Evolution begins with an ant colony

Chapter 226: A Monarch’s Warth: Bloody Retribution

Adrian responded, "We got 13," as he lifted up a bloody bag filled with cores of the beast folk they had slain.

"Seems we beat you," Captain Markus said, lifting up his own bag with a smug smile, "we got 15."

Adrian sighed, "Really? Ah, dammit. I guess the student has still yet to outshine the teacher."

Adrian then added, "The only reason you beat us is because we ran into an issue," Adrian revealed, his voice holding a mix of anger and frustration.

"An issue? What was it?" Markus asked, curiosity evident as he lowered the bloody bag filled with cores, wanting to listen to Adrian’s explanation.

"Well, we sort of almost got caught by one of the monsters, so we had to change positions to continue the mission. But the spot we changed to only allowed us to get five more monsters," Adrian revealed as he then let down his bag of cores, letting out a sigh right after.

Markus chuckled, "Well, that doesn’t matter now. Let’s get out of here and get a safe distance away. We are still in enemy territory. Don’t want these monsters realizing we are still close by."

As the knights began to go on their way, they all suddenly heard a voice.

"So, it wasn’t any of the tribes in this forest. I thought so. Who would dare think of war when we had all been assigned tasks from our liege? Such behavior would surely be punishable by death."

The knights didn’t understand the language they were hearing, so they all concluded the voice was casting a spell.

"Everyone pull your swords and be on your guard," Markus exclaimed. All the knights followed suit, turning behind them since that was where the voice was coming from. They all trembled with fear, wondering what fate awaited them since they were found.

Suddenly, they spotted a figure approaching them in the distance. It looked human but wasn’t; the figure was hairy all over and had a lion head. They seemed to be dressed like royalty, exuding charisma with every stride. It was Leandor, and he had come to confront the beings he believed were responsible for the fire in his territory, yet to discover the full scope of what had transpired.

As he approached, the guards trembled; fear gripped their hearts as they gazed at Leandor’s imposing figure. His sheer size and bulky frame hinted at his battle prowess, and the confidence he exuded was suffocating, as if he were absolutely certain that these beings standing before him were simply pests he had to get rid of.

As Leandor approached, he suddenly paused, his nose started picking up a rather familiar smell. As the ruler of the beast folk tribe during his youth, his father had put him through hellish training that would often leave him sweating and bloodied. Thus, he had become accustomed to the strong iron smell he could now perceive in the air.

Instantaneously, his gaze fell on the source of the smell—two bags that seemed to be filled with multiple roundish objects. The bags dripped blood and were quite large. Instantly, Leandor knew what had unfolded. His mood took a sudden change as he mumbled, "How, dare you!"

Along with Leandor’s sudden mood change, his mana surged forth, illuminating the dark parts of the forest around him in the crimson hue of his mana.

In that moment, Leandor propelled himself forward with a very massive amount of force that instantly created a crater where he once stood. He then closed in on the knights so fast they were not able to even see his movements. In that split moment, he used both of his lion paws to grab hold of Aiden and Marcus’ arms—the same arms they used to hold the bags with the cores in them.

He grabbed hold of their arms so tightly, crushing their bones. They both screamed in agony. Leandor, with a very intense look in his eyes, proceeded to completely rip off their arms and grabbed hold of the bags. He then turned around, took a few steps back, and dropped them gently to the floor, opening them to gaze at their contents.

And just like he thought, the cores of his people were in those bags. So much anger surged through him that he simply paused and gazed at the cores intensely, his mana surging even more, rising like flames around his body.

"Aghhhhhh! My arm, my arm!!" Marcus exclaimed as he fell and screamed in agony. His ripped-off arm bled out all over the place, sending chills down the spines of all the magic knights who gazed at the gruesome spectacle.

"Aghhhhhh!" Adrian exclaimed as he also screamed from the pain of his ripped-off arm. All the magic knights were completely frozen with fear as they gazed at their comrade and captain screaming in pain.

Suddenly, Leandor slowly rose from the ground after taking in the sight of the bloody cores of fallen people. "Unforgivable, truly unforgivable!" Leandor exclaimed, a roar followed right after. His mana surged even more, resembling a raging inferno around his body. His eyes shone ever so brightly, and steam seemed to come out from both his mouth and nose.

The veins around his arms became visible as they pulsed with his rage within. The very earth beneath him seemed to begin to crack, a sign that even the earth itself could feel his boiling rage.

The knights could collectively feel an incoming clash, but they were in no state to face such a foe. They knew if they were to turn their backs now and run, it would be pointless. The predator that stood in front of them would surely rip them to pieces if they were to avert their eyes from it for even a second.

So they stood their ground, ready to accept their fates, but not without a fight... or so they collectively thought.

"I don’t want to die here. I have a wife and kids at home!" a magic knight exclaimed as he turned around, making a break for the edge of the forest. He hoped that maybe, if he ran as fast as he could, he could make it to safety. However, where that safety was, he wasn’t sure.

All he knew was he had neither the power nor the resolve to face such a terrifying presence, and the thought of dying to such a monster that was certain to rip him limb from limb until his death absolutely terrified him.

"Young traitor!" another knight exclaimed as he turned his gaze to meet the form of the retreating knight, only for a split second. The sight he saw next served to strike the same fear that terrified knight felt into his heart.

Out of nowhere, it seemed as if Leandor had zoomed past all the magic knights and emerged directly behind them. Instantly grabbing hold of the retreating knight by his head, Leandor proceeded to put his hand into his mouth as the knight desperately pleaded for his life. Leandor then proceeded to rip him in two from his mouth down to his lower half.

The armor the knight wore instantly shattered under Leandor’s might, the knight’s blood splattered all over the forest floor and also on Leandor’s regal clothing. As the knight’s insides became outsides and his bones poked out of his bloody body, Leandor then proceeded to throw away both halves of the ripped knight in different directions.

Leandor then spoke up with a bone-chilling tone, "None of you leaves here alive today." The knights, who had previously been unable to understand him, suddenly found themselves comprehending that single statement. It finally served to cause them to panic as they all desperately began to run for their lives.

The forest was a witness to a bloody chase, a deadly exchange between predator and prey. Leandor, fueled by a primal rage, relentlessly pursued the terrified knights, his eyes ablaze with fury. The air thickened with fear as the knights desperately tried to evade their impending demise.

One knight, stumbling over roots in his panic, became an easy target. Leandor lunged forward, his massive claws tearing through the knight’s armor like paper. Blood sprayed across the forest floor as the knight’s life was violently extinguished.

A second knight, attempting a feeble defense, found his sword shattered by Leandor’s powerful swipe. Defenseless, he fell victim to the beast folk leader’s wrath. Leandor’s fangs sank into the knight’s throat, tearing out flesh and spraying blood in a bloody display.

The remaining knights, terror-stricken, scattered in all directions. Leandor, consumed by rage, continued his pursuit, leaving a trail of mutilated bodies in his wake. The forest echoed with the sickening sounds of carnage as limbs were severed, bones crushed, and life extinguished.

The once peaceful woodland was now a witness to a bloody scene, the sounds of agony and death carried out by the enraged beast folk leader. The knights’ desperate cries faded into the night, swallowed by the merciless brutality of Leandor’s vengeance.