I Built a Divine Zoo in Another World

Chapter 119: The March to the Lair (2)

The march slowly resumed through the forest.

This time, however, no one relaxed. The swords remained unsheathed, spears stayed pointed toward the vegetation, and the two mages kept mana constantly circulating through their bodies, ready to cast spells at any moment. The silence was absolute, broken only by the sound of hooves and the rustling of leaves.

Lukas observed everything from atop the healer’s horse. His eagle eyes pierced through the shadows between the trees, following small figures that disappeared as quickly as they appeared.

They were being followed. There was no doubt about it. Hundreds of tiny red eyes watched them without pause. None of the rats attacked. They merely followed. Like scouts.

The second attack came less than ten minutes later. Without any warning, six wolf-sized rats leaped from an embankment. They did not try to reach the knights. They did not even look at them. Every one of them dove straight for the horses’ legs.

"Protect the mounts!" Clavor shouted.

The swords came down immediately. Four monsters died before reaching their target. But two managed to sink their teeth violently into a horse’s hind legs before being decapitated. The animal reared up, neighing in pain.

"Keep moving!" Hark ordered. It was not worth stopping.

The third attack came from the left. This time there were nearly twenty rats. Once again, they completely ignored the men. They ran beneath the shields. They dodged the spears. All to reach the horses’ legs. The soldiers killed them quickly, but three more mounts were wounded.

Lukas frowned.

"They... are doing this on purpose..."

The mage noticed it as well.

"They’re not even trying to attack us."

The fourth attack was even stranger. Swarms of smaller rats appeared. Tiny. Agile. Difficult to hit. They darted between the horses’ legs like shadows. They bit tendons. They tore muscles. Then they fled immediately. Many died. But others managed to escape. More animals began to limp.

The wind mage wiped the blood that had splattered onto his clothes.

"This isn’t normal behavior."

Hark remained silent. His expression grew increasingly serious.

The fifth attack came shortly afterward. It was the largest so far. More than fifty rats appeared at once. Large ones. Small ones. Some leaped from the trees. Others emerged from burrows hidden among the roots.

The battle lasted only a few minutes. The soldiers won again. Not a single man suffered even a scratch. But the price finally became apparent.

Every horse was injured. Some limped badly. Others could barely put weight on one of their front legs. Even Count Hark’s enormous black horse was breathing heavily. It too had been bitten several times.

The healer looked at the animals. Her hand tightened around her staff. For a moment, she seemed ready to cast another healing spell. But she took a deep breath.

"I can’t..."

Clavor looked at her.

She shook her head.

"I’ve already spent too much mana healing the first horses. If I keep casting spells now, I may not have enough energy left when someone truly needs it."

No one argued. They all knew she was right. Injuries to the men could mean deaths. The horses... unfortunately, were a lower priority.

Count Hark slowly dismounted. He looked at his horse for several seconds. Then he gently stroked the animal’s neck.

"You all did a good job."

The horse let out a low neigh. Hark turned to the others.

"Everyone dismount."

The soldiers obeyed immediately.

"We’re leaving the horses here."

A few men hesitated. One of them asked,

"My lord... what if they’re attacked?"

Hark looked toward the forest.

"If we keep riding them, they’ll die anyway."

He paused briefly.

"From here on, we continue on foot."

Clavor nodded.

"It’ll be easier to protect one another."

The soldiers began removing bags, spare spears, and equipment fastened to the saddles. Lukas climbed down with the healer’s help. Tilbo remained by his side. Prata quickly climbed a tree. Astra landed on a branch above them.

Everything felt strangely quiet. Too quiet.

Then...

’SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!’

The screech tore through the forest like a blade. It was so loud that Lukas felt his ears ache. Before he could recover... another answered. Then another. Another. And another. Within seconds... the entire forest was singing. Thousands. Tens of thousands. An infernal symphony of screeches echoed from every direction.

The trees trembled. Leaves fell from the branches. The abandoned horses began neighing in panic. The ground shook.

A chill ran down Lukas’s spine.

Then they appeared. First, dozens. Then, hundreds. Then... it became impossible to count. Rats poured out from everywhere. They climbed down tree trunks. They leaped from branches. They scaled rocks. They emerged from burrows hidden beneath the roots. The very ground seemed alive.

There were ordinary rats, the same size as those that had existed before the corruption. Others were as large as dogs. Many were the size of wolves. Some walked on four muscular legs covered with black armor-like plates.

Others had two heads, each letting out different screeches at the same time. Lukas saw one whose long purplish tail left behind small drops of a dark liquid that burned the vegetation wherever it passed. Another had bony spikes growing along its back.

There were creatures without eyes. Others had far too many. It was as if the corruption had created countless variations of the same species.

The horde completely surrounded the group. There was not a single open direction.

Count Hark showed no hesitation whatsoever. His voice rang out firmly.

"Defensive formation!"

The twenty knights moved immediately. Shields slammed against one another. Spears were lowered. Within seconds, they formed a perfect circle.

Lukas, the two mages, and Tilbo remained at the exact center. Clavor took his position beside the Count. The two of them stood at the front of the formation. Like two walls.

Lukas breathed slowly. His heart pounded. It was then that he understood.

The previous attacks... had never been meant to kill anyone. The rats could have attacked the soldiers.

They could have tried to eliminate the healer. Or even surround the group earlier. But they had done only one thing. They wounded the horses. One after another. Until none of them could run anymore. Until they were forced to continue on foot. Until there was no longer any possibility of a swift retreat.

That was not instinct. It was strategy. Someone... was commanding that horde.

Lukas slowly raised his eyes toward the depths of the forest. Even though he could not see him... he was certain. The Rat King was watching everything. Waiting.

But at that moment, a faint smile appeared on Count Hark’s face. He slowly spun his enormous spear between his fingers.

"So that was the plan..."

Clavor smiled as well.

"Too bad for him."

The two stepped forward at the same time. Mana exploded around their bodies.

"We didn’t come all this way to run away either," Hark said.

"We came to hunt the king," Clavor finished.

At that very moment, thousands of red eyes lit up in the darkness. And the horde surged forward like an unstoppable tide.