ThevBlack Dragon Rosani curled up like a large cat hugging its paws, forming a ball, its broad wings pressed tightly against its body, and its glowing vertical pupils stared at the distant low hills, while trying its best to conceal its body within the low-lying thicket on the grassland.
The bright night, like water, spilled over the grassland, and the river cutting across the grassland shimmered with moonlight, resembling the Milky Way in the sky. The sound of the flowing water covered the slight restlessness of the Centaur Warriors, who eagerly awaited the appearance of their prey.
These Gnolls preferred to be active at night, always hiding in caves beneath the hills during the day. This habit made it difficult for even the occasional giant dragon passing through the sky to discover their tracks.
Moreover, even if a true dragon did discover these Gnolls, it would be helpless against them. A normal true dragon couldn't possibly dig through these hills one by one and then pull out the Gnolls to deal with them.
One could only say that every race capable of surviving in the wilderness possessed its unique survival skills.
The tall stature of the Centaur Warriors made them unsuitable for combat in such terrain. Sending the slender Kobolds and Green Goblin warriors into the caves would only be providing food and equipment to these vicious Gnolls.
These Gnolls loved to eat these intelligent creatures, and enjoyed listening to their dying wails and screams. Their cruelty was comparable to that of Red Dragon.
The Centaur Warriors had once considered using fire to pile wood and animal droppings from the grassland in front of the Gnoll caves, using thick smoke to force the Gnolls out of their caves, and then eliminate them.
However, after careful observation, the Centaur Warriors discovered that this continuous range of hills had more than just two or three cave exits. Perhaps all the hills in this area had been tunneled through by these cunning Gnolls, making the fire attack naturally unfeasible.
Therefore, Chiron chose to launch an attack at night.
Night was the Gnolls' home ground, but Chiron cleverly chose to act on this exceptionally bright night. The stars in the sky were brilliant, and the moonlight was like water; even ordinary people could clearly see everything on the grassland, let alone these strong Centaur Warriors. They would not lose their advantage.
The Black Dragon Rosani and these Dragonkin did not wait too long. Under the bright moonlight, the figures of active Gnolls began to appear intermittently among the hills, along with groups of hyenas enslaved by the Gnolls, and quite a few Trolls and Werebears.
Most of these adult Gnolls were over two meters tall, and by physique, weighed close to three hundred catties. Their heads resembled those of the hyenas they trained.
Their skin, exposed outside the animal hide wraps, was greenish-gray or dark green, and most had dirty yellowish or grayish-red manes.
From their skulls, they looked exactly like grassland hyenas, with yellow teeth and blood-red or bluish-white eyes.
Black Dragon Rosani and Centaur Warrior Chiron quietly poked their heads out of the low bushes to observe. They were not those foolish Kobolds; they knew how to accurately estimate the number of these Gnolls.
"Over four hundred Gnolls," Black Dragon Rosani said after observing for a moment, "but no Gnoll Spellcaster are present, so they must still be in the caves."
"Judging by the number of Gnolls coming out to hunt for food, this tribe has at least over a thousand members, Lord Rosani," Chiron said, pointing at the Gnolls beginning to become active in the distance.
"At the forefront are the strongest Gnoll Barbarians carrying bone chainmail and large hammers. Riding hyenas are the skinny Gnoll scout trackers and sentinels with wooden bows. Their leaders and spellcasters have not yet deployed. It seems this area is indeed ruled by these Gnolls."
Although they might face enemies several times their own number, these Centaur Warriors showed no fear on their faces. The former Ogre Tribe was also stronger than the Centaur, yet they still fought with the Ogre for nearly ten years.
Moreover, these Centaur Warriors had now replaced their equipment, switching from bone arrowheads and wooden spears to iron tools and leather armor. If it weren't for the temporary insufficient production capacity of the territory, Kalon would have wanted these Centaur Warriors to be clad in heavy armor.
"How about it, can you deal with these Gnolls?" The Black Dragon Rosani turned and asked.
"Dealing with these Gnolls is not difficult, but if we draw out the Gnoll reinforcements hidden in the caves, the warriors will certainly shed blood," Chiron replied.
"To fight for the dragon clan is the glory and duty of the Dragonkin," Kari, the Centaur leader, stated without hesitation. This was also her heartfelt sentiment. Perhaps these Centaur Warriors were currently the most loyal warriors to the giant dragon among the Dragonkin.
Although those Kobolds were loyal to the dragon clan, they could easily flee once they encountered a disadvantage or life-threatening danger. This was an innate racial trait, just as Kobolds were born to be giant dragon sycophants, difficult to change.
As for those Green Goblins, they would be even more unscrupulous than Kobolds. Without the supervision of Kobolds, they might run away when true war broke out. One couldn't call them a rabble, but they weren't much better than scattered irregulars.
"There are no strong warriors who don't shed blood. Only through the baptism of blood can these cavalry grow into indomitable champions," Chiron also agreed with Kari.
Black Dragon Rosani's gaze swept over the resolute Centaur Warriors behind him, and he gave the order,
"Go forth, do not disappoint the giant dragon's expectations. Let me see if your bravery is worthy of Kalon's regard. Once you draw out the Gnoll reinforcements, I will find an opportunity to cut off their escape route back to their nests."
Chiron accepted the order and led his Centaur Warriors and the Kobolds and Goblins, who were lurking beside him with their Grey Wolf's mouths covered, to quietly follow the Gnoll contingent that had already moved into the distance.
To avoid being discovered by the Gnolls' keen sense of smell, the Centaur cavalry tracked against the wind, trailing far behind the Gnoll group.
Along the way, they saw the Gnolls chasing prey but did not act until they were far from the hilly region. Only then did Chiron, the leader, instruct his warriors,
"You Grey Wolf Knights, spread out and block any Gnolls who might escape. The rest of the Centaur will follow me to kill these Gnolls, but leave some alive so they can send out a call for help, lest my plan to catch them all be ruined."
"Yes," the Centaur Knights and Grey Wolf Knights replied in unison. A strong aura of killing instantly rose over the tranquil grassland shrouded in moonlight.
"Charge!" Centaur Chiron brandished the black iron spear in his hand, pointing it at the Gnolls ahead who were engrossed in slaughtering their prey, and his four hooves began to gallop.
The Kobolds and Green Goblins riding Grey Wolf also waved their short spears, yelling wildly, spreading out behind to encircle the Gnolls' retreat path.
Rumble!
Two hundred formidable Centaur Knights arrayed in an attack formation, their four hooves trampling the grassland, turf flying, and charged forward like a surging mountain torrent, unstoppable.
This commotion on the calm grassland stirred up countless ripples, startling countless animals hiding in the grass and low bushes, forcing them to flee their hiding places.
The Gnolls also discovered the Centaur Warriors charging towards them, but believing they had a numerical advantage, they showed no fear.
Gnolls themselves preferred to attack when they had a numerical advantage, overwhelming opponents with human wave tactics and their strong power.
So, these Gnolls instead felt that their prey for the night had arrived. Their brutal and bloodthirsty nature made their beast eyes light up, and under the leadership of the Gnoll Barbarians captain, they charged towards the Centaur Knights.
"Kill these Centaurs! We can feast tonight, sucking their blood and marrow!" The Gnoll Barbarians leader swung his heavy double-headed flail, urging his Gnolls to attack.
The Trolls and Werebears in the ranks also waved their clubs and charged forward, howling. These creatures were allies of the Gnolls when equal in number, and slaves and emergency food when outnumbered. Driven by the Gnolls, these creatures also unleashed their bestial nature.
Boom!
The two forces collided. The strong Centaur Chiron was enveloped in a faint glow, his muscles bulging, and the fine dragon scales covering his body were stretched open by the surging muscles, like scales flaring.
"We'll kill you!" A tall Gnoll Barbarian, brandishing a bone club made from the thigh bone of some unknown creature, leaped forward.
The immense strength allowed this Gnoll to easily leap higher than the Centaur, and the bone club, whistling through the air, struck down, aiming to smash the Centaur's head.
Chiron was fearless. His thick arm, enveloped in a glow, wrapped around the long iron spear. The unstoppable sharpness directly pierced through the lunging Jackal Barbarian.
The glow on the long spear instantly flared, exploding the Gnoll hanging on the spear from the chest and abdomen. The Gnoll's body split in two, and its swinging weapon lost its power and fell to the ground.
"We'll kill all of you!" The remaining Gnolls also lunged at both sides of the Centaur ranks, their bodies, no less slender than the Centaur's, erupting with immense power, aiming to kill these Centaurs.
Kari and Trogdor, who followed behind Chiron on both sides, also received the Centaur's inheritance. Although the time was short, they were still much stronger than before. They tightly gripped their long spears and charged, their immense strength combined with the momentum of their run turning the long spears into incredibly terrifying killing tools.
Pfft!
Kari swung her long spear, knocking aside the bone club of a lunging Troll. The long spear swept past the Troll's body and sped through. The Troll screamed, covering the gash in its neck with both hands, but was then pierced by the long spear of a Centaur Warrior behind Kari.
The long iron spear in Trogdor's hand was more like a long staff. Wielded by his thick arm, it smashed open a Werebear's head, and red and white fluid flowed from the Werebear's head.
The Werebear, with its sufficiently strong vitality, did not die immediately, falling to the ground gasping for breath, but was then trampled by the cavalry behind, turning into a bloody pulp.
These Centaur Knights easily pierced through the Gnolls wearing animal hides, impaling them like wild fruits on their long spears, then sliding the spear tips down to shake off the Gnollcorpses, and continued their charge forward.
The collision between the Gnolls and the Centaur instantly created a bloody battlefield on this green grassland. Countless splashing blood and shredded flesh stained the ground beneath their feet.
The vast majority of it was Gnoll flesh and blood. Only a few unlucky Centaur, targeted by multiple Gnolls, sustained injuries. The impact force and speed of the cavalry made it difficult for these Gnolls to bite.
Under the leadership of the powerful Chiron and several other Centaur Warriors, the Centaur cavalry easily pierced through the Gnoll ranks. Even the strong Gnoll Barbarians could not resist the cavalry charge in this formation.
With just one simple charge, nearly half of these Gnolls died. The leader of the Gnoll Barbarians, upon seeing the Centaur cavalry pierce through their formation, was so terrified that his tail tucked between his legs.
"Run! These Centaurs' weapons are too powerful! We need to go back and tell the leader."
It immediately howled, telling the other Gnolls to scatter and flee. It also mingled among the fleeing Gnolls and ran towards the hilly nest.
The Gnolls ran desperately, while screaming loudly at the top of their lungs,
"Howl wuwu!"
This was a signal for help and warning. The other Gnolls also started howling, and for a moment, the grassland was filled with sounds like hyenas.
But death followed them closely. The Centaur cavalry, who had broken through the Gnollformation, reassembled and turned under Chiron's command. They were not like human cavalry who needed to adjust and control their horses; they were a step further than man and horse as one, so their assembly speed far surpassed that of human cavalry.
The Centaur cavalry followed behind the Gnolls, like death itself, gazing at their prey. Only when these Gnolls were close to the hills, and the call for help was sufficient to be transmitted, did they launch another charge.
And the Gnolls in front had already forgotten about the Centaur cavalry behind them, because blocking their way were the Kobold Knights and Goblins, who excelled at fighting with the advantage.
These two creatures were more ferocious and brutal than any other race when fighting with the advantage, and they also enjoyed torturing their opponents more.
These Goblins and Kobolds, riding Grey Wolfs twice their size, cunningly moved around, relentlessly launching short bows and short spears, impaling the Gnolls' limbs with arrows and short spears.
What were once considered weak trash that Gnolls could crush with one hand became deadly killers. One after another, Gnolls fell on the way back to their nest.
Blood splattered across the grassland along the way. They stared wide-eyed at the bright moon in the sky, their still-seeing eyes filled with unwillingness and humiliation. Dying at the hands of these Green Goblins and Kobolds, they could not rest in peace.