novelraw Chapter 160
Chapter 160
Chapter 160
There were two types of Rabbit Tribe members who joined this war.
Rabbit Tribe Rangers and the logistics support unit.
There was nothing for me to worry about on the Ranger side.
They were the core force that would steadily perform during the defensive battle.
The issue was the Rabbit Tribe that joined as the logistics support unit.
After transporting supplies to the Second Horn, they didn’t really have anything to do.
‘So I told them to dig a secret tunnel.’
The objective was to secure a safe escape route and create variables.
It was meant as preparation for the worst-case scenario where the Castle would be completely surrounded—so we could escape through tunnels.
If the situation allowed, it could also be used to launch surprise attacks from outside.
In truth, tunnel warfare during sieges isn’t anything special.
It even appears often in Romance of the Three Kingdoms—scenes where tunnels are used to attack fortresses.
Of course, successful cases are rare, but if it works, it’s incredibly effective.
Tunnel operations usually fail because they get discovered in advance.
Human-made tunnels are predictable and hard to conceal completely.
But the Rabbit Tribe?
They could easily create tunnels beyond what humans could even imagine.
This was their specialty.
Fortunately, the Rabbit Tribe wasn’t a particularly noticeable Beastman tribe.
Even when facing the Empire, they had mostly blended into the background.
The current Imperial Army, relying on old records and hearsay, wouldn’t know about the Rabbit Tribe’s tunneling instincts.
So even during the battle, the Rabbit Tribe diligently dug tunnels.
A hidden trump card that could strike the enemy’s weakness if the timing was right.
‘They were too good at digging. And these guys…’
-This is all your fault. They weren’t originally like this.
‘Maybe their suppressed destructive instincts awakened? Don’t pin that on me.’
The problem was that the Rabbit Tribe, having already experienced the thrill of explosions multiple times, didn’t just quietly dig tunnels.
The proactive nature of Beastmen shines brightest when facing enemies like the Boar Tribe or the Empire—and the Rabbit Tribe was no exception.
They expanded the tunnel network in all directions, searching for any opportunity.
Once the battle reached a lull, even the Rangers joined the tunneling effort.
And coincidentally—
The very area where the Imperial Army built their fortress was directly above those tunnels.
-Guide! I have an idea.
-An idea?
-The ground where the Empire built their fortress isn’t very stable.
-The ground isn’t stable?
-Yes. We checked multiple times. If we coordinate properly…
-Good. Look into it more thoroughly.
The Rabbit Tribe had already collapsed a wall once when evacuating residents from Hawrun Territory.
Some of those who participated in that operation were here, carefully analyzing the terrain.
And most importantly—
There was a construction expert here.
The head of the Builder School, Elder Benetrang.
He had remained here to activate the reinforcement magic circles on the Second Horn’s walls.
When he heard about tunneling under the fortress, he voluntarily joined the Rabbit Tribe.
-“Use Mana Bombs to collapse the walls? And reinforced ones at that? That sounds fun.”
Well… yes.
He enthusiastically joined, refining the plan further.
In a much more extreme direction than I had imagined.
-“If we do this right, it’ll be even more interesting. There’s a cavity below where groundwater has drained. It’s quite large.”
-“Uh… that…”
-“If we detonate it there, the ground itself might collapse.”
The so-called Sinkhole Operation.
The goal wasn’t just to destroy the walls—but to collapse the entire fortress.
A truly insane plan.
But the chances of success were very high.
With the Mouse Tribe’s participation, Mana Bombs now had timer functions, and their power had increased.
-“Preparation? We need Mana Crystals. A lot of them.”
The key resource was Mana Crystals.
And we needed a massive amount.
But for us, Mana Crystals weren’t that valuable.
Since discovering the Mana Stone Mine, we had even been supplying them to the Rabbit Tribe.
Naturally, all Rabbit Tribe members in this war carried Mana Crystals.
-“You brought this many?”
-“We just brought what we were given…”
But the amount they brought was excessive.
Even more than Elder Benetrang required.
Seeing the logistics unit carrying such suspiciously large quantities, even I was speechless.
At this point, it almost felt like they had planned this from the beginning.
The Rabbit Tribe’s love for explosions had evolved beyond my expectations.
‘Still… it wasn’t an easy decision.’
Even with everything prepared, deciding to execute it wasn’t easy.
Destroying the ground to eliminate the Empire was one thing—but the aftermath was the problem.
We could just leave and return to our territory.
But the Cow Tribe lived here.
This was their land, and the collapse could damage their settlement.
There was no need to take such risks in a battle we were already winning.
If things had ended normally, this plan would’ve been scrapped.
‘If Yuria hadn’t pushed me, I would’ve abandoned it.’
It was Yuria who made me reconsider.
The thought that we might lose Octosia if we hesitated pushed me forward.
Failing after trying is one thing—but giving up out of fear of consequences?
That didn’t sit right.
-“Why worry about that? If needed, we can just relocate.”
Rioxen also respected my decision.
He didn’t even ask how we would collapse the fortress—just told me to go ahead.
If problems arose, they’d simply move.
For once, the Cow Tribe’s simplicity was reassuring.
If they had to relocate, we would fully support them.
And so, the operation proceeded.
‘And this… is the result.’
The fortress had sunk into the ground.
The Imperial Army was thrown into chaos.
Their screams seemed to echo even here.
-THUD THUD THUD!
The moment the fortress collapsed, the Horse Tribe charged in from afar.
This had been planned in advance.
The moment the fortress fell—they would launch a full assault.
To completely eliminate the enemy, the Horse Tribe’s support was essential.
“What are you all waiting for?! Charge! Kill every last Imperial bastard!!”
-WOOOOOO!!!
With the Horse Tribe joining, the Cow Tribe snapped out of their shock and charged.
They had been shaken by the Imperial Mana Bomb.
But witnessing an entire fortress collapse erased that fear.
A Mana Bomb that caused explosions and firestorms—
Versus one that obliterated an entire fortress.
The latter was far more shocking.
“OCTOSIA!! GET OUT HERE!!”
The Second Horn also joined the assault.
The moment the fortress collapsed, the Black Lion Warriors charged forward.
At the front, Leisha unleashed a black storm, shouting Octosia’s name.
This time, her intent to kill him was absolute.
“Alright… guess I’ll join in too.”
Same for me.
It was time to end this war.
The last remaining Imperial Master—
I would deal with him.
“…What? Where the hell is he?”
“Something’s wrong. Bear, what’s going on?”
But—
Even as we slaughtered the Imperial Knights—
Octosia and the other Master were nowhere to be seen.
Something was wrong.
---
The battlefield was cleared, and prisoners were gathered.
By prisoners, we meant the conscripted Kingdom soldiers.
Imperial Knights and soldiers were all executed.
I had nothing to say about that.
The hatred between the Empire and the Beastmen ran too deep.
And the Imperial soldiers had no intention of surrendering anyway.
They only tried to take down as many Beastmen as possible before dying.
There was no reason to show mercy to enemies who refused to surrender.
“Those humans from the south… no need to fight them. We’ll just release them.”
The Kingdom soldiers were mostly conscripts forced by threats.
Some may have cooperated willingly, but no one cared to distinguish.
The Empire had already been driven out of Levelium.
Handling the aftermath was up to the Lords who controlled the region.
The Cow Tribe had no intention of massacring prisoners, and neither did I.
“...He disappeared.”
“Disappeared?”
“He just vanished right in front of me…”
“Vanished? Right in front of you?”
“Yes. When the explosion happened and the fortress collapsed.”
One of the surrendered soldiers had seen Octosia.
Right after giving his speech and issuing the charge—
When the ground collapsed—
Octosia and several aides vanished instantly.
As if they had left this place entirely.
‘…Teleportation?’
After going through all that effort—
This was the result.
---
Octosia’s final treasure—
“Safe Return.”
A pendant that allowed the user and several nearby individuals to teleport to a designated location.
A one-time Sacred Relic of the War God.
Once used, it would be destroyed.
It was unfortunate to use a family heirloom—
But better than dying.
Without it, death was certain.
“Damn it… what the hell happened?”
Even now, Octosia couldn’t understand.
How had the fortress collapsed?
If it hadn’t—
He could’ve broken through and escaped south with his army.
He wouldn’t have needed to use his last lifeline.
“Regent, what do we do now?”
That mattered more now.
They were currently in a safe house near Lete, in central Levelium.
Octosia had two choices.
Flee across the sea back to the Empire—
Or rebuild power here.
There were around 50,000 Imperial citizens in Levelium.
Even if former Lords reclaimed their lands, removing them wouldn’t be easy.
During unrest, reclaiming a Castle was entirely possible.
-Click.
At that moment—
The door opened.
Knights entered.
A familiar face.
“So… you ended up here.”
“…You.”
“How about it? We still have something to discuss, don’t we?”
A man wearing a black half-mask.
A former ally from New Level—
Who had betrayed Octosia.
After a brief pause, Octosia smiled bitterly—
And followed his lead out of the safe house.