Seventh Chapter Six Two: Illusionary Sound, Rapid Fire, and Strength!

As the order was given, the Bone Shaving Clan's warriors immediately drew their weapons. Without even a basic probing attack, they flanked from both sides of the high platform.

No matter how confident Aosha appeared, they were still only four people.

This number wasn't even enough to control their own half of the territory. When the twenty-two completed their encirclement, Aosha would be caught in a situation where they were attacked from both sides.

As warriors who lived for duels, they would have no hesitation in such a life-or-death struggle. From the moment they stepped onto the high platform, they had already dedicated their lives to the Three Gods.

This was both a struggle for power and a fight to please the gods.

Then they heard a mournful and melodious song.

Zhuoer. Yinyue's chanting instantly overwhelmed the roar of the ground fire and the rumbling of the Styx's black water.

The melody was ethereal and pleasant, as if it came from the distant heavens, but the loss, pain, and sorrow it contained were so intense that they were almost tangible. Everyone who heard it couldn't help but want to shed tears.

This caused the Bone Shaving warriors to pause in their steps.

"No... stop!"

"What... are you doing?"

"Stop it, you are desecrating the holy ground!"

"Traitors!"

"I will kill you!"

The onlookers suddenly changed their expressions drastically. Some pointed at the Bone Shaving Clan and shouted loudly, while others covered their faces and wept as if they had encountered something extremely painful.

Tulam could hardly believe his eyes!

He saw the Bone Shaving warriors turn around and attack their own clansmen. In the blink of an eye, the viewing platform was splattered with scalding blood. Curved blades pierced through intestines, and heads rolled off the platform one by one, their faces still filled with astonishment and disbelief. Paired with the mournful music, it was like narrating this shocking massacre.

However, it was only for a fleeting moment.

When he blinked again, the tragic scene before him disappeared without a trace. The twenty-two warriors were still approaching, but their steps were much slower.

They couldn't help but be slow. The clansmen behind them were supposed to be their strongest support and the source of their spiritual sustenance. They risked their lives for the clan, winning power, and the clansmen cheered and shouted for them, regarding them as heroes—but now it was completely reversed. The clansmen's weeping and scolding made them uncertain, and even the other major clans in charge of Iron Sand City glared at them, as if they had committed some unforgivable crime.

Warriors were not afraid of powerful enemies, but they couldn't ignore the reproaches of their comrades.

Was this Princess Aosha's power?

But... how was that possible? Tulam had seen powers that could manipulate people's minds before. For example, Kaba La of the Sandstone Clan was a powerful goddess with similar abilities, but he had never heard of a goddess being able to extend this ethereal power beyond ten steps! He touched the God Punishing Stone hanging around his neck and looked at his new master—Zhuoer. Yinyue, who was standing far more than ten steps away from the viewing platform. Was it really her singing that caused those bare-chested people, who obviously weren't wearing God Stones, to weep and wail?

He believed this question also existed in the hearts of the Bone Shaving warriors.

For a duel, this hesitation was fatal.

Everything happened in an instant.

The moment they slowed down, Andrea made the first move.

She didn't take down the shortbow from her back, but instead drew an arrow and flung it at the duelist closest to her.

Perhaps influenced by the outside world, or because the opponent wasn't holding a bow, thus lowering their vigilance, the Bone Shaving warrior didn't react with a block at the first moment. By the time they saw the arrow flying straight towards them, no different from an arrow shot from a fully drawn bow, it was too late to dodge.

Four arrows, in fact, were no less powerful than a strong bow at full draw!

Each arrow passed through the target's right side below the collarbone, stuck in the bone, rendering the hand they used to wield the blade useless. This also caused the four to completely lose their ability to fight.

A gap suddenly appeared in the encirclement.

The song echoing on the high platform suddenly changed. The previous mournful melody suddenly became passionate and high-pitched, and every beat of the tight drum was like a strike to the heart, making people feel excited!

Ashes' figure was like a black shadow, once again showing her unreasonable strength - clearly carrying a giant hammer and wooden shield, her steps were still smooth. Blocking with her left hand and wielding the hammer with her right, no one could withstand her blow. Moreover, she didn't smash people into pieces with the hammerhead, but instead held the hammer handle horizontally, charging across the platform. Soon, six or seven people fell at her feet.

The Bone Shaving warriors, who had the advantage in numbers, were instead caught in a dilemma.

Continuing to spread out and surround them from both flanks, not to mention how to bypass Ashes to fill the gap on the other side, the process alone would leave them breathless under Andrea's projectiles. Even if they blocked their bodies with shields, they would be pierced through the soles of their feet by arrows that seemed to have eyes. As for the hastily shot God Stone arrows, not only did they not threaten the opponent, but the God Stones that fell to the ground would be crushed by Iron Axe, who was acting as a guard—those were precious things worth dozens of gold dragons!

If they canceled the encirclement, they would lose their advantage in numbers.

"Everyone, gather around me!"

Probably realizing that this wouldn't work, a warrior roared and gathered the remaining ten or so people who could still stand around him. By this point in the battle, everyone had seen that although Ashes' declaration was extremely arrogant, no one had died so far.

If she wanted to kill, no one could stop that iron hammer.

Every warrior was a valuable asset to the clan. This approach won the respect of the major spectator clans, including the Bone Shaving duelists—they weren't afraid of sacrifice and were willing to give their lives for the sacred duel, but it had to be meaningful, not a blind death. The Earth Mother wasn't a bloodthirsty person; she praised courage and strength but didn't want to see unnecessary deaths.

The warriors sheathed their weapons, and everyone squeezed into a row, extending their hands forward. Their meaning was self-evident.

"Heh."

Ashes smiled easily, dropped the wooden shield, raised the long-handled iron hammer, and charged towards the crowd.

The two forces collided violently!

"Oh!"

"Go!"

"Hold on!"

A chaotic shout rang out from the viewing platform, but without singling out a clan. It seemed that at this moment, who won or lost was no longer important. People just wanted to see a contest that demonstrated bravery! The onlookers who had been weeping a moment ago were now clenching their fists, staring at the center of the high platform without blinking. Tulam didn't feel anything strange at all—the drumbeats on the field were rising wave after wave, like a horn urging everyone to move forward bravely, making every listener feel excited, as if they weren't spectators but participants in this sacred duel!

Ashes' body was bent into a sloping straight line, her feet bent forward and backward, actually forming a stalemate with the ten or so members of the Bone Shaving Clan. The muscles in her arms formed a perfect arc, like the best interpretation of strength and beauty.

But this wasn't a duel of one person against an entire clan.

When Iron Axe, Andrea, and Zhuoer. Yinyue successively joined this tug-of-war, the balance was broken.

The four of them pushed the ten or so people forward slowly, step by step approaching the edge of the high platform. Every step they took caused a burst of uproar from the onlookers, and Tulam couldn't help but shout and wave his arms.

After a period of climbing, the music finally reached its peak.

The pace of the advance finally merged with the drumbeats at this moment. The Bone Shaving warriors were no longer able to resist. The four of them shouted in unison, pushing all the ten or so people behind the iron hammer off the high platform!

The music stopped abruptly at the same time, but the exciting aftertaste continued to echo in everyone's ears, lingering for a long time...

"The victor, the Aosha Clan!"