Episode 632
Screeeeech!
Thousands, no, tens of thousands of monstrous creatures from beyond let out a cacophony of shrieks as they emerged above the skies of Atlas.
The citizens of Atlas, along with the knights and soldiers defending the city, watched in despair as the sky turned black with the swarm of beasts.
“Oh, dear God…”
“Why have you forsaken us…?”
Laments echoed throughout the city.
Kali, standing atop the city walls, was no exception to the collective sigh of despair. But she couldn’t afford to wallow in it. She shouted towards the mages.
“Activate the aerial magic circle immediately!”
At her command, the mages infused the crystal orbs embedded in the defensive walls with their magic, triggering the activation of the aerial magic circle.
Vroooom!
A translucent barrier enveloped the entirety of Atlas.
Simultaneously, the cannons mounted on the walls aimed skyward, ready to fire.
“Fire!” Kali ordered the mages.
Vroooom!
The magic cannons, charged with energy, launched their attacks at the airborne beasts.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The concentrated magic blasts shattered the creatures into pieces.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The remains and viscous fluids of the beasts rained down on the barrier.
Crackle!
Electric currents danced across the barrier, incinerating the debris and fluids.
The problem was the sheer volume of debris falling onto the barrier.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The fragments of the slain beasts pelted the barrier like a hailstorm.
Crackle!
Electricity crackled as it burned away the debris.
One of the mages managing the barrier shouted, sweat pouring down his face.
“There are too many falling fragments! The barrier won’t hold at this rate!”
At that moment, a massive explosion sent a shower of debris crashing into the barrier, creating a crack.
Crackle—
Sensing the weakness, the beasts instinctively swarmed towards the crack.
Seeing this, Kali shouted again.
“Barbarian unit!”
At her call, the waiting barbarians lined up on the wall, spears in hand.
They took aim at the approaching beasts.
“Throw!”
At the command, the barbarians hurled their spears with all their might.
Whoosh!
The spears, propelled by the barbarians’ immense strength, flew like cannonballs towards the beasts.
Dozens of spears pierced through the barrier, striking the creatures swarming the crack.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The spearheads, equipped with magic explosives, detonated upon impact.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The explosion sent fragments of the beasts flying, causing a chain reaction of destruction.
Yet, despite their efforts, the number of airborne beasts barely diminished.
Kali drew her sword and addressed the knights.
“If the barrier falls and the beasts descend, we fight to the death.”
The knights beside her, members of the Silver Knights, steeled themselves with determination.
The main forces of Draker’s knights were away on other missions, leaving Atlas vulnerable.
Kali had been holding the line with the Silver Knights and the remaining Draker knights.
The knights knew this battle might be their last.
The Silver Knights removed their helmets and bowed to Kali, then raised their swords with grim resolve, glaring at the beasts attacking the barrier.
The barbarians launched more spears, but the overwhelming numbers were relentless.
Then, a new sound echoed.
Rooooar!
From the black void, more beasts emerged, including one so massive it seemed like a whale in the sky.
Screeeech!
The colossal creature’s surface bristled with spikes, which soon opened into gaping mouths, releasing swarms of bat-like beasts.
Screeeeech!
The smaller creatures spread out, crashing into the barrier.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted as the barrier cracked further.
Kali watched the barrier weaken, clenching her sword tightly.
“Has God truly abandoned Atlas?”
Despair threatened to overtake her, but she steadied her resolve, calming her breath.
More of the smaller beasts attacked, widening the cracks.
Soon, the waiting beasts, with their grotesque teeth and flapping wings, charged the barrier.
Screeeech!
The direct assault accelerated the barrier’s collapse.
Despite the magic cannons, spears, and aerial magic, the sheer number of beasts was overwhelming.
Finally, a section of the barrier shattered.
Crack—
With a sharp sound, part of the barrier broke like glass.
Screeeech!
The beasts breached the barrier, entering the skies above Atlas.
The Draker magic unit, prepared for this moment, unleashed their grand spell.
“Activate!”
Vroooom!
A massive magic circle in Atlas’s plaza activated, launching thousands of arrows of light into the sky.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The arrows pierced the invading beasts, tearing their wings and sending them crashing into the city.
Boom!
The waiting knights and soldiers rushed towards the fallen beasts.
Swish!
Using nets provided by Nemesis, the soldiers ensnared the beasts, allowing the knights to decapitate them with their swords.
Slash!
The aura-infused blades severed the beasts’ heads, dropping them to the ground.
For ordinary beasts, this would suffice.
But these creatures from beyond could regenerate, even from shattered remains.
Screeeech!
Despite being beheaded, the beasts thrashed to escape the nets, their bodies splitting open to release tentacles.
Swish!
The tentacles ensnared the soldiers, draining their fluids.
“Aaaagh!”
The soldiers screamed in agony, and the knights quickly severed the tentacles with their aura blades.
Slash!
Even when cut, the beasts regenerated, forcing the knights to retreat with the injured soldiers.
The knights called out to the archers.
“Archers!”
The waiting archers fired their crossbows at the approaching beasts.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The arrows struck the beasts, and the magic charges on the arrowheads exploded.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions scattered the beasts’ bodies.
Volunteers from the city doused the remains with oil and set them ablaze.
Sizzle!
Though it couldn’t stop the regeneration completely, it bought them time.
Throughout the city, knights, soldiers, and citizens worked together to fend off the fallen beasts.
But the onslaught was too much to handle.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Beasts that breached the barrier flew towards the walls, attempting to bring them down.
Kali and the Silver Knights raised their swords high, shouting.
“For Atlas!”
“For the honor of the Silver!”
Their swords glowed with aura blades.
Kali led the charge, unleashing a powerful dragon-slaying technique at the incoming beasts.
Boom!
Her strike shattered dozens of beasts in an instant, sending them plummeting below.
Slash!
The Silver Knights swung their aura-infused swords, preventing the beasts from reaching the walls.
At the forefront, Kali scaled the wall, leaping into the air to strike the beasts with a battle cry.
“Haaah!”
Like a giant wielding a sword, she crushed hundreds of beasts in one blow, sending them crashing down.
Kali twisted in mid-air, swinging her sword at the beasts charging towards her.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The monstrous beasts were flung back like swatted flies, crushed under the force of Kali’s powerful sword strikes.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Kali stood resolute, defending the wall with unwavering determination. Her steadfastness inspired the knights of the White Order, who rallied at the sight of her bravery.
“Follow our leader!”
They charged at the beasts, not just as knights but as guardians of Atlas, swinging their swords with reckless abandon, sacrificing themselves in the process.
Thud, thud, thud!
Before long, the ground beneath the fortress was piled high with the mangled remains of the beasts. Realizing that Kali was the source of their downfall, the creatures hesitated, retreating momentarily. They knew that a reckless charge would only lead to their own dismemberment by her blade.
And then it happened.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
A massive beast hovering above began to move, slowly descending toward Atlas’s protective barrier.
Crash!
The weighty creature collided with the barrier, sending powerful currents of energy crackling through the air. The mages managing the barrier felt the surge of magic backfire and cried out in alarm.
“The barrier can’t hold much longer!”
The control crystals managing the barrier glowed red-hot, emitting smoke.
Crackle!
The backfiring magic lashed out at the mages, who barely managed to escape before the control system exploded.
Screech—
Simultaneously, the barrier protecting the skies over Atlas dissipated.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
With the barrier down, the massive beast unleashed a swarm of grotesque, insect-like creatures from within its body.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
These creatures, armed with venomous stingers and numerous legs, descended in a dark cloud toward Atlas. The mages gritted their teeth, focusing their magic.
“Fire!”
Magic cannons roared, and arrows of light shot forth from grand magic circles, striking the insect-like beasts. Though many were reduced to ash, their numbers were overwhelming.
Chitter, chitter, chitter—
The creatures spread throughout Atlas, targeting the weaker citizens. Knights and soldiers scattered across the city rushed to protect the people, but they were vastly outnumbered.
At that moment, figures clad in black emerged from the alleys of Atlas.
Slash!
The assassins of Nemesis revealed themselves, cutting down the beasts attacking the citizens. Instead of fleeing, Boris signaled to Shadia and the assassins to defend the city against the invaders.
Simultaneously, Boris led Nemesis’s operatives to the rooftops of Atlas’s skyscrapers, where they installed new equipment. It was a massive cylindrical device, and once set up, Boris signaled the waiting members of Six.
“Activate it!”
With his command, the cylinder began to emit a powerful vibration.
Wooooooom!
The vibrations from the cylinders installed across the rooftops resonated with each other, amplifying the effect. As the vibrations spread, the insect-like beasts lost their strength and plummeted to the ground.
The external beasts were unpredictable, making them difficult to counter, but they had discovered that these vibrations were effective against the insect-like ones, prompting the hasty installation of the equipment.
Thud, thud, thud!
People, who had hesitated, now poured oil over the fallen beasts and set them ablaze. Thanks to Nemesis’s intervention, the immediate threat was quelled.
But then, a change occurred in the massive beast hovering above.
Crack, crack, crack!
The back of the whale-like creature split open, revealing a giant cocoon inside, pulsing like a heart. It was none other than the cocoon housing the angel, the sentinel of the apocalypse.