CHAPTER 345: THE GROUND AWAKENS [PART-2]

The Ground Awakens [Part-2]

And the truth was brought into focus—shadows pouring across the land, a wave of living darkness. Beasts. Dozens—no, hundreds of them—moving as one. Fangs, claws, and scales catching what little light there was, their sheer numbers overwhelming the earth beneath their onslaught.

The murmurings in the army became low cries of disbelief.

Gary’s black eyes grew small, squinting to gather every shred of detail, until the moment that the vision hit him like a knife. His pupils grew wide. His breath caught up. He knew.

".Fuck."

The word tore from him, raw and loud, resonating far enough to reach the front lines’ ears. All heads turned to their king.

Gary sprang high in his stirrups, arm flailing as he pointed a stabbing finger at the oncoming tide. His voice was a bellow. "There—look! Monsters. A flock!"

The stillness was broken. Gasps and oaths erupted among the men. Steel clanged as arms raised in reflex, shields tensioning against the horror crashing toward them.

The black mass coalesced into innumerable individual abominations: iron-mouthed wolves, serpents as fat as withered trees, feather- and scale-wrapped birds of prey. Every step they took seeped menace into the world, a choking cloud that pushed against the chests of each soldier on the field. The feeblest exuded the Master Realm’s might. Much stronger pulsed with Grandmaster power, their intent to kill potent enough to pale even seasoned captains. And among them... heavier presences, beasts so massive that earth itself seemed to shudder in response to their advance.

Earth shook. The sky was heavy.

Edric’s throat constricted, words spilling from him in horror. ".What—what is this?"

Gary spun on him, rage burning in his eyes like flames. "You fucking idiot! You betrayed us! You led us into a trap!" His voice was poison, each word spat between locked teeth.

Edric blinked, rage struggling with confusion on his face. "You’re mad. What the hell are you talking about? If I wanted you dead, why in the devil’s name would I destroy my own duchy’s city with you right beside me? Why would I remain here, trapped, without escape? Why would I step into my own trap?"

Gary stiffened, his chest laboring as if each breath was a slice. His eyes locked on Edric’s face, questioning, probing, challenging the man to reveal even the slightest glimmer of dishonesty. But the truth sat there, raw and unflinching, searing in Edric’s eyes. This was not his deception. This was not his betrayal.

Whose hand, then?

The idea turned in Gary’s head like a knife. If not Edric. then who had orchestrated this?

Edric’s reply lashed the air like a whip, his tone biting with alarm. "I was with your party all night prior to this march. You know that."

For an extended, tense heartbeat their gazes met, and for once, no shroud of deceit or plot existed between them.

A commander ran forward, armor clanking, and dropped into a bow. "Your Majesty! Forgive the intrusion, but the monsters... they’re closing in. What do you order? Shall we push on or fall back?"

Gary snapped his eyes back to the horizon. The noise came first—a rolling thunder that consumed silence. Then he saw them. A tide of monstrosities, their bodies filling the land, trampling across the earth with bloody hunger. The earth seemed to shudder at their rush, the air heavy with the metal taste of blood yet to flow. Seven minutes. Maybe less. That was all.

His jaw clenched, veins bulging against his cheeks as rage came up against prudence. The choice sat heavily on him like an overhang, but when he spoke, his voice was heavy with iron. "Retreat."

The head of the commander snapped up in shock. "But my lord—"

"I commanded retreat!" Gary’s bellow ripped across the field, sounding like the crack of cannon thunder. Fury laced each syllable, ripping from his chest like a promise. "I’ll not squander my men on monsters before I’ve incinerated Moonstone into ashes. Retreat!"

The man bowed so deeply his forehead all but touched the ground. "As you wish, my lord!"

Gary leaned forward in the saddle, looming over the tumult, then sent his voice rolling across the ranks, resonating with command, piercing dread. "Soldiers of Vellore! Fall back! Now!"

The command flashed like lightning. Drums burst into life, rolling off with crazy rhythm. The army rippled with motion—shields clashing, weapons aloft, horses bucking at the reins as riders spun them around. Standards lurched and snapped as the formation disintegrated into a frantic retreat.

Gary yanked his reins and urged his horse forward, pushing himself to the lead of the fleeing line. At his side, Edric’s silver armor glinted in the last light, a shimmer of steel shepherding men through the storm. The Vellore host strode toward the cover of their camp, banners streaming like rent wings in the wind.

But the creatures were quicker.

The gap narrowed with ruthless haste. Two kilometers. One. The soldiers had just started to withdraw when the first wave burst on the rear guard.

The ground trembled as the impact struck. The rear lines burst into shrieks. Carriage-sized wolves leapt into men, pulling them from saddles, teeth tearing through flesh and steel. Snakelike beasts wrapped around screaming soldiers, bones shattering with a foul crack. Blood erupted high, showering the grass in crimson arcs.

"Ahhhhhh!"

The screams rent through the retreat, raw and screaming, slicing past drumbeats and shouts of command. Horses rose on their hind legs, panicked, kicking over their own lines. Discipline broke into anarchy.

Gary’s jaws locked so tightly that he could have sworn his skull would splinter in the effort. Anger coursed through him, hotter than the fire incinerating the field. A single promise burned in the recesses of his mind, hard and unforgiving: If I ever find the hand that has done this killing—if I ever learn the name of the one who drew it—then I will tear their heart out with my own hand.

But outwardly, his countenance showed nothing. His face was chiseled from iron. Raising his sword aloft, golden armor glinting in the firelight, he let out a bellow, "Soldiers! Stand firm! Fight! Don’t yield! If we flee only, we perish! Form ranks! Protect yourselves! If we disperse, they’ll cut us down one at a time! Fight—stand and strike!"

The warhorse of the king burst forward, hooves thudding into the gore-soaked ground, charging straight into the pack of beasts. Metal crashed against flesh, his sword slicing strokes of light through the melee.

For one heartbeat, the men hesitated, fear possessing them like shackles. But then they saw him—Gary, their king—his sword flashing like a storm of steel, green locks whipping wildly in the wind. He sliced down a monster that came too near, his blow cleaving it in two. The sight caught fire within them. A roar boomed from their throats, raw and desperate, as they hefted their weapons and charged back into the battle.

Edric goaded his horse into the frenzy, silver sword catching what little moonlight filtered between the smoke. His initial blow severed a wolf’s head from its shoulders, hot blood spraying across his armor. The metallic taste filled his lungs, pungent and exhilarating. His gaze narrowed—not with terror, nor fear—but with the crackling excitement of war coursing through his blood.

And thus the invasion of Moonstone came to a halt. Not by the battle of armies. Not by the desire of kings.

But by the wild, blood-crazed beasts that had claimed the battlefield as their own.

--------------------------

Authors Notes: Dear Readers, Thanks so much for joining me on this adventure! Your enthusiasm, feedback, and encouragement really keep me motivated to keep bringing *Supreme Spouse System* into existence. If you’re enjoying the Chapters, I’d be grateful if you could support my book with a Powerstone, review, or even a Golden Ticket—it allows me to grow as an author and enables more readers to enjoy the story. I welcome your thoughts and suggestions, so don’t be shy and share them with me!

With love,

Scorpio_saturn777

Author of Supreme Spouse System

--------------------