Chapter 327: Stalking Hunter
A few miles away from the stronghold where the others were fighting, the sand moved.
A figure crawled through it with deliberate slowness.
His body was kept low and merged with the dunes. The sandstorm howled loudly all around him, a relentless wall of grit and wind that reduced visibility to almost nothing. But it was not a problem for him.
Right now, he was prepared for this.
A dragon mask covered his face, and over it—a cloth wrapped tight to protect his lungs from the swirling particles. Kai had learned that lesson the hard way during his first week—within the Barbarian Hold.
Other than the monsters roaming about, the environment was also as harsh.
Kai crawled up the dune—making sure his movement was still slow and careful and stopped right at the top. The sand stung his eyes even through the mask, but he pushed through. Once he settled properly, keeping his body flat against the sand, he stared ahead.
For a long moment, there was nothing.
Just the sandstorm.
An endless grey-brown blur of the harsh and hot desert.
Kai waited patiently, maintaining measured breaths—and then finally saw a glimpse of what he was looking for. Shapes moving through the sandstorm. Figures. He narrowed his abyssal black eyes, and the shapes resolved into a squad of Grey Orcs less than a mile away.
But this was no ordinary squad.
Leading them was a Grey Orc that stood head and shoulders above the rest. A hulking mass with longer tusks. Its face, chest, and right arm were marked with white tribal body paint that stood out starkly against its dark-grey skin.
A Chieftain—the leader of the tribe the others were attacking.
For the better part of a month, Kai had been scouting the Barbarian Hold meticulously.
He had been warned by Red Prince Ignas and his group—another champion with direct access to this White Sky Gate—that the Grey Orcs were incredibly coordinated and powerful. Easily averaging the strength of Grade-4 Awakened Supernal.
And the Chieftain was stronger, somewhere between Grade-0 and Grade 1 Aspirant Supernal.
Just that strength alone made it an actual Scourge-class Star Beast.
Extremely Dangerous.
But Kai had learned a lot during his scouting, making sure that he was prepared.
First, they could see incredibly well despite the sandstorm—their eyes adapted to the haze. It was so surprising back then when one spotted him through the Nigh-phantom. Back then, he was being reckless and walked closer.
Even so, the Nigh-phantom is still active, so he shouldn’t be spotted.
But he did get spotted.
Second, their way of life was meticulously adapted to the environment—they lived in tribes scattered across the entire desert, could reproduce rapidly through a magical phenomenon of splitting themselves into two at random intervals, and could even easily survive with nothing but the natural oasis that could be found in some areas.
No need for food, or rather, Kai has never seen them eat anything.
And third, they were coordinated. Scarily coordinated.
Every Monday night, or thereabouts, the Chieftains of a couple of tribes that lived close would meet at a large tent in the middle of nowhere. A gathering—and Kai hadn’t gotten close enough to listen to what they were talking about.
Kai was aiming for one of those Chieftains.
Preferably the one whose tribe the ground was currently tearing apart.
A few months ago, after registering at the AAA’s Headquarters, a representative of the one— who had been sending killers at him, the Demigod—made contact with him. Kai managed to pique His attention and was invited to be a part of the Demigod’s side.
Recalling what Marcus said, Kai accepted the invitation without hesitation.
It was hard to work together with the people who had attempted to kill him before, but all he could do was bite his tongue and comply. He wouldn’t forget what they did, like how he won’t forget what the Demon Man did.
But for now, he should make use of them.
He needed a sponsor, and one came to him willingly.
Finding another sponsor would be hard, so he decided to take what he could get.
But surprisingly, there are trials.
Right now, Kai only got the attention of the Demigod, not approval. Only the strongest of the strong could be the Demigod’s underlings, so he needed to show that he was worthy. One of the trials was bringing the head of a Chieftain.
For the Demigod’s people to request the Chieftain’s head, it confirmed one thing.
All Grey Orc Chieftains are incredibly strong. High-level combatants.
Had that not been the case, then he wouldn’t be sent to the Barbarian Hold for its head.
Kai watched the Chieftain move through the sandstorm; its white war paint caught the faint sunlight as it entered the large tent. As for the squad, they waited outside, keeping their sharp eyes alert and weapons ready in their hands.
None could see Kai.
He had already estimated the Grey Orcs’ vision distance, and also made sure he remained still.
So, he waited.
Attacking the Chieftain that he was targeting right now would be suicide—as there were others in that large tent. Kai could attack before the target Chieftain arrived at the gathering, but he decided to attack on the way back.
Kai needed to make sure the area was clear.
And striking after the gathering would be better, as the other Chieftains would be going back to their tribes—which guaranteed them out of the fray. The gathering lasted more than an hour, and Kai’s breaths were already heavy.
Breathing in a sandstorm despite his preparations wasn’t really pleasant.
Regardless, the target Chieftain was heading back.
It’s time to move.
Moments later.
A squad of Grey Orcs traversed the dunes; their eyes scanned left and right with the absolute vigilance of creatures who were expecting to be hunted. Perhaps the past trauma from all the first Supernals who handled this Sky Gate was still fresh in their minds.
Sand crunched beneath their leather boots.
Around, the wind howled, but their diamond-shaped formation held.
It was a showcase of trained discipline.
Only the Chieftain walked with his gaze fixed ahead, untouched by fear.
His white-painted face a mask of arrogant certainty.
Several Grey Orcs held chains. At the end of those chains were massive, hyperactive hounds that needed to be restrained by their handlers—they were muscular beasts with fur the color of the sand underneath.
From a distance, they were nearly invisible; their coats blended seamlessly with the dunes.
And their forms dissolved into the storm.
In total, there are thirteen Grey Orcs, including the Chieftain—spaced throughout the diamond formation, handlers positioned at the rear and flanks to sniff out any potential ambush. Quite a seamless setup for mere Star Beasts.
Rawr—!
One hound on the right flank lifted its snout, and its nostrils flared.
𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
It smelled something.
A wrongness in the air—the sandstorm hampered its ability to smell, but it could feel that something was nearby as its throat rumbled with a low growl. Before it could alert anyone, a glistening object came at it with blinding speed.
A streak of red stabbed into its neck, severing the spine with a snap before a growl could form.
Just like that, the hound collapsed without a sound. Its body sank into the sand
In front, the Grey Orc holding the chain frowned, confused by the sudden slack. He turned to look over his shoulder, and his eyes widened at the sight of his dead pet. Thinking exactly as the hound, it opened its mouth to alert the others, but nothing came out.
The same blade jammed into his throat.
And before his mind could register, his head was torn from his body, snuffing out the roar in his throat. The sand underneath drank his headless body and blood silently—and everything about him was swallowed by the sandstorm as he was left behind.
At the rear of the formation, another Grey Orc and its massive hound disappeared.
One moment they were keeping a tight formation.
And the next, they were gone, swallowed by the sandstorm.
Had one looked behind, he would see their silhouettes inside the sandstorm showed signs of struggle and panic before they were killed. The sandstorm covered everything—Its howl was loud enough to drown out whatever final, desperate noises that rang in the area.
Before long, the third massive dog and its owner on the rear flank vanished in the same breath.
In a matter of less than a minute, three Grey Orcs and three massive hounds disappeared.
None could even let out a sound.
Not far away, Kai crouched behind a dune. He wedged the Blood-phantom Scimitar between his arm and bicep and pulled, wiping the blood from its edge. As he waited for his next chance to attack, the blade hummed in his grip.
It was now different compared to a few months ago.
Its sharp edge, once dyed with a red sheen from the Chalice of the First Victim, was far deeper now, richer, and shimmered with a faint trace of dark mana. Matilda had broken through to the Aspirant Supernal rank, and with that growth, her Legacy Skill also grew.
Just like how Kai’s Deeper Slumber Legacy Skill became its advanced version.
Matilda had recreated his weapon and made it far stronger than it was before.
She said that her Legacy Skill now allowed the weapon she made to have a special mana that’d react to its wielder. Unlike enhancing the weapon with mana to make an attack stronger, this special mana allowed the weapon to adapt to the wielder’s mana.
For Matilda, her weapon now became far more durable and sharper.
In Kai’s case, on the other hand, his weapon became soundless.
No matter how hard he swung or what angle he used, the Blood-phantom Scimitar would never make a sound. And for him, who mainly adopted the ambush tactic, this was a Godsend effect that made him even more lethal.
Even now, the effect of the Blood-phantom Scimitar already played a big role.
It was true that the sandstorm made it hard for any sound to reach anywhere—however, the whistling sound of a blade would most likely reach the other Grey Orcs. At least one of them would catch the sound.
But with the special mana, none of them did.
Kai moved again, making use of his advantage to take them out without alerting the Chieftain.
For him to kill the Chieftain, it would be better for the others to get out of the way first. More importantly—with how coordinated the Grey Orcs were, if he didn’t take out the others first, one might run away and alert the other Chieftains.
And that would be the worst-case scenario.
Even though the Ambrosia Pact was strong right now, they aren’t invincible.
A few tribes or even a single large tribe attacking them together would wipe them out.
Soon, the Chieftain neared his tribe and saw smoke.
He frowned and then snapped his head around, realizing that they were under attack.
But as he looked behind him, another realization struck him cold.
He was already alone.