Chapter 457: Facing Reality

Chapter 457: Chapter 215: Facing Reality

As if to prevent their escape, nearly a hundred Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors surrounded the Beastmen. An outer circle was formed by dense, layered ranks of Skeleton Undead.

The Undead advanced slowly, herding the Beastmen toward the Undead Fortress.

The Leopard Woman remained vigilant, her eyes scanning her surroundings. She tried to peer past the Undead to see what lay beyond, but the Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors were too tall, their massive frames forming a solid wall that blocked her view.

Unable to see her surroundings, the Leopard Woman settled for observing the Undead beside her. She had never seen a walking frame of bones before. ‘There’s no flesh, yet they can still move?’ While terrified, she was also intensely curious.

Her gaze inadvertently passed over the Apes from the earlier battle, and her eyes narrowed. ‘If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have been captured. It’s all their fault. And yet… they seem to know something about all this.’

The Gorilla Beastmen were handling the situation much better than the Leopard Woman. Though their eyes held the same mix of terror and curiosity, they were far more composed. Even as prisoners, they were completely defiant. Whenever they neared an Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warrior, they didn’t instinctively shrink away. Instead, they would arrogantly shoulder-check them or give them a shove.

The Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors were not angered by the Apes’ actions, nor did they move aside. They simply ignored the shoves and kept walking, completely unfazed.

The Apes truly seemed to have some knowledge of the Undead. When their provocations were met with no response, they shot the Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors a few nasty glares before indignantly marching onward.

The Leopard Woman saw two towering statues flanking the path, each holding a lance high in the air. The lances were crossed. Behind the statues stood a fortress-like structure. She assumed that was their destination, but the Undead procession led them right past it and continued onward.

Farther ahead was a pyramid-shaped structure, equally imposing and filled with a solemn, dignified air. The Undead escorted them to the front of this Great Tomb and stopped. They then split into two rows, forming a wide path for the four Beastmen that led directly to the entrance.

The stones of the Great Tomb shifted in a complex pattern, revealing a gateway. The Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors all pointed toward it, gesturing for the Beastmen to enter on their own. The Leopard Woman hesitated as she stared at the opening. She couldn’t see what was inside; it was a pitch-black void that radiated a sinister chill, making her blood run cold. It was like a Monster with its maw wide open, waiting for them to walk right in.

It wasn’t just the Leopard Woman who hesitated; the once-arrogant Apes also stopped dead in their tracks. They kept glancing at the surrounding Undead, their feet rooted to the spot.

One of the Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors stepped forward, its heavy hammer in hand. It grabbed an Ape by the shoulder, yanking him off balance before giving him a hard shove. Then, it pointed toward the gateway again, gesturing for him to enter.

The scene made the Leopard Woman instinctively take a step back. Her back hit something that felt like a wall. She whipped her head around and found a tall Undead standing right behind her. The Soul Fire in its sockets seemed to be staring at her. The Leopard Woman felt her blood run cold; she didn’t dare move another inch.

The Ape still refused to enter the gateway, which finally annoyed the Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warrior. It reached out, clamped a hand around the Ape’s neck, and began dragging him toward the entrance.

“Let go! I fucking told you to let go!” the Ape shrieked. He thrashed about, his wide feet digging into the ground to resist being dragged forward. His arms windmilled, slapping repeatedly against the Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warrior’s arm in a desperate attempt to break free.

He was surprisingly strong; even the Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warrior struggled to pull him. It could only barely drag him forward as his feet scraped across the ground, making a grating sound.

Meanwhile, the other two Apes couldn’t hold back any longer. Puckering their thick lips, they let out a series of roars and charged on all fours toward the Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warrior. One of them tackled its waist. The other leaped high into the air, landed on the Warrior’s shoulders, and wrapped its arms around the Skeleton’s head, trying to yank it off. Seeing his comrades join the fray, the Ape being dragged also intensified his struggles.

POP!

With that soft sound, the scene fell silent. All three Apes froze. The two on the ground slowly looked up at their companion perched on the Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warrior’s shoulders. In his hands, he was holding a skull…

‘Uh… We just didn’t want to go inside! We didn’t tell you to rip its head off! We’re so screwed now, aren’t we?’

The Ape holding the skull suddenly came to his senses and, with a violent fling of his arms, tossed the skull away.

The skull hit the ground and rolled over and over until it came to a stop right at the Leopard Woman’s feet. She flinched, and when she looked down, her eyes met the flickering Soul Fire within the skull’s sockets.

GULP.

The Leopard Woman swallowed hard. Unsure what possessed her, she slowly bent down, picked up the skull, turned around, and offered it to the Undead standing behind her.

The Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warrior behind her remained silent for a moment before extending a hand to take its companion’s head. Its Soul Fire pulsed violently. To the Leopard Woman, this was a clear sign of rage. She panicked, leaping backward into a low crouch, her eyes filled with wariness.