Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 176: Covering the retreat (II)

Chapter 176: Covering the retreat (II)

All the members of the Royal Guards took full advantage of their unique traits and abilities to help Vlad and the Level 11 Fire Elemental against the Warriors in black armor and the Mages in dark robes from the Azarin Empire.

From her vantage point, Mirena summoned a storm of metallic lightning bolts, each one striking with pinpoint accuracy. Frank released dozens of explosive projectiles, each capable of immense damage. Roman’s arrows continued to rain down, each shot delivering death with unerring precision.

Cazan’s mighty swings kept the enemy at bay, his sheer strength a bulwark against the advancing soldiers. Clasius deflected blows and struck down foes with unmatched skill. Amara, ever the silent killer, moved through the shadows, her daggers finding the throats of anyone who dared to sneak past them.

Together, they formed an unbreakable wall; their combined might hold back the tide of the Azarin Empire. Every second they fought bought precious time for the civilians to flee to safety.

The resolve in their hearts grew stronger as the battle raged on. Nearly all civilians from the Strong Hammer Military Base were simple people who had yet to gain access to the Level System, and without Vlad and his Royal Guard stopping the forces of the Azarin Empire, it would only be a matter of minutes before the fanatic soldiers reached those families and killed all.

Vlad’s blades moved faster and faster, countering the attacks from the soldiers while killing them, making sure the brunt of the forces could not pass him. His eyes were bloodshot as his rage allowed his physical might to keep the wave of the infantry of the Azarin Empire at bay.

Every second that passed, he felt a little more tired, and the strain on his body and the exhaustion from the last battle kept accumulating, but Vlad stayed strong as he needed to buy as much time as possible.

The Level 11 Fire Elemental next to Vlad was shattering the bodies of the Warriors with every swing of its arms, but due to its size, dozens of attacks had already landed, leaving deep wounds on its rocky body. Of course, no matter how much damage the High Champion Fire Elemental took, the A.I. Chip would force it to continue fighting.

Vlad’s blades moved at a shocking speed, parrying and cutting down the soldiers of the Azarin Empire. However, the more he fought with these people, the colder and sharper the light in his eyes became as he saw the way they were acting.

While they were placing immense pressure on him, dozens had already perished under his blades, yet they kept lunging forward. They were full of murderous intent, but there was something else in their eyes.

’Fanaticism,’ a sharp light appeared in Vlad’s eyes as he saw how, for these people, life had no meaning. There was nothing more important than their mission, which seemed to be the total eradication of the people of the Strong Hammer Military Base.

’The Goddess?’ The way these people fought reminded Vlad of the craziness in the eyes of the ones he interrogated and all that seemed to emanate from the one they called the Goddess.

More and more questions were arising in Vlad’s mind, but he could not afford to distract himself right now as he and his Royal Guards were in an extremely dangerous situation. Explosions continued raging inside the Strong Hammer Military Base as the carnage continued, the soldiers inside being massacred.

Vlad could only clench his teeth, as entering the fortress was simply too much, and covering the civilians’ retreat was the most he could do. However, once the explosions inside finished, the full brunt of the thousands of soldiers of the Azarin Empire would turn their attention toward him.

Every second they bought was precious, which was why Vlad and all the others fought with such ferocity.

Finally, after five minutes since Vlad and the Royal Guard started clashing with the forces of the Azarin Empire, silence reigned inside the Strong Hammer Military Base, meaning that all the troops inside had been massacred.

Vlad could feel his instincts ringing as the danger he faced rose exponentially. Still, a small smile appeared on his face as he also noticed, thanks to the A.I. Chip, that the civilians were already far away, thanks to the help of Freya and the bloodline soldiers.

"NOW!" Vlad shouted to the Royal Guards as the energy of his Runic Set and Force coated his blades. He slashed to the side, generating large arcs of energy that cut all the warriors around him.

The Royal Guards immediately reacted to that order. They understood they had bought enough time and began to move away from the forces of the Azarin Empire, carefully retreating.

Vlad saw the Royal Guards had pulled back before also doing the same, but not before giving a new command to the Level 11 Fire Elemental. His eyes were cold and ruthless as he ordered the creature to flash forward.

The creature had been blasting warriors to pieces and acting as a shield from any spells that might come Vlad’s way. It was riddled with wounds, but as it received the command, it unleashed a thunderous roar and flashed forward like a battering ram, clashing with all warriors in its path.

The mages of the Azarin Empire fired fireballs toward the elemental from their staffs but did little, and the creature kept dashing forward until it finally reached the gate and met the horde of warriors marching through it.

Despite the massive size of the High Champion Fire Elemental, the warriors of the Azarin Empire showed no fear. The creature was wounded, and they were sure they could kill it, and they were right.

Unfortunately for them, Vlad never intended to make the creature fight, and as it stood right in front of the warriors, he sent its last command.

The Level 11 Fire Elemental’s eyes glowed before all the energy in its body began to rise, and then it unleashed it all in one final blast.

"BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!"