The Major Gods of the War Faction watched closely as the matchup chart appeared on the large screen.

Han Wu looked up and saw that his opponent was a contestant named Zhu Yu.

At the same time, Zhu Yu was already staring at Han Wu from a distance. As Han Wu scanned the crowd, their eyes met, and Han Wu noticed the badge on Zhu Yu’s chest. Zhu Yu was also from the War Family.

No need for courtesy, then.

The commencement of the matches saw all sixty-four contestants being teleported to their respective arenas. Mere seconds after Han Wu entered, he heard seven notifications signifying that seven contestants had forfeited.

Seven War Family members had advanced to the top thirty-two without lifting a finger. Han Wu scoffed. He never thought the War Faction would rig things so openly.

Noticing his expression, Zhu Yu smirked. “War comes in many forms. Buying off opponents behind the scenes is just another kind of warfare. Those who forfeited didn’t lose out either. Their compensation will definitely be more than what you’ll be left with after this.”

“And what do you think I’ll be left with?”

“No idea, but I’ve heard your core race is pretty weak. You might not even survive the first round!” Zhu Yu pointed at the sky.

Han Wu peered up and saw the first round’s requirements displayed across the sky.

[Fodder War!]

[Requirements: No Heroic rank or above units allowed on the battlefield. Contestants themselves are prohibited from fighting.]

Han Wu’s expression turned solemn. This rule felt strangely specific.

“Don’t doubt the rules,” Zhu Yu said confidently. “All Grand War Games follow the same format. There are six battles to make it from the top sixty-four to first place, each with different rules. The goal is to select a well-rounded champion for the Three Armies seat.

“Han Wu, your profile has been shared across the War Families’ intelligence network. Your personal strength is impressive, but that doesn’t mean you’re our match when it comes to units.

“One last warning: don’t underestimate any of the War Families, especially those whose entire foundation is built on warfare!”

Han Wu was growing impatient with Zhu Yu’s blabbering. “Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?”

“Since you won’t listen, let’s fight.” Zhu Yu huffed. “We’ll see who has the last laugh.”

With that, Zhu Yu opened his divine realm and summoned his units. Massive, well-armored orcs carrying giant clubs, warhammers, and battle axes marched out in squad formation. Each squad consisted of a hundred Common orcs, ten Elite orc warriors, and one Unique orc captain. Over 10 million of these squads emerged. Zhu Yu had clearly invested considerable effort into training his units.

“My orcs are Common by birth, but their natural defense and regeneration are outstanding,” Zhu Yu boasted. “Their overall combat power is no less than that of a natural Elite life form. Your locusts’ self-destruct tactic won’t work on them.”

Han Wu scanned the orcs. Their stats appeared before him.

If he were allowed to fight personally, a single attack would wipe them all out. Unfortunately, the rules only permitted Unique units and below, putting Han Wu at a disadvantage. His units were individually weak, and fodder war was not his strong suit. Still, it was too late to back out, so Han Wu summoned every eligible unit he had.

His Microcosms descended and opened their gates. A swarm of locusts blotted out the sky. Common locusts, Bomber Locusts, Magma Locusts, Primal Locusts, Heavenly Demon Insects, Abyss Bugs, Dark Curse Bugs, and more flew out. There were over a hundred billion of them.

The sheer numbers astonished Zhu Yu, but it was still somewhat within his expectations. He knew from the gathered intelligence that Han Wu’s unit count was enormous. Unbeknownst to Zhu Yu, however, this was merely the start.

Next came the Epistian legion at roughly 5 million strong, each a Unique life form dressed in fine mage robes. Then came the minotaur legion, the Tigermen legion, the half-dragon legion, the Scorching Dwarf legion, and more. One well-equipped force after another appeared.

Zhu Yu’s face darkened with each new one, but even then, Han Wu wasn’t quite done yet.

Following the units came a massive tide of rats from Han Wu’s Life Microcosm. The dense black swarm would give anyone with musophobia a heart attack.

Zhu Yu was already regretting his alliance with the other War Family members. They had agreed to use any means necessary to drain Han Wu’s strength, making it hard for him to forfeit without possible consequences from the others.

Despite this, Han Wu was still not yet at his limit. Another wave of 100 billion different species of life forms emerged from his Microcosms. These were units that had undergone Random Evolution, and each bore the mark of Han Wu’s core race.

Zhu Yu stared at the wave upon wave of enemies surrounding his orc army, on the verge of breaking down. Rats in front, beast hordes behind, the various species on both flanks, and the locusts raining death from above. This was an unwinnable battle.

“This arena’s a bit small,” Han Wu said offhandedly. “I can only fit about two-thirds of my fodder units here. The last third depends on how well you do.”

His words tipped Zhu Yu over the edge. This is only two-thirds?! Where’s the humanity? The intelligence report said that Han Wu’s units were weak! They’re individually weak, yes, but the report should’ve been clearer about the numbers! A lot and a trillion aren’t the same thing!

Zhu Yu suspected the intelligence gatherers were stupid. After a few seconds of serious thought, he raised his hand and announced, “I forfeit!”

The agreement with the other War Family members can go straight to hell.

There was no point in fighting against this many fodder troops. Even if all of Zhu Yu’s units died, they would almost certainly not make a dent in even a tenth of Han Wu’s forces. The impact on Han Wu would be practically zero. So why bother? 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Zhu Yu’s forfeit annoyed Han Wu. He had been gearing up for action, ready to give his units a workout. Yet, the opponent had quit right after he had taken the time to summon them.

Nevertheless, the Grand War Games were fair, and after confirming Zhu Yu’s forfeit, Han Wu was declared the winner of the first match, advancing him to the top thirty-two.

Han Wu sighed as Zhu Yu’s orcs were recalled.

How much would my Slaughter Jurisdiction have progressed if I had slaughtered all those orcs? How many treasures would Sacrifice have produced? Next time, I won’t give my opponent a chance to surrender!