Goldien did not expect such a skill from the demon. He was caught off guard. However, he had been on many battlefields for a long time. With his experience, he managed to think of a countermeasure for the attack.
Goldien raised and put his arms up. His arms were glowing in bright gold. He could not avoid the blade, so blocking it was the best he could do to minimize the damage.
Swoosh!
However, Goldien's countermeasure was just not enough to block Zaneos' blade. The blade cut through the wrists. Goldien's eyes widened in shock, terror, and fear. All of it mixed into a complex emotion Goldien never felt before. He looked at his own hands fell off as blood spurted out...
"Goldien!" The Obsidian Gator, The Venomous Gator, and The Earthern Gator came over. "What-" The Obsidian Gator stopped his words midway when he looked at the missing arm. Goldien was just as strong as them. How could he be defeated so easily? It was not even a minute since Goldien charged at the demon.
"Fall Back! Leave the demon to us!" The Obsidian Gator and The Earthern Gator took the frontline while the Venomous Gator stayed next to Goldien. The three observed the demon. They were not clear about what happened.The roots of this story extend from novell bìn origin.
Plop!
Goldien fell on his butts and muttered dreadfully. "Run! Leave me alone! You can't win against that demon!" The Golden Gator thought about that attack. He tried to think of a countermeasure. No matter how hard he thought about it, he could not think of any countermeasure. 'Unless...'
Goldien turned his head, he looked toward his Brother, Goldier. His brother had something that could counter the demon, Anti-Mana Domain. If the demon could not use his mana, then he would not be able to execute the same skill. They had a chance against the demon if his brother joined, but...
Goldien saw his brother turned away from him and the other elders. His brother chose to surrender instead of fighting to the death. He was furious. Anger took over him, but that was just for a moment as his sight fell on the Gator Tribe's people.
Despite his fury, he managed to calm his anger and thought of the reason why his brother decided to not fight. He looked up at the sky. From thousands of Fiery Rooks, only one who was still alive and fighting the dragon-like creature. The Myth Rank Fiery Rook.
After saying that, he turned around and signaled for Ashley to come over with Selena. The two girls came over with Aki and Lauri heeled them. Ashley was still shocked by the show before her, but she maintained her dignified image in front of her man's subordinates. She could not show it outside.
"This is Lady Ashley and Lady Selena. They are the representatives of the Empire while Lord Tang is not around. Their orders are the same as Lord's order, understand?" Zanoes introduced the ladies to the Gator Tribe.
"Yes, Sir!" Goldien replied immediately, which was followed by the other Gators.
"Good. Can you start the ritual, Lady Selena?" Zaneos respectfully requested Selena to start the ritual to make the sacred vow.
"But it will not work if he is not here. I need both sides to be here to proceed with the sacred ritual." Selena shook her head. She could not start the ritual if Tang Shaoyang was not here.
"I see..." Zaneos nodded his head and rubbed his chin. It did not take long before he found the alternative. "Then they can make a vow to Lady Ashley instead. Since Lady Ashley will lead the operation to attack the Beast Coven, after all. We can't wait for Lord Tang Shaoyang to come over."
"Let's do that instead." Selena agreed with that. Ashley was part of the Empire, and she might a General of the Empire in the future. So it did not matter The Gator Tribe vow to. Ashley was about to refuse that, but Selena dragged her toward the Gator Tribe.
Goldien and the other Gators did not have a choice but to follow the arrangement. The way the demon treated these two weak women, the two women must closely relate to the Lord Tang Shaoyang.
After that, Selena started the ritual. It did not drain Selena since it was a vow between seven individuals. In less than three minutes, the ritual was over. The Gator Tribe now became part of the Empire, and the force had gotten stronger with an additional tribe joined them.
"Then my duty is over. I will head back to Lord Tang Shaoyang's side." Zaneos bowed his head toward Lady Ashley. Bronson also bowed his head, though he said nothing. The undead was not good with his words.
"Where's Aerelion? We need to join Lord Tang's side." Zaneos looked around and found the Infernal Wyvern. The wyvern was gathering the corpses of the Fiery Rook it had killed.
"Wait, Sir! Are you leaving us?" Goldien was surprised that the three strong individuals would leave them. He had scanned over the force. He realized that none of them were as strong as these three.
"Mnnn. The plan was to defeat the Gator Tribe and rejoin Lord Tang's side. We have to fight the Dark Tribe and the Guardian Beasts." Zaneos told their plan since the Gator Tribe had become part of the force.
"But what about us? What about the Fiery Rook Tribe? I don't think they will take this silently, and I don't think we can face them as well." Goldien told Zaneos about the Gator Tribe's alliance with the Fiery Rook Tribe. Now they had become part of the empire. In other words, they betrayed the Fiery Rook Tribe. They would not be happy with this and would retaliate with a stronger force. They needed Zaneos and the dragon-like creature with them.