682
Chapter 682
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The enhanced monsters of the Abandoned Continent were trying to break through the barrier by ramming their bodies against it.
Seeing this, Elizabeth spoke to Anastasia who had collapsed behind her.
"This is no time to be lying down! Quickly summon your forces to the fortress to stop these monsters!"
With a dying expression, Anastasia responded.
"Damn... I don't even have the strength to move a finger, let alone summon anything..."
As she muttered weakly, Anastasia suddenly sensed an ominous presence behind her.
'No, it couldn't be?'
Asmodeus, who had appeared behind Anastasia, held his face with an expressionless look.
Anastasia's face turned pale as she screamed.
"N-No!"
STAB!
With a sharp sound, Asmodeus's nails dug into her head.
While restraining Anastasia who was trying to break free, Asmodeus forcefully injected the Unrelenting Passion into her mind.
TSSSSSS!
As the Unrelenting Passion was injected into her head, Anastasia let out a piercing scream from the pain that felt like her brain was melting.
"AAAAARGH!"
However, separate from the pain, she could feel her depleted magical and mental energy being replenished.
This was the terrifying aspect of Asmodeus's power, ‘The Unrelenting Passion’.
No matter how exhausted or near death someone was, they would always regain the strength to move.
After judging that she had recovered enough, Asmodeus pulled her nails out of Anastasia's head and slowly spoke.
"Stop talking and summon your subordinates to stop these monster bastards."
Anastasia could simultaneously feel the near death pain and the power boiling up in her body.
"NNNNGH!"
Amidst these conflicting sensations, Anastasia raised her hand and activated the fortress's power.
Magic circles appeared throughout the fortress.
Her subordinates from the demon realm began to appear above these magic circles.
TSSSSSS!
Anastasia's subordinates, momentarily disoriented without knowing why they were summoned, looked around in confusion for a moment.
Then Anastasia’s command echoed in their minds.
【My subordinates. Remove these filthy beasts trying to invade our territory.】
At her words, the subordinates' eyes changed as they quickly identified the enemy and glared at the monsters trying to break through the barrier.
The demons raised their weapons and jumped down from the fortress, rushing toward the barrier.
"Die!"
True to being Anastasia's subordinates, they displayed frenzied looks and actions.
They slashed at the monsters trying to break through the barrier with sharp claws, bit into them with their teeth, and wrapped thick tails around necks to snap them.
Anastasia's subordinates who charged in recklessly and the frenzied monsters clashed with the barrier between them.
Asmodeus watched Anastasia's subordinates with a satisfied expression.
"You have quite decent subordinates."
Since Asmodeus, as the master of Gehenna, also had similarly beast like subordinates, they matched his taste perfectly.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Yekaterina behind them shook their heads at Anastasia's unrefined subordinates.
At that moment, Dawn Commander Arataso leading the Shadow Legion and Nebilos leading the Undead Legion appeared from inside the fortress.
Asmodeus addressed Arataso.
[Why do I only see you alone, Dawn Commander, and not the ‘Guide of Fair Pain’?]
Arataso hesitated for a moment before respectfully answering Asmodeus.
[My lord has gone inside the ravine. It will take some time until he returns.]
Although he had suddenly disappeared into the ravine without a word, from Arataso's perspective, he didn't think his master had fallen into any trap.
Believing he would return after exploring the ravine, Arataso had decided it would be better to guard the fortress.
Asmodeus also accepted Arataso's words as is, thinking that even among the Celestial Constellations, those who could match Zeke Draker were few.
He surveyed the battlefield to give new orders to Arataso.
Being subordinate to Zeke meant he had no choice but to faithfully follow his orders.
That is, to protect this fortress.
At that moment, something could be seen pouring out from the warships.
SCREECH!
The Apollion Knights riding wyvern-like flying dragons emerged from the warships and were charging in.
Upon confirming this, Asmodeus immediately said to Arataso.
[Dawn Commander, take charge of the air. I will cover the rear.]
Arataso nodded and flew into the air leading the Shadow Legion.
Seeing this, Asmodeus gave orders to Nebilos.
[Nebilos, lead the Undead Legion with the fortress's subordinates to stop the monsters.]
Nebilos nodded at the command of Asmodeus, who held command authority here in place of Zeke.
He immediately led the Undead Legion towards the opposite side of Anastasia's subordinates.
After moving some distance, he waved his bone staff at the monsters trying to break through the barrier, summoning abyssal magic.
RUMBLE!
Massive piles of bones emerged in front and behind the barrier.
The Undead Legion then deployed there and thrust bone spears at the approaching monsters.
STAB!
Monsters hit by bone spears retreated only to be impaled on the bone piles.
SCREECH!
As the monsters died in agony, Nebilos waved his bone staff again.
The corpses of the dead monsters rose again as undead and charged at other monsters.
GROWL!
The immortal legion that wouldn't die even when killed could turn enemy corpses into allies, making it impossible for monsters to easily cross the barrier.
When the defense stabilized somewhat, Asmodeus looked up at the sky.
Unlike on the ground, Arataso's Shadow Legion was being pushed back by the Apollion Knights riding flying dragons.
WHOOSH!
The Apollion Knights atop the flying dragons were unleashing Elemental Swords at full force against the Shadow Legion.
Wind blades created from wind force fields tore through the shadow knights' bodies.
Some among them used fighting spirit to block the shadows' movements.
But most concerning was that their movements became more precise as time passed.
SCREECH!
The Apollion Knights could share battle experience with each other, making their growth unmatched.
Though they were many, they could move as naturally as one.
Arataso, engaging the Apollion Knights from the front while circling through the air, also realized their forces were gradually being pushed back.
'The Shadow Legion is at a disadvantage in aerial combat compared to the Dawn Battalion.'
While his original subordinates could have held them off sufficiently, the shadow spirits were inadequate.
SCREECH!
The Apollion Knights, having grown stronger by sharing combat experience, skillfully maneuvered their flying dragons and swung their swords more sharply at Arataso.
SWOOSH!
A sword strike mixed with wind and aura grazed Arataso's body.
As Arataso retreated, he changed his sword into a spear form and swung it.
As intended, the spear blade pierced one knight's shoulder.
CRACK!
The knight struck by Arataso's spear retreated with a critical shoulder wound.
But something amazing happened.
TSSSSS!
The wound inflicted by Arataso healed instantly.
Arataso's eyes flashed seeing this.
'A human knight with self-healing?'
As far as Arataso knew, only Zeke had such ability among humans, so he couldn't help but be surprised by their capabilities.
Insane growth, unbelievable recovery, and powerful swordsmanship.
Even Arataso, who had led knights in the demon realm for a long time, had never seen a knight order with such abilities.
'And my lord faced these beings alone?'
Arataso felt anew how incredible Zeke's power was.
Arataso's fighting spirit boiled and he swung his sword more sharply than before, while the Apollion Knights responded by pressing the Shadow Legion even harder.
The fortress fired magic bullets to check them, but it was useless as the warships' barrier defended against them.
As the battle continued and Arataso's forces were gradually being pushed back,until suddenly….
RUMBLE!
Something could be felt approaching from far across the sky.
Arataso's eyes snapped open at the familiar sensation.
'This feeling...'
What appeared was none other than Asmodius's Skeleton Corps, the second battalion of Morningstar.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Asmodius, wearing bone armor, could be seen leading his Skeleton knights charging not at the Apollion Knights but at their warships.
The Apollion Knights on flying dragons stopped their advance and changed direction when they saw the new force approaching their warships.
At that moment, other knights appeared behind the Skeleton Corps.
They were the Dawn Battalion knights, Arataso's subordinates.
"Ha! My comrades!"
The Dawn Battalion knights who had vanished long ago when Babel disappeared were charging toward Arataso.
They had been recreated through the Arrogant Savior's power that Zeke had inherited.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Soon after, the Dawn Battalion knights joined the battle.
When they joined, Arataso showed completely different movements from before.
They displayed natural movements as if they had become one like the Apollion Knights.
"Strike them down!"
Arataso and the Dawn Battalion targeted the Apollion Knights who had turned to protect their warships.
Unlike before, moving as one body, the Apollion Knights showed confusion at the attacks coming from behind.
It was clearly different from earlier when they had pushed back the Shadow Legion.
Meanwhile, the Apollion warships began firing shells at the approaching Skeleton Corps.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Compressed magic shells rained down on the White Bone Corps.
But Asmodius's knights continued advancing, deflecting incoming shells with bone shields.
For the Skeleton Corps, who had fought the harshest battles in the demon realm, this was nothing.
When they got close enough to the warships, Asmodius pulled out a bone from his shoulder.
The bone grew and transformed into a massive spear.
He threw the bone spear at the frontmost warship.
CRASH!
Asmodius's spinning bone spear pierced through the warship's barrier and embedded in the hull.
CRACK!
The embedded bone spear took root, and sharp bone blades began growing throughout.
Facing this sudden strong counterattack, the warships changed formation.
The Apollion Knights, leaving some behind with the Dawn Battalion, charged at Asmodius.
Asmodius roughly swung bone spears in both hands.
WHOOSH!
Though not refined technique, the bone spears imbued with concentrated fighting spirit held threatening power.
Several unprepared Apollion Knights were struck and fell from their dragons.
But suddenly, something ominous flew quickly from the warships toward the White Bone Corps.
RUMBLE!
A knight in black armor emanating an ominous aura and wielding a crimson sword emerged and swung at Asmodius.
BOOM!
Asmodius created a bone shield against the powerful sword strike.
Unexpectedly, Asmodius's bones, harder than any metal, crumbled to dust.
CRASH!
The shockwave even cracked his bone armor and helmet.
As other Skeleton Corps knights tried to protect the exposed Asmodius, the knight swung his crimson sword at them.
SLICE!
The Skeleton Corps knights were cut in half without resistance and disappeared.
Just then, someone stepped in front of Asmodius.
"Enough, Asmodius. I'll handle this one."
TSSSSS!
Zeke emerged from the shadows, pointing Leviathan at the black-armored knight.
"Rivein, false new humanity. Come. This time I'll make sure to annihilate you completely."