Chapter 139 The Successor of the End (Part 8)

A demon squad crept into the Ice Wolf territory. The hellish imp, carrying a fork, led the way. His little red eyes spotted an astonishing shadow passing through the woods. The shadow was completely disproportionate to the trees, but it was just the same size as the golem.

He immediately reported to the demon leader, a large demon with fangs, that there was something going on ahead.

The leader sent out three gargoyles to scout from the air.

A few minutes later, the gargoyle returned and said that there was indeed a very large golem ahead, which looked very strange. It swaggered into the deep mountains, oblivious to everyone around it.

The demon leader believed that the golems were the dwarves' supreme weapon, and the presence of golems indicated the presence of an army nearby.

He kept the hellish imps in infantry formation, and fearing an ambush in the woods, he sent several nightmare beasts to clear the way.

The Nightmare Beast stomped on flames, and the forest quickly burst into flames. The higher the pillar of fire rose, the more imposing the demons became.

But even after the entire forest was burned down, not a single enemy corpse was found.

At this moment, the gargoyle who had been scouting ahead returned and reported that the giant golem was at the foot of the mountain not far away.

There are few rock formations near the snow-capped mountains, and the view is wide open. Only forests are suitable for ambushes. Now that the forests are gone, the enemy has no more suitable hiding places.

The demons confidently followed the gargoyle to the golem.

It was a huge, dark monster, sitting quietly at the foot of the snow-capped mountain. The hatch in the golem's belly was locked. The hellish imp climbed up, pulled on the locking lever, and mumbled a few curses.

A goat demon wielding a battle axe smashed the hatch to pieces in a few blows, but there was nothing inside!

The dwarf piloting the golem had already fled; could this be a trap?

Just then, the goat demon discovered a small red dot hidden inside the golem's belly. The thing looked like a shooting star. It started as a small red dot in the distance, but then grew bigger and bigger, climbing up onto its head.

When the little red dot touched the golem's head, the outside lit up briefly. The flash was very short, but it was enough to illuminate the entire grove.

The golem self-destructed.

With a loud bang, a surge of heat rushed out, bending the tree trunks and whipping them wildly. Then came another loud bang, even more terrifying than the first.

The explosion triggered an avalanche.

The avalanche's momentum was unparalleled by any other force in the world. When the final tremor disappeared into the atmosphere, the entire demon squad was buried.

Two gargoyles survived and tried to escape, but were caught by six snow eagles who ripped off their wings.

A boy with devil horns around his neck appeared on the other side of the mountain and blew the horn of victory.

This was Tobas's third ambush victory in a week, and he was gaining increasing recognition from the snow-capped mountains.

That evening, the King of the North held a victory banquet at the obelisk, which was attended by all twenty-seven tribal leaders of the Moli'ai Icefield.

Even Tobas couldn't understand why the King of the North would hold a banquet when a small ambush victory was nothing special.

Halfway through the banquet, the King of the North raised his wine cup and said sternly, "Hero of Podrote, stand up and let everyone see you."

This was the first time the King of the North addressed Tobas as the hero of Podrote.

As soon as Tobas stood up, all twenty-seven leaders present put down their wine glasses and stared at him intently.

The King of the North shouted again, “Come, tell them who you are!”

"I come from Podrolote, and I hope everyone will join me in fighting against the demon legion."

“You are not a Podrote!” one of the leaders stood up and said. “The scar on my neck hurts. Who are you?”

Tobas was taken aback, remembering that the old bear spirit he had met the first time had said the same thing.

“Yes, he is not a Podrolean, certainly not,” another leader said, looking at the Northern King. “The child chosen by Valhalla, my king, did you invite us here to tell us that this is your future successor?”

Tobas was absolutely certain that someone had just mentioned the heir to the King of the North during the banquet.

“Are you sure you’ve mistaken me for someone else? I was indeed born in the north, but I grew up in Podrolth, and I must pledge allegiance to the King of Podrolth.”

The King of the North pondered for a moment, then untied the upper part of the animal skin, revealing a long scar.

"Our people and the bear spirit jointly govern the tribe. The twenty-seven chiefs here entrust their sons to nature, letting them fend for themselves in the ice and snow. Only the strong survive, and even fewer return to the tribe."

"..."

“My scars are throbbing, but I don’t know which leader’s child you are, Tobas. I’ve called everyone here today to let the snow mountain know that I’m old and need a successor with leadership skills like you.”

Tobas's mind was filled with all sorts of dreams for the future. He could actually transcend his identity as a Podrolite and become the King of the North. If he really became the King of the North, what would happen to Mien? Who would help him become the King of Podrolite?

But upon closer reflection, did Mien possess all the qualities a ruler should have: courage, wisdom, trustworthiness, justice, and benevolence? No!

Mien is weak and cowardly; any soldier could replace him as king.

Tobas pondered like the center of the earth: compared to Mien, he was already a lucky darling; would he also become an outstanding figure?

The flames in the brazier were joyful and bright, their glow hanging high above the constellations, entering the cold Aries constellation.

Tobas envisioned himself dressed in full crown and robes, sitting high in the palace, with an unsheathed sword beside him, listening to a singer playing music—there was nothing more magnificent in the world.

Whether they were generals or wise ministers, all the people who came bowed to him in turn, their words and actions showing great respect.

Tobas possesses all the qualities of a king, while Mien possesses only the qualities of a servant.

The King of the North, seeing that Tobas remained silent, assumed that he needed time to consider.

Unexpectedly, Tobas knelt on one knee and said in a loud voice, "From now on, no matter the weather, I will ride for you everywhere, kill all demons, and let you sleep peacefully. If you wish me to soar to the clouds like an eagle, that's fine too. I will go wherever you wish, my king."

Upon hearing this, the King of the North burst into laughter.

The leaders also raised their glasses and toasted to the Northern King for finding a successor.

Joyous occasions often bring double the joy.

Just as the banquet was coming to a close, a magnificent snow eagle flapped its wings and flew into Fang Bing's high hall, bringing everyone news of the battle at the front.

The archangels, leading the high archangels and joining forces with the Titans, attacked the Queen of Hell and successfully suppressed her main force on the Plain of Steeds.

The rest of the dark forces remained stranded on the snow-capped mountain, motionless, and no one could fathom the mystery behind it.

Tobas offered a cautious analysis on this point.

The Queen of Hell wants to find companions in the north.

The twenty-seven leaders had as many ideas as there were minds, but none of them shared the same thoughts as Tobas.

The King of the North wanted to hear the basis for Tobas's speculation.

Tobas said, "On the first night I entered the ice field by carriage, I heard unusual noises. At first, I thought it was the demon army that had followed us, but judging from the number of people, there were only a few of them. So I wondered if they were wizards?"

"Do you know anything about wizards?"

"I've only heard that as an ancient race, wizards have always lived somewhere in the far north. They are dark and cruel, but they don't live in groups or make a ruckus. Wizards without leaders are a disorganized mess, while wizards with leaders are the ultimate destructive machines."

"The sorcerers in the rumors are indeed like that. My great-grandfather had a conflict with a sorcerer, but I haven't seen them since. It's very strange. Where did they go?"

Just then, a leader dressed in magnificent battle attire stood up respectfully and said, word by word, "Your Majesty, the successor's guess is most likely correct."

"Oh? Explain your reasoning."

"From what I understand, the dark forces led by the Queen of Hell have joined forces with the Sky King of the East and the Deep Sea King of the West. She probably also wants to join forces with the Wizard of the North. If she succeeds, then the forces of light will have no chance of winning."

The King of the North nodded and gave Tobas this order.

"Tobas, I command you to be the chief strategist of the twenty-seven tribes. Do not let any of the demon legions lingering in the snowy mountains escape, and do not allow them to unite with the wizards."

"Yes, my king!"