Chapter 178: Expansion

Within Talah Castle.

As a city of commerce, Talah Castle was naturally extremely rich in resources. The large-scale of production of Silverstar Flowers made the city an extremely rare resource production area in the Ravagers’ territory. The large amounts of Silverstar Flowers produced here would be exported all over the world, even to the human race’s territory, Spirit Race’s territory, etc. In exchange, they would receive back all kinds of specialized resources produced in the other territories.

The relationship between the various races was both of conflict and commerce.

Even though it was an important nonmilitary city and didn’t have many defenses to speak of, it was surrounded by powerful military garrisons and sturdy forts. These included the Inferno Tribe’s Unshakable Steel City, the Silver Wolf Tribe’s Radiance-Seizing City, and the Black Water Tribe’s Wind City.

These strategic cities monitored and guarded against one another, allowing Talah Castle to ignore most worldly affairs. It relied on the lack of peace between the various tribes and the abundant resource production to fully enjoy the feeling of wealth.

Because of this, the Ravagers living in Talah Castle were amongst some of the happiest. They had an abundance of resources impossible to find elsewhere in their land, and they lived very luxurious lives. Even the poorest native of Talah Castle had their own luxury carriage. Most of the Ravagers from there didn’t even work; they just lazed around and sunbathed from time to time. Most of the work was done by Ravagers of other tribes, and at least eighty percent of the people living there were primarily there for work. The remaining twenty percent were locals, enjoying the riches that they had gained from the hard work of others.

Of course, this situation was based on the current era of peace.

When the world was no longer that peaceful, Talah Castle would no longer be such a great place to live.

During the first month of the Beast Wave, Talah Castle was quite badly frightened. The “unshakeable” Unshakable Steel City, the Radiance-Seizing City, and the Wind City all fell one after the other under the Beast Wave’s unstoppable onslaught. Large numbers of soldiers were forced to retreat.

Even though the Beasts had stopped advancing then because the Inferno Tribe was starting to gather their army and threatening them, the people living in Talah Castle had been badly frightened, seeing as they had suddenly transformed from the back lines to the front lines. In particular, it was possible to see beasts running rampant in the distance from the city walls, shocking the Ravagers that had lived like kings from within Talah Castle and had lost the ferocity and savagery of their ancestors. Some even lost control of their bowels on the spot.

Even so, that wasn’t the worst part.

Their siege of their city came very quickly after that.

The offensive was not initiated by the Beasts, but rather by the human race.

The hateful Heavenly Might Battalion had set up an ambush here a long time ago and had been waiting for the arrival of the Beast Wave.

Once the Beast Wave had wiped out the three major cities, destroying the Ravagers’ front line of defense and forcing their line of engagement back, the Heavenly Might Army had taken advantage of the weak back line to strike. They had slaughtered their way towards Talah Castle with a spurt of energy.

Talah Castle fell after merely a half-day’s siege.

Afterwards came a wanton spree of killing and looting.

There was no mercy or compassion to be found. The Heavenly Might Army took all of the resources that they could get their hands on.

Talah Castle, which was known for its fertility, was plundered like it had never been before. Vast seas of resources were whisked away just like that, and the Heavenly Might Army was able to swagger right out of the castle. They even set fire to half the city as they left, enveloping it in a sea of red flames.

This kind of catastrophe was a heavy blow to Talah Castle, and it caused the Ravagers living there to lower the heads that they had arrogantly been carrying so high for so long.

Even so, they didn’t know that their disasters were only just beginning. An even more frightening storm was brewing on the horizon.

Large groups of Demonic Beasts were gathered about ten kilometers out from Talah Castle, resting.

At the center of the horde of beasts was a massive, blood-colored palace floating in midair.

The floating palace was actually held in the air by eight massive armored crocodiles. They were as tall as small mountains, and their tails contorted like a dragon’s body. White, icy air puffed out of their mouths as they breathed. These armored crocodiles could wipe out a city on their own in the human race’s territory, but here they were merely treated as low-level grunts to carry a palanquin.

Bright red fog swirled around the blood-colored floating palace, occasionally fluctuating with a sinister, wicked energy. A Iron-Winged Bird accidentally flew into some of the red fog; before it could even finish forming its tragic cry in its beak, it was turned into a bloody mist.

The Demonic Beasts around the castle became even more fearful after that. None of them dared to get close to the blood-colored castle without a good reason.

Most of the time, the palace was quiet. There might be a few Demonic Beasts entering or exiting the palace from time to time, bringing with them orders and commands on where to move a horde of beasts next.

Today, however, the situation was obviously different.

“ROAARRR!!”

An earth-shaking howl reverberated across the desolate, barren landscape.

“Bastards! What nerve!!!”

Following this enraged howl, a thick killing intent began to exude from the blood-colored palace.

This killing intent took on physical form, sweeping across the plains. Everywhere it went, blood-colored clouds would spring up from out of thin air.

A blood-red light filled the sky, and the thick killing intent that had manifested in these red clouds began to spread. Even Ravagers hundreds of kilometers away could sense the rage coming from this powerful will.

What had happened?

All of the Ravagers were confused and didn’t understand.

An instant later, however, a shocking scene appeared before their very eyes.

“Dudu!”

The low sound of a bugle horn once again echoed across the desolate plains.

The distant signal for attack sounded out again, carrying with it a boundless aura of slaughtering.

How could this be?

How had the Beast Wave suddenly managed to expand to this degree?

All of the Ravager soldiers were aghast at the sight.

The Demonic Beasts had all immediately fallen into a frenzied state.

Forget about the mutual understanding! Forget about quitting while you’re ahead!

There would be no compromise! There would be no mutual understanding! There would only be an endless attack!

They would fight, hunt, consume, and die!

This was the ferocity and barbarism that should have belonged to the Beasts from the beginning.

“ROAR!” The beasts on the desolate plains began to howl with excitement. They had lost all sense of rationalism and were beginning to revert to their primal instincts.

They started running.

The Ravagers watched as a large horde of Beasts individuals appeared off on the horizon. They had gathered into a massive wave that was charging forward.

Tens of thousands of hooves beat against the ground, causing it to rumble loudly beneath their feet, and the light from the sun was blotted out by the countless aerial beasts.

Beasts filled the skies and the earth.

They surged forward like a wave, bringing with them an irresistible momentum.

“Heavens!” the Ravager soldiers swore as they cried out in despair at the oncoming slaughter.

The “Ravager” individuals in Talah Castle were even more panicked as they watched the front of the Beast Wave get closer and closer.

Boom!

They washed over Talah Castle in a manner of seconds like it wasn’t even there.

This well-known resource production city had disappeared underneath the Beasts’ ferocity and rage just like that.

Similar scenes were playing out all across Ravager territory. Those who had retreated to find shelter from the Beasts and those who were hard at work defending against the Beast Wave originally thought that they could wait the Beast Wave out like before. However, they discovered that their assumption was wrong this time.

The Beast Wave rapidly expanded. The enraged Scarlet Heart was going to take as much Ravager blood as he could for repayment for everything that he had lost.

That day, thirteen Ravager cities collapsed simultaneously, and countless Ravagers died.

That day would forever go down in history as a catastrophe for the Ravagers.