On top of that, the Storm Dragonhawk had discovered the bugs' underground tunnels. If they followed those tunnels straight to the heart of the Hatchery, this Beast Tide would have achieved its objective.
Although the Frost Serpent's reasoning was sound, it was not enough to convince the Behemoth.
"I like letting my muscles do the talking more than using my head, and there's plenty I don't understand. But ever since we entered this rotten place covered in slime, I've felt something powerful in here, something deeply malicious."
The Behemoth's eyes were filled with wariness.
"In yesterday's battle, those bugs were only part of that malice, a very small part. There's something even more malicious deeper inside. I think we should leave and retreat into the forest."
"Are you scared, big guy? Yesterday, the bugs' main force tried to devour the Beast Horde I led, but I stopped them. Against my ice, the bugs could only damage my scales."
Pointing its tail at the ice sculptures nearby, the Frost Serpent said arrogantly, "See? I killed plenty of bugs. I dealt them a heavy blow. They no longer have enough strength to attack us on their own initiative. Well? My results were much better than yours, weren't they, big guy?"
The Behemoth wanted to argue, but could find no evidence. By early morning, almost all the bodies that had littered the battlefield had vanished. Without the bugs' corpses, how could it prove that it, too, had wiped out large numbers of them?
Not only the bugs' corpses but those of the Beast Horde had disappeared as well. Nothing remained on the wet Creep, not even a single bone.
This filled the Legendary Beasts with an eerie fear, further strengthening the Behemoth's resolve to leave.
At that moment, the Storm Dragonhawk spoke. "I think the big snake's idea is worth a try. I had a clear view from the sky. Both of you killed plenty of bugs."
"I don't understand grand principles either, but I've seen how ferocious those bugs are. If they still had the strength, given the state of our Beast Horde, they would have charged us long ago."
To lend credibility to its words, the Storm Dragonhawk flew high into the sky, circled once, then landed again.
"They're gone. There are only small groups of bugs keeping watch. Even if their mother bug can lay eggs nonstop, how many could she lay in a day? Besides, those eggs still need to hatch and grow."
Its talons stamped hard against the ground, and the Storm Dragonhawk's expression turned fierce. "So we really have wiped out large numbers of bugs, and the Hatchery is at its weakest right now. If we retreat now and face a full-strength Hatchery again, can we win?"
After hearing the Storm Dragonhawk's words, the Behemoth fell into thought. It was indeed wavering.
"Launching this Beast Tide has already cost the Death Forest far too many lives. If we retreat this time and fail, how long will it take us to organize another Beast Tide on this scale?"
"And these bugs clearly expand and reproduce very quickly. Even a Beast Tide of the same size might no longer be a match for them," the Frost Serpent explained earnestly as well.
In truth, the Beast Horde had suffered too many losses, and the sunk cost was too high. Some of the Legendary Beasts could no longer afford to lose.
Just like many militaristic nations in Earth's history, when faced with impending defeat, they usually chose to stake everything on one last gamble rather than withdraw while they still could.
In the end, the Behemoth was persuaded. The other two Legendary Beasts were right. If they gave up this opportunity, there would not be another.
The Behemoth even thought to itself that if it fled this time, it probably would not dare set foot in this sea of blue-purple slime again.
Once they reached an agreement, things became much simpler.
The Beast Horde would split into two forces. One, led by the Behemoth, would continue advancing overland. To deal with the troublesome slime, every beast in this force had to be strong enough to knock off the hardened material quickly.
This force numbered roughly ten thousand, very few overall, but with a high number of magical beasts.
The other force, led by the Frost Serpent, would enter the bugs' underground tunnels discovered by the Storm Dragonhawk and head straight for their nest. To ensure an efficient advance, the Frost Serpent would freeze the slime on the ground, allowing the Beast Horde to move forward unhindered.
This force was larger overall, numbering fifty thousand.
The few dozen remaining flying magical beasts would join the Storm Dragonhawk in the sky to guide the Behemoth's force while relaying communications between the two groups.
When the dripping tunnel entrance was opened, a strange smell immediately wafted out. Catching that strange odor, the Beast Horde all involuntarily backed away a little. It was the smell of the bugs.
Previously, they had thought the smell was merely somewhat rank. Now, it carried a trace of fear.
Standing at the very front of the ranks, the Frost Serpent let out a roar that stopped the Beast Horde from wavering. After sweeping them with a cold glance, it began activating its Psionics.
The temperature began to fall. Frosty mist drifted off its body and into the tunnel. Soon, the thick slime inside began to freeze, and the cold froze away every trace of odor.
After finishing this, the Frost Serpent did something rare and was the first to crawl into the pitch-black tunnel.
Committing a large number of the Beast Horde to a narrow tunnel was unwise, and the Frost Serpent knew it.
There were actually other tunnels nearby. It was precisely because multiple tunnels operated at once that the bugs could gather their troops so quickly.
But the Frost Serpent had its difficulties. The Beast Horde's morale was already too low. If it divided its forces, the Beast Horde might very well flee and collapse once they left the range of its psionic pressure.
Quite a few members of the Beast Horde had escaped under cover of darkness the previous night.
The Beast Horde advanced through the largest tunnel in a long, snaking column. With an Elemental Bluebird left behind by the Storm Dragonhawk leading the way, the Frost Serpent had no fear of taking a wrong turn. Though it disliked that cunning flying fellow, its abilities were beyond question.
News that the Swarm's underground tunnels had been invaded and large stretches of Creep frozen soon entered Chloe's mind.
Now that the Beast Horde was finally moving, she breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought they were going to flee.
She had also stationed the Swarm's army far away along the outer edge of the Creep early on, preparing to encircle them.
The Frost Serpent leading most of the Beast Horde into the underground tunnels was something Chloe had not anticipated at all. She did not quite understand how the Beast Horde had learned about the tunnels.
Moreover, the underground tunnels were extremely complex. Even if the magical beasts had discovered them, how did they dare enter? Were they not afraid of getting lost?
As for the Beast Horde led by the Behemoth on the surface, Chloe paid them little attention. After moving for a while, they had to knock the hardened slime off their bodies, which severely slowed them down.
Even if they reached the outskirts of the Hatchery, the dozen or so Creep Tumors there would be enough to delay them for a long time.
While waiting for the Swarm's army on the perimeter to return as reinforcements, Chloe noticed a problem.
The Beast Horde seemed to know the layout of the underground tunnels. They had passed three junctions in a row without taking a wrong turn and were heading straight for the core Hatchery.
Before you continue