novelraw Chapter 306: Calamity Itself
Chapter 306: Calamity Itself
Thud!
The Jackal Chief Beastman crashed heavily onto the ground while blood gushed endlessly from his severed waist like a broken dam. The crimson liquid spread rapidly through the shattered street, mixing with dust, rubble, and pieces of flesh scattered across the battlefield.
If he had been human, he would have long fainted from the horrifying blood loss.
However, the terrifying vitality of the Beastman race kept him alive stubbornly, forcing him to remain conscious and witness everything unfolding around him.
Silence.
That was the very first thing the Jackal Chief noticed clearly.
The entire town had fallen deathly silent.
The noisy streets that once bustled with movement and voices now resembled a forgotten graveyard buried beneath endless fear.
Most of the people who had watched the battle earlier had already fled far into the distance. Others remained hidden behind ruined buildings and broken windows, too terrified to reveal themselves openly.
Yet even after escaping, the horrifying result of the battle still left countless people utterly stupefied.
Nobody could believe this outcome.
Not a single person.
Many humans might not have known the true strength of the Slave Trade Guild Captain, but almost everybody inside the town had witnessed the terrifying might of the Jackal Chief Beastman before.
Time after time, he had personally crushed rogue awakeners who attempted to create chaos inside the town.
Every battle ended exactly the same way.
Absolute domination.
Absolute despair.
His monstrous strength had become deeply rooted within the minds of countless awakeners. Because of him, most humans feared causing trouble within the town.
Nobody wished to attract the wrath of such a terrifying existence.
With the Jackal Chief protecting the town, the Jackal Beastmen ruled this place with overwhelming authority for many years.
Thus, no sane human dared provoke them openly.
But now everything had changed completely.
Looking at the Jackal Chief’s pathetic body buried beneath shattered rubble, many people felt their minds blank completely.
Some even believed they were trapped within some horrifying nightmare.
However, deep down, everyone understood the terrifying truth clearly.
This was reality.
A single human had destroyed the Jackal Chief, annihilated his army, and slaughtered the combined forces of the Slave Trade Guild.
One person.
Only one.
"Who exactly is he?"
"Where did he come from?"
"Why have we never heard his name before?"
"How can someone this powerful exist?"
"Since becoming an awakener, I have never seen anyone this terrifying."
Various whispers echoed quietly throughout the distant streets and rooftops.
Humans whispered among themselves fearfully while shifting their gazes toward the source of the destruction.
Suddenly, among the crowd, a young woman stared at the silver haired youth standing amidst the battlefield and muttered softly.
"Grim Reaper."
Her voice was not loud, yet those nearby still heard her words clearly within the suffocating silence.
"What did you say?" someone asked nervously.
"He is the Grim Reaper," she repeated slowly while realization flashed deeply within her eyes.
The people around her froze momentarily before nodding unconsciously one after another.
Although nobody knew whether the name was genuine or simply invented on the spot, it strangely suited the horrifying scene before them perfectly.
The corpses.
The rivers of blood.
The overwhelming fear.
Everything resembled the arrival of death itself.
Just then, slow steady footsteps echoed throughout the silent street.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Instantly, every whisper disappeared completely.
An invisible pressure seemed to descend upon the entire town, forcing absolute silence onto every living soul present.
Walking calmly across the muddy road now flooded with blood, Thoren moved forward without haste.
Each step produced wet sickening sounds as his boots sank slightly into the mixture of flesh and crimson liquid covering the ground.
He stepped upon shattered organs, crushed bones, severed fingers, and scattered fragments of skulls without even glancing downward.
Yet despite the horrifying carnage surrounding him, his expression never changed in the slightest.
Cold.
Indifferent.
Emotionless.
From beginning to end, his dark robe remained pristine despite the massacre that had unfolded around him.
Anyone arriving late would never believe this calm silver haired youth was responsible for such horrifying destruction unless they personally witnessed the battle themselves.
Still, nobody dared speak.
Nobody dared breathe too loudly.
Human or Beastman.
No exceptions existed anymore.
Every single soul within the town had their eyes locked onto him as though he alone had become the center of the entire world.
Fear gripped countless hearts tightly.
The surviving Jackal Beastmen lowered their heads instinctively while trembling uncontrollably. The pride and arrogance they once possessed had long shattered completely during the battle.
Even the humans watching from afar felt deep unease while staring toward Thoren.
After all, the scene before them no longer resembled the actions of an ordinary awakener.
It resembled calamity itself.
Meanwhile, Thoren continued walking calmly through the battlefield.
The undead servants silently followed behind him like loyal executioners returning from war.
Their cloaks fluttered beneath the dry desert wind while fresh blood dripped steadily from their weapons onto the ruined street.
The towering undead Dust Naga coiled silently behind the collapsing buildings while its massive body cast terrifying shadows across the town.
Nobody dared look directly at the horrifying creature for too long.
Eventually, Thoren stepped across the shattered ruins and stopped directly before the groaning Jackal Chief Beastman.
The Beastman lay broken amidst rubble and blood while his breathing grew increasingly weaker with every passing second.
Slowly, Thoren lowered his head and stared down at him with detached emotionless eyes.
Lying helplessly upon the ground, the Jackal Chief looked deeply into those cold blue eyes and finally understood the strange feeling he sensed during their very first meeting.
The danger he felt back then never originated from Thoren himself.
It came from what this seemingly ordinary human was truly capable of doing.
By himself alone, Thoren had completely destroyed everything the Jackal Chief spent decades building painstakingly.
His authority.
His ambitions.
His influence.
His army.
Everything vanished like smoke because he foolishly chose to stand against the wrong person despite his instincts warning him repeatedly.
"This is no human..." the Jackal Chief thought bitterly.
"This is a devil born from hell itself."
Regret filled his heart completely.
If only he had handed over the map peacefully.
If only he had avoided cooperating with the Slave Trade Guild.
If only he had listened to the warning signs earlier.
Perhaps things would never have reached this point.
Unfortunately, regret held no value anymore.
No matter how deeply he regretted his choices now, nothing could undo what had already happened.
The dead would remain dead.
The destroyed town would remain destroyed.
And his fate had already been decided long ago the moment he chose hostility over caution.
Unknown to the chaotic thoughts raging within the Jackal Chief’s mind, Thoren finally spoke calmly.
His voice was soft.
Yet within the deathly silence surrounding them, every single person inside the town heard him clearly.
"Chief," Thoren said calmly while staring directly into the Beastman’s terrified eyes, "I believe we have much to discuss."