To the east of the Barbarian Tribe, about a hundred kilometers away, lay a formidable faction: the Semi-Metal Giant Tribe.
These creatures were unlike any others. Feeding on raw minerals, they possessed extraordinary physical power from birth, making them an elite species among the monsters of the Black Earth Plains.
Their tribe had seized control of the richest iron ore veins in the region, and with their brutal strength, not even the barbarian clans or the werewolf tribes dared provoke them.
Yet, strength came at a cost. Though they were mighty in combat, their population growth was severely limited. Even without the threat of war or famine, their numbers never exceeded 10,000.
Despite this, the Semi-Metal Giant Tribe had become one of the three dominant powers in the Black Soil Plains, a testament to their overwhelming combat prowess.
Their bodies were so tough that ordinary blades and arrows could not even scratch their metallic skin.
Years ago, the Barbarian Tribe had once coveted their iron-rich territory and launched a full-scale assault with 50,000 warriors. They were utterly crushed and had never returned.
It was high noon when Ye Zhan, leading a cavalry force nearly 70,000 strong, advanced toward the valley where the Semi-Metal Tribe dwelled. They made no attempt to conceal their movement. Like a tsunami of steel, tens of thousands of cavalry thundered across the grasslands, stirring dust clouds that swallowed the horizon.
In the valley, the semi-metal giants reacted slowly. Only when Ye Zhan and his troops neared the entrance did they begin to emerge, their massive forms lumbering forward.
They were towering behemoths, their skin gleaming with a faint metallic sheen. From a distance, they looked like colossal statues of iron.
"Humans, what are you doing here? Have you forgotten the lesson from last time?" bellowed the leading metal giant, his voice deep and resonant. He stood nearly five meters tall, his entire body a dark red hue, resembling a walking war machine. In one hand, he wielded a thick metal club, worn and scarred from countless battles.
Even though Ye Zhan's forces vastly outnumbered them, the metal giant radiated unshakable confidence. He didn't regard the Night Tribe cavalry as a threat at all.
To him, they were simply too weak.
"We are from the Ye Tribe. As for those people you speak of, they were of the Barbarian Tribe. That tribe has now been annexed by us," Ye Zhan said as he rode a few steps forward, speaking in a calm and composed tone.
"Barbarians? Ye Tribe?" The giant paused, frowning slightly, as if trying to recall the distinction. Then he shook his head with a grunt. "I don't care who you are. Tell me why you're here. If it's war you want, come then. A Gu does not fear battle!"
A chorus of roars erupted from the giants behind him. They pounded their chests with iron fists and bellowed to the sky, shaking the very air with their battle cries.
Clang!
The warriors of the Night Tribe tensed instantly, gripping their weapons as their horses shifted nervously beneath them. All eyes turned to Ye Zhan, awaiting his command.
He frowned but raised a hand to signal restraint. Then he spoke slowly, his voice clear.
"This time, I haven't come to fight. I'm here to negotiate, under the orders of our clan leader."
"What's there to negotiate? We don't talk to humans. If you're not here for a fight, then turn around and leave. You are not welcome," the metal giant leader growled. Though not particularly bright, he had lived long enough to heed the warnings of his ancestors: Do not trade with humans. Speak little to them if possible. Humans are cunning, more so than any other race.
To engage with humans was to court deception.
Ye Zhan's expression hardened. He didn't appreciate the arrogance, but the mission came first. Forcing a cold laugh, he replied, "Don't worry. If the talks break down, we won't hesitate to fight."
He wasn't afraid. Others feared the semi-metal giants, but Ye Zhan did not. So what if their bodies were armored? A blade is still forged from iron. He had full confidence in his cavalry and his own blade.
The metal giant leader stared for a moment, then said dully, "Fine. Say what you came to say. Just know, I have nothing here for you to take. Don't try to cheat me."
"You really don't have anything we want," Ye Zhan muttered, glancing around the barren valley. Then, in a more serious tone, he continued. "Our clan leader has taken an interest in your tribe. He proposes a deal. If you join the Ye Tribe, we will supply you with metal ore in abundance. In return, we ask only for your loyalty. What say you?"
The giant blinked. "What did you say?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.
"You heard me. Join us," Ye Zhan said, nodding.
"You—" Rage exploded in the giant's voice. With a roar, he lunged forward, intent on smashing the human who dared insult him.
How dare a mere human demand his surrender? If it weren't for his concern over casualties among his own people, he would have attacked without hesitation.
But before he could strike, the sky darkened.
An overwhelming pressure descended from the heavens, as deep and vast as an ocean, pinning the giant in place. He froze mid-stride.
"What... is this?" he gasped.
A gaze—cold, ancient, and boundless—fell upon him. The metal giant trembled involuntarily, like an ant beneath the shadow of a divine dragon.
All those present, human or giant, felt the oppressive force pressing down on them. Heads bowed instinctively. None dared to raise their eyes.
Submit, or die.
The sentence thundered directly into the minds of every metal giant.
They had no sweat glands, but the leader still felt as though icy sweat trickled down his back. His body trembled under the weight of the divine presence.
As the pressure increased, he glanced back at his people, seeing their terrified expressions.
His pride wavered.
"...We surrender," he muttered at last.
The pressure lifted.
A collective sigh of relief swept through the valley as the suffocating weight vanished. The metal giant leader cautiously raised his head.
Above them, darkness still blanketed the sky.
At the heart of that darkness, a swirling vortex nearly a hundred meters wide spun slowly. From within it, a colossal eye gazed down upon the earth, majestic and terrifying.
"My name is Eternal Night. I grant you the gift of the gods. You may praise my divine name."
As the divine voice echoed in their minds, the darkness receded, shrinking back into the sky until it vanished entirely.
"Farewell, my Lord."
"Farewell, my Lord!"
"Farewell, my Lord!!"
The warriors of the Ye Tribe shouted in unison, their voices echoing through the valley. Behind them, the metal giants followed suit, led by their chief, voices booming in reverence for the deity they had just witnessed.