Tenebrous Wolf
Chapter 119: From the Ashes

Chapter 119: From the Ashes

It was almost surreal.

The Nightmare Carapace. A damned creature capable of tearing a grown man in half had been devoured by a monstrous being lurking beneath the silver sand.

Expressions darkened across the group. Someone audibly gulped.

Klaus, in particular, struggled to comprehend that such a horror had been hiding right under their feet. Then a chilling thought crept into his mind.

Had they continued walking in a straight line, they would’ve shared the same fate. Best case? They would’ve died before realizing what had hit them.

At least then, they wouldn’t have had to suffer.

But that was just wishful thinking. That lone carapace certainly hadn’t died painlessly. If they’d met the same end, their bones and organs would’ve been crushed, shattered into pulp.

It was easily one of the worst ways to die, second only to being burned alive.

’What the heck was that thing? A serpent in the sand?’ Klaus wondered, trying to piece together any useful information about the monster.

During the brief moment it had surfaced, the creature had the unmistakable slithering form of a serpent, yet it also bore traits more fitting of a sea creature. Maybe it was something akin to those aquatic snakes that dwell beneath lakes or oceans, or something close to that.

Then again, he’d never actually seen a sea snake in person.

Even so, the creature was undeniably larger than any monster they had encountered so far. Its immense, serpentine body undulated with a terrifying grace, each movement sending ripples through the silver sand like tremors from some ancient, buried god. At first glance, it resembled a wyrm, but the details painted a far more chilling picture.

Instead of flesh, its body was sheathed in iridescent scales that shimmered like polished, molten metal. It was as if the beast had been forged in a crucible of liquid steel, emerging encased in an impenetrable suit of gleaming armor. Light danced across its surface in rippling waves, casting strange, distorted reflections in every direction.

Massive yet strangely elegant, the serpent bore the silhouette of a mighty sea dragon torn from myth and legend. Stories spoke of such creatures as noble guardians, primal forces of nature cloaked in majesty and wisdom.

However, that serpent was corrupted and evil. Its entire body radiated a sinister aura. If anything, it resembled not a beast of legend, but a demonic knight conjured from the depths of hell, summoned solely to sow carnage and death. Those shimmering plates shifted unnaturally, flexing with malice and on its back was a jagged ridge of fins, jutting out like shattered obsidian. Serrated, they seemed sharp enough to effortlessly slice through the air.

Its elongated head was pronounced, vaguely draconic, but far more alien. The massive, tapering maw was lined with hundreds of translucent, needle-thin teeth, arranged in overlapping rows like a sea of crystalline daggers. The mouth alone was large enough to swallow a fortress gate whole. It was powerful and mighty, but simultaneously repulsive and bestial. Just looking at it filled Klaus’s heart with great terror.

Gulp!

Klaus inadvertently swallowed his dry saliva.

Whatever that creature was, its rank was definitely higher than the Nightmare Carapace. Perhaps it was within the same rank as the Freshwither, probably a beast commander. If they were lucky, it wouldn’t be higher than that.

But how lucky were they to begin with, anyway?

Disheartened, Klaus lowered his head and sank into the shallow pit. The others followed suit, their expressions mirroring his fear and unease. Given the size of that serpent, there was no way anyone could have missed it, unless they were blind or short sighted.

"..."

"..."

An awkward silence settled over the group. No one wanted to speak the obvious aloud.

Morgan looked like she’d seen a ghost, which was ironic, considering she was a demon. Adrian wore a deep frown, while Seraphim’s expression was pensive, her gaze fixed somewhere far beyond the dunes. As the de facto leader of their small party, all eyes naturally turned to her.

But even Seraphim seemed uncertain.

Should they press forward... or turn back toward the Soul Grave?

Honestly, there was only one choice they could make in this situation if they wanted to keep their heads and limbs intact.

Klaus glanced at the not-so-distant mountains surrounding the Crimson Spire and sighed.

"Let’s return back to the Soul Grave and think about how to proceed. It’s almost nightfall."

At his suggestion, all three of them looked at him, snapped out from their reverie. The first to speak was Morgan.

"That sounds... good..."

Following her, Adrian scratched his neck and added:

"Ah, that seems like the best decision for the moment."

Then everyone looked at Seraphim. She seemed stunned and tried to open her mouth to say something but then closed it, perhaps deciding to remain quiet and nod her head.

In the end, everyone decided on making a tactical retreat.

Morgan summoned the Crimson Slayer and began tying their saddlebags to its torso with the makeshift rope. When Klaus offered to help her climb onto the mount, she responded with a swift kick, followed by a sharp insult sent through their link.

’Pervert.’

He could only smile wryly.

Finally, the group was ready to move out. But before they departed, Klaus took a moment to scan the vast expanse of silver sand stretching before them. His eyes narrowed in thought as he tried to estimate its size, quietly filing the observation away. It added another piece to the puzzle, one that slowly fed into the theory he’d been forming in the back of his mind.

† †

Back at the Soul Grave, the group had taken shelter inside the skeleton of a fallen, leviathan-like creature. They sat gathered around a fire made from chopped wood. The scent of roasting meat drifted lazily through the air, making Klaus’s stomach grumble. His [Carving] Trait had noticeably heightened his appetite, but now wasn’t the time to eat. They were in the middle of a critical discussion.

Gazing toward the distant sea of Silver Ash, Klaus finally spoke:

"...So, how should we proceed? Our original goal was to reach the mountains on the far side, but with that damn creature lurking beneath the sand, moving forward might be suicide. And we still have no idea what rank it is."

Wearing a serious expression, Adrian rubbed his chin and said:

"More than that, it looked at least two or three times bigger than the Nightmare Carapaces. No... probably even larger than the Freshwither. Judging by its serpentine body, it might be significantly longer too. And from what I saw, there weren’t any obvious gaps in its defenses, it was completely covered in armor."

Frowning, Seraphim remained silent, clearly displeased by the fact that a giant serpent now stood between them and their goal.

"Does anyone have any idea what that creature was?" Adrian finally asked. "I don’t remember seeing anything like it in the academy’s records. Could it be a new species of monster?"

No one answered. Instead, all eyes turned to Klaus, hoping he might know something. He was, after all, the most knowledgeable among them when it came to strange creatures. But Klaus simply shook his head.

Then, at last—

"I think I know what it is."

Morgan spoke out. Her expression was thoughtful and grave. After a moment of silence, she said:

"If I’m right... then that was a Dread Serpent. One of the Great Calamities."

Dreamless Creatures that possessed five Soul Seeds were known as Calamities. They were vastly more powerful than lowly Fiends, Ghouls, Wraiths, even Tyrants combined. Monsters in this category existed in a class of their own, monstrous in every sense of the word. The title "Calamity" was not for show only.

Needless to say, if Morgan’s words were true, then their situation was far more dire than it initially appeared.

Klaus cursed under his breath.

"Fuck!"

To think they would run into a Great Calamity on their very first expedition, it was utterly absurd. Either this sunless world was playing some cruel joke on them, or their luck was catastrophically rotten. If that wasn’t the case, then his name truly wasn’t Soulless!

What were they supposed to do in a situation like this?

Consumed by anxiety, Klaus found himself biting his fingernails, racking his brain for a solution but coming up empty. His thoughts swirled in a storm of helplessness.

They were stuck.

Moving forward meant certain death, and going back was no longer an option. In short, their once-hopeful journey had crumbled into a dead end.

And the worst part? There was absolutely nothing they could do about it!

After all, what could four practically Sleepless do against a Great Calamity? Throw rocks at it? Stab it with a sword and hope to hit a critical spot?

Unless each of them was handed a Transcendent Nightmare, they wouldn’t even stand a chance and even then, victory was far from guaranteed. At that point, they’d have better odds offering themselves up as sacrifices and praying the monster simply didn’t take a liking to them.

This wasn’t a joke anymore.

It was a death sentence!

They were all going to die just because they had the misfortune of being that unlucky.

In the end, Klaus could only laugh, helplessly and bitterly.

Then he clicked his tongue.

"What rotten luck... I don’t know if it’s truly a Great Calamity or not. Realistically, it’s probably lower ranked. A Wraith, if I had to guess. If it really was a Great Calamity, we’d already be dead. Either way, we definitely can’t take on that damn bastard."

As despair weighed heavy on his shoulders, Klaus noticed Seraphim tilting her head toward him. For several long moments, silence stretched between them.

At first, he was confused by her intense gaze. Was she trying to say something? His eyes narrowed at her, trying to see through her poker face.

Then it clicked... and his jaw dropped. His eyes widened too.

’She can’t be serious!’

A cold sense of premonition settled in his gut. Even so, Klaus forced a crooked smile and tried to defuse the looming madness with sarcasm.

"I wonder why Lady Seraphim is looking at me like that. Surely... you’re not thinking about fighting that thing, right?"

The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!