Chapter 19: Windcatcher
Liu Xiao now understood—the earlier tens of thousands of Qixiao had merely been the vanguard. Their annihilation had provoked the main force.
This black tide stretched as far as the eye could see, numbering at least a million.
On the south bank, humans formed defensive circles, but the Qixiao army shattered them like soap bubbles—swift, effortless, leaving no trace.
The plains were the Qixiao's domain. Their four legs allowed devastating charges, and their coordinated assaults bulldozed through resistance. In under 15 minutes, they had cleared the outer human forces, closing in on the remaining millions gathered by the river.
The battlefield reminded Liu Xiao of his war title: Ant·Ten Slashes. It was fitting. Humans were like common black ants—small, hardworking, fragile. The Qixiao? Army ants. Brutal, nomadic, leaving only carnage in their wake.
This time, panic didn't spread. People rallied around the military, their resolve hardened.
Rafts ferried women and children north, but none returned south. No one was willing to go back.
The military regrouped, distributing melee weapons, piling human and Qixiao corpses into makeshift walls for a last stand.
On the north bank, crowds gathered again—some to watch, some to fight. All stood in silence, bearing witness to the slaughter across the river.
The Qixiao struck. Leaping over the bloody barricades, they crashed into the human ranks.
The first wave suffered heavy losses to spears and clubs, but the endless tide behind them shattered the human lines.
Without overwhelming numbers, human resistance crumbled.
Bodies piled under Qixiao feet. Limbs and viscera painted the air. People swung weapons—only for black claws to punch through their chests, hurling them into the swarm behind to be torn apart.
No hope.
The last pockets of resistance were devoured. Screams turned the south bank into hell. Many on the north bank vomited.
Liu Xiao loosed an arrow, killing a Qixiao within range.
More Qixiao abandoned the south bank slaughter, their single eyes locking onto the north.
They were coming.
Chaos erupted. Spectators fled; fighters formed lines; the plains became a maelstrom of trampled fires, wailing women, and desperate men.
Liu Xiao stayed, picking off Qixiao with cold precision.
Around him, thirty archers mimicked his stance—though only a handful could hit anything. The crowd shielded him, believing safety lay with the strongest.
He almost told them to run. He stayed only because he knew he could outrun the Qixiao.
But he held his tongue. Their presence bought time for others.
"Fall back!" he shouted, retreating 30 meters before firing again.
At this distance, the Qixiao couldn't build momentum. Five fell to his arrows before the humans surged forward, long weapons keeping the monsters at bay.
Other sections of the bank weren't so lucky. Qixiao overran defenses effortlessly.
Liu Xiao's bowstring never stilled.
The Qixiao hated him. Their trembling eyes betrayed their fury. Strangely, they made no sound—their jagged maws seemingly useless.
More Qixiao crossed the river. Others abandoned chasing civilians, drawn to Liu Xiao's group.
"Retreat! Now!"
A full-speed Qixiao charge was unstoppable.
Two arrows dropped the front runners, tripping the pack behind. The humans disengaged instantly—only to find the river spewing more Qixiao.
Liu Xiao fired a final shot, skewering a pursuer, then sprinted for the woods.
He overtook the fleeing crowd in seconds.
"Holy shit! The legend runs faster than the monsters?!"
People's admiration turned to disbelief as Liu Xiao blazed ahead.
His mind, however, was elsewhere.
A system message had appeared:
[Archery Proficiency upgraded to Beginner. Select two rewards:]
[Dynamic Marksmanship] (Passive): No accuracy penalty while moving.
[Guided Arrow (Beginner)] (Active): Slightly alter an arrow's trajectory with spirit energy.
[Phantom Arrow (Beginner)] (Active): Arrows become undetectable during flight.
[Concussive Arrow (Beginner)] (Active): Knock back or stagger targets.
[Item: Windcatcher]
Finally!
The choices tormented him. Dynamic Marksmanship was essential—his moving accuracy was trash.
Of the active skills:
Guided Arrow (minor course correction) felt underwhelming.
Phantom Arrow (stealth shots) was perfect for ambushes.
Concussive Arrow (emergency knockback) could save his life.
Then there was Windcatcher.
He checked its stats mid-sprint:
[Name: Windcatcher]
[Quality: Good]
[Creator: Kosai]
[Creator's Note: Made from scraps.]
[Details: Hunting bow. Body from Rootless Wood, string from Zarro Beast tendon. Slightly increases firing rate, arrow velocity, and lethality. Range scales with user's physique.]
[Stellar Engraving: Rapid Volley]
[Rapid Volley: Active skill. Consumes spirit energy to dramatically increase firing speed.]
No contest.
His Earth-made bow had been limiting his 21-point Agility. Windcatcher was a quantum leap.
The black bow materialized in his grip. Dynamic Marksmanship activated.
Without breaking stride, Liu Xiao spun, drew, and fired at a Qixiao 500 meters back.
THWANG!
The arrow blurred, piercing four Qixiao in a line before vanishing.
"Holy—!"
Windcatcher's "slight" boosts were game-changing. Its base performance alone dwarfed Earth's technology, fully unleashing Liu Xiao's stats.
He glanced at the horde chasing the crowd.
Rapid Volley activated.
Liu Xiao didn't know what a Stellar Engraving was, but if it could be activated with spirit energy, it was good enough.
A cool sensation spread from Windcatcher's grip, seeping into his body. An unseen force guided him into the perfect archer's stance—sideways, draw, release.
He didn't even check the first shot's result before firing again.
His movements were fluid, mechanical, as if his body had become a precision instrument. All he needed was to aim and loose. His arms gathered all his strength, and what used to be time for two arrows now allowed three and a half—a 75% increase in firing speed.
This was pure ecstasy for Liu Xiao.
For the Qixiao chasing them? Pure hell.
Before, Liu Xiao's arrows had been precise single-target kills. Now? Every shot was a line-drive massacre. His best shot pierced six Qixiao in a row. He wasn't sniping anymore—he was fishing for the most crowded trajectories.
Even worse for the Qixiao, his firing speed was terrifying. By the time one arrow downed a comrade, the next was already on its way—too fast to dodge.
[Warzone Kill Count Achieved. New Title: Ant·Hundred Slashes.]
[Title: Ant·Hundred Slashes]
[Acquisition: Eliminated 100 Ant-tier lifeforms in a warzone.]
[Effect: In warzones, all physical attributes +5, all spiritual attributes +5. Passive: Short-range Aura of Dread (no spirit energy cost).]
[Dread Aura (Beginner): Affects nearby enemies based on their spirit strength and willpower, inducing fear, confusion, or stat reductions. Allies become obedient, gain resolve, or stat boosts.]
Hundred Slashes achieved. The title upgraded, and the effects doubled.
The Dread aura was brokenly strong. Too bad he wasn't melee—otherwise, he could test it on the Qixiao up close. Still, the crowd around him visibly changed.
Especially within 10 meters, people's fear and panic vanished, replaced by a fanatical devotion to protecting him.
"Bro! Shoot freely! I'll die before they touch you!"
Liu Xiao recognized this middle-aged man—he'd been trembling in terror earlier. Now? Gripping a kitchen knife, he stood like an unshakable guardian.
Killing a hundred in battle granted this? Liu Xiao's mouth watered at the thought of Thousand Slashes.
+5 to all stats pushed his lethality to new heights.
[Category] Organic Intelligent Lifeform
[Origin] Galactic Order
[Species] Human
[Gender] Male
[Title] Ant·Hundred Slashes
[Height] 1.76m (Planetary Measurement)
[Physique]
[Endurance] 8 (+5)
[Strength] 10 (+5)
[Agility] 20 (+5)
[Burst] 5 (+5)
[Spirit Energy]
[Spirit Core] (Hidden)
[Vitality] 1 (+5)
[Spirit Pool] 5 (+5)
[Senses]
[Vision] 3
[Proficiencies]
[Archery Proficiency] Beginner
[Appraisal] Beginner
[Body Techniques]
[Basic Precision] (Passive) Slightly increases ranged accuracy.
[Dynamic Marksmanship] (Passive) No accuracy penalty while moving.
His Spirit Pool doubling also faintly boosted his spirit energy recovery—critical for Spirit Core's gluttonous appetite and Rapid Volley's constant drain.
"I need more arrows. Everyone else, stop wasting shots."
His words were like military orders to them. Arrows flooded in from every archer nearby.
Liu Xiao's group raced for the woods, but he hung back—drawing the Qixiao into straight-line chases for easy multi-kills.
Twang! Twang! Twang!
A squad of Qixiao collapsed. Arrows punched through them, nailing another group 100 meters behind. The force was so brutal it blasted crater-like holes in their chests.
[Galactic Order Merit +1]
[+100 Galactic Order Points]
Some unlucky Evolved Qixiao had just donated to his cause.
Liu Xiao smirked. Four arrows, four directions.
He deactivated Rapid Volley and sprinted.
A real warrior never looks back at the carnage.
Row after row of Qixiao fell, but more kept coming.
Local victories couldn't change the bigger picture. The south bank's last defenders—soldiers and civilians—were overrun.
When the black tide merged, the Shandan River Valley's southern half belonged to the Qixiao. Millions of humans slaughtered.
Amid the horde, one Qixiao stood out—crimson-armored, twice the size of its kin, its face hidden save for a single glaring eye.
The general.
Too far to engage. Liu Xiao filed it away for later.
The woods were 5-6 km from the north bank. After an hour of fleeing, many—the obese, the weak, the exhausted—couldn't go further. They collapsed, accepting death.
The Qixiao, having crossed the river, fanned out. Liu Xiao's group, positioned farther from the crossing, bought time.
Not that the Qixiao wanted to chase them. Liu Xiao's kill radius made it suicidal. They'd rather hunt defenseless stragglers than face human artillery.
After 30 more minutes, the woods loomed close. Liu Xiao picked off strays, but opportunities were scarce.
The tree line teemed with people—helping the wounded, sharpening stakes, preparing firebreaks.
Most impressive? A line of torchbearers, spaced dozens of meters apart, staring down the plains.
"Scorched earth tactics." Liu Xiao mentally applauded. Burning the grasslands would halt the Qixiao charge. Cleared vegetation around the woods prevented the fire from spreading inward.
The thousand-strong group stumbled into the trees. Many hugged trunks, vomiting from exhaustion.
Liu Xiao, leveraging his 21 Agility, scaled a tree in seconds.
The view?
The Qixiao advanced in a V-formation, slaughtering stragglers. Their vanguard was 500 meters out.
The torchbearers lit the grass.
Black smoke billowed.
The Qixiao panicked. Their charge collapsed as the front ranks were shoved into the flames by their own kin. Thousands burned alive, thrashing until they became charred husks.
The survivors stamped out vegetation, creating firebreaks.
"Clever bastards," Liu Xiao muttered.
He leaped down—7 meters, landing like it was nothing. The crowd gaped.
"The fire won't hold them long. We need to go deeper."
His words were law to those within his Dread aura's boost. Others, though exhausted, followed. They'd seen this man single-handedly turn a rout into a fighting retreat.
Some stayed, too drained to move, clinging to the hope of watching the Qixiao burn.