47. Endless Assault

Before they could celebrate Swan's victory, shadows emerged from everywhere, grotesque figures stepping into the dim light. Hundreds of cannibals surrounded them, their faces smeared with mud and blood, their torn clothes hanging like loose shrouds from their skinny frames. But the most unsettling part wasn’t their savage appearance—it was their weapons. They wielded rusted axes, chipped blades, and swords stained with dried blood, tools that hinted at a disturbing level of organization for such primal creatures. The air crackled with tension. Emric didn’t wait for them to strike first. His instincts roared to life as he charged at the closest one, a towering brute with jagged teeth bared in a snarl. With feline agility, Emric launched himself upward, planting his feet on the cannibal’s chest. His powerful legs clamped around the creature’s neck, twisting with such force that a sickening crack echoed through the clearing. The body crumpled beneath him, lifeless. But there was no time t