The Herb King

While everyone was watching in despair, a figure suddenly descended from above and landed in front of the violent savage beast. His presence surprised the beast, but it soon became enraged and charged at him with unstoppable force. The sheer brutality in its gaze instilled fear into the onlookers.

"Who is that guy?! Is he tired of living?!" Someone shouted.

Just as everyone thought that the person would be crushed into meat paste, he suddenly took out a rune and activated it.

A bright ray of light appeared and was followed by the appearance of an incorporeal sword. The body of the sword emitted a golden radiance, making it look holy and powerful. At this moment, the incorporeal golden sword suddenly took a physical form and smite down hard, causing turbulent winds to appear.

The sword slashed the savage beast in half and broke apart the ground beneath the creature, causing a loud bang in the process!

The battlefield became silent after the savage beast's death. Everyone was shocked to see such a powerful creature being cut in half. Even the fearsome savage beasts were rendered speechless by the scene, making them momentarily stop their attacks.

"Just what kind of rune did that man activate for it to have such overwhelming might?"

"I remember now! That man is from the Golden Lake Manor. He was sent here by Sir Aethelwolf!"

"Sir Aethelwolf? You mean the newly ascended Nascent Soul Esper?"

"Did he make that rune?"

The soldiers from Northern Trance and Warmridge were still reeling in shock. They couldn't believe that there was actually a rune capable of producing such power! Even the famous engravers in the country were incapable of creating one with similar destructive power!

While everyone was looking over in shock, William heaved a sigh of relief. He was also surprised by the offensive might of the rune, but knowing Aethelwolf's godly means, he quickly managed to regain his composure. He then raised his sword and roared. "Don't let these beasts enter the city! We just need to hold them back until the reinforcements from Northern Trance will arrive!"

Hearing his words, the soldiers roared in unison, igniting everyone's fighting spirit.

William smiled when he saw that his efforts weren't in vain. "Sir Aethelwolf, I hope that I will survive this battle until your arrival." He muttered to himself before he led his subordinates into charging toward the enemy lines.

His fearlessness earned everyone's respect. Even Kenneth and Charles, the two leaders of the human army couldn't help but admire his courage.

"Who would have thought that Sir Aethelwolf actually has a subordinate like him? I wish he was my subordinate." Kenneth shook his head with a helpless smile.

"You mentioned this man before. Is he powerful?" Charles asked. Because of William's display of courage, he became curious about the master behind him.

Kenneth shook his head with a wry smile. "To tell you the truth, I don't know much about him. I only heard some stories about Sir Aethelwolf. They said that he is a shrewd and talented businessman."

"Businessman?" Charles was confused by this response.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the battlefield, Kazak and the others revealed expressions of disbelief. The savage beast killed by that powerful rune was a peak Core Formation beast. It was already close to breaking through the Nascent Soul, but it was killed in just one strike.

"I never thought that there is actually a skilled engraver on their side. I wasn't informed about this." Kazak muttered in annoyance. The presence of a skilled engraver was crucial in battle. Knowing that there was one among their enemies made him feel uncomfortable.

"Luckily, you stopped us from leading the beast army. Although we would survive that rune, it would have left us grievously wounded." Gargan revealed a trace of fear while saying this. Serena nodded in agreement, while Argent showed a dark look.

"Do you still think that it was a stupid decision to stop you guys?" Kazak chuckled as he intentionally gazed at Argent. The latter snorted upon sensing his gaze.

"There shouldn't be a lot of that rune in their arsenal. Once they use a few more, that's the time for us to step in." Kazak watched the battlefield with a cold, piercing gaze. He searched for the person who activated the rune and when found him, he let out a smile. 'If you are still alive by them, I will kill you!'

***

"Has the battle started on their side?" Dan asked while looking at the messenger.

"Yes, sir. I just received the message about their clash. According to the report, the number of savage beasts is in the millions!" The messenger said with a grave look.

Hearing this, Dan and the other patriarchs frowned.

"Haven't you guys noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

"How did those beasts attack with such perfect timing? It was like they were aware of our every move. Do you think that this is just a coincidence?" The patriarch of the Silverton Family muttered.

The patriarchs became serious upon hearing his opinion. After thinking about it more deeply, they realized that the matter was indeed very suspicious.

"What are you trying to say, Sir Silverton?" Dan Abaveron asked with narrowed eyes. He also realized that things might be more complicated than they had thought.

"I think the rebel army and the beast army are in cahoots right from the start." The patriarch of the Silverton Family replied.

"What?!"

It was a shocking revelation.

"That is indeed possible. No wonder the beast army launched their attack with such precise timing."

"How dare those bastards conspire with savage beasts?!"

"Everyone, let's calm down for a moment. We should make sure that the Espers from the Ravimbert Family and Coleman Family can't escape. Let's block all their escape routes and attack them now!" Dan stood up and stared at everyone with a cold look.

Hearing this, the patriarchs stood up one by one. Their eyes were filled with great seriousness.

"Let's go, everyone!"

"Kill them!"

"The hunting begins now!"