Chapter 134

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Chapter 134: Long Passage

Sparks fell among the crowd, then bounced out of it. The soldiers’ basic charms opened their shields when triggered, like semi-transparent eggshells, strong enough to keep the ghostly flames out for a while.

The mass-produced charms are not high-quality items, they can only resist normal flames or burns from basic spirit bodies, one-time use, lasting just over a minute. But if used properly, even the lowest-level gear can be very effective. Aryan’s defending soldiers are not like the abyss grunts, everyone is working together.

When the charms are triggered, the soldiers at the front step up with their shields on, defending while attacking, pushing the ghostly flames away from their comrades, and as soon as the shield’s time runs out and they retreat, others immediately take their place, repeating the steps. The surrounding army disperses nervously but orderly, creating pathways for quick entry and exit as rehearsed before. Dealing with these spirit body monsters with normal extinguishers is only half as effective, handled by special "firefighters."

Small and eerie sounds are heard everywhere, some intimidating figures are swiftly walking into the pathway, looking out of place among the soldiers in uniform. They are Orcs. Some professions are linked to cultural heritage, like Paladins usually being humans for now, the current Professional presence is limited to wild Orc tribes. Most of them wear scary wooden or bone masks, carrying long wooden staffs with magic wands decorated with feathers, teeth, bells, or bones, creating a jingling sound as they walk.

They are Shamans or witch doctors, different names for the same profession. Most of them have bare torsos, covered in colorful paintings or tattoos, looking terrifying in appearance and magical effects — during the years of war between humans and Orcs, Orc Shamans made the Imperial Army shudder. But now, their appearance on the battlefield relaxes the soldiers.

The watchtower constantly observes the entire battlefield, all ghostly flames’ positions are crystal clear in Tasha’s eyes, like shining marks on a map. This dynamic map is quickly analyzed, generating deployment plans, each Shaman sent to the most suitable position. They take their places at those points, heavy wooden staffs firmly planted into the ground, decorations clinking. Sooner or later, not too far apart, tall banners unfurl all over the battlefield.

The Shaman’s war song begins, their war dance commences, shadows of banners suddenly unfurl from the staffs in the ground, depicting tribal totems on the flags, showing the wrath of the Ancestor Spirit on the poles. Giant wolves open their eyes, Mountain Lions bare their teeth, the heads of giant beasts roar, echoes lingering. As a signature spell of Shamans, the "Ancestral Spirit Banner" inspires the tribe’s warriors, intimidates enemies, and even unnerves soldiers not from those tribes.

The Ancestral Spirit Banner uses a little bit of power, lasts a long time, and doesn’t give strong boosts or reductions. It is mainly used as a starting move by Shamans in battles. But there is another hidden effect: it is deadly to low-level spirit creatures.

A wild and fierce energy swept across the entire battlefield. Where it passed, evil spirits scattered, and ghostly fires let out sharp screams as if they were splashed with cold water. The palm-sized blue flames became unstable, like a TV with a bad signal. The flag perfectly covered the army, leaving no ghostly fires. After a few seconds, the battlefield was empty, and all the fires vanished.

There was a brief silence among the crowd for a couple of seconds. Even the soldiers present hadn’t expected everything to happen so quickly. Cheers erupted immediately, rivaling the roar of the Ancestor Spirit. Though they believed the Shaman could complete the mission, the quick and easy defeat of the enemies excited everyone.

Meanwhile, most of the Rangers in the forest had already dealt with the ghostly fires near them. The advanced archers, called Marksman, took their positions. Their eyes sharp as hawks, they shot magic arrows from their longbows, targeting the fires that were outside the range of the Ancestral Spirit Banner. The basic magic arrows easily dealt with these basic spirits, hitting each one accurately.

So far, there have been no casualties.

"No casualties! That’s right! No casualties so far!" The host cheered with uncontrollable joy, her voice slightly trembling. "All the ghostly fires have disappeared! The archers are still hunting down those falling, and the Little Devils keep falling into their graves!"

A thousand meters away from the battlefield, war correspondents continued writing furiously, while news presenters were ecstatic. These non-combatants had risked their lives to come near the battlefield to witness the war that determined the survival of the entire Aryan population and share firsthand news with all Aryans. While the warriors managed to contain their excitement, the news workers showed unrestrained joy.

They should be happy, and they deserve to be happy. Half of Aryan saw the menacing meteor shower, half of Aryan’s residents witnessed the falling meteorite, the darkening of the skies, and the darkness that covered the world. They saw the abyss approaching with open jaws, only to see the first wave of attackers easily beaten back to where they came from.

At this moment, countless people across the continent were anxiously awaiting news from the battlefield, regardless of their race, age, or social status. Telegraphs were sent to newspapers across the land, printing presses worked overtime, and news about the first battle was quickly spread to every corner. People in big cities listened to their radios at home, while villagers gathered around the radio, eagerly listening to the announcer’s voice. Their faces lit up with good news as they repeated the same messages to each other, confirming and sharing without ever getting tired.

"No casualties!"

"The Abyss has come, but we fought beautifully!"

"We beat them so badly that they cried for mercy!"

"Drive these mongrels back to their home!"

The optimists were ecstatic, seeing a promising future in this perfect beginning; the pessimists were pleasantly surprised, having feared that the real Abyss would bring ruin to the living on the surface, but now the opposite seemed true. The knowledge of the Abyss had spread too much in these years, some saw the prowess of heroes in past victories, ordinary people’s triumphs caught them off guard, and then filled them with even more excitement; some saw the scars left by the Decaying Disaster, the painful numbers of casualties, and now seeing zero casualties filled them with hope.

Regardless of whether people were pessimistic or optimistic about the outcome of the war, they knew it would be a tough battle. The initial victory lifted everyone’s spirits, a victory worth celebrating.

Tasha showed little expression, not feeling particularly surprised, like an excellent programmer seeing their code running smoothly, not considering it worth celebrating, just feeling it was expected. At best, relieved that nothing unexpected happened.

"It looks like this wave is under control." Victor said, "The Abyss Passage will gradually open, currently only allowing low-level monsters through. Your army should hold steady for another three to five days, right?"

Indeed.

The Griffon cavalry carries many small magic pools, similar to powerful batteries, that can replace them for twelve hours. Once they are stable, flying crafts and dragon riders can take their place. The combat personnel are grouped together, with each group able to take turns. If the intensity of the attack doesn’t increase too much, changing shifts for combat for a few months is not a problem.

That’s how it should be.

"Shouldn’t be a problem to hold on for three to five days peacefully," Victor said, but as soon as he finished speaking, a sudden change occurred.

A loud noise erupted above them, coming from the narrow Abyss Passage. Groups of Little Devils in the sky screamed as their bodies were shattered by the explosion, disappearing before they even hit the ground. Rain splattered around them as an explosion originated from midair, sweeping through the sky, blowing the Griffin Riders off course. Some unfortunate riders who were too close fell from their griffins. Brown feathers scattered in the sky, amidst the cries of the griffins, the sturdy electric net was instantly torn apart.

What tore apart was not just the electric net.

Something fell down, bloody and dismembered, exuding a nauseating burnt smell. It appeared larger than a griffin, larger than hundreds of Little Devils combined. The only reason it could pass through the passage was probably because it had already shattered into countless pieces. This massive entity disintegrated the moment it surfaced, turning into a pulp. Before Tasha could see clearly, like all the deceased demons, it vanished without a sound.

Behind this entity, the "scar" in the sky changed.

It looked somewhat peculiar, as if the sketch drawn with a pencil had now transformed into graffiti with a marker. The length did not increase, the width did not change either, but it just… became deeper.

"Lava Behemoth? Three of them?" Victor gasped, "An evolution rarer than Toxic Charizard, one step away from the high-level demon Balrog, ready to self-destruct at the door?! Even if it can’t advance to become a Demon Lord, it shouldn’t be so extravagant, right?"

"Get to the point," Tasha said, feeling uneasy.

"Yeah, um, more advanced monsters might come in right away," Victor said. "If it’s just some strong Little Devils, we should be fine for this wave."

The channel that was constantly sending Little Devils quieted for a few seconds, and a huge, red-skinned creature poked its head out. At first glance, it did look somewhat similar to a Little Devil, and someone unfamiliar with demons might mistake it for a strong Little Devil… Those who think this way must not understand demons very well at all.

It would take three stacked Little Devils to match its height, and its long twisted horns were much more fierce than a Little Devil’s. The demon held not a pitchfork, but a thick iron chain covered in sharp spiky protrusions on links thicker than a regular person’s arm. Compared to a Little Devil, it almost resembled Ragehorn Simon more.

This is a Horn Demon, evolved from a Little Devil, and the next stage would be an Angry Demon, a mid-level demon.

"The evolution branch of the Angry Demon only has three stages: Little Devil, Horn Demon, and Angry Demon, so the Horn Demon stage is lengthy. The initial plan to smoothly harvest Little Devils in three to five days might not go as expected…" Victor’s voice trailed off, diminishing as he stopped under Tasha’s wordless gaze.

"Stop talking," Tasha said heavily. "I’m begging you."

"I guess dying once would have a huge impact on a demon’s luck," Victor chuckled, making a sewing gesture across his lips with his finger.

The earth trembled slightly.

The long, narrow passage that only allowed Little Devil and Will-o’-the-Wisps to pass through was torn wider after the explosion. The wings that supported Little Devil’s flight degraded into Horn Demon, and once Horn Demon squeezed out of the crack, it fell from mid-air.

The Griffon Legion’s electrical net no longer existed, and Horn Demon’s fall was unobstructed, with its only enemies being gravity and thornwood. The tall red-skinned demon fell straight down without even protecting its vital spots, appearing as if it had just taken a step.

Just below it was a piece of thornwood.

Ten meters, five meters, two meters… the distance became closer, and the triangular spike seemed like it was about to pierce Horn Demon’s foot. Boom! In the blink of an eye, Horn Demon had landed, causing the ground to slightly tremble, sinking a large chunk of the earth. The towering demon roared as it stood up, looking dirty but unharmed.

Onlookers found it hard to see what was happening, but Tasha saw clearly. The thorn indeed stabbed into Horn Demon, but its thick skin remained unbroken. The sturdy thornwood, under the influence of gravity, tilted, bent, and broke, as if a toothpick had been snapped by a falling rock.

Horn Demon with the iron chain in hand stood up, shook its head, and took a few steps, no longer affected by the fall. Unfortunately, a ranger was too close; the middle-aged forest patroller lost balance in the previous shock, fell to the ground, and before he could get up, the iron chain rained down on him.

Death toll: one person.

The ominous crack did not cease.

An ugly skull emerged, not very large horns, followed closely by a bulky body. The body was disproportionate to the head, with fat trembling at every movement, as if it might fall off with a few more steps. The large Ogre, once referred to as a fatty, a ghoul, or an Ogre.

The big Little Devil is weaker than the Horn Demon, so they burrow out much faster than the Horn Demon.

A group of Ogres are falling.

Boom! Crack! The sounds of falling and breaking trees filled the air. The Little Devils lost their wings in their evolution, but their bodies became much stronger. Their skin, which used to be as strong as regular leather, now had a magic effect similar to petrified skin. The needle forest that used to skewer them like kebabs seemed to have been struck by hail, destroyed within minutes.

The Arborist Druid made a quick decision to stop repairing the needle forest. Thick vines grew on the ground, iron thorns blocked off paths, entangling the demons and buying time for the people around them.

The Rangers were rapidly retreating. Most professional Rangers relied on agility, and these tough-skinned monsters were not favorable opponents for them. The nearby garrison was retreating as well. Dealing with Little Devils was one thing, but facing new enemies transformed this place into an unconventional battleground. The backup plan was put into action, with the old army swapping out for a new one.

When the last vine blocking the way was torn apart, the Horn Demon faced a charging warrior.

A towering warrior led the charge. He was muscular, in his prime, and interestingly, had a pair of horns – Orc Warrior Xavier, the nephew of Orc leader Terence, who had finally fulfilled his dream after many years to become a top warrior. His broad battleaxe swung down directly towards the Horn Demon’s chest.

Clang!

The clashing of metal suddenly echoed as iron chains blocked the warrior’s axe. The Horn Demon grinned evilly, coiled the chain around the axe and abruptly yanked it toward itself. The axe flew directly out of the warrior’s hand, causing the Horn Demon to stumble backwards, surprised at how easily it had disarmed its opponent.

Xavier let go decisively, he did not want to wrestle with the demon. The Orc Warrior pulled out two axes from his waist and spun around, creating a whirlwind of axe shadows. Xavier turned into a deadly spinning top, harshly crashing into the Horn Demon while it was off balance.

Xavier was not alone.

The team of professional warriors charged forward like charging warhorses against wolves. The Shamans stayed behind, their flag now glowing with a golden light, casting a spell called "Ancestor Spirit Blessing" over the warriors, boosting their courage, anger, and endurance. The sky was brightening, the interfering rain was stopping. Chants echoed from the hill, another Druid stood atop manipulating the weather, dispersing the dark clouds and restoring visibility rapidly, Aryan’s defenders would no longer be affected by the weather.

On the ground, clashes erupted as Aryan’s defenders engaged the demons in close combat.

The large Little Devils looked clumsy and slow but surprisingly had fast attack speeds, like hippos charging. Ogres held bone clubs, wooden clubs, and wolf-tooth clubs in their hands, a full hit from these large blunt weapons could temporarily immobilize a warrior – a fatal blow when facing the large Little Devils. Aryan’s defenders retaliated with charges, heavy strikes, jumps… these combat skills amplified by extraordinary warrior power, becoming faster, fiercer, and stronger under the Shamans’ encouragement. With the right timing, they could tear through the demons’ tough skin and thick fat.

The melee combat between demons and warriors was simple, primal, and brutal, a collision of power against power. Swords, spears, and battle axes against iron chains and wolf-tooth clubs often resulted in casualties within moments.

A unfortunate warrior fell to the ground, his enemy pounced on him, blood and intestines spilling out.

A berserker of giant blood faced off against a large Little Devil, roaring in hot fury, she cleaved the demon from head to chest with a single blow.

An Ogre’s wolf-tooth club tangled with a warrior’s weapon, both weapons dropped during the struggle, the Ogre’s massive palm swatted towards the warrior, knocking off the human’s head in one strike.

The archer ran and shot arrows, cooperating with the soldiers to help their friends win or survive. The druid’s vines swiftly rescued the injured from the battlefield.

The once clean battlefield was now covered in blood within minutes.

Even the sky was not idle.

The crack continued to spew out demons one after another, including Horn Demon, large Little Devils, and other strange faces.

There was a kind of demon with a more human-like yet unsettling face, walking the line between ugly monster and enchanting beauty. It had eagle-like claws and lower body, a human-like feathery torso, and a head of hair. Tasha had seen a modified version of it in the Ancient Mage Tower. The Obituary Birds flew out with developed wings, agile bodies, and sharp claws.

A demon that looked like it was carved from stone reminded Tasha of the gargoyles on the church. Its heavy stone body could actually fly, with stone bat-like wings capable of knocking down roofs. Its stone body itself was a weapon, known as the stone demon, heavy like a flying war hammer. This could be considered a failed evolution of demons, with the stone demon being the pinnacle of this branch, unlikely to get stronger. Nevertheless, at this stage, their strength was formidable, ranking among the top.

The Griffon Legion scattered in the explosion, many injured and unable to return to the battlefield temporarily. The air force took over.

Groups of drones flew in the sky, some crushed by demons upon approach, while others were successful. One type of drone released electric currents, forming small cages in the air to trap Obituary Birds. Stone demons had strong resistance to electricity, and another drone specialized in hitting their stone bodies.

Inside the self-destructing drones, were filled with magical bombs, their mission to find enemies and crash into them, boom! Stone demons had incredibly tough bodies, hard to penetrate, even a few self-destructing drones would struggle to make an impact, but they were also fragile. If their wings were successfully severed, falling stone demons would shatter on the ground.

The demon army in the sky is getting ready, and drones are trying to keep the flying monsters restricted in one area, preventing them from spreading out or diving. But the drones are not able to defeat the enemies effectively, and they are getting worn out quickly. Soon, the drones lose their numbers advantage, and then they struggle to hold back the demons.

The Dragon Knights’ army arrived at the battlefield just before.