Victory or Defeat?

Puchi! Splat!

Blood rained down on Rao Wu as he drew his spear out of a Bugbear, and then charged at another. The seven-years-old youth was like a messenger of death as he stormed through the Bugbears, swiftly cutting them down before they could come close!

"Guo!" A few meters away, Ju Tu smashed through the Bugbears. Unlike Rao Wu, the Steelback Ape was akin to a sledgehammer. It bravely tanked the Bugbear's strikes and then retaliated with swift blows of its own, frequently leaving only bloody mush in its wake.

Rao Wu, having confirmed Ju Tu's progress, briefly scanned the other battle occurring a few dozen meters away from them. The two Bugbear tribes were in the midst of a terrible confrontation. The struggle seemed fair, but Rao Wu knew that the tables would swiftly turn once one Bugbear Lord fell. "Let's finish this up quick!"

"Guo!" Following Rao Wu's shout, Ju Tu completely abandoned defense and switched to an all-out attack. Ignoring the Bugbears' acid which ate into its skin, the Steelback Ape rampaged, crushing several Bugbears beneath the clubs it stole.

Rao Wu, meanwhile, also became more aggressive, choosing to switch out the spear for his trusted bone dagger. The bone spear was a good weapon, but Rao Wu often adopted a passive stance when using it. With the spear, he would either bait an enemy or dodge an attack and then unleash a lethal blow to kill them off. This strategy worked perfectly when fighting strong enemies that he did not want to get too close to but hampered his aggressiveness in a group fight.

With the bone dagger, however, Rao Wu's savage personality rose to the fore. Like a demon hound, he charged into the Bugbear's midst and swung the blade like an extended claw. Like any jungle monster, he did whatever it took to win with minimal injuries. He crawled on the ground, latched onto Bugbears, bit arms, and shamelessly threw sand into their eyes. To Rao Wu, there was no such thing as an honorable battle, only the living and the dead.

Rao Wu's unruly, unorthodox fighting style greatly confused the Bugbears who had never faced a foe like this. The youth took advantage of their confusion to slice them up, eventually losing himself to the bloodlust and roaring adrenalin.

Rao Wu did not know how long he was immersed in the bloodlust. Surrounded on all sides, he could only give in to his animal instincts to survive. Blood and gore spilled around the child until a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

"RAAA!" Rao Wu shouted as he spun around to stab whomever it was on instinct.

Thunk!

Shockingly, the bone dagger failed to pierce the target. Rao Wu only then looked up to see Ju Tu looking at him with a worried gaze.

"Guo~."

"Ah. Sorry. I did it again." Rao Wu shook his head as he gave Ju Tu an apologetic look. The bloodlust was something that had plagued Rao Wu for as long as he could remember. From experience, the bloodlust was triggered when he killed multiple foes in quick succession in an agitated situation. Whenever it happened, Rao Wu would enter an extremely excited state and begin attacking everything in sight, friend and foe alike.

The bloodlust was something that affected all Beastkin. Rao Wu was not too worried because he could retain his reason as long as he kept up with his cultivation. However, it could be a worry if he ever had to fight on a team.

"Thanks, Ju Tu," Rao Wu thanked the Steelback Ape as he pushed the incident to the back of his mind. He would worry about the bloodlust later. For now, he had to focus on the task at hand. A quick glance across the plains revealed that both sides were still in combat, albeit coming to a conclusion.

As Rao Wu expected, the tribe of the Bugbear Lord they were familiar with looked like they were just about to clinch the victory.

Rao Wu's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the fight. He did not want to get involved in such a messy brawl. For all he knew, both sides could suddenly focus on him once he was in their midst. However, just because he was not getting into the fight, did not mean he could not turn swing things in his favor. "Let's throw in a little chaos."

Rao Wu's eyes gleamed with a sinister light when he spotted a relatively unscathed Bugbear standing over a heavily injured one. The unscathed Bugbear was just about to smash the other's head in when Rao Wu pointed at it and shouted, "Ju Tu, Stonetoss!"

Thwack!

Ju Tu did not waste any time. The victorious Bugbear suddenly stumbled in place, and its eyes glazed over from the sharp pain that assaulted its head. It took a few seconds to regain itself. Unfortunately, in battle, a second was the difference between life and death!

Before the Bugbear could regain its sanity, the injured one mustered up its strength and then tackled it to the ground. The injured Bugbear then lifted up a rock and repeatedly smashed the previously unscathed Bugbear's head until it caved in to a bloody pulp.

"Nwaa!" The injured Bugbear let out a frantic victory cry, but it was ultimately too weak to stand up and so, collapsed next to the one it beat.

"Hehe. Two bugs with one stone." Rao Wu's cheeks flushed with pride as he then directed Ju Tu to strike many more targets. His incredibly successful aim was to disrupt the battle flow, ensuring that no one side gained too quick a victory. By providing casualties on both ends, the finale would be ten times easier.

Thwack! Thwack!

And so, Ju Tu continued to pelter the fighting monsters. To make matters worse, because he used small stones, the frenzied Bugbears did not realize Ju Tu's involvement until it was far too late.

Due to a miscalculation on Rao Wu's part, Ju Tu struck a Bugbear after it had already killed its foe. As a result, the Bugbear had the presence of mind to figure out where the stone came from.

"Nwaa!" The Bugbear let out an angry roar to alert the others when it saw the spectating boy and Steelback Ape, having pieced together what had been going on. Unfortunately, only twenty Bugbears remained at this point. Rao Wu and Ju Tu had no trouble dispatching the group, which consisted of many injured Bugbears.

With the rank-and-file taken care of, Rao Wu and Ju Tu turned their attentions to the final two Bugbear Lords. The injured hegemons, in turn, glared at Rao Wu and Ju Tu, having realized that they were the cause of the last few calamitous weeks.

Rao Wu flashed a mischievous smile as he looked at the Bugbear Lords. "Sorry about all this. I kinda need you guys to die here. No hard feelings, right?"

"NWAA!"

"I'll take that as a no." Rao Wu chuckled as he swapped out the dagger for the spear. Though he wore a relaxed smile, his nerves were exceptionally tense. Despite being injured, neither Bugbear Lord was a pushover.

Anticipating a fierce battle, Rao Wu brandished his spear. "Ju Tu, you take the stronger one. I'll hold off the Stage seven Bugbear Lord."

"Guo!" Ju Tu pounded its chest, confirming Rao Wu's order.

"Alright, let's do this!" Rao Wu grinned and then charged at the stage seven Bugbear Lord with a loud battle cry. By his side, Ju Tu pounded its chest, roared, and then charged at its quarry.

"NWAA!" The Bugbear Lords, not losing in ferocity, also bellowed and then ran at the duo, eagerly looking forward to bashing both their heads in.

Rao Wu took a deep breath as the gap closed to about ten meters. At both parties' speed, they would clash within seconds! Rao Wu calmed his nerves as the distance closed to 5 meters. His grip tightened around the spear shaft as he braced himself for impact.

Gugugugu~

However, just before the clash, Rao Wu, ever sensitive to minute changes in the environment, felt the ground softly tremble beneath his feet. The child's brows furrowed in puzzlement, but he did not dare stop on account of the charging Bugbear Lord opposite.

And so, the gap shortened even closer. By the time the enemies were just 1 meter apart, Rao Wu could practically smell the Bugbear Lord's putrid breath. The young man, however, ignored the stench as he focused on driving his spear toward the Bugbear Lord's chest.

The Bugbear Lord glared at the spear with scorn in its eyes. It made to smack it with his club, but then... it happened.

BOOM!

Out of nowhere, green stalks suddenly burst out of the ground, sending harsh debris and dust flying in all directions. The rapidly growing stalks then wrapped around both Bugbear Lords, momentarily trapping them in place.

"Nwaa!" The Bugbear Lords let out enraged cries as they attempted to tear out of their bondage. Riiip! Indeed, the Bugbear Lords revealed their strength as the vines began to tear shortly afterward.

"Haha! Too late!" Unfortunately, the Bugbear Lords' efforts were too little too late. Their fates were sealed the second they let themselves get bound.

Puchi! BAM!

Rao Wu drove his spear through his Bugbear Lord's head before it could free itself. The wicked weapon shattered skull and brain matter as it burst through the back of its head, effectively ending its life in one strike.

Ju Tu was no less vindictive. It repeatedly bashed its Bugbear Lord's skull with a club until the poor monster's brain collapsed into mush. Even then, Ju Tu grabbed its skull and then tore the head off its body. Holding the bloody mess in its hand, it turned to Rao Wu and then let out a gibber. "Guo, guo."

"Hehe. Good job, Ju Tu." Rao Wu chuckled as he cut off his Bugbear Lord's head. "Always cut off the head to make sure they're truly dead." Rao Wu then looked into the forest and shouted, "Thanks! That was perfect timing!"

Moments later, a bashful Dryad stepped into the bloody clearing. Her open eyes and wide, parted lips belied her excitement and joy. She could not believe her eyes! The Bugbears she feared for several years were dead! Just like that! The Dryad interlocked her fingers behind her back as she gingerly approached Rao Wu. "Hehe. I learned a thing or two from watching your battles. I guessed that would be the best time to launch a distraction."

"Distraction?" Rao Wu shook his head as he wildly gesticulated, "You practically killed them for us! Haha! I was expecting a terrible battle. I was already psyched and everything, then you just handed them to us on a plate. No wonder Uncle says plant-types are the worst soul monsters to fight in a group battle. Your crowd-control is already excellent without any training!" Rao Wu nodded as he began thinking up effective formations. "Yes, with a little training, the synergy with a plant-type is endless! Talk less of Dryads, who are like the queens of plant-types."

"Queen?" The Dryad shook her head with a light blush. "That is too much. I'm just a 2nd Phase soul monster."

Rao Wu's eyes sparkled as he turned and grabbed the Dryad's hand. "Doesn't matter! Your ceiling is endless! So, how about it? With the Bugbears gone, will you agree to a soul pact with me?"

The Dryad did not hesitate to nod. Truth be told, Rao Wu's stories about the outside world intrigued her to no end. She wanted to see other monsters, other people. She hoped to walk in this 'city' that Rao Wu spoke of, and not suffer under the endless burden of watching over this tiny island. "Once you are ready, I will agree to the soul pact!"

"Yes!" Rao Wu celebrated with a very unsightly dance. "Hey, Ju Tu! Hear that!? You're going to have a new companion soon!"

"Guo!" Ju Tu, who was busy harvesting the soul cores from the Bugbear Lords, sent out an appreciative gibber... which then turned into a frantic one. "GUO!"

"What!?" Rao Wu shouted and then sprinted over to Ju Tu. He snatched the bloody crystal from it, and then carefully examined it.

"HAHA! It's real! It's a pure beast crystal!" Rao Wu jumped in place and fist-pumped with joy. Hey, hey, it seemed the gods truly rewarded the hardworking and studious. Rao Wu, Ju Tu, and Xian Da had slaughtered hundreds of Bugbears and harvested hundreds more, yet they only found one beast-bug soul crystal.

Rao Wu, who had already given up on finding a pure beast-type soul crystal, had resigned to using numerous soul cores to force Xian Da into 2nd phase. However, soul cores, although good for advancing through stages, were not nearly as useful for evolving into the next phase.

Fortunately, the Bugbear Lord's 2nd Phase pure beast crystal damn near ensured the evolution would be successful. That was not all. Rao Wu estimated that the energy from Xian Da's evolution should be enough to push him into 9th Stage Soul Apprentice. At which point, his third soul pact would open.

Having confirmed his next course of action, Rao Wu and Ju Tu sped up the cleanup process. By nightfall, they had harvested all the corpses and buried them underground to serve as fertilizer.

Rao Wu, Ju Tu, and the Dryad then returned to their home, where the Sprites were jumping and prancing about in joy and elation at their newfound freedom.