LEVEL EVERYTHING UP in my Eldritch Tribe

Chapter 382: Again

The soldiers were still standing in stunned silence, their gazes fixed on the colossal, lifeless body of the worm. The battlefield was eerily quiet save for the faint sound of their own breathing and the occasional distant rustle of the forest. But their moment of awe and reflection was cut abruptly short.

Without warning, the Pig Orcs turned toward the soldiers, their massive forms towering over them like giants. Their eyes, still gleaming with the raw intensity of battle, seemed to pierce straight through the soldiers, sending chills down their spines. And then, with an almost mechanical precision, the Pig Orcs advanced.

“Wait—what are they doing?” one soldier stammered, instinctively stepping back.

“Are they—are they coming for us?!” another shouted, panic creeping into his voice as he gripped his weapon tightly.

Before they could react further, the Pig Orcs closed the gap in an instant. Their enormous hands reached out with a surprising speed and gentleness given their size. One soldier found himself grabbed by the arm; another was scooped up by the back of his armor as if he weighed nothing.

“Hey! Let me go!” a soldier yelled, struggling against the grip of a particularly large Pig Orc.

“What are you doing? We’re on the same side!” another protested, his voice trembling as he twisted and squirmed.

The Pig Orcs didn’t respond. They moved with a silent, almost robotic purpose, dragging the soldiers away from the scene of the battle with no explanation.

“Are they—are they trying to get rid of us?” one soldier gasped, his heart pounding as he was pulled further and further from the worm’s body.

“They can’t be serious! We fought too!” another shouted, his voice a mix of frustration and fear.

Despite their protests and struggles, the Pig Orcs maintained their steady pace, their grip firm but not harmful. It was as though the soldiers’ words and resistance didn’t matter to them in the slightest.

“Why won’t they say anything?” one soldier muttered, his voice rising in pitch as panic began to take hold.

“Where are they taking us?!” another demanded, craning his neck to look around as if hoping for some clue.

As they were dragged further, the soldiers’ protests grew louder, their voices filled with confusion and indignation.

“Lyerin’s Pig Orcs? What are they doing here? Why are they acting like this?”

“Is this some kind of punishment? We didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Hey, someone say something! Explain what’s going on!”

But the Pig Orcs continued their silent task, their expressions unchanging. When they had dragged the soldiers a sufficient distance from the worm’s remains, they stopped. With surprising care, they placed the soldiers down on the ground, stepping back as though their task was complete.

The soldiers looked around at each other, their expressions a mixture of relief and confusion.

“Wait… That’s it?” one soldier asked, blinking in disbelief as he dusted himself off.

“They just… put us here?” another muttered, looking back toward the Pig Orcs, who were already turning their attention elsewhere.

“What was that all about? Did they just want us out of the way?”

The soldiers exchanged baffled glances, their initial panic fading into a cautious sense of curiosity.

“Why didn’t they say anything? What’s the point of dragging us here and then just… leaving us?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it. Something feels off…”

The Pig Orcs, now ignoring the soldiers entirely, began to focus on the ground near where the worm’s massive form lay. They moved with an eerie precision, stomping and shifting the earth as if they were preparing for something.

“What are they doing now?” one soldier whispered, his voice barely audible as he watched the Pig Orcs’ strange behavior.

“I don’t know… but I don’t think we should stick around to find out,” another replied, his eyes narrowing as he tightened his grip on his weapon.

Before anyone could make a move, the ground beneath the Pig Orcs began to tremble once again. At first, it was faint, barely noticeable. But within seconds, the rumbling grew stronger, the vibrations coursing through the earth like an ominous warning.

The soldiers froze, their eyes wide with fear and anticipation.

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“No… Not again…” one soldier muttered, his voice trembling.

The rumbling intensified, shaking the very ground they stood on. Cracks began to spiderweb across the earth, and a deep, guttural roar echoed from below—a sound that seemed to come from the very bowels of the earth itself.

The soldiers’ hearts raced as they watched in horror. And then, with a deafening explosion of dirt and rock, the ground erupted. Emerging from the depths was another monstrous figure, its massive form silhouetted against the pale moonlight.

The soldiers’ breath caught in their throats as they stared at the new creature, its grotesque and otherworldly appearance even more terrifying than the worm they had just witnessed.

“What… What is that?!” one soldier whispered, his voice barely audible over the roar of the beast.

The scene froze in an agonizing moment of anticipation as the soldiers and Pig Orcs prepared for whatever nightmare awaited them next.

The air was thick with tension as the monstrous worm-like beast, larger and more grotesque than the first, rose from the shattered earth. Its massive body shimmered with a strange, otherworldly glow, its scales reflecting the moonlight in an unsettling iridescence. Rows of jagged teeth lined its gaping maw, and its eyes glowed with an unnatural fury as it let out a deep, resonant roar that seemed to shake the very fabric of the night.

The Pig Orcs, undeterred by the sight, immediately sprang into action. Their movements were calculated, their discipline almost mechanical, yet infused with the raw, primal aggression of seasoned warriors. The ground beneath them trembled as they charged forward, their battle cries echoing across the battlefield.

The worm beast reacted swiftly, whipping its colossal body around with terrifying speed. Its tail lashed out like a massive whip, cutting through the air with a deafening crack. A group of Pig Orcs narrowly dodged the attack, leaping back just in time as the tail smashed into the ground, creating a crater and sending debris flying in all directions.

The Pig Orcs countered with a coordinated assault, surrounding the beast and launching a barrage of strikes. Some wielded massive hammers that glowed faintly with a strange energy, while others brandished jagged blades that seemed almost too large for even their massive hands. Their blows landed with thunderous force, causing the worm to writhe and screech in pain.

But the beast was far from defenseless. It reared back and spewed a torrent of corrosive fluid from its gaping maw, aiming directly at a cluster of Pig Orcs. The fluid hissed as it hit the ground, melting the earth and sending plumes of toxic steam into the air. Several Pig Orcs were caught in the spray, their armor sizzling as they roared in pain. Still, they pressed forward, their determination unwavering.

The battle raged on, a chaotic symphony of roars, crashes, and the clash of weapons against flesh and scale. The worm beast lashed out with its tail and snapped its jaws at any Pig Orc that came too close. It burrowed into the ground at times, emerging in unexpected places to launch surprise attacks. Each move was met with counterattacks from the Pig Orcs, who adapted quickly to the beast’s tactics.

The soldiers, still standing at a safe distance, could only watch in awe and horror. Their earlier fear of the Pig Orcs was now mingled with a grudging respect as they witnessed the sheer ferocity and coordination of Lyerin’s forces.

“Are they even mortal?” one soldier whispered, his voice barely audible over the cacophony of the battle.

“They fight like they’ve done this a thousand times before,” another muttered, gripping his weapon tightly despite knowing he could do little to help.

The worm beast unleashed a deafening roar, its body coiling tightly before lunging forward with astonishing speed. It aimed directly at the largest cluster of Pig Orcs, its mouth wide open and dripping with venom. The Pig Orcs didn’t flinch. Instead, they formed a tight defensive formation, their shields interlocking to create an impenetrable barrier. The beast crashed into them with devastating force, but the wall of shields held firm, pushing the creature back. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Taking advantage of the beast’s momentary vulnerability, a group of Pig Orcs leaped onto its back. They drove their weapons deep into its flesh, anchoring themselves as they climbed toward its head. The beast thrashed violently, trying to shake them off, but the Pig Orcs held on with an iron grip, their determination unyielding.

Meanwhile, on the ground, another group of Pig Orcs worked together to restrain the beast’s tail. They used massive chains, glowing faintly with enchantments, to bind it to the earth. The worm fought fiercely against its bindings, but the combined strength of the Pig Orcs began to wear it down.

Minutes felt like hours as the battle dragged on. The beast’s movements grew slower, its roars less frequent, and its attacks more desperate. The Pig Orcs, relentless in their assault, continued to press their advantage. Finally, with a thunderous crash, the worm beast collapsed to the ground, its massive body heaving with exhaustion.

But the Pig Orcs didn’t relent. They swarmed the fallen creature, ensuring it could not rise again. With precision and brutal efficiency, they delivered the final blows, ending the beast’s life in a crescendo of roars and cheers.

The soldiers stood frozen, their mouths agape as they watched the Pig Orcs methodically dismantle the creature that had emerged as a nightmare from the ground. The battlefield fell silent save for the heavy breathing of the victors and the faint rustle of the night breeze.

One soldier broke the silence, his voice trembling. “They… they did it. They killed that thing.”

Another nodded, his expression a mix of awe and disbelief. “That wasn’t just a fight. That was a slaughter.”

As the Pig Orcs began to clean up the battlefield, dragging the worm’s massive body away, the soldiers exchanged uneasy glances. Whatever respect they had for Lyerin’s army before had now solidified into a deep, lingering fear.