Far from the chaos and horrifying battle against the beast tide, a lone figure stood atop a massive dune. A faint smile played upon her lips as she gazed toward the distant battlefield.
Behind her stood two notable figures.
One was a Scorpion Man.
The other was a bald young man.
The Scorpion Man was tall and humanoid, with bronze chitin covering his shoulders, arms, and spine. His amber eyes glowed beneath the crimson moonlight while a segnted tail arched behind him, ending in a deadly venomous stinger.
His hands were covered in sharp claws layered with thick shell plates.
Among the races of the Bleeding Desert, the Scorpion n were considered nature’s favored children.
Each Scorpion Man was a deadly warrior.
Few races dared challenge them directly.
As for the bald young man, his appearance was ordinary. His green eyes remained devoid of emotion, making it impossible to determine what he was thinking.
anwhile, the enigmatic Cressida maintained the sa faint smile. She appeared completely relaxed. For a mont, silence dominated the area.
Only the desert wind howled softly across the dunes while distant battle cries echoed from the battlefield.
Then, suddenly, the smile on Cressida’s face vanished. She slowly turned toward the Scorpion Man and the bald young man.
"I’ve done my part. The rest is left to you." Her voice carried no emotion.
It was cold.
Detached.
Unfeeling.
"Failure is not an option." She added.
The bald young man imdiately lowered his head. "We will not fail, My Lady."
His voice carried unmistakable respect. Beside him, the Scorpion Man also lowered his head respectfully.
If Thoren or Solenne had witnessed this scene, they would have been stunned. Everyone knew the Scorpion n were arrogant and fearless.
They viewed humans and other weaker beastn as prey. They slaughtered countless human awakeners on sight without hesitation.
Yet one of their kind was now showing respect toward a human woman. Such a sight defied common sense.
Then there was the bald young man.
Countless questions lingered unanswered beneath the watchful gaze of the three blood red moons. Without sparing either of them another glance, Cressida turned and departed.
She walked deeper into the endless dunes.
Step after step.
Her body gradually sank lower.
The crimson sands swallowed her ankles.
Then her knees.
Then her waist.
Soon, she disappeared completely.
The Bleeding Desert consud her without leaving a trace behind.
Watching the strange scene unfold, neither the Scorpion Man nor the bald young man showed any reaction.
It was as though they had witnessed it countless tis before.
The bald young man finally broke the silence.
He turned toward the Scorpion Man.
"I will begin the plan imdiately." His gaze drifted toward the battlefield.
"Have your clansn deal with whatever remains."
The Scorpion Man grunted softly.
Then he nodded.
Without another word, he turned and departed. He had barely traveled five feet when the crimson sands erupted violently.
Boom!
A massive Greater Dune Scorpion burst from beneath the dunes. Its enormous body cast a long shadow beneath the moonlight. The Scorpion Man leaped onto its back effortlessly.
A few seconds later, both rider and mount vanished into the distance. Left alone atop the dune, the bald young man slowly smiled.
The expression appeared cruel. Almost insane.
"Who would have thought everything would proceed so smoothly?"
His smile widened.
"Now we will have enough specins."
"We won’t need to worry for several weeks." A flash of anticipation appeared within his eyes.
His expression beca increasingly deranged. Then he turned. Monts later, he too vanished into the darkness.
****
anwhile, on the battlefield, Solenne continued her relentless massacre. Her twin blades harvested lives at a terrifying speed.
She never paused.
She never hesitated.
She never doubted.
Her mind contained only one thought.
Kill.
The impossible beca effortless in her hands.
The dozens of Level 36 Bone Crushing Wyrms and Greater Dune Scorpions that had once threatened the entire settlent were reduced to fewer than five.
And all of it had happened within three minutes.
Blood soaked the crimson dunes.
Monster corpses littered the battlefield.
Yet Solenne remained untouched.
Not a single wound marred her body.
Without stopping, she surged toward the remaining Level 36 beasts.
She intended to eliminate them completely.
Just then...
Howl!
A terrifying roar shook the battlefield. Instantly, Solenne’s instincts scread.
Danger.
Death.
Destruction.
Without hesitation, she abandoned her attack and launched herself high into the air. Her body twisted gracefully. She spun through the air with astonishing agility.
Below her, the crimson sands exploded.
Boom!
The desert split apart and a gigantic creature erupted upward. Rows of jagged serrated teeth filled an enormous maw capable of swallowing a man whole.
The Level 37 Bone Crushing Wyrm had finally made its move. Its massive body launched skyward like a spear.
Its target was obvious.
Solenne.
Ti seed to slow.
The world beca silent.
The Wyrm’s enormous jaws opened wider. Its teeth glead beneath the moonlight. It lunged toward her with murderous intent. Yet Solenne remained calm.
Many awakeners would have panicked.
Many would have died.
But Solenne was not ordinary. Even while airborne, her movents remained precise.
Perfect.
Deadly.
At the final mont, she twisted her body sideways. The gigantic jaws narrowly missed her.
Then she counterattacked.
Bang!
Bang!
Two crimson flashes descended.
Her twin blades struck the Wyrm’s massive jaw with perfect timing. The impact echoed throughout the battlefield.
A miserable howl erupted from the creature’s throat.
Its charge stalled.
Its enormous body trembled.
Using the montum of her strikes, Solenne flipped backward and landed gracefully upon the blood soaked sand.
The instant her feet touched the ground, she attacked again.
Whoosh!
She charged directly toward the Level 37 Bone Crushing Wyrm.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Her blades moved so quickly they beca indistinct crimson blurs.
The attacks rged into a storm of steel. The strikes hamred against the Wyrm’s scales relentlessly.
Dozens of sparks erupted.
tallic screeches filled the battlefield.
Yet despite her overwhelming speed, the results were disappointing. Only shallow marks appeared upon the monster’s scales.
Nothing more.
The Level 37 Bone Crushing Wyrm was significantly tougher than the creatures she had slaughtered monts earlier.
Howl!
The beast roared furiously.
The surrounding dunes trembled.
Then the sands exploded.
Dozens of deadly sand spikes erupted from beneath the ground. Others transford into violent currents.
The attacks surged toward Solenne from every direction. She refused to et them directly.
Instead, she relied upon her superior movent. Her body beca a blur.
She darted between attacks while continuously swinging her twin blades. Every sand spear that approached was sliced apart instantly.
Every attack failed to reach her.
The battlefield beca a chaotic storm of crimson sand and flashing steel.
Yet amidst the chaos, another predator had been waiting patiently. Before Solenne could react, a gigantic shadow suddenly appeared above her.
Her instincts exploded with warning.
Her pupils contracted sharply.
A massive stinger descended from the sky. The enormous stinger blotted out the crimson moons.
The Level 37 Greater Dune Scorpion had finally entered the battle. And in that mont, Solenne’s heart seed to stop.
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