Lord of Barestone Mountains
In the dimly lit chamber, nine chieftains of monsters sat around a massive stone table, silently awaiting the arrival of the final participant, who had reserved a chair at the head of the table.
Under normal circumstances, these tribal rulers of the Barestone Mountains were far from obedient, known for their arrogance and dominance. However, the figure they awaited deserved such behavior from them.
They silently waited, growing anxious as the minutes passed by, and then, with an explosive entrance, the chamber's door was flung open, revealing the imposing silhouette of a tall imposing figure.
Following his entrance, a mighty aura filled the room, descending upon the chieftains like a veil of death, none daring to utter a sound.
This man was the strongest being within the whole Barestone Mountains and its undisputed ruler, Irzuk the Corruptor!
[Irzuk the Corruptor] (High Demon, higher 3rd-grade)
Level 162
Hp 21 315 / 21 315
Standing at an imposing three meters in height, Irzuk the Corruptor was a formidable demon with two straight horns crowning his forehead and his gray skin was sparkling with a hint of bloody red in the dimly lit chamber.
After the lord took his seat, Strusk, the chieftain of Kobolds Tribe, rose from the gathering. "My Lord," he began, his voice slightly trembling. Despite being the strongest out of the twelve rulers, who reigned over Barestone Mountains, even he feared the man they currently faced.
"A few weeks past, an intruder has entered our mountains, and since their arrival, three of the rulers have already fallen." Strusk continued, his expression serious, as he was looking across the table at the other chieftains, each one wearing a grim expression.
"At first the mysterious man conquered the Forbidden Volley, which was the home of an immensely powerful monster. Following which, he wiped out the tribe of Mountain Orcs, and two other of the twelve rulers suffered the same fate." added another chieftain, highlighting the problem.
"He is unpredictable and dangerous. What if he tries to become the lord of the Barestone Mountains next?" Strusk concluded, reminding that Irzuk's position was also at risk.
However, beneath the facade of loyalty, Strusk didn't care about their lord at all. If he had the capabilities, he would challenge Irzuk the Corruptor on the spot and become the new ruler of the Barestone Mountains. Unfortunately, he didn't possess the required strength, so he had to serve the demon.
The chieftains were growing worried, as each tribe that had come into contact with the intruder had mysteriously vanished without a trace. Without any solution, they gathered to meet the Lord of Barestone Mountains and ask for his intervention.
Irzuk the Corruptor, wasn't only the most formidable entity they knew, but he was also in possession of an artifact which allowed him to see anything in Barestone Mountains, so he would definitely have much more information about the mysterious intruder.
Everyone stared at Irzuk the Corruptor, awaiting how he would deal with the situation, when Irzuk suddenly laughed. "You are overestimating him too much." He remarked, shaking his head.
"I have closely observed the intruder's battles, and in truth, he is weaker than most of you." He explained, shocking the chieftains with the revelation. "His victories are owed to his formidable pet and cunning strategies." He finished and the chieftains began exchanging their opinions.
If what their lord proclaimed was true, then the intruder wasn't dangerous as long as they wouldn't fight him one by one.
"What are your orders, my Lord?" Strusk asked on behalf of the chieftains, though they already expected what would follow.
Rising from his seat, Irzuk's expression grew resolute. "Gather all the tribes!" he commanded, extending his hand. "We shall confront the intruder without delay. Strusk, you will lead our forces, bring him to me alive!"
"Gather all the tribes!" Irzuk abruptly stood up and stretched his hand. "We will deal with the intruder immediately. Strusk, you will lead the army, bring them to me alive!"
"Yes, my Lord!" All the chieftains bowed in unison before taking their leave to gather their respective tribes.
Meanwhile, as the chieftains departed, Irzuk observed their retreat with a twisted smile. While he was confident in facing the black-robed intruder, his black flames terrified him to the depth of the bone. If he got hit by it, he would surely receive long lasting injuries, so he sent the tribe chiefs to deal with him in his stead.
...
Wardell, a chieftain of the Deep Gnomes Tribe, located near the heart of Barestone Mountain, was already an old deep gnome with a long flowing white beard and wrinkled visage, which told the tales of countless years spent in the heart of the earth. Compared to the other chieftains, he wasn't chosen as the chieftain for his battle prowess, but for his well-earned wisdom.
The deep gnomes were typically standing about five steps tall, they had gray skin, bald heads and large noses. They held a unique talent for craftsmanship and preferred peaceful mining and forging instead of fighting, however when it came to defense, they were the bravest out of all races.
Their tribe was considered one of the mightiest in the mountain range, so when Wardell heard about the mysterious man, he also participated in the meeting.
Just as everyone else, he also feared the intruders, however, when he attended the meeting, he couldn't unnotice the obvious fear in Irzuk's eyes. The intruder was definitely powerful and Wardell couldn't help but be worried.
"Send someone to the Forbidden Valley and warn them of the impending attack," Wardell decided, his voice calculating. He planned to do the intruder a favor in case their army lost, to ensure the safety of his tribe.
…
Two weeks passed since their assault at the Mountain Orc Tribe.
During the time, Wain continued hunting in the mountains, obliterating everyone who stood in his way and continuously growing stronger, reaching the higher realm of 2nd-grade!
His forces also gradually improved in strength and number, which meant that Wain received almost a hundred Chaos Points per day from their everyday activities. Moreover,the weaker tribes now paid him tribute, offering mana cores without him having to lift a finger.
However, the 1st-grade mana cores had their limitations, they no longer brought him the same benefits as in the past and he needed at least 2nd-grade mana cores, which were incredibly rare, to improve his strength further.
Under the competent leadership of Luarin, their city's construction also neared completion, and the mood in the city was improving as they lived through the peaceful days.
It was at that moment, when a cloaked figure, shrouded in mystery, approached the town's gates.
"I bring a message from the tribe of Deep Gnomes." the figure announced, and under the guidance of Rryk, they were allowed entry into the settlement.
Rryk was receiving a lot of 1st-grade mana cores in the last days, since Wain could no longer benefit from them, and managed to break through to the higher realm of 1st-grade as a result.
He desperately needed to get stronger, since many of the monsters who joined them lately were stronger than him, and his position was at risk.
"My Lord, a messenger from Deep Gnomes arrived." Rryk knocked on the door, receiving Wain's permission, before entering.
"Speak," Wain commanded, sitting behind a table, while several gnolls and mountain orcs stood guard, behind the messenger.
With a respectful bow, the Deep Gnome messenger addressed Wain, "Greetings, the lord of the Forbidden Valley. Our chieftain has sent me with a warning for your clan. The nine rulers of the mountains are gathering their armies and plan to attack your tribe within two days."
"All nine rulers?" Wain was surprised by the news, although he destroyed some tribes, he didn't expect the monsters to join their forces against him. The various tribes didn't get well with each other after all, and the messenger of Deep Gnomes was a testament of that.
However, the news was unsettling, since every ruler of a mountain commanded a force of hundreds soldiers, their combined army could easily be in thousands!
Even after annexing many tribes, Wain still had only four hundred monsters under his command, so defending against the army of the nine rulers would be nigh impossible.
"Yes, all nine of them." The messenger confirmed. "The lord of the Barestone Mountains, Irzuk the Corruptor, has issued the command to devastate Your town."
"Irzuk the Corruptor," Wain mused, he never heard about any Lord of Barestone Mountains, so this was new information. "How strong is he?" He asked.
"I am not sure." The messenger grew nervous, it was said that the Lord of Barestone Mountains knew about everything that happened within them. "Definitely above 3rd-grade… I should take my leave." He looked around anxiously, hurriedly leaving the town.
What should we do now? As the messenger hurriedly left the town, Wain contemplated the dire situation. Even with all the Chaos Points he amassed, he wasn't confident in defending against the incoming army.
He was already fully equipped with artifacts, he possessed several 3rd-grade spells and wasn't likely to break through to 3rd-grade with his current resources in time. The best he could do with the Chaos Points would be to buy some soldiers, however, their numbers wouldn't be nearly enough to face the combined army of the nine rulers.
"Rryk, tell everyone that I am leaving." Wain stood up, his unexpected decision shocked Rryk.
Was Wain going to flee and leave them behind? The thought crossed his mind and he found it very likely since their current forces stood no chance against the nine rulers. However, Wain's next words dispelled the thoughts.
"I have an idea, but I'm not sure if I can make it in time," Wain declared. "Try to buy me some time, but prioritize surrender over death if it comes to that." With those instructions, Wain left the room, leaving Rryk alone. There was still a way to win, but he needed to act quickly.