Chapter 543.2: The Fallens (2)
Chapter 543.2: The Fallens (2)
As a worrywart whose philosophy was to always prepare for the worst-case scenario, Roel wasn’t caught with his pants down even though the enemy was stronger than expected. He turned his gaze to the worried young woman beside him and flashed her a reassuring smile.
“It’s about time for me to go now, Alicia.”
“Lord Brother…”
“Don’t worry. The enemy came prepared, but I won’t be beaten down that easily. The fastest reinforcements should arrive by tomorrow. Till then, I’ll be counting on you to protect Ascart City.”
“…Mm. I understand.” Alicia bit her lips and solemnly nodded.
She knew that she couldn’t act willful here, especially since she knew that Ascart City was not safe yet. Even though the city was under the protection of a fortress barrier, it wouldn’t last long against behemoths like the Three-legged Dracocrow.
After confirming their responsibilities, Roel bolted out of the fortress barrier as fast as he could to put some distance between him and Ascart City. Following that, he unleashed Peytra’s dark yellow mana, exerting the authority of the first generation Queen of Saint Beasts.
The aura alarmed the Three-legged Dracocrow, who released a piercing screech and flapped its wings in unease.
However, Roel paid it no heed and continued rushing off.
With Peytra’s help, he was able to charge full speed ahead without worrying about obstacles. Any terrain that hindered him was swiftly flattened, and boulders were levitated from the earth to obscure his location. Thanks to that, he was able to advance smoothly.
At the same time, he began to release a massive gush of frost aura.
From the city, Cynthia and the others frowned when they noticed the white fog enveloping Roel’s body. Having witnessed with their own eyes how the frost aura ignored enemies’ defenses to encase them in eternal ice, they were familiar with how powerful Glacial Touch was.
However, they were also aware of the spell’s fatal flaw—distance.
Existing in the form of a fog, Glacial Touch’s frost aura struggled to reach faraway targets, especially those who were able to freely maneuver in the sky. It was a bad match for the aerial enemies they were up against. It didn’t seem like a wise move on Roel’s part.
On the other hand, Roel stared at the enemies in the sky with glimmering eyes. He was also aware that his frost aura was unlikely to reach his enemy, but he still chose to unleash it in order to attract the attention of his enemies and force them to make a decision.
He hadn’t expected the Three-legged Dracocrow to appear here. If the gargantuan monster chose to target Ascart City, the fortress barrier wouldn’t be able to keep it out for long. In order to protect his citizens, he had to draw its aggression and lure it away.
The animosity between the Savior and the Mother Goddess cascaded to their subordinates, so the Fallens viewed the Six Calamities with utmost hatred. It was to the extent that the Fallens instinctively bared their teeth upon sensing the Six Calamities’ aura.
Provoked by the aura from the Crown’s Stones, the Three-legged Dracocrow let out a deafening screech, and the Wingman Sovereign released a wave of terrifying mana. The dark sky slowly began to twirl, stirring a storm.
The real battle was finally beginning.
…
The first to make a move after Roel lit the fuse of war was not the gargantuan Three-legged Dracocrow, the decrepit Wingman Sovereign, nor the specter-like clergyman. Rather, it was the crying flock of Death Crows that had been circling around the sky for some time now.
Their target was Ascart City, which had souls aplenty.
Despite the huge cacophony that these low-tier monsters were making, none of them were bold enough to challenge Roel. Their low intelligence only made them truer to their instincts, which prompted them to prioritize the assault on Ascart City over Roel.
Amidst the pained cries of countless lifeforms, a dark cloud consisting of thousands of pitch-black Death Crows plummeted from the sky and charged straight toward the fortress barrier, stabbing their beaks into it like javelins.
In response, Alicia conjured beautiful white birds that circled merrily around her. She raised her hand, and these white birds charged toward the sky. Despite their docile appearances, as soon as they left the fortress barrier, these white birds swelled up and unleashed devastating spells that obliterated everything in their vicinity.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The deafening explosions that ensued could be clearly heard from every street and alley. The bluish-white fortress barrier also shuddered under the shockwave. The Death Crows suffered heavy casualties under this bombardment, their blood and flesh dyeing the surroundings red.
Yet, the surviving Death Crows displayed no fear despite the deaths of their brethren. Instead, they fought one another over possession of their souls, and the victors walked away with a significant boost in strength.
Alicia’s complexion turned awful upon seeing that sight.
Meanwhile, some of the stronger Death Crows successfully breached the fortress barrier’s defense to infiltrate the city. This was to be expected, as something on the scale of Ascart City’s fortress barrier was bound to have weaknesses too.
Just because the Death Crows infiltrated the fortress barrier didn’t mean that they could act as they pleased, for a mysterious mana pulsation immediately layered multiple restriction spells on them. Some plummeted straight to the ground, making them easy targets for the soldiers. The stronger ones were left to Cynthia, Woode, and the others to deal with.
But as more Death Crows breached the fortress barrier, the effectiveness of the restriction spells weakened. Before long, the Death Crows began making a comeback, causing a spike in human casualties.
Meanwhile, Roel began his confrontation with the Wingman Sovereign.
Under the Wingman Sovereign’s channeling, what started out as a twirl of wind brewed into a devastating hurricane that descended upon Roel like a divine spear. In response, Roel furiously gathered his mana to form a massive shield of ice in front of him.
He then released a gush of crimson mana that swiftly manifested into a skeleton giant. A mere second after the skeleton giant picked up the shield of ice, the devastating hurricane crashed right into it.
Boom!
An explosion followed, but it was on a different scale from the ones produced by Alicia. A terrifying shockwave swept across the surroundings, obliterating everything in the vicinity. The ground under Roel swiftly disintegrated, but even so, the blush-white shield of ice remained unimpaired.
Grandar firmly held against the attack that had an unimaginable amount of mana poured into it, but he wasn’t content with just defending himself from the attack. As the impact from the first attack started to die down, the Giant Sovereign released an enraged howl, and his body started to crackle with crimson lightning.
Grandar thrust his crimson fist upward like a rising dragon. With his sheer strength, he pushed back the descending hurricane and dissipated it altogether. The remnant of his might shot straight to the sky, piercing a hole through the dark clouds.
Even the Wingman Sovereign had no choice but to evade such overwhelming might, though it angrily screeched against the humiliation.
On the other hand, the gargantuan Three-legged Dracocrow saw an opening and rapidly descended from the sky to strike Grandar with its sharp talons. It was a wise move, for Grandar had just used up the momentum of his previous punch and had not recovered yet.
This should have been a cause for panic, but Roel remained perfectly calm.
“Isn’t it time for you to make an appearance?”
“I should, shouldn’t I?”
A massive silhouette suddenly shot out from the nearby lush forest and raised its palm to deflect the massive talon. Following that, it released countless vines to tightly bind the enemy.
“How long has it been since I last stretched this old trunk of mine? I should nourish myself with some alcohol once this battle is over,” the treant said with a smile on its wrinkled face.