Chapter 486
Chapter 486 - 466: Malicious Curse
1,367 words
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7 min read
An underground tomb cannot be considered a good battlefield in any respect.
The narrow and limited space gives unit clad in heavy armor an advantage. When these stalwart defensive units charge in, their more fragile unarmored counterparts become like toppled bowling pins.
These armored units raise their shields in silence, and with every step the Knights take, the opponents are continuously forced back.
"Turtle Spirit!"
The elite warriors of the local knight corps formed a biscuit formation, line of three, three lines in total.
While they were slowly advancing, there were also plenty of arrows being shot into the sky.
The knights’ marching footsteps were dignified and powerful; the momentum of holding up shields could not be stopped at all.
As for their opponents – the Beastmen – some of them were either frantically biting at the shields, body slamming, or trying to escape, only to be directly skewered by javelins.
In this narrow and unobstructed space, the efficiency of the slaughter was frightening.
"Arrange into formation, clean up the battlefield!"
For the scattered and fleeing soldiers, the group did not continue to pursue them. By cleaning up the battlefield, they also identified the identities of these fallen victims.
"... These followers of the Beast God Sect, are much weaker than expected."
"Yes, lack of ration isn’t the only problem, even the technique of using their claws and teeth seems like they just learned how to. Their fighting relies too much on instincts."
"Believe it or not, they actually dropped their swords to launch and bite people directly. I was scared to death, but they couldn’t even bite through the first layer of the Turtle Spirit’s skin."
The development was completely different than expected. According to Catherine’s description, the followers of the Beast God Sect were extremely dangerous.
They have four major legions: Lion and tiger are good at jump attacks, with an average height of over two meters, extremely strong, and skilled in the use of a variety of exotic weapons, are individual combat masters.
The Wolf Riding Combat Brigade is good at encirclement and hunting, half are beast trainers and the other half are knights, their coordinated tactics are polished.
Rat-man Sentinel is extremely nimble and elusive, making them excellent assassins and scouts.
The Vulture Aerial Combat Group is an outstanding air force unit, they are tall and sturdy, skillful with both javelins and arrows.
"Based on my estimation, if a knight corps of the same number confronted any of the four major legions, they would have no chance of winning." This was Catherine’s original words before, and this also was the reason why their group started to move in formation when they saw the Beastman.
But obviously, this result is disappointing.
"No, they are not followers of the Beast God Sect..."
If they’re not followers of the Beast God Sect, does this world also have indigenous Beastmen?
The question was quickly answered, these "Beastmen" wore ragged clothes, their tops, pants, and shoes all had been snapped, and...
"This Lion Man is too small, the transformation is not complete. And this Bear-Man ... That’s a rare transformation reserved for the guard team, a very rare occurrence, his physique is too weak."
Judging by the conclusion, the situation is terribly dour – it seems they had just finished transforming into new Beastmen.
The tattoos on their bodies, the skeletal tattoos suggesting the influence of the Evil Bone power, hinted at this reality.
Some power beyond the norm is being nurtured down there.
After a careful check of these half beastified men, a playful smile appeared on Catherine’s face as she looked up.
"...The ritual, might have already begun."
"One-two-three-four, meow, four-three-two-one, meow... meow, meow, meow, cough, cough, cough, ran out of breath. Cough, cough, cough. What’s that smell!,"
The gray stones, golden walls, could not hold back Meow. But the dust accumulated over the years, on the antique level, almost directly murdered her.
With a wave of her hands and a swimming posture, she swam through the walls. Leaving, first two little beast ears poking out from the ground, followed by two pairs of curious big eyes sneaking out like a periscope.
Compared with the natives who have supernatural abilities, the professionals from the Exotic Realm have various abilities. Sometimes they are completely useless, but sometimes they can achieve excellent results.
Once again this intricately mechanized maze had become Meow’s home turf...
"One meow, two meow.... oh, a big fish."
She observed each Beastman, noting down their locations and conditions, then narrowed her eyes and began searching for key targets.
The most important targets were naturally the two Rule-Level items and the equally ranked Taboo items, but evidently, her luck wasn’t that great.
However, she did spot a target.
It was a figure struggling in a chair.
His skin was dark and there were some features of Beastification on his body. He sat in a corner, trembling continuously, occasionally twisting his entire body as if cramped... He seemed to be fighting against some invisible force.
At his feet lay a leather-bound notebook and a pen... Clearly, they weren’t from this world.
A crisp sound took all the Beastmen’s attention.
A rolling stone had conveniently landed in front of the corridor.
While their attention was caught by the little stone, a hand suddenly stretched out from the wall, a thin silk thread was placed in front, followed by a silent tug... The head oozing with blood slammed straight on the ground.
At the next moment, Meow sneaked back into the wall and at the same time, her cat-like hand reached out, snatching the decapitated head and the attached thin notebook.
From start to finish, no one noticed until dozens of minutes later...
"Right, Meow... I’m super awesome, aren’t I?"
Meow puffed out her chest in front of Lu Ping’an, brimming with pride.
She indeed had the credentials to boast. Amidst the ongoing tactical situation, her wildcard ability to bypass terrain was crucial.
Plus, her profession and abilities were all assassin-oriented... Even Lu Ping’an couldn’t be certain he could avoid this cat’s unrestricted assassinations all the time.
She had now become the most capable set of eyes for Lu Ping’an and his companions. This was far from the first time she had both killed and stolen... Meow was more fitted for the battlefield than anyone had anticipated.
As for the notebook, it was flipped open by Lu Ping’an. It was a battlefield diary of a black officer named David.
The content was quite simple, mostly detailing what a few people did on a certain day, what ammunition they replaced, and what weapons they added.
Lu Ping’an fast-forwarded to the last page. He was somewhat interested in why this "Red Sand Thief" was driven to desperation.
"... Three people, heading to the tomb below..."
"Damn... cursed..."
"Mutation curse... light... can’t control..."
The last few lines were hastily scribbled, obviously, he was struggling to write with his claws at that moment. The blood-stained fingerprints documented their end.
It seemed they found a secret chamber below and all three of them went in simultaneously. One of them died instantly while the other two underwent mutations.
"I’m not sure. It’s too vague. I can list more than twenty abilities and items that can transform people into beasts, but there are a few things I can identify. Have you seen the head?"
What Meow brought back was a half-human, half-beast skull. That officer was still resisting the physical mutation in the end.
"Let her use the Holy Fire."
Lu Ping’an understood immediately and promptly issued the order.
Catherine hesitated for a moment before biting her lip. A spark appeared... which made her and her colleagues behind her sigh in relief.
The dazzling red flame fell on the skull, instantly igniting it... then it quickly turned into a skeleton. It wasn’t human, a half-beast skull with large teeth.
The obvious Beastified teeth, even under the Holy Fire’s burn, retained their original state.
"... It could be a permanent transformation, at least a long-term one. Starting from Rule-level, you guys need to be careful."
— End of Chapter 486 —