Chapter 282: Chapter 282 - Demons in Our Garden
Dullorak charged forward.His current head was a youthful man with sleek black hair, gleaming under the dim battlefield light. His stride was confident, his grin almost dazzling as he spread his arms wide like an actor stepping onto a grand stage.
"I come not merely to fight," he declared dramatically. "But to demonstrate the might and glory of Gacha Haven! To show these poor fools that they have chosen the wrong island to invade! For I, Dullorak the Eternal, was destined, ordained by fate itself. To serve under this banner, and to unleash devastation in its name!"
He had meant it for the enemy to hear. Unfortunately, he was broadcasting directly into the communication link shared by the entire allied force.
[Edrik: "My lord... I believe we should mute Dullorak as well."]
Atlas didn’t respond, though the way his hand rubbed his temple spoke volumes.
Several of Dullorak’s floating heads followed behind him in a loose orbit. One, shaped like a dragonkin, opened its jaws and roared, spewing a torrent of blazing fire that tore through the enemy ranks. Another, wearing the full helm of a knight, clenched a sword hilt between its teeth and spun through the air, slashing wildly at nearby soldiers.
A third, a woman’s head with flowing crimson hair and piercing red eyes. The head let out a bone-shaking scream that froze enemies in place, their bodies trembling violently.
The rest of the heads contributed in their own... unique ways: some hurled chaotic bursts of elemental magic, while others simply performed inexplicable gestures that added more confusion than aid to the battlefield.
Despite the eccentric spectacle, Team Hydros pushed forward with precision. Their opponents were fewer in number now, and the battle quickly tilted in their favor.
Massive waves of fire surged through the air, engulfing the colossal beast still thrashing at the center of the field. It roared and writhed, trying to resist the inferno. But soon its body gave out, collapsing with a thunderous crash as the flames consumed it.
**
On the far side of the island, Milo, still in his half-buttoned white shirt and with his messy hair blown by the wind, ran at the very front, Zara keeping pace beside him, followed closely by the rest of Team Aether.
The enemy ahead readied their weapons but didn’t charge forward to meet the assault. Behind them, a massive beast opened its jaws once more, forming several smaller magic spheres that hovered menacingly before shooting toward the incoming team.
"Mr. Milo, it’s time to let Raze fight," Zara said breathlessly.
Milo nodded, though his face was pale with nerves. Then his expression hardened. He picked up his pace, running faster, and finally shouted with a raw, furious voice.
"TEAR THEM APART! CRUSH THEIR BODIES UNTIL NOTHING’S LEFT BUT BONES!"
The roar thundered across the battlefield, shaking even the air itself. A monstrous figure burst forward, Raze, his aura flaring like wildfire.
The enemy’s magic spheres hurtled toward him, glowing with destructive force. But with a deafening yell, Raze swung his right fist and punched the first sphere head-on.
KA-BOOOOM!
The explosion tore through the field, scattering shockwaves of blinding light. Yet from the center of the blast, Raze’s silhouette emerged unscathed, charging forward like a beast unleashed.
More magic spheres flew toward him, but he was already too fast, darting through them, closing the gap between him and the enemy line in seconds.
The opposing soldiers froze, eyes wide in disbelief. Before they could react, Raze was already upon them. He grabbed two of them by the head, his grin feral.
"Your poor mothers must’ve wept the day you were born, just to see you die this pathetically!" he snarled.
Then, SMASH! He smashed their skulls together, dropping both instantly.
Another soldier lunged from the side, swinging a greatsword wreathed in blazing fire. The blade struck Raze’s neck. It didn’t even make him flinch.
Raze turned his head slowly, his grin widening. He caught the greatsword with one hand, crushed the steel effortlessly, and snapped it in two.
"Nice try, whore!" he growled.
Then he grabbed the attacker by the face and swung him violently upward, sending the man flying like a rag doll into the night sky.
"ARGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" The enemy’s cry faded as his body arced high above the battlefield.
**
In the other sector of the island, beneath the dim glow of Gacha Haven’s defensive lights, Mira moved like a crimson phantom. Her body shimmered with a deep red aura, the air around her bending and trembling from the sheer velocity of her movements. She dashed through the darkness. Appearing for a heartbeat, vanishing, and reappearing somewhere else entirely.
Behind her, Veylor and his squad sprinted as fast as they could, but even at full speed, they couldn’t keep up. Mira’s movement was beyond their comprehension. Each step a blur, each turn a flash of blood-red light.
Ahead, enemy soldiers chased down terrified Gacha Haven workers, their screams echoing through the night. Some had already fallen to the ground, hands raised in panic as spears descended toward them.
One soldier thrust his spear down. But the weapon froze mid-air.
A wet, sickening snap! followed. The man’s head separated cleanly from his neck, rolling across the ground with a twisted grin still etched on his lips.
Before the others could even process it, Mira was already behind the next soldier. She stepped onto his back, twisted her body, and drove a brutal kick downward. His spine snapped with a crack loud enough to echo.
"W-What is that thing?!" one of them screamed in panic.
"Demon! A demon serves this lord!" another shouted, voice trembling.
"Attack her! Hold the line. HOLD THE LINE!"
But before any of them could move, Mira appeared in front of the nearest man. Her hoe swung upward in a crimson arc. CRACK! Splitting his jaw clean in two.
She yanked her weapon free first, then flipped backward gracefully through the air, landing on one knee as blood sprayed upward like red mist under the moonlight.
When Veylor and the rest of his unit arrived moments later, it was already over. Mira stood in the center of a small clearing, her figure illuminated by the faint light of burning mana residue. Around her lay a dozen mangled corpses. Bodies broken, twisted, unrecognizable.
The workers who had fallen earlier were now huddled together, trembling, too afraid to move. Their faces were pale, their eyes wide in sheer horror as they looked at her.
"P-Please... Lady Mira... don’t hurt us... we didn’t mean to get in your way..."
"We’re sorry... we’re sorry, please... don’t come closer!"
Mira tilted her head slightly, her crimson eyes glowing brighter. Then she smiled, wide, and terrifying.
She stepped toward them slowly, her voice soft.
"Are you all right? There’s blood on your faces... let me brush it off."
The workers shrank back instantly.
"N-No, Lady Mira... please... leave us...!"
The enemy’s ground forces had been decimated, defeated in overwhelming numbers. Yet there was still no sign of surrender.
Were they truly that confident in their strength? Or... was this battle not over yet?
From his vantage point in the sky, Atlas watched alongside Edrik as the battlefield seemed to still for a moment. Only for the air itself to twist violently a heartbeat later.
Multiple teleportation portals began tearing open across the night sky. One, two, three... then more. Dozens of them.
From within those swirling gates burst dark shapes, moving fast. Winged creatures, drake-like and grotesque, their scaled bodies glinting under the moonlight. On each one’s back sat a rider armed and ready.
Atlas narrowed his eyes. "More... airborne troops?" he muttered under his breath.