Chapter 67: New plan

Chapter 67

Rayden raised an eyebrow.

If he remembered correctly, Raoth was already at Arc One, stage Four. That meant the Blue Horned leader was weaker than Raoth, yet their packs had been locked in battle for years with no clear victor.

That balance was about to shatter.

The Red Horned Pack no longer existed.

Rayden had made sure of that.

Every surviving Red Horned wolf now stood beneath his banner.

The fact that he had gone from a neglected baby to this in just a few days was insane.

Then again, not really.

He was Vastro.

Madness had always followed him.

He had not forgotten the scavengers. Or whatever they called themselves. Every ounce of pain they had inflicted on him would be repaid with agony when the time came. He was not delusional enough to believe it would be easy. Revenge never was.

So he adapted.

The only way to win was to build an army.

An army that would overwhelm the scavengers, crush their hope, drag them through despair, and only then grant them the final item on his menu.

Death.

Trapped in a forest with no civilization and nothing but beasts around him, Rayden improvised.

While training with his ten skills, he noticed something.

No, not something.

One thing.

Hell Influence.

It was not just for warping his surroundings or handling minor tasks anymore. He could form a mind link with another target as long as the distance was not too great. More than that, he could force submission on those with weaker psychic resistance.

Beasts.

The stronger they were, the harder it became. The effect weakened sharply.

But it still worked.

That was all that mattered.

His first targets were Clawed Finger Birds. Fast. Lethal. Stupid.

After setting traps, he subjugated a few and turned them into tools. With them, he hunted more beasts.

Then came the Red Horned Wolves.

The reason was simple.

They were powerful. Organized. Led by a monster.

Rayden believed that leader was stronger than his father. Possibly even on the level of that man.

Poto.

The one who had nearly killed him.

If not for Hellskin Fortification, he would have died that day. Even with it, and with all nine of his remaining skills, Rayden barely survived the battle with the Red Horned leader.

The gap in strength was terrifying.

For the first time since his rebirth, Rayden truly felt death breathing down his neck.

The Red Horned leader wanted him dead for daring to try and tame him.

And Rayden almost gave him what he wanted.

Almost.

Because Rayden was insane.

When all hope was gone, he gambled everything.

He unleashed Ember of Will at full power, erupting pillars of flame that swallowed the Red Horned territory whole. Fire roared across the land, threatening to burn every wolf alive.

Including himself.

Hellskin Fortification screamed under the strain. If it failed, he would die.

No. His chances of dying were already terrifyingly high.

But Rayden grinned.

If he was going to die, he would take that bastard with him.

The leader.

The pack.

All of them.

What happened next was something Rayden never expected.

The fearsome Red Horned leader lowered his head.

He submitted.

He said he no longer wished to fight.

Rayden froze.

And in that moment, he realized he had won but in such an unexpected way.

It took Rayden a while to truly accept it.

Subjugation had worked.

He had won.

Barely.

He came terrifyingly close to losing his life, but victory was his. What surprised him even more was what he learned from Raoth afterward.

The Red Horned Wolves carried a deep, instinctive fear of flames.

Fire did not just burn them. It made them feel like their very existence was being erased.

When Rayden unleashed those towering pillars of flame, it was not just pain they felt. It was annihilation.

That fear broke them.

Back to the present.

“Prepare the pack,” Rayden ordered through the mind link. “We move in a few hours.”

Raoth nodded and turned away to relay the command.

Rayden stayed still, staring into the sunlight. A faint tug pulled at his baby face.

Being a baby limited him. A lot.

Still, he was having fun.

Conquering his part of the forest while trapped in the body of a weak human infant had a certain charm to it. He would add it to his list of absurd achievements.

A few hours later, close to evening, the sun dipped toward the horizon.

At the edge of the clearing, Blue Horned Wolves stood in formation. Across from them, their ancient enemies advanced.

The Red Horned Wolves.

At their front walked Raoth.

On his back sat a small human baby.

The Blue Horned Wolves howled, their voices filled with hostility and disbelief. Their leader stepped forward. He was larger than the others, powerful, but still smaller than Raoth.

His killing intent locked onto Raoth.

And then onto the baby.

Rayden smiled.

As the distance closed, the Blue Horned Wolves prepared for war.

Through the mind link, Rayden sent his command.

“Do not kill them all,” he ordered. “If restraint becomes impossible, do what you must. But hold back where you can.”

A pause.

“I need them alive.”

The wolves responded with fierce howls, filled with loyalty and defiance. They would prove their worth. They would not fail their lord.

Rayden’s gaze shifted.

Not to their bodies.

To their horns.

Blue.

If the same weakness applied to them, this battle would be far easier than the last.

Dark clouds gathered overhead. Heavy rain was coming. That much was clear.

Rayden watched the sky and quietly hoped.

Maybe this time, the subjugation would end without him getting injured.

Or worse.

Losing another tooth.

He pressed a hand against his jaw.

After all, teeth were precious to a baby like him.

The wolves charged.

To be continued.

Author’s Note:

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