Chapter 391. The Outbreak of War (5)
Thud! The ground shook as if there was an earthquake. The Sky Castle descended and landed; it was an act that didn’t go along with its name. It was even more surprising that it landed behind the Demon Empire’s and the Abyss’ armies. Ismile couldn’t figure out what the reason was. While everyone’s attention was fixated on it, the Sky Castle activated its program as soon as it finished landing.
—a.n.a.lysis complete.
—Identification of an energy that exerts strong power against evil alignment.
—Searching for the most effective response and solution within available information to ‘offset’ identified energy.
—Search Results…11.
—Requiring the exercise of influence equivalent to a large-scale unit using the Sky Castle as a catalyst…Registering.
—Metamorphosis.
As soon as the exchange of thoughts was completed, hundreds of tentacles shot out from the lower half of the Sky Castle. They wriggled like living beings and pierced through the earth, digging deep into the earth endlessly like tree roots and settling themselves firmly below. That was all they did, and no other activities could be observed.
‘Are they trying to dig a tunnel and not fight in the air?’ Anxious, Ismile felt the change not long after. It wasn’t only him; humanity and the League also began to feel the changes little by little. They felt the spiritual energy flowing throughout the area gradually fade. It was not an illusion. Except for some, the great demons who had looked a bit burdened began to stretch their arms. The movement of the legions, which had seemed heavy, also became more rapid and sharper. That only meant one thing.
“The sanctuary has…disappeared…?” someone murmured in a dazed voice.
Ismile smacked his lips. Although there was a small stir, they had prepared for this. Since they had antic.i.p.ated the possibility, they had made plans with the sanctuary’s disappearance as a fixed condition. Ismile had even considered that in the worst case scenario, the territorial effect could be reversed 180 degrees, and they might have to fight with various harmful effects comparable to fighting in an area that the Demon Empire had successfully territorialized. Therefore, if the Sernitas’ influence on this battlefield was merely offsetting the sanctuary effects through the Sky Castle, he would consider it their luck.
However, there was no way that would be the case.
If the Sernitas’ contribution to the war really ended at this point, and they neither went after Shalyh nor took control of the aerial s.p.a.ce, the Demon Empire and the Abyss wouldn’t stand still. Even if they had the justification that they needed to keep the legend, who had invaded their territory, in check, they needed to do more than just nullify the sanctuary’s effects. If not, the other two factions would immediately doubt Sernitas’ intention and show an uncooperative att.i.tude.
However, the Demon Empire and Abyss currently had their backs towards the Sernitas; rather than trust, it was probably because of a promise the Sernitas had made to the other factions—the promise to fulfill their mission in a manner that both factions would be satisfied with. Ismile needed to figure out what this mission was. However, even if he found out, it remained to be seen whether they’d be able to prevent or counter it. Although the Sky Castle had descended to the Earth, they needed to make it past the Demon Empire’s army and the main camp of the Abyss to reach it.
‘The fact that the Sky Castle landed at the rear means that they’re trying to prevent us from approaching it…’ Ismile racked his head as hard as he could, but he didn’t have the leisure to ponder for long because as soon as the sanctuary disappeared, the dynamics of the enemy coalition changed dramatically.
“Chargeeeee!” As the great demon, Naverius, cried out, the soldiers stormed out in unison. Bune and Balaam also issued the same orders from the left and right wings respectively. The legions led by the three great demons begin to rush toward the gate. Although the sound of the ground shaking was truly overpowering, the troops defending the gate forcibly raised their fighting spirits. The sanctuary effects had disappeared, but the gate in the middle of the natural fortress remained standing. The archers aimed at the enemy soldiers rus.h.i.+ng toward them.
“Run, run! Destroy! Crus.h.!.+ Burn it all!” Bune, who led the left wing, advanced and riled up his soldiers. He was on cloud nine because as Bael said, he would be heralding the beginning of a glorious battle that would go down in history. The morale of his legion soldiers also became a hundred times more charged as the commander’s feelings were directly conveyed to them. Humanity should have just holed up quietly in Shalyh. Although he didn’t know why they suddenly decided to come out, it didn’t matter. The coalition had already destroyed dozens of gates so far, and the result would be the same this time as well. The time had finally come to pay off their past sorrows.
‘Huh?’ However, this thought began to change little by little as they approached the gate. ‘What is this?’ After the incessant shouting, Bune s.h.i.+t his mouth for the first time. Although the gate hadn’t looked like much from a distance, it grew bigger and bigger as they approached and was now looking down at him from way high up. It wasn’t just a wall.
‘It was this tall?’ Bune’s head slowly tilted upwards as he unconsciously slowed down. The exhalation he felt before the war quickly subsided. Now that his head had cooled, Bune was able to see a myriad of bows and arrows aiming down from the edge of the wall, which had been very hard to spot.
“Shoot! Pour out as many arrows as you can until your strings break!”
With their enemy’s cry, countless arrows showered down on them. No, it wasn’t just a shower; it was more accurate to call it a downpour. The arrows struck down like rain, and mournful, shrill screams rang out in the battlefield. Although everyone put on ironclad armors and hurriedly raised their s.h.i.+eld, there were way too many arrows. Bune clenched his teeth when he saw soldiers fall under arrows that pierced through the gaps. Although they had run here with great momentum, it felt as if they were suddenly blocked by an iron curtain.
Naverius and Balaam were in the same situation as Bune. However, they weren’t going to take the attack without a proper fight. They quickly got into a defensive formation and resumed their advance by lifting the s.h.i.+elds diagonally. As soon as they managed to reach the wall, they tried to climb the wall by putting up the ladders they had prepared. However, they couldn’t stop the incredulous laugh from escaping their mouths when they saw that the long ladders they were finally able to place reached only half the wall at best. At this rate, even if they began climbing, they would be left high and dry in the middle. Moreover, the gate was so st.u.r.dy that no matter how hard they hit and attacked, it didn’t budge an inch. If nothing changed, they would be skewered by arrows without being able to do anything. And even all that couldn’t have prepared them for what would happen next.
Whaaaaa! Troops suddenly appeared from the pathway leading to the mountain ranges. Hybrid beasts that boasted of enormous sizes and swaying lion manes jumped in rows and lunged at the Demon Empire’s soldiers.
“Our enemies are dirty demons! Chew on and relish their fles.h.!.+” The leader of the hybrid beasts commanded loudly, and Bune couldn’t hide his surprise. They were coming out? For real? Bune thought they must be out of their minds. The demons were struggling with the arrows that came down relentlessly like rain. It would be good for them if less arrows were shot in their direction as a result of these beasts’ appearance. Yet Bune’s expectation missed the mark again, and something far out of his imagination happened.
Even though the Ca.s.siubia League troops were within their attack range, the arrows didn’t decrease in number at all and continued to madly pour over them. Tatatang! Yet all the arrows bounced off the Ca.s.siubia League’s troop. They neither raised their s.h.i.+elds nor took a defensive position. It looked as if the arrows were bouncing off on their own while the Ca.s.siubia League’s troop rushed over; they had something that could immediately deflect the arrows. The demon soldiers tried their best to defend against the League’s troops as they fiercely pierced and pushed from their sides, but in the end, their hands were tied.
If they moved to respond even a little bit, rain of arrows would pour over them. But if they stayed unmoving, they would become easy prey for the Ca.s.siubia League. It was then Bune noticed the mysterious steel-colored light flowing around the rampaging League’s soldiers. The steel light moved according to the direction the arrows were coming from and blocked the attacks for them.
“W-What…!” Bune had never seen or heard of armor like this in his lifetime. After all, how could he have? AI Armor was an item invented from a culture that had reached the peak of technological development. And thanks to the AI Armor, the League’s troop could hunt down the demon troop with no concern of friendly fire. Thus, the troop that Bune led began to enter into a great frenzy.
The Demon Empire’s main force watched this scene intently. Though her forces were falling without being able to put up a proper resistance, Bael remained calm. Instead, she watched the arrows bounce off the league’s members curiously.
“What is that? I don’t recall seeing something like that in my lifetime.”
“It seems to be a divine item of sorts, Your Excellency.”
“Will a divine item be so common?” Bael responded and tilted her head. “So common that they could give it out to an entire unit?” She snorted when she didn’t get an answer this time. Either way, it didn’t matter. She didn"t know what this invention was exactly, but it was clear that it was a bothersome defensive device. As long as each one was a divine item on the level of a sacred relic, though, she didn’t need to worry about it too hard. Usually, the greater an item’s ability was, the greater burden it would cause the user.
Moreover, all it seemed capable of so far was blocking arrows. There were matters more important than this. Seeing the League’s troops run wild, Bael ordered, “Explain the situation.”
“The Ca.s.siubia League’s lion tribe are taking the lead. With their natural gift in physique and agility, they have taken the leaders.h.i.+p role among the hybrid beasts.”
“How do they compare in the entire League?”
“They are one of the candidates proposed to fill in the gap caused by the fenrir tribe’s extinction. But the general consensus is that they are still lacking to become one of the top leader tribes.”
“That certainly…seems to be the case. Though they are quite good, they are far lacking compared to those Mad Moon Canines. It would be laughable to even compare them. The fenrirs were truly frightening.” Bael described a member of the league as frightening without any embarra.s.sment, and those around her listened calmly. The Demon Empire knew when to recognize the strong, and they knew the fenrir was a tribe that was worthy of respect.
After observing the situation curiously for a while, Bael made a hand gesture.
“Tell Gremory to go to Bune’s side and combine forces with him.”
“Should I also pa.s.s on a warning to be wary of the archers at the castle walls?”
“No. She should strike those lion head beasts from the back,” Bael ordered. Soon, a great demon spread out her bat wings and flew out from the Demon Empire’s main base. A great herd of bats followed behind her and soon afterward, Gremory’s troop swooped across the battlefield and struck the lion tribe from behind. The lion tribe’s fierce attacks diminished somewhat, while Bune’s troop was allowed a breather. Though things were still hectic, they could at least reorganize their formation and front lines.
On the other hand, the lion tribe had to take a step back. Not only were they stuck between enemies on both fronts, each of the bats at their rear was covered in protective armor and was wildly flying about to steal their attention. Furthermore, Bael’s prediction was exact. Though the AI Armor displayed great abilities, it took its user’s energy as fuel to maintain its function. Thus, it tired its user faster and made it disadvantageous for them the longer the fight went on. Though the lion tribe was aware of that, no one backed down.
“Everyone endure! Secure this s.p.a.ce with all you have!” The hybrid beast who seemed to be the chief of the lion tribe yelled while straining his neck. Gremory frowned hearing this shout.
‘Endure? Secure this s.p.a.ce?’ Shouldn’t they be trying to find a way out of this situation? Gremory felt a sense of foreboding and spun around in the air. Then suddenly, her eyes widened. She hadn’t noticed when she was flying low given how much of a mess the battleground was, but at higher alt.i.tude, she could now take in the whole battle at one glance. The lion tribe was piercing through and dividing the enemies as if they were making a pathway for someone. Gremory’s eyes followed the pathway and looked up, and when she saw what was at the end of it, her breath hitched. Bune was at the end of the pathway.
‘No way.’ She quickly looked down in realization and saw a light. When she looked back up unconsciously, she saw that a young man had already reached the other end of the path and was jumping up.
“Bune…!” Gremory instinctively yelled, but it was too late. The young man had an intangible barrier that bounced off all the downpour of arrows and swallowed up all the spears and weapons heading his way; and with it, he was shooting through the air. Bune noticed the man too, and his face filled with disbelief seeing the young man move straight toward him. No matter what the situation was, how could one dare to start a one-on-one battle with a great demon like himself?
“This is nothing!” Bune shouted and raised his large, spiked mace to swing it. Yet it was then a light extended out of the young man’s hand and took the shape of a club. Light and darkness clashed, and simultaneously, Gremory saw Bune’s giant body burst into tiny pieces.