Half a day later, Rendall, Onyx, and Thundar, the three senior elders, returned to Blackstone City with their forces.
They hadn't even had time to sit down when the broadskull ravens arrived.
Caw… Caw… Caw…
The sound of the flock's cries carried an eerie, hypnotic quality, as if announcing to everyone that their time had come.
As if the grating cries weren't bad enough, the ravens' pitch-black forms filled the sky, a massive, oppressive swarm that blotted out the sun.
The scene was like the dark beast tides arriving ahead of schedule—both terrifying and awe-inspiring.
"These damned death crows!"
Rendall stood inside a tent, glaring up at the endless swarm of broadskull ravens. The cacophony of their cries grated on his nerves, and he couldn't help but curse aloud.
The hoarse, funeral-like cries of the ravens were indeed unbearable, driving everyone to irritation.
With the Arch Elder (Rendall) leading the charge, many of the horde's bloodline warriors joined in, hurling curses at the sky.
Inside the chieftain's tent, Delilah and Lilith stood beside Orion. Orion withdrew his gaze from the sky and turned to glance at them.
"Are you confident?"
"We can give it a try," Delilah replied. Behind her stood a team of elite succubus bloodline warriors.
Orion had gathered the succubi specifically to use their Nightmare Arts to confuse the broadskull ravens' leader.
If they could ensnare the leader, Delilah could use a taming collar to subdue it, and by extension, the entire flock.
But first, they had to locate the leader of the broadskull ravens.
That task, of course, fell to Orion.
---
Whoosh!
Outside the tent, someone from the horde fired the first arrow, signaling the start of the battle.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Caw! Caw! Caw!
In the sky, countless broadskull ravens failed to dodge the first volley of arrows and projectiles, falling to the ground around Blackstone City.
Boom!
Near the city walls, Onyx hurled a massive boulder, smashing a broadskull raven that was trying to gain altitude.
"Nice! Prophet just crushed another one!"
Even the cannon fodder troops managed to take down several broadskull ravens during the first wave of attacks.
However, after suffering initial losses, the ravens seemed to receive a command and began flying higher, out of range for most of the horde's bloodline warriors.
Only a few warriors with special abilities could continue targeting the ravens at their new altitude.
"Look! It's the chieftain and the thunderhawk!"
Excited shouts erupted as the thunderhawk took to the skies, carrying Orion.
Crackle!
The thunderhawk soared upward, and Orion, armed with an arsenal of spears and tridents, began his hunt.
This time, the thunderhawk was cautious, maintaining a safe distance from the broadskull ravens while allowing Orion to focus on taking them down from range.
Occasionally, the thunderhawk unleashed forked lightning, electrocuting any ravens that dared to approach.
Under Orion's command, the thunderhawk kept just enough distance to stay out of danger while remaining within Orion's effective range.
"Master, shoot them down!"
Rayden screeched excitedly, thrilled to see Orion picking off the ravens one by one with its help.
The thunderhawk's behavior was almost childlike, as if it were reclaiming its pride after being bullied. It was visibly delighted and proud.
"Master, I've found it!"
Suddenly, Rayden's cry grew sharper as it changed direction, heading toward a dense cluster of broadskull ravens.
Hearing the thunderhawk's call, Orion immediately understood—it had located the broadskull ravens' leader.
Crackle!
Without hesitation, Orion hurled a trident to clear the path.
Rayden coordinated perfectly, releasing a bolt of forked lightning that struck down the ravens attempting to block their way.
Caw! Caw!
Two sharp cries echoed through the sky. The broadskull ravens seemed to receive a signal, swarming toward Rayden in an attempt to surround it.
Orion's eyes gleamed with a cold, predatory light.
He pulled out a specially crafted trident coated in burning oils. Striking it against another trident, the weapon ignited instantly.
Orion selected a target among the ravens and hurled the flaming trident.
Boom!
The targeted raven burst into flames, a green fire igniting in the sky.
The green flames, fueled by the special burning oils, served as Orion's signal.
Moments later, two Wind Eagles carrying Delilah and Lilith flew out from Blackstone City.
At the same time, the succubi's song began to echo through the air.
Delilah and Lilith, supported by hundreds of elite succubus bloodline warriors, cast a massive sleep spell over the battlefield.
In the sky, Orion and Rayden continued their pursuit of the Alpha-level broadskull raven.
Suddenly, the succubi's song descended like a dream, and countless shadowy hands emerged from the darkness, extinguishing the chaos and noise of the world.
The shadowy hands soothed the night, lulling all things into slumber.
Among those lulled to sleep were the countless broadskull ravens in the sky.
One by one, the ravens began to fall like rain.
"Fire!"
In Blackstone City, the cannon fodder troops, hunting parties, and cavalry—who had been waiting for this moment—unleashed a barrage of arrows and spears, slaughtering the falling ravens.
Among them was a special unit: the cave spider squad.
From various corners of Blackstone City, large cave spiders spun webs to catch the falling ravens, dragging them into the caves of Moonshadow Valley for storage.
The bloodline warriors of Blackstone City were now busier than ever, working tirelessly after the sleep spell was cast.
In the sky, the Alpha-level broadskull raven Orion had been chasing also began to fall.
This was the perfect opportunity!
Orion directed the thunderhawk to fly alongside the Wind Eagles, picking up Delilah and Lilith.
"Quick, get the taming collar! This is our chance!"
Hearing Orion's command, Delilah and Lilith stopped casting the sleep spell and pulled out the taming collars.
However, the brief pause in the spell allowed the Alpha-level broadskull raven to resist.
Caw! Caw!
The falling raven suddenly opened its eyes, its pitch-black pupils flashing with confusion.
The next moment, something unexpected happened!
Caw! Caw!
Two piercing cries echoed over Blackstone City, and all the broadskull ravens that had been falling asleep or plummeting to the ground suddenly woke up.
Caw! Caw! Caw!
The funeral-like cries of the ravens followed in rapid succession.
Inside Blackstone City, countless bloodline warriors and cave spiders who had been dealing with the grounded ravens were caught off guard, startled and thrown into disarray.
Some unlucky bloodline warriors were even ambushed and killed by the suddenly awakened ravens.
Flap! Flap! Flap!
Above Blackstone City, a massive number of broadskull ravens took to the skies again, their wings flapping in unison, creating a spectacular yet ominous scene.
High above, Delilah and Lilith, who had thrown their taming collars, were unsuccessful.
The Alpha-level broadskull raven had used some unknown mystical ability, splitting its body into countless smaller ravens that merged back into the flock.
With this maneuver, neither Orion nor Thunderhawk Rayden could locate the Alpha-level raven anymore.
Soon after, the flock of ravens seemed to receive a command and began flying westward, retreating from Blackstone City.
"Missed the opportunity… what a shame!"
Orion sighed deeply. He had gone out of his way to borrow an extra taming collar from Rendall for this capture, but it had all been in vain.
"Lorelia's little spiders managed to capture quite a few ordinary broadskull ravens for me. At least we didn't come away empty-handed," Lilith said softly, wrapping her arm around Orion's.
"Rayden, let's head back."
Orion nodded, directing the thunderhawk to return to Blackstone City.
---
Outside Blackstone City, in a dense forest on a hillside.
Ridi watched the retreating flock of broadskull ravens, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.
"So, that enticing scent came from Blackstone City!" Explore more stories with empire
Ridi still vividly remembered the scene back at the gathering grounds when Orion had humiliated him in front of all the bloodline warriors, stepping on him like he was nothing.
Visit freewёbnoνel.com for the best novel reading experience.
The memory made his blood boil, his anger impossible to suppress.
"Orion, you'll pay for this soon enough!"
Though Ridi had been close to Blackstone City, he turned and headed south instead.
Ridi wasn't foolish—he knew he wasn't a match for Orion in a direct confrontation.
If he couldn't fight head-on, he would resort to underhanded tactics.
He had already made up his mind: he would head south and drive more beasts toward Blackstone City.
His goal was to create a massive beast tide, one so overwhelming that Blackstone City would be plunged into utter ruin.
---
Back in Blackstone City, the aftermath of the battle was being cleaned up.
The ambush against the broadskull ravens could be considered a success.
The only regret was failing to capture the Alpha-level broadskull raven.
"What a pity! If we had captured it, the horde's strength would have grown significantly," Rendall said with a sigh as he took the taming collar Lilith handed back to him.
"There was nothing we could do. We underestimated that Alpha-level broadskull raven. No one expected it to have such unique abilities," Lilith replied, unconcerned.
She wasn't too bothered by the failure. Having learned the taming skill, she knew she would eventually acquire a powerful battle pet.
Besides, she still had the frost giant egg that Orion had gifted her, which would soon become the focus of her efforts.
"Everyone, the battle isn't over yet!"
Rendall was about to say more, but Orion's voice interrupted him.
When everyone turned their attention to him, Orion spoke in a calm yet commanding tone.
"Elders, with the return of our forces, the beasts outside Blackstone City will no longer be suppressed. They will inevitably gather!"
"It won't be long before a large number of beasts converge outside the city!"
"Prepare for battle, elders. Drive the beasts toward us and hunt them down to secure more food for the horde!"
With just a few words, Orion laid out the situation clearly.
For many in the horde, repelling the flying beasts had been a morale booster.
But Orion knew that overconfidence could lead to disaster.
"Build defensive fortifications, organize patrols, secure food supplies, inspect and sharpen weapons and armor… all of these tasks take time."
"Elders, make haste!"
---
In the Bottomless Abyss, at an unknown location.
While Orion was urging the elders to prepare for the next battle, Clymene was locked in a bloody fight.
She and her spiders were under attack by two millipede centipedes.
Millipede centipedes were an evolved form of centipedes, dark subterranean creatures with segmented bodies, each segment armed with sharp, blade-like legs.
"Hold them off! Once I kill this one, I'll come to help you!"
Clymene's voice was low and steady. The two millipede centipedes attacking them were clearly a mated pair, one larger and one smaller, working together with perfect coordination.
No matter how Clymene tried to maneuver the fight, the two centipedes never strayed far from each other.
"Clymene, I can't hold on much longer! We can't break through their defenses!"
Grendel's massive axe struck the armored segments of the centipede in front of him, only to spark uselessly against its tough exoskeleton.
The millipede centipedes' segmented armor was incredibly durable, impervious to anything short of Alpha-level attacks.
"Clymene, get those little spiders of yours to help hold these things off!"
The giant elder Vargrum's shout snapped Clymene out of her thoughts. She suddenly remembered that the 10,000 spiders Orion had assigned to her weren't just there for show.
The last time she had encountered the black-armored salamander, she hadn't thought to use the spiders, which had allowed the salamander to escape.
"All of you, attack!"
At Clymene's command, the remaining spiders swarmed the two millipede centipedes.
Though the spiders couldn't penetrate the centipedes' armor, they managed to distract and occupy them, freeing Clymene to act.
"Terror Rend!"
A surge of powerful energy erupted from Clymene, wrapping around her warhammer and radiating an aura of fear.
Boom!
Her warhammer struck the female centipede, shattering one of its segments.
The armor on the damaged segment splintered into shards, embedding themselves into the centipede's body.
The female centipede writhed in pain, thrashing violently and flinging the spiders off its body.
Those that weren't thrown off were crushed as the centipede rolled over, killing dozens in an instant.
Chitter! Chitter!
The female centipede let out a series of sharp cries. The smaller male centipede shoved aside five giant elders and rushed to its mate's side.
Then, to Clymene's astonishment, the two centipedes intertwined, head to tail, forming a wheel-like ring.
In this formation, they began rolling rapidly toward the upper levels of the Bottomless Abyss.
Their speed was incredible!
Clymene wanted to stop them, but she was powerless to do so.