Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1357: Chain of Command

Teams of Tiesha Tang soldiers moved across the battlefield with torches and carts, dragging and lifting more than two thousand bodies into piles.

Their work was slow, heavy, and gut-wrenching. The stench of blood and the weight of corpses made every step harder. No one spoke unless they had to. The men worked with blank expressions, too exhausted and numb to react anymore.

Their feelings turned even more complicated when they noticed that the men from the Tsuitsui Clan were only carrying away a couple of hundred bodies. Compared to them, the difference was staggering.

Around the camp, the mood was grim. The scale of losses had finally settled in. The survivors of today’s battles sat or lay near fires, some blankly staring at nothing, others clutching poisoned wounds.

A few tried to help gather the dead, but most were too injured or drained from the day’s fighting. Hushed discussions bout the poison, about the Tsuitsui tactics, and about those who hadn’t made it back traveled throughout the camp.

Those who remained, the survivors from today’s battle, were utterly shaken. Fear and fatigue weighed on them. It was going to get increasingly difficult for them to fight the next day, and the day after.

But considering how their General was... they didn’t think they had any other choice.

Small groups of Herbalists moved quickly among the Tiesha Tang survivors of the day’s battle. They carried bundles of dried herbs, bottles of bitter extracts, and bowls filled with freshly mixed concoctions.

These elderly men discussed with one another, comparing symptoms and matching them to known poisons. Some crushed antidote ingredients on the spot, mixing them into pastes or dissolving them into water.

Others took notes, sketching out the patterns of weakening they saw across the injured Magi. Every bit of information mattered. Understanding the Tsuitsui Clan’s poison was the only way to keep the rest of the army alive and in proper fighting condition.

Dozens of cauldrons were set up around the camp, each boiling with a different herbal solution. The air became heavy with the strong and bitter scent of medicine. Soldiers waited in silent lines as Herbalists handed them antidote vials or forced them to drink foul-tasting brews.

Some men still shuddered from the lingering effects of the toxins, while others looked dazed, exhausted, but grateful for the slim chance of recovery.

In this section of the camp, the grim reality started to gradually settle in: if the Herbalists didn’t crack the poison tonight, far more soldiers would die tomorrow.

Han Xun walked through the camp with his hands clasped behind his back, and a detached look on his face. Following him were the top officers of the army.

He stopped by a Herbalist trying to cure a survivor, and asked in a flat voice, ”How is the progress coming along?”

The Herbalist flinched when he realized the General of the army was standing beside him. ”M-my Lord, though it will take time, we are certain we’ll come up with a proper antidote by morning—no, in a few hours!”

Han Xun nodded. He then muttered with slight amusement, ”Keep working hard. Tomorrow, you all will have to decipher yet another kind of poison.”

With that said, he walked away. Everyone around him knew the meaning behind his words.

How could they expect the Tsuitsui Clan, known for their mastery over a thousand poisons, to use the same toxin every day for the rest of the duration of the battle?

It was a given that they’d be using different kinds of poison every day to keep the Herbalists of the Tiesha Tang on their toes, as well as to deal the greatest amount of damage to its armies!

Bring it on, Han Xun thought to himself, his eyes gleaming with a calculating light.

His gaze scanned the sea of fresh soldiers beyond the camp, his lips curling into a cold smile.

I’ll keep throwing men at you. No matter how many different kinds of poison you use, I will slowly wear you down with my superior numbers.

Goro Tsuitsui, I will let you know what true despair is! I want you to feel the crushing weight and guilt of sending your brothers to die on the battlefield every single day!

When Han Xun thought of the trauma he was going to inflict upon his arch nemesis, he involuntarily started to release traces of bloodlust.

”Hmm?” Suddenly, he frowned.

A survivor from today’s battle, one at the Mana Liquefaction Rank, suddenly blocked his way. The man was bandaged from head to toe, and seemed to be in no condition to even stand. Yet there was a strange fire, perhaps a flicker of resentment, gleaming in the depths of his eyes.

”General!” He spat through gritted teeth. ”Why... why did you let so many of us die today?!”

He pointed at the vast number of soldiers behind him, and continued in a pained voice, ”We had so many men! So why? Why didn’t you—”

The man never got to finish his words.

Han Xun gripped his sword, then his hand turned into a shadowy blur. Before the man’s severed head had fallen to the ground, he had already sheathed his blade.

Thud!

Han Xun scanned the camp, then roared:

”All of you will do as told! Do not question the chain of command! If you do, your fate will be no different than this fool’s!”

With that said, he and the rest of the officers following behind him walked deeper into the camp.

None of them even cast a glance at the Magus who had dared to stand up to the General.

The poor man had survived the bloody battle with the Tsuitsui, only to be decapitated by his own General...

***

Countless miles east of Kurogane Pass, a Tsuitsui scout slipped through the treeline in the dark of the night, keeping low as he scanned the dark ridge behind their encampment.

Suddenly, he paused.

At first, he noticed only faint shadows in the distance, small disturbances that didn’t match the wind.

And then, he froze.

Silhouettes were moving in formation. These were not animals. No, these were rows of armored figures advancing carefully across the land.

There were too many to count at a glance, but there were at least a thousand men! And they were all creeping towards the Tsuitsui army’s rear lines.

The scout’s heart beat wildly. He watched long enough to confirm it wasn’t a trick of the darkness. Then, he quietly withdrew, ensuring not to be found out by the enemy scouts instead.

By the time he turned around and sprinted back towards the camp, his face had turned completely pale.

The Tsuitsui army was about to be hit from behind!