Chapter 602: Rights of the Weak
The interplanar war, in truth, had little to do with those who were truly weak.
Their meager strength was insufficient to impact such a vast conflict.
However, it was precisely because of their weakness that the shift in realm ownership affected them the most.
Upon entering the Thunder Range, Sein frequently encountered weaker thunder creatures, including many Garths, millions of whom had been slaughtered in previous battles.
Unlike their more formidable counterparts, these Garths had lighter skin and were considerably weaker, maybe even more than farmers in the Magus World.
Sein referred to them in his crystal ball as “Mountain Garths.”
In terms of individual strength, a strong male from the Magus World could easily overpower three of these small, frail Garths, each under 1.5 meters tall.
The impact of the war on these ordinary Garths was profound.
Fierce battles had destroyed fields of Thunderseed Fruit—the main crop of the Garths clan—leading to a famine that had claimed the lives of tens of millions over the last two decades.
The Thunderseed Fruit, a hardy plant less than half a meter tall, thrived in any soil with sufficient electrical charge.
However, it became extremely delicate during the fruiting period; even the slightest disturbance could prevent it from bearing fruit, causing it to produce light blue flowers that decompose in the soil instead.
Compared to the ordinary Garths who died from famine, the nearly one million Thunderfall creatures from the main forces, eliminated by the Magus World Army over six months ago, seemed negligible.
The primary targets of the Magus World Army were areas in Thunderfall World that harbored significant resistance.
Over the past decade, the barren Thunder Range had increasingly become a refuge for diverse species.
Garths, typically ill-suited to mountainous environments, had nonetheless become the most populous species in the range due to the relentless influx fleeing from other parts of Thunderfall World.
Despite this, the influx of Garths had little effect on the power dynamics within the Thunder Range.
The true decision-makers in the Thunder Range were still the Giant Thunder Lizards, who preserved the delicate peace of the range with their formidable strength.
However, the arrival of Sein and the other knights would disrupt this semblance of peace.
In the grand scheme of Magus World’s expansion, allowing the Thunder Range—a refuge for creatures with a degree of resistance—to remain undisturbed was out of the question.
Magus World was determined to make these Giant Thunder Lizards express their stance.
It was also likely that the Thunder Range had become a sanctuary for a large influx of weaker creatures from all directions in Thunderfall World in recent years.
With so many creatures converging, the area naturally attracted the attention of the command center.
“It seems the situation here is more complicated than we anticipated. Just how many Thunderfall World creatures are here? Half a million? A million?”
As they drew closer to their destination, Gould approached Sein and mused aloud.
The Thunder Range was some distance from where the Order of the Steel Fist’s main army was converging. Thus, Sein and his group were granted two war airships by the command center.
These airships, hovering above the crowd, instilled a deep fear among the Thunderfall World creatures.
Despite his rough appearance, Gould was actually a very observant man.
Since entering the Thunder Range, they had already repelled several waves of attacks.
However, these skirmishes were minor, and easily handled by the Rank One knights.
Sometimes, the attackers were eliminated by thousands of hungry enslaved creatures before the knights even engaged.
Although the attacks were not severe, their sheer number proved sufficiently irritating.
More importantly, there were actually more Thunderfall World creatures in the Thunder Range than the command center had initially estimated.
Although these creatures were generally weak, they could overwhelm their enemies simply by charging in massive numbers, with tens of thousands, or even millions, attacking simultaneously.
In the Astral Realm, only creatures of Rank Four and above were immune to being overwhelmed by sheer numbers of lower-level beings.
This was why they were revered as “gods”.
Sein, having studied many magic texts, understood that Rank Four creatures possessed the power to destroy worlds, although the effort required varied.
In response to Gould’s concern, Sein glanced at him and said, “You’re thinking too simply. Based on my preliminary estimates, I’m afraid the native creatures inhabiting the Thunder Range number no less than five million.”
“And that’s a conservative estimate. If those Thunderfall World creatures also possess strong burrowing abilities, that number could easily exceed seven million,” he added.
Gould’s eyelids twitched at Sein’s words. Even as a knight accustomed to slaying countless otherworldly beings, the sheer numbers made his skin crawl.
With so many adversaries, swinging his giant sword until his hands cramped would not be enough to kill all of them.
If the goal was truly to exterminate these beings, Magus World typically employed more efficient methods.
They could either purge the area with the space fortress's main cannon or enlist demigod-level mages to unleash forbidden spells, altering natural laws to trigger a catastrophe that would decimate the weaker native populations en masse.
Using manual labor for such a task was simply inefficient.
However, Magus World typically avoided such ruthless tactics as they did not align with its values or interests.
The orders given to Sein and his team by the fortress command center were clear—to subdue the giant lizards of the Thunder Range and neutralize the threatening Garths; not to start a massacre.
“Did you issue the order I told you about, restricting those enslaved creatures from killing indiscriminately?” Sein asked Gould.
“I did, long ago. Any enslaved creature that dares to disobey will first face my blade!” Gould responded, spitting as he spoke.
His heavy sword still bore the sticky residue of blood from a recent encounter with one of those enslaved creatures.
The knights and mages of Magus World typically showed little mercy toward their cannon fodder.
Those who complied would receive food or perhaps a reward on a good day.
Those who did not comply were deemed unnecessary and expendable.
To ensure a high level of combat readiness among these legions of enslaved creatures during the war, the Magus World Army often kept them starved before battle.
Only after the conflict could these creatures finally feast on the countless corpses on the battlefield.
The creature Gould had recently cut down had likely been too famished, forgetting the strict orders in its desperation for food.
Sein listened, nodded, and said, “Well, you have your concerns, but I see no real danger in this Thunder Range mission.”