The Sound Of Despair

Magic beast carcasses filled the ground, blood painted the small forest clearing red, and only a square meter in the middle of the massacre remained unsullied. Inside that small patch of grass sat a young man with white hair. In contrast to the red filth around him, his black leather armor did not spot even a single drop of blood. 

The young man had his legs crossed and his eyes closed. For a month, he had been massacring every single magic beast he found. The white gorilla overlord was no more, and with his newly acquired powers, the remaining high-tier bronze beasts posed no threat anymore. 

A month was enough to get used to the new strength, but that was not the most significant gain Sturm had received. To ensure their safety, Sturm had tasked his contracted beasts with one simple mission during this month—to advance to the fourth bronze tier. 

Their additional power would make up for the lost celestial step, and the beasts had been hovering around the third tier for far too long anyway. To increase their speed in advancing tiers, a magic beast not only needed the talent and genes but also sufficient food and combat experience. Had they more actively participated in the fight against the gorilla, then they would have probably already reached the fourth tier.

While hunting high-tier beasts from the seventh to the ninth tier was not as efficient as a perfect-tier beast at the tenth, a month was more than enough to let Schatten and Licht cross the threshold. With their advancement, the two could now officially be considered mid-tier bronze magic beasts.

Sturm slowly opened his eyes and stood up. Then, after stretching his arms and cracking his neck, he got to work and started transporting the surrounding carcasses into the lightning space. It was never good to waste food, and the two beasts were bottomless pits. They never really seemed to get full but instead simply got tired of eating. 

"You guys have already eaten your bodyweight in food multiple times. So, where does all of that food go? You haven't eaten nearly as much during our time at the cave." Sturm decided to ask while taking a glance inside the inner lightning world.

There, he saw a black wolf and a white tiger happily devouring most of the game Sturm had sent in. No matter how much they ate, their stomachs would not bloat. 

{We use our lightning to decompose the food, directly absorbing the nutrients and getting rid of the unwanted rest. The moment we reach the silver tier, our lightning will be strong enough to completely obliterate the waste, essentially eliminating our need to relieve ourselves,} Licht explained. 

It was especially important for the tiger, as even with the help of their inner lightning, the amount of waste was still considerable. If they did not leave the small internal space to take care of their necessities, they would already have drowned in excrements. 

At first, Schatten had suggested simply throw everything into the black clouds surrounding them, but Licht had vehemently protested against it. Every day Sturm got a little stronger; the clouds moved a few millimeters back. When he got a lot stronger, either due to one of them advancing, then the internal space would even increase by a few meters.

The two years inside the cavern had been enough filth for the proud raitiger. Now that Licht had his own comfortable cave, the last thing he wanted was to be suffocated with a terrible smell just because the black clouds had been pushed back.

Sturm had supported Licht's decision, simply happy he didn't have to clean up after them like he would have to with pets on Earth. Now, if the beasts could use their lightning in such a way, did it mean he could too? 

He decided to keep it in mind and try it out in the future, but now they had something else to do. A month had passed, and Sturm could finally take the next step towards heaven. Directly afterward, he would carry out his revenge. 

The trio had already gradually worked their way towards Dagger's Rock Town since a week ago, and the tunnel entrance to the church was close. Unsurprisingly, the priest had already spotted the hidden passageway but had done nothing about it.

Just like the Three Powers were allowed to keep people from entering, others were allowed to gain access however they wanted. The priest warmly welcomed Sturm and led him to the pond without delay.

Having experienced the first step not long ago, Sturm was craving the feeling of being reborn. The feeling was almost addicting, and Sturm wondered if he was the only one that felt this way. Without enough perception, one would not experience the transformation in much detail, but nobles would advance many more times, increasing their perception with each celestial step.

Maybe it was one of the reasons they were so extremely power-hungry. Or maybe not. After all, the next targets were commoners, and their thirst for power was no less than that of a noble. Thanking the priest with a deep bow, Sturm made his way to the cellar below the tower. After moving the bookshelf and stepping inside the tunnel, he filled it back up with earth.

After what Sturm and his two beasts were going to do next, there was no way for them to remain on the island. Even if maintaining the tunnel wouldn't cost them anything, their discovery could implicate and cause trouble to the priest. Being indebted to him, it was the least Sturm could do.

In a few days, the new city lord and overseer would arrive, so they had to act quickly. A second-step commoner and two fourth-tier beasts. The total strength would usually not be enough to cause true havoc inside the town, but the three of them were far stronger than their ranks suggested.

"Schatten, you are the tactical advisor this time, so please elaborate your plan," Sturm said.

Licht chuckled in response, as the plan was literally not having a plan, and Sturm was simply making fun of the warrior wolf. On the other hand, Schatten did not seem to mind, as he was too excited about their next move.

{We go in through the front. Any guard or citizen that blocks our path will be paralyzed according to their strength. Should they keep attacking us after the paralysis wears off, then we dispose of them. We will avoid directly confronting any eighth-step noble or above and instead lure them into the traps I have prepared throughout the last few days. Our main targets are the Siren Merchants; instead of simply destroying their warehouses, we will first loot them. After we have done so, we kidnap Sebastian and use him to steal his family's merchant ship, along with any slaves we find that are worked as sailors.}

A particular culture back on Earth would describe the strategy as SMOrc, as it lacked any finesse whatsoever, but that was what Sturm was after. No more hiding, no more being suppressed. Just like back in the slave camp, it was time to vent.

…

It was almost dusk, and black clouds were announcing the approach of a storm. For now, it was only raining lightly, but slowly the downpour was gaining in strength. Occasionally, the sound of thunder boomed in the distance, lighting up the darkness for a split second. Under Dagger's Rock Town's gate stood Lapi, a shield scribe tasked with delivering messages towards the upper echelons.

*boom* A thunder could be heard in the distance.

"It was so sunny a few days ago. I hate these ocean storms. Can't we just close the gates now and return to the barracks? We could be sitting in front of a warm fireplace right now. The way it looks, soon we will be drenched in water," Lapi complained to one of the guards next to him.

"Orders are orders. Just be happy that our shift ends in a few minutes; the next shift will have to guard a closed gate during the whole night," the guard responded.

*Boom* A second lightning strike illuminated the night.

Somehow, Lapi felt nervous. He had never liked storms, which was one of the reasons he dreaded going on boats. Sitting inside a ship while the waves violently rocked it from one side to another was one of his worst nightmares. Inside the city, though, he usually felt safe and protected. 

The guards next to him did not seem to share the sentiment, as they were casually chatting with each other while leaning on their spears.

*BooM* It was the third time lightning struck the ground.

Lapi took a few steps back, positioning himself exactly in the middle of the gateway.

"Guys, don't you think the lightning is striking a lot more frequently than usual? It is also getting louder each time, like it was approaching the town. That last one couldn't be more than a couple hundred meters away!"

The other guards just laughed in response. "Come on, stop crapping your pants, or do you need us to call your mommy?"

At this moment, a figure appeared a few dozen meters in front of the town gate. The silhouette showed a person and two dogs next to it. The guards thought nothing of it, as it probably was one of the mercenaries that had been hunting until late. Hunting dogs weren't widespread, as they were easily killed by even the weakest magic beasts, but they weren't rare either, as their superior sense of smell helped track prey. 

"You there; we will close the gate soon. Come in quick, so we get can get to our barracks," one of the guards called out. 

At that exact moment. 

*BOOOM*

Lightning struck the figure standing in the distance, shaking the earth and causing Lapi to throw himself onto the ground in fear. Instead of burning or screaming in pain, the man covered in a black mantle suddenly started sprinting at the guards. The two animals they had thought were two dogs were a black wolf and a white tiger instead. Before any of the guards could react, the man and his two beasts were already amidst them.