The blinding light spread across the entire battlefield, followed by loud explosions that made the ground tremble. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on NoveI~Fire.net
When the light receded, the Artemian King frowned. He had higher expectations for their opening attack, but the results they got were comparatively underwhelming.
"I guess it will be boring if all of you die so easily," King Astrion said, his voice reaching the Wanderers and the Jinns who had just recovered from the deadly beams that could have annihilated them.
A barrier had appeared to protect the armies of the Alliance, which the Nagas and the Succubus Race had jointly worked on before the battle started.
Thirteen had told them exactly what they needed to do, even teaching them some complicated spells that were unique among their races.
Both sides knew of each other’s technological abilities, and neither underestimated the other. That said, the Alliance wasn’t the only one to erect a barrier. Even the Artemians ramped up their defenses, so there was no damage or casualties, save for the surrounding land.
"Goodness! I thought I was a goner," Prince Xylen exclaimed as he patted his chest in relief.
Prince Aurelion’s gaze turned solemn. It was just as Zion had said.
If he hadn’t listened to the teenage boy’s advice, a good portion of the Dragonkin Army might have been annihilated by that initial attack.
Cranky screeched as lightning streaked across its entire body.
The Honey Badger was wearing the armor that Zion had made for it, and it was now itching to beat the crap out of the Artemian King.
However, since Zion hadn’t given it an order to attack, Cranky simply glared at the Artemians as if daring them to come!
But instead of sending their troops, the Artemians once again readied their weapons and fired a second volley.
Thirteen didn’t bat an eye and waved his hand, signaling their side to unleash their own bombardment at their enemies.
’This time, it won’t be the same.’
That was what both King Atrion and Thirteen thought as the battlefield was once again covered in radiance.
Within that blinding world, a resounding crack reverberated in the surroundings, followed by a loud explosion and pained screams.
The barrier that the Nagas and the Succubus created had shattered from the intensified attack of the Artemians.
At most, their first move had been a probing attack, helping them estimate the capacity of the barrier the Wanderers and Jinns had erected.
After determining how strong their defenses were, they increased the output, which bypassed the limit of the barrier that protected the Allied Armies.
However, the screams that resounded earlier didn’t come from the Wanderers nor the Jinns.
They came from the Artemians, who were lucky enough to survive Nautilus’ main cannon, which had joined the bombardment this time around.
As for the Allied Army?
None of them had died. Zion had been prepared, and the barrier he personally made activated itself as soon as the first one broke.
From the coast of the Cygni Continent, the Warships of humanity unleashed countless missiles for the third bombardment.
The Nemo Submarines had joined the attack, and they even unleashed their Mephisto Missiles to make sure that their enemies would truly understand the meaning of pain.
King Astrion frowned as he looked at the path of destruction that Nautilus’ Main Cannon had created.
A deep trench that was over a hundred meters wide could be seen on the ground, which was the aftermath of the blast that broke through their barrier.
Confused and surprised by the unexpected outcome, the officers of the Artemian Army started shouting orders to their subordinates to reform their army’s formation.
But the beam strikes coming from the side of the Wanderers were still going strong, prompting King Atrion to change his strategy.
"Azothralls!" King Atrion ordered. "Attack!"
As soon as the order was given, thousands of Azothralls hiding deep underground all charged toward the surface, intending to burst from right under the Wanderer and Jinn Alliance.
But halfway along their journey, they encountered a sea of magma, which Rocky had left on purpose after Zion’s demons detected them earlier.
While the High-Ranking Azothralls managed to keep their lives intact, the lower-ranking ones weren’t strong enough to withstand the heat and died in that blazing sea.
When they were only a thousand meters below the surface, the Azothralls led by Azoh’Karn found themselves face to face with a creature they had no recollection of seeing in the Cygni Continent.
"About time you guys showed up." Rogg, the leader of the three Earth Dragons of the Rigel Continent, sneered as it body-slammed Azoh-Karn and the Jinns back into the sea of magma.
Endi and Brazzom did the same, crushing the lower-ranking Jinns with ease.
Azoh’Karn, who was now an Archon, roared in anger, humiliated after being pounded by a mere Rank 9 Sovereign.
If this battle happened a few years ago, Rogg, Endi, and Brazzom wouldn’t have dared to fight against an Archon in battle.
But good for them, they had accompanied Zion to fight against the Eight-Headed Ancient Serpent. The experience taught the Earth Dragons that even a Majin King wouldn’t be able to bypass their defenses that easily.
Sure, they received injuries during that battle, but the confidence they gained after that life-and-death battle made them realize their true potential, pushing them to the next level.
The Artemians who were able to bypass the defenses of the three Earth Dragons came face to face with the Undead Centipede King, Jalrog, as well as the other High-Ranking Monsters of the Jinn Army who specialized in underground battles.
An Earthquake shook the land as the battle raged on, prompting the Wanderers to summon their Flying Avatars.
The Dragonkins, as well as all the Jinns who could fly, took off to the skies in preparation for an aerial battle.
Thirteen had given them orders as to where they should go so they wouldn’t be on the path of the long-ranged bombardment that had yet to stop even until now.
Thirteen and Renz had previously discussed the strategy that would be used, and in the end, they agreed on forcing the Artemians to engage them in close combat.
The main reason why they had the advantage at the start of this war was due to a very simple reason.
The Artemians gave Zion some time to prepare the battlefield.
With Tiona, Paimon, and Kamrusepa helping him write runes on Jinn Cores that Zion’s demons had placed strategically around the battlefield, the outcome of the first round of the battle was already set in stone.
Not only did the Artemian Barrier break, but a significant fraction of their army was also annihilated in such a brief time.
Unfortunately, the Jinn Cores were now all used up.
Thirteen watched the barrier he had erected shatter like countless pieces of glass.
The momentum of the battle was now on their side, which he believed was enough to force the Artemian King to order his army to charge in their direction.
Just as Thirteen was about to order Rocky to join the underground battle, the teenage boy saw a flash of light at the corner of his eye.
A moment later, Cranky’s loud screech reached his ears, followed by the sound of claws and metal clashing against each other.
King Astrion didn’t hesitate to attack Zion on his own, despite the teenage boy’s strategic position, surrounded by countless Wanderers and Jinns.
If not for Cranky’s fast reaction, the Artemian King’s sword might have already sliced him in half.
But instead of being afraid, a faint smile appeared on the Thirteen’s face as he commanded Rocky to follow Plan B.
’Just as planned,’ Thirteen thought before commanding his army to move toward the east, so they wouldn’t get in the way of the Honey Badger’s rampage as it fought against its chosen enemy.