Aslan and Tiamat proceeded directly toward the direction in which that massive spirit beast had disappeared.
To be precise, they were chasing it.
The elegant and leisurely gait displayed by the spirit beast did not vanish even as they pursued it.
The spirit beast walked between the forest trees as if hardly considering Aslan and Tiamat’s pursuit to be a threat, proceeding with a carefree ease.
It was unclear whether this arrogance stemmed from the strength of the beast or if it was leading them into a trap.
But Aslan and Tiamat thought:
This current relaxed pace is likely because the spirit beast wants them to follow.
That existence wants Aslan and Tiamat to follow it.
The creature’s ability to conceal itself was unparalleled, surpassing even Phey’s abilities. The reason why the two hadn’t lost sight of the spirit beast was because the beast wanted them to see it.
Thus, while Aslan braved the cool and ominous wind blowing through the lush foliage, he felt a faint sense of unease.
Its arrogance was simply unpleasant.
On one hand, Aslan imagined a cunningness hidden within that arrogance might lead to a terrible outcome.
Such as being led somewhere where the spirit beast would boast about trophies made from parts of humans it had hunted.
Though it seemed paranoid, those familiar with spirit beasts would agree that such a notion wasn’t far-fetched.
Spirit beasts are cruel.
They don’t care about humans.
Since the god of hunting and prosperity who created these spirit beasts didn’t particularly care for humans either, but rather was neutral, it made sense.
Even though this god was one of the ancient gods and could be considered a major deity, he wasn’t exactly benevolent.
Just like there were evil deities among the other ancient gods, the ideology of hunting and prosperity wasn’t friendly to humans.
His philosophy could be described as survival of the fittest.
Being the deity governing beasts and hunters, his nature was quite rugged.
And so, spirit beasts were creatures embodying this kind of savage behavior.
In games, nine out of ten spirit beasts encountered were enemies, with only a few being neutral or friendly enough to serve as companions or mounts.
Therefore, Aslan inevitably felt uneasy.
Perhaps this spirit beast viewed humans as prey, and children as easy and delicious delicacies.
So they chased it.
If Aslan’s assumption was correct, they would hunt this dangerous beast without hesitation. Even if it weren’t dangerous, they would still observe it carefully before deciding how to handle it.
Tiamat agreed with this judgment and followed.
“Annoying little thing.”
Suddenly, Tiamat muttered under her breath.
Whether it was directed at herself or if it was due to Aslan’s unsettling thoughts, she rolled her eyes and sneered at the spirit beast.
“Guys, they know we’re chasing them.”
Fortunately, Aslan nodded in agreement.
“We know. It’s obvious… since they keep checking.”
While walking, the spirit beast occasionally turned its head to ensure Aslan and Tiamat were following closely.
Even while being chased, it frequently turned to confirm their presence before continuing its stroll.
It was natural for Aslan and Tiamat to feel uncomfortable.
If this were indeed a trap, they would surely regret falling for it later.
Walking straight into an obvious trap would make them look foolish.
However…
“It doesn’t feel like a trap.”
Though it was more of a gut feeling, Aslan’s intuition had transcended human limits.
It was practically infallible. There was also a vague sense of déjà vu.
The source of this déjà vu was clear.
It was the same object that came to mind when they first heard the spirit beast’s roar.
With a swish, Aslan drew the sword strapped to his back and held it in his hand, revealing its familiar weight and the heavy square scabbard.
The metallic blue scabbard shimmered.
When pulled open, an unknown material encased the white steel blade in jagged, metallic-blue teeth.
This metallic blue color matched the hue of the spirit beast walking ahead.
Tiyalmisof’s Beast.
Upon hearing it for the first time, Aslan wondered why it was called a “beast.”
Was it because the sound of drawing the sword sounded bestial?
Or was it because the blade resembled the teeth of a beast?
It didn’t seem like such a shallow reason.
Hence, Aslan thought the sound of the spirit beast’s roar resembled the sound of drawing this sword.
Recalling Regyn Solis’ comment on Tiyalmisof earlier,
“A blacksmith admired even by the gods.”
A blacksmith whose craftsmanship surpassed the divine purity of creation.
Perhaps, it was possible for the sword’s unsheathing sound to mimic the roar of a beast.
The spirit beast walking ahead of Aslan now might have been the inspiration for this sword’s creation.
Lost in these thoughts, Aslan momentarily failed to properly watch the path ahead.
There was a fleeting trust that Tiamat would keep an eye on things for him.
When Aslan regained focus, the spirit beast was already gone.
Moreover,
A rustling sound came from the bushes to the side of Aslan and Tiamat.
A chilling sensation swept over them. Aslan’s intuition flared up, and Tiamat’s skin prickled as if struck by rotten air.
Both warriors reacted instinctively based solely on the sound and the ominous feeling.
Grrrrr!
Already gripping the sword, Aslan drew it, covering the white steel blade with a metallic blue serrated edge.
Revealing a greatsword that fit its name perfectly.
Aslan swung the sword while glancing around.
A shadow caught at the edge of his vision. Its form was still indistinct.
But he slashed. In this deep forest, especially in a place tainted by death from the Veil of Mercy, few beings could remain.
Kraaakkk!
The greatsword left a metallic blue trail as it swung, causing Tiamat to quickly distance herself.
Two targets intercepted by the sword stroke: the tree hiding the approaching figure and the figure itself.
Both were bisected.
As Aslan twisted his waist, pivoted on his ankle, and shifted his feet,
The tree split as if bitten by a wild beast, and the figure fell.
Roar!
Behind the fallen figure, several more were approaching.
Entities accompanied by an unnatural aura that couldn’t belong to humans. Several of them.
Without hesitation, Tiamat drew and hurled her axe, piercing the forehead of the approaching entity.
Crack! A loud sound of a skull splitting echoed as something collapsed, having apparently been bipedal.
Meanwhile, Aslan focused less on finding the vanished spirit beast and more on addressing the strange phenomena before him, planting the greatsword into the ground and taking up the bow handed to him by Tiamat.
He nocked an arrow and stepped forward fluidly.
Supported by his shoulder and back muscles, he released the string and swiftly reloaded another arrow to fire consecutively.
Three arrows flew almost simultaneously, piercing three wolves leaping out from the bushes.
Thud, crunch, bang!
As the pierced wolves hit the ground, the sun shifted directions, casting away the shadows.
What appeared were beasts and humans.
More accurately, what used to be beasts and humans.
No matter how you looked at it, they weren’t normal.
First, the entity that Aslan had bisected along with the tree was human.
But this “human” had many abnormalities.
One eye was missing, and the neck seemed severely torn, exposing flesh.
The entity Tiamat struck with her axe was a bear, but its heart area was completely hollow, as if it had been dead for some time.
Lastly, the wolves. Despite being pierced by arrows, they bore fatal wounds.
Their heads were nearly detached, their spines exposed, ribs showing signs of severe decay.
“…Aslan, what are these things?”
These corpses, despite receiving fatal blows from Aslan and Tiamat, were slowly getting back up.
Aslan knew how to describe such beings.
These were undead, zombies.
But in Geladridion’s common language, Empire tongue, there was no word to describe such entities.
If one had to describe it indirectly:
“Walking corpses.”
“That’s a pretty accurate description.”
As Tiamat let out a derisive snicker, Aslan glared at the corpses.
Aslan didn’t know why these zombies had emerged, but he had a suspicion about who might have done this.
Also, why the spirit beast had led them here.
“Really, it was a trap…”
Aslan clicked his tongue and clenched his bow as if swallowing his own complacency.
Nocking an arrow and aiming at the corpses, just as Tiamat readied her bow too,
At the moment the newly risen corpses lunged toward Aslan and Tiamat,
Suddenly, a metallic blue tiger descended like the night sky, pouncing on the corpses.
What ensued was a massacre.
Kraaaack!
Its massive paw crushed one wolf.
Then, swinging its other paw, it cleaved two more wolves in half.
As the dismembered wolf carcasses scattered, it lunged forward and swung its jaws.
The human corpse was too slow to evade, and was promptly snatched and torn apart.
The human corpse was split into three pieces and scattered.
Faster than the pieces hitting the ground, the tiger, with its massive five-meter frame, charged and rammed into the bear, pinning its leg with its paw.
The bear’s immobilized body was then battered by the five-meter tiger.
Kraaaaaang!
Whether it was due to the bear already being decayed or the sheer force exceeding Aslan’s imagination,
The bear’s massive body shattered into six pieces and remained motionless upon hitting the ground.
“What…”
As Tiamat involuntarily murmured, the sound of flesh hitting the ground continued.
Within a span of less than a second, the ‘walking corpses’ numbering five were shattered and scattered.
At the sight, both Tiamat and Aslan raised their guards significantly, aiming their weapons at the spirit beast.
It was a justified precaution.
Within that single second, the spirit beast had swiftly ambushed and eliminated multiple opponents with diverse movements.
Its killing power rivaled none in Aslan’s party.
Moreover, neither Aslan nor Tiamat had noticed the ambush until it happened.
Truly, stealth capabilities surpassing even Phey’s.
Worthy praise for the most perfect beast crafted by hunting and prosperity.
Realizing the spirit beast was no easy opponent, Aslan and Tiamat heightened their guard considerably.
The spirit beast then dropped the human head it had been holding, revealing its teeth in the middle of its carnage.
The spirit beast’s purpose wasn’t to lure Aslan and Tiamat into a trap.
It had used Aslan and Tiamat as bait to eliminate nuisances.
The next step would likely be eliminating the bait themselves.
Aslan aimed his greatsword at the spirit beast, and Tiamat notched an arrow.
As Aslan focused on his instincts, preparing for an impending attack,
Suddenly, the spirit beast hid its teeth again, stared at the greatsword, and sniffed.
This sudden change lacked hostility.
Stunned by the abrupt shift in behavior, Aslan froze briefly before Tiamat added,
“That guy, his heartbeat is slowing.”
The heartbeat is decreasing. Is it relaxing?
While maintaining his guard, Aslan observed the spirit beast and slowly moved his greatsword.
The tiger’s amber eyes followed the movement of the greatsword.
Below those eyes, a scar resembling an animal claw mark was visible on its snout.
“Is there… no hostility?”
As if understanding Aslan’s words, the spirit beast revealed its teeth again, distorting the scar on its snout.
For a moment, it seemed like a display of hostility, but it was mimicking a human smile.
Closing its eyes while revealing a smile imitating a human.
A smile that would’ve been unrecognizable without superhuman luck, prompting Aslan to make a bizarre expression before slowly folding his greatsword.
Ching!
As the greatsword disappeared into its square metallic scabbard, the spirit beast erased its smile and exhaled briefly.
Clomp, clomp.
Then, turning its body, it resumed wandering through the forest.
When Aslan and Tiamat didn’t follow, it briefly turned its head to glance back.
“It doesn’t seem hostile… What do you plan to do?”
Aslan still considered the spirit beast dangerous.
With such stealth and killing power, should it appear at the campsite, countless people would die.
Thus, Aslan’s stance didn’t change. After pondering for a moment, he said,
“Let’s follow. We can contact Lewena… and it’s dangerous anyway.”
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.
The walking corpses that appeared earlier were truly fitting the term “undead.”
As far as Aslan knew, only two individuals possessed the skill to manipulate such corpses.
The Dark Ram Herd, a grandiose name for a person suffering from auditory hallucinations.
And the first master of magic, also the world’s sole practitioner of necromancy.
Boren of the Ashuld family, the undying.
In front of a very large building buried in debris.
“Gah.”
Someone suddenly shivered and flinched at the shoulder.
Despite the sudden chill, someone who had never trembled before spoke.
[Bo-ren?]
A seemingly emotionless voice whispered. The man called Boren shrugged at the voice and forced a smile.
“Nothing, Master. It’s just… a few of my subordinates have fallen.”
After barely replying, it seemed like someone far away silently questioned, then said,
[Is it that spirit beast again?]
“Yes, it’s causing some trouble.”
[Can I help…?]
“No need, Master. I can’t bother you with such personal matters. I’ll handle it myself. Please don’t worry.”
While bowing deeply, the distant woman who had been polishing her teacup let out an indifferent snort and replied.
[Is that so?]
A probing tone, as if testing for any hidden intentions.
Boren bowed his head, unseen though it may be, and after a long silence, the whispering woman finally spoke again.
[So.]
Boren, known as the undying one and the world’s sole practitioner of necromancy, looked up at his teacher.
Before him stood a massive sanctuary, recently unearthed from the debris.
A sanctuary filled with symbols of savagery and beasts.
Boren scanned the symbols with his eyes, while his teacher asked from afar.
[Have you found the sanctuary of hunting and prosperity?]
And Boren happily answered his teacher.
