My Love Debts Are Everywhere! - Chapter 480

Chapter 480: The Barbarian Army’s Defeat and Arshley’s Ambition
A few days later…

“Hah… Hah… Hah…”

In the center of the battlefield, Valen panted, exhaustion evident on his face.

Hundreds of meters around him, tens of thousands of barbarian corpses lay scattered in gruesome conditions.

“Finally, we won,” he murmured, a faint smile forming on his lips.

He straightened up, gripping the Holy Spear of Soaring Dragon in his right hand, then turned to Luna beside him.

“What about the remaining barbarians? Are they still resisting?” he asked, his voice heavy.

Luna, her beautiful face pale with fatigue, took a deep breath before shaking her head.

“Hundreds of thousands of their soldiers have acknowledged defeat and laid down their weapons in surrender,” she replied indifferently.

“Good.” Valen nodded in satisfaction. “Then let’s interrogate their leader.”

Luna remained silent and simply nodded. The two then made their way toward the barbarian leader, whose body was bound with magic ropes by twenty human soldiers.

Seeing Valen and Luna approach, the soldiers couldn’t hide their excitement.

“Greetings, heroes,” they greeted respectfully.

Valen and Luna responded with a slight nod before turning their attention to the burly man bound before them.

The man was massive, his bulging muscles stretching against his skin. Even kneeling, he still reached the soldiers’ chins.

His head was mostly bald, except for a strip of long red hair tied into a ponytail.

Scars covered his muscular body, including his face, making him look even more fierce and intimidating.

As Valen and Luna approached, his expression turned cold, though it barely concealed the fire of rage burning within him.

“Your forces have already lost,” Valen said casually. “They’ve surrendered and laid down their weapons. But a soldier’s surrender means nothing if their leader hasn’t done the same. So, what about you? Will you surrender?”

Hearing the mockery in Valen’s words, the barbarian leader seethed with fury but held himself back.

He was in the enemy’s grasp now. One wrong move could mean the end of his soldiers.

Taking a deep breath, he scoffed and asked coldly, “And if I refuse?”

As if expecting the response, Valen let out a small chuckle.

“Then, of course… your entire army will pay the price. I hate unnecessary slaughter, and frankly, I’m too lazy to kill those who’ve already surrendered. But if you force my hand, I won’t hesitate.”

“A threat… This is definitely a threat!” The barbarian leader cursed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do.

As much as he despised it, Valen was right. The fate of his entire army rested in his hands.

If he remained stubborn, he had no doubt that Valen would carry out his threat without hesitation.

With a long sigh, he finally gave in. “Alright, I surrender.”

His words struck like a hammer, leaving the barbarian soldiers in despair. Yet, they understood—it was the only choice.

Resisting would mean throwing their lives away for nothing.

Valen nodded in satisfaction. “Since you’ve surrendered, we won’t kill you. But you will still be detained.”

With that, he and Luna ordered the human soldiers to restrain the remaining barbarian forces—roughly one hundred thousand men.

It was a massive number, but still less than half of their original army of two hundred and fifty thousand.

In other words, one hundred and fifty thousand barbarian soldiers had perished at the hands of Valen, Luna, and the forces of mankind.

With such a staggering number of casualties, it was easy to understand why the barbarian soldiers and their leader chose to surrender.

Behind Valen, Luna observed the captured barbarians standing in neat rows, their hands bound with long ropes.

Her gaze then drifted to Valen at the front, and before she realized it, a faint smile formed on her lips.

“Looks like I was right. Valen is even taller than the average barbarian,” she murmured softly. “If not for the fact that he was born in the Holy Empire of Elysium, I might have mistaken him for one of them.”

Meanwhile, as Valen focused on organizing the prisoners, a sudden itch prickled his ears.

“Weird… Is someone talking about me behind my back?” he thought, puzzled.

***

News of Valen, Luna, and humanity’s victory over the barbarian army spread like wildfire across the Holy Orthodox region and the cities once ruled by the Holy Empire of Elysium.

Many were stunned, finding it hard to believe. But with undeniable proof, there was no room for doubt.

“I never expected humanity’s army and the heroes to defeat the barbarians so quickly.”

“Yes, you’re right. I can hardly believe it myself. In the past, both the Holy Empire of Elysium and the Holy Orthodox failed to defeat the barbarians, yet now they’ve been conquered so easily. Is this the result of humanity uniting under a single rule? Truly remarkable!”

“Tsk! Even though it’s hard to accept that our Empire has fallen, I don’t resent the current state of affairs. In fact, under Saint Arshley and the Holy Orthodox, leadership is far better than it was under Holy Emperor Velix.”

Across the former territory of the Holy Empire of Elysium, people voiced their opinions.

Some were indifferent, but many praised Arshley and humanity’s army for their decisive victory over the barbarians.

For the newly formed Arshley-led government, the spread of such positive sentiment was an excellent sign.

After all, public satisfaction was a testament to a nation’s stability.

“What do you think of the outcome of this war, Edward?”

Seated on a white garden chair, Arshley gazed directly at Edward, who sat across from her.

Hearing her question, Edward simply smiled and took a sip of his tea.

“It’s certainly good news for all of us,” he replied casually. “With this victory, we gain the momentum needed to strengthen our newly established government.”

The barbarian attacks didn’t come as a surprise to him. After all, in the past, both the Holy Empire of Elysium and the Holy Orthodox had repeatedly invaded their lands—only to fail each time.

It would be a lie to say they held no grudges against either of them.

Unfortunately, he had never been certain when that resentment would reach its breaking point—until it finally erupted into an all-out assault on the Holy Orthodox and the Holy Empire of Elysium.

When the Holy Empire of Elysium collapsed and the Holy Orthodox began uniting humanity, he had a strong premonition that this was the moment the barbarians would strike.

As expected, they launched their attack. Fortunately, he had anticipated it well in advance, ensuring they weren’t caught off guard.

Edward’s words brought a sense of relief to Arshley. With a firm nod, she commanded, “In that case, send my message to Valen and Luna—tell them to advance and strike the barbarians’ territory. It’s time we unify the surrounding lands in preparation for the Evil God’s arrival!”

Edward’s expression turned serious as he responded, “As you command, Saint!”