Loser System and Berserker Me

Chapter 213: Scapegoat

The woman on the white deer was enchanting despite her veiled face, but none of the soldiers were in the mood to admire her beauty. Instead, their faces were warped as if they could already see grim reapers coming after them.

“NOOOOO!” the soldiers howled.

What are those things behind the Deer Girl?!

Amidst the furious sandstorm were armored deities soaring through the sky and war elephants charging on land. There was also a massive flock of birds and a vast army of terracotta soldiers and specters.

They looked like a monster that would swiftly devour the city.

“AHHH!”

Some soldiers fainted out of shock. Others tossed aside their weapons and fled to the underground.

This was not an ordeal that humans could withstand! Be it officials, nobles, or esteemed mages, their faces were as black as they could be.

They had known that a calamity was approaching, and they had made preparations for it too, but when Shu Yichao arrived with his undead army, they couldn’t help but tremble in fear.

Yizhou’s city lord was the only one still holding his saber, which he used to decapitate the fleeing deserters. Cries of agony filled the air as fresh blood splattered.

“Either we get through this ordeal or die on this city wall!” he roared with madness in his eyes.

“Father!” The city lord’s son rushed out. He pointed at the streak of white light outside the city and exclaimed, “The Deer Girl is in danger! We need to open the city gates!”

“SCRAM!” The city lord kicked his son aside. “You must have either fallen for her witchcraft or gone insane!”

You want me to open the city gates to let the Deer Girl in?

Don’t you see the monsters trailing behind her? We don’t even know if we can guard the city at this rate, and you still want us to take such a huge risk?! You must be tired of living!

So far, the Anxi Protectorate-General has massacred everyone who stands in his path!

The city lord quickly issued an order to his mages and soldiers, “Activate the barrier and our defense towers! Reinforcements will arrive in a few days’ time as long as we hold this fort!”

“Father!” The city lord’s son, who had been kicked aside, hugged his legs and cried, “How can you do this?! How can you be so cruel?! The Deer Girl is a desert fairy, a treasure bestowed to us from heaven! I won’t want to live anymore if the demons get her!”

“…You must be out of your mind.”

The other pale-faced nobles directed sympathetic gazes at the city lord.

Just then, the Deer Girl arrived at the city gates.

She could have asked the soldiers to open the gates for her, and she was confident that she could talk them into it, but she wasn’t planning on entering the city from the very start.

There was a flash of white light, and she vanished without a trace.

The city lord rubbed his eyes in confusion.

What just happened?

“Hm?”

Shu Yichao also noticed the Deer Girl’s abrupt disappearance, but in exchange, a massive city containing more red dots appeared before him.

“Ah, I get it now.” Shu Yichao widened his eyes in realization. “This is a chase!”

Sometimes, there were missions to pursue a fleeing target. Mobs would constantly appear along the way to hinder the player; the player would have to clear the mobs before continuing the chase.

But Shu Yichao had a different thought in mind.

Can’t I just clear all the mobs right away and focus on the chase?

There were too many red dots standing in his way, amounting to an entire city!

Well, that makes things more fun!

“Prepare to siege the city! After a long chase, it’s finally time for us to cash in some heads!”

Shu Yichao quickly made arrangements for the battle.

The terracotta soldiers would first advance to draw the defense tower’s firepower while stacking up huge dirt mounds, paving the way for the war elephants’ charge later on.

Meanwhile, the ghost horsemen and the terracotta warriors would fly into the city to harass their backlines while causing some deaths. Shu Yichao would then be able to conjure specters out of enemy corpses to cause further chaos.

“My army, attack!”

…

“Deer Girl!” The city lord’s son climbed to his feet and grinned. “I knew she would have a way out of that quandary!”

“What are you so happy about?!” The city lord was boiling with anger.

The sight of Shu Yichao and his flying troops flying past their barrier and swooping right into the middle of their city had already plunged him into despair.

“That witch was the one who drew the Tang army here!”

“NOOO!!!”

Gigantified terracotta warriors reminiscent of little mountains plummeted from the sky, crushing the city walls under their feet. They flung their metal whips, and the sheer strength tore through everyone struck by it.

Be it the city lord, his foolish son, the other nobles, or the soldiers, all of them exploded into a bloody mist!

The Tibetans were outmatched here.

Had it been half a year ago, when Shu Yichao only had cannon fodder troops like his terracotta soldiers, Yizhou, with its sturdy walls, might have been able to last a couple of days.

But after Shu Yichao had farmed Transoxania, Khorasan, Sistan, and Northern Sindhu, his undead troops were now far beyond the likes of Yizhou to deal with. Just a few minutes into the battle, and Yizhou was already covered in blood and lightning.

A far distance away from the city, the Deer Girl looked at the vultures circling the sky. With tears in her eyes, she put her hands together and silently prayed.

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I wanted to zap those demons to death with the city’s defense towers, but I didn’t expect those demons to be this savage. Rest assured. I won’t forget your sacrifice. One day, I’ll redress your grievance and bring justice to those monsters!”

With that, she left with a determined look on her face.

…

On the Tibetan Plateau’s Holy City…

“What?! Yuanzhou, Qinzhou, and Anlezhou have been conquered by the Tang court?! And our garrison troops in Hezhou and Weizhou have surrendered?! What’s going on?!”

Tsenpo Ling’s poker face crumbled when she received a war report from Hexi in her chambers.

“How dare the Tang court backstab me when we have agreed to form an alliance? Those reprehensible bastards! I’ll drive a thousand stakes through their body!” Tsenpo Ling spat.

The situation was getting worse and worse for them.

“Where’s the Archmage of Furystorm?!” Tsenpo Ling roared. “Didn’t he make a move?”

Despite having mobilized troops out of Hexi, Tsenpo Ling didn’t think that Hexi would be conquered because the Archmage of Furystorm was stationed there. It was unthinkable to her how they could have suffered such a tragic defeat when the archmage was there.

Did the Archmage of Furystorm turn a blind eye to our plight?

The truth was worse.

“Your Majesty,” the messenger said with a tearful face. “The Archmage of Furystorm vanished after his battle with the Tang court’s Imperial Preceptor. No one knows where he has gone!”

“!!!” Tsenpo Ling was stunned.

Each archmage was an invaluable asset to the Tibetan Empire. If she had to make a choice, she would rather lose a hundred thousand soldiers than a single archmage.

But now…

The reason behind the Archmage of Furystorm’s disappearance was apparent to Tsenpo Ling. The other party must either be dead or severely wounded!

It’s over. There’s no way to turn the tables now.

North, south, east, west; we’re surrounded by enemies now!

“…”

“Your Majesty, what should we do now?” Tsenpo Ling’s aides cried.

Tsenpo Ling waved her hand, gesturing for them to leave. She waited till her aides were gone before flipping the table and screaming.

“GAHHHHH!!!”

But the worst had yet to come.

When the exhausted Tsenpo Ling returned to her room, she noticed that the Night Illumination Pearl representing Beiting on her map had darkened.

“!!!”

Did something happen to Beiting too?!

Tsenpo Ling felt weak.

No, I can’t lose any more cities. If the Tangs reclaim Hexi, the Tibetan Empire will be trapped on the Tibetan Plateau.

“I have to proceed with my plan now.”

Her plan of securing a Tang court’s edict had gone up in smoke, so she could only turn to another bunch of fellows.

“Let’s hope that the Lionheart Army will be of use.”