My Otherworldly Shura Field

Chapter 32 The Painful Truth

Time passed slowly, and night fell.

The forest was too quiet at night. The sounds of the wind and cicadas seemed to have disappeared. Only the occasional bird's cry could be heard in the empty, blood-smelling air. It seemed to be a final struggle for life, or a cry for help before death.

Dark clouds obscured the moon, brewing a final act of darkness. The entire land was shrouded in darkness, and the once rugged forest was now bathed in a deathly light, appearing utterly listless and powerless.

In the night sky, a ray of light pierced through the dense withered branches and leaves on the tree, and the dark clouds slowly began to retreat from the sky, gradually revealing the moon.

Silver light poured down on the vast and boundless Monster Forest. The Spirit Cat Clan's temporary base camp was located on a clearing on a cliff. The buildings were very simple, mostly temporary thatched huts due to frequent relocations, but they were perfectly adequate to shelter them from the wind and rain, which was quite good for the weak Spirit Cat Clan.

Lucifer and his companions were already waiting in the open space in front of the thatched hut. A campfire had been lit in the center of the open space, the dry firewood burning and making a crackling sound as it burned.

The fire hissed and burned, with crimson flames constantly shooting upwards, sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes small, sometimes large.

A night breeze blew by, and the fire dwindled considerably. The small, red flames shifted to the side, stirring up sparks that illuminated the surroundings.

The members of the Spirit Cat Clan have been arriving one after another, and they have consciously found a place to sit down, arranging themselves neatly.

Just as Emily had explained to Lucifer before, the number of Spirit Cat Clan members was very small, only about a hundred, and their ranks were generally low, with the lower the rank, the further down the hierarchy they were.

Most of them are below level 10, and there are only about twenty people above level 10. It's a miracle that such a force can survive in this monster forest.

Moreover, and most importantly, the male-to-female ratio of the Spirit Cat Clan is severely imbalanced, roughly one to ten, and it's easy to guess why this is the case.

The men all went out to fight and defend against foreign enemies, and since their ranks were low, the number of casualties was bound to be high, resulting in a situation where there were more women than men.

However, for Lucifer, the Spirit Cat Clan was simply heaven, paradise, because the Spirit Cat Clan members were small in size, and there were adorable little lolis like Emily everywhere you looked, making it a veritable gathering place for lolis.

Lucifer's eyes widened as he looked around the crowd, searching for the unique features and charm of each little girl.

This one has a small mouth, this one has a pointed nose, this one has such cute little ears, wow, this little loli is developing well, **loli, hmm, this one is nice too, a little chubby, plump, this one too…

Before long, everyone in the clan, except for the guards, arrived. Even Laestia's grandfather, the previous clan chief, arrived, supported by two slender little girls.

This was a kind old woman, her hair meticulously combed, not a single strand out of place. Yet, the silvery strands of white hair were still clearly visible among the black hair, and in her slightly sunken eye sockets, a pair of deep brown eyes quietly told the story of the vicissitudes of time.

Supported by two little girls, he approached Lestia and said in a calm tone, "Lestia, you're back? Did something happen that you summoned the tribe so late?"

"Grandpa, please sit down." Laestia helped her grandfather to the seat that had been prepared for him, and then said, "I have something important to say."

The old man nodded, but his gaze inadvertently swept over Lucifer and the other man leaning against the pillar. His calm expression changed slightly as he sensed a dangerous aura emanating from them.

However, since the two were brought back by his granddaughter, they shouldn't be harmed. He withdrew his gaze, and his expression returned to calm.

The atmosphere was somewhat eerie, too quiet. Usually, only something major would summon the clansmen. Everyone wore solemn expressions, waiting with nervous anticipation for the clan leader, Restia, to speak.

"Fellow tribesmen, I regret to inform you that our alliance with the Wolf Fang Clan has failed," Restia said, clearing her throat with a heavy tone.

"What? The alliance failed?"

"What should we do from now on? I don't want to keep hiding like this."

"Are we destined to be like this?"

"Damn it, why are we so weak?"

As soon as Laestia finished speaking, the members of the Central Spirit Cat Clan erupted in discussion, breaking the silence with feelings of loss, complaints, sadness, and pain.

A mix of negative emotions left everyone dejected, as if they had lost all hope for the future.

“That’s not the most important thing. I want to tell you a harsh truth,” Restia continued.

They then told everyone present their experiences in detail without reservation. The Wolf Fang Clan invited them not to form an alliance, but as part of a conspiracy to annex the Spirit Cat Clan and enslave them for their amusement.

This is true, and she believes that every member of her tribe has the right to know their current situation.

Moreover, she told her people how she returned, and how the people who went with her fought a bloody battle to protect them and ultimately sacrificed themselves.

They also told their people that the two sisters were able to return safely entirely thanks to Lucifer and his companion, and briefly introduced the two men, making it clear to everyone that Lucifer and his companion were not their enemies but their friends.

However, this fact was still a huge blow to everyone. The Spirit Cat Clan members all lowered their heads and remained silent. They were already somewhat listless, but now they were even more desperate. A deathly aura spread in the air, as if they had already accepted their future and were hopeless.

……