Chapter 926 Creation Domain
Chapter 926 Creation Domain
As the army started marching northwest, the whole world knew about it. Footage of the moving platoons was taken through satellites before being published online, with countless articles predicting the outcome.
No one favored Ascent and its marching army. If a kid were asked which army would win, the one-hundred thousand or the fifty-thousands, they would know the answer. Furthermore, Runera has invested an astronomical number of resources into its Runic Guards.
Each piece of clothing and armor these guards wore was enchanted with runes. None of them had any weak points they could exploit, and their elites even had life-saving runic cards that could count as another life.
Thus, even though the numbers said one-hundred Runic Guard, their estimated strength was that of one-hundred-fifty or even two-hundred thousand strong awakeners. Ascent had a mere fifty thousand disarrayed soldiers gathered in ten days.
With these facts alone, the world considered Arthur Silvera a madman for starting this war. He was not just a madman but a suicidal lunatic who would drag his zealous fans to their graves. Many sent pleas for the fight to stop, including the major guilds worldwide, since any strike Runera suffered would hurt the entire world.
The odds looked slim since the beginning, and the moment the Strongest Titan Guild announced its alliance with Runera, any possibility of their defeat was crushed. Arthur Silvera would lose even if it were just Runera or God's Blade. Since the two were together, he would die without a doubt.
However, despite the pleas and criticism that Arthur Silvera received, he marched forward without a care. His army was in high spirits even after five days of marching, and they reached the middle point between Ilios and Runera.
This middle point was known as Blank Land. Every land that did not have an acting ruler or a name was called Blank Land. Humanity did not have or invest the resources necessary to explore these lands and make them habitable, making them quite an eerie place to visit.
Monsters grew more rampant here since dungeon breaks were common. On their march until this point, Ascent had an easy time because monsters fled at the presence of so many humans and the aura of powerful ones. However, in Blank Land, the monsters did not care.
As soon as the army entered Blank Land, hordes of monsters appeared. Their numbers were in the thousands, and each herd had an Epic-tier monster leading it. It was the army's first real challenge, and its commanders wanted to unify them through this training.
Five divisions split, and each marched in a different direction. They formed a barricade of soldiers that protected the main carriages and the dome floating behind them. Half of these soldiers were a frown. "Is there a reason that you want them to fight?"
"Humans are social creatures, Guild Master. We cannot trust strangers with our lives or believe they resting, while the other half was preparing for the fight.
The first horde foolish enough to attack them was a group of two thousand ogres. These half-giants were as tall as three meters each, and coupled with their numbers, they made a formidable foe.
As the soldiers held their shields and advanced toward the roaring monsters, Arthur landed beside Ilia Perli, who led the command against this horde. The Fifth Commander has now changed into golden and black uniforms with the crest of Ascent.
"Greetings, Guild Master," said Ilia Perli as he saluted with a fist to his chest. Arthur nodded and turned toward the monsters. "I request that you don't get involved in this fight."
"I can wipe them out faster than the soldiers, and this would preserve their energy," said Arthur with a frown. "Is there a reason that you want them to fight?"
"Humans are social creatures, Guild Master. We cannot trust strangers with our lives or believe they would protect our vulnerable backs. These soldiers need to fight together before they can become one army."
"However, the monsters in these lands are numerous," said Arthur with a frown. "If the soldiers fight for too long, their stamina would be depleted."
"I will let them rest by rotating them with the ones in the carriages. You trusted me to lead the fifth division, so I request that you trust me, Guild Master."
"I do trust you, Ilia," said Arthur with a nod. "However, I need to warm up before the big fight. I will take the hordes farther back, and you take the ones rushing towards us."
"As you wish, Guild Master," said Ilia with a nod and watched Arthur teleport away. Then, he turned toward his soldiers, who stood strong against the rushing ogres. "Prepare for battle!"
***
Arthur has not hunted much ever since he evolved to be a deme-ranker, making his increase in stats minimal. His main evolution method has been killing monsters, which was the reason behind his explosive growth.
Blank Land was vast, and its trees were as tall as skyscrapers because no human interfered with them. Furthermore, these lands were rich in mana because no one explored them, so even the grass was a meter high. Arthur teleported toward a tree branch that overlooked the fighting armies and finally felt himself again.
The time he felt like himself instead of who he needed to be was when he was alone, devouring stats left and right. As soon as he appeared in the forest, screeches of monsters echoed through it.
Arthur watched the trees move and sway as if their color was temporary. His smile grew because he had a nostalgic feeling since this monster was one that he had fought before.
As the screeches grew louder around him, the shadows moved and jumped to surround him. Soon, Arthur found himself in a horde of Arcula monsters. These lanky and hairy creatures looked like apes but could hide and blend with the surrounding.
The last time that Arthur fought these monsters was in the first trial of the holy ground. Even during that period of weakness, he managed to kill one Arcula. However, this horde was not as weak as before.
These monsters were the evolved forms of Arculas, called Marcula. Each was as tall as three meters, with limbs extending as far as three. They had extra arms over their shoulders and used spears to fight.
Their glowing red eyes stared at Arthur with bloodlust as drool fell from their mouths. Their sharp teeth parted with a grin at the appearance of 'easy' prey. Arthur, however, shook his head.
"There is something wrong with these monsters if they cannot see the difference in our strengths," said Arthur as he raised his hand, palm facing down. "However, this is perfect for me to try my newest ability."
The monsters roared when Arthur moved his hand, and they all jumped. Their numbers were in the thousands, and each of their four arms held spears—a sphere of monsters formed around Arthur which not even light could seep through.
"Creation Domain," muttered Arthur as a droplet of golden mana leaked from his fingers and fell to the ground. A ripple spread across existence in all directions as soon as it touched the tree branch.
Time seemed to have stopped inside the forest as the ripple of existence traveled in all directions for hundreds of meters. It took an instant, but it lasted for an eternity. A golden sphere appeared inside the forest with Arthur at the center, surrounded by countless monsters.
The golden sphere could be seen from a distance, making the army halt their fighting and look in that direction. As soon as they saw the golden color, they all cheered and advanced to behead the monsters.
As for the horde of Marculas, their instincts told them to flee. However, the golden eyes turned toward them, telling them of the futility of the endeavor. Thus, they all tried to attack Arthur, hoping to rip him apart.
[Arrow]
Arthur used his finger to write the rune before activating it. It exploded and darted toward the nearest monster, striking its heart and ending its life. Then, it traveled to the next, ending its life too.
As the arrow traveled between the monsters and killed them one by one, Arthur raised his other hand to try a different method. His mana exploded from his body and rushed toward the sky before turning into countless spears.
"You can attack me at once, foolish monsters," said Arthur as he stared at the Marculas still rushing toward him, even though their comrades were being shot dead. "However, inside this domain, everything is within my control."
The spears rained down on the monsters, killing them instantly. Their screeches echoed throughout the forest and reached the battle nearby, making the soldiers shiver at the one-sided slaughter. Arthur did not feel pity toward the monsters because that weakness had long since died within him.
The horde was halved in a few seconds, and what remained was halved in a few more. It was not a fight but a massacre. Every monster inside his domain was shot down by his mana, even if Arthur did not aim at them.
The domain was an ability he had recently awakened and needed to experiment with. Given the current fight, Arthur learned of the domain's first function. It could target his enemies and attack them without his direct control.