Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 306 - 306: Ruby's whereabouts

Boom!

A kaleidoscope of magical energies flooded the tunnel, pulverizing the Beastman hideout.

An invisible shield shimmered around Alex, deflecting dust and debris. A gust of wind followed, clearing the air.

Bang!

Windrider emerged from the rubble, disheveled but largely unharmed. Alex's attack had been a mere probe.

It unfurled its wings and shot into the sky.

Its sharp eyes locked onto Alex below. It recognized a powerful human mage when it saw one. In an instant, possibilities raced through its mind.

Why was a human mage here?

Had something happened to the Alpha?

But there was no time to ponder. Alex's next attack was already upon it. Windrider snarled, flapping its wings furiously. Feathers shot out, transforming into razor-sharp darts that intercepted Alex's magic.

At the same time, Windrider's body contracted, launching itself at Alex like an arrow loosed from a bow.

It knew human mages were physically frail. If it could get close, victory would be swift.

The darts shattered Alex's spells, then continued their deadly trajectory.

But as they were about to pierce her flesh, they stopped abruptly, half a meter from her body, held at bay by an unseen force.

An invisible barrier surrounded Alex, deflecting all of Windrider's attacks. The strange magic seemed familiar, but Windrider couldn't quite place it.

As Windrider dove, Alex vanished. Its eyes narrowed. It adjusted its course mid-flight, soaring back into the sky and circling,

Alex descended slowly, casting a high-level summoning spell. Windrider's soul was extracted, forming a swirling ball of energy in her palm.

She then flicked a spark of fire, igniting Windrider's body. She controlled the flames, ensuring they would incinerate the corpse without completely destroying it, leaving enough evidence while concealing any trace of her summoning magic.

With that done, Alex held the soul in her hand and summoned a spatial magic circle beneath her feet.

She had marked Maulclaw's room earlier. With a thought, she could teleport back instantly.

A white light engulfed her, and she vanished.

In the Far North, Maulclaw, Shadowfang, and the tiger guard waited anxiously.

Maulclaw paced back and forth, worry etched on its face. Shadowfang, on the other hand, was practically vibrating with excitement, as if it had personally slain the Beastmen. The tiger guard trembled, intimidated by the presence of the two elders.

"She's too reckless. How could she just kill them?"

Maulclaw fretted. It was worried about Alex's safety and the possibility of the Beastman Empire retaliating against the Arctic Tigerfolk.

"Good riddance! Those cowardly bullies had it coming."

Shadowfang scoffed, unconcerned. That Beastman was, at best, equal in strength to itself. It never doubted Alex's ability to handle the situation.

Crash!

The door burst open, and a burly Arctic Tigerfolk stumbled in, its face pale with panic.

"Elders! We've found those traitors!"

Maulclaw and Shadowfang turned to the tiger being, who continued without hesitation,

"The other elders found them. They captured some sea folk at the coast and learned of their whereabouts."

"Sea Folk? What are sea folk doing here?"

Maulclaw sighed. It didn't know that Ruby was still in the Far North, hiding along the northwestern coastline. Ruby had chosen her hiding spot well, but her starving subordinates had been forced to hunt, attracting the attention of the sea folk.

These sea folk were scouts, mere cannon fodder. They were no match for Ruby and her group. Unable to complete their mission or return home, they fled westward along the coastline, only to encounter the Arctic Tigerfolk searching for Ruby at the source of the Subglacial River.

The sea folk, facing so many Monarch levels, were easily captured.

Under interrogation, they revealed everything, including their encounter with a group of Arctic Tigerfolk on the northwestern coastline.

The Monarchs were ecstatic. The western coast was on the fringes of the Far North, outside their search radius. The Arctic Tigerfolk they encountered there could only be Ruby and her group.

They immediately reported their findings to the four elders. Without alerting the rest of the tribe, two elders had already set out.

This explained why Maulclaw hadn't noticed anything unusual. The other elders suspected that Ruby had inside help, allowing her to escape time and time again.

And Maulclaw was their prime suspect.

Ruby, still recovering from her injuries, had wanted to conserve her mana. She hadn't anticipated that those sea folk would inadvertently expose her location.

She also hadn't expected the remnants of the sea folk to travel further inland instead of returning to the ocean.

Maulclaw dismissed the messenger, its expression grave. It turned to Shadowfang, deep in thought.

It didn't fully trust Shadowfang yet and couldn't risk bringing it along.

But leaving it here wasn't an option either. Maulclaw couldn't be sure that Shadowfang wouldn't betray their plan.

"We must act quickly. Let's go now. We have a better chance of rescuing Ruby before Bravetail and the others arrive."

Shadowfang urged. Time was of the essence. They couldn't wait for Alex. Two against two, they had a good chance of success.

Clearly, Shadowfang was unaware of Maulclaw's concerns, but it understood the urgency.

"I'm afraid Bravetail has already sent someone to watch us. If we leave now, we'll be intercepted."

Maulclaw sighed. It knew Bravetail would be wary of it.

"Are you going to wait until they bring Ruby back before you act?"

Shadowfang was getting impatient. Maulclaw was too cautious. If it were up to Shadowfang, they would have left already.

"Do you really think we should wait for her return? By then, Ruby would be imprisoned by Bravetail and the others."

Maulclaw considered this. Shadowfang was right. It decided to trust Shadowfang this once and take a gamble.

This was their best chance to rescue Ruby. Once she was taken back to the tribe's territory, it would be much more difficult.

Maulclaw turned to the tiger guard.

"Stay here. We'll go ahead. When Alex returns, tell her we've gone to rescue Ruby."