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Chapter 22 - Chapter 22: The Invincible Hulrei—Defeated!

[Due to the rapid pace of your expansion, you've made a lot of enemies.]

[Among them was the "Poisonclaw" great hunting pack. One of the packs you previously absorbed had Poisonclaw as its backer.]

[Partly out of wounded pride, partly due to wariness of a rising threat, Poisonclaw launched an assault on your newly unified Cangyue pack.]

[You refused to back down, leading the freshly consolidated forces into battle.]

[Thanks to your fearsome reputation for decapitation tactics, Poisonclaw's patriarch kept most of their elites in the main camp, rendering your usual strategy ineffective.]

[Their tightened defenses left Poisonclaw on the back foot, despite having superior strength and heritage.]

[With raw strength and numbers, Poisonclaw held the line.]

[You found yourself stuck, your usual tactics blunted. The war devolved into a protracted battle of attrition.]

[Years passed. Both sides lost over half their population.]

[Even the battle-hungry Buli grew weary of a war with no end in sight.]

[But you didn't care.]

[Whether Buli or Foxian, to you, they were all just tools. Ever since learning the truth about your mother's death, you no longer considered them kin.]

[The Poisonclaw patriarch, on the other hand, still had scruples—his identity as a council elder of the Buli tribal assembly made retreat impossible.]

[Eventually, War Chief Hulrei could no longer tolerate it. While he accepted casualties in hunts—whether predator or prey—he refused to allow endless internal bloodshed.]

[He commanded both sides to settle the matter in another way: a sacred duel under the witness of the Abundance Aeon. Winner takes all.]

[Before Hulrei and the council's witnesses, you defeated Poisonclaw's patriarch with ease—and devoured his heart, claiming his strength.]

[You took his elder seat. The Cangyue and Poisonclaw hunting packs were unified.]

[Hulrei openly praised you, calling you the most "Buli-like" of all.]

[But as you gazed at him, your mind was already thinking: how to replace him.]

[The other elders had outlived their usefulness. Your new target became the Buli's greatest enemy—the Xianzhou Alliance.]

[Compared to the Buli, the Xianzhou were a far more formidable foe.]

[The Buli distrusted Foxian intellect and thus stagnated technologically. They put their faith in the divine power of the Abundance Aeon rather than in tools, forging, or progress.]

[Meanwhile, the Xianzhou possessed superior weaponry, trained soldiers, and unshakable belief.]

[Thankfully, the Buli had allies—such as the Winged Ones, who were also hunted by the Xianzhou.]

[The Winged Ones dominated the skies, the Buli ruled the land. Their alliance became a nightmare for the Xianzhou.]

[With your strength, cunning, and clarity, you proved devastating to the Xianzhou.]

[You played to the Buli's strengths—dispatching elite raiding teams to strike at Xianzhou merchant caravans, baiting the Cloud Knights into sending small pursuit units, which you would ambush and annihilate.]

[These guerrilla tactics became the Cloud Knights' nightmare.]

[Though few in number, your squads were vicious and overwhelming. The Cloud Knights' own small teams had no chance.]

[If they dispatched large forces, they couldn't catch your mobile units and risked exposing the Xianzhou ships to direct attack.]

[If they sent Sword Champions or Dragontamers, it would be overkill—wasting resources without solving the core issue.]

In other words, Solon had fully exploited asymmetrical warfare.

The Cloud Knights were well-armed, highly disciplined, and best at massed troop operations.

The Buli, with their monstrous bodies and solo fighting prowess, excelled in small-scale strikes.

This, combined with the fact that the Xianzhou were on the defensive, gave Solon a major edge—they were always reacting.

[Your strategy caused little material loss, but immense psychological damage. The Cloud Knights were left choking on frustration.]

[Your infamy soared—second only to Hulrei himself. Countless Cloud Knights cursed your name.]

[Within the Xianzhou, you became a household name—for all the wrong reasons.]

[But you didn't care.]

[Hulrei, on the other hand, was thrilled. Your tactics diverted major Cloud Knight forces, easing the burden on his own frontline.]

[What he didn't know… was that you had your sights set on his throne—and especially, his heart: the divine relic granted by the Abundance Aeon—the Crimson Moon.]

[Years passed. You had slain more Cloud Knights than anyone could count. Your name became legend. Your prestige even overshadowed Hulrei.]

[Thanks to your perfect bloodline, your strength had no ceiling—it grew like wildfire.]

[During the grand ritual to the Lord of Longevity, you issued a challenge to Hulrei.]

[He gladly accepted.]

[And he lost.]

[All those years of growth had taken you far beyond him. Hulrei, despite countless battles and experience, was no match for your overwhelming might.]

[Sometimes, raw stats really do just win.]

[You saw the pride of a true wolf-king in Hulrei. After his defeat, he accepted his death with dignity—even smiling at the thought that the Buli now had a stronger, smarter leader.]

[You knew you'd never forget a foe like him.]

[Out of respect, after extracting the Crimson Moon from his chest, you ordered a proper burial.]

[By devouring the Crimson Moon, the divine relic of the Abundance Aeon, your bloodline reached its peak—surpassing even Dolan, the first Buli ever blessed.]

[But you knew—it still wasn't enough.]

[The Buli and Foxian races had inherent limits.]

[If you wanted to break free… then you could no longer remain a Buli—or a Foxian.]

[You made your choice. You fully absorbed the immense power of the Crimson Moon.]

[The overwhelming force of abundance surged through your body, threatening to drown you completely…]

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