Volume 3, Chapter 85 – Tragic

“Ahhh!!”

“Monsters… They’re monsters!!”

“What is wrong with these monsters?! Why are they back again?!”

“Help… Save me!”

“The left! The left! They’re attacking from the left!”

On the scorched earth, the swarm of Abyssal Demons had completely surrounded the human army. The two sides were locked in a horrific bloodbath as blood and shredded flesh flew through the air.

Pitched screams, the violent upheaval of magic power, and the sound of blades clashing against armor erupted in the wind. The mangled corpses piled high were gruesome and terrifying, while the thick scent of blood and Shadow Essence made it nearly impossible to breathe.

At this moment, amidst the slaughter of the Abyssal Demons, the army of fifty thousand that Toma had led out of the city to purge the swarm was reduced to less than half in just a few minutes. The scorched earth was dyed red with blood. Every Royal Knight realized a despairing fact the moment the battle began: the Abyssal Demons charging at them were not only larger in size but also worlds apart in strength compared to the previous swarm. Even against an ordinary Abyssal Demon, they needed to strike with dozens of full-strength sword swings to kill it, whereas the demons they had fought before only required a few strikes.

Facing the Abyssal Demons covered in sturdy armor, the Royal Knights felt utterly powerless because they lacked the strength to even break their defense, let alone those even more massive seventh tier Abyssal Demons with terrifying power. This type of demon only needed a casual wave of its hand to blow dozens of Royal Knights or Imperial Guard soldiers into fragments of meat.

This swarm of Abyssal Demons was undoubtedly stronger and more horrifying than the previous wave. However, the Royal Knight Corps led by Toma had already exhausted part of their stamina after clearing the battlefield and were far from their peak. Coupled with the unexpected assault of the Abyssal wave, fear had already sprouted in the hearts of the soldiers. Once fear took hold, the army’s combat effectiveness was greatly diminished.

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With one side rising as the other fell, the Sky Dome defenders, who already lacked any advantage, inevitably fell into a state of despair. As the battle continued, the situation became increasingly one-sided. Under the terrified gazes of countless people, the elite troops of Sky Dome and the legions Xue Tian’ao took such pride in were easily smashed into a disorganized mess by the Abyssal wave, unable to even organize an effective counterattack.

“Boom!”

Accompanied by pillars of fire reaching the sky, the defensive line that the Royal Knight Corps and Imperial Guard had struggled to build was easily torn asunder by the relentless and powerful offensive of the Abyssal Demons.

Unlike the brainless savages who had simply charged blindly before, this group of Abyssal Demons seemed to have gained intelligence. They destroyed the human army’s defensive lines with extreme purpose and even flanked them from multiple directions, leaving the human army attacked from both front and back as the situation grew increasingly critical.

Soldiers fell one after another under the claws and teeth of the Abyssal Demons. Those who fell first saw the faces of their families in their eyes before turning into ashes of destruction, leaving nothing but endless darkness. Most of the soldiers still swinging their weapons and fighting their final battle against the demons were surrounded only by despairing cries and disillusionment, with not a shred of hope left in their eyes. A small portion of the forces in the rear, aided by Toma’s powerful seventh tier strength, barely managed to break through the encirclement.

Toma’s gaze immediately locked onto the distant city gate. Where was the high-spirited and confident man from before? Now he was like a stray dog with disheveled hair, fleeing in a frantic and wretched state. Facing such a fierce and unimaginable swarm of Abyssal Demons, Toma no longer thought about how to annihilate them but only about how to save his own life.

‘Damn it! What… what is going on? These Abyssal Demons… actually know tactics?’

Even as a brute, Toma now realized that the demons who had fled earlier were luring his troops deep into the field for the purpose of annihilating half of the Royal Knights and most of the Imperial Guard in one fell swoop.

However, no matter how hard he racked his brain, Toma could not understand why the Abyssal Demons, who had always been brainless and acted on instinct, would pull such a stunt.

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Was someone commanding them?

Gritting his teeth in thought, Toma did his best to release the battle aura within his body, covering the retreating units at the rear as they fled toward the gates of Sky Dome.

Since the commander-in-chief had chosen to retreat, the remaining troops naturally lost their will to fight. One by one, they fled in panic atop their horses. The handsome golden armor that the Royal Knights originally wore was no longer there. Having discarded their helmets and armor, they were covered in blood and filth. Whether the blood came from the Abyssal Demons, their comrades, or themselves was impossible to tell. The scent of blood mixed with corrosion constantly pushed the limits of the human army’s endurance.

The stained and mottled faces of the knights and warriors showed unmistakable terror. Their bloodshot eyes were filled with the fear of failure and the dread of the Abyssal Demons, along with a thick sense of resentment and despair. Guided by the desire to survive, these soldiers used every means at their disposal to attack the Abyssal Demons behind them while driving their horses toward Sky Dome.

Unfortunately, their thoughts of survival were ruthlessly shattered by reality. The red-hoofed warhorses beneath the knights were spirit beasts specialized for speed that even ordinary sixth tier Abyssal Demons would find hard to catch.

However, before they could run more than a few steps, thousands of fifth-tier Abyssal Demons charged directly in front of the knights, completely blocking the escape route of the Royal Knights. In an instant, looking at the Abyssal Demons surrounding them from all sides, an indescribable fear and despair, like the claws of the abyss, gripped their desire for life and dragged them into the bottomless pit.

In the next moment, the swarm of Abyssal Demons simultaneously launched a charge toward these final hundreds of knights.

Due to his great strength and fast flying speed, Toma was not surrounded by the Abyssal Demons again.

‘Guys…’

Watching his former comrades being pounced upon and devoured one by one, Toma’s heart practically bled. He wanted to save them, but he had exhausted too much power when he repelled a seventh tier Abyssal Demon earlier. He was now undoubtedly at the end of his rope. Charging in to save them would be no different from committing suicide.

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Left with no choice, Toma gritted his teeth and accelerated his flight toward Sky Dome alone. Feelings of powerlessness and resentment filled his heart, making the Imperial Guard Commander clench his fists tightly as he swore resolutely in his mind: “Brothers… once I return to Sky Dome… I will… I will definitely avenge you… Huh??”

However, just as Toma thought this, he suddenly felt a cold gaze. Cold sweat instantly poured down his forehead, and a strong sense of crisis emerged in his heart. Driven by instinct, Toma jerked his head back toward the source of that gaze.

“That?! What is that?! Oh no!!”

In the next instant, Toma’s pupils constricted violently as he hurriedly mobilized his few remaining bits of battle aura in an attempt to defend himself. Unfortunately, it was too late. At the rear of the Abyssal swarm, a bizarre Abyssal Demon wrapped in withered bone armor that looked like a cross between a wolf and a dragon crawled out of the forest and opened its massive maw. In the next moment, this demon with the formidable strength of the peak seventh tier suddenly released the power within its mouth. An Annihilation Cannon as purple as the endless abyss surged toward Toma with the force of a thunderbolt! In a heartbeat, it swallowed Xue Tian’ao’s valued subordinate.

Although Toma resisted with all his might, constantly mobilizing his remaining battle aura to withstand the terrifying Annihilation Cannon, his internal reserves were nearly depleted after multiple major battles. He was powerless to block the full-strength attack of this seventh tier Abyssal Demon.

‘I’m sorry… Your Majesty… I did my best…’

Ultimately, carrying extreme resentment, Toma was completely corroded away under the attack of the Annihilation Cannon. Just as Toma turned into a puddle of sickening liquid, the head of the last Royal Knight was bitten off by a snake-shaped Abyssal Demon.

Thus, the once-glittering and majestic army was completely buried within the boundless sea of Abyssal Demons.

The hundreds of Griffin Knights in the sky and the pilots of the iron airships could not help but show expressions of utter terror upon seeing the tragic scene below.

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Who could have imagined that the Royal Knight Corps and Imperial Guard, who were just majestic and celebrating victory, would die so miserably under the claws of the Abyssal Demons?

After the shock passed and they accepted the reality, an unprecedented rage erupted in their hearts. They wanted revenge for their comrades! The method of revenge was simple: just like before, use bombing! They would replicate the previous battle and send the countless Abyssal Demons below into a hellish inferno once more!

However, just as the pilots prepared to act, their movements came to a sudden halt. At that moment, the pilots discovered to their horror that the color of the sky had changed. Dark clouds were pressing in, but these were not clouds as they knew them. They were countless, densely packed Abyssal Demons!

In the next instant, the swarm that blotted out the sun erupted with a terrifyingly oppressive Shadow Essence. Emitting wails like ghosts and howls like gods, they charged toward the hundreds of Griffin Knights and the three massive iron airships. Without a doubt, they were now unable to even save themselves.

On Dragondance Plaza, Xue Tian’ao’s handsome face became distorted with shock upon seeing this scene. He even lost his composure, backing away repeatedly.

‘What exactly is going on?! Why are there so many f*cking flying Abyssal Demons!?’

While he was roaring with shock in his heart, Xue Tian’ao accidentally slipped under the watchful eyes of the public and tumbled pathetically off the high platform.