Chapter 585: Cloudhorn Rhino
Leon calmly accepted the task of holding back the magical beast. After this brief disturbance, the stalled team resumed its march...
Perhaps because the team was drawing closer to the heart of the Primordial Forest, the frequency of ancient magical beast encounters kept rising. What used to be one or two stray beasts every couple of days, now became several encounters in a single day.
Especially in recent days, the ancient magical beasts the team encountered could no longer be described as merely frequent—they were practically swarming...
Shortly after the team set out, another deafening roar echoed from deep within the densely wooded forest.
Such a roar usually meant that an ancient magical beast lurking in the forest had noticed this group of unwelcome intruders trespassing in its territory. What followed was inevitably a clash.
And this was already the fourth wave of magical beasts they'd encountered today...
At first, Archmage Felton and the others had considered whether they could avoid the ancient beasts by listening for their roars and skirting their territory. After all, repeatedly fighting these powerful creatures was no easy feat, even for high-ranking Title Archmages.
Especially after grueling battles, they often faced the awkward reality of gaining nothing for their efforts—a prospect that held no appeal for efficiency-minded mages.
The proposal to take detours and avoid fights was unanimously approved by all three factions...
But this seemingly perfect proposal was only ever tried once.
The ancient magical beasts lurking deep in the forest were far more obsessive about intruders trespassing into their territory than any mage could have imagined.
When the mages tried to skirt around a swarm of ancient Cavern Thornbugs, only to stumble into the domain of an ancient Spell-Eyed Octohorror, they nearly got pincered by both the Thornbugs and the Octohorror working together. That was the end of the only plan ever approved by all three factions...
So, when the mages heard the roar of a magical beast close at hand, everyone immediately braced themselves for battle...
Sure enough, almost as soon as the roar faded, the ground beneath their feet began to shake violently. It wasn't hard to imagine—a herd of colossal ancient beasts was barreling straight toward their position.
The mages didn't have to wait long...
Moments later, with a tremor that shook the earth, a massive beast burst out from behind a gigantic tree, its hulking, savage form revealed. And right on its heels came a whole herd of equally enormous shadows...
Damn it, it's the ancient Cloudhorn Rhinos...
Seeing these stampeding juggernauts, even Leon couldn't help but curse under his breath.
Ancient Cloudhorn Rhinos are no joke. In the rotting library from tens of thousands of years later, Leon had seen more than a few records about them. One event, in particular, involving the Cloudhorn Rhinos, left a deep impression on him...
It was an event from the early days of the Third Dynasty—a matter that once sent shockwaves through the world...
During that era, two mage factions existed with extremely tense relations. In terms of strength, they might have even outshone the Black Tower and the Cloud High Tower. The rivalry between them, fueled by competition for resources, had bred deep-seated animosity over the years.
One day, while exploring a relic from the Age of Ancient Gods and Demons, the two groups unexpectedly crossed paths. Naturally, a fierce battle erupted as both sides vied for control over the ruins.
Over a hundred mid-tier Title Archmages fought around the ancient ruins, engaging in a brutal struggle. It was, without a doubt, a duel destined to be recorded in history.
Yet, the reason this battle was immortalized in the annals of history was not quite what people initially believed...
The two mage factions were evenly matched, and even the teams sent to explore the ancient ruins were neck and neck. From the very start, their battle had fallen into a deadlock.
The stalemate lasted so long that, despite both sides unleashing forbidden spells beyond the Title Archmage level, neither could deliver a decisive blow.
Their strengths were simply too close—no matter what means one side used, the other always had an equally powerful spell to counter. After a long, grueling fight, all that remained were depleted mana reserves and battered bodies; neither side could gain the upper hand...
Had things continued this way, the outcome would have been nothing more than both sides fighting to exhaustion, suffering some losses, and finally withdrawing to lick their wounds.
But then, to everyone's astonishment, an enormous herd of Ancient Cloudhorn Rhinos suddenly stormed into the battlefield between the two mage factions.
Perhaps it was the overwhelming forbidden magic that disturbed these massive ancient beasts, or maybe they simply happened to pass by, drawn by the commotion of spellcasting...
But in the end, none of that really mattered...
For the Title Archmages who had nearly exhausted their mana, what awaited them next was an unprecedented calamity...
It took only a single charge.
The herd of Ancient Cloudhorn Rhinos, unstoppable in their momentum, trampled through the mages, inflicting nearly a third of the casualties in an instant.
It was almost unimaginable...
Even when both sides had unleashed forbidden spells, the casualties had never reached such heights. Yet, in the face of the Cloudhorn Rhinos' charge, a mere instant had cost them a third of their force—over forty Title Archmages lost...
This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!
Forty-plus Title Archmages—what did that mean?
If they joined forces to cast spells, they could easily destroy an entire city. Such power should have been enough to terrify anyone, yet in that sudden encounter, the Cloudhorn Rhinos trampled them to death as if it was nothing...
Of course, the exhaustion from prolonged fighting and depleted mana played a role. Battles between evenly matched mages are always a headache, and the sudden intrusion of Cloudhorn Rhinos caught them completely off guard.
But the sheer power of the Ancient Cloudhorn Rhinos themselves was not to be underestimated.
After all, even a nearly drained Title Archmage is no weakling. For forty-plus Title Archmages to be trampled to death in one go—there's only one such record in all of Northend World's history.
The Ancient Cloudhorn Rhino—a beast famed for its thick hide and brute strength—earned its legendary status in Northend World thanks to this battle.
Later, people studied these beasts seriously. In truth, the Ancient Cloudhorn Rhino is not especially powerful compared to other magical beasts of its tier. Its hide is extraordinarily tough and can even negate some magical damage, but a single Cloudhorn Rhino is not much of a threat.
Under normal circumstances, a Title Archmage could easily defeat one head-to-head.
But when Cloudhorn Rhinos appear in herds, the situation changes entirely.
One book Lin Yun had read offered a single piece of advice to future generations: If you ever face a herd of enraged Ancient Cloudhorn Rhinos charging straight at you, turning and running might be your best option...
And now, what Lin Yun and the others faced was precisely a herd of furious, charging Ancient Cloudhorn Rhinos.
The only consolation was that the number of rhinos here was far less than the infamous incident recorded in the books...
"Archmage Merlin, it's time for your people to fulfill their duties." As a shadowy figure appeared at his side, Suvir's sinister voice echoed in Lin Yun's ear.
"As you wish..." Lin Yun shot Suvir a glance, then ignored him, his eyes sweeping over the Frost Dragon and the Heaven-rank Puppet behind him before finally settling on Xiuban, the Dragonblood Beastman, who was trying to make himself as small as possible to avoid Lin Yun's gaze.
"Master, that's a whole herd of Ancient Cloudhorn Rhinos..." Xiuban's face was twisted in misery as he glanced at the stampeding beasts ahead, his complexion turning pale.
"So?" Lin Yun frowned slightly, looking calmly at the Dragonblood Beastman.
"Alright, Master, Xiuban will go right away." Knowing his master all too well, Xiuban jumped in fright and immediately agreed. Damn it, the calmer Master sounded, the more terrifying the storm brewing beneath. Faced with his master's wrath, Xiuban would rather take on a herd of rampaging Ancient Cloudhorn Rhinos.
Truth be told, this lazy Highland Beastman was far better at reading the situation than he was at fighting. The moment Xiuban mentioned slaughter, his battle aura surged, and he charged at the Ancient Cloudhorn Rhinos with a roar.
From afar, curses could be heard drifting through the air: "Damn rhinos, you actually made Lord Xiuban come out in person. Just wait—I'll smash those empty-headed skulls of yours!"
"Lord Suvir, my man is already out there holding off the beasts. Now it's your turn to contribute." Lin Yun said calmly.
"Naturally." Suvir gave another sinister smile, then turned back to the Black Tower's ranks.
In the brief time it took for their exchange, the stampeding Ancient Cloudhorn Rhinos had already closed to within a hundred meters, and Xiuban, wielding Slaughter, charged straight toward them.
Compared to the massive Cloudhorn Rhinos, Xiuban looked almost pitifully small.
Just as the two sides were about to collide, Xiuban hefted his thousand-pound warhammer and slammed it into the ground before the charging Cloudhorn Rhinos.
"Bang..."
With a thunderous crash, the impact of the warhammer caused the ground near Xiuban to shake violently. Even the unstoppable charge of the Cloudhorn Rhinos faltered for a moment.
In that brief instant, the Cloudhorn Rhinos, provoked by the small beastman, flew into a rage and glared at Xiuban, charging at him with deadly force.