Chapter 49: Silent Slaughter

In the heart of the Misty Valley, there was a patch of land untouched by the ever-present fog. To outsiders, this was a place of unspeakable terror, yet those who ventured inside would find an ordinary village where several dozen, perhaps a hundred people, lived their daily lives.

As evening fell, smoke curled from the chimneys of a few houses, mingling seamlessly with the shroud of mist, ensuring that no one outside would ever notice a thing. Life here appeared just as in any other village: men went out to hunt, women stayed behind to mind the children and prepare meals, and a handful of youngsters chased and played through the lanes.

But as the children played, they were joined by colossal beasts—two-meter-tall gray bears, tigers stretching three meters in length, and hulking black wolves that lounged at doorways like oversized guard dogs.

At the village gate, a massive brown python, over ten meters long, lay coiled in languid repose. A man gave it a nudge with his foot, prompting the serpent to stir at last and slither off to patrol the village’s perimeter, fulfilling its daily duty to keep intruders at bay.

As it patrolled, a sudden, urgent howl rang out nearby, only to be abruptly silenced. The giant snake flicked its tongue, gliding silently toward the source of the sound, making hardly a noise as it moved.

Hissing quietly, the python’s cold, slit-pupiled eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for the heat signatures of any nearby creatures. The area was eerily silent—even the insects had ceased their chorus, an unnatural stillness settling over everything.

“Could some wild beast have broken in?” the man wondered, tightening his grip on his long sword. With his immense strength, he had little fear of ordinary animals—let alone with the mutated python at his side, a creature so formidable it could easily wipe out a squad of regular soldiers.

Wait a minute—was that boulder there before? He stared, puzzled, at a large, dark green stone up ahead. Then, his eyes narrowed in realization: it was no stone, but a camouflaged monster!

But it was too late. The python, oblivious, slithered past the stone. In an instant, the “stone” sprang to life, its gaping maw nearly a meter wide, and in one savage bite it tore through the python’s neck with a sickening crunch.

“By the Master above, what kind of terrifying creature is this… It must be a totem beast!” The man turned to flee without hesitation. He knew all too well the horror of totems—he had no hope of resistance, barely even a chance to escape.

Buzzing.

He had only taken a few steps when a dense, droning sound filled the air. He felt sharp stings across his face, a numbing pain spreading instantly through his skull, sending him reeling and collapsing to the ground.

A black leather boot appeared before his eyes. He felt a cold sensation at his throat, and then all awareness faded away.

“As I thought, this place teems with irradiated creatures—each one nearly the match of a ranked martial artist. There must be even more fearsome monsters within.” Charles casually wiped his sword clean on the man’s clothes, removing every trace of blood.

Though the venom of the stinger wasps was enough to bring down a warrior, Charles had no intention of leaving any loose ends. He finished the man himself, ensuring no future trouble.

Not far off, the Komodo dragon still gnawed at the python’s corpse. Earlier, it had lowered its body temperature as much as possible, masquerading as a lifeless boulder and fooling the python’s senses before launching its fatal attack.

Such camouflage was the dragon’s preferred hunting strategy. Their immense size made them unsuited for chasing prey, so they blended into their surroundings, waiting for victims to come to them. A cunning and effective ploy—nature’s law of survival in vivid display. Creatures evolve remarkable abilities to endure, and it is the soulbinders who amplify these traits to mythic proportions.

Thanks to the reconnaissance of the stinger wasps, Charles knew the patrols here passed every half hour. That gave him thirty minutes—more than enough.

With a thought, Charles summoned the Komodo dragon, which lumbered away from its meal to prowl along a separate path. The creature was too cumbersome and conspicuous to use for infiltration; it would only serve as bait. His real weapons were the stinger wasps and the firefly perched on his shoulder.

He could not quell his fury without destroying this stronghold—after what they had done to his father, nothing less would suffice.

“Meow!” The little white fox chirped softly, leaping lightly from branch to branch above his head, more agile than even the monkeys.

At the village gate, two guards chatted quietly. It had been ages since any real threat had appeared—at most, the occasional villager would stumble in by mistake, only to be devoured by the beasts outside before the guards ever had to lift a finger. Gradually, even the strictest vigilance began to slacken.

“I heard a bigwig is coming from up top. Any idea who it might be?” asked the slighter of the two.

“Who knows?” replied his companion. “All those high-and-mighty types are shrouded in mystery. They’d never tell us. We’re just the watchdogs here.”

“Don’t say that—if someone else hears, you’re done for,” the thin man whispered anxiously.

At that moment, footsteps approached. A figure in a black cloak strode toward them, a black hunting falcon perched on her shoulder.

Both men dropped to one knee in salute. “Greetings, ma’am!”

A green cloak—a symbol worn only by the organization’s senior figures, signifying the Master’s favor and protection. Such garments were far above their station.

“Idiots! There’s an intruder, and you’re none the wiser. Are you asleep, you worthless dogs?” the woman suddenly bellowed, sending a chill through the pair.

If she spoke of an intruder, it could only mean a terrifying soulbinder—nothing else would provoke such fury.

The green-cloaked woman snapped out a command: “Gather everyone at once! We must catch that rat before it’s too late!”

“Yes, ma’am!” The guards instantly sounded their low horns. The entire village stirred at the call, and monstrous beasts began to prowl through the area, searching for the intruder.

“There—over there!” someone suddenly shouted, and several giant wolves and gray bears lunged at the enormous five-meter lizard, engaging it in a vicious struggle.

Yet something strange was happening: as the beasts charged, each seemed to falter mid-run, struck by some inexplicable force, and in that instant, the Komodo dragon would pounce, snapping their necks with ease.

Blood splattered everywhere. The dragon effortlessly slaughtered beast after beast, striking terror into all who watched.

Clearly, an even deadlier enemy lurked nearby.

“Coward! Show yourself!” the green-cloaked woman roared, but the surroundings remained deadly silent. A sense of impending doom closed in.

A sharp arrow whistled through the air—