It seemed to emit a silent signal.
The several monsters that were originally besieging the dwarves quickly changed targets. Several of them, blocking in front of the dwarves, suddenly exerted force, pushing aside the dwarves' shields and crowbars, forcefully opening a gap!
Just as Bestour thought these monsters would take the opportunity to pounce on the dwarves' weaknesses, the leader-like flayed pig-headed monster, with an agility unsuited to its bulky body, shot out from the chaotic battlefield like a projectile.
But it did not charge towards Shen Mu; instead, it abruptly stopped on the sand ten paces in front of Shen Mu's horse.
It didn't roar and attack like a typical monster; instead, it performed an extremely bizarre and unsettling action. With its arm bones covered in mucus and black tumors, it clumsily and forcefully made a gesture similar to a human bowing with a hand over their chest!
The flesh membrane covering the bones writhed, emitting a wet "gurgle" sound. A hoarse, intermittent sound, like two rusty iron plates grinding against each other, was laboriously squeezed out of its deformed head:
"Powerful human lord... ally..." It "bowed" again, seemingly expressing respect, "We, by the will of the Scarlet Claw... clean up... this area... remnants that hinder our... hunt..."
It raised its nauseating face, its ghostly green eyes fixed on Shen Mu, and with a formalized, cold, rigid, and even somewhat "polite" emphasis, it made a request:
"In accordance with... the established 'Covenant'... we hope... my esteemed ally... you... do not interfere. Once the cleanup is complete... we... will naturally... withdraw."
"Ally Covenant," "do not interfere"... these few words, like two cold iron chains, instantly tightened around Chen Ping and all the survivors' hearts!
The flickering flame of hope that had just risen was completely extinguished by a basin of icy water from the abyss!
Chen Ping's mouth hung open, his eyes instantly losing all their light, leaving only ash-like despair.
The faces of the seven dwarves were also filled with unbelievable fury and a deep sense of powerlessness. Their newly joined lord was actually an "ally" with these disgusting hunters from Hell?
Their proud brute strength and beliefs seemed so ridiculous and worthless in the face of this naked exchange of interests.
Some of the remaining survivors even let out a sob and collapsed to the ground.
Bestour's brow was tightly furrowed, his hand gripping his sword hilt. Though he was brave, when it came to Lord Shen Mu's decisions and the so-called "Covenant," he could not speak without permission. His gaze was fixed on Shen Mu's face, awaiting the final command.
The Desert wind blew, stirring up fine dust.
Shen Mu's gaze, from beginning to end, never fell on the ugly monster "bowing" to him, as if it were merely a stone blocking the way. His sight passed over this ugly "messenger," calmly sweeping over the despairing Chen Ping in the ruins, the angry dwarves, and the figures struggling under the monsters' attacks.
Then, he turned to Bestour beside him.
His eyes showed no emotional fluctuations, yet they clearly conveyed the most direct, most undeniable command.
A simple nod.
Almost the instant Shen Mu nodded, a fierce light burst forth in Bestour's eyes. No verbal confirmation was needed; the tacit agreement of fighting side-by-side was already in their bones!
"Swish swish swish swish—!!!!"
The ear-splitting twang of bowstrings suddenly tore through the twilight's silence! The Steppe Bandits and Khergit Mounted Archers, their blood already boiling with rage at the sight before them, instantly went into full-fire mode like a precise war machine!
Arrows, like a sudden storm of death, precisely and coldly flew over the "messenger's" head, fiercely showering into the Parasitic Monsters that were suppressing Chen Ping and his group!
The Kujit's arrows were fast! Accurate! And ruthless!
Their target was clear: those ugly abominations attacking their "compatriots."
"Thud! Thud! Thud—!"
The sound of arrows piercing flesh rang out densely! The Kujit's specially made armor-piercing arrowheads easily tore through the tough membranes on the black tumors, penetrating deeply!
The powerful force directly shot those disgusting parasites flying backward!
Dark green, highly corrosive "blood" and shattered black flesh exploded in the air!
One round! Just one round of precise and efficient volley fire!
The dozen or so Parasitic Monsters that had just been ferocious and had driven Chen Ping and the others to despair instantly became a pile of rotting flesh, emitting a foul, green smoke, like giant slugs that had been trampled!
Their twisted skeletal supports were also shattered and collapsed by the powerful arrows.
The pressure in front of the dwarves suddenly decreased!
Silence.
On the battlefield, only the twitching "gurgling" sounds of the Parasitic Monsters, the "sizzling" sound of liquid corroding the sand, and the incredulous, rapid breaths of the survivors, relieved to be alive, remained.
The flayed pig-headed monster, which had bowed with its hand over its chest, stood rigidly there. Its ghostly green eyes were fixed on Shen Mu, its clumsy "polite" posture seemingly frozen into an ugly sculpture.
Its body trembled slightly from confusion and anger, and the flesh membrane covering its bones violently heaved and writhed.
It was then, for the first time, that Shen Mu's gaze truly fell upon this ugly monster "messenger."
That gaze was like ten thousand years of cold ice, carrying the indifference of looking down upon ants.
In a calm, unruffled tone, he spoke clearly, every word like a cold iron nail driven into the silent twilight:
"This is the territory of New Rivadin."
"Here, I make the decisions."
"Bugs from Hell—" His voice deepened slightly, containing a hint of undisguised coldness and majesty: "You cannot command me."
As his words fell, he no longer looked at the monster, instructing Bestour: "Just leave one to deliver the message." Then, pulling on the reins, his warhorse lightly turned.
"Ha!" Bestour sneered, suddenly drawing his scimitar, and spurred his horse forward.
The glint of the blade flashed by.
"Aow—!!!!" The monster let out a bizarre scream, half howl, half shriek, as something resembling an ear, covered in black tumors and sparse black hair, flew high into the air.
Bestour precisely pinned the ugly "ear" to a nearby broken wall, and, facing the monster that was clutching its "wound" from which dark green fluid gushed, and whimpering in pain, he shouted: "Get out! Take this piece of junk and go back and tell your master! If it dares to sniff around our territory again, next time, it'll be its dog eyes that get shot through!"
The surviving monster, in extreme confusion, fear, and intense pain, let out a series of sharp, meaningless shrieks.
It even abandoned its somewhat "elegant" movements, dropping to all fours like a wild dog with its tail stepped on, tumbling, crawling, and stumbling into the shadows of the ruins, with a mournful whimper, quickly disappearing into the vast Desert.
Shen Mu's cavalry troop no longer lingered. Their horses' hooves began to pound again, resuming their journey home. The golden afterglow of the setting sun cast upon their silver armor and fluttering banners, like a triumphant cloak.
In the ruins, Chen Ping and the seven dwarves, covered in blood and wounds, stared blankly at Shen Mu's cold yet life-bringing back, at the valiant figures of Bestour and the others, and then at the puddles of dark green rotten flesh around them, emitting green smoke...
Their eyes shifted from ash to shock, from shock to ecstasy, finally transforming into an almost suffocating excitement and an indescribable feverish passion!
Chen Ping suddenly raised the crowbar in his hand and roared with all his might, his voice trembling but with unprecedented power: "Deherim! Long live the Lord!"
"Long live—!!!!" The seven dwarves roared in unison, their war hammers striking the sand with dull thunder-like sounds!
The survivors also let out cheers and cries of relief at having escaped death.
They looked at Shen Mu.
With immense fervor!
...
The tall city gates of New Rivadin slammed shut in the twilight, sealing off the Desert outside, which was encroached upon by spirit world rules.
Shen Mu did not linger, riding directly towards the Lord's Hall.
He still carried the scent of wind and gunpowder from the battlefield, his face as solemn and hard as the bluestone floor within the hall.
Inside the Lord's Hall, the lights were already brightly lit.
Bestour, Aleron, and Lezalit had already arrived, standing solemnly on either side of the sand table.
Shen Mu strode to the main position at the sand table, without pleasantries, cutting straight to the point. His low voice echoed through the empty hall: "Gentlemen, our reconnaissance of the eastern suburbs shows that the situation is worse than expected."
His finger heavily tapped the spot on the sand table representing that desolate area: "Target confirmed, that Skeleton fortress shrouded in black mist belongs to the Ghost Light Second Dynasty. They not only possess an exceptionally formidable Skeleton Cavalry legion of black mist, but their source of power—that massive black cloud—has substantially polluted a large area. Any living creature entering its core region will face the fiercest attack."
Immediately after, his finger moved, tapping the area across the Xiao Long River representing unknown danger: "But that's not all! On our way back, near the eastern outer village ruins, the Hell Devil forces of the Scarlet Claw were conducting what they called 'hunting and clearing' at the edge of our territory."
Shen Mu's gaze swept over his generals, stating each word distinctly: "What does this mean? It means that at least two powerful spirit world forces, one has established a fortress base in the eastern Desert, and the other is attempting to infiltrate our territory from the eastern outskirts, even crossing the Xiao Long River!"
Although they had already guessed this before.
Now.
This had been confirmed.
The air in the hall seemed to instantly solidify.
Bestour's tightly furrowed brows deepened, the muscles on his face twitching slightly with anger: "Damn it! The bone scraps are still nesting, and the devil's brats want to extend their claws in too!"
Aleron had been staring at the sand table; now he looked up, his eyes flashing with a mix of analysis and worry: "My Lord, General Bestour, this is indeed unusual. According to the intelligence we previously gathered, this area has long been the domain of the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty. The Skeleton Cavalry of the Ghost Light Second Dynasty used to operate only in deeper areas, and the Scarlet Claw also operated stealthily. Now they can appear so openly, even daring to disturb the Black Arrow Tower's core territory..."
He paused, his tone grave: "This indicates only one thing: perhaps the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty, which once occupied this place, is facing an unprecedented defeat! Their defenses or core power have been severely weakened or even destroyed. These two long-coveting forces are now vying to seize and devour the 'vacuum' territory it left behind!"
Aleron's analysis was like a stone thrown into calm water. Lezalit suddenly looked up, a peculiar glint flashing across his usually rigid and calm face.
He quickly exchanged a glance with Bestour beside him, and both saw the same conjecture in each other's eyes.
A fierce battle that took place in Deherim instantly surfaced in Lezalit's mind.
"My Lord!" Lezalit stepped forward, pointing to the location of Deherim on the sand table: "This is by no means just speculation! Please recall the defensive battle I commanded not long ago, outside our city of Deherim!"
His gaze was piercing, his words forceful: "At that time, the Skeleton Legion of the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty attempted to besiege us, and among them were individuals with clear high-level intelligence, capable of commanding other undead! I distinctly remember a Skeleton wearing tattered robes, whose psychic power far exceeded that of ordinary necromancers. It was the Khergit Mounted Archers under General Bestour, along with our city's strong bows and powerful crossbows working in coordination, that, at considerable cost, managed to ambush and kill it in the midst of the chaotic battle!"
Bestour nodded vigorously, immediately interjecting, his voice like muffled thunder: "That's right! Lezalit is correct! That melee was extremely brutal, and what we killed was definitely not simple! Before it died, that thing even unleashed an incredibly powerful psychic shockwave that almost knocked out all our brothers on the front line! Damn it, that was absolutely a big one, very likely a high-ranking leader of their dynasty!"
Lezalit continued Bestour's words, his sharp gaze meeting Shen Mu's, his tone certain: "Precisely so, My Lord! Although we repelled the enemy at the time, we thought it was merely thwarting an attack. Now, combining Aleron's observations and the drastic changes in the eastern suburbs, looking back..."
He took a deep breath, stating unequivocally:
"We now highly suspect that the individual we focused fire on and killed outside Deherim city at that time was very likely a core figure of the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty! Perhaps even their highest commander in this large area! Its death led to the collapse of the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty's power and the disintegration of its command structure in this region! This is what gave the Ghost Light Second Dynasty and the so-called Scarlet Claw an opportune moment! They smelled the Black Arrow Tower's weakness; one is busy establishing a forward stronghold, and the other has begun clearing the outer areas, conducting tentative expansion and infiltration!"
Aleron's eyes instantly lit up; he slapped his palm: "So that's it! That makes complete sense! The Black Arrow Tower Dynasty, headless, fell into chaos and internal strife, giving powerful external enemies an opportunity to exploit its weakness. Our battle at Deherim, surprisingly, stirred up a hornet's nest, overturning the foundation of the undead pattern in this region!" (End of Chapter)
