Chapter 227: Chapter 195: Such Great Evil
Under the gazes of hundreds, the two Beastman Warriors’ already massive muscles bulged even further, visible to the naked eye. Mysterious red patterns appeared on their green skin, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.
They were also shrouded in a blood-red aura that was unsettling to look at.
Their once-clear pupils, with their distinct whites and blacks, were rapidly turning a solid, blood-red, radiating a dreadful malevolence—cruel and bloodthirsty.
Being stared at by these two, Zat felt his scalp tingle. He decisively raised a fist and cursed, "You two looking for a beating?"
"Captain, we’re just joking around," the two Beastman Berserkers said, hastily waving their hands. A sheepish grin broke through their otherwise deadpan expressions.
Even though their strength had undergone a qualitative leap, they still had no confidence they could take a punch from their captain. And when the captain said he’d beat someone, he meant it. He would absolutely not hold back. So they didn’t dare to fool around anymore.
"Berserkers?" If the shock in Ash Wind Speech’s voice could be converted into heat, the entire north wouldn’t have to worry about this year’s blizzards.
Levi, who was checking his system panel, jumped in surprise. For a moment, he thought the Elf Queen had some kind of Magic that allowed her to see his panel, because according to it, the top-tier Beastman unit—aside from the still-locked Dragon Vein Berserker—was the Beastman Berserker.
But he quickly realized that wasn’t it, because the look the Elf Queen gave the two Barbarians was one of utter astonishment, like a modern person seeing an ancient, legendary figure come to life.
"How do you feel?" the Lord asked, watching them. He knew their transformation had to be more than just skin deep.
"I feel this urge to destroy something... Like I really, really want to hit someone..."
The two of them looked at the Lord simultaneously. An unreadable emotion flickered in their scarlet eyes as their fists clenched and unclenched. Their faces were a mixture of struggle and eagerness.
In the end, however, their survival instinct triumphed over their primal urges, and they shifted their gazes to Zat, who was standing nearby.
"?"
"I knew you two were doing that on purpose!" Zat suddenly realized. "No wonder you needed me to kick you! It was to stir up your anger at me!"
He sneered, picked up a bent Fine Steel Javelin from the ground, grasped it by both ends, and with a flex of his shoulders, easily straightened it back out before tossing it to the ground.
He wasn’t without his own improvements. After the last few battles, he had once again received the "Gift of the War God," and his Power had risen by several levels.
These javelins, forged from Fine Steel, were of superior quality. Bending one, let alone straightening it, was something no ordinary person could do. Even the system-enhanced Barbarians barely possessed the Power required.
"Haha... on second thought, I don’t really feel like venting anymore," one of the Burning Corps Beastman Guards said, slapping his own forehead. They were both quick to back down.
They had hoped to use this opportunity to blow off some steam, but it seemed they would have to lay low for a while longer.
"Besides the increase in Power, there must be more. Show me what else has changed."
Since their ultimate boss had spoken, the two didn’t dare to play mysterious any longer. They each drew the Giant Axe from their backs.
"Everyone back up! If this next attack hurts any of you, we’re not taking the blame!"
As soon as he said that, the onlookers hastily cleared a path.
The two Beastman Berserkers took a deep breath, their muscles tensing. A low, suppressed roar rumbled from their throats. Just as the crowd held its breath in anticipation...
...the red aura around their bodies roiled like a storm cloud, converging on their axes. The next second—SWOOSH!
A crescent-shaped blade of red light shot out from their axes, flying toward the battlements.
BOOM!
With a tremendous crash and a cloud of dust, a perfectly smooth cut was carved right through the thick stone battlement.
"What in the hell was that?" Zat was completely stunned.
It was like they were all supposed to be brawling at the simple Warrior level, and then suddenly, one of them announced he was now a Mage.
’I want a cool move like that!’ Zat was beside himself with jealousy.
"Not bad," Levi said, a satisfied look on his face.
’This is more like it,’ he thought. ’An ability like this finally justifies the difficulty of the upgrade.’
But just then, the two Beastman Barbarians who had used the move began to sway. The red patterns and the aura on their bodies vanished without a trace.
Then, they collapsed, plopping onto the ground and gasping for breath.
"What’s wrong?" the Lord asked, startled.
’Is this move one of those ’kill a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of your own’ deals?’
If that were the case, the value of the Berserker would drop significantly in his eyes.
"Exhausted... It feels like I just spent three days and three nights going at it in bed... My whole body feels like jelly." The two Beastman Berserkers clutched their chests, on the verge of tears. "Boss, we’re not... limp now, are we? We haven’t even sired a bunch of Beastman Kids for High Cliff Castle yet!"
"Don’t be ridiculous." The Lord waved his hand, motioning for a few others to carry the two away to rest. Then he turned to the unreasonably beautiful Elf Queen. "Ash, you must know what’s going on. Tell me."
"To understand that, we have to start with the history of the Half-Beastmen."
Ash had no intention of being coy and began her explanation.
"In truth, after the curtain fell on the Titan Era, the world soon entered the prosperous Magic Era."
"During that age, five major powers divided the land. Aside from the Elf Race and the Giant Dragons, there was also the Half-Beastman Kingdom."
"What does that have to do with the Magic Era?" Since coming to the Wilderness, the Lord had become quite the scholar. Aside from his two hours of high-intensity daily ’appreciation’ of Knightly Novels featuring ’two spears,’ he would also squeeze in some time to read up on culture and history to expand his sea of knowledge.
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