Chapter 337 - Ending the Battle

The moment Vloz set foot on the western battlefield, there was no longer any hope of victory or retreat. The invaders to the west were brutally forced to accept their incoming deaths with little to no time to reconcile with their loss. 

Ania's foe was the only one with enough time to flee. He surrounded the gorilla in ice and took off at full speed. However, he had no hope of competing with the rampaging leopard in a foot race.

While Ania broke herself free and chased after her opponent, a streak of pitch-black energy zoomed past her and caught up with the fleeing perennial. Before the man could turn and beg for mercy as someone simply hired for coin without any true intention to harm the territory, his racing thoughts were silenced once and for all. Like the rest, his head plopped onto the ground with minimal effort shown on Vloz's part.

"Thanks, Vloz!" Ania shouted. For her, seeing Vloz meant that everything should be going according to plan. "Then, the general--"

"I need to go help Rathe with him. Hurry and rejoin the central force."

"WHAT?! RATHE IS FIGHTING ALONE?!"

Despite her shock, Ania's cry was useless as Vloz darted back towards the main fight. She was unable to get a reply from the leopard. She was left alone to feel the burden of his statement without any explanation.

"It's time we end this battle!" Puula shouted as she appeared from the treeline, now fully mobile with the static electricity out of her system. There were a few patches of her fur that had melted and charred over from electric burns. However, her confidence waxed strong. "Let's go!"

All able foxes cried loudly as their chief returned, ready for more. They took off without delay, successfully moving on after fulfilling their part of the battle plan.

"Puula! Did you know?!"

Before Puula could join her fellow foxes in the advance, a familiar voice screamed out at full volume. And before Puula could respond, Ania shouted again, "DID YOU KNOW?!?!"

"About--"

"Did you know about Rathe?! About him fighting the general alone?!"

"No, I--"

"Why didn't anyone tell me?!" Not getting the answer she wanted, Ania stored her hammer and took off. "How can he hold off a peak-perennial?! NO! HE WOULDN'T DARE!!!"

"Ania, we need to--"

"I CAN'T LOSE HIM TOO! I CAN'T!!!"

Sighing, Puula said nothing more. She let Ania chase after Vloz while she quickly joined the foxes in their advance on the central force. There was nothing Puula could do or say in a single moment that would be enough to stop Ania. And she accepted that.

"TO BATTLE!"

The battle in the center was hastily turning into a meat grinder. With three perennials on the loose, the remaining mercenaries were at their wit's end as they awaited their general's help. But instead, they were thrown further into despair as a cry from the east rang out over the battlefield. Bridges of rock and rubble formed over the lava-filled ditches, allowing a band of gorillas and jaguars to cross without worry.

"LET'S END THIS!"

A cry from the west threw the central army deeper into depravity. Though it took a moment for a couple of gorillas from the central battle to hurry and make some bridges, the arriving foxes removed nearly all hope of victory from the invaders' minds. All they could do was hold out and hope their general was about to reappear and win the battle. And since neither Vloz nor the peak-perennial were anywhere to be found, they assumed that battle had yet to be finished, offering another sliver of hope.

Unlike the invading army, Vloz didn't allow himself to hope for the best as he rushed toward the earthen dome. His essence and spiritual aura were still fully active, taking a further toll on his body. Though it was only the first level of the Infinite Torture Technique, that was all Vloz could confidently control. And the moment he dropped the aura, according to Rathe's warning, his body would likely collapse from exhaustion. So all he could do was let the aura linger and deal a heavier blow after the battle was over.

But Vloz was baffled beyond his greatest imagination the second he slipped through the cracks in the dome walls. "Rathe… You're sleeping?!"

The silence formation was still active on the outside of the dome walls, leaving Vloz unable to hear the thundering snores of the unconscious gorilla. So the moment Vloz found Rathe slumbering with a heart in the gorilla's palm, all Vloz could feel was momentary anger at his long-time friend's laziness.

"At least show his head and end it all! There's no time to sleep!" Vloz's tail swatted Rathe's face but failed to get any sign of response. "HURRY UP! On your feet!"

Again and again, Vloz assaulted Rathe's sleeping face with either his tail or paws yet nothing changed. 

CRASH!

"RATHE! RA… RATHE?!?!" 

"Ania, I don't think--"

"Stop sleeping, you stupid idiot! How dare you sleep after making me so worried?!" Ania cried, taking out her hammer and slamming it into Rathe's side. It was only after Rathe flew into the wall without so much as flinching that Ania held back her anger. "What--

"I don't know what's going on, but… I think Rathe won, and he's still alive…" reasoned Vloz, still trying to comprehend how such a result could've come to pass. But Vloz quickly took his own advice and grabbed the corpse's collar with his mouth. 

Slipping through the large hole that Ania had made, Vloz rushed to the top of the earthen dome. The leopard then ran his claw through the gaping hole in the general's c.h.e.s.t, freeing his mouth to speak.

"THIS IS OVER!!! SURRENDER OR PERISH!!!"

Vloz's roar echoed over the battlefield. Those in the Iron Army recognized the voice without fail, stopping their next attacks but never lowering their guards. Even though the invading army didn't recognize the voice, they did recognize the corpse being presented for all to see.