"There is no need for you to go anywhere." Haria's words rumbled throughout the battlefield, and everyone turned their heads towards her.

Those who still had some strength left in them knelt while the others simply placed a fist on their heart to greet the god's descendant.

Rion also turned towards her, watching as she made her way to the front with Kuro and Balthar following behind her.

His unease lessened greatly, and a relieved sigh escaped him.

Haria appeared beside him, but instead of halting there, she stopped a few steps before him to showcase her authority and said, "You did well, Rion."

He nodded, though worry still darkened his expression.

Kuro and Balthar appeared beside him and glanced at him before turning their heads back at her.

The whole place descended into silence as she stared into the deep purple fog forest, and everyone's hearts began to pound loudly as nearly everyone had concluded that something had gone wrong.

Rion didn't say anything either and just watched her eyes move throughout the forest as she saw beyond what his eyes could.

'She is really a monster,' he praised inwardly and peeked at Yuura, who was already sitting by the root of a redwood tree. He then searched for Kahrun and Tarun, and he found them sitting by a boulder.

He inwardly heaved a relieved sigh and waited for Haria's next words.

A few moments later, her expression darkened, and she mumbled to herself,

"It can't be... why is it here so early?"

All three of them frowned at her words, and she turned her head towards Rion before she ordered.

"Rion... go to the western campsite."

His lips dropped into a frown, and he asked solemnly, "Do you think something wrong is going on there?"

She nodded darkly before she turned her head towards Kuro and said, "Go to the eastern campsite."

Kuro nodded and left without a word.

Rion didn't move and continued to stare at the heart of the forest for a few moments before he clenched his fists and left.

Golden flames flickered around his feet as he zipped towards the western campsite.

'Does she know what's going on?' He wondered while remembering her reaction to the lack of the kareths.

He jumped over a fallen log and shook the useless thoughts away from his head.

"No point thinking about it right now," he whispered under his breath, and the ground beneath him cracked as he poured more of his aura at his feet.

His body seemingly blurred as he moved through the forest like a golden serpent.

He skipped over the fallen logs and pivoted through the sharp turns while climbing the short cliffs that were between the two campsites.

A few minutes later, he stopped at the cliff beside the western campsite and looked down at it.

His eyes went as wide as they could, and his heart shuddered upon seeing the scene before him.

"What the hell?"

Dreadful Goosebumps ran across his body as he saw multiple three-horned and four-horned kareth prowl towards the defence lines with all ten squad leaders.

However, the reason behind his terror wasn't the kareths.

It was the five figures squirming on the ground as if bugs were eating them from the inside out, and the bodies that were littered around like broken toys, each having lost at least one of their limbs.

His throat went dry, and he gulped audibly at the shuddering scene before him. His lips parted, and he mumbled in a fear-stricken voice, "W-what is happening...?"

The scene before him was no different from hell, and he was sure that if he wasn't this far, he would already have been despairing within the cries and dreadful screams of his people.

Suddenly, he felt something touch his back.

Frightened, he quickly threw a punch at whatever was behind him.

THWACK!

And the tree exploded into splinters under his overwhelming might.

He frowned at the unexpected figure.

He lowered his head to look at his feet, and understanding dawned on him.

"Did I step back...?"

He didn't realise it until now, but the scene had already overwhelmed him and forced him a few steps back.

A drop of ruby blood dripped down his lips as he bit them and looked at the kareths with fury and hate bustling in his eyes.

His fear didn't just stem from the scene but also from their unusual movements; Kareths weren't supposed to use any strategy, yet they had done a secret attack as well as a deception.

Others feared them for the undying nature, but Rion was immortal himself, so there was nothing for him to fear... until right now.

He exhaled deeply and concluded, "The kareth lord or maybe something else, is controlling all of them, and it has enough intelligence to form a strategy..."

He took a deep breath and said, "I have to help them."

Golden flames danced around his body, and he jumped off the cliff.

Crack!

A crater appeared at the spot of his landing, and his feet dug into the cracked ground before he exploded towards the defence lines.

***

"DIE! DIE! DIE," Zukah cried and cut through the horde of kareth while fighting his grief, as he had already lost two of his squad members to the rogue attack.

Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes, and his axe chopped the kareths into two with their cores, but no matter how many kareths he killed, none lowered his grief.

"DIE!"

His voice was no longer prideful. His breathing was no longer steady, and as if to announce his end, a jackal-like three-horned kareth lunged at him.

His body froze in terror as the kareth's mouth split into four and a grotesque jungle full of fangs covered his vision.

"NO!" he shouted at the top of his lungs and closed his eyes.

He knew no one could help him as the group leader was already busy with the other three-horned and four-horned.

His supposed last moment stretched, and suddenly, his ears rang as an explosion reached them.

BOOOM—!

———

[Kareth Image] -> this is of the three-horned at the end.

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