Unexpected Gains
"That's… that's… a Tier-5 powerhouse!"
Upon hearing the call, the Kobolds, appearing from the cave, the trees, and from the ground, chimed in unison. "Greetings great ancestor!" Instantly they began trembling, quaking from the bloodline pressure the hideous Kobold was exuding.
Kai explained in a low voice, "When creatures of the same species have a higher hierarchy in the species tree, they can exude bloodline pressure to force others of weaker purity to submit."
Arvu quickly continued the explanation, "This is true for dragons as well but not for us phoenixes. Phoenixes have a hierarchy and while our bloodline does exist, we only use it during life and death battles since it costs us part of our lifespan to activate."
"You filthy surface creatures think you can do whatever you want?!" screeched the Kobolds leader. His red eyes, muddy with rage, bugged so far out of his face that Enzo thought they would fall onto the earth at any minute.
Enzo also realized that the Kobold, still crazy ugly with the random grey hair and flapping death-colored skin, was actually thick muscled and when extended to his full height, he seemed about two times taller than the other hunched Kobolds.
Suddenly, the great ancestor leaped forward and without a care for the larger size of Chua, instantly attacked him.
Protruding claws stuck out of his grungy hands as he scraped them across Chua's scales causing some of them to tear off before anyone could react.
Enzo knew he had greatly underestimated the attack power of a Tier-5 warrior. He understood there was a qualitative difference between each of the tiers, but until now he didn't realize how exaggerated it was.
Kai reacted first, thanks to her connection with Chua. Turning into a ball of energy she flowed into Chua's body, through his central force, the magical spot right between his eyebrows.
Instantly, a wave of heat rushed through Chua's body, flamed outward, and with a piercing roar Chua shrugged off the maniacal Kobold.
[Dragon Phoenix Changlin - Level 4]
Enzo remembered that this was an innate skill called "Dragon Phoenix Changlin" which allowed connected dragons and phoenixes to combine their power for a short period of time.
Connecting on a deeper level, Chua and Kai, now blended as one, began their counterattack.
In the meantime, Tormu and Arvu telepathed signals to each other. Tormu attacked the Tier-4 leader while Arvu made sure no one could get close to Enzo, occasionally gathering air with her wings and flinging tornado attacks against the weaker Kobolds.
Enzo suddenly felt himself fly through the air and thud against a tree. Arvu, busy cutting up Kobolds with her sharp feathers, failed to see one hairy Kobold arm snake through the struggling mass, grab Enzo, and with his lumpy fused fingers, throw Enzo against a tree.
Arvu quickly obliterated the Kobold and ran over to Enzo frantically slicing up the oncoming Kobolds.
Catching his breath, Enzo was rather unscathed and turned to watch Chua and Kai fight the ancestor.
Fireballs zinged off the trees and Chua and Kai roared as one, surprisingly fast, the ancestor dodged the fireballs, whipped his sinewy arms in circles, which reminded Enzo of Military-grade helicopter blades, and almost descaled one side of Chua.
Fortunately, Chua's immense tail, sharp with dragon spears and Kai's razor blade feathers, sliced through the Kobold's thigh, slowing him down.
A gravelly screech shook the land. Incensed, the Kobold's eyes flamed red as his claws extended even further and began drilling towards Chua's eyes.
Out of nowhere, Tormu blew past the Kobold, picking him up in a grisly tornado, full of dead bodies, broken trees, and lethal rocks.
The pressure of the tornado kept the Kobold pinned in, whirling round and round, and getting slammed with the tornado's debris. All at once, Enzo saw the Kobold fly through the air, and slam against a pyramid-shaped rock formation, his head flying one way and the rest of his body crumpling to the ground.
After his decapitated corpse fell to the ground, Enzo surveyed the battlefield with an odd look.
So many things had happened in the past two days. He had come to a fantasy world, flown with a dragon, and now had participated in a deadly battle with creatures from another world.
Seeing their leader and ancestor dead, the rest of the Kobolds stopped fighting and shrank back in fear.
"Your leader is dead. You now have two choices…submit or die." Enzo's voice rang through the burnt bodies and charred debris.
He didn't particularly want these hideous beasts in his kingdom, but right now it seemed like the best option.
He needed workers and lots of them. With their mining abilities, these Kobolds could help him with the production of stone, iron, and other precious ores.
After a moment's hesitation, they reluctantly lowered their heads to the ground and at that moment a notification entered Enzo's vision.
[Ding! A Kobold tribe offers their allegiance to you. Do you choose to accept?]
Selecting 'yes,' Enzo was just about to organize a new leader for the Kobolds when another announcement popped up in his view.
[Regional Announcement: Castle Lord 'Enzo' has successfully conquered a tribe and has gained their allegiance. He is the first in the region to accomplish this and is awarded the title "Conqueror"]
[Global Announcement: Castle Lord 'Enzo' has successfully conquered a tribe and has gained their allegiance. He is the first in the world to accomplish this and is awarded "Conqueror's Ring"]
As the two announcements rang through everyone's ears instantly the regional chat lit up.
"What?! My troops have barely killed a Tier-2 goblin!"
"I saw a tribe chief yesterday and he was Tier-4!"
"What kind of troops does this guy have?"
"Hey isn't this the same guy who put almost 200 units of food in the trading hall yesterday?"
"Yeah! I think it was!"
"This proves it! He must have an epic troop!"
While the chat was going crazy Enzo looked at his new title and item.
[Title: Conqueror
Effect: 20% More loyalty from conquered settlements]
[Note: Can be superimposed]
[Item: Conqueror's Ring
Rarity: Royal
Quality: Peak
Effect: While wearing this ring, anyone lower level than the wearer will experience a suppressing effect (increases with level difference)]
Enzo was naturally happy with the outcome and unexpected gains. Not only did he receive a title, item, and new followers, but he also gained some popularity.
For a different Castle Lord they might see this as a problem, but not Enzo. He already had a plan to turn what others might see as a disadvantage into an advantage that could help him rapidly expand his kingdom.
Enzo spent the next thirty minutes setting up the Kobold's mining operation and making sure they knew what to do. He also received 347 units of stone and 125 units of iron from their storehouse which was a pleasant bonus.
Setting off, Enzo and his team continued hunting wild monsters for the rest of the day in the southern region, making it safe for the Kobolds, so they could focus on mining and less on patrols.
Right before he was about to return to the castle he got a pleasant surprise. Both Tormu and Arvu had been upgraded to Tier-5 ahead of Kai and even Chua.
The reason was simple, the kill of the Kobold's ancestor. He had been worth a fair chunk of change and had allowed both Tormu and Arvu to surpass the flame duo.
Enzo suspected that Dragon Phoenix warriors were not only connected in life and death but also in levels. Tormu's beheading of the big boss proved his theory to be true.
Flying on Tormus back towards his castle, Enzo was struck by its imposing structure. Pitched high on a sheer cliff, the spires of the castle almost touched the clouds. The statues, flaming red, would strike fear in any attacker.
Most castles were large, square, and strong. His castle was tall, imposing, and sleek.
Seeing his castle from the outside he had a sense of accomplishment. While other Castle Lords may want to lie in wait and protect their own life, Enzo vowed that he would be a proactive leader on the battlefield and personally trample his enemies to death on his path to the throne of the God-King.