Rangka and Laybit were clearly much more relaxed after learning that the Players had returned to the Long Ears' homeland on the Western Continent.
Even so, they didn't waste any time and quickly returned with Princess Mianya of the Curly-Horns.
The Long Ears were champions of long-distance running in the first place. While they did not have as much stamina as humans (the humans of this world were physically stronger than earthlings despite the difference between humans and earthlings), their top speed and acceleration far surpassed humans and most nonhumans. They themselves were the best horses, which was why they did not need one.
That was exactly why Rangka thought that bringing the princess of the Curly-Horns back to their homeland would be a complete burden.
But he soon realized that wasn't the case.
The Sheepfolk didn't have the habit of herding animals, but they had domesticated some unicorn antelopes for long-distance trade.
These creatures used to be everywhere in the Vierlin Plains and were almost overrun, but now, not a single one could be seen. Only countless skeletons were left to prove that this species had once flourished, and this alone was enough to show how much damage Swordtail Grayclaw's tyranny had caused to the entire Plains over the past few years.
However, in order to prevent the existence of the Single-Horned Running Antelope from attracting the attention of the carnivorous mutants, the Running Antelope Pen was set up a certain distance away from the tribe. It was a cave that had been dug out, and the entrance of the cave was covered by long weeds. If one did not look closely, it would be impossible to see it.
The droppings of sabertooth tigers were scattered outside the running antelope pen to interfere with the spying of predators and carnivorous inhumans. Therefore, although the running antelopes inside looked thin and weak due to the lack of forage, their mental and health were still guaranteed.
After Princess Mian Ya swapped Route 11 for Route 1111's Unicorn Charging Antelope, the party's movement speed increased significantly.
That way, they would soon be able to return to their homeland.
Even so, as the saying goes, the road to happiness is strewn with setbacks. Not long after they left the Curly-Horns' tribe, Rangka sensed danger through his Long Ears' acute senses: they were being followed!
The stalker was very amateurish, or perhaps he didn't care about Rangka's group at all. He simply unleashed his hostility openly and unhurriedly behind them.
Even Rangka, the leader of the party, had no intention of stopping, and simply clenched his teeth as he led Laybit and Mianya away.
He had a rough guess that Swordtail Grayclaw knew that the oppressed nonhumans would think of a way to unite and resist his tyranny. That was why, since he could not launch a large-scale race war, he specifically sent his elite champions to kill the messengers between the various races!
This move was simple and direct, but it was quite effective. Even if the oppressed non-human tribes wanted to form an alliance, their messengers had not returned many times. No matter how careless they were, they would still be suspicious of who they wanted to form an alliance with.
Although this kind of suspicion would disappear as long as one messenger escaped, on the other hand, as long as the messenger did not escape, unless the leaders of the various clans personally met and confronted each other, it would be very difficult to resolve the misunderstanding.
Moreover, rather than saying that Swordtail's plan was to destroy the alliance of the oppressed races, it felt more like he was trying to buy time …
The thought left Rangka very uneasy. There was no telling what would happen if he waited until the enemy was free!
"Second Uncle, we can't go on like this!" Laybit exclaimed decisively. "Our stamina would keep dropping, and we wouldn't be able to escape if they suddenly attack when we're exhausted to the limit!"
"I know!" Rangka took a deep breath and asked Mianya. "Can the Unicorn Antelope carry another person?"
"It should be." The girl nodded.
"Good. Laybit, you're lighter. You should ride the antelope with Miss Mianya."
"Wait. What about you, Second Uncle?" Laybit could tell from Rangka's words that he was not going to leave with him.
"Someone has to hold them back. None of us would get away otherwise. "
Rangka sighed dejectedly. Haha Literature Net
He did not think that there was anything wrong with dying to save his nephew — before the Players appeared, every elder member of the Long Ears tribe had resolved themselves to protect the next generation even if it meant sacrificing themselves in times of emergency.
His only regret was that he could not witness the revival of the Long Ears with his own eyes. He firmly believed that as long as he could befriend the believers of the God of Games, that day would definitely come.
"But Second Uncle …"
Before Laybit could finish, Rangka grabbed the Long-Ears boy who looked like a young girl and threw him onto the back of the antelope, which started running away reflexively after being startled.
After one last look at his nephew's back, Rangka turned away.
That was when the stalker noticed that something wasn't right, and appeared from the bushes that were half a man's height.
It was a huge nonhuman who was almost two meters tall and had sturdy skin over its body, with a giant rhinoceros horn growing out of its nose.
Beneath it was a giant serpent that was over twenty meters long and had an elephant trunk!
"Are you the sultan of the Rhinoceros Horn tribe, a former warrior who could control the Elephant Serpent Gurozlan that lives in the swamps beneath Mount Vierlin?"
Rangka whipped out his two dagger-like blades, his expression becoming even more dejected — those things might not even be able to pierce the skin of the serpent.
"The sultan is now a warrior too!" The white-skinned Rhinoceros Horn roared.
"You're no longer a warrior the moment you swore allegiance to Swordtail and raised your blade against the weak. You're just a butcher!"
Rangka gritted his teeth and taunted even though he knew that he was no match for the Rhinoceros Horn and couldn't even hurt it — of course, there was some truth in his words.
"Bullshit! I'm the sultan! I've always been a warrior! "
The white-skinned Rhinoceros Horn was enraged. His square-jawed chin looked rather comical, but Rangka couldn't laugh, for he knew that it was a sign that the Rhinoceros Horn was enraged.
Then, the Rhinoceros Horn raised the rusted greatsword that was larger than Rangka himself and resembled a door plank, commanding the elephant snake 'Kurozlangu' to roar as it charged towards Rangka.
'May the spirits of my ancestors protect me …'
Even as Rangka murmured in his mind, a rebellious thought suddenly occurred to him.
'We Long Ears have never been stingy with our prayers and offerings. We never stopped praying to our ancestors even when we were chased to the dangerous seaside, but it clearly didn't respond to us, which was why they were almost wiped out.
'I'm going to die anyway. Why should I pray to that ancestor who wouldn't show any mercy to the Long Ears at all?'
Hence, Rangka promptly changed his prayer.
'May the God of Games protect me, even for a moment. Please let me stall that bastard and earn a chance for Laybit to live!'
Although he had tried praying to the God of Games under the urging of the Players, he never received any response. Still, he was immeasurably pious this time, as if offering all his faith in a single breath, and slowly recited the prayer of the Church of Games.
"The Game has given us new life …"
In the next split second, he could hear a vague voice echoing beside his ears.
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