Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires-Chapter 389: One Slash at a Time

'At least I'll have them in my debt,' Zaroth thought, looking at the bowing elf before him.

"I… thank you so much!" she exclaimed, breaking into a sprint.

'Well, I guess she is quick on the uptake,' he mused, matching her pace.

Naturally, Eldros followed his master, while Luna picked up Vera in a princess carry since the Oracle wasn't able to run with such speed.

The elf quickly guided them off the unfertile plain back into the woods.

Zaroth kept one eye on her—and the other on their surroundings; ambush was never out of the question, and he liked to be prepared as well as he possibly could.

The brown elf, running with all her might, left a crimson trail in her wake with her blood. The injuries she had received were grave, especially the one on her abdomen.

Zaroth gained a little respect for the elf; despite her bad condition, she was running with everything she had, not caring about her body.

'But if she drops dead now, it will not take us anywhere,' he shook off his head, picking up speed.

"How much further?"

A momentary hesitation flickered through the elf's face as she heard Zaroth's voice right next to her.

'I started before him, didn't I? Sure, I might be injured, but still, to be able to catch up to me that quickly…'

"A little farther. About five minutes, if we keep this pace," her voice faltered at the end of her sentence; talking while running was not advised in the moment.

"That won't do," Zaroth grunted. In one smooth motion, he scooped her up. He saw how dull her eyes were—drained, exhausted. Had she continued, she might've dropped dead.

"Don't you fucking dare complain," he warned, picking up speed, "Just guide to where we are supposed to go and focus on healing with your strange elven magic or whatever it is you do."

Clicking her tongue, humiliated by her own weakness, the elf obeyed in silence.

Tensing every muscle, Zaroth dashed through the jungle like a predator unleashed. The scent of blood hit him moments later.

'We're close,' he thought, eyes narrowing.

Demon corpses littered the forest floor—too many to count. Torn, crushed, dismembered.

"Who did this?" he asked the elf. Was it possible that this was fighting between the abominations, or was a third party involved in all of this?

"It was me," the elf answered. "When I broke out of my village in search for reinforcements, I was forced to get rid of the demons on my way."

Her tone darkened.

"These cursed things never let go once they see you. You either kill them all or risk them gathering into an unstoppable horde."

"I see," Zaroth nodded. It wasn't like the humans were able to teach him much about demons in the first place—just the basics—so any amount of information was welcomed.

Eventually, the first alive demon appeared in view. This one wasn't as menacing as the last one; it looked smaller and weaker.

There was no need for Zaroth to give the command. Eldros, sensing his master's wish, picked up speed going through the demon.

The cursed being exploded, sending innards in all directions.

"That's… not good," the elf whispered, hands shaking.

"What is it?" Zaroth arched an eyebrow.

"Our settlement is near. That demon should have gone there for prey. If it didn't..."

Kicking up the ground, Zaroth gained even more speed, eyes growing colder. 'That might mean there's no one left to prey on,' he thought grimly but said nothing aloud.

Thirty seconds later, they exited the jungle.

A stone wall that had once stood proud now lay broken on the ground. Deadly smoke was rising high in the air from the burning buildings inside the settlement.

Corpses, too many to count. Elves that had fought against the invaders now lay on the ground lifeless. All bearing expressions of rage—not fear nor hopelessness—rage. For failing to stop the demons, for dying before saving more of their kind.

"I hope that you have recovered enough," Zaroth spoke coldly. The massacre didn't really concern him, but at the same time didn't help his mood either.

He set the stunned elf down before charging into the burning village. Even with part of the walls broken, much of the village still stood. That meant there might be survivors still fighting.

Using shadow travel, he dissolved into darkness, his speed multiplying. Eldros, the loyal Unholy Judger, followed, unleashing his full speed, going past near the brown elf.

"That is a sorry sight," Luna arrived a second later and spoke, breaking the elf out of her daze.

"Huh?" the elf muttered, still having trouble believing that her hometown had fallen.

"I mean that it's sad your loved ones died," Luna spoke, eyes carefully studying the elf.

In her mind, the village was as good as gone. If that was really the case, it would mean this elf would be the only native they could talk to. That meant Luna had to probe her, test her. Is she one that breaks under pressure? Or is she one that is willing to take action?

"They are dead…" the elf whispered, hands gripping her two daggers so tight her knuckles turned white.

"I will rip their guts inside out," her green eyes shined menacingly, mind clouded with the wish for vengeance.

A heartbeat later, she charged in as well.

"So she is a hothead that acts before thinking," Luna scoffed, going after her.

"Good, that means it's easier to manipulate her," Vera, still being carried by Luna, called out, causing the dragon to smile in pleasant surprise.

"Oh?" Luna exhaled, "I think we might like each other a lot…"

*****

Now inside the village, Zaroth extended his senses as much as he could, surveying for any sign of life.

'There!' he thought, arriving at the place a second later.

A few demons had cornered a male brown elf, about to kill him.

They were small green creatures with blue eyes and several horns—not as threatening as the first demon he and Eldros had teamed up against.

Zaroth's eyes shined like a predator, summoning every single one of his beasts—except the serpent, of course.

This was the perfect time to use them. They could act independently, killing or at least keeping any demon busy.

His odachi flashed through the air.

"One down," Zaroth's body moved even faster than his mind, his weapon piercing the first demon.

In quick succession, he put the creatures down one by one.

Without pausing to speak to the stunned elf he'd just saved, he became a shadow again, vanishing toward his next target

'My beasts will handle the lesser threats,' he thought, changing his course.

His work was to put down the biggest threats. For all he knew, the elves were not weak—they were just overwhelmed. So maybe, if he got rid of their biggest obstacle, they would be fine.

ROOOAAAAAARRR

He was in luck, a mighty roar reaching his position.

'That sounded promising,' he would have smiled if he had a physical form at the moment.

With no hesitation, he changed course, heading straight for the great demon—the reason the village had fallen into ruin in the first place.