Hellbound: Rebirth Of The Strongest Slayer.-Chapter 69: Submit Or Die

Chapter 69

Rayden might have been a baby, but his mind was not.

He was a veteran strategist. The type who dissected opponents layer by layer, breaking them down with precise, suffocating planning.

And then there was his other side.

The one that walked straight into battle and crushed everything in sight. The one that left cities in ruin and armies in ashes, a manic grin carved across his face.

That was Vastro.

This version of him, Rayden, trapped in the body of a baby, did not have overwhelming power.

Not yet.

If he had not gotten his hands on the ten skills from the system, he would already be dead. No doubt about it.

"I am drifting," Rayden muttered internally, focusing again.

Ahead of him, the Blue Horned Wolves snarled and growled. The distance between the two packs was only several meters, yet the bloodlust was thick enough to choke on.

Of course it was.

These two packs had been enemies for years. Each wanted the other extinct.

Rayden leaned slightly forward on Raoth’s back.

"Raoth," he sent through the mind link, "let us try talking first."

A pause.

"Maybe their leader is wise enough not to start a war he cannot win."

Raoth nodded. The lord’s command was absolute. If the Blue Horned leader had sense, he would listen.

Raoth stepped forward from the Red Horned side.

From the opposing side, a massive Blue Horned wolf stepped forward as well.

Grah.

The two leaders stopped just short of tearing each other’s throats out.

They began communicating in the low, guttural language of beasts.

Rayden could not understand a word.

He was not one of them. The only reason he could command Raoth and the Red Horned wolves was Hell Influence. Since the Blue Horned wolves had not submitted, he could not form a direct mind link.

So Raoth served as interpreter.

A bridge between two killers.

Rayden thought carefully.

Alright. Let us try this.

"I do not want unnecessary bloodshed," Rayden transmitted.

A brief pause.

"Well. I do. But too much fighting would be a hassle."

Raoth relayed the message.

The reaction was immediate.

Grah bared his fangs, a deep snarl rumbling from his throat.

Rayden blinked.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Raoth responded calmly.

"No, my lord. You said nothing wrong. This fool should be punished for daring to bare his fangs at you. I would have killed him already, but he still has use."

The Blue Horned leader let out a thunderous howl.

The sound made the fine hairs on Rayden’s baby body stand on end.

Wait.

"Raoth," Rayden said slowly, "you did not repeat that exactly, did you?"

Raoth replied without hesitation.

"Yes, my lord. I would never twist your words. I told this moron everything exactly as you said it."

Rayden’s eyebrow twitched.

He had just casually stated he would kill Grah and his entire pack if he did not need them.

And this idiot had repeated it word for word.

No softening.

No diplomacy.

Nothing.

"Fool," Rayden snapped through the mind link.

Raoth lowered his head slightly.

"Did I do something wrong, my lord?"

Rayden’s face twitched again.

He really wanted to burn this wolf alive.

"Do something wrong?" Rayden growled internally. "You just destroyed the entire negotiation. Now they will never agree to cooperate."

Raoth finally seemed to understand.

He slowly lifted his head.

And met the gaze of Grah.

The Blue Horned leader’s eyes had turned bloodshot.

Rage.

Pure, unfiltered rage.

The air shifted.

The wolves behind Grah lowered their stances.

The wolves behind Raoth did the same.

"The part about them not joining us was actually the best case scenario," Rayden said coldly through the mind link. "Because of your big mouth, the worst case scenario is now them trying to tear us apart."

His baby face stiffened.

"And with my luck, I am certain the worst case is exactly what we are getting."

He did not even finish the thought.

Grah lunged.

A massive claw shot toward Raoth’s face. Raoth tilted his head and barely dodged. But the attack did not stop.

It kept moving.

Toward the small figure sitting on Raoth’s back.

Toward Rayden.

Rayden’s expression changed.

For a split second, Hell Ultra Boost activated.

Just a flicker.

Just enough.

His tiny body flipped over the incoming claw midair, twisting with unnatural precision. As he passed, he delivered a small, harmless looking kick to Grah’s snout.

From the outside, it looked laughable.

A baby’s kick.

How much damage could that possibly do?

The answer was simple.

A lot.

Grah felt a crushing force slam into his snout. His massive body lurched sideways, paws digging into the ground to stabilize himself.

He managed to stay upright.

But when he looked back at the baby, something had changed in his eyes. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Wariness.

Something was wrong with that child.

But Grah would never cower.

Never.

He let out a thunderous howl, signaling his pack.

All out war.

So be it.

The forest tensed.

And then the sky cracked.

Thunder rolled overhead.

A cold droplet hit the ground.

Then another.

Then rain poured down in heavy sheets.

Grah’s expression shifted instantly.

His body trembled.

Not from the cold.

From instinct.

The rest of the Blue Horned wolves began to shiver as well. Their earlier confidence wavered. Their aggression dulled.

They tried to hold formation.

Especially Grah.

But Rayden saw it clearly.

The fear.

The Red Horned wolves feared flames.

The Blue Horned wolves feared water.

When he first learned about them, he had guessed it immediately.

Opposites.

If red feared fire, blue would fear rain.

He had simply waited for the right day.

Rain was common in this forest.

So he used it.

The moment the clouds gathered, he chose to move.

Now the sky itself fought on his side.

"Subdue them," Rayden ordered calmly. "Kill no one."

The Red Horned wolves surged forward.

The Blue Horned wolves faltered.

The battle ended in minutes.

Raoth overwhelmed the weakened Grah with ease, slamming him into the soaked earth.

Strength crushed speed when fear crippled it.

Rayden approached slowly, rain dripping from his small frame.

Good.

He needed speed.

The Red Horned wolves were stronger.

The Blue Horned wolves were faster.

Combined, trained, disciplined, they would become something far more dangerous than two rival packs.

They would become a unit.

A weapon.

With a satisfied smile, Rayden extended Hell Influence and subjugated Grah.

Just like that, the Blue Horned wolves fell under his banner.

Days passed.

Rayden personally oversaw their training.

"Cover each other’s backs."

"Do not chase blindly."

"Strength anchors. Speed kills."

Over a hundred wolves moved as one. Stronger. Faster. Sharper. Their coordination improved rapidly under his relentless guidance.

Strength and speed, when fused correctly, were lethal.

On the fifth day, Rayden nodded in approval.

The forest now trembled under over a hundred wolves who fought like a single organism.

This was no longer a pack.

It was an army.

And Rayden was just getting started.

More beasts would fall.

More would kneel.

Day after day, the baby conquered more of the vast forest.

Most beasts who refused to submit, even when they were one breath away from death, were killed by Rayden personally.

He needed their soul energy.

His ten skills were not fueled by air and good intentions.

Those who submitted were spared.

They joined.

And his army grew.

Soon, Rayden had built something ridiculous for someone trapped in a baby’s body.

Over one hundred Horned Wolves.

Several Raven Eagles who handled reconnaissance and long distance surveillance.

A few Aligants. Slow. Not particularly strong. Not fast either. But their defense was maddening. Their scales could tank attacks that would rip through other beasts. They became the frontline guards.

Then there were the Porcupines.

Purple thorns lining their bodies.

Those thorns carried a venom so deadly that even Raoth could die from a careless strike.

Subjugating just ten of them nearly drained Rayden dry. They resisted fiercely. He had to push Hell Influence to its edge.

But they were worth it.

Painful to deal with.

Even more painful to fight.

There were other mixed beasts scattered within the ranks.

But one type was noticeably absent.

Snakes.

Rayden killed every snake he came across.

No exceptions.

When he first entered this forest, snakes nearly ended him multiple times. Ambush. Venom. Silent strikes.

He remembered.

So now, every snake he encountered became nothing more than fuel.

Soul energy.

Nothing else.

Rayden stood before his growing army and smiled.

"Well," he muttered. "Just one more group."

His eyes gleamed.

"Then this forest is mine."

Several days later.

Rayden stood atop Raoth once more.

Behind him were over three hundred beasts.

An army.

In front of him stood massive white apes. Their fur was thick, their bodies towering. At their center stood their leader.

A scar carved across his face.

His presence was cold. Heavy. The kind that would make hardened warriors hesitate.

Rayden only smiled.

Raoth prepared to interpret.

Rayden spoke calmly through the link.

"Good day, gorgeous ape."

The forest went silent.

"I am Rayden. The rising conqueror of this forest."

His baby face remained innocent.

His tone did not.

"I will not waste your time. You have two choices."

His eyes narrowed slightly. A manic glint flickered.

"Join me."

"Fight under my banner against enemies far more dangerous than anything in this forest."

A pause.

"Or refuse."

The grin widened.

"And become fuel."

Rain clouds rolled faintly overhead, though no storm came.

Rayden leaned forward slightly.

Facing the most fearsome beasts in this forest did not make him nervous.

If anything, it excited him.

"So," he said softly.

"What will it be?"

To be continued.