At the North Gate, the night was as dark as ink.
The satyr stood silently in the shadows of the gate tower, his crimson vertical pupils narrowing slightly as he looked down at the group of sneaky figures below.
"Run, run..."
A cruel smile curled at the corners of his mouth as he toyed with a badge he had just ripped off a guard's body.
"Take my name out there; spread this fear to the whole world."
Just after the visual feast of cannibalism ended, the surge of fear into his body had allowed him to break through his bottleneck directly.
Tier 4.
At this moment, the satyr exuded an aura even more eerie than before.
At the foot of the city wall.
A team of five werewolves was moving cautiously along the base of the wall.
"Shh, keep it down."
The lead werewolf lowered his voice.
"The gate is just ahead. Let's slip away while no one is around. If the City Lord finds us, we're dead for sure. But if we stay in this city, we'll eventually be toyed to death by that satyr."
The other four werewolves nodded frantically, their eyes filled with terror.
Suddenly, a faint sound of footsteps came from ahead.
"Who's there?!"
The five werewolves' fur bristled instantly as they assumed combat stances.
From the shadows, another five sneaky werewolves emerged.
"Uh..."
The leader of the opposite group froze for a moment and asked tentatively.
"Brother, do you have the same idea?"
The leader on this side immediately breathed a sigh of relief and retracted his claws.
"Yeah, we're planning to pull out too. Whoever wants to stay in this dump can stay, but I'm done."
"That's great."
"Same here. Let's team up; there's strength in numbers. We'll go up, knock out the guards, and jump down to make a run for it."
"Alright, let's do it."
As the two groups reached an agreement and continued forward, they encountered several more waves of deserters with the same idea along the way.
The group grew like a rolling snowball, eventually numbering dozens of people.
Bolstering their courage, the crowd crept onto the city wall.
The lead werewolf was about to make a hand signal when he suddenly froze.
In the sentry posts on the wall, several guards were already lying on the ground in various states of disarray.
Their necks had all been snapped, their deaths gruesome, and they bore those familiar bite marks.
*Hiss.*
The werewolves gasped in unison.
"The satyr did this."
At this moment, any lingering hesitation completely vanished.
"That monster is nearby. It cleared the path for us."
"Don't worry about why, just run!"
"Roar!"
There was no longer any need to pretend to be stealthy.
Dozens of werewolves stopped suppressing their auras, and their Tier 4 cultivation exploded in full force.
Like a pack of startled wild dogs, they scrambled to leap off the ten-meter-high city wall.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After landing, they didn't even dare to look back, fleeing frantically toward the depths of the wilderness.
At the city gates in other directions, the same scene was playing out.
The City Lord's Mansion.
"My Lord, this is bad!"
A personal guard rushed into the hall, stumbling and crawling.
"The guards at all four gates are dead! A massive number of deserters are fleeing the city, and we can't stop them!"
"Bastards!"
Dante was so enraged he kicked a chair away.
"This bunch of cowardly, death-fearing trash!"
But he quickly calmed down, his face turning pale.
"It's too late..."
"This satyr has scared away all my mid-tier combat forces. Tomorrow is the day the Holy Church launches its general offensive. If no one fills the positions of those deserters, Ilo City won't last half a day."
"I can't wait any longer."
A flash of determination crossed Dante's eyes.
"I must personally go see Lord Lucas."
*Whoosh!*
With the full speed of a Tier 5 Powerhouse, Dante instantly turned into a silver stream of light and vanished from the spot.
Werewolf Royal Court, Central Main City.
This prosperous giant city was brightly lit at the moment, forming a sharp contrast with the desolation of the border.
Inside the main hall of the City Lord's Mansion, a terrifying pressure permeated every corner.
*Thud.*
Dante rushed into the main hall and knelt on both knees without hesitation, his forehead slamming heavily onto the cold floor.
"Lord, save me!"
On the throne at the very front of the hall sat a figure as burly as a mountain.
His eyes were closed as if he were napping, but the pressure radiating from him made it difficult for even Dante to breathe.
Hearing the cry, the figure slowly opened his eyes.
*Hum!*
Two beams of blood-red light instantly illuminated the hall.
That was the Tier 6 Powerhouse, the Silverblood Wolf King Lucas.
"What is it?"
Lucas' voice was deep.
"Has the Holy Church sent a Tier 6 Angel? To reduce you to such a state?"
"No, Lord."
Dante raised his head, trembling.
"The Church hasn't attacked yet. A monster has appeared in our city."
"A bipedal satyr appeared out of nowhere. It specifically hunts werewolves and even feeds on them."
"A satyr?"
Lucas frowned slightly.
"Yes, it is extremely skilled at manipulating people's hearts. It used a bizarre domain to trap werewolves together, forcing them to play a game of 'Who is the Undercover,' making them kill each other, and even forcing us to eat the corpses of our own kind to survive in desperate situations."
"By now, thousands of brothers have died at its hands. The city is in a state of panic, and tonight, a large number of Tier 4 combatants fled in terror."
"Once the The Holy Church attacks tomorrow, we won't be able to hold out!"
After hearing this, Lucas narrowed his crimson eyes slightly.
"These methods are somewhat interesting."
"So..."
Dante swallowed hard and said cautiously.
"Your subordinate wishes to request a withdrawal from Ilo City to preserve our strength."
"No."
Lucas interrupted him coldly.
"Ilo City is my frontline gateway. Once lost, The Holy Church can drive straight in, and my main army will face the dilemma of being attacked from both sides."
"You must defend it to the death."
Seeing the despair in Dante's eyes, Lucas's tone softened slightly.
"However, since you're dealing with such a bizarre creature, sending your subordinates who only know how to use brute force is indeed sending them to their deaths."
"It just so happens that an old friend is visiting me."
Lucas clapped his hands.
"Thomas."
*Tap, tap, tap.*
A series of heavy footsteps came from the side hall.
A figure wearing a tattered black robe, with his entire body shrouded in shadow, slowly walked out.
In his hand, he leaned on a black cane made of a spine, with an eyeball that was still slightly twitching embedded at the top.
With his appearance, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop dozens of degrees instantly, and a cold, decaying aura spread out.
Tier 5 Dark Wizard, Thomas.
"Lord Lucas."
Thomas bowed slightly, his voice raspy.
"Thomas, accompany Dante on a trip."
Lucas gave the command nonchalantly.
"Go see what that so-called satyr is. If it's something like an undead or a demon, you should be very good at handling it."
"In addition, I will allocate another elite legion to fill the vacancies left by the deserters. Dante, remember my words."
Lucas's gaze became incredibly cold.
"Ilo City must be held. Even if you have to pile up corpses, you must hold it for me until sunset tomorrow."
"Yes! Yes! Thank you, Lord!"
Dante felt as if he had received a priceless treasure and kowtowed repeatedly. With a Tier 5 wizard taking action, that damned satyr would surely have nowhere to hide.
"Let's go, Lord City Lord."
Thomas turned around, his skeletal hands under the black robe gently stroking the eyeball on the cane, letting out a couple of strange laughs.
"Hehe, I am also very curious what kind of sheep dares to eat wolves."