Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 250: To the war (I)

Chapter 250: To the war (I)

As Vlad’s forces advanced through Knight City, the battalions stationed in Santana City and Canvas City experienced significant transformations, demonstrating the effects of the comprehensive strategy of Vlad and Overlord to improve those groups.

Freya, with her indomitable spirit and warrior prowess, led the charge in Santana City alongside the 19 Bloodline Soldiers. Their battalion had initially emerged from Trigun City, wary of what they would find in the new city.

Santana City did not disappoint. It was devoid of human activity and full of demonic forces, with some small yet powerful angelic squads. The enemies were strong, but the 19 Bloodline Soldiers’ battalion overcame the adversities.

Freya’s immense might and the dozens of Demon Soul Masters among their ranks gave the 19 Bloodline Soldiers’ battalion great power. The warriors became a relentless force, sweeping through the demonic hordes that infested the city.

The battalion moved with calculated precision, each battle honing their instincts and refining their strategies. Their victories were marked by the capture and sealing of numerous demon Champion souls, which were integrated into the soldiers’ bodies, transforming them into Demon Soul Masters. With each integration, the battalion’s power surged, allowing them to fight with greater strength and take down stronger enemies.

Additionally, every time they defeated a horde, waves of Origin Force reached their souls, nurturing their Sea of Consciousness and flesh and blood, improving their level cap, and enhancing their soul force, and vitality.

After several arduous battles inside Santana City, Freya became a symbol of resilience and leadership. She was able to develop her unique leadership style, relying on her immense power and action to inspire those around her. Under her guidance, the battalion became a cohesive unit of destruction.

The Xaos Kingdom’s forces in Santana City soon transformed from simply hunters to predators, demonstrating the potential of the Demon Soul Master Strength System, becoming a nightmarish entity to the demonic horde and angelic groups. The transformation was not only in their raw power but also in their mindset and strategy, as they learned to adapt to the evolving challenges of an environment completely new.

That was one of the main goals of their charge into Santana City, as it would teach them how to face unknown dangers and adapt to a scenario they had no control over. After all, the Azarin Empire’s capital was bound to be a realm of unpredictable danger.

The number of Demon Soul Masters in the 19 Bloodline Soldiers’ battalion swelled with each successful engagement. By the end of their campaign in Santana City, the battalion had not only cleared the city of demonic threats but also any other threat in the region, and their power reached a completely new level.

While the 19 Bloodline Soldiers’ battalion razed through Santana City, significant changes occurred in Canvas City.

Jormungandr’s presence was a decisive factor in the success of the campaign led by Grand Marshal Anglius against the alien forces in Canvas City. The small yellow cat, with his immense power and mastery over spells, became a paragon in the fight against the hordes of demons and packs of Monsters that plagued the city and its outskirts.

Under Jormungandr’s protection, Grand Marshal Anglius orchestrated a series of strategic offensives that systematically destroyed the demonic hordes and hunted the packs of Monsters. The combined might of Anglius’s martial prowess and Jormungandr’s magical dominance ensured that the demonic and monstrous threats were eliminated with ruthless efficiency.

At first, the campaigns were slow as Jormungandr and Grand Marshal Anglius paid significant attention to the security of their soldiers, ensuring minimal danger and casualties in each fight. However, their speed skyrocketed as batches of runes arrived from Xaos City.

Those runes were none other than the Mortal Tier demon soul sealing formation and Demon Cage Runic Formation built by Overlord in the Rune Factories. Initially, many normal soldiers were somewhat nervous about this path of power, as sealing demon souls in their bodies seemed extremely dangerous.

However, upon learning that all the leaders of their forces had done it and none had faced any problems, their fear faded, and they began to work. Giving birth to dozens of Demon Soul Masters with every clash was easy, as the number of demonic beasts in each horde was measured in the thousands.

The power and survival skills of the battalion increased drastically as the soldiers learned to harness their newfound powers from the Demon Soul Master Strength System and adapt to the challenges posed by the monstrous foes.

As they cleared the city, waves of new soldiers continued to arrive from Xaos City. These were the new soldiers that Overlord had trained, sent to Canvas City to help clear the city but also to gain controlled battle experience before the great war against the Azarin Empire.

Despite the hasty nature of their training, all these soldiers were well-disciplined, and all above Level 1, with a Mortal Tier Demon Cage Runic Formation engraved in their chests, and eager to bolster their level and partake in the power offered by the Demon Soul Master Strength System.

Jormungandr and Grand Marshal Anglius played a pivotal role in training these fresh recruits, imparting their knowledge and expertise to prepare them for the battles ahead. Under their guidance, the soldiers quickly assimilated into the ranks, learning complex military tactics, and sealing demonic beasts’ souls into their hearts, becoming Mortal Tier Demon Soul Masters.

The transformation in Canvas City was nothing short of marvelous. The number of Demon Soul Masters grew exponentially, with the forces surpassing four thousand strong by the end of the campaign. The city, once a haven for chaos and destruction, fractured and under the control of dozens of forces, was now under the control of a single power, dominated entirely by the Xaos Kingdom.

The success in Santana City and Canvas City highlighted the effectiveness and the transformative power of the Demon Soul Master Strength System. The normal soldiers were all full of thrill and drive, wide smiles on their faces as they razed all the enemies in their path, feeling that there was nothing that could stop them.

The expressions on the faces of the group commanders were not so thrilled. People like Freya, Jormungandr, Grand Marshal Anglius, Major General Theodoro, and other higher-ups of the Xaos Kingdom understood that these assaults were a child’s game compared to what would come next.

A true war would arise soon, and they would have to charge into enemy territories and take down an empire with thousands of zealot soldiers, with powerful High Champions capable of using Divine Force, under the protection and leadership of a God.

There was no doubt in their minds that the war would be harsh, and cruel, and that casualties would arise among their numbers, but it was necessary. This was not a war for expansion or to steal the resources of others, but to stop an infection.

The faith that was rising from the Church of Glory was a disease that would spread across the entire world if not stopped. The Xaos Kingdom could not simply wait for their powers to rise to the point that they could overwhelm the enemy, as the Azarin Empire also kept growing. Waiting would only give room for the unexpected, so they needed to destroy it now.

As the end of the year approached, the forces of the Xaos Kingdom across the many cities of the Constancy Country marched toward Xaos City.

From Santana City, Freya, and the 19 Bloodline Soldiers’ battalion emerged. From the original two hundred and twenty-eight that entered, there were only two hundred and seventeen now. Eleven soldiers perished, but the might and will of those who survived were unparalleled, their eyes sharp as arrows as they moved, generating an aura that made all life forms run away.

"RUMBLE!"

The earth trembled in Canvas City as thousands of soldiers marched, their feet moving in unison as if they were all part of a single massive machine. Over the hearts of every single one of these men and women, there was a runic formation that unleashed demonic soul force.

Canvas Stronghold was soon empty as the civilians had evacuated toward Xaos City several weeks ago. Although leaving this place alone could incite future occupation, it would be easier to reconquest, so Overlord did not find it necessary to leave forces behind.

Jormungandr and Grand Marshal Anglius watched the march of the soldiers with wide smiles on their faces. Even the greenest of the men had become full-fledged warriors after the continuous fight with the demonic hordes.

Finally, from Knight City emerged the strongest force of all. They were less than seventy, but the power of every single one of them was paramount. They had raced across the city, killing dozens of powerful packs, enhancing their soul and devil bloodlines with Origin Force, and ascending to Demon Soul Masters.

Vlad led the group with the five Royal Guards, and their power had risen immensely over the past few months, all ready for the next clash.