Chapter 168: Settle the scores (4)

Corpse Explosion

In a fraction of a second, the hundreds of corpses piled beneath the feet of the Morveth lit up with a pale green light, seeping from between their decaying flesh and broken bones. The bloated bodies began to tremble before their features distorted further, as if something terrifying was awakening inside them.

Then, they exploded.

BOOOOOM!

The entire Bloodmire Forest shook under the force of a series of simultaneous explosions. Explosive shockwaves of green and red swept through the narrow passages, tearing apart the ranks of the Morveth that had crowded over the corpses, unaware of the trap they had fallen into.

Bodies were blasted into the air, and shattered bones turned into deadly shrapnel that pierced the surrounding monsters.

Shockwaves swept across the battlefield, carrying with them blood and severed limbs, while nearby trees collapsed under the sheer force of the blasts.

But Malrik did not stop there.

As soon as the first wave of Morveth fell, their fresh corpses became fuel for another wave of destruction.

BOOOOOOOM!

Malrik unleashed his skill again, targeting the corpses scattered among the dead and wounded. They, too, detonated before the surviving monsters could even regain their balance.

Explosion after explosion, Malrik gave his enemies no chance to catch their breath.

The more of them that fell, the more corpses became available to feed the slaughter. Their attempt to crush him with sheer numbers had turned into a vicious cycle of death and destruction.

What had seemed like a desperate retreat moments ago was now revealed to be a meticulously laid trap.

The Morveth had rushed in massive numbers into the exact area Malrik had chosen. Now, their very multitude made escaping the explosions even harder, while the bodies of the dead transformed into fuel for fresh waves of devastation.

It was one of the ideal environments for the Necromancer class to unleash its full power and destructive potential.

But even the most brutal of massacres could not last forever.

As the final waves of explosions subsided, the number of Morveth within the trap’s radius began to dwindle rapidly.

There were no longer enough piled-up bodies to trigger a continuous chain of detonations, and the vast majority of the monsters trapped in the heart of the slaughter had already been annihilated.

Malrik lowered his hand, stopping the use of [Corpse Explosion].

It wasn’t because his power had run dry, but rather because the trap had fulfilled its intended purpose.

The remaining Morveth began retreating from the shattered paths as clouds of dust and smoke slowly rose, revealing the forest floor, now covered in blood and scattered remains.

Malrik observed the scene in silence, waiting for his opponent’s reaction.

He had given that creature ample time to realize what had just happened. And yet, it had remained hidden throughout the entire massacre, even after its legions were turned into a massive graveyard.

How long will you remain in hiding?

The thought had barely crossed his mind before something in the atmosphere shifted.

It wasn’t the sound of an explosion, nor the shriek of a monster. Instead, a violent gust of wind swept across the battlefield, forcing Malrik to raise his gaze toward the sky.

Massive shadows blotted out whatever remained of the sky’s pale light.

A colossal hybrid bird was soaring above the forest. It possessed the head of a bird of prey with a sharp, hooked beak, and broad wings covered in dark feathers with blade-like tips. Its torso, however, resembled that of a giant human, boasting a broad chest, powerful shoulders, and muscular arms that ended in long black claws.

Despite its grotesque appearance, its movements in the air were steady and majestic, while its powerful legs ended in raptor-like talons that held a tight grip on two massive bodies.

Malrik did not seem surprised. His eyes locked onto the two bodies, and the last remnants of his smile faded from his face.

Suddenly, the bird released its grip.

The two entities plummeted toward the ground like meteors. They slammed into the earth with enough force to shatter the rocks beneath their feet, sending a shockwave of dirt and gravel bursting outward.

Malrik did not move from his spot, but his full attention sharpened on them.

One of the silhouettes moved within the dust cloud, eventually stepping out of it with slow, deliberate steps.

The first was a slender creature with a dark body. Thick white fur covered its neck and draped over its shoulders. Massive, branching blood-red horns rose from its head, while its face took on a distorted, wolf-like appearance, sporting an elongated jaw and protruding teeth beneath taut lips. Its eyes glowed a crimson red, and trails of blood seeped from between its fangs, while its fingers ended in long, razor-sharp claws.

There was none of the feral savagery of the Morveth that had just charged at Malrik in its movements. It moved with an unsettling calmness, as if it saw nothing in the ruined battlefield worthy of its attention.

As for the second entity, it was its complete polar opposite.

Its massive body towered like a mountain of tightly packed muscle, covered in pale purple skin resembling lifeless flesh that had somehow retained its toughness.

Its long face extended forward with harsh, rugged features, while its red eyes glowed deep within sunken sockets. Huge horns curved backward from its head, and it stood on two legs that ended in heavy hooves.

Thick metal chains were wrapped around its wrists and waist. The links ground against each other with every movement, letting out a grating clatter amidst the silence that was beginning to fall over the battlefield.

The two stood side by side. Despite the stark contrast in their builds, they shared one thing in common: neither resembled the Mortal- or Awakened-rank Morveth that had flooded the forest.

They are the Fallen-rank guards Lilith told me about.

At that moment, the colossal hybrid bird finally landed behind the two monsters. Its talons struck the earth forcefully, and its broad wings folded at its sides as dust scattered around its feet.

Malrik did not avert his gaze from the three creatures. He began to assess the situation, scrutinizing the bird that had carried the two guards all this way.

Despite its enormous size and predatory appearance, Malrik did not sense the power he had expected from it. After examining its aura carefully, the truth became clear.

The bird was of the Awakened rank, not the Fallen rank.

But that only left Malrik more puzzled, raising another question in his mind.

Ever since the battle began, Malrik had felt a suffocating pressure looming over the forest—a pressure far exceeding what could be explained by the sheer numbers of the Morveth or even the appearance of two Fallen-rank guards. With the bird’s landing, the source of that pressure had drawn closer, yet Malrik couldn’t sense it coming from any of the three creatures in front of him.

Then, he noticed something he had initially overlooked.

There was a figure sitting quietly atop the back of the hybrid bird.

He wasn’t massive, nor did he adopt a stance that suggested a readiness for battle. And yet, the moment his aura emanated, the demeanor of the two monsters that had fallen from the sky drastically shifted.

The heads of the red-horned monster and the massive chain-bound beast lowered. Then, they knelt before him, bowing their heads in absolute submission.

Noting their behavior, Malrik’s eyes shifted from the two guards to the figure seated atop the bird’s back. He watched him in silence, trying to understand what could possibly make two Fallen-rank entities submit so easily.

And in that moment, his eyes widened in genuine shock.

The entity sitting atop the bird was not a colossal monster as he had expected. Instead, he had a humanoid body, short in stature and remarkably slender.

Long black hair hung over his face, concealing his eyes and half his features, while his skin was a pale blue, like that of a corpse long drained of life.

His expression was cold and vacant, showing neither anger nor excitement, as if the massacre the forest had just witnessed was of no concern to him whatsoever.

Yet, what surrounded him was far from calm.

Dark, near-black blue mana flowed around his body, writhing in the air like threads of living smoke.

His aura wasn’t explosive or overwhelming in its display. Instead, it exuded a crushing pressure that spread across the battlefield, making its presence felt by everything around him.

His spindly arms extended from beneath his dark clothing, his fingers ending in long, razor-sharp black nails. However, that wasn’t the most repulsive aspect of his appearance.

Embedded directly into the flesh of his arms, scattered along their length, were glassy red eyes. Their pupils darted in different directions as the eyes blinked and scanned their surroundings, as if they could perceive things beyond the reach of human sight.

For a moment, even Malrik felt as though he was no longer facing a creature with eyes to observe the world, but an entity capable of watching him from every possible direction.

The picture was finally becoming clear to Malrik.

That small creature was the reason behind everything that had happened.

The suffocating pressure hanging over the forest, the madness that had driven the Morveth to charge at him without regard for their own lives, and the creature’s decision to remain hidden throughout the slaughter despite the fate of its legions... all of it was undoubtedly connected to him.

He had finally found the mastermind behind it all, and the target he had come to this forest to kill.