Puchi!
A dark, shadowy bolt pierced through the knights. Their eyes were wide in shock as they couldn’t believe some bolt could pierce through their armor!
Thud!
All three of them collapsed, and the jackal that shot them looked at their corpses coldly. He turned to the others who had slain their targets and stood upon the wall just like him.
They were the shadow guards. The chief’s most powerful unit, and all of them were from the Freeman clan.
In every beastman clan, there were two forces. The heads were the Freeman clan; this clan is like the royals of the clan, while the bond clans were under them.
One Freeman clan usually had more than one bond clan under them, but in most cases, the bond clans did not possess unique gifts, also known as clan talents, like the Freeman clans.
In this area, the jackals’ talent was shadows!
Clad in an animal fur jacket that exposed their muscular torso, a leather belt, black leather pants, a quiver filled with bolts, and a scary-looking crossbow made out of the bones of a desolate beast, the jackals jumped down the wall in numbers.
About thirty of them landed, facing about 20 Frontline knights who rushed out.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Shadowy bolts were launched. Some Frontline knights lunged forth but were struck down, while some defended with their shields.
“Inform the general!” A Frontline captain bellowed, and a soldier ran inside the keep only to see all their men lying in their blood.
His eyes locked on the perpetrator, a jackal clad in a sleeveless white fur coat who held two curved blades.
Because of how the beastmen were born, they possessed a natural advantage in terms of physical ability, and their legs, which were like those of actual beasts with inverted knees, made their agility extraordinary.
Especially that of beastmen like the Jackal.
Shing!
The Frontline knight brandished his sword.
“Come.” The Jackal’s deep voice shook the Frontline knight’s ears, yet he charged on, closing the gap and swinging his sword.
Clang!
Sparks manifested as their weapons clashed, but the Jackal was slowly overpowering the knight, causing him to grunt.
“Tell your lord when I send him to you that we, the superior race, are here to take what is ours.”
Bam!
The Jackal slashed right through the knight’s armor, shocking him greatly, but this was the beginning as the second curved blade sliced his arm, making him grunt deeply.
His battle force blasted out, giving him the advantage of a fiery light that made the Jackal distance himself.
The Frontline knight could see the apprehension in the Jackal’s eyes when it saw the fiery sparks.
Unfortunately, it was cut short, as the Jackal suddenly became a shadow and merged with the dark parts of the room.
In the next moment, his blade came out of the knight’s abdomen, causing him to stagger and fall on one knee.
“Ah!”
His eyes were focused on the caged bird, but he could feel strength leaving him.
‘My lord… these inhumane beasts… They’re coming…’
Thud!
The knight fell.
The Jackal pulled out his blade, sheathed both of them, and vanished like smoke. He appeared outside and found his men had dealt with the knights outside.
All of them lay dead, unable to believe what or who they faced.
“Did any survive?”
“None, Third Lord.”
One of his men replied humbly. “They must have been proud of their metal armor. Unfortunately, these weapons are relics from the forgotten era, forged by the extinct dwarves and engraved with lost runes that increase the sharpness of the said weapon. Their scrap metal never stood a chance.”
When the Third Lord said that, others looked at their weapons. These weapons were few and only given to the freeman clan warriors; those from the bond clan could never lay their hands on it except they did the impossible.
“This should send a message to their chief. Write a message to him with the blood of his men and tell him to offer a sacrifice of 50. 10 adult men, 10 adult women, 10 young men, 10 young women, and 10 cubs.”
[A/N: Cubs represent young ones in Bashan. It’s a term used by almost all clans.]
“Hehehe, it’s been a long time since we had the taste of human flesh.”
One grinned maliciously. “Especially their women. They have softer skins.”
“These are the chief’s. Curb your hunger or you’ll pay for it!” The Third Lord snarled furiously.
Once they were done, they left the keep, disappearing into the shadows like they were never there.
…
The next day, a convoy carrying civilians who were about to start mining the gold mine could be seen heading for the keep as the sun broke through the clouds.
Frontline knights were there to protect them, and above that, there were 5 Black Knights riding their majestic steeds ahead of them.
At the gate, a Black Knight knocked, but no response came after a prolonged wait. With a frown, he knocked again, adding more strength, but silence still followed.
There wasn’t even a sound coming from inside the keep.
“Is this normal?”
He asked another knight.
“It’s not. We should have seen soldiers at the top of the wall. Those handling the morning shift should have been there long before we came.” Explore more adventures at empire
A civilian who had stayed in the keep before said, and the soldiers heightened their cautiousness.
One tried to hit the door with force only for it to open! He staggered forward. The moment he lifted up his head, he saw a bold writing on the wall of the keep.
It was written with a crimson liquid!
Lowering his head, he saw bodies littered about.
….
Boom!
Inside the lord’s manor, Asher discussed with a civilian official who was to lead people to explore the underground expanse when the door was suddenly opened and a man clad in armor walked in.
From his head to his toe, he was fully covered, like a man about to go to war. Asher knew who this was from his armor and his bold gait.
This was Adam!
Thud!
Adam went on one knee and bowed. “My lord, the jackals had sent us a message.”
Asher raised an eyebrow. “Where is it?”
…
By the time he arrived in the keep and saw the message, his pupils shook.
Yes, he was in Boundless, the world of blood and war.
Even he hasn’t seen it all.