Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires

Reaching the heart of the village where the battle still raged, Zaroth allowed himself a few seconds to observe.

The village was split in two: the ruined side where Zaroth had entered, and the other still holding its ground.

About a hundred or so elves stood with their guards up. The ones who primarily used ranged attacks were posted on the rooftops of buildings, while the others fought bravely on the ground against the demons. Even amid the chaos, their eyes burned with fury. Their hatred for demons ran so deep that killing those who dared invade their lands was more than just survival—it was an imperative.

On the demon side, things were different. They weren't as organized as the elves. Their ranks were chaotic, demons scrambling over each other to reach their prey. Yet, despite the disorder, their numbers gave them the upper hand, inflicting deadly damage on the elves—not to mention the demon who seemed to lead the charge.

This demon was similar to the one Zaroth had killed before when saving the elf. The cursed being had a massive body with several eyes in places that shouldn't be there. Four hands, each one wielding a different weapon, making it pretty much impossible to adapt to the demon's fighting style.

'This one is more powerful, that is for sure,' Zaroth thought. Eldros was about to arrive any second now. When he did, he was going to let him do the first attack, and then using the element of surprise, he was going to use shadow travel just like last time.

His plan, however, was ruined, as a demon that he didn't really pay attention to before acted.

It was a weak-looking imp—not a cursed giant that could devour the land or kill countless living beings. Small and skinny, almost nothing but skin and bones, with a single large eye dominating its head.

From afar, it might have looked comical—if only it weren't for the way its gaze fixed on Zaroth, as if it had known he was there all along.

Lifting its arm, it pointed towards his direction and opened its mouth.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

A screeching sound came out, forcing Zaroth to cover his ears. It was a grinding sound that was embedded deep in his skull and refused to disappear no matter what.

Thankfully, the sound stopped after a few seconds.

The sudden silence was unsettling. Zaroth's eyes refocused, and he realized he was now being stared at intently by both demons and elves alike.

It was a natural reaction. Though he didn't know what this weak demon was, it was perhaps the most dangerous of all. It could detect the greatest threat, ensuring the demon army would never be caught off guard by a seemingly harmless enemy that had been silently hiding in plain sight.

With its screeching sound, the imp had declared Zaroth as the strongest one of every single other being gathered in the area.

"Bastards!" Zaroth cursed, as demons swarmed him in less than a second.

The opportunity for a sneak attack was gone now; he had been exposed. The leader of the demons would now always keep an eye open for any opening Zaroth might exploit

Losing interest in the elves it had been dueling, the demon leader cracked the ground beneath it, sending chunks of earth flying outward.

A heartbeat later, the cursed being was already upon Zaroth, its two mouths twisted into a smile. Four weapons going for each one of his vital points.

"Let's see what you've got," Zaroth spat, turning into shadow, causing the demon's attack to miss.

The four weapons reached the ground instead, resulting in a thunderclap to resonate through the whole area by the sheer force of the being's attack.

Even in his shadow form, Zaroth's situation wasn't looking good. Now surrounded by hundreds of demons, he would sooner or later be forced to get out and meet them head-on…

That, however, was only the case for a normal fighter, but he was special, for he was a Beast Master. In a way, he was never really alone.

The world lost color for a fraction of a second, upon Eldros' arrival. The Unholy eye was blazing like a curse upon his torso where his head had once stood. His two greatswords flailed through the air, attacking with his fastest attack in an X formation.

But something unexpected happened. Thanks to its mighty body, four arms, and many eyes, the demon was prepared; the cursed being met the attack managing to block it.

Just like that, Zaroth's worries had been confirmed—the demons were dangerous and unpredictable. Now that it wasn't taken by surprise; it was able to block Eldros' attack. This was the first time something like this had happened since Eldros had entered his new form!

The demon leader would have rejoiced—until, at the corner of one eye, it spotted a shadow that didn't belong to Zaroth.

Nightshade, sensing her master's struggle, joined the battlefield as well.

Silverfang appeared a second later, followed by five unnamed wolves—the one who had begun evolving was now ready, running forward the four lesser beings while remaining just behind Silverfang.

A clear hierarchy had been established.

Only Hellweaver was missing as the spider was still evolving to the Epic tier—it was expected, evolving to the higher tiers took a lot of time.

The natives of the village, seeing the sudden help, seized the moment, starting to tear apart the demons one by one.

Had this been a normal army, they would have been cornered and scared, trapped between two forces. But the demons didn't know fear—they killed until there was no one left.

Cries of rage echoed across the village as the elves pushed mercilessly the ones that had killed their family and friends. Their cries were joined by Zaroth's beasts taking care of the lesser demons.

While he himself and Eldros were locked into battle with their leader.

A bead of sweat formed on Zaroth's face, yet he showed no fear. With the help of the Unholy Judger, he could strike where the demon was hurt the most. The demons could only hope to defend, slowed now by the Unholy Eye's power.

The outcome of the battle seemed decided—yet, at the last moment, neither Zaroth nor Eldros dealt the final blow.

The brown elf—the one that had guided Zaroth to the village—rushed past the gathered demons, ripping them apart along the way, reached the demon's leader.

Now the mighty being, with all its eyes on Zaroth and Eldros, was unable to see the approaching female elf.

And before it could react, she reached its body, daggers going deep into its flesh.

Gritting her teeth, her green eyes shined menacingly as power passed through the blades into the demon's body.

A thunder echoed as the body of the demon's leader exploded, leaving only its lower torso and two legs that fell on the ground causing a small earthquake as it did.

Silence followed. The demons lay dead on the ground, and now with their leader bested, the battle was over.

Relief flickered through the elves' eyes, observing the reason the scales of the battle had been shifted in their favor.

Zaroth, not caring about the gazes of the elves, looked at the brown elf that had just appeared.

Pursing his lips, he spat, "Was it necessary to steal my kill?"