On the square.
Rows of Battle Soldiers marched past, their presence heavy with a lethal aura that sent shivers down the spine.
Their movements were uniform, yet their pace was incredibly fast. In just a few minutes, they had all emerged from the portal.
Following the Battle Soldiers was the Battle General. Dressed in the uniform of a general, each Battle General had a number denoting their tier on their shoulder, while the badges on their chests recorded their unit affiliation and past military achievements.
As soon as they stepped out of the portal, they quickly found their subordinates, regrouped, and organized. The large formation of Battle Soldiers was precisely segmented into dozens of smaller squares in an instant.
Compared to the Battle Soldiers, there were significantly fewer Battle Generals. Within 30 seconds, all the Battle Generals had exited the portal and had their troops in order without a moment's delay.
Following the Battle Generals was the Battle Chief.
Boom—
A 10 feet tall 'giant' emerged from the portal, carrying three heads on his shoulder. Two of these heads were from abyssal demon creatures, their faces covered in blood, eyes wide open in death.
As he appeared, all the formations of Battle Soldiers immediately erupted in cheers.
The giant took confident strides forward, each step causing a slight tremor on the square. He reached the center monument and violently threw down the two heads.
The giant roared, "I have slain two vice corps leaders of the fourth demon god's Plague Corps. Here are their heads, offered to commemorate our fallen comrades!"
Hearing this, Mike and the others watching were shocked, their pupils constricting. A vice corps leader was at least at the Battle Chief level! And they had been slain just like that?
The giant's words ignited the passion of the Battle Soldiers, who burst into another thunderous cheer.
After dropping the heads, the giant stepped aside.
Behind him, a female Battle Chief with a frosty expression emerged from the portal, holding a lantern. Inside the lantern, three faint flames flickered, seemingly vulnerable to being extinguished by a mere breeze.
The female Battle Chief dropped the lantern near the enemy heads, her voice resolute, "I have slain three vice corps leaders of the fourth demon god's Burning Corps. Here are three demon souls, bestowed to uphold our legacy of courage."
She had not only killed three Battle Chiefs but had also extracted their souls and trapped them in the lantern.
Excited shouts once again filled the ranks.
After these two Battle Chiefs, a man appeared in front of the portal.
His armor was shattered, hanging off him like a torn fishing net with bits of metal thrown over it. His helmet obscured his face, making it difficult to see clearly, and he held a broken sword in his hand.
As this figure stepped out, the portal closed instantly, severing the connection with the Abyssal Plane.
Under everyone's gaze, the man walked slowly to the front of the monument.
The students couldn't help but gasp in awe.
"Wow—"
The injuries on the man's back were particularly severe, his flesh mangled, with demon aura still emanating from them. It was hard to imagine the horrific battle he had endured!
Standing in front of the monument, the man bent slightly, each movement seeming to drain all his strength and aggravate his wounds.
He placed down a section of an arm.
"This is the arm of the corps leader of the fourth demon god's Burning Corps, dedicated to the memory of our fallen."
Corps leader! Although they were somewhat prepared, everyone still tensed up at the mention of this rank—a Battle Lord level being!
To engage in combat with such a being and not only survive but also sever an arm was astounding!
After placing the arm down, the man turned around to face the formation in front of him. The eyes within the formation looked back at him, filled with fervor and admiration.
The man began to speak, his voice not loud but clear enough for everyone to hear, rich yet with a hint of gentleness, "In this battle, the Hurricane Corps first defeated the Plague Corps, then crushed the Burning Corps, slaying twelve thousand enemies and wounding countless more."
"This battle, we have triumphed greatly!"
As the man's words fell, all members of the Hurricane Corps erupted in excited shouts, "For the glory of humanity!"
The man raised his hand, and all noise was immediately suppressed; the square fell silent.
"Inventory the spoils of this battle, record the merits."
"Assess the damages, arrange care for the wounded."
The two previous Battle Chiefs responded in unison, "Yes Sir!"
"The deceased, their names will remain on the Monument of Faith."
"Dismissed!"
With that, the man was the first to take to the air, flying towards the depths of the Forest of Truth.
This battle, while the Hurricane Corps had achieved notable victories, their own losses were substantial as well!
Three thousand human warriors would forever sleep in the Abyssal Plane, and the Monument of Faith would bear three thousand more names.
After the man left, many Battle Soldiers of the Hurricane Corps, led by their respective Battle Generals, poured into a nearby town.
On the now empty square, only the students participating in the training summer camp remained, still immersed in the shock of what they had witnessed, unable to pull themselves away for a long time.
"Cough, cough—can you hear me?"
A man with a microphone appeared in front of the monument.
"Students, come closer."
Hundreds gathered in front of the monument, curious about what was to come.
"My name is Carson Reed, the chief instructor of this summer camp. You can call me Carson."
"First, I want to congratulate you for passing the first phase of the training summer camp."
"Total participants this batch: six hundred seventy-two. Number who passed: four hundred sixty-six. The pass rate is nearly 70%, exceeding our expectations."
Hearing this, Cain's eyes widened as he looked towards Mike and Jessica.
"30% were eliminated?!"
Cain hadn't expected that their [DDF] group, which should have been at the bottom among all Supreme Being seeds, would pass 100%?
Was it just luck?
Cain didn't ponder long and continued to focus on Carson's speech.
"What you saw earlier was our human race's Hurricane Corps, returning victorious from the Abyssal Plane."
Carson spoke with a smile, slowly saying, "You might have noticed, after the portal opened, the Battle Soldiers came out first, followed by the Battle Generals, then the Battle Chiefs, with the Battle Lords at the rear."
The students nodded; it was indeed so.
"That's how it is during a retreat. But during a charge, it's the Battle Lords who go first, followed by the Battle Chiefs, Battle Generals, and Battle Soldiers."
Carson's statement made many students' eyes widen.
"For a hundred years, our human race has fought with the strongest leading!"
Carson spoke each word forcefully, "In every major battle, Supreme Beings and Battle Lords are at the forefront!"
"Students, the forest you walked through is the resting place of billions of human heroes..."
Carson briefly explained the origin of the Forest of Truth, causing many female students to tear up and male students to clench their fists, wishing they could rush to the Abyssal Plane to battle demon creatures right now.
"The equipment in your hands are the relics of countless human heroes. The residual will you carry is the residual will of countless human heroes!
In the future, the homeland you protect is their homeland, and also, our homeland!"
"Remember, three hundred years ago, from the day the Abyssal Plane invaded Earth, humanity has been in a state of war.
To this day, humanity has not lifted the state of war!"
Carson's gaze swept over each face, pausing for a few seconds.
Then, almost roaring, he continued,
"You live in an era of war, enjoying peace only because of your ancestors' protection. Do not take false peace as permanent tranquility, do not consider the cradle of infancy as the home of a lifetime.
This world is cruel and cold, and the demon creatures in the darkness will not give up any opportunity to invade Earth!"
Carson's words struck deeply into everyone's hearts, leaving them endlessly shaken.
As the ancients said, be prepared for danger in times of safety.
Since three hundred years ago, humanity has never been 'safe'; every moment has been a struggle on the brink of life and death!
The war between humanity and the Abyssal Plane has never ended!