Volume 2 chapter 89
The smoke gradually cleared. The Alliance retreated. Talisk Fortress had held once again.
Without the threat of Ninth-Rank charges, even though the War Behemoths pushed to within twenty kilometers, they were eventually repelled. The casualties were simply too high!
At twenty kilometers, Super-Charged 460mm Armor-Piercing shells were sufficient to penetrate the Behemoths' defensive arrays. Within fifteen kilometers, standard charges were enough.
Moreover, at fifteen kilometers, the Super-Charged shells of Small Fortress Cannons could also penetrate the Behemoths, while the Behemoths' rays still couldn't breach the fortress's layered defenses.
The density of incoming fire spiked instantly. The Alliance's interception systems were overwhelmed, and the number of destroyed Behemoths skyrocketed.
After losing over forty units, the Alliance had no choice but to retreat. If they continued, they might not breach the fortress, but they would certainly be annihilated.
Abandoning another dozen disabled Behemoths, the Alliance withdrew in a rather sorry state. Yet, Seraphina, the defender of the fortress, couldn't smile.
"One-third of the Large Fortress Cannon barrels are eroded and deformed, requiring immediate replacement. Continued use risks catastrophic failure! Another third are severely worn, with drastically reduced accuracy, requiring liner replacement. The remaining third show varying degrees of wear."
Kane reported the grim statistics.
"One Small Fortress Cannon suffered a magazine detonation. The investigation is ongoing, but initial findings suggest mana erosion of the breech block caused a seal failure, leading to the explosion."
"Check the remaining guns carefully. Replace liners immediately where needed! Tally up the ones to be scrapped; I'll report to the rear!" Seraphina sighed.
"Additionally, Commander!" Kane continued. "Our ammunition is running low! Each Large Fortress Cannon has less than a thousand rounds in reserve!"
"Understood... I'll report it. You may go now!" Seraphina dismissed him wearily.
"Yes! Take care!"
Kane retreated, leaving Seraphina alone. She gazed into the distance at the mana vortex that still swirled relentlessly, whispering with concern, "Come back soon... Your Majesty..."
...
Over a hundred kilometers southeast of Talisk Fortress, in the sky.
A mana vortex over ten kilometers in diameter rotated violently. Terrifying mana tore at the earth for dozens of kilometers around.
Space was shattered completely, presenting a twisted, incomprehensible picture—like an abstract master's drunken scrawl.
Occasionally, terrifying figures flashed through the distortion. Thunder fell from the firmament; heavenly fire was born from the void.
BOOM!!
Clyris swept her sword horizontally, knocking two Knights flying. But she didn't pursue. Instead, she stopped and declared: "I'll let you off today! I'm done playing!"
With that, she slashed downward with her sword—
Gravity, condensed to the extreme, erupted. It transformed into a Black Abyss that devoured all light, blocking the attacks of the others. Then, she turned and ran.
By the time the Black Abyss was shattered, Clyris was already several kilometers away.
"Not pursuing?"
The Elven Grand Mage looked at the others. This distance wasn't far for a Ninth-Ranker; she was still within attack range. A pursuit now had a high chance of catching her.
"Forget it..."
A Grand Magister looked at the Demon Lord's retreating back and shook his head wearily. "Even if we catch up, so what? We can't kill her alone! Retreat. Wait for the others to arrive!"
"She can run, but the fortress can't!" Another Grand Magister looked coldly at the distant Talisk Fortress. "Confirming she is here is enough! Once the others arrive, either she dies, or the fortress falls!"
"Cough, cough... She's gotten stronger again..." The two Archbishops flew up. One, heavily injured, spoke weakly. "Several times, I almost thought I was facing His Holiness the Pope! Her application and development of Authorities... is almost Saint-level!"
"Indeed..." The other Archbishop agreed. "But strangely... she still has no Domain! We should be thankful she doesn't. Otherwise, we would all be dead today!"
"That is not good news!" The first Grand Magister frowned. "This means once the Demon Lord breaks through to Saint, she might skip the initial stage of domain control entirely and become a Veteran Saint immediately! It will allow her to reach the peak of Sainthood much faster!"
Ninth Rank and Saint Rank operated differently from the ranks below. Mastering Authorities and Domains did not increase mana capacity.
From First to Eighth Rank, a veteran's mana pool was typically 0.5 to 2 times larger than a novice's. A peak expert would have double the mana of a veteran. A limit-breaker would have 0.5 times more than a peak expert.
But at Ninth Rank and Saint Rank, the focus shifted to Control and Development.
Given the same number of Authorities or Domains, a novice and a veteran possessed the same amount of mana. Only upon reaching the Peak would mana capacity double. The Limit would double that again.
Although at this level, mana capacity didn't drastically affect combat power (a novice Ninth-Rank could fight a peak Ninth-Rank for a long time before losing due to exhaustion), only a Limit-Breaker could swiftly defeat a novice by using their quadruple mana pool to overwhelm them with endless attacks.
"This... Should we pursue?" The Elven Grand Mage worried again after hearing this analysis.
"Forget it. We can't catch her now anyway!" The Grand Magister shook his head. In just this minute of conversation, the Demon Lord had already fled over twenty kilometers away.
"Sigh... Let's go back!"
___________________
The Wall of Holy Light.
Eight figures stood atop the massive wall, looking down.
"This is truly... exaggerated!"
Theia, the Elven Empress, sighed as she looked at the Demon Tide below.
Under the Wall of Holy Light, a black, suffocating tide of demons surged forward. This wasn't a metaphor—it was a literal description.
Countless demons were packed so tightly that not a breath of wind could pass between them. They crashed against the Wall like black waves. The sheer pressure radiating from the Wall crushed the front ranks into bloody paste instantly.
Yet, despite this, the demons continued to rush forward, wave after wave, seemingly endless.
Every second, tens of thousands of demons died. Yet more appeared, continuing the suicidal charge.
Using a road paved with mountains of corpses and seas of blood, they were inching closer to the Wall. They were now within 50 kilometers!
"This is far crazier than the demons in the Northwest... Do they have no reason?" Brand raised an eyebrow, looking at the automated slaughterhouse below.
"Although it looks mad, I fear they are rational..." William frowned. "Most of these are mid-rank demons. Magical beasts at this level possess intelligence comparable to a teenager! There's no reason for demons to be dumber."
"But they don't look rational at all..." Brand puzzled.
"Unless... there is a more terrifying existence behind them, forcing them to die!" Curtis said, his gaze piercing into the depths of the Abyss.
"To force such a quantity of mid-rank demons... The Abyss seems scarier than we thought!" Brand frowned as well.
"This is why I asked you all to come look!" Melton said. "Now, we must decide!"
"Do we continue attacking the Northwest Demons? Or defend against the Abyssal Demons?"
"This question..." Wade frowned. "We are already attacking the Northwest! We can't give up halfway! I believe we should eliminate the Northwest Demons as quickly as possible, then turn the army to defend here!"
"I agree!" Curtis nodded.
"What does Her Majesty the Empress think?" Melton looked at Theia.
"Well... our forces shouldn't be dispersed right now. It is more important to eliminate the Northwest Demons first. This place shouldn't be breached that quickly!" Theia said.
"Is that so?" Melton's expression remained unchanged. "But the Silver Moon Empire hasn't exerted its full strength yet, has it? The nations are on their second round of conscription, yet High Priest Weiss is still within the Empire. That isn't very appropriate, is it?"
"Fine... That is my fault!" Theia's expression stiffened. "Before, I thought the Demon Lord was nothing special, so I didn't have Weiss accompany us. Now I understand the threat. I will notify Weiss to come immediately!"
"It is good that the Empress understands reason! We have the Demon Lord threatening us from within and the Abyss eyeing us from without. We cannot hold back on any front! Otherwise, Rodinia is in danger..."
Curtis looked at Theia leisurely, his gaze unreadable.
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