si-mexico Chapter 325: A Close Call
Chapter 325: A Close Call
Standing on the roof of the nearest building close to the town gate, Thoren watched the chaos rapidly approaching the town.
A thick, suffocating tension hung over the settlement like a sword poised above everyone’s neck.
The previously bustling streets were now completely empty.
Doors were shut tightly.
Windows were barred.
Children hid behind their parents, trembling in fear even though they did not fully understand what was happening.
Outside the town walls, Mantis Beastmen and human awakeners stood shoulder to shoulder.
Weapons were unsheathed.
Hands trembled.
Many who had never witnessed a beast tide before could not stop shaking.
Some even thought about fleeing.
But where could they run?
Hiding inside the town was not an option.
Every awakener had been ordered onto the battlefield by the Crimson Arc Guild.
There were no exceptions.
Staring at the massive cloud of crimson dust growing larger by the second, nobody dared speak.
Nobody dared move.
Silence.
Vibration.
Those were the only things they felt.
Suddenly, the ground in front of the defensive line exploded.
Boom!
Hundreds of Bone Crushing Wyrms erupted from beneath the crimson sand.
Their horrifying shrieks pierced the battlefield.
Ahhh! Ahhh!
"Kill them!"
"Kill them quickly!"
The fragile silence shattered instantly.
The carefully organized formation broke apart as warriors rushed forward to intercept the beasts.
The Mantis Beastmen moved with incredible agility.
Their long legs blurred across the battlefield as they dodged ambushes from below.
Bang! Bang!
Weapons crashed repeatedly.
Steel collided with claws.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Human battle cries mixed with the shrieks of the beasts.
The defenders desperately tried to eliminate the Bone Crushing Wyrms before the true beast tide arrived.
Unfortunately, the Bone Crushing Wyrms were far from easy opponents. Their bodies were covered in thick armored plates.
Even direct attacks often failed to kill them.
"They are here!" someone screamed.
The warning spread through the battlefield instantly and everyone raised their heads.
Their faces turned pale.
Thousands.
Thousands of Bone Crushing Wyrms.
Thousands of Lesser Dune Scorpions.
Thousands of Greater Dune Scorpions.
They surged forward like an unstoppable ocean of death.
"We’re doomed."
A vanguard could not stop himself from muttering those words.
His face was devoid of color.
Everyone knew beast tides were terrifying. However, seeing one with their own eyes was a completely different experience.
Fear invaded their heart, yet nobody retreated.
If they ran now, the town behind them would fall and without the town, the only thing waiting for them was death in the desert.
Thus...
Under the threat of death, both humans and Mantis Beastmen pushed themselves beyond their limits.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The collision between both sides intensified immediately.
Beasts fell by the dozens.
Humans fell.
Mantis Beastmen fell.
The crimson sands quickly became soaked in fresh blood.
Human blood.
Beast blood.
Mantis blood.
Everything mixed together.
The desert floor already resembled a sea of blood.
Now it truly became one.
Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!
"S-Someone help me!"
"My leg!"
"No! Stay away from me!"
The battlefield transformed into a living nightmare.
Arms flew through the air.
Legs tumbled across the ground.
Heads rolled through pools of blood.
Broken armor littered the battlefield.
Shattered weapons were everywhere.
Most human awakeners still wielded Iron Grade weapons. Against Level 30 beasts and above, such weapons revealed their greatest weakness.
Crack!
Blades snapped apart.
Spears shattered.
Axes broke into pieces.
Many awakeners lost their weapons at the worst possible moment. And when that happened, death followed immediately.
The Bone Crushing Wyrms tore through both humans and Mantis Beastmen alike.
Their massive jaws crushed bodies as though they were made from brittle glass.
Some victims were swallowed whole.
Their screams vanished into the darkness of the beasts’ throats.
Meanwhile, the Lesser and Greater Dune Scorpions unleashed carnage everywhere.
Their giant pincers snapped shut repeatedly.
Crack!
Bodies were severed in half.
Blood erupted into the air.
Their venomous stingers struck relentlessly.
Each strike claimed another victim.
The sturdy carapaces covering their bodies deflected countless attacks.
Many awakeners watched in despair as their weapons failed to penetrate the creatures’ defenses.
"Hold your ground!" Orric roared.
Veins bulged across his forehead. Sweat mixed with blood across his face.
He swung his weapon in a powerful arc.
Bang!
A Lesser Dune Scorpion was launched backward.
Without hesitation, Orric charged after it.
He plunged his weapon directly into one of its eyes and then, the beast convulsed violently before collapsing.
Whoosh!
Before Orric could celebrate, the ground beneath him suddenly collapsed and a massive Bone Crushing Wyrm burst upward.
Its enormous mouth opened wide.
Rows of razor sharp teeth rushed toward him.
Everything slowed.
The sounds of battle faded away.
Orric watched death rushing toward him.
He wanted to retreat.
He wanted to dodge.
But it was already too late.
The beast was upon him.
Just as despair began consuming him, a deafening impact echoed nearby.
Bang!
The Bone Crushing Wyrm was blasted sideways.
A deep wound split open across its neck.
Black blood sprayed into the air.
The beast released a mournful shriek.
Without hesitation, it attempted to retreat underground.
Bang!
Bang!
A gigantic axe descended repeatedly. Before everyone, the Wyrm’s neck separated completely from its body.
Blood poured from the wound like a broken dam.
"You idiot." Kiera turned toward the frozen Orric.
A grin stretched across her face. "Use your head, muscle brain."
"I knew you would die without me." She casually shook the blood from her axe.
Then she charged toward an approaching Greater Dune Scorpion.
"Remember."
"You owe me ten sparring matches when this is over."
Her action was swift and decisive, wielding the massive Axe as if they weigh nothing. Girls love slim and agile weapons but not her.
She loved fighting, the taste of metallic liquid in her mouth gave her a rush of adrenaline that nothing could compare with.
Looking at her back, Orric stood speechless. For a brief moment, the terrifying battlefield seemed distant. Then a relieved smile appeared on his face.
"Thank you." He tightened his grip on his weapon.
The close brush with death had disappeared and In its place was renewed determination.
Taking a deep breath, he rushed back into battle.
"Die!" He shouted.