Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 382: Over five millions

Chapter 382: Over five millions

As they continued, the terrain became more rugged. The forests gave way to rocky hills, and the air grew colder.

"Are we nearing the border?" Freya asked.

"Yes," Vlad confirmed, checking a device on his wrist. "Another day’s travel and we’ll reach the Kylen Country."

They made camp that night in a sheltered alcove between two large boulders. A small fire crackled, providing warmth but carefully concealed to avoid detection.

"How are you feeling?" Vlad asked Freya as they sat by the fire.

"Better," she said, flexing her arm. "The rest has helped."

"Good," he nodded. "We’ll need all our strength."

Jormungandr curled up beside them. "Do you think the hive mind is aware of our movements?"

"Hard to say," Vlad replied. "But we have to assume they might be."

"Then we should be prepared for anything," Freya added.

They settled into a quiet rest, taking turns keeping watch.

---

The next day, they resumed their journey. The landscape began to change—the rocky hills leveled out, and the vegetation grew sparse.

Finally, after several days, they reached the end of the Karman Country. What stood before them was the Kylen Country—a vast expanse of plains stretching as far as the eye could see.

A small smile appeared on their faces. They had achieved their final goal and obtained a clear picture of the entire area, which was fundamental for their future movements.

However, before the trio could get too happy, they noticed something in the distance. It was too far away to detect any detail, but what they could see was darkness—a dark wave crossing through the plain, one so massive that it covered the earth beneath it, immediately casting somber expressions over the faces of the trio.

"A new incursion," Vlad said ominously, his eyes fixed on the distant wave. He knew they were Leviathans—so many of them that they resembled a dark river covering the earth.

"There must be more than five million of them," Jormungandr’s voice was equally somber. Even if the bulk of that hive was made of drones, the threat it posed was immense. The small yellow cat knew he had yet to see the full extent of the hive since he was sure that clusters of Leviathans spread across the Karman Country would join that massive hive incursion, adding to its power.

Technically, their mission was over, and the trio should return to the base, but there was no way they would simply turn around when such a cataclysmic threat was approaching their forces. Of course, that didn’t mean they would blindly charge at it since that would be suicidal.

"Killing them all is beyond our current power, and if we are not careful, we could very likely be the ones taken down. So we must be smart in our approach." Vlad’s voice was sharp and serious, as he could not allow any mistakes, something Jormungandr and Freya understood.

"We should focus on taking down as many powerful Leviathans as possible and delay the march of the hive. That will give Overlord more time to fortify our position around the volcano and allow our troops from the Asani Continent to move to the south, improving our numbers," the small yellow cat spoke with great wisdom as he considered all points of the battle equation.

Vlad nodded, his eyes growing sharp. "Normal drones are indeed a threat, but if the Xaos forces have an advantageous position, they can take them down without great losses. However, Leviathan warriors could make things much harder for the normal soldiers, and there are only thirty-three Lords of Horror on the battlefields, so there is a limit to how much they can do."

Moments like this made Vlad wish we had more warriors like Ned, but it’s simply not possible. The materials needed to transform a normal human into a Lord of Horror are staggering, and their armors are not easy to make. It consumed most of the resources of the Xaos Kingdom to make those thirty-three Lords of Horror, and it will be a while before we have enough to forge new ones.

"Our best route should focus on guerrilla tactics. Hit and run," Freya suggested, her voice pulling Vlad from his thoughts. She looked at him intently. "We attack fast, each take down one or two Leviathan warriors tops, and retreat before they even know what happened. That way, we avoid the danger of an ambush or being overrun. There’s still a very long journey before the hive reaches the volcano, so we have time. There’s no reason to rush things and expose ourselves to unnecessary danger."

Vlad couldn’t help but nod to Freya, a small smile arising on his face as he saw how much the leadership skills of the young Viking princess had grown. Her decision to avoid unnecessary risk was not born of cowardice but of tactical acumen. They could not afford to be severely injured, as they needed to be in peak condition when the true clash between the Xaos forces and the hive occurred. It would be foolish for them to harm themselves now and not be able to provide help when the two armies clashed.

With the directive of their moves already in place, the trio began to discuss the details of their plans. Vlad made a depiction of the Karman border on the ground, and they began to discuss what their best options would be.

"The first place that caught our attention is the massive river that acts as a natural barrier between the Karman Country and the Kylen Country," Vlad said, pointing to a line he had drawn. "It would be a good place to start our moves."

Freya nodded. "We can use the river to our advantage. It’s wide and has strong currents. If we can force them to cross in specific spots, we can set traps."

Jormungandr added, "My lightning attacks are more effective near water, so it is great. I can strike clusters of drones and warriors from a distance."