YumNovel Chapter 329: A Deeper Howl [1/5]
Chapter 329: A Deeper Howl [1/5]
Before the battle began, Solenne had advised Thoren to wait patiently.
At first, Thoren had been confused about why he needed to wait. However, after listening to her explanation, he realized that Solenne’s experience during her first beast tide had taught her a painful lesson.
During a beast tide, humans and Beastmen could not afford to reveal all their cards at once. Doing so would leave them vulnerable when the true danger finally appeared.
This was one of the reasons she had stationed reserve teams throughout the central streets for any unforeseen developments.
As the battle unfolded, her decision proved correct. If Riven, his men, and the Mantis Beastmen warriors had not left some forces inside the town, the town might have already fallen.
Even while the main group fought desperately beyond the walls, hidden threats had still managed to penetrate the defenses.
The reserve team had become the final barrier between survival and complete annihilation.
The second reason behind her insistence on waiting was even more important. Solenne wanted the battle to continue long enough for the beast tide to reveal all its cards.
According to her experience, powerful beasts were almost always hidden behind the main tide.
These creatures rarely revealed themselves early. Instead, they waited until the defenders exhausted their strength before striking.
Until those powerful creatures appeared, the battle had not truly reached its climax.
Only when they appeared then would the final outcome be decided. Either the beast tide would overwhelm the town and reduce it to ruins, or the defenders would hold their ground and drive the beasts back into the desert.
After realizing the reasoning behind her strategy, Thoren had little to argue about. He understood her logic and initially chose to follow her plan.
However, as the battle dragged on, the situation on the streets became increasingly grim. The cries of wounded humans and Mantis Men echoed through the town. Blood stained every corner.
Corpses piled up faster than the people could clear them away. Even though the strongest beasts behind the tide had yet to appear, Thoren found himself unable to remain idle any longer.
Every passing minute costs more lives. Any further delay would have resulted in complete slaughter.
The reserve teams would have been overwhelmed from every direction. Their desperate screams would have filled the air as they died one after another.
Thoren was not a soft hearted person.
He had killed too many enemies to pretend otherwise.
However, watching people die like insects while possessing the power to save them did not sit well with him.
He could not simply stand aside and observe. Therefore, he entered the battle before the beast tide had fully revealed its hand.
Standing atop the roof of the Crimson Arc Guild headquarters, Solenne watched as Thoren’s undead servants appeared throughout the streets below.
"T This..." she whispered.
Shock filled her eyes.
For a moment, she completely forgot the battle around her. More than ten undead servants had appeared simultaneously.
Just like everyone else, she was stunned by the sheer number under Thoren’s control.
"What happened to the four summon limit for Necromancers?" she muttered in disbelief.
The slight irritation she had felt over Thoren ignoring her plan vanished instantly. Instead, curiosity and disbelief took its place.
As she continued watching the battlefield, her shock only deepened. The power displayed by the undead servants left her speechless.
Her jaw slowly dropped.
Her eyes widened further.
Every second shattered another piece of her understanding.
Then she witnessed something that completely overturned everything she thought she knew about the Abyss.
A fallen Level 35 Greater Dune Scorpion suddenly twitched and a moment later, it rose from the dead.
Soul flames ignited within its eye sockets, and what followed next. The creature joined the undead formation as though it had always belonged there.
"T-This..."
Her voice caught in her throat.
"That’s insane..."
She no longer cared about maintaining her image as Guild Master.
In less than five minutes, the number of undead Greater Dune Scorpions had climbed close to ten.
Even worse, their numbers continued increasing.
Every dead beast became another undead soldier.
Every fallen beast strengthened Thoren’s army.
The battlefield itself had become a recruitment ground.
"How is he doing this?" she asked aloud.
"This should be impossible."
She desperately wanted to scream. Only years of discipline allowed her to maintain some composure. Unlike the ordinary warriors below, Solenne understood exactly how terrifying this ability was.
Her knowledge of the Abyss exceeded that of nearly everyone present.
Because of that knowledge, she recognized the true danger. In a siege battle, Thoren was effectively an army by himself. The more enemies he killed, the stronger he became.
The more enemies died, the larger his army grew.
Victory fed his strength.
Death empowered him.
The realization made her heart pound heavily against her chest. She struggled to find a reasonable explanation.
"There must be limits," she whispered.
"There has to be."
"He cannot possibly raise every corpse without restriction."
"That should be impossible. Right?"
"There must be a limitation somewhere." She tried desperately to rationalize what she was witnessing. She searched for some fragment of common sense.
Something that would make the situation understandable. Unfortunately, every passing moment weakened her conviction. The battlefield below continued proving her wrong.
Every new undead servant dealt another blow to her confidence.
Solenne possessed an A-Rank Talent.
Not just any A-Rank Talent.
A powerful one.
Throughout her journey in the abyss, it had been the source of her pride. There were even situations where she could compete against certain S Rank Talents.
Her talent had carried her through countless battles. It had allowed her to become Guild Master twice.
Once on the First Floor.
And once again on the Second Floor.
For years, she had believed that achievement alone was enough to stand above most people. Even against a S-Rank talents in some situation.
Yet now, standing upon the rooftop and staring at the silver haired young man commanding an ever-growing undead army, she suddenly felt that pride crumbling.
Compared to Thoren’s ability, her precious A Rank Talent seemed worthless. She could not even compare them.
The difference was overwhelming. The more she thought about it, the more bitter she felt.
Her expression soured.
An unpleasant taste filled her mouth.
For the first time in years, she felt genuine envy.
"Now I understand how his growth became so ridiculous," she said with a long sigh. Her shoulders slumped slightly.
"With an ability like this, how could he not steamroll every floor?"
She shook her head. Thinking about it further would only make her more frustrated. Until now, she had only heard the title.
The Grim Reaper.
Now she finally understood. The title was not an exaggeration.
It was a warning.
A cold shiver suddenly ran down her spine. Her body stiffened.
Her instincts screamed.
"What is this feeling?" she whispered.
Confusion filled her face.
Then it happened.
A deep howl echoed from beyond the town walls. The sound was so powerful that the air itself seemed to vibrate.
Boom! Boom!
The ground trembled violently.
Buildings shook.
Dust fell from rooftops.
The tremors spread throughout the town like a wave.
Something was approaching.
Something powerful.
Something capable of making both humans and Mantis Men uneasy. Standing upon the rooftop, Thoren narrowed his eyes.
His calm expression finally shifted slightly.
The tremors continued.
The howls grew louder.
And beyond the walls of Mantis Town, an even greater nightmare was drawing near.