Chapter 1098: Joining Forces to Kick the Abyssal Demons Out
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1098: Joining Forces to Kick the Abyssal Demons Out
"I didn't expect even the Abyssal Demon Academy to stick its hand into this mess."
Inside the United Club command room, the atmosphere was heavy with discussion regarding the sudden turn of events. Their sighs of amazement were tempered with a sharp edge of caution.
Regarding the schemes surrounding the Emerald Forest, the Witch Academy didn't actually hold much of an advantage. Whether it was intelligence or seizing the initiative, they lacked it all; even the home-field advantage didn't belong to them.
After all, as the Emerald Forest hurtled toward the Main World, it was a perfectly observable phenomenon for any Transcendent. The only variable was whether those Transcendents chose to pass that information down to their students.
However, after this initial round of testing, it became clear that most Transcendent academies generally kept their students in the dark. Even the Three Top Academies hadn't revealed much; otherwise, they wouldn't have been so passive in the face of the Witch Academy’s various maneuvers. That said, Afuhemi Academy had relied on its home-field advantage to smooth over many of its disadvantages.
I could guess why this was happening. They were currently preoccupied with the Spark Migration Plan and simply didn't have the energy to manage these students.
In their eyes... these students were nothing more than "sacrificial pawns" destined to be buried with the old world anyway.
But judging by the actions of the Abyssal Demons, they cared deeply about the Emerald Forest. They had even intervened in the Elven Territory, and one could see the shadows of Transcendents pulling strings behind the scenes.
Inside the combat briefing room.
Many were discussing tactics and strategies, their eyes occasionally darting toward me as if I were their pillar of support. A single glance in my direction seemed to put them at ease.
I acted as if I hadn't noticed.
I was waiting for news—news from outside the Main World, sent by the Rebel Witch sisters.
The unmistakable phenomena occurring as the Emerald Forest collided with the Main World provided the perfect cover for making small, clandestine moves.
However, those Rebel Witches were currently lying in wait outside the Main World. If someone was unlucky enough to be discovered, it could only be attributed to a stroke of bad luck.
At this moment, after a round of heated debate, the group quickly threw themselves into a new phase of deployment.
The Omni-Link Main Network Tree could not be planted in the Elven Territory, which meant they lacked the assistance of the Root Network.
There, they could only gather information through the Ley Line Identification Art provided by the Knowledge Seeds.
As this was the first deployment of the United Club's optimized Combat Sequences, every club involved took the matter very seriously.
Having streamlined their numbers to follow an elite path, the Combat Sequences had shed their previously bloated operational style.
Seeing the 4th Combat Sequence advancing steadily through the Elven Territory, many were visibly excited.
However, a piece of rather unwelcome news soon spread.
"The Demon Tide seems to have reached a certain scale. Currently, the demons birthed from the marked No. 3 and No. 7 Demon Eggs are showing signs of converging."
"The situation is indeed grim. If these demons complete their self-predation, they might merge into a Great Demon capable of threatening an entire Combat Sequence. Even with time being tight, a converged Demon Tide is terrifying."
Earlier, when the first Void Rift began to fracture further, many had abandoned their plans to cull the demons. As the various combat forces rushed toward the rift, they inadvertently left enough time for the demons to gestate.
Fortunately, the Demon Tide wasn't forming in the direction of the 4th Combat Sequence, but on the opposite side.
It remained to be seen who would be unlucky enough to encounter them—perhaps the Wizards, or maybe the Holy Angels.
The demon hatcheries bypassed by the 4th Combat Sequence had only been partially destroyed, which significantly hindered the demons' gestation.
Furthermore, in Tuliweia Village, the 6th Combat Sequence was already in position, ready to support the 4th at a moment's notice.
The current situation for the Witch Academy could be described in one phrase: the advantage lies with us.
"Based on the current situation, I believe the 4th Combat Sequence should strike directly at Afuhemi Academy's stronghold. We should take advantage of the fact that their main force hasn't arrived and they're relying on Dark Elf labor. We can seize the dominant position and then transition to a defensive hold."
"Afterward, we can coordinate with the nearby Free Warband Squads to gradually integrate our surviving forces..."
"That's too risky! The 4th Combat Sequence isn't powerful enough to face people from so many Transcendent academies at once. The sequence was optimized and streamlined, not replaced with an entirely different tier of fighters!"
"Then please don't forget—what is the other objective of this operation?"
As those words were spoken, the room fell silent for a moment.
The first objective of this operation was to be the first to occupy the Emerald Forest. As for the second objective... it was, naturally, to temper the Combat Sequences!
The reason they could be so willful, treating a vital conflict as a whetstone, was because they knew someone was there to back them up!
At that thought, everyone instinctively looked toward me.
The reason why was self-evident.
Time ticked by, and the battle situation in the Elven Territory shifted rapidly.
I, however, had no time to worry about that.
I was busy chatting with several Rebel Witch sisters.
So far, they hadn't discovered any suspicious targets attempting to flee the Main World. To lower the guard of the other Transcendent races, several Witch sisters were standing undisguised in the void outside the Main World. Their goal was to draw attention so others could slip through the cracks during the chaos—but those seemingly open cracks were being watched intently by many other Rebel Witches.
From the looks of it, there wouldn't be any results in the short term. The Void was simply too vast.
As the small talk wound down, I refocused my attention on the battlefield in the Elven Territory.
* * *
The Dark Elf Territory.
"Dolores, how does it feel? Being worn down must be quite the experience, isn't it? I admit your combat power is terrifying, but you aren't machines. You get tired... Still holding on? Are you waiting for reinforcements from Tuliweia Village?"
Facing the ferocious 4th Combat Sequence and their leader, Dolores, the main force of the Forest Elves from Afuhemi Academy had begun to gather.
With the home-field advantage, they held every card. Most of the elves were of the Elf Ranger profession; they didn't engage the Witches in direct combat, instead opting to deliver lethal blows from the shadows.
Their original plan was to split the Combat Sequence and then eliminate the threats one by one.
However, the Combat Sequence members who had arrived from Tuliweia Village to provide support possessed terrifying strength.
"Heh... It's you who should be worried about your own survival," Dolores shot back.
As the phenomena in the sky churned once more, a figure dissipated amidst the stalemate.
Right before everyone's eyes...
This represented only one possibility—leaving their current position to step into the new world!
In the process of its clash with the Main World, the Emerald Forest had actively shown weakness and opened a World Gate.
This meant the Emerald Forest had completely thrown its doors open to the Main World!
The situation in the Elven Territory reversed instantly. After all, retreating into the Emerald Forest had become a viable path.
Once the pressure to fight to the death against the Witch United Club's Combat Sequence was lifted, everyone relaxed significantly—but the crisis facing them was far from over.
The Demon Tide!
In the areas they had yet to prioritize, those demon hatcheries had successfully molded powerful demons. Having received the inherited information from the depths of their bloodlines, these demons knew exactly what they had to do.
Carrying the flesh and blood unique to demons, they sought to sow their existence into the new world.
Abyssal Demons didn't need a base. They only needed to bring the Abyss Will to that world; once there, they could continuously devour life, convert it into demon flesh, and gradually build their power.
Thus, the Abyssal Demon Tide began to crash against the Void Rift like a madness. The demons on land tore through any enemy in their path, while those that had hatched wings took flight, swarming toward the rift like moths to a flame.
"Damn it... I never expected these demons to be the first to profit!"
Everyone looked at the massive Demon Tide with grim expressions. At this point, trying to destroy so many demons was nothing but a pipe dream.
"Calm yourselves. You've already done very well."
Maritis heard the soothing voice from the United Club command room in her ear, but to her, the words sounded incredibly grating.
"What's the status of the 6th Combat Sequence's support? How much longer until the Witch Warship Blood River arrives?" Maritis finally asked the pressing question.
Leading a group of about a hundred and integrating the arriving Free Warband Squads along the way, Maritis had achieved a level of success that exceeded the United Club's expectations.
The support from the 6th Combat Sequence was primarily intended to disperse the Demon Tide.
"Maritis, your 4th Combat Sequence has done excellently. Do you need to rest for a bit? Your current condition is poor."
"I'm talking business! The Emerald Forest's Void Rift is being occupied by Abyssal Demons... what do you plan to do about it?"
"We understand your concern, Maritis. What has happened cannot be changed, but until the very end, no one can claim success. The Emerald Forest will ultimately belong to us."
Maritis abruptly cut the communication. She looked at the Afuhemi Forest Elves, who were moving aside to let the Abyssal Demons pass, and felt a wave of bitterness.
Since the initiative was lost, the backup plan was to wait for the Witch Warship to arrive and the main force to descend before establishing a temporary base.
Once the Abyssal Demons poured into the Emerald Forest like a flood, and the external interference was gone, the United Club Combat Sequence found itself in a standoff with the students from the Three Top Academies.
It was an inevitable conclusion.
"Everyone... rather than continuing this pointless struggle, why don't we have a chat first?"
The one speaking was a representative of the Afuhemi Forest Elves. With the situation having developed to this point, they knew they couldn't monopolize an entire world alone. Even if the Void Rift had opened in their own backyard, they couldn't hold it by themselves.
So, rather than continuing the conflict, it was better to sit down and negotiate.
After all, even if they compromised, the territory they would give up would be within the Elven Territory anyway. To them, these branch elven races were the perfect bargaining chips for interest exchange.
The Wizards and Holy Angels looked on with strange expressions at the Forest Elves' sudden compromise.
If it weren't for the Abyssal Demons' sudden interference, Afuhemi Academy would likely have been the biggest winner in this event!
"How do you elves want to talk?" a Wizard stepped forward to ask.
"I think we all know what we're dealing with here. None of us can occupy this new world alone. The only reason we're gathered here fighting to the death is because this is currently the only passage."
"Are you suggesting we cooperate for joint development? Do you think that's possible?" the Wizard asked, arms crossed, his tone impatient.
"Why wouldn't it be? Why don't we ask the people from the Witch Academy? They've been planning this for so long... they must know, right? This won't be the only Void Rift to open... will it?"
"That is true... but the first rift to open definitely has the most stable passage properties. Our Witch Academy will not give up the struggle for this Void Rift," Maritis said, pursing her lips. After her explanation, she firmly stated the Witch Academy's stance.
As Maritis finished, the expressions of the elven party turned slightly ugly.
"Maritis... you need to understand that you are standing on Elven Territory! Are you sure you want to fight us when we have the home-field advantage?" the Afuhemi representative asked, their voice strained with suppressed anger.
"If the 'home-field advantage' you're talking about is just these trees, we don't mind burning the whole place down. If you're relying on numbers... in a little while, our main floating battleships will be here," Maritis replied, her tone not yielding an inch.
At the end of the day, no one wanted to fall behind. Everyone knew that more than one Void Rift would open, but no one knew when the second or third would appear.
"You Witches are being far too unreasonable!" the Afuhemi Forest Elf exclaimed indignantly.
"Everyone... let's stop arguing for a moment. Before we divide the spoils, shouldn't we clear out the uninvited guests first?" At this point, a Holy Angel stepped forward and spoke. "While we stand here bickering, those Abyssal Demons have already taken the lead and swarmed into that world."
"I don't understand... can you not see the horror of those demons? To just let them enter that world like this—are we going to wait until they've devoured it clean, and then go in to eat the demons' leftovers?"
As the Holy Angel spoke, the crowd finally seemed to realize the true threat of the demons.
"So, what are you suggesting?"
"We have a common enemy right now. We should join forces to kick the Abyssal Demons out of the running first. Only then should we talk about distributing interests. We haven't even set foot on the soil of that new world yet, and here we are making a scene over distribution... aren't we just making ourselves a laughingstock for those demons?"