Chapter 197: When Monsters Fight Monsters

The Tigers launched their attack. A piercing whistle and a bellow from Tavren Raukhan signalled the forward line to charge. The warriors moved with incredible speed, their reinforced legs propelling them across the shattered grounds. Spears were thrown from the front, their tips glowing with enchantment as they flew through the air. The mages behind them finished their incantations, unleashing their magic against the Wolf Crown.

The Wolves reacted quickly. "FORM UP!" The order was given by one of the clan elders and the warriors moved in perfect synchronisation. A few wolves dashed forward, their boots barely touching the ground. Others planted their weapons and created multiple defences. A Tiger warrior launched his spear into the mix, only for it to be caught by a wolf. The wolf twisted the weapon and hit the warrior under the jaw with the pommel of his sword. The Tiger barely flinched. He dropped his head and rammed forward, slamming into the wolf and throwing him through the stone boundary. However, another Wolf appeared behind the warrior. His claws glowed with wind mana as he swiped the Tiger’s legs from underneath him. The Tiger rolled on the ground, but stood up almost instantly and charged forward. His body was reinforced so he wasn’t fazed at all.

This was no ordinary battle. These were Beastfolk warriors who had spent their whole lives enhancing their bodies to go beyond human limits. Their claws, teeth, horns and tails were all weapons they had been trained to use with their magic. A sword would do little more than scratch their reinforced bodies and even if they suffered broken bones, they wouldn’t let that stop them. More Tigers charged forward. But the Lions had arrived.

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Garrath Goldmane hadn’t ordered them to attack, but the Tigers weren’t making any distinction between friend or foe. A group of Lion warriors had begun to retreat, but a Tiger mage had fired a mana projectile at them. It hit the floor, knocking a few of them off their feet and scattering burning pieces of debris across the courtyard. "PROTECT OUR PEOPLE!" The warriors roared back. Fire erupted as Lion mages unleashed their magic. The frontline warriors charged forward with their weapons drawn. A huge Lion slammed his two handed hammer into a Tiger’s shield, creating a shockwave which shattered the stone underneath them. The Tiger flew back, but flipped mid-air and landed on his hands. He instantly launched forward again, his claws out. Garrath frowned. He had hoped to get his people ready for battle, but his enemy had chosen the perfect time to cause confusion. However, now the Tigers had attacked there was no point letting them slaughter his warriors. He raised his hand and a ring of flaming mana appeared around his wrist. "KEEP THEM AWAY FROM THE CIVILIANS!" He unleashed a powerful jet of fire which caused the Tigers to scatter. Unfortunately, the fight had spread beyond the grounds. Several streets around them were filled with merchants, servants and families who had come to Varghelm to celebrate. The war had begun.

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Tanaka was stood in the centre of the destruction with Lynessa behind him. "GET HER TO SAFETY!" Nira instantly ran over and created a barrier of spirits to protect the anxious Catfolk girl. Sora stayed by them whilst Raishin and Raizen disappeared from where they were stood. A loud crack echoed as Raishin appeared. He punched the chest of the charging warrior. The Tiger flew back. Raishin landed a few feet away with his hand raised. "Lord Tanaka! There are lots of civilians in the eastern street!" Tanaka turned. A group of Beastfolk were stuck between the advancing Tigers and a collapsing building. A few of them were trying to run down a narrow alley, but a fire spell from a Lion mage hit the roof. The wooden beams caught fire and the building groaned. A large piece of the top floor began to fall onto the street. Tanaka vanished. A crack echoed through the air. He appeared underneath the falling structure and raised both his arms. He caught the falling beams. His feet dug into the stone floor, but he lifted the whole piece of the building above his head. The civilians stumbled out from underneath. A large Bearfolk grabbed two children and a Rabbitfolk woman dragged an injured merchant by the arm. "GET OUT OF HERE!" Tanaka waited until the last person had escaped and then flung the debris into an empty street. The huge building crashed down. He heard a scream. Another building was on fire. Tanaka turned. A Tiger mage had finished another spell. A ball of condensed mana flew down the street and hit the bottom floor of the building. The walls burst open and flames spread throughout. Tanaka arrived at the building almost instantly, but the explosion had already taken out the room where several civilians were hiding. He pulled the last survivors out. One of them was a young Rabbitfolk girl. He placed her next to her mother who had a deep wound across her side. The woman reached out towards him but her breathing stopped before he could shout for Relia. Tanaka stared. The little girl began to cry. He was too late.

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Sora was already fighting across the street. His blue slime body stretched across the floor. He had split into several long tendrils to pull the civilians out of the burning cart. A Tiger warrior tried to slice through one of the tendrils, but his sword just went through Sora. The slime tightened around the weapon and yanked the warrior off balance. He slammed into the floor. "STOP ATTACKING THEM!" The Tiger tried to stand. Sora expanded his body and slammed a large amount of slime into him. The warrior flew through the wall of an abandoned shop. The impact would have crushed an ordinary body, but the Tiger coughed and stood up. His reinforced arms pushed the rubble away. Sora frowned. "You’re so stubborn." He didn’t wait for an answer.

Nearby, Raizen was fighting a group of attackers who had surrounded the injured from the Wolf Crown. His claws slashed through spear tips, his jaws caught a heavy weapon and snapped it in half. His paws slammed into the floor causing cracks to form in the floor. A Tiger tried to sneak up behind him, but Raizen turned and sent him rolling across the street. Raishin was fighting further ahead. He was moving swiftly between his opponents using his Lightning Step. He was hitting his opponents with powerful punches, sending armoured warriors flying. One managed to grab his arm and slam his knee into his stomach, but Raishin barely flinched. He twisted his wrist and broke free. He punched the warrior and sent him flying through a merchant stall. "They aren’t your enemies!" The Tiger spat blood onto the floor. "Why are you fighting us?" Raishin had no answer.

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The fighting continued. Relia had set up a temporary medical station behind the Rabbitfolk delegation, but the injured civilians and warriors were arriving faster than she could heal them. She moved quickly between them. Her staff glowed as vines grew from the floor and lifted fallen beams away from the trapped civilians. When a fire spell got through her barrier she stepped in front of the injured and blasted a wave of life mana which created a protective barrier. The flames surrounded her. But she remained standing. Her clothes were scorched, but her body was already healing. She turned to face the mage. Her usual gentle face was gone. "PLEASE STOP!" The Tiger mage responded with another spell. Relia slammed her staff into the floor. Thick roots burst from the ground. They wrapped around his legs and pulled him into the floor. She left him there and moved to help those injured.

Raveana was impatient. She charged through the fighting Lions and Tigers. Her fists smashed weapons and sent armoured warriors flying. A spear flew into her side, but she grabbed the shaft and yanked the attacker towards her. She punched him across the jaw. The spear remained in her body until she pulled it out and threw it away. "ENOUGH!" She blasted a wave of mana, sending a few nearby warriors flying. Razer was fighting a group of Tigers head on. One of them swung a heavy axe into his shoulder, but it didn’t go deep enough to stop him. He grabbed the warrior by the chest, lifted him above his head and threw him into two others. All three flew through a stone fence. Drakar was fighting alongside him. His wyrmkin scales were taking the brunt of the fire spells. Sparks and pieces of mana flew off him. He charged through the flames and punched one mage in the back. He kicked another and sent them flying. Zephyr swooped down from the sky. His wings sliced through the smoke and blasted a powerful gust of wind at a group of attackers. Sylva and the Rabbitfolk healers were helping the civilians escape through the northern streets. A few Kijin warriors had joined Raishin to create a defence line. Everyone from Eldoris had a role to play. They were all fighting.

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Tanaka appeared from another falling building holding three injured Beastfolk. He placed them down near a group of healers and looked across at the battle. Everywhere he looked there was fighting. Spells were exploding and people were screaming for help. The Tigers had breached through several of the Wolf Crown’s formations and the Lions were fighting anyone who threatened their land. The Foxfolk had created illusion barriers to protect their injured, but they were beginning to fail. A loud bang echoed from the western avenue. Tanaka turned in time to see a group of Tigers running towards the escape route. A few civilians were still running through it. Some of them were injured children being carried by their parents. He took a step forward, but a flash of movement appeared across the street. Raizen appeared in front of the Tigers. His claws slashed across the floor. A wave of power forced the attackers off their feet and sent them flying back. He stood in front of them, his mane bristling as he released his Monster Lord aura. "NO FURTHER!" The Tigers hesitated. Their leader raised his weapon. "ATTACK!" Raizen dropped his head. The next clash echoed through the avenue.

Tanaka looked away and ran to another group of trapped civilians. His body was already healing from the damage caused by the bomb and his scales were fading from his arms and neck as his Dragon Transformation settled. He had enough power to destroy the battlefield, but he wouldn’t want to kill those he was trying to save. He had to be careful. He had to keep moving. A child was crying somewhere underneath the rubble. Tanaka ran towards the noise. The war had just begun and Varghelm was already suffering for their rulers hatred.