NOVEL NEXT Chapter 326: Killing the Shadow Guards Like Flies
At the border of the 30th state, or rather at the border of the Gray Pagoda state, the Huolong Empire Shadow Guards finally arrived at the river separating six states from the other thirty states.
Stopping at the riverbank, they saw a tall tower on the other side of the river that left their jaws dropped to the ground.
The tower was over two hundred meters in height, towering over everything in the surroundings.
"Captain..." one of the shadow guards called.
"I know. They've spotted us before we even saw them," the captain responded with a grave expression.
This was a covert operation, but with such a tower, there was no way they could discreetly enter the enemy domain.
"What should we do?" another guard asked.
All the shadow guards were silent, everyone lost in thought. The enemy was more prudent than they had imagined.
Finally, the captain said, "We go through the normal channel."
All the shadow guards looked at each other and could see the confusion on each other's faces.
Nevertheless, they obeyed the command of their captain and searched for a boat nearby.
Meanwhile, on the watchtower, a young woman was looking at the group of men sailing toward their land with an expressionless face.
She was the captain of the garrison, and her task was to keep all intruders away from their land.
With a wave of her hand, a circular object came out of her pouch and flew toward the shadow guards who had just stepped out of the boat.
"Captain... Incoming," one of the guards called in alarm.
With a solemn expression, the captain commanded, "Hold your ground and be prepared for battle."
When the strange device was a couple of feet from them, it stopped, and a female voice came out of it.
"You've stepped on the territory of the Great Pagoda Empire. This is your last warning: leave immediately."
When the shadow guards heard a female voice coming from the floating artifact, they were stunned for a couple of seconds before their captain said in a friendly tone,
"We mean no harm. We've heard a lot about the Great Pagoda Empire..."
"Intruders... This is your last warning: leave immediately."
The female voice interrupted the peace speech of the shadow captain, giving them no room to speak.
The shadow captain was stunned. How could a new power be so unreasonable?
Even though they managed to win six states, that was nothing compared to their mighty Huolong Empire.
"Captain, should we ignore their warning and make a run for it?" a guard suggested.
The captain did not respond immediately as he was weighing all his options.
They knew little about their enemy, but the enemy seemed to know a lot about them.
Looking at the floating artifact that was hundreds of meters from the tower, he curled his lips upward.
'We won't return without enough evidence about the enemy,' he thought with a decisive gaze.
He looked at his men and gave them a slight nod. Instantly, they all understood what their next course of action would be.
Just before they could execute their suicide action, the female voice echoed once again.
"This is your last warning: leave and never return."
However, the shadow guards did not care about her speech, and they deployed their shadow movement technique.
Each of the shadow guards was in the Core Refining realm, powerful experts who could rule a prefecture but served the Huolong Royal family.
Using their movement technique, they disappeared from their spot, rushing toward the tall tower.
On the tower, the female captain shook her head and muttered, "Fools."
She looked at the young man manning the Rapid Fire Gun and commanded,
"Kill."
The man did not need to be told twice as he switched on the deadly artifact.
Humm!
A slight hum came from it, and it came to life.
Ta. Ta. Ta. Ta.
The deafening sound of the Rapid Fire Gun echoed in the atmosphere.
"What was that?!"
All the shadow guards thought with slight apprehension on their faces.
They had just reached the halfway mark to the tower when they heard the sound.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three of the shadow guards were blown to pieces in an instant. They disappeared from the world without leaving traces behind.
Instantly, fear and panic gripped their hearts like a vice.
Still, as shadows, they recovered quickly from their fear and gripped their weapons, ready to defend against the hidden weapon.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three of them exploded once again, and the bit of courage they had previously summoned disappeared into thin air.
Before they could understand what was going on, another three exploded, turning into a mess of meat paste and blood.
Now, only three shadow guards were left. The three halted in their tracks, looked at each other, and turned to escape for their dear lives.
Their enemies were more fearsome than they had ever imagined. Regret and guilt clouded the shadow captain's heart.
However, he could not mourn the death of his men when the two men behind him exploded to pieces.
"What!" he exclaimed in shock.
They were already close to the riverbank, but the enemy could still target them right from their tower.
It was then he realized their previous warning was not because they couldn't kill them but because they were showing mercy.
"I must warn His Majesty not to get on their bad side," he thought and prepared to jump into the boat when he felt a sudden dread wash over him.
'What is this feeling?' That was his last thought when his body exploded to pieces.
On the tower, the captain looked at the young man behind the Rapid Fire Gun and said with a solemn expression,
"You had the chance to kill them all in one clean swoop. What are you doing toying with them like that?"
When the young man heard this, he froze, and his heart jumped to his throat.
"C-Captain..."
"This is your last warning. Next time you will be sent back to the barracks." With that, the captain left the tower.
Meanwhile, the Huolong Emperor still sat on his throne, waiting for the report from his trusted shadow guards.
Unbeknownst to him, he would never receive it.
While the border was dealing with measly flies, the Pagoda Empire was preparing for a long voyage to the ancient battlefield.