Meaoww ~!!!! Meaoww ~?????????

In the face of impending doom, instead of fear, Asme felt excitement growing every second. The blood flowing in her veins was boiling, looking forward to the coming massacre.

It craved fresh blood. It wanted to see the monsters' bodies being ripped to shreds by the scarlet ice. It craved battle, it craved chaos, it craved to show its terror to the world again.

Eons of forgetfulness had taken their toll on him. He had become a shadow of his former self, making him even more eager to return in glory...

Asme prepared herself as best she could. Although she was limited by time, she managed to set up the simple magic formation that Ramiel had taught her and prepare a few small surprises for uninvited guests.

The surrounding area, with a three-hundred-meter radius, was cleared of all vegetation. Aside from the scorched earth, there was nothing there.

This was Seraphine's clue. Since they can't escape, it's better to adapt to the terrain for themselves than to fight in the dense forest that is the domain of the Night Rippers. This will minimize the losses, which will be huge anyway. This is something Asme has already factored into her calculations.

Given the crushing numerical advantage, it was foolish to dream like a naive child that no one would die.

" All ready? "

Seraphine nodded, not taking her eyes off the tree line, where hordes of monsters lurked. The necromancer's experience told her that all hell on earth was about to break loose here.

The faint stench of impending death wafted through the air, heralding Ramiel and Seraphine as the few who found this tart scent pleasant. If Seraphine played her cards right, she would get dozens of new souls for her collection.

" Caera, what is the situation? "

The elfess stood on a stone platform that Rascal had created, reaching several meters into the air. It provided a better view and the ability to fire at her and the gray goblin from above.

Caera's gray eyes scanned the bank of trees as thick as a clump of grass for approaching predators.

She didn't have to strain. Dozens of jet-black paws protruded from the dense, thicket, razor-sharp claws just waiting to bathe in the fresh sweat.

The monsters were boiling with anger, wanting more than anything to end the lives of the intruders. However, despite the hatred raging inside them, they remained calm.

Irritating insects showed their cunning more than once, killing the elaborately prepared legions.

Hordes of overgrown cats surrounded Asme on all sides, leaving no gap for escape.

A thick wave of bloodlust and outright contempt hit the horned beauty straight on, Propelling her deeply buried primal instincts.

A cold shiver ran down her back. She faced such a crushing advantage for the first time in her life.

Wrrr...

At the low growl of the Night Fear, the Night Rippers split into 16 groups, each containing eight monsters.

Two groups were per ï leader.

The Night Fear is an intelligent creature. He knew the battle ahead of them wouldn't be one of the easiest.

He felt uneasy towards Seraphine, Asme, and the four goblins. This meant that they posed a potential threat. In his eyes, all the rest were no different from the lousy worms he despised. They weren't even worth an ounce of his attention.

Just as a person ignores ants when he goes for a walk, he ignored Ramiel's army.

The plan was simple, tire out Asme and the rest using the Night Rippers. When the woman's strength drops, the eight of the Night Terrors will spring into action, tearing her apart piece by piece.

They will repay her handsomely...

By pure coincidence, they took Asme as the real leader of the whole bunch. This was understandable, given the laws of nature by which they were guided.

The strongest always leads in the herd, and this isn't subject to discussion. However, they had no idea that Ramiel was the strongest being of them all.

His statistics didn't prove it, but they didn't need to. His professional experience and the skills that came with it beat everyone else. If he persisted, he would have a chance to kill one, The Night Terror, but this is a very optimistic scenario that requires a long, hard-fought battle. Without Astronomical mana reserves, Ramiel can, at best, dream about it.

The leaves separating the forest from the future battlefield moved, revealing an array of grinning monsters. From the edges of their gaping maws dripped a copious amount of foaming liquid mixed with a bit of rotting blood.

The sight would have made even the bravest warriors shudder. However, Ramiel's legions stood unmoved. Their grim faces laughed at the pathetic attempts at sub-kicking morale. It takes more than that to frighten creatures who deal daily with an imitation of the grim reaper, or at least the sight of him. He, who had never experienced Ramiel's humor when he was enraged, cannot speak out about what it means to be truly afraid.

Wrr...

The Night Rippers felt beaten down. The attitude displayed by the walking food is contrary to what they expected. Instead of shaking with fear of impending doom, they stood confidently, focusing on the inevitable battle.

Just as the monsters were about to launch a devastating charge, destroying everything in their path, a screech resounded through space, from which every soul within five hundred meters trembled in terror.

On cue from Asme, the Condemned Sloths made their presence known. Ramiel's prohibition on limiting their abilities was lifted.

 After so long, they could finally break the fetters binding them, showing their full potential.

Previously brave Night Rippers, they now resembled little cats, whimpering with their tails tucked. A previously unknown feeling of fear has set in their hearts.

This is the first time they have felt something so repulsive in their territory.

Sensing an invisible pressure, the monsters retreated. However, their retreat was only temporary. Not even a minute passed, and the quiet and steady growl of the Night Terror reminded them who they should fear and why.

If they had to choose, they preferred to die in battle rather than fall into the disfavor of the devil in sheep's clothing. Compared to him, the clash with The Condemned Sloth seemed like an amusement park outing.

In response to the wailing of the dungeon warriors, the Fear of Night let out a loud roar. His powerful tone of voice muffled the impact that Ramiel's monsters were having.

Feeling a subtle germ of fear in his heart, he felt his body seize with irrational anger. This was the first time he had been so insulted by food. It was unacceptable.

Suddenly, half of the gathered Night Rippers received a mental message.

" WRR! " (KILL!!!).

Like a single man, eight of the sixteen groups of monsters rushed forward in a furious charge. Like a speeding rocket, they fell out of the tree line. A maniacal bloodlust developed in their minds. They saw no purpose other than to crush to pulp any being that wasn't them.

The Condemned Sloths howled in unison but were stopped by Asme. Their screams were no longer beneficial. Apparently, temporarily, the Night Rippers had become immune to mental attacks.

There was no point in wasting strength. Every ounce of stamina could weigh life or death. Asme couldn't afford to waste resources mindlessly.

Instead of panicking like most fresh-faced hunters, she remained calm, patiently waiting for the overgrown cats to approach.

Involuntarily, Rascal cast a look full of pity in the direction of the confidently running cats. In his eyes, they were no different from living punching bags. He was eager to turn them into a pile of bloody meat for insulting Ramiel, but his master's woman forbade him to do so. Her words couldn't be interpreted otherwise. He was to stand idly by and wait for further orders.

His attention was caught by eight creatures hiding deep in the forest behind a veil of darkness spell. Seeing through such a simple spell was no problem for the goblin chief.

After a painful change of species, his knowledge of the element of darkness increased dramatically. Something as simple as a simple veil couldn't surprise him.

Meeting the monster's bloodthirsty gaze in his path, he reflexively placed his hand on the hilt of the refurbished greatsword. On its surface, an ethereal glow pulsed with the bright blue runes Ramiel had intricately carved.

It was a small gift before his departure to the afterlife. He used several infirnyt crystals the size of a human hand to create them. Otherwise, the blade would have split in half.

Ramiel put a lot of time into its creation. In every spare moment, he pondered the appropriate configuration of the runes. The choice fell on a configuration focusing on defense. However, using the infirnyt crystals for just that would have been a waste. He added something from himself, something that would prove to be an unpleasant surprise for Rascal's opponents. Ramiel regretted that he wouldn't be there to see the monster's face.

A sneering smile appeared on the goblin's face. It was trying to take out the oversized tiger that lurked in the wilderness. It was already halfway to victory. Dealing with an enemy blinded by fury is easier than taking candy from a child.

Unfortunately, luck wasn't in Rascal's favor this time. The monster ignored him, shifting its attention to the charging troops.

When the army of Night Rippers had covered three-quarters of the distance separating them from Caera and the rest, Asme gave a subtle sign to Seraphine.

The necromancer didn't wait long. Immediately, she raised her bony hands to the air, and the souls living in her cloak let out a whimper full of pain and regret. The fires dancing in her eyes became more intense, and the mana around her trembled.

Suddenly, the frenzied charge of the Night Rippers was cut in half. Thousands of at least ten meters tall bony ribs sprouted from the ground. Thousands of at least ten meters tall bony ribs sprouted from the ground. To create it, Seraphine used the corpses of the beings buried here, which can be counted in the thousands.

The white wall effectively divided the enemy forces in half. From eight charging groups, it became four.

The first reaction of the Night Rippers was shock. Half of them didn't expect to collide with the metal-hard wall. Momentarily, the air was filled with a howl full of pain.

However, Seraphine didn't let them recover. Thousands of white bones emerged from the ground a few meters behind them. It didn't take long for them to transform into all sorts of monster remains.

At Seraphine's command, dozens of skeletons attacked the unsuspecting Night Rippers. What must have been their surprise when the first of them died in the iron grip of the white jaws.

The monster's body trembled in sudden convulsions, and fountains of blood poured down in streams, staining the white bones scarlet.

Rasp

Under the pressure of its jaws, the body of the pitiful cat split in two. Between the teeth of the bony creation hung the remains of torn intestines.

This was the moment when the Night Rippers felt that they were fucked.

At the same time, on the other side, on Asme's orders, The Condemned Wolves, together with The Condemned Sloths, went into action.

The shock the poor felines faced was even greater than the one when the bony wall appeared.

In a direct clash, the effect of The Condemned Sloth's passive ability was twice as great. Most of the monsters panicked, becoming easy targets for Ramiel's bloodthirsty legions of death.

The real carnage began. Chilling shouts filled with pleas for help filled the battlefield. Blood was pouring in streams in the air. Pieces of shredded bodies with internal organs flew everywhere. Disgusting fecal matter mixed with a considerable amount of yellow liquid rolled underfoot.

The surviving Night Ripper units panicked and tried to climb over the obstacle, blocking their escape route.

Their claws fiercely scratched the white surface of the bones, and their tails frantically bounced against the solid material. Despite their desperate efforts, they didn't leave even the slightest trace.

Seraphine's barrage wasn't the first better spell. To create it, she used a magical formation. Ordinary rang monsters low - low could dream of breaking through it.

Contrary to appearances, it didn't need an astronomical amount of mana. It used tormented souls to function, consuming one for every two minutes of existence. We are talking here about the souls of lower creatures. The stronger it was, the longer the time becomes.

Crunch

With the sound of breaking bones, Wolf's massive paw crushed the monster, limping in the corner. It immediately plunged into the soft mush that once served as the cat's brain. It cast only a contemptuous glance before its eyes tracked down its next victim.

Like a messenger of the apocalypse, it slowly approached towards the two isolated monsters. He fixed his red eyes on them, filling their bodies with the fear of battle. It was his most powerful and only ability at his disposal.

The Night Rippers' limbs refused to obey, and the bladder couldn't withstand the growing tension, releasing a golden liquid. In their eyes, the figure of the approaching wolf grew to the size of a monstrous mountain that covered 90% of the field of vision.

Faced with a stronger enemy, the monsters felt like helpless newborns, obediently waiting for the gift of death.

The wolf proved to be a salvation, freeing them from the thick fetters of life. Its steel-hard claws, which were covered by a thin layer of scarlet ice, slit the throats of the naive creatures with a nimble motion.

Asme smiled under her breath. Her earrings gradually pulsed with a bright red glow, illuminating her deadly face.

She felt her strength increase by a tiny fraction with each victim. It was nothing spectacular, but given the scale of the upcoming battle, her stats would increase by a few nice points.

 So far, everything was going like clockwork, but would it last like this until the end?