Way of Overlord
Chapter 116: The Aftermath

Chapter 116: The Aftermath

Then a voice spoke to him.

"Durka, you’re awake," the Ashana said, her voice filled with relief and warmth. "You’ve been unconscious for three days, but..." the Ashana paused a second as she examine him by taking his pulse

And then she nodded with a smile

"Your strength is returning." Hearing this the people in the tent all heaved a sigh of relief.

Durka throat felt dry, and he managed a hoarse whisper, "Three days?"

The Ashana nodded and offered him a cup of water, which he gratefully accepted.

As he sipped the cool liquid, he felt a sense of renewal washing over him. The wounds of the battle were healing, and his spirit seemed to regain its fire.

He looked around, taking in the familiar faces of his tribes member surrounding him

The air inside the tent was thick with the scent of oil lamps, casting a warm glow that danced along the fabric walls.

Durka still felt it is very tiring to opens his eyes. Sometimes he closes it. Sometimes, he opens it.

His eyelids feel heavy. But then slowly Durka’s eyes fluttered open, his vision adjusting to the dim illumination.

Outside, the darkness of the night loomed, broken only by the distant flickering of campfires.

His body felt heavy, and as he tried to shift; a wave of pain washed over him.

Each slight movement brought forth a chorus of aches, reminding him of the fierce battle that had transpired.

He glanced down at his form, which was swathed in white bandages, a stark reminder of the wounds he had endured.

"I did exert too much strength" he thought to himself. Durka had uses all of his strength just to try to bring down Aeryon.

After all, he is not as young as he was before and because of that the pain felt more visceral and the effect is more obvious than before.

It reminded him that he is no longer in his younger years.

Memories came flooding back like a torrential river. The clash of steel, the thundering of hooves, and the ferocity of combat with Chief Aeryon of the Brolgadhr tribe.

Durka had fought valiantly, but fate had not favoured him on that day.

"Fate and Destiny" he thought.

He took a few more sips of water and takes a few more breath. And then after calming himself down he ask

"What happened since then?"

As Durka’s son leaned in closer, his voice was soft but filled with concern as he recounted the events that transpired in his father’s absence.

Durka listened intently, his furrowed brow betraying his growing unease.

"It seems he did not simply stop after defeating us," Durka murmured, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

His son nodded in agreement

According to the information his son relayed, Aeryon and his warriors had taken control of the Duhai tribe for two days after the fateful battle.

During this time, they had sought to heal their own wounds, replenishing their ranks and taking much-needed rest. However, it seemed Aeryon ambitions reached far

Durka had always has this premonition

Aeryon is young, heroic. And he expands his tribe in a manner that is quick and swift. He only stop for a while before expanding his tribe again.

It is clear to Durka and to everyone who has clear thoughts that Aeryon is someone who has big ambition and big plans.

Durka close his eyes, trying to think

His son continued telling him what had transpired.

After those two days, instead of returning to his own tribe, Aeryon set his sights on a new target—the Zlata tribe.

"he did not return to his tribe, instead, he forges on ahead. Is he not worried that anyone would attack his tribe?" Durka unlike Aeryon did not know much about the tribe on the Eastern side.

If he knew he would not say such thing.

The Eastern side of the Great Steppe is a realm of unfamiliar tribes and unfamiliar alliances for Durka and for Duhai tribe

While he knows some things and some information, he did not have detailed knowledge about the other tribes on the eastern side of the Southern Great Steppe.

Unlike Aeryon, who was well-versed in the affairs of the Eastern tribes, Durka’s knowledge is limited, and he found himself wondering why Aeryon would be so bold that he would leave his tribe so vulnerable

Little did he know that Aeryon decision to forge ahead was not without consideration.

The Brolgadhr tribe’s borders were surrounded by various neighbouring tribes, each with their own unique strengths and motivations...and also weaknesses.

The Korun tribe, positioned on eastern border, had a complex relationship with the Brolgadhr tribe due to their alliance with Utgard.

Attacking Brolgadhr now would trigger a chain of events that might lead to retaliation from the formidable Utgard tribe.

Korun would not attack because if that tribe attack Brolgadhr tribe right now, then the alliance between Utgard and Brolgadhr would be activated. Utgard is honour bound to send some of their warriors to attack Korun. And even if somehow Korun manage to attack Brolgadhr tribe, they need to be prepared for the consequences.

Korun has always been silent since the alliance between the Brolgadhr and the Utgard tribe was concluded.

From this it could be seen that the Korun attack would not do anything.

Rudya, to the east, was currently grappling with a dual assault from Utgard and the Kazan tribe, leaving them occupied and unlikely to pose an immediate threat to the Brolgadhr tribe.

The alliance between Utgard and Kazan had allowed them to seize large portions of the Eastern side of Rudya territory, focusing their attention away from the Brolgadhr tribe for now.

To the west, Khulun and Kanun tribes faced their own peril, with Belarion and Mayeux dispatched by Aeryon to deal with them.

Right now, even though Brolgadhr has only a few hundred reserve forces, their position is actually quite safe.

As long as Belarion could take Kanun tribe and Mayeux could take over Khulun tribe, then the position of the Brolgadhr tribe would become even more secure and safe.

If Durka knows all of this, he would not be surprised that Aeryon after taking over the Duhai tribe would forge on to reach Zlata tribe.

"With such an army..." he did not finish his words

Aeryon came to Duhai tribe with one thousand three hundred riders.

Initially, Durka had estimated that Aeryon arrived with around one thousand horse riders.

This time Durka get the accurate number of the people under Aeryon. Before, they did not count and simply thought that Aeryon brought around one thousand men

However, upon further reflection, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his original count was accurate.

He vividly remembered the sight of Aeryon mounted warriors and they indeed numbered just one thousand.

This unsettling realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.

Where, then, were the other three hundred horse riders that Aeryon claimed to command?

It didn’t take long for Durka’s seasoned warrior instincts to piece together the answer.

They must have been deliberately concealed, either as a hidden ambush force or a reserve that the enemy had no knowledge of.

As he lay in his tent, recovering from the duel’s aftermath, Durka couldn’t help but marvel at Aeryon strategic prowess.

Choosing to engage in a Promised Duel, a one-on-one contest, had undoubtedly been a wise decision from him.

Facing such a vast disparity in numbers on the open battlefield would have been a dire predicament, one that might have led to the complete annihilation of the Duhai tribe.

But that is not what shocked him.

Aeryon already had the superiority of numbers but then he added more to it

in the two days he is inside the Duhai tribe, he recruited five hundred horse riders of the Duhai tribe

Now, he had one thousand eight hundred horse riders. That is nearly two thousand men, two thousand warriors, two thousand horses galloping the Great Steppe.

What a sight that would be.

One thousand eight hundred fierce horse riders, united under a single banner, charging across the vast expanse of the Great Steppe.

The image of such collective might would send chills down anyone spine.

He envisioned the stirring sight of those almost two thousand warriors, their steeds galloping with untamed energy, hooves pounding the earth beneath them as if to awaken the very soul of the Steppe.

Dust would rise like a golden veil, enveloping the thunderous procession in an ethereal glow.

The sun, casting its golden rays across the Steppe, would catch the shimmering armor of the riders, turning them into an awe-inspiring sight of celestial warriors.

As the great force approached the territory of the Zlata tribe, their presence would be unmistakable, reverberating across the land like the promise of a storm.

The Zlata warriors, witnessing the approaching tide of men and horses, would stand in awe and trepidation.

The sheer magnitude of Aeryon force would cast a shadow upon their hearts, forcing them to reckon with the formidable adversary that stood before them.

Durka imagined the clash of steel and the thunder of hooves as the two forces collided, warriors locked in a fierce struggle for dominance.

The ground beneath their feet would tremble under the weight of their battle, and the Steppe itself would bear witness to this battle

But, that did not happen.

At least not in the way that Durka imagined it.

....

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.