Chapter 416: A War That Would Become a Legend
They thought the battle was yet to start, but they were wrong.
The battle had already long started, and the rules of the game were not decided by them but by their enemies.
From the very moment they left Scorpion City, they had already stepped into Thoren’s battlefield.
Every movement they made.
All of it was already under Thoren’s control.
Under the undead Echo Scarabs, all their actions were as clear as day to Thoren. The tiny undead scouts silently hovered high above the battlefield.
What the Scorpion Army scouts found was nothing but an illusion to confuse them.
The undead army Thoren deliberately revealed was only a tiny portion of his true strength. They thought their enemies numbered only over one thousand, but they were wrong.
Very wrong.
Beyond the towering dunes, thousands upon thousands of undead patiently waited. Ready to strike.
Standing on his mount, he turned his head and looked in the direction where the messengers went and sneered.
His deep blue eyes remained calm. Everything was proceeding exactly according to his expectations.
How could he let them send back the message?
Whoosh!
With a mental command, three undead Sanguine Vultures rose from the ground and shot into the sky.
Their blade wings cut through the air and they accelerated almost instantly. Their speed was so fast it almost broke the sound barrier.
Only faint streaks remained behind them.
Within moments, they completely disappeared into the crimson sky.
With the assassins dispatched, he shifted his focus toward the direction where the Scorpion Army would appear.
There was no need for him to watch the messengers any longer.
Their fate had already been decided.
Four undead Gravemind Devourers were positioned, waiting quietly for Thoren’s commands.
They remained completely motionless.
Only the eerie soul flames within their eye sockets burned steadily. For such a large-scale war, Thoren did not intend to put all the mental strain upon his own spirit.
Commanding thousands of undead simultaneously demanded tremendous concentration.
Even though he rarely used the undead Gravemind Devourers, he never forgot about them. They had always remained one of his hidden trump cards.
And now, it was time for them to demonstrate their might.
Their mission was simple.
Control the other undead and overwhelm the Scorpion Army.
The Scorpion Army was divided into four battalions, and he presented them with four undead Gravemind Devourers.
Each would pick its targets.
Each would independently command a section of the undead legion.
Quickly, the distance was closing, and Thoren could already feel the tremors from the Scorpion Army rushing toward him.
The crimson sand continuously shook beneath the advancing army. He slowly closed his eyes for a brief moment.
Every undead under his command quietly responded. Thousands of soul flames flickered simultaneously.
Meanwhile, far from what would soon become the battleground, the five messenger squads were pushing their mounts to run even faster.
The Greater Dune Scorpions sprinted across the desert.
Sand exploded behind them.
Their only mission was to deliver the General’s message to Scorpion City. None of them noticed the shadows silently descending from above.
And then...
Swiss! Swiss! Swiss!
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air at an alarming speed. The sound came and disappeared almost instantly.
Before any Scorpion Messenger could understand what was going on, three messengers fell off their mounts.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Their bodies split apart evenly.
Blood splashed across the crimson sand.
Their upper and lower bodies landed several meters apart. They died before even realizing they had been attacked.
Screech! Screech!
The three Greater Dune Scorpions let out horrified screeches when they discovered their masters were gone.
Confusion filled their crimson eyes.
As for the remaining two Messengers, their expressions turned ugly. Every instinct within them screamed.
Danger.
Swiss! Swiss!
They desperately searched for where the danger was coming from.Their heads turned in every direction.
Yet, they found nothing. Before they even have the chance to react.
Their bodies were split cleanly into two.
Blood splattered into the air.
Their bodies fell off their mounts.
The Greater Dune Scorpions beneath them barely managed a few more steps before several gleaming blades descended once more.
Swiss! Swiss! Swiss!
In less than three seconds, both the messengers and their mounts were slaughtered. Their bodies scattered across the crimson sand.
Silence quickly returned to the area, leaving only the fresh blood that slowly seeped into the desert sand.
As for the attackers, they were nowhere to be found.
The three undead Sanguine Vultures had already disappeared into the sky. It was as if the messengers had been attacked by the very desert itself.
No witnesses.
No survivors.
Unknown to the General, his messenger squad had been slaughtered, and the message would never reach the King.
The desert silently swallowed every trace of their existence.
Everything was proceeding exactly according to Thoren’s calculations.
Climbing the last dune, the Scorpion Army finally saw the enemy waiting in the distance. Thousands of pairs of crimson eyes instantly locked onto the motionless figures ahead.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
Leading the charge, the three Commanders raised their weapons, their voices echoing throughout the desert.
The deafening battle cries rolled across the endless dunes. The morale of the Scorpion Army soared once again.
Every soldier accelerated.
Every Greater Dune Scorpion let out savage screeches.
Today, the Bleeding Desert was going to witness a war that had never happened for many centuries.
A war unlike any before it.
A war between life and death.
A war that would later become a legend.
One that future generations would remember with fear.
Standing at the center of the undead army, Thoren’s lips curled upward slightly.
His expression remained calm. His deep blue eyes quietly watched the rapidly approaching army.
Anyone familiar with the Grim Reaper would know what that expression meant.
A slaughter was about to begin.
He slowly raised one hand and his black robe fluttered beneath the desert wind.
"Kill."
His calm voice instantly spread through the mental link. Every undead received the same order simultaneously.
Screech!
The frozen undead army reacted and began to move. At first, their movements were slow.
But with each passing second, they picked up speed.
Soon...
The slow march transformed into a terrifying charge.
Thousands of undead rushed forward simultaneously. To the Scorpion Army, they only saw merely one thousand undead army.
Failing to see the horror that was going to welcome.
Under their charge, the earth shook beneath their overwhelming numbers. The four massive brains, the undead Gravemind Devourers, also took command of their legions.
Each moved toward its designated target.
Their grotesque bodies pulsed rhythmically.
Invisible waves of undead mental energy spread outward.
Under their command, the surrounding undead formations immediately became far more organized.
Each undead legion moved like a living organism.
Tension rose like never before.
The distance separating the two armies rapidly shrank. The deafening footsteps of both sides merged into one overwhelming roar.
The three bloody moons gradually dimmed.
Dark clouds silently drifted across the sky.
Even the desert wind seemed to disappear.
The Bleeding Desert itself appeared to hold its breath. Just as the distance between the two sides drew nearer...
A strange, deadly aura suddenly permeated the air for a brief second.
Every living creature instinctively felt it.
The Scorpion Soldiers unconsciously shivered. Their Greater Dune Scorpions became restless.
Even the undead army briefly slowed.
Time itself seemed to freeze.
And then...
***
[AN: 2 Bonus Chapters shall be release tomorrow.]
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