Chapter 82: Invasion and Erosion (11)
“Ugh, ugh…”
The ground shook with tremors, and a massive beast covered in black armor charged straight ahead, filling the vision.
Its mere presence was overwhelming. The sudden charge of the gigantic creature threw the formation into disarray.
“Everyone, hold your positions!”
“What the hell is that?! The deformed reptiles from REDRIUM we left behind weren’t even that big!”
The commanders hurriedly tried to control their troops, but it was difficult. Those who had taken control of the surface after driving away the Devouring Fungus had been immersed in peace for a long time.
Even though the war manuals from the brutal fighting before their migration were still intact, there were no one with actual combat experience to utilize them.
“Fire! Fire! Mage Direct Fire!”
The increasingly frantic Supreme Commander flapped his robe while directing from atop a golem. The hurriedly repositioned mage battalion aimed the magic circle directly ahead.
“Launch! Fire!”
The projectiles released were condensed stronger and denser than when fired in a parabolic arc.
They drastically reduced range but maximized power. It was certain that even the thick castle walls would be shattered in a single blow.
Thus, the Supreme Commander was convinced that the direct fire he had just launched would deal a significant blow to those beasts.
‘Insignificant creatures…’
However, conviction is just conviction. The reality was different from what he hoped.
“How?!”
“W-what the…?!”
He unconsciously turned to the nearby executive of the Staks Academy.
The Staks Academy members were equally horrified, shaking their heads in disbelief.
“What the hell am I looking at?!”
In the end, the Supreme Commander lost his composure and shouted.
The cannon shells surely hit the huge beasts charging furiously. He distinctly saw them explode with a hot shockwave.
Yet, the beasts, enveloped in a crimson magical aura, became a singular spear, swinging their massive, sturdy heads without a hint of damage.
That strange formation and magic were certainly the specialties of Staks Academy.
“Ugh, ughhh!”
“Everyone, run!”
Before any collision could occur, the formation instantly collapsed.
Naturally, at this level, it was impossible to stop such monsters charging like madmen by any means.
“Ah.”
The Supreme Commander let out a low gasp.
As he turned to see only people desperately fleeing, what burst forth ahead of him was a fountain-like spray of bright red blood and fragments of flesh that were once human.
Thus, the main force was torn apart while still alive.
“AAAH!”
“Let go of me!”
In the wake of the relentless charge, those who survived were immediately attacked by other beasts.
They were four-legged beasts with impressive muscle. They attacked the disoriented people, slaughtering them indiscriminately.
“Save us! Please!”
However, some of them behaved peculiarly.
They only attacked a few mages enough to wound them, splattering their surroundings with blood before dragging them away to the rear.
“Ugh, those bastards! How dare they target the mages!”
Seeing this, the Supreme Commander, realizing they were attempting to abduct the mages, furiously slammed his staff onto the ground.
He was from an academy that studied earth-related magic.
Soon, stone pillars emerged from the ground, blowing away and piercing the beasts that tried to kidnap the mages.
‘Could it be that they have learned Staks Academy’s magic…?!’
He broke into a cold sweat as he looked around. All he could see were his allies screaming.
He now understood that these monsters were not just a horde of beasts.
In the chaotic battlefield, the hyper-sized species that charged again turned their heads back.
Clenching his teeth, he straightened his posture and glared at the being that had come to confront him directly.
“You look rather special. Are you the leader?”
He aimed his staff at the higher being. Six glowing eyes sparkled indifferently through the gaps in its armor.
The higher being pointed a blood-red spear at him.
Now, its posture was sharp and precise. Among the captured prisoners, there were knights who practiced spear skills.
“Mm…?!”
At that moment, he sensed something strange and flinched.
An odd force had spread into the air without him realizing.
“Ugh… Krah!”
A soldier, covered in black veins, lunged at him with eyes gone dark.
When an army suppresses the majority, there is no reason not to use effective weaponry.
“Using such pathetic tricks. You bastards must be the descendants of the Devouring Beasts!”
He struck the charging soldier’s solar plexus with the end of his staff, sending him flying.
Then, raising his staff, he gathered magical energy and struck the ground.
A powerful surge of magical wind swept across the battlefield. In its wake, all the infection spores, extremely vulnerable, perished instantly.
“Even if I win this battle, you will never win. Just as you were once exterminated by us in the past, you will be driven from this surface again.”
He flicked his white beard and glared at the higher being with fiery eyes, pointing a finger as if he sensed a backing behind the higher being, as if Eve was watching him.
Eve, for the first time in her life, flinched slightly at such taunts not made out of desperation before death.
“Come, monster! I, Austin Schultz of Seclard, won’t let 80 years of magic training be hindered by the likes of you.”
He waved his staff and cast a spell.
The higher being did not give him room and quickly thrust the spear toward his neck.
He dodged by arching his head back as if he had anticipated it, instantly canceling his spell.
At the same time, he recited a defensive spell that could be cast rapidly.
A triangular blue shield sprung up, colliding with the higher being’s blood-red barrier.
“Even if I die here, there are many stronger than me in the academy and the council. And you are weaker than I am. Do not underestimate magic.”
He fired a rock bullet, gathered at the tip of his finger, at the exposed chest of the higher being beyond the shattered shield.
The penetrating, lethal magic shattered the armor and instantly destroyed the higher being’s power source.
“Ha.”
He staggered as he looked at the fallen higher being’s corpse. His mental energy was too depleted.
Had he delayed even a moment longer or if the enemy had even a modicum of knowledge in proper magic combat, his neck would have been pierced by the first strike.
“…I still need to eliminate at least one.”
Muttering blankly, he turned his body.
He had long given up on surviving. It was because of the enormous beasts charging at him.
No matter how sage-level a mage he was, he could not possibly contend with the massive creatures whose very mass served as weapons.
‘At least just one.’
Thus, he cast a spell with only the thought of reducing their number.
No matter how powerful magic he inflicted on that gigantic body, it would be ineffective. So, he aimed for a different part instead.
This was his line of thought, and the magic to realize that thought burst forth from the tip of his staff.
“Yes.”
One of the gigantic bodies wobbled and began to topple over.
He used his magic to turn the ground where the hyper-sized creature would step into a thick swamp.
The enormous weight caused the hyper-sized creature that fell into the trap to flail as it sank into the earth.
“With this… it should be enough.”
He wobbled his legs and collapsed to the ground, closing his eyes.
He had only taken down one. Now, those who remained, including him, would be trampled.
Feeling the massive tremors draw closer, he clenched his teeth.
“It can’t be happening!”
“Ugh…”
At that moment, someone rushed in and tackled him just before he was crushed.
“It can’t be happening! We need to expose the truth! We need the power of the council!”
“Cough… cough…”
Reina, who had jumped in at the chance while the hyper-sized creatures passed overhead, excitedly shook his body.
“Stop shaking me!”
“Roses Leblanc, the Vice President of Blakeel Academy! He is the villain behind this disaster!”
“Stop shaking me!”
In the end, Austin, who had been doubled over from the impact to his chest from her headbutt, struck her on the head with his staff.
Then, groaning with his head in his hands, he hurriedly got back on his feet beside her.
“Repeat that. What did Leblanc do… No, for now, we need to get out of here.”
He clicked his tongue and cast a basic amplification spell to issue a retreat order.
Reina did her utmost to support him as they tried to escape.
Fortunately, the ultra-large species was slow to change direction relative to the speed of their charge.
Having barely managed to stabilize a portion of his forces, Austin led the survivors away in haste.
The legionnaires stood frozen in place, watching them.
“How unfortunate.”
[…Why aren’t they chasing us? He could summon enough forces quickly using his acute growth ability.]
“After all, it’s difficult to wipe them all out, and more than anything, how dare they insult me?”
Eve, who was watching the scene unfold, did not chase after them.
[This is strange. If you’re feeling insulted, shouldn’t you chase after them?]
“No. I cannot repay them fully that way. When that creature regains its strength, I will fight it again and crush it. And this is not just about emotions. I will provoke them further to extract everything.”
There are many ways to gain experience beyond torturing them as prisoners. Eve had already gathered enough experience from this battle.
With that knowledge, she concluded that the best way to force the enemy to their limits is to extract intelligence, as they exert their utmost strength when faced with desperate situations.
And her plan was to end their lives with the skills and tactics acquired in this way.
