The land beneath their feet had already deteriorated; the soil had become soft and viscous, emitting a putrid stench.
Vegetation that should have been lush was either withered and blackened or mutated into twisted, ferocious shapes. Branches resembled convulsing limbs, and the leaves were covered in disgusting pustules.
"Follow me, stick to the high ground as much as possible, and avoid those obvious low-lying corrosive zones!" Castor lowered his voice and took the lead to scout ahead.
His familiarity with the terrain was heartbreakingly profound; every choice he made was steeped in experience paid for with blood.
The squad continued their arduous advance.
They hadn't gone far before trouble came knocking.
The ground suddenly split open. Several Tacet Discords—resembling giant, rotting earthworms but covered in sharp bone spurs—burst forth, lunging at the squad's flank with foul-smelling slime.
"Defensive formation!" the squad commander roared.
Several shields instantly locked together as an energy barrier flared to life, blocking the first wave of attacks.
However, more Tacet Discords surged from the surrounding shadows and the withered woods.
Some resembled twisted wolves with exposed bones, spewing acid; others were floating energy aggregates, continuously firing bizarre energy blasts.
Battle erupted in an instant.
The Black Shores soldiers displayed extremely high tactical proficiency, using crossfire for cover and executing precise point-blank kills.
Their specialized weapons seemed to have a bonus effect against Black Tide creatures, often inflicting considerable damage.
But the sheer number of Tacet Discords was simply too great, and they were completely fearless of death.
Castor let out a wild roar. The short sword in his hand ignited with crimson flames. With a swift and fierce dash, he viciously cleaved through a wolf-like Tacet Discord lunging at Bu Ling. "Watch your step! These beasts can burrow underground!"
This time, Bu Ling didn't use her small mirror for support. Instead, she pulled out a rather antique-looking Mengzhou hand crossbow from who knows where. The bolts were engraved with runes, and every shot accurately pinned into a Tacet Discord's energy core, triggering a small-scale purifying explosion with incredibly high efficiency.
"Boss, I'm definitely not slacking off this time!" she even had the time to shout out to Rover.
Rover finally made his move.
He gently drew the Blood Oath Covenant. With a mere flicker of his silhouette, he cut into the densest cluster of Tacet Discords like a phantom, riding the power of Aero.
Wherever he passed, the air seemed to solidify. Then, those ferocious Tacet Discords were crushed by the immense cyan Aero power, instantly disintegrating into primitive black dust before they could even let out a wail.
His strikes were clean and sharp, carrying an absolute suppressive force that gave the enemy zero chance to fight back, instantly alleviating more than half the pressure facing the squad.
The group fought a bloody battle the entire way.
They crossed withered woodlands occupied by Tacet Discords, trod through swamps bubbling with toxic foam, and repelled several waves of ambushes.
Castor's guidance was crucial; he gave advance warnings about the gathering points of large Tacet Discord packs along the route multiple times, preventing them from falling into heavy sieges and bitter fights.
When the setting sun dyed the sky an ominous blood-red, they arrived at a perilous mountain pass.
On both sides were towering cliffs that looked as if they had been split open by a giant axe, with only a narrow, winding road passing through the middle.
This was the Attilius Pass, the final natural barrier leading to the Hunters' Camp.
At the pass, the traces of battle were even more tragic.
Shattered weapons, scorched shield fragments, and congealed, blackened blood could be seen everywhere.
A mutilated Tacet Discord corpse—seemingly composed of both rock and flesh—blocked the intersection, clearly having been forcibly smashed to pieces by an extremely powerful force.
"It's Governor Augusta's ability..." Castor looked at the miserable state of the Tacet Discord, his voice carrying a trace of awe and lingering fear. "We... lost a lot of people here... just to barely hold this retreat path."
Passing through the pass, the view ahead suddenly opened up, yet it made everyone's hearts feel even heavier.
Inside the canyon, on a relatively flat plateau leaning against the mountain terrain and crude fortifications, sat a camp permeated with a tragic and heroic atmosphere—the Hunters' Camp.
Scattered campfires dotted the camp, but far more prevalent were the agonizing groans of the wounded and the silent exhaustion of the warriors.
Everyone's face bore an unshakable gloom, as if they had just crawled back to the human realm from hell.
When Rover and his group stepped into the camp, they instantly drew everyone's attention.
Especially when they saw that the leader was Rover, followed by well-equipped Black Shores soldiers whose style was distinctly different from that of the Seven Hills. Various complex gazes were cast their way—surprise, hope, and a slight hint of doubt.
The camp commander—a gladiator officer who had lost an arm, the stump wrapped in blood-stained bandages—staggered forward to greet them: "Lord Rover?! You... you've finally arrived?!"
His gaze then fell on Castor, and he was even more shocked: "Castor! You're actually still alive?! This is wonderful!"
Castor heavily patted his comrade's good shoulder, his voice hoarse: "Captain Vibius... I brought... Lord Rover and reinforcements from the Black Shores."
Rover had no time for pleasantries and asked directly: "Where are Governor Augusta and Oracle Yuno?"
Captain Vibius's face darkened, and he pointed toward the high ground to the southwest of the camp.
Following his direction, they saw a towering, ancient temple standing atop the lofty cliff.
Even shrouded in the twilight, it still exuded a solemn, mysterious, and sorrowful aura.
That was the Quadrangle Hall, the permanent residence of all the Oracles of the Seven Hills, and the most eye-catching coordinate in this darkness at this moment.
However, right now, the Quadrangle Hall was enveloped by an abnormally powerful, heart-palpitating twisted energy fluctuation. It looked like a dark heart continuously contracting and expanding, echoing the scalp-numbing, twisted Black Tide vortex in the sky far away.
"The Governor and Oracle Yuno... retreated to the Quadrangle Hall with a squadron of soldiers a few days ago to hold the line..."
Vibius's voice was filled with powerlessness. "But starting yesterday, the energy there became... very wrong! We tried to establish contact, but all signals were jammed... We... we can't charge up there; the path below has been completely blocked off!"
Rover's heart sank to the bottom of the valley.
The thing he feared the most was happening. Yuno's plan had likely already begun.
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After Two months, Here I am! Sorry for not posting I haven't had times ,since i was taking care of some personal matters ( related to my health issues)
And I wasn't able to do anything about it, but here it is...
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