Chapter 662.5: Orianna's "Anticipation"
Injured Catachan soldiers were constantly being dragged back.
In the past, they could only pray they were strong enough to survive.
But now it was different.
Purification arrays, healing scrolls, and magical potions from Bay Territory—
—helped wounded soldiers survive and quickly return to battle.
Thanks to these, the Catachan Tribe's defensive endurance had improved greatly.
Even so, the ever-mounting pressure still left the tribe chieftain deeply troubled.
Watching the twisted monsters swarm up the walls, he ordered without hesitation:
"Deploy the Blazing Oil!"
His voice carried deep reluctance.
Besides being precious wartime resources, Blazing Oil from Bay Territory was the most needed supply among all Catachan Tribes.
It burned long and clean.
The Catachans loved using it for light and cooking.
With it, they no longer needed to burn rotten wood full of eggs or toxins.
It vastly improved safety in fire-making, cooking, heating, patrolling, and adventuring.
Now under siege, Blazing Oil could create deadly fire barriers.
It not only resisted most monster attacks but inflicted massive damage in return.
Sadly, even though Bay Territory priced it fairly, the Catachan Tribe's wealth and resources were still insufficient to obtain enough.
Fwoosh!
Watching towering flames rise up, turning twisted monsters to ash with a crackle and pop—
The chieftain quickly directed his warriors to eliminate the remaining isolated enemies.
And assigned hands to clear the corpse piles forming ramps.
But this time, the chieftain underestimated the enemy's resolve.
A large herd of raging bulls, eyes blood-red, charged the walls madly.
Among them, massive beasts flung themselves forward in a death rush.
Giant six-legged hyenas.
Tree-scaling giant spiders.
Rock-crushing giant-footed crocodiles.
Twin-headed, six-clawed green pythons.
Two-to-three-meter-tall mantis raiders, blended into the terrain, leaping over ten meters with curved demon scythes.
Some were twisted monsters the Catachan warriors had never even seen or heard of before.
Facing this onslaught, the chieftain slowly drew his faintly glowing ghost blade, a tinge of regret in his heart.
Even though Bay Territory had issued a "danger alert" recently, he had trusted his own judgment.
He assumed that even if the green tide came, it would suffocate slowly like before.
That led to many elite hunters, out on expeditions, getting cut off by the massive monster horde and unable to return.
The chieftain had decided: once this wave was repelled, he would immediately order a fallback.
Retreat to the second wall—half the current range, but much easier to defend longer.
However, a creeping premonition lingered in his heart.
This surprise assault might be even more terrifying and dangerous than before.
He now doubted whether the tribe could survive.
The varied large monsters, relying on thick hides and tough bodies, forced their way through the fire wall.
Each had their own way of attacking.
Some smashed through stone walls, gouging out pits.
Some, master climbers, scaled the vertical walls with ease.
Some used mobility to leap or bypass defenses altogether.
Even with elite warriors reinforcing, the chieftain couldn't suppress them quickly.
Watching the battle, Yaya carefully recorded the monsters' data and info.
"Dumb berserk bulls—horns might be tasty—Challenge Level 14+."
"Poisonous giant tree spider—great stealth—eggs could be useful—Challenge Level 15+."
"Raider mantis—fast, agile, strong offense—not sure which parts are edible—Challenge Level 17+."
"Big-mouth gator—slow, high defense, thick-skinned and meaty—might roast well—Challenge Level 16+."
"..."
Yaya was patient and didn't attack yet—
First, to document monster data for future mass warfare.
Second, to find the hidden hand behind the battlefield.
Yaya had studied many combat systems across lifeforms.
This kind of scattered unit deployment had a clear central control unit.
Like the tyrant that ravaged Blood Moon City, or the wraith sealed in the Death Desert.
But to her disappointment—
She hadn't found the core controller, or even narrowed down its location.
Smart Yaya quickly deduced—
The enemy wasn't using visible signals to command.
"Underground? Pheromones? Telepathy? Mind-link? Plant fiber...?"
Possibility after possibility flashed through her mind.
Yaya observed the driven monsters and stared at the massive wave of "living forest."
"Since you won't come out quietly, don't blame me for wrecking the place."
Picking a general direction, Yaya, unwilling to waste more brain cells, decided to use the second battle method Matthew had taught her.
Overpower finesse with brute force!
Clang!
The demon scythe, swift as the wind, viciously slammed into the ghost blade.
Chieftain Robert was forced a step back. Seeing the demon scythe retreat, he lunged forward without hesitation.
With extremely rich combat experience, Robert knew all too well how terrifying the Raider Mantis was.
Even if he defended with full focus, he might not block every claw as swift as the wind.
A single misjudgment, and that demon scythe, strong enough to split mountains, would tear him in half.
Just like the Catachan warrior who failed to dodge before!
Boom!
The demon scythe snapped back, slicing through the air with a piercing shriek.
It even ripped through the air itself, producing an ear-piercing whistle.
Charging forward, Robert couldn't read the attack trajectory, but wisely hid behind his ghost blade and lunged again.
Clang!
The ghost blade trembled violently. Even in Robert's hands, it buzzed incessantly.
Feeling that terrifying burst of power—
Had this been Robert in his youth, he could've held firm and launched a fierce counter.
But now he was old—he couldn't hold the blade!
Unspeakable rage and self-loathing flooded Robert's mind.
The tattoo on his chest glowed red.
The demon-face-like skin seemed to come alive, its twisted mouth opening wide and biting down hard.
Robert felt a sharp pain in his chest, like his organs had been ripped apart.
Simultaneously, a surging force exploded from within.
Muscles bulged instantly, twisted veins pulsing, raw power blasting away the fatal scythe.
The trembling ghost blade, fast as lightning, slashed through the retreat-slow Raider Mantis.
Sensing mortal danger, the Mantis leapt the moment the scythe was blocked, but couldn't evade the deadly blow.
Squelch!
The Raider Mantis was cleaved in half—just like its past victims.
A gush of blood sprayed from Robert's mouth.
His exposed skin reddened slightly. Without even glancing at the Mantis in its death throes, he charged at more large monsters.
Seeing the chieftain like this, the other Catachan warriors showed sorrow and helplessness in their eyes.
This would be the chieftain's final battle!
But many eyes that witnessed this scene suddenly lit up.
Almost all the twisted monsters surged toward the wall.
They ignored the flaming trenches, storming forward like a tide.
Having just decapitated a giant tree spider, Robert suppressed the spreading pain and decisively gave the retreat order.
"Fall back to the second line of defense!"
He alone stood still in place.
Gripping the ghost blade that had accompanied him for decades, he awaited death.
The Catachan warriors, holding back grief, resolutely retreated.
No Catachan warrior dies of old age!
At that moment, a massive shadow engulfed the wall.
A terrifying draconic presence descended from the sky.
Even the aftershock staggered the retreating, unprepared warriors.
All Catachans looked up, stunned by Yaya bursting through the clouds with blinding sunlight.
"Roar...!"
The roar of a dragon came first; the flames of destruction followed.
Robert watched, eyes wide, as searing flames surged past the wall and slammed into the charging horde.
Boom!
The terrifying fire erupted, alive with hunger, spreading in all directions.
Be it common twisted monsters or powerful giants—
Enveloped by flame, they turned to charcoal in an instant.
The sight of enemies turned to ash etched itself into Robert's mind.
With countless eyes on her, Yaya swooped around the city walls, gleefully incinerating the perimeter.
The remaining third of her dragon breath was unleashed upon the living jungle behind the monsters.
Sparks danced, smoke billowed.
Yaya didn't hover like before; instead, she dove into the center of the living forest.
Claws tore, steel tail swept, wings cleaved wildly.
No tree, however tough, could withstand her talons.
No vine could resist her 35-point legendary strength.
Woodchips flew, all flora fell.
With sheer force, Yaya ripped apart several massive plant amalgams.
With half their numbers lost, the twisted monsters scattered like they were freed.
The living forest around them fell into chaos.
Plants tangled and fought each other, attacking constantly.
Moving swiftly, Yaya soared back up.
Giant vines burst from the ground, aiming to ensnare her.
Realizing she was a friend, the Catachans cried out in concern.
But Yaya had already sensed it. Her body turned light, her already fast form soaring higher.
The giant vines shot into the air—and missed.
Looking down at their retreat, Yaya scoffed:
"Knew you guys wouldn't behave. Exposed now, huh?"
Yaya had no intention of letting the ambush slide.
She patted her head with a claw—a large silvery helmet appeared, its visor glowing with battlefield data.
A virtual model showed the vines' underground paths and shifts.
With their movement data analyzed, Yaya dove toward the mountain opposite the last attack.
Boom!
Her huge frame slammed down, crushing a plant amalgam she had marked.
Unleashing power and combat prowess, Yaya vented her fury.
Subtle vibrations came from underground; her helmet gathered and analyzed them.
Ripping a massive tree apart, she launched into the air, dodging emerging vines.
In the sky, watching the chaos below, she confirmed her attack was working.
Without waiting to reach the clouds again, she dove at another slow-reacting forest cluster.
The giant vines were fearsome, even to Yaya.
But her agility and battlefield mobility made them helpless.
Seeing her wild rampage, distant consciousnesses rapidly exchanged thoughts:
"This damn invader is too cunning—normal traps and ambushes don't work."
"How can one creature be this strong? Even the Insect King couldn't fight her..."
"Such a powerful being, yet she chooses to protect those puny humans?"
"We're unprepared. How do we stop her?"
"No matter how strong, she's still just one. Let's attack another target to distract her."
"Once we seize full control, she won't escape no matter where she hides..."
"..."
Unaware of the distant conversation, Yaya kept tearing down plant amalgams, hunting the true enemy.
230 kilometers from the Catachan Tribe, outside Checkpoint 16 of City 22...
A massive horde of twisted monsters was regrouping.
Alert sentries quickly noticed something wrong.
They blew the warning horn at once.
What they saw was relayed as text and images to everyone inside.
The info was also recorded in three formats and sent to City 22 as a warning.
"Don't wait. Detonate the fuel bombs now."
Haigs gave the order without hesitation. Watching fireballs spread through the outpost's forest edge, anxiety rose in his chest.
"Knew it—their retreat earlier was a ruse."
He immediately reassigned defense priorities, issued battle commands, and returned to command only after all troops were in place.
Watching the flood of shadows on the screen, Oriana, sucking her lollipop, said excitedly:
"You're back just in time. Get ready to command!"
"Yaya One is hungry for battle!"
"She deserves a grand entrance!"