Chapter 472: What it means to be A Grim Reaper. (Bonus Chapter)
Silence.
Deadly silence.
Grave silence.
This was what everyone inside Horn Lizard Town felt at this very moment.
The entire town seemed to have fallen into a strange stillness.
Even behind their closed doors, they could all feel the thick stench of blood suffocating their lungs.
The metallic scent seeped through every crack and window.
Every breath felt as though they were inhaling fresh, potent blood. The nauseating smell lingered in the air without showing any sign of fading.
Many shivered, and many found it difficult to breathe properly.
Some instinctively covered their mouths and noses, hoping to block out the overwhelming stench.
Under the thick, bloody atmosphere, whispers vanished, and those watching the scene on the street shut their eyes for a couple of minutes.
Even then, the horrifying images remained vividly imprinted in their minds.
On the street, the brown muddy road was long gone, and in its place was a road flowing with crimson liquid.
The blood had already formed small streams that slowly flowed along the uneven ground.
Not just crimson liquid, but mixed with various flesh parts.
The gruesome mixture made the street resemble a river from the underworld.
Organs ripped into shreds.
Some could no longer be identified.
Eyeballs forcefully torn from their sockets.
Many rolled freely across the blood-soaked street.
Skin flayed alive from their hosts.
Fresh flesh was exposed for all to see.
Ribs shattered into fragments.
Broken pieces were scattered among pools of blood.
Skulls crushed under heavy force.
Brain matter spreads everywhere, mixed with different bodily fluids. The sickening sight caused many people to instinctively look away.
Claws torn from hands.
Some still twitched faintly on the ground.
Hands mangled beyond comprehension. Not even their owners could have recognized them.
Teeth ground into fine powder, flowing with the crimson liquid like scattered reagents.
The white fragments stood out vividly against the blood-red street.
A carnage beyond human comprehension.
Horn Lizard Men corpses, or what was left of them, were piled up by the roadside.
None were whole.
Not a single complete corpse could be found.
They displayed a terrifying brutality that bordered on insanity. Every corpse seemed to have suffered a fate worse than death.
Worse, some were left alive.
They spasmed continuously, with audible groans escaping from what remained of their mouths. If they could still be called mouths. Many no longer had complete jaws.
Their bodies twitched uncontrollably as they struggled in endless agony.
Inhumane, yes.
Brutal, yes.
Cruel, yes.
Savage, yes.
Just think of any adjective.
The young man standing at the center of this horrifying display embodied them all like a perfect second skin.
As if brutality itself had taken human form.
Worse, there wasn’t any change in his expression. His calmness never wavered.
It was as if the scene before him was not gory.
Not enough to make any sane human lose their appetite for days.
Not enough to make both humans and beastmen puke continuously.
It was as if the scene before him were no different from any other Tuesday.
That alone made him more dreadful than any creature.
How could a sane human torture a living creature without the slightest change in his expression?
Fear and terror consumed everyone around the street. A couple of minutes earlier, they thought the Horn Lizard King was the one they needed to fear, but now.
They realized the Horn Lizard King was nothing but a good-hearted king compared to the demon standing at the center of the street.
The comparison alone made many shudder.
Feeling the dread blanketing the street and the deadly silence behind the closed doors.
Thoren nodded lightly.
’I guess they’ve all understood my message.’
His expression remained calm, showing no trace of satisfaction or pride.
And indeed, everyone on the street behind their closed doors had understood his message perfectly.
No one dared question it.
No one dared challenge it.
Without hesitation, he turned his head and stared in the direction of the King’s residence.
His gaze was calm, yet it carried an invisible pressure that made one’s heart tremble.
Through his strong perception, he could already feel the Horn Lizard King’s presence.
It was like a blazing bonfire burning in the distance.
He could sense his rage.
The strong killing intent that seemed ready to erupt at any moment.
Even from such a distance, the King’s aura did not escape his perception.
He sneered.
The corner of his lips curled upward slightly as he slowly lifted his leg and took a step forward.
His steps were casual and unhurried, while his robes remained pristine, giving the illusion that he had just stepped out of a bedroom after freshly dressing.
Not a single drop of blood had stained his robes.
Thud!
Thud!
His soft, unhurried footsteps echoed through the deathly quiet street.
Each step sounded unusually clear under the eerie silence.
Around him was his undead legion.
Like loyal shadows, they followed him without making the slightest unnecessary movement.
Their hollow sockets burned with strong soul fire.
The eerie flames flickered continuously, illuminating the blood-soaked street with an unsettling glow.
Although Thoren could not grow stronger anymore, that did not mean his undead could not.
That was the terrifying part of his power.
And after the complete massacre of the Horn Lizard Soldiers, most of his undead servants had seen a surge in their strength.
This alone made the indifferent Thoren itch for the battle with the Horn Lizard King.
As he approached the Horn Lizard King’s residence, he could feel the atmosphere growing heavier, and for many, it would already be difficult to breathe.
The pressure blanketing the residence grew stronger with every step.
Heck, many would even lose their rationality.
Some weaker awakeners might even collapse before reaching the gate.
But to Thoren, it was nothing.
It was like a harmless desert wind gently caressing his skin. It neither slowed his steps nor affected his breathing.
Slowly, he arrived before the wide-open entrance gate.
The once heavily guarded entrance was now strangely quiet.
All the palace guards had long vanished. Not a single guard remained.
To Thoren, he did not care.
Whether they were hiding or preparing an ambush made no difference to him as he stepped into the King’s residence without hesitation.
*****
[AN: This Chapter is sponsored by: Scott_Berry_3382]