Chapter 648: Facing the Thunderhide Rhino

[Thunderhide Rhino]

[Level: 43]

The moment Thoren finished reading the information panel, the massive Thunderhide Rhino slowly raised its head and fixed its gaze on him.

For several seconds, neither side moved.

The enormous beast stood in the middle of the trench, its thick body occupying a considerable portion of the passage.

Its four powerful legs were planted firmly against the ground, while its heavy horn pointed toward Thoren, reflecting the pale light of the Soul Lantern floating above his head.

The atmosphere became increasingly suffocating as the Thunderhide Rhino continued staring at the intruder who had dared to enter its territory.

Small traces of thunder flickered across its thick hide, producing faint crackling sounds that echoed through the otherwise silent trench.

Thoren remained seated on the undead Greater Dune Scorpion, observing the beast without changing his expression.

A Level 43 beast might have been a serious threat to ordinary awakeners exploring the trenches, but he was not alone.

He had no reason to retreat simply because a beast had decided to challenge him.

Then, the Thunderhide Rhino lowered its head.

A deep grunt escaped its mouth, rumbling through the trench like distant thunder.

Its front legs bent slightly as it shifted its enormous weight forward, and the faint electrical sparks covering its body suddenly became more noticeable.

Then, without any warning, it charged.

The ground shook beneath its massive feet as the Thunderhide Rhino accelerated toward Thoren.

Its enormous body moved with surprising speed, far faster than something of its size should have been able to manage.

Each step struck the ground with tremendous force, sending loose stones bouncing across the muddy floor.

The thunder surrounding its body crackled more intensely as it lowered its horn and aimed directly at its prey.

An ordinary awakener might have struggled to evade such an attack within the narrow trench.

However, Thoren did not even attempt to move.

Before the Thunderhide Rhino could cover half the distance separating them, a massive shadow suddenly descended from the darkness above.

Its enormous wings folded closer to its body as it plunged downward at blinding speed, turning its descent into a terrifying dive.

The undead Skybreaker Roc sharp talons extended forward, cutting through the air as it aimed directly at the charging beast.

Instantly, the Thunderhide Rhino sensed the approaching danger.

Its eyes shifted upward, and its body reacted instinctively. The thick hide covering its back and shoulders tightened, becoming even denser as the muscles beneath it contracted.

At the same time, small bolts of thunder spread across its body, forming a flickering layer of electricity that crackled against its armored hide.

Unfortunately, its opponent was not an ordinary flying beast.

The undead Skybreaker Roc possessed no living nerves for the electricity to disrupt, and its body was already dead.

Before the beast could finish strengthening its defenses, the Skybreaker Roc’s long talon swept downward.

Swiss!

The attack cut through the air at terrifying speed.

Bang!

The talon struck the Thunderhide Rhino’s back with tremendous force, producing a loud impact that reverberated throughout the trench.

The enormous beast staggered forward, its front legs scraping against the ground as it struggled to maintain its balance.

A shallow injury appeared across its thick hide, and blood began trickling from the wound.

Although the injury was not particularly deep, the attack had interrupted its charge and forced it to stumble.

The Thunderhide Rhino released an angry grunt, its eyes burning with fury as it raised its head toward the darkness above.

For a beast accustomed to dominating its territory, the sudden attack was an insult it could not tolerate.

It searched the darkness for the creature responsible, its horn moving from side to side as the thunder around its body grew stronger.

Unfortunately, the undead Skybreaker Roc had already vanished into the darkness.

Before the Thunderhide Rhino could redirect its attention toward Thoren, two massive figures emerged on either side of it.

The undead Horn Lizard King appeared to its right, gripping its enormous cudgel with both hands, while the undead Scorpion Men King emerged from the opposite side.

The beast’s eyes shifted between them.

Then its hesitation disappeared.

Growl!

The Thunderhide Rhino let out a furious roar and charged toward the undead Horn Lizard King.

Its enormous legs struck the ground with explosive force, and its speed increased as it lowered its horn toward the undead king’s chest.

The thunder covering its body flickered wildly, leaving brief flashes of light in its wake. As for the undead Horn Lizard King, it did not retreat.

It planted its feet firmly against the ground and raised its massive cudgel, preparing to meet the incoming charge directly.

Its hollow eyes remained fixed on the approaching beast. The distance between them rapidly decreased.

Just before the Thunderhide Rhino could reach it, the undead Horn Lizard King swung its cudgel with terrifying power.

BOOM!

The massive weapon struck the Thunderhide Rhino directly on the head.

The impact produced a deafening explosion of sound, and the beast’s head was forced sideways as the cudgel collided with its thick skull.

Its forward movement faltered for an instant, and its enormous body swayed under the force of the blow.

However, the Thunderhide Rhino’s charge had not been completely useless.

Its horn struck the undead Horn Lizard King with tremendous force, sending it flying.

Its massive body flew backward before crashing into the trench wall, sending fragments of stone tumbling down around it.

The wall shook violently, and a cloud of dust spread through the passage as the undead Horn Lizard King hit the ground.

The Thunderhide Rhino staggered several steps, its head lowered as it struggled to recover from the blow.

For a brief moment, it appeared dazed. Then it raised its head and released another furious growl.

The thunder surrounding its body became noticeably stronger, spreading across its shoulders and back in increasingly bright flashes.

However, it had barely regained its balance when the undead Scorpion Men King attacked from the opposite side.

Bang!

A powerful punch slammed into the Thunderhide Rhino’s flank.

The impact forced the beast’s body to shift sideways, and before it could respond, another punch struck the same area.

Bang! Bang!

The undead Scorpion Men King continued attacking with relentless force, delivering one punch after another.

Each blow landed with enough strength to shake the Thunderhide Rhino’s enormous body, transmitting the impact through its thick hide and into its body.

The beast roared in anger and attempted to turn toward its attacker, but the undead Scorpion Men King refused to give it enough room to launch another charge.

At that moment, the Skybreaker Roc descended from above once again.

Swiss! Swiss!

The Thunderhide Rhino sensed the incoming attack and tried to twist its body away, but the undead Scorpion Men King’s punches had disrupted its movements.

Before it could properly react, the Skybreaker Roc’s talons swept across its back and shoulders.

Blood splattered onto the muddy ground.

The Thunderhide Rhino howled in pain, its body convulsing as the sharp claws tore through its strengthened hide.

Although its defenses were formidable, they could not completely withstand the repeated attacks.

At the same time, the undead Scorpion Men King’s punches continued slamming into its flank.

The impacts shook its body from the inside out, and its legs struggled to maintain a stable stance.

The beast attempted to turn and charge at the undead Scorpion Men King, hoping to use its enormous body and sharp horn to break through the encirclement.

However, the Skybreaker Roc was already preparing another attack.

It descended from above before the Thunderhide Rhino could complete its turn.

This time, its talons targeted the beast’s eyes.

Swiss!

The sharp claws swept across its face, tearing through the vulnerable area around its eyes.

The Thunderhide Rhino let out a deafening howl.

Its head jerked backward as pain overwhelmed its senses, and blood streamed down its face. It shook its head violently.

A deep roar erupted from its throat as the thunder covering its body intensified. Bright flashes of electricity spread across its thick hide, illuminating the trench in irregular bursts.

Unable to locate its enemies, the Thunderhide Rhino chose the direction where it had last sensed the undead Scorpion Men King.

And it charged blindly.

The undead Scorpion Men King prepared to meet the charge head on when the two other undead moved almost simultaneously.

The undead Skybreaker Roc descended from above, its long talons extended toward the Thunderhide Rhino’s neck.

At the same time, the undead Horn Lizard King had already recovered from its collision with the trench wall.

It charged forward, gripping its massive cudgel tightly as it raised the weapon above its head.

The undead Horn Lizard King leapt forward and brought its cudgel down toward the beast’s head with all its strength.

BOOM!