449 Burn The Rats!

General Marquis Hendrick led a team of elite soldiers and gather at the hole that connected the underground rat passageway to the sewage system. 

The hole was not big. It was roughly the size of an adult human, just big enough for three fat rats stacked atop each other to pass through. 

"Fortunately, the hole is not big. Otherwise, we would have huge trouble dealing with the rats pouring through this point." General Marquis Hendrick said with a cloth covering half his face.

The group of elite soldiers similarly covered half their faces with wet cloths. The foul stench of the sewage was not exactly something anyone of them wanted to endure in its entirety.

General Marquis Hendrick held a lit torch and illuminated parts of the rat passageway.

The light did not travel far, but the hollow billows of wind and endless corridors of darkness showed that the rat passageway runs deeply. 

No one could fathom the depths of the underground passageway. 

However, considering the endless tides of rats pouring the rathole outside the Great Wall, the underground space had to be of enormous proportions. 

After checking the downward slope of the empty rat passageway, General Marquis Hendrick quickly ordered, "Bring the first oil barrel over!"

"Yes, General!"

Two soldiers immediately carried a heavy wooden barrel of oil over and unsealed the lid. 

The big oil barrel was unable to fit through the small gap. Thus, the earth-users among the soldiers manipulated earthen ground and formed a mini canal before they dumped out the oil. 

In a short while, they went through all five oil barrels they had on hand before proceeding to tossed down every burnable material brought with them that could create the smoke they needed. 

Suddenly, an earthshaking roar shook the underground sewage terribly, causing few soldiers to lose their balance. 

Nevertheless, it only took a moment before they regained their footing. Even so, they were alarmed by the mighty roar.

"What was that just now?! That beast roar was so loud!"

"I think a Transcendent-level beast just arrived outside the Great Wall!"

A few soldiers immediately gulped. 

"Your orders, general?" A soldier asked.

General Marquis Hendrick immediately said, "Don't worry about what is happening on the surface and quickly complete the task at hand!"

"Yes, General!"

At the same time, they began to hear numerous squeaks from the deep passageway before it grew louder and closer at an alarming rate!

General Marquis Hendrick's expression immediately changed.

"We've run out of time! Quickly light it up! The rats are coming!" He barked. 

The closest soldier to the rat opening immediately took the torch and tossed it into the deep, dark passageway. 

In a short instance, the oil caught fire and ignited into a fiery blaze, rushing down the sloped passageway wherever it was connecting by the soaking oil like a chain reaction. 

For a moment, the soldier was able to see the depths of the passageway before the searing heat of the fire forced him to retreat!

The wailing screams of rats were quickly heard right after! 

They burned in flames along with the wood scraps and blocks of firewood tossed into the passageway, generating greats fumes of black smoke. 

"Move!" 

General Marquis Hendrick immediately ordered the soldiers to make way for him before using his wind ability to fan the escaping black smoke down the rat passageway. 

At the same time, he turned to the side and ordered a soldier, "Go alert the other team that it has started!"

"Yes, General!"

"Apart from you two, the rest of you can also return to the wall and assist the others." General Marquis Hendrick added.

"Yes, General!"

Shortly after, only two earth-users were left with General Marquis Hendrick to help him plug up the hole later.

Meanwhile, once the other soldiers left and made it to the top of the Great Wall, they were shocked by the sight before them.

"Oh, you guys are here? That means the fire has already been started underground, hm?" Supreme Elder Haldir casually asked for confirmation.

"Yes, Marquis Haldir!"

The soldiers quickly nodded before their gaze was drawn back to the scene beyond the Great Wall.

A tanned person with a lion-headed cloak was seen flinging a huge Transcendent-level Grizzly Bear around like a toy with his black spear!

At the same time, numerous rats tried to swarm the two, but the person's speed was incredible! None of the rats could keep up with him! 

However, what was more incredible was the person's strength! With each swing of his black spear, a powerful force would be generated and sweep all the rats away!

Tyrannical! Overbearing! Domineering!

The soldiers could only think of these three words as they watch the person send rats and Transcendent-level beast alike, flying left and right with a swing of his spear!

A soldier gulped.

"Who's fighting out there? What kind of inhumane strength is that?" The soldier asked.

Another soldier answered with a reverent look, "That is His Highness, Prince Leon!"

The newcomer soldiers were immediately awed by the revelation, turning to watch the person dance on the battlefield with newfound respect and veneration.

Meanwhile, Leon continued to swing his black spear wildly, hacking countless Wingrats to pieces. Their guts and blood splattered everywhere, blown away by the force of Leon's spear swing.

Leon narrowed his eyes as he tried to briefly the contents of the rat blood in between his attacks. He wanted to understand the source of the beasts' berserk state.

Roar!

The Transcendent-level Grizzly Bear growled in pain.

Despite being flung left and right by Leon, it was surprisingly in good shape. Leon had not dealt it a lethal blow. 

Furthermore, the Grizzly Bear's thick flesh acted as a good shock absorbent. 

However!

At this moment, the Rank 1 Transcendent Grizzly Bear was currently being swarmed by Wingrats! The Wingrats did not just target Leon; they also targeted the Rank 1 Transcendent Grizzly Bear!

They quickly scaled the Grizzly Bear's large build, sticking to it like a colony of ants before gnawing into its thick flesh furiously like starving piranhas!

Surprisingly, these Wingrats had incredibly sharp teeth despite their physically weak bodies! With their alarming numbers, they make a fearsome force to behold!

They can terrorize the Crawford Empire if left unchecked.

Even so, the Grizzly Bear was not just a Rank 1 Transcendent for nothing. It put up fierce resistance, crushing tens of thousands of Wingrats beneath its heavy body!

Back on the Great Wall, Supreme Elder Haldir quickly said, "Alright, enough watching. Bring the barrels here. We will commence the next step of the plan."

"Yes, Marquis Haldir!"

The soldiers shortly answered after snapping out of their self-absorbed viewing.

Shortly After, Supreme Elder Haldir began hurling the large wooden barrels of oils over the Great Wall.

They landed in various parts of the battlefield, while a few landed inside the rathole.

"Light them up!" Supreme Elder Haldir ordered.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Boom!

The soldiers fired their firearms, and the patches of oil burst into flames! 

The endless tides of Wingrats were immediately plunged into chaos! Even when they are berserk, they cannot overcome their basic fear over the flames!

At the same time, Supreme Elder Haldir extended his hand outwards towards the direction of the rathole and clenched his hand into a fist.

Immediately, the lacerating thorny vines around the rathole weaved together and proliferated further, forming a dense net that trapped the Wingrats in their hole!

Squeak!

The cries of dying rats trapped in smothering flames made the soldiers wear unsettling expressions.

Even if the rats were pests to be slaughtered en masse, the rat extermination still made them uncomfortable. 

God knows how many rats were still lurking in the rathole. Perhaps, in the millions or tens of millions! 

Nevertheless, their dying squeaks were enough to give people nightmares. 

"Is it considered a sin to reap so many lives, even if they are rats?" A soldier sighed.

"Don't think too deeply. This kind of thought is a type of luxury we; soldiers cannot afford on the battlefield. We are fighting for our survival. Remember that."

"That's right. It is either they die, or we die. If even the basic right to live is considered a sin, then everything we do is also considered a sin." Another soldier added.

His unsettled expression was the same as everyone else.

No one was born murderers into the world. However, the world conditioned them as such! That is the world they live in!

Compassion was cruelty to oneself!

The soldiers watched the scene solemnly with steeled hearts.

The ground could be felt rumbling from the numerous Wingrats beneath the surface, bashing into each other as they tried to squeeze their way through. 

The earth slightly rose under the rat's united efforts, but the thorny vines were deeply rooted and sturdy like an inescapable net.

The rats were unable to breakthrough. 

The only thing they could accomplish was to quicken their deaths by crushing their brethren against the net of thorny vines.

Time slowly past but not only did the fire down, but it also increased its intensity instead. The Wingrats were akin to oil themselves—highly flammable with their body of dry fur! 

The fire plan worked better than they anticipated! The rats were seared to death before they were smothered by the smoke!

Eventually, the rat's resistance died down, and their wailing squeaks ceased.

Only the stragglers on the surface remained, but their numbers quickly reduced under Leon's black spear. 

The Rank 1 Transcendent Grizzly Bear died under Leon's quick spear thrust through its head.

Leon had ended its misery after it was already half-eaten by the rats.