Under the pitch-black night sky, two dazzling streaks of light flew down at high speed, appearing over the Dragon Fang Tribe in an instant.
The tribe, which had been shrouded in darkness, brightened significantly, but since it was already late at night, the Lizardmen were already deep in sleep.
The two guards were also immediately dealt with by Sukui Zuzu, preventing the entire Dragon Fang Tribe from reacting right away.
In mid-air.
Lyle, wearing a semi-rimmed magic item that granted "Night Vision," gazed down at the Lizardman tribe below.
According to Sukui Zuzu's tip, although the chief held the highest status in the Lizardman tribe, the priest Lizardmen in the Council of Elders were the most noble.
Therefore, the places where they lived were mostly located in the deepest parts of the tribe, and their wooden houses were generally more prominent than those of ordinary Lizardmen.
With the help of the light emitted by the two Flame Archangels and the "Night Vision" effect of his magic item, Lyle quickly locked onto several prominent wooden houses in the depths of the tribe.
With a single thought.
The two Flame Archangels flapped their wings and attacked in a direction away from the wooden houses suspected to be inhabited by the priest Lizardmen.
Without the need for overly complex movements, the Flame Archangels easily crushed two wooden houses using their inherent defensive power and the speed of their dive.
Boom! Boom!
Two loud explosions rang out through the Dragon Fang Tribe, instantly waking most of the sleeping Lizardmen.
In particular, before the Lizardmen in the two crushed houses could even realize what was happening, flame swords burning with fire and a holy aura slashed down.
The Lizardmen inside the houses were slain!
Immediately after, the two Flame Archangels rushed toward the surrounding wooden houses to continue their attack.
It was a lightning-fast raid!
It was even more successful than expected; in just two or three minutes, all the Lizardmen in several wooden houses had been killed by the Flame Archangels.
For a moment, all the Lizardmen who rushed out were drawn to the scene.
"Truly lax."
"It seems the Lizardmen who fled from the Small Fang Tribe didn't come to the Dragon Fang Tribe? Instead, they went to the stronger Green Claw Tribe."
Lyle spoke softly as he watched the Dragon Fang Tribe below, which had become noisy and chaotic as they finally fully reacted.
In the Lizardman tribe, only the priest Lizardmen caused Lyle a bit of trouble.
Even if those ordinary Lizardman warriors were somewhat strong, they didn't pose much of a problem against Flame Archangels, who were Level 21 and specialized in defense.
They could only kill the Flame Archangels by relying on their numerical advantage.
After all, among the Lizardmen, the warrior hailed as the strongest, Zaryusu Shasha—the wielder of "Frost Pain"—was only Level 20.
The strength of ordinary Lizardman warriors was even lower, around Level 11 or 12, with an overall level similar to that of an Ogre.
"Intruders!!"
"Those two monsters..."
"Help!"
The panicked and chaotic voices of the Lizardmen intertwined, constantly echoing throughout the tribe.
As the Lizardman warriors were drawn together by the conspicuous Flame Archangels, Sukui Zuzu and the Ghost Hound, who were hiding in the shadows, successfully infiltrated the tribe.
They headed straight for the two priest Lizardmen; their mission was to capture one priest alive and kill the other.
Inside the Dragon Fang Tribe.
"Die, enemy!" A Lizardman warrior carrying a crude greatsword roared as he rushed forward, slashing fiercely at one of the Flame Archangels.
Clang!
The Flame Archangel casually swung its flame sword, colliding with the greatsword and letting out a burst of sparks.
The Lizardman warrior was pushed back several steps by the force transmitted through the flame sword and fell to his knees; just as the Flame Archangel was about to slay him...
Swish—a large net flew out from the crowd and covered the Flame Archangel, suddenly pulling it tight.
"Pull!!" Several shouts rang out as the ropes attached to the net tightened, forcibly dragging the Flame Archangel down from the air.
A dense barrage of attacks quickly descended.
While the Flame Archangel swung its flame sword to cut the net and kill the nearest Lizardman warrior, it was struck by the furious attacks of the other warriors and dissipated into points of light.
The crowd of Lizardmen cheered and was about to surround the other Flame Archangel, but at that moment, another streak of light descended from the sky!
A brand-new Flame Archangel appeared before all the Lizardmen.
The cheering atmosphere couldn't help but freeze!
"From the start of the fight to the end, it lasted ten minutes—no, the actual combat should have ended within five minutes."
Lyle watched the defeated Flame Archangel, glanced at the pocket watch in his hand, and silently calculated the time in his mind.
Flame Archangels were indeed not weak, but that was in a one-on-one situation; when the number of enemies increased, the Flame Archangel wasn't enough.
Ultimately!
In terms of combat power conversion, a Flame Archangel was essentially a Level 21 warrior who could fly.
And if the group of Lizardmen below were converted into human units, they would be at the level of elite troops!
No!
Lyle remembered that the average level of the "Warrior Band" formed by Gazef was only around Level 7, and they were already considered elites among human armies.
The average level of these Lizardman warriors was above ten, and with the advantages of being a demi-human race and their naturally thick skin structure...
...they were at least equivalent to fully armed elites.
"The advantages of demi-humans are indeed incomparable to humans," Lyle couldn't help but sigh again after his internal conversion.
"Although there are many Lizardman warriors gathered below, in reality, those who can actually engage the Flame Archangel in direct combat shouldn't exceed ten..."
"...at a time."
"If one Lizardman warrior is converted into two human elite soldiers, then by this calculation—twenty human elite soldiers, at the cost of casualties, can take down one Flame Archangel."
Lyle watched the scene below calmly.
Boom!
Another Flame Archangel perished.
Lyle casually crushed a magic scroll, and a new Flame Archangel continued to join the battlefield.
"Compared to the Small Fang Tribe, the battle with the Dragon Fang Tribe is indeed more meaningful as a reference." Lyle carefully observed the battle below.
Since those two priest Lizardmen had not yet arrived, the situation like in the Small Fang Tribe—where the Flame Archangel was only controlled and not destroyed—naturally wouldn't occur.
The reason the Small Fang Tribe collapsed so quickly was entirely because their chief was defeated and their priest was controlled by Lyle, causing most of the Lizardman warriors to lose their will to fight.
Additionally.
That old priest Lizardman seemed to have anticipated the worst-case scenario and had arranged for a portion of the tribe's Lizardmen to evacuate in advance.
At least one-third of the Small Fang Tribe successfully escaped. This was also related to the fact that Lyle did not pursue them.
These old, weak, sick, and disabled were meant to be left for the future Great Tomb.
The battle in the Dragon Fang Tribe began to fall into a stalemate.
An invisible sense of panic spread among the Lizardmen; the Flame Archangels did not tire, did not fear, and did not even fear death.
But the Lizardmen did!
They went to great lengths and even sacrificed several companions to finally kill one Flame Archangel, only for another to reappear in the blink of an eye.
Until now!
No one had figured out what these winged, armored monsters were or why they had suddenly appeared in the tribe.
Furthermore, some Lizardman warriors had already noticed something was wrong—why hadn't the two priest elders appeared yet?
"Don't be afraid!!"
"The ancestors are watching us, kill!"
"Raaaagh!!"
Just as this atmosphere of panic emerged, a Lizardman warrior let out a great roar, lifting the spirits of all the Lizardmen.
Unfortunately, this surge of excitement didn't last long; after the Lizardman warriors killed another Flame Archangel, they were left gasping for breath and looking exhausted.
A brilliant light descended from the sky once more, and a brand-new Flame Archangel made its entrance!
Despair~
Fear appeared in the pupils of many Lizardman warriors.
They weren't afraid of powerful enemies, but when faced with an unknown and unkillable foe, even the toughest warrior would waver.
Just as the atmosphere reached its freezing point!
"The chief is dead!"
"The priest is also dead—"
A terrified, mournful wail came from the depths of the tribe, causing the hearts of all the Lizardman warriors present to tremble.
Swish! Swish!
The two Flame Archangels flapped their wings and rushed into the Lizardmen again to begin their slaughter; the defensive line that had barely been maintained collapsed at this moment.
A Lizardman retreated in fear, instantly triggering a chain reaction as the rout began.
Above.
"It seems it's over."
Lyle watched the completely defeated Dragon Fang Tribe below, put away the scroll he was holding, and raised his hands to rub his temples.
Eight Flame Archangels!
From the start of the battle until now, it had lasted a full hour, and Lyle had consumed eight third-tier "Angel Summoning" scrolls.
Initially, these Lizardman warriors could coordinate perfectly and take down a Flame Archangel in a short time, but as casualties rose...
...this high-intensity combat ultimately couldn't be sustained, leading to the complete collapse now.
Morning.
The depths of the Dragon Fang Tribe.
The only survivor of the two priest Lizardmen led Lyle to an inconspicuous large jar.
The jar was over a meter tall, with a mouth over 80 centimeters wide, and it contained a liquid that looked slightly cloudy.
Lyle showed a look of interest as he examined the large jar before him.
This was one of the four great treasures of the Lizardmen, "The Urn of Endless Wine."
After looking at it for a few moments, its appearance was indeed quite ordinary, looking like it was made of pottery, but it was clearly not made of that material.
"Item Appraisal."
Lyle cast magic on the large urn.
Item: Magic Item - The Urn of Endless Wine; Grade: High-tier (31–40)
Limit: None. Effect: Can continuously produce wine.
Description: This is a mysterious magical urn that produces fine wine anytime, anywhere—though only for certain races.
"It's actually a high-tier magic item." Lyle was somewhat surprised by the information revealed by the appraisal.
He didn't expect that this urn, which had neither offensive capabilities nor auxiliary effects, would have such a high item level.
Lyle curiously stepped forward, scooped out some wine, and gave it a sniff.
It had a bit of a fruity aroma.
He lowered his head and took a sip; it was a bit astringent and bitter, though the alcohol content wasn't high.
"Not good," Lyle gave what he considered a fair evaluation.
"Whine." The Ghost Hound sniffed and looked at the wine curiously, seemingly very interested.
Lyle handed the remaining wine to the Ghost Hound: "You want to try it too?"
"Whine."
The Ghost Hound responded, sticking out its tongue to take a few laps; the bone chains on its body rattled slightly, and it couldn't help but wag its tail a few times.
"It seems you like it." Lyle was a bit surprised, then he showed a smile and reached out to touch the large urn.
"The Urn of Endless Wine" disappeared, stored into his item box.
This item indeed didn't help much in combat, but if placed in a special scenario, it would be quite useful.
For example, in a desert where water is scarce, "The Urn of Endless Wine" could be used as an infinite water bottle.
"Alright, now introduce all the magical knowledge in your tribe to me."
Having gained a decent magic item, Lyle had a smile on his face as he turned to speak to the priest Lizardman beside him.
The reason he had spared the other's life was to learn the magical knowledge passed down within the Dragon Fang Tribe from him.
As the priest Lizardman began his introduction...
Lyle's face gradually showed a look of surprise; the magical knowledge in this tribe was far more extensive than that of the Small Fang Tribe.
This situation...
...was also related to the Lizardman tribal war a few years ago. At that time, the Dragon Fang Tribe, which did not participate, absorbed more than just the populations of the two defeated Lizardman tribes.
"Good, I might as well wait here for the other Lizardman tribes to come over." After learning about the vast magical knowledge the other possessed,
Lyle knew he would probably be staying here for a while.
He glanced at his attribute panel.
[Experience Bar: 225,775/70,000]
His experience points had already reached over 220,000. According to Lyle's calculations, based on the current increase of 10,000 per level, to raise "Magic Swordsman"...
...to the maximum level of 5, 340,000 experience points are required.
He currently has over 220,000, so he's still short by about 110,000.
shang tu moon, October 12th.
Green Claw Tribe.
In a wooden house with a serious atmosphere, the entire room was filled with Lizardmen.
The five great priests of the tribe were all gathered, each with a solemn expression.
In addition, there was the Hunting Chief, Zaryusu Shasha, who held "Frost Pain," and the chief's elder brother, Shasuryu Shasha, whose strength was not below the chief's and who had also won several selections.
All the important figures in the entire tribe had gathered in this wooden house.
The atmosphere in the room was somewhat oppressive!
Even now, everyone still found it hard to believe.
The Small Fang Tribe and the Dragon Fang Tribe had actually been destroyed!
These were two tribes!
The weak Small Fang Tribe was one thing; it had suffered the most in the last tribal war and had not yet recovered.
But the Dragon Fang Tribe had a full 120 Lizardman warriors; in terms of the number of warriors, they were on par with the Green Claw Tribe.
"Have the arrangements for the tribesmen of the Small Fang and Dragon Fang Tribes been settled?" One of the oldest priest Lizardmen was the first to speak, breaking the oppressive atmosphere.