In the deep of night, a biting cold wind howled, echoing with ghostly wails.
In the darkness, among the blood wolves, the Blood Wolf Leader, with a body as robust as a calf and fur as if dyed in blood-red flames, stared at the village illuminated by flickering firelight up ahead, baring its sharp, cold teeth.
Hundreds of blood wolves beside it shifted their gaze with gleaming green eyes toward the leader, waiting for its command to charge forth and tear apart the seemingly fragile village!
Today could truly be called the blood wolves' lucky day.
Having gone without a hunt for three consecutive days, their stomachs growled with hunger. To obtain enough food, the Blood Wolf Leader had even led the pack into the dreaded territory of the Blue Young Dragon.
Unexpectedly, just as they ventured into that area, an alluring fresh scent wafted through the air, guiding them here.
Looking at the village ahead, the enticing aroma of food drifted out, making their mouths water.
About thirty Beastmen, along with an abundance of food.
This was a feast!
The Blood Wolf Leader bared its mouth, white vapor puffing out as corrosive liquid dripped onto the ground.
"Roar!"
A low growl reached the ears of all the blood wolves.
This was the signal to attack!
About thirty Beastmen, though troublesome, they were confident they could slaughter these opponents for food, and together with the fresh fish, wiping out this village would see them through the cold winter!
Although the village had that detestable smell, the Blood Wolf Leader couldn't care less about that.
With its command, countless shadows emerged from the darkness, surrounding Dragon Nest Village from all sides. They moved with extraordinary silence, making not a sound, and in no time, they had slipped over the village's crude fences, stealthily approaching several wooden houses.
Silence,
Deathly silence.
Invisible, a terrifying killing intent permeated, quietly seeping into every corner of the darkness, with danger looming silently.
Inside the houses, the Beastmen were oblivious to the impending danger, their snores vying as they remained in a deep slumber.
Yet, just as the blood wolf pack encircled the houses, with a few wolves preparing to slip inside and kill the Beastmen,
creak!
The door opened, and Goblin Gulu rubbed his eyes as he stepped out of the house.
"Jeez, it's so cold. Does His Highness Blue Dragon have to build a toilet? In weather this cold, we used to do our business directly in the nest..."
Awoken by his bladder, Goblin Gulu got up to go to the toilet, shivering as he was hit by the cold wind. He couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
The construction of the toilet was troublesome for those Beastmen. In the cold of night, handling hygiene requires passing through the unsheltered courtyard, enduring the cold wind for a good while.
He was about to step out when Goblin Gulu suddenly froze.
On the white ground ahead, shadows surrounded the village, pairs of green-glowing eyes all focused on him.
Gulu was stunned. The blood wolves creeping toward the house paused as well.
The air suddenly grew quiet,
then,
"Wolves! Wolves!"
Gulu burst back inside, slamming the door shut with a bang, his shrill voice piercing through the night sky.
At the same time, the wolves outside reacted as two strong blood wolves charged ahead, ramming into the door.
Bam bam!
The flimsy wooden door shook, about to shatter, scaring Gulu senseless as he pressed against the door with all his might.
"Quick, get up! Wolves! Wolves!"
Gulu's screams and the banging on the door finally roused the slumbering Beastmen, with Kobold Leader Vini waking first. Seeing the wolves outside lunging at the cabin through a crack in the door, his dog eyes narrowed sharply.
"Everyone, get up! Form up!"
With the familiar, loud military order, the Beastmen instinctively stood up, quickly shaking off their drowsiness.
"Rodney, Dickens, Eleanor, you three grab wood and charge out, everyone else follows behind!"
The three named were the strongest Lizardmen.
There was little hesitation; a month of military training had induced a reflexive obedience to commands.
The three hulking figures, nearly two meters tall, each grabbed a wooden log used as a seat, opened the door, and stormed out together.
The wolves originally preparing to assault the cabin were caught off guard as the behemoths rushed out, the objects in their hands slicing through the air, directly sending the wolves flying.
The blood wolf pack prowling and circling outside recoiled in fright, retreating some distance, and growled lowly.
By this time, the Beastmen had rushed out of the house, clutching the Wooden Spears usually used for training and leaning against the walls of the building.
"Form up, defend against the enemy!"
With a command, the formation swiftly adapted,
short ones at the front, tall ones at the back,
leaning on each other, spears bristling, forming a hedgehog-like circle in no time.
Outside, the hundreds of blood wolves surrounded the Beastmen, prowling at the boundary, growling in a display of menace.
Meanwhile, the Blood Wolf Leader, hidden among the wolf pack, looked at these different breed of Beastmen, both in reaction and demeanor, instinctively feeling uneasy, as if it had overlooked something.
In the past, they had besieged Beastman tribes before.
But among the Beastman tribes they had encountered before, never had they seen Beastmen react this way.
In previous attacks on Beastman tribes, once discovered, the strongest Beastman leader would charge out, followed by a chaotic mass of Beastmen. Once they overwhelmed and killed the strongest Beastman leader, the rest would crumble and flee.
But now, the strongest one among these Beastmen not only didn't charge out but stood still with a stick in hand.
The Blood Wolf Leader suddenly felt a wave of unease, but the hunger for food suppressed the discomfort rising from within.
Just mere Beastmen!
"Awooo!"
The Blood Wolf Leader howled into the sky, and the surrounding blood wolves' eyes flared with red light, growing frenzy and violent, immediately charging ferociously toward the Beastmen.
In an instant, shadows surged like a tide...