Chapter 632: The Raid II
CH632 The Raid II
***
The barbarians, led by their scouts, pursued every fleeing goblin—tracking down not only those who had escaped during the raid, but also those who had been away from the settlement beforehand.
None were spared.
By the time the operation concluded, over an hour had passed.
Most of that time had not been spent in combat, but in ensuring the complete eradication of the goblin population.
Only after confirming that every last goblin had been killed—and collecting their ears as proof—did the raiding party prepare to return triumphantly to BloodIron.
Kavakan remained visibly irritated by the goblins’ weakness, while Mogal felt a trace of disappointment that none of them had been strong enough to push him to his limits.
The journey back began smoothly.
At least—until they reached the halfway point.
Ahead of them, blocking the trade route, stood a strange caravan—composed of dozens of carriages arranged in an unnatural formation.
—
Kavakan frowned.
Their positioning was far too convenient.
It was the perfect setup for an ambush.
Yet avoiding the route entirely would force them into a known beast territory—an area inhabited by roaming herds of dangerous creatures.
After weighing the risks, and with Mogal’s agreement, Kavakan chose to lead the group off the main path and detour through the beast-infested region.
Both men reached the same conclusion:
A coordinated ambush by an organised human force of that size posed a far greater threat than navigating through a beast territory.
Under normal circumstances, if they moved swiftly and avoided unnecessary disturbance, the beasts might not even notice their passage.
And even if they did, there was a good chance the creatures would hesitate to engage a group of their size and strength.
Though berserk beasts were often chaotic, rabid, and unpredictable, they still possessed a strong instinct for self-preservation.
As the raiding party altered their route, slipping into the beast territory—
A pair of cold eyes watched their retreat from within the caravan.
"They didn’t take the bait," a voice muttered.
"Move quickly. We’ll intercept them at the danger zone."
The raiding party reached the beast territory after a half-hour detour.
They advanced cautiously.
As expected, although they were immediately sighted by the beasts inhabiting the area, none of the creatures made the first move to attack.
Instead, both sides observed one another warily—the beasts watching with predatory caution, while the clearly armed raiding party moved forward with measured confidence.
A tense stalemate formed as they carefully made their way through the zone.
However, just as they reached roughly two-thirds of the way through—approaching the core region densely populated with various species of berserk beasts—
Everything changed.
"ROAR!!!"
A thunderous roar shook the ground.
A massive, three-metre-tall beast resembling a grotesque hippopotamus burst out from the side of a hill.
Blood streamed heavily from both its hind legs.
Driven into a frenzy by the scent of its own blood, the creature charged wildly—stampeding straight towards the raiding party.
"Damn it!" Kavakan cursed.
The metallic scent of blood spread rapidly through the air, igniting the predatory instincts of the surrounding beasts.
Their eyes burned with hunger.
Saliva dripped from their jaws.
It was a disastrous development.
There was only so much flesh the injured creature could provide. Once the surrounding beasts realised they could not all feed from it, their attention would inevitably turn— to the raiding party.
And worse still, the rampaging beast was charging directly towards them, effectively dragging the entire swarm of agitated predators along with it.
If Kavakan had previously suspected a scheme—
Now, he was certain of it.
"Run! Head for higher ground!" he barked.
The terrain was dotted with elevated outcrops along their escape route.
It was already too late to retreat from the zone entirely. And allowing the beasts to seize the high ground would be a fatal mistake.
Without hesitation, Kavakan ordered the group to secure one of the elevated positions and use it as a defensive stronghold.
Meanwhile, Mogal dashed forward—straight towards the injured, hippo-like beast.
Boom!
Bang!
The Dravo barbarian met the creature head-on, driving his fist directly into its skull.
The collision rang out like an unstoppable force striking an immovable wall.
A violent shockwave burst from the impact, kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured the scene.
A moment later, Mogal was hurled out of the dust cloud, slamming heavily into the ground.
Yet he rose almost immediately—springing back to his feet and sprinting after the retreating raiding party.
The strike had not killed the beast—but it had disoriented it.
That brief disruption was enough to buy the party time to escape its immediate line of sight.
Deprived of its target, the enraged creature thrashed wildly—stomping its pillar-like legs into the earth and ramming its massive body against the surrounding hillsides.
The stampede of predators that had been drawn in by its blood soon became the focus of its fury.
Though the beast was eventually overwhelmed by the frenzied horde, it did not fall easily.
Even in its dying moments, it crushed several unfortunate predators beneath its weight before finally succumbing.
Soon, a hierarchy began to form among the beasts—
Only the strongest among them gaining access to the carcass, while the weaker ones lingered at the edges, salivating in frustration.
Or at least... that was how it should have unfolded.
The moment that hierarchy stabilised, the remaining beasts abruptly turned their attention towards the fleeing raiding party.
Kavakan and Mogal, bringing up the rear, halted and spun around in unison.
Killing Intent!
Kavakan surged forward, releasing his killing intent in the form of a looming phantom tiger.
The near-corporeal apparition leapt from behind him, charging towards the oncoming beasts—its oppressive presence crashing down upon them like a mountain king descending upon insolent challengers.
The sheer weight of that aura caused many of the beasts to falter.
Their legs weakened—and they turned to flee.
Those that persisted, charging forward in defiance, were met head-on by Kavakan’s twin axes and Mogal’s relentless fists.
Blood stained the ground once more.
Yet instead of driving the beasts into a deeper frenzy, the slaughter only intensified their fear.
They broke—scattering in panic as they fled for their lives.
"Ah—!"
Suddenly, before either man could celebrate their success, a cry rang out from behind them—sharp and desperate, like a death throe.
"Ambush," Kavakan said grimly.
Without hesitation, both men turned and rushed towards the rest of the raiding party.
***