ATAPOW Chapter 218
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Chapter 218: Fighting fire with fire
A wistful gust of wind swept through, causing the foreign flags on the elevated platform to flutter.
The bright sun re-emerged in the sky amid dark clouds, but its descending rays offered no trace of warmth to those below.
The floor tiles of the high platform which were stained crimson with blood, the heavy stench of iron, the pallid cheeks of the commoners dressed in tattered clothes below as well as the stifling atmosphere hanging in the air, uncontrollably evoked images of an execution ground.
Through facial cues and intricate hand movements, the troll on the elevated platform gave orders to the lifeless Asiatic Cat commoners below, who appeared to be holding themselves back in their actions.
The troll soldiers audaciously snatched bags of grain from the hands of the unarmed and defenseless peasants, not forgetting to convey both humiliation and disdain with their gazes.
“That’s all?” The troll captain glanced at the grain bags that the troll soldiers had gathered — They amounted to less than half a cart.
“Provision Officer.” The troll captain called out.
“Here!”
“Give me a rough count and provide an estimate of their weight in stones.”
“Yes.” The troll provision replied. Without any delay in his actions, he issued orders and directed a worker to bring forth a small wooden cart laden with what appeared to be a weighing machine made up of stone. With deft and practiced movements, he proceeded to secure grain bags of various sizes onto the rope hooks in succession.
As the weight borne by the rope intensified, the needle on the scales began to sway.
On the elevated platform, women and children of varying ages, as well as the commoners below, held their breath as they anxiously watched the tilting needle of the weighing machine.
“Thud, thud…” The long, slender needle twitched twice, as if it had reached the extent it could go, before eventually settling into a steady position.
The provision officer stepped forward, giving it a glance before returning the bags of grain to the cart. Afterwards, he silently walked over to the troll captain’s side.
“Captain, the total comes out to less than fifty stones.”
The moment those words left his lips, everyone on the scene fell silent.
The hearts of every Asiatic Cat jumped in their chests.
“Hmph, did you hear that? Less than fifty stones, hehe…” The troll captain gave two expressionless chuckles before delivering a sudden kick, overturning the cart filled with grain bags. The bags soared into the air and fell to the ground, covering the ground in a sea of white.
As they snapped out their dazes, the sight unfolding before the Asiatic Cat commoners caused their eyes to widen. Bending down in succession, they picked up the densely scattered rice grains from the ground like chickens pecking at corn.
These rice grains, they had sparingly used and painstakingly conserved, were actually the lifeblood of the city. Should these provisions be depleted, they would truly have nothing left.
“I had initially believed that most of the people here were honorable individuals. You’ve let me down.” The troll captain spat ferociously as he watched the Asiatic Cat commoners pitifully picking up grains below.
“All of you are just a bunch of conniving individuals skilled in nothing but gluttony and laziness! What’s the use of us sustaining you?!”
“Seems like none of you will budge unless confronted with reality. If I don’t give you a taste of my frustration…” The troll captain gestured towards the troll soldier at his side.
The troll soldier instinctively understood his intention. He drew a spiked club and brought it down, not hesitating in the slightest.
“Stop!…” The heart-wrenching screams of the man beneath the platform proved futile; It was unable to spare the life of his cherished one.
Following a muffled thud, only a sea of crimson was left on the ground. Shattered limbs scattered haphazardly, making it near impossible to determine where they had once belonged. The victim had departed for the netherworld without a chance to scream.
“N-Noooo!…” The Asiatic Cat man was utterly unable to come to terms with the fact that his beloved, who had been alive and well just moments before, had now been turned into a pool of mutilated slush. His eyes turned bloodshot as he charged towards the raised platform as if he had gone insane.
It was evident that his actions were futile, as he was effortlessly blocked by the troll soldiers guarding the high platform.
To a lowly citizen who had fostered the seeds of rebellion in his heart, the trolls would show no mercy. What’s more, just the notion of openly seeking to harm a troll, who reigned supreme in the food chain, was reason enough for them to execute his entire family and seize all their household’s possessions.
Following a howling gale, scorching fresh blood splattered onto the high platform made of white ceramic tiles.
The remaining Asiatic Cat citizens, who could only assume the role of passive spectators, lowered their heads. The moment their cherished hometown had been forcefully occupied by a foreign race, they had forfeited their right to hold their heads high.
“Ha! A band of insolent wretches who overestimate their own prowess. You should take a good look at yourself and assess your own capabilities.” As he surveyed the scattered limbs and arms which were all that remained of the corpse below him, the troll captain sneered, a cold smile playing on his lips.
“You deceitful and malevolent residents, you’d do well to surrender all the concealed grain you’ve stowed away! Don’t treat me as some merchant you can idle away with small talk. There’s no room for bartering here. I know the amount of grain you have perfectly well! If you persist in misleading me, you’ll face the same outcome as this man!”
“Milord, these are indeed what grains everyone in the town had. This is truly all we have left…”
“Bullshit. This meager amount of food couldn’t even fill the gaps between my teeth! It appears my demonstration wasn’t as effective as I hoped, considering you’re still trying to justify your actions!” After uttering these words, the troll captain turned around and motioned to the soldier behind him.
This time, the cruel and unfeeling troll soldier seized two weeping children and cast them to the front of the platform like chickens, putting them on display for the audience to see.
“Noooo! My child!!”A young mother’s eyes welled with redness as she watched the sight unfold. Despite her efforts to approach the front of the platform, she was firmly held back by the Asiatic Cat commoners encircling her.
No one could prevent this nightmare from unfolding. It was akin to the tragic news of Eldest Princess Felina’s assassination – a truth that defied belief yet had to be accepted.
When faced with these young and fragile lives filled with vulnerability and helplessness, the troll soldier’s eyes remained devoid of any sympathy. From the troll’s perspective, the lives of the Asiatic Cats were of little value and there was little to no distinction between killing them and slaughtering livestocks.
Covered in metal spikes, the heavy club shattered the clamorous wind as it fiercely descended, causing blood to spray outward in the process — Only, this blood was green.
“Ugh…!” The troll foot soldier’s eyes widened in disbelief before he slowly shifted his gaze downwards.
A silver longsword gleaming brilliantly under the radiant sunlight had been embedded in his chest.
His massive spiked club, held high in the air, gradually lowered, and, along with its wielder, toppled from the elevated platform. The force of the impact generated a rumbling noise and left a dent on the ground.
“?! Everyone, be on guard!” The sudden twist of events had not only caught the Asiatic Cat commoners off-guard but also left the trolls on the platform in a state of confusion.
The troll captain was the first to recover his cool. The cries of the small kitten were no longer of interest to him. By tracing the arc of the thrown silver longsword, he instantly determined the precise location of the attacker — Directly ahead of them.
The target seemed to harbor no plan to conceal himself. Donning a crude chain-mail and a cross-shaped metallic helmet, his presence was impossible to ignore as he made his way down the street.
“I understand it all now. You insolent peasants have found support and are plotting a rebellion, haven’t you?” The troll captain gave a cold smile.
“End his life. And while you’re at it… clean up the entire city.” Ordered the troll captain in a meaningful tone.
The success or failure of this endeavor was inconsequential to him. Regardless if they met their end through famine or the tumult of war, the lives of these lambs had long been predetermined.
“Understood!” The soldiers responded. Weapons in hand, they rushed towards the platform.
The man with a metallic helmet remained calm and collected as he sped up. In the process, he unsheathed the other longsword hanging on his waist, revealing a pitch-black and battered blade.
Confronted by the relentless wave of troll soldiers, Ji Bai reacted with immediate precision. His figure abruptly increased in speed, allowing him to deftly avoid the spiked clubs swinging towards him and their accompanying blasts of wind. He then took advantage of an opening and struck at a dark silhouette.
“Psssh!” [Tranquility] gracefully swirled, its trajectory brushing past the chest of an approaching troll and grazing his sturdy skin.
“Tch.” The disappointingly weak might of [Tranquility] made Ji Bai’s tongue click with dissatisfaction. If he had been wielding the silver longsword that Lin Tuo had given him, just this one strike would have been enough to inflict serious injuries on the troll.
It went without saying that [Tranquility]’s lethality was already quite impressive when measured against ordinary weapons. But it was clear that it lagged far behind in comparison to holy sword-ranked weapons.
The only thing that gave him solace was the fact that this sword required no maintenance.
Ji Bai abruptly ceased his contemplation. In a battle where life and death were decided in moments, there was no time for extended trains of thoughts. After all, the pain from the troll’s grazed chest had merely caused him to take a slight step back.
Like the tumultuous waves in a raging storm, the space left by the injured troll soldier was quickly filled by another.
The dominating and tyrannical might of the trolls became evident as he exchanged blades with them.
His black sword instantly collided with a multitude of spiked clubs. Recognizing that he was outmatched, Ji Bai sidestepped, seizing the opportunity to evade the attacks from beside him and swiftly propelled [Tranquility] upward.
[Demon Slayer — Gradual Rupture]
“Clank, clank, clank…” A series of crisp and tumultuous sounds of metal meeting metal reverberated ceaselessly in the air, accompanied by a shower of sparks. The sword’s handguard had skillfully turned away all attacks coming his way, one after the other.
Holding onto the edge of the longsword, Ji Bai utilized its pommel as a long hammer and executed a downwards sweep.
The troll soldiers blocking his path lost their balance one after another. Their vision swayed, and they tumbled onto the ground, landing on their stomachs.
Taking advantage of the moment, Ji Bai advanced swiftly. Amidst the bewildered gazes coming from the Asiatic Cat onlookers, he extracted the silver longsword from the corpse of the fallen troll soldier and stowed [Tranquility] back onto his waist. He then utilized that as his weapon and swung it towards the trolls.
The silver longsword flowed naturally and gracefully in its trajectory, its every motion showcased countless stylistic variations, as if it had predicted every potential path and way that the troll soldiers might attempt to attack.
By employing his handguard, sidestepping, delivering lethal strikes from the rear and employing diverse dodging and blocking techniques, he skillfully navigated the relentless attacks of the troll soldiers. It was almost as if he was an experienced swordsman who had attained the zenith of his art.
The scene before them left the Asiatic Cat commoners in awe while widening the troll captain’s eyes at the same time.
“What a bunch of trash!” After recovering from his shock, the troll captain’s anger surged as he witnessed his subordinates being forced to stop in their tracks after being continuously stabbed and injured. Brandishing his spiked club, he threw all caution into the wind and charged at the mysterious figure.
“You scoundrel! Take a hit from your granddaddy!” An enraged shout resonated, bringing with it a fierce gust of wind as it assailed the intruder.
Ji Bai did not need to pivot his body to envision the path of his attack. Calmly crouching downward, he maintained his stance until the strong gust of wind rushed past him. He then turned around and delivered a ferocious blow with the pommel of his longsword, landing it directly on the troll captain’s neck and putting a stop to his subsequent attacks.
“If you intend to battle, do it head-on. Your sneak attack might have succeeded had you kept silent.” Despite capitalizing on the advantage he had, Ji Bai had never overlooked the troll captain, who was now unconscious.
“Psst!” The white, silvery longsword ruthlessly pierced through his heart, twisting and spinning for a moment. Afterward, it made its way out through his elbows, detaching his head in the process.
[Demon Slayer— Crimson Memorandum]
The silver longsword was now entirely coated in blood, with the once-tyrannical troll soldiers stacked up in a heap.
It was hard for anyone to fathom the true nature of the being concealed beneath the helmet.
The look radiating through the seams of his helmet seemed to suggest he did not belong to any low-tiered species…