NOVEL ONLINE FREE CHAPTER 263
Chapter 263: The Tide Rises
Esek, driven by a thirst for revenge, wouldn't miss the opportunity to strike at Archean City. Hao Huang and the Queen of Blades were his primary targets.
Although these two Origin Realm experts were mere pawns in the grand scheme of their respective clans, this was only the beginning.
Esek was confident that he would make both the Giant Clan and the Insect Clan feel the full wrath of the zombie tide, the crushing weight of despair.
He would single-handedly turn the tide of the war.
Day 361 of the Black Mist Calendar
The second wave of the zombie onslaught began.
In the early morning, a seemingly endless horde of zombie beasts gathered outside Archean City, their collective presence a dark tide threatening to engulf the city.
Among them were five Origin Realm zombie beasts, their power amplified by the Dream Virus.
Hao Huang and The Queen of Blade, the Origin Realm guardians of Archean City, stood their ground.
The battle raged throughout the day, a brutal and relentless struggle for survival.
By evening, the city's defenses lay in ruins. The protective barrier had been shattered, and three of the four city walls had collapsed.
The combined forces of the Giant Clan and Insect Clan were battered and exhausted, their numbers dwindling. Five of the seven insect nests outside the city had been destroyed.
Hao Huang and the Queen of Blades were both gravely wounded, their strength spent.
They had repelled this wave of the zombie tide, but the weakening of their forces was undeniable.
"And the most terrifying part is," the Queen of Blade said, her voice strained as she addressed Hao Huang in the dimly lit study of the City Lord's Manor, "these weren't even the main forces of the zombie beasts."
Hao Huang's face hardened, his silence mirroring the Queen of Blades' grim assessment. The mastermind behind this onslaught, Esek, had yet to reveal himself.
It was clear that he was still amassing his forces within the Hundred Thousand Mountains. The losses they had inflicted were likely insignificant compared to the growing horde of zombie beasts.
Yesterday's and today's attacks were probably mere skirmishes, a chilling prelude to the true horror that awaited them.
"Even so," Hao Huang said, his voice heavy, "we won't survive tomorrow."
The two Origin Realm experts could sense the increasing stench of death surrounding Archean City.
A vast army of zombie beasts was emerging from the mountains, their first target the city itself.
The third wave of attacks was inevitable.
And it would be far more devastating than anything they had faced so far.
"So you mean..." Hao Huang's voice trailed off, a ruthless determination settling in his eyes.
The Queen of Blade snorted. "If we don't do this, how can we complete the mission assigned to us by the clan?"
"Besides," she added coldly, "it's just the lives of some foreign tribes... Under the current circumstances, not even our own subjugated tribes, or even the weakest of our own kind, are exempt from sacrifice."
Hao Huang nodded grimly.
"Then let's begin."
In the Black Mist Zone, the strength of a large clan wasn't solely determined by its numbers or its experts, nor even by the presence of protective deities. It was also about access to the Holy Tower and its unparalleled concentration of Origin Power.
But even more crucial were the hidden or overt trump cards each clan possessed—powers that transcended even the might of the gods.
For instance, the Giant Clan's [Spirit Blood Sacrifice.]
And the Insect Clan's [Beetle God's Descent.]
On this particular night, under the shroud of darkness, screams and wails pierced the air of Archean City.
The city's residents, mistaking it for another zombie beast attack, huddled in their homes, too terrified to venture out.
But the true architects of this night's horror were none other than the city's current rulers, the Giant Clan.
Giant warriors, clad in their imposing armor, rampaged through the streets, mercilessly slaughtering any beings of other clans they encountered.
In the military camp, a massive blood-red flag, nearly 30 meters high, billowed in the wind, its fabric rippling with a sinister energy. A dim red light emanated from the flag, bathing the Giant Clan warriors in its eerie glow. As they killed, smearing the blood of their victims on their bodies, crimson lines snaked across their skin, feeding back into the flag.
Hao Huang stood beneath the blood-red banner, his gaze fixed on its fluttering form, a growing ferocity burning in his eyes.
"300,000," he murmured, his voice a low growl.
"Just 300,000 lives, and I can harness the blood-flag's power to unleash the Giant Spirit secret technique, temporarily reaching the peak of the Origin Realm."
"Then, when Esek appears on the battlefield, I will surely be able to slay him on the spot!" Hao Huang's thoughts were consumed by visions of triumph and vengeance.
But a moment later, a more pragmatic thought surfaced. "No, one use of the Giant Spirit secret technique isn't enough. The margin for error is too small."
"I need two or three uses..."
His gaze swept across the city. "As for Archean City... well, I'm not sure how many people are here, but I should be able to gather more than two drops of Giant Spirit Blood."
Outside the city, within a pristine insect nest, the Queen of Blade stood beside the Mother Insect, observing its struggles.
The Mother Insect's abdomen was swollen, its body writhing in pain. It emitted a series of distressed clicks and chirps.
It was in the throes of labor.
The Queen of Blade watched impassively, her gaze cold and unyielding. If you can't give birth, then die, her eyes seemed to say.
Finally, with a wet plop, ten golden, fist-sized insect eggs emerged from the Mother Insect's body. It was a remarkable sight, considering the creature's immense size. The strain of labor had clearly taken its toll.
The Queen of Blade, upon seeing the golden eggs, let out a sigh of relief.
She patted the head of the Mother Insect, whose aura was fading rapidly. "Return to the embrace of the Origin Insect Mother..." she whispered, her voice devoid of emotion.
Then, she turned and walked away, carrying the precious eggs. She didn't even spare a glance for the dying Mother Insect.
The Queen of Blade was renowned for her speed.
When she moved at full speed, she was a blur, a whirlwind of blades and chitin.
Soon, she arrived at her first target within Archean City.
The residence of the Azure Scale Clan.
The Azure Scale Clan, once loyal servants of the Giant Clan, had accompanied the Third Legion to Archean City. No one could have guessed that, moments earlier, Hao Huang had already sold them out—to The Queen of Blade herself.
The Queen of Blade’s divine sense swept across the area, immediately locking onto her targets. Without hesitation, she reached out, and three figures were dragged toward her as if summoned by an invisible force.