Chapter 104 Rapacious Part 4

The intense energy of soldiers and villagers swirled in the air, and Tu slowly backed his horse back away from Hamza while his soldiers moved towards the villagers. 

Hamza rolled his eyes and said, "Just like we practiced." 

The villager men slowly backed away from Tu and his soldiers. 

Tu smirked and said, "Kill them and leave no one alive." 

One villager pulled out a flare and fired it into the sky. 

Tu looked at the actions of the villagers and felt funny for some reason, so he stopped the soldiers instead of ordering them to move forward. He wanted to see what a group of slaves could do to fend off an attack from his soldiers. 

Tu smirked and stared at Hamza. "Go on. Gather as many people as possible to defend my soldiers. There will never be a second chance like this," he said with an evil smile. 

Hamza gritted his teeth and said, "Although we are labeled slaves, we are not anyone's slaves." He looked up at Tu. "If you want us to serve you, you have to walk the distance, not talk about the distance." 

Tu breathed heavily through his nostrils. "You... I originally wanted to spare the lives of the children, but your taunt has already decided their fate," he said, looking at Hamza and the fifty people. "Listen soldiers."  He stared at Hamza.  "Rape whoever you want. Kill whoever you want. Enslave whoever you want." 

Hamza looked at his men and said, "Hold your position as best as you can and let the others escape." He knew there were hundreds of villagers behind them, and if they could hold off the soldiers long enough, the tribe would lose fewer lives. 

Tu sent some soldiers to chase the villagers toward their hiding place. Fathers, brothers, and husbands all ran towards the road, trying to fight off the soldiers, while old men, women, mothers and children fled, but the soldiers got the upper hand and started killing villagers left and right. 

"Hurry up... hurry up..." the elders urged the children and women on the road. 

The soldiers quickly surrounded the villagers, preventing them from reaching their hiding places. The soldiers began to draw arrows and started shooting at the villagers. Suddenly hundreds of magic arrows appeared quickly and killed the soldiers surrounding the villagers. 

The leading soldier was hit in the back and fell to the ground. He looked up and saw that his soldiers had been shot and fallen around him. He turned and stood up and saw Haneul coming towards him on a white horse. There were many men in white marching towards him. As the leading soldier tried to stand up, another arrow struck him in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground. 

Haneul stopped his horse beside the dying soldier. He looked down at the man and saw the horrified look on his face. He smiled at the man and said, "Oh, so this is what fear looks like before death..." 

Sukh looked at Haneul and said, "If you want to kill that man, just kill him, why toying with him." 

Haneul smiled at Sukh and said, "You are right." He thrust his spear into the abdomen of the fallen soldier, killing him instantly. He turned to look at Sukh with a smile.  "Are you happy now?" 

Sukh looked at the frightened villagers and asked, "Where are the others?" 

"Others are fighting the soldiers inside the village," said an old man. 

Haneul smirked and said, "So, they really want to launch a war against us." 

"Let's meet with the others first and then draw conclusions," Sukh said, looking at the villagers. "Where are you going?" 

The old man said, "We were supposed to hide on that mountain." 

Haneul looked at the old man and said, "I promise Hamza to accept you as my people. From now on, when people speak to you, do not lower your head. Lift your head and look into the eyes of the person who is talking to you.  You shouldn't be afraid when talking to other people." 

A child looked at Haneul and asked, "Are you the Northern King that Hamza mentioned?" 

Haneul looked at the child with a smile. "Oh, what did he say about me?" he asked with a smile. 

The child said, "Hamza told us that one day our king would come and take us home. We would not have to be chased from one place to another. We would have a home." 

The child's mother was afraid of offending Haneul and Sukh, so she quickly took the child into her arms. She pleaded in fear, "Your Highness, please forgive this servant's child for speaking without permission." 

Haneul looked at the scared woman protecting her child from Haneul's sword.  "Your king is not a slave; therefore, you are not a slave either." He looked at the people standing before him.  "From now on, you are not allowed to call yourself a slave. In Tangzang, no one is a slave." 

Sukh said, "He is the Northern King that Hamza mentioned to you. Today, he is here to take you to the forever home Hamza mentioned."  He smiled.  "But everyone stays with these one hundred mages here, and we'll find the others." 

The children cheered. 

Tu gathered Hamza, Hamza's men and other villagers in the center of the village.  Tu jumped off his horse and walked up to Hamza, who was forced to kneel down by two soldiers. Tu raised his sword and pointed it at Hamza's throat. 

Tu sneered and said, "You're not so powerful now." 

Hamza stared at Tu frantically. Hamza gritted his teeth and said, "But I'm not afraid of you." Hamza spat at Tu. 

In a rage, Tu kicked Hamza in the face. Tu said happily, "Staring at me will not liberate your people. Since you care about your people so much, I will let you watch them die in front of you one by one." He closed his eyes and turned around. "Children and women first." 

Hamza stood up angrily. "You bastard," he yelled, but Hamza was struck hard on the back of his knees, and he fell to the ground. The two soldiers continued to suppress Hamza in a kneeling position.

The soldiers began to pull the children out of their parents' arms and drag them in front of Hamza, ignoring the cries and pleas of the children's parents. 

Tu looked at his soldiers and said, "Make sure they cry and scream before ending their lives." 

The beautiful tiles beneath the feet of those in the Thorne Hall began to rumble, and green thorny  vines erupted from the floor. Jianjun sheathed his sword and jumped up. Some palace guards rushed forward to attack Dong and Dong's men. 

Lan Huan said, "Feng take Zoya away." 

Feng grabbed onto Zoya's hand and pulled her towards Liling and others who were hiding behind Jianjun and his soldiers. Bao grabbed Ming's hand, and she also rushed behind Jianjun and the palace soldiers. 

Although Zoya couldn't see much, she knew danger was everywhere. Zoya said, "Leave the palace now." 

Liling asked in horror, "Where can we hide when Dong's men are everywhere?" 

Zoya said, "Hamza has prepared for a day like today. There should be a cave not far from here that should be safe for us. Before the Northern King left, his mages created a spell to protect that cave." 

Liling said, "Feng, Bao, you two take Ming, Zoya, and the others out first." 

Bao asked, "What about you, your highness?" 

Liling said, "I will leave with Jianjun and Huan. Go now!" She looked at Lan Huan and Jianjun who were fighting fiercely with Dong's men. She turned around and smiled at Ming. "You go with Bao... I'll come find you." 

Ming nodded at Liling. 

Liling knelt down and held Ming tightly in her arms. She pressed a kiss on Ming's forehead. "My lovely prince, don't cry." She said, wiping Ming's tears. "Be brave like your father." Liling stood up and put Ming's hand in Bao's hand. "Protect him." 

Bao burst into tears and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I will protect Prince Ming with my life." 

As soon as Bao finished speaking, the tip of the sword pierced out of Bao's abdomen. The people around Bao screamed and rushed away from Bao. 

Feng cried with tears streaming down her face, "Bao!" 

Zoya shouted, "Feng! What's wrong?" 

Saja grabbed Ming's hair and kicked Liling away from Ming. Saja pulled the sword from Bao's abdomen and held it to Ming's throat. 

Liling and Feng screamed at the same time, "Let him go!" 

Lan Huan and Jianjun retreated towards Liling and others. Lan Huan shouted wildly, "Saja! Let Prince Ming go!" 

Zoya was at a loss. "Sajaaa..." she shouted angrily. 

Lan Huan became angry and released multiple vines towards Dong and his men. Although Lan Huan's vines killed many soldiers, Dong was unscathed. 

Dong said, "Priestess Lan, calm down... When your life, and the lives of everyone here, are in my hands, you should be nicer to me." 

Zoya said, "Don't listen to him Huan. Kill him and protect your master." 

Dong smiled and looked at Zoya. "Zoya, you lowly slave, drinking the blood of the black puppy will make you lose your abilities for seven days, but I'm afraid you don't have seven days, because your day ends today with everyone in that village." 

Zoya said angrily, "Killing us slaves will mean you declare yourself an enemy of Tangzang Kingdom. The Northern King will launch a war against you." 

Dong said, "Your exiled King of the North will never have such day to launch such war against us. He left you here as slaves for four years. Why do you think he kept his promise to a despicable creature like you?" 

Zoya gritted her teeth and said, "Because my predictions have never been wrong. In ten years, the entire northern land will be under his feet." 

Dong laughed, his laughter echoing through the Throne Hall. "You slaves keep predicting and dreaming," he smirked at Zoya. "Saja... Kill that witch with the others." He pointed at Ming. "Let's start with the cute little prince."