Under the three dim bloody moons, the Crimson Dunes were eerily quiet. People lay in their tents resting, while some were planning for the following day’s actions.

Yet, they failed to notice the silent angels of death moving closer to them.

The desert wind blew gently across the dunes, carrying faint traces of sand, heat, and blood.

From afar, the scattered tents looked like harmless shadows resting beneath the moonlight.

But beneath those shadows were greed, ambition, and countless eyes fixed on Mantis Town.

Further away from the central dune where the big factions gathered, beneath a dune, a small tent flapped gently with the wind, with one person standing guard.

He rested both of his arms on his heavy axe, his eyes heavy as he stared directly into the endless dunes. Frequently, he yawned heavily but shook his head to stay awake.

His eyelids were heavy.

And the quietness of the desert made his mind drift repeatedly.

Swish!

Thud!

Before he could realize what was going on, his head separated cleanly from his neck, creating a sickening wet thud on the desert ground.

His headless body followed.

A few seconds later, four cloaked figures appeared near the tent and waited for a second before they entered the tent. Inside the tent, sharp groans echoed faintly before everything returned to the same silence.

Two seconds later, the four cloaked figures appeared as if nothing had happened. They left the tent in perfect silence.

But if anyone were to enter the tent, they would find the five people lying on their beast mats dead.

Blood flowed on the ground, seeping into the desert.

Their faces still carried the confusion of sleep, as if death had arrived before their minds could awaken.

With the death of the third group, the target moved to the fourth group.

Instead of having one guard on lookout, they had three walking back and forth to check their surroundings.

Even when everything was quiet, the three did not relax their guard. This showed their professionalism and strict training.

Unfortunately, their enemies were no normal people.

Whoosh.

Three undead Sanguine Vultures dove toward their targets at almost the same time.

Swish! Swish!

In a blink, two of the guards had fallen, their heads separated from their necks, but the last man managed to move his body at the last second.

The deadly attack cut from the top of his shoulder down toward his chest. Fortunately for him, his leather armor managed to prevent the attack from cutting deep into his organs.

Falling to the ground, his expression was grim. His heart pounded heavily against his chest as he opened his mouth to scream.

To alert his companions.

Swish!

Unfortunately, before the sound could leave his throat, another deadly strike came from behind.

Thud!

His eyes were wide open as eternal darkness consumed him.

Quickly, ten undead elite servants marched toward the tent, led by the four vanguards.

Thoren was not taking any chances.

Standing hundreds of meters from the tent, Thoren took out the Choir Charm Bell and shook it slightly.

Ting!

Instantly, those sleeping inside the tent shook vehemently and spasmed continuously.

Their peaceful sleep shattered at once.

Their souls trembled.

Their muscles locked.

Their mouths opened, but no clear scream came out.

In that moment, the undead servants walked into the tent and began another round of slaughter.

Brutal and merciless.

In half a minute, the ten people inside the tent had been slain, covered in blood.

The tent cloth swayed gently after the massacre, still looking harmless from the outside.

Only the thick smell of blood leaking into the night betrayed what had happened within.

Thoren did not wait a second to examine his masterpiece. He moved to his next target.

The fifth.

Repeating the same tactic.

He shook the Choir Charm Bell. The four guards patrolling the vicinity of the tent froze for a moment.

And that was all it took before death claimed them from above.

The ready to move undead elite servants marched into the tent.

Swish! Swish!

Some of those under the attack of the Choir Charm Bell had begun to recover, but it was too late to defend against the brutal strikes from the undead servants.

A man reached for his sword, only for his hand to be cut off before his fingers touched the hilt.

A woman tried to roll away, but a heavy blade descended and ended her struggle instantly.

Another awakener struggled to release a fire spell, but the soul shaking sound made his chant break apart.

Just like that.

He took out the fifth group.

With calculated precision, he moved to the sixth.

Their death was swift and clean, creating no problem.

No warning cry spread.

No flare rose into the sky.

No distant faction noticed that several groups had already vanished beneath the dim bloody moons.

But on the seventh, Thoren creased his brow slightly.

Unlike the others that slept in the tent, the seventh group slept in the open, keeping a considerable distance from each other.

Enough for them to wake up and help each other. Apart from that, four people were still wide awake, drinking and whispering to each other.

This group was clearly more experienced.

Their sleeping positions formed a loose circle.

Their weapons were within arm’s reach.

A few talismans were buried beneath the sand, and several small bells were tied to thin threads between stones.

Their alertness was not bad.

"I guess I have to go big," Thoren whispered.

He was not too worried.

His plan to swiftly kill them was only going to be delayed slightly, a couple of minutes, that was all.

Now, instead of going for a single group, he was going to target all of them at the same time.

With the decision made, he summoned his undead legion. From the undead space, hundreds of undead Dune Scorpions appeared beside him.

The air trembled vehemently.

The pressure from the undead Greater Dune Scorpions was so suffocating that any ordinary person would have fallen to their knees.

The sand shifted beneath their many legs.

Their dark shells reflected the dim bloody moonlight.

Their tails rose silently, each curved stinger carrying a cold and deadly gleam.