the blink of an eye, a gaping hole burst open in the young warrior’s body, and he crumpled to the ground.

All around him, beastfolk warriors stood frozen, unable to comprehend what was happening. One after another, their bodies sprouted massive, gory wounds, arms were severed mid-motion, heads exploded into gruesome sprays of blood.

Yet they remained trapped before the damned iron barricades, unable to advance a single step.

“Reload!”

“Raise rifles!”

“Aim!”

The voices carried through the chaos like demonic incantations. And with them, the beastfolk knew—another wave of doom was about to descend upon them.

Someone, unable to bear the pressure any longer, let out a terrified scream and flung their weapon away, bolting in the opposite direction. Almost immediately, another eruption of fire and light followed. More blood misted the air as dozens more warriors were torn apart.

The entire beastfolk formation finally collapsed completely. Abandoning their wailing, dying comrades, they fled in blind panic, scrambling over each other as they raced back toward where they came from.

“Molotovs!” Liuli’s voice rang out.

Dozens of flaming projectiles arced through the air from the Nagrand camp, landing among the surrounding tents. In mere moments, a roaring blaze engulfed the area, illuminating the entire battlefield.

“So, gentlemen,” Wu Qingsong sighed, “What do you think?”

A terrible demon had just been unleashed—but perhaps, just perhaps, it was also the key to their victory over the elves.

“You monster! I’ll—” The chieftain who had just witnessed his son’s gruesome death lunged at him in a frenzy.

Nina’s sword flashed.

The chieftain’s body split in two, his momentum carrying him forward several more steps before his remains collapsed at Wu Qingsong’s feet.

“I have never liked killing,” Wu Qingsong said, sighing. “But if someone tries to kill me, if they try to harm those at my side, then they will pay the price. Chieftain Storm, you may tend to your wounded. As long as you do not cross that iron barricade, I assure you, no further harm will come to you.”

Storm stood frozen, his mouth agape, utterly speechless. He didn’t even know what he was supposed to do.

But Wu Qingsong and Nina had already turned away, stepping over blood-soaked earth as they calmly made their way back to their camp.