Chapter 81The March Of Thirty Thousand Soldiers

Chapter 81: 81The March Of Thirty Thousand Soldiers

81

The March Of Thirty Thousand Soldiers

The road between the mountains was completely filled, creating the illusion that it had disappeared.

That was because there were simply too many men upon it.

A long natural passage crossed the mountains and valleys, surrounded by dense forests and uneven slopes.

Now, that passage was completely occupied by Beastmen marching while carrying spears, axes, and swords.

The Lizardmen, in turn, advanced alongside them with shields strapped to their arms and weapons ready.

The sound of footsteps never stopped. Thousands of feet continuously struck the ground, causing the earth to tremble beneath that enormous march.

At the front, scouts advanced between the trees, examining every elevation, every narrow passage, and every possible approach route.

Behind them came the first combat units, followed by others and still more, the ranks repeating themselves several times.

One column disappeared among the trees, but before the last soldier could vanish from sight, another appeared on the horizon.

The spears formed endless lines, and the axes swung over the shoulders of the Beastmen.

The shields of the Lizardmen reflected the sunlight as their owners advanced in formation. There was order in their steps.

A mixture of sounds could be heard: the wheels of the carts, the roars of the beasts, and the sound of dozens of carts advancing along the same road.

Some of the carts transported food.

Others carried weapons, crystals, water, and equipment necessary to keep that force moving.

Beside them walked the soldiers responsible for the beasts. Some of the creatures were enormous.

Their bodies occupied almost the entire width of the road, forcing the nearby soldiers to make room.

A row of twenty beasts passed along the road, followed by even greater numbers.

The trainers held chains while shouting orders to prevent the animals from advancing upon their own troops. This was because it was not a horde. It was a great army.

There were soldiers responsible for food, those who took care of the weapons, units in charge of the beasts, and scouts who advanced far ahead.

Officers moved through the ranks, checking positions, while messengers crossed the formation carrying orders from one commander to another.

Even though they were composed of races known for violence, those troops possessed enough organization to transform their ferocity into discipline.

And, at the center of that gigantic formation, were those who truly determined the direction of the march—the fifteen elite cultivators.

All of them had reached the tenth stage of the Profound Nascent realm, becoming some of the strongest individuals in the Secret Realm. One of them walked among the officers.

Varkhan.

The Beastman resembling an enormous tiger stood approximately two meters and five centimeters tall, his body extremely muscular.

Dark orange fur covered his arms, neck, and part of his face. His yellow eyes swept across the troops with authority.

Two upper fangs remained visible. He then stopped beside a cart and watched a unit pass.

"This formation is moving too slowly."

The officer immediately became tense.

"We are maintaining the speed determined by command."

Varkhan slowly turned his head.

"I did not ask what speed was determined."

The officer lowered his head. Varkhan pointed toward the road.

"I asked why it is moving slowly."

Before the man could answer, a female voice came from behind him.

"Because that speed was deliberately determined by our strategists."

Rhaena approached.

The Lizardwoman had dark green scales, narrow yellow eyes, and black hair tied behind her head.

Her light armor allowed her movements to remain unrestricted. Two curved swords were attached to her waist. She did not seem interested in the discussion.

Her eyes remained focused on the troops.

"We are continuing to advance slowly because we were still waiting for a response from the other races."

Varkhan narrowed his eyes.

"From the Elementals."

Rhaena nodded.

"The Earth and Fire Elementals."

A distant roar interrupted the conversation. One of the great beasts had become agitated. A trainer ran toward it, gripping the chain tightly, while two other soldiers helped restrain it.

Varkhan watched the scene for several seconds before smiling.

"Do we already have an answer from those bastards?"

Rhaena finally looked at him.

"We do."

The smile slowly disappeared.

"What is it? Are they going to get involved in the war?"

"As expected, the Earth Elementals will not participate in the war."

A heavy voice emerged from another point in the formation. Gorvak approached. The Beastman resembling a bear was over two meters tall.

His neck was thick, his arms enormous, and a dark beard mixed with fur covered part of his face. A huge war hammer rested on his shoulder.

He let out a laugh.

"The Earth Elementals remain cowards as always."

Rhaena did not answer while Gorvak continued:

"And did the Fire Elementals join us or the Medusas in this war?"

"Those hot-headed and arrogant ones, apparently, will not participate in the war this time either."

The silence that followed was different. Seryn, the Beastwoman resembling a panther, raised her golden eyes.

Her black fur almost disappeared among the shadows. She simply remained motionless.

Draven, the Lizardman with dark red scales, rested one hand on his heavy spear.

The scar that crossed the left side of his face made his smile even more threatening.

"Then it’s over."

Kareth approached.

The dark blue scales reflected the light while her white hair remained tied behind her head.

She carried a long sword.

"Not exactly."

Draven looked at her.

"No?"

"The Elementals will not participate. That does not mean the Medusas are weak."

Draven let out a laugh.

"They have fifteen cultivators at our level?"

"No."

"Then what is the problem? You saw that the Elementals do not intend to get involved. We will simply crush those snakes with our numbers."

Kareth remained silent. Rhaena was the one who answered:

"The problem is that they are preparing properly to deal with our numbers."

Maeron approached. The Beastman resembling a wolf was tall, lean, and muscular, his gray fur covered by a thin layer of dust.

Two swords were attached to his back.

"How many have they managed to gather?"

Rhaena looked at him.

"Six at most. One cultivator from the outside world joined the Medusas, and she is also at the tenth stage."

Maeron remained silent. Gorvak frowned.

"Now, besides the queen and the Council of Elders, who are at the tenth stage of the Profound Nascent realm, they have another one?"

"Yes."

Varkhan crossed his arms.

"Six against fifteen is still a very large difference, one that their fortress in the mountains will not be able to cover."

Rhaena nodded.

"Exactly."