Parallel Vol. 4 [LEGACY EDITION]

Chapter 30.2: Longma Tribe (Part 2)

Kashi charged through the battlefield with staggering impudence, easily blasting all monsters out of his path until he reached the side of the next Longma tribe member. Similar to his previous encounter, Kashi wordlessly took out a sword from his inner world and tossed it to the warrior before galloping onward. The centaur, for his part, did not bother acknowledging the daeben's presence before slicing the surrounding monsters to shreds.

Kashi pierced through the battlefield in this vein, either handing or throwing swords over to the centaurs, then letting them wreak havoc on the monster army without any significant assistance. This proved to be the best course of action, as, by the time Kashi handed out the last, one-thousandth sword, there were barely any monsters left.

This allowed Kashi, Shadow, Larsial, Darian, and the Longma tribesmen to swiftly round up and eliminate, any and all traces of the monster army. Usually, the monsters would have run away following such massive losses, but it seemed whoever controlled them had ordered them to fight to their last breath. An order most likely issued to ensure the centaurs suffered the greatest loss possible.

No one would have expected that it would backfire in this manner. The armed Longma tribe were like tigers that had grown wings. Their ferociousness absolutely decimated the monster army, and they only suffered minor losses.

Kashi released a sigh of relief as he watched a Longma tribesman tear the last direwolf in half with his bare hands. Finally, phase one of the plan had been completed. The particulars of phase two would largely depend on the upcoming negotiations.

Kashi's expression remained neutral as he approached the Longsma tribesman who tossed the torn carcass to the ground and glared at the daeben. "I assume you speak the common tongue?" Kashi questioned, his tone even and strong.

The Longma tribesman remained silent.

Kashi paused for a moment to consider his options. There were two classic approaches to a situation like this for every gamer. The first, and Kashi's personal favorite, was to prove your strength to the opposite party. Kashi knew he could bring a good portion of the Longma centaurs to their knees through his aura alone. The second option was to engage in a calm and rational discussion to try and bring the Longma tribe over to his cause.

The downside to the second option was that for warring clans like the Longma tribe, an envoy who used words to try and convince them to do something would be looked down upon as weak and timid.

If Kashi viewed the Longma tribe only as a capable fighting force, he would have proceeded to crush their wills and bend them to his cause. Fortunately, ever since the daeben embarked on the path of 'Uniting the Continent,' – and even more so in recent times – he had promised himself he would not treat any intelligent race differently from the rest.

A conqueror's attitude was everything. If a conqueror went around treating some races better than others, that attitude would spill over to the common people when the war finally ended. At that point, it would only be a matter of time before the oppressed race broke out in civil war.

With all these in mind, Kashi finally came to a decision.

Boom!

The Longma tribe paled as a brutal force burst out from the daeben. The centaurs trembled as they gazed upon what seemed to be a pair of daunting eyes glaring at them from within Kashi as if daring the centaurs to question its authority. However, before the centaurs could even begin to process their fear, the pressure vanished as quickly as it came.

The Longma centaurs regarded Kashi with equal parts trepidation and respect. Only a true warrior steeped in years of bloodshed and chaos could unleash such a powerful aura.