Farther back, the Abyssal demon frowned as he noticed the growing number of demons bottlenecked ahead. From his vantage point, he couldn’t see the soldiers holding them back—only the mass of his horde piling into the narrow crossing. His frustration mounted as the bulk of his army slowed to a crawl.
"What is happening up there?" The Abyssal growled, his patience wearing thin.
Just as the demonic mass in the bottleneck swelled to over forty thousand, a blinding flash of light erupted from the ground beneath them. For a brief moment, everything seemed to freeze. Then, in the next instant, a massive explosion of lightning and fire ripped through the horde with cataclysmic force.
The blast was like a storm unleashed from the heavens, a swirling vortex of fire and lightning that tore through the demons with devastating ferocity. The ground shook violently as the explosion expanded outward, destroying everything in its path.
The demons caught in the epicenter were instantly reduced to ash, their bodies disintegrating before they could even scream. Further out, demons were thrown into the air like ragdolls, their limbs torn apart by the force of the blast.
The explosion ripped through the valley with such intensity that it left a massive crater where the horde had once stood. The surrounding mountainside was scorched and blackened by the firestorm. Smoke and debris filled the air, and the stench of burnt flesh permeated the valley.
Even as the smoke began to clear, the Abyssal demon’s eyes were filled with shock. The landslide at the beginning had killed several thousand demons, but that was less than five percent of his army.
The explosion of lightning and fire, however, had changed everything. It had torn through dozens of thousands of demons, leaving only ash and ruin in its wake, and had wounded many more. His once-mighty horde had been reduced significantly in less than five minutes.
The Abyssal demon muttered to himself, his voice low but filled with disbelief. "That explosion... it carried the might of a near Guardian Tier Spell."
The realization sent a tremor of shock through him, something he hadn’t experienced in countless years. How could such power exist in a world so newly evolved? How could there be someone capable of wielding such strength? These thoughts should have sparked fear in his heart, but the Abyssal’s demonic nature was far stronger than any emotion of caution. Soon, rage swelled within him as he took in the state of his once-imposing army.
He roared with a voice that echoed through the devastated valley, his words dripping with wrath and bloodlust. "Ants, show yourselves and face me like true warriors!"
As if in response to his challenge, hundreds of Champions emerged from the smoke and dust, marching forward in perfect formation. Their weapons were slick with demonic blood, their armor gleaming under the remnants of sunlight that filtered through the peaks, and the ground beneath them cracked with the weight of their steps.
Broken corpses of demons lay beneath their feet as they advanced, their every movement calculated and precise. Massive streams of Origin Force surged into their bodies as the Plane Will rewarded them for slaying the alien invaders, making them more powerful every single second.
The soldiers had been positioned with such perfect precision that the explosion had affected none of them. The level of calculation required to achieve something so flawless was beyond staggering, something no supercomputer from the pre-apocalypse era could have done. Yet, it was a simple task for the A.I. Chip Clone guiding the Xaos Kingdom’s forces.
The Abyssal Lamorto was momentarily stunned to see the soldiers appear so readily after his shout. But what surprised him even more was the sheer number of Champions in their ranks, all clad in identical armor, moving with such unified discipline that it made him question the force he was dealing with.
"Champions? All of them?" he muttered, a brief flash of confusion crossing his mind. How could humans forge so many foot soldiers at this level? It defied all logic. But the Abyssal quickly shoved those thoughts aside, his anger taking over. He let out a thunderous bellow, his aura expanding to a terrifying degree.
"Good!" he shouted, his voice booming across the mountains. "You have shown yourselves. You will have the glory of being crushed beneath the feet of the great Abyssal Lamorto!"
The Abyssal’s sheer size and overwhelming aura would have sent most creatures running in fear. His voice alone could shatter the resolve of lesser beings. But the Champions of the Xaos Kingdom did not waver. Their eyes remained fixed on their target, their formation unbroken. With every step, their speed increased until they were charging headlong toward the demon army.
Despite the devastating explosion, there were still close to one hundred thousand demons left. Their grotesque forms clawed and slithered over the remains of their fallen comrades, their bloodlust rising as they saw the human soldiers approaching.
Lamorto’s eyes showed a sign of worry as he did not understand how those few hundred soldiers could dare to march head-on toward his force since it was virtually suicide.
Part of the Abyssal wanted to charge forward and kill them all, but he chose to be cautious, signaling his demonic beasts to take the front of the clash. The moment they received the commands, the demonic beasts attacked with no fear in their eyes, only killing intent and hunger.
The idea of clashing head-on with dozens of thousands of demons in a frenzied charge was enough to strike terror into the hearts of most armies, but the soldiers of the Xaos Kingdom showed no fear. They pushed forward, their momentum building with every passing second.
The air was thick with tension, the ground shaking under the weight of the two forces preparing to clash. The Champions of the Xaos Kingdom ran faster, their weapons gleaming in the dim light, their shields raised high. The demonic beasts, a living avalanche of claws, fangs, and raw fury, lunged forward with blood curdling roars.