Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 261: War inside the walls (I)

Chapter 261: War inside the walls (I)

On the eastern front, the devastation was equally catastrophic. Grand Marshal Anglius, the hulking giant of the Golden Wave Legion, increased his momentum with every step he took.

"AHHHHH!" With a deep, guttural growl, Anglius triggered his Bloodline Ability, and his body began to swell as the power of his Demon Soul surged through him, increasing his physical strength even more. Already colossal, Anglius grew even larger, with bulging muscles and veins popping, until he stood at a staggering sixteen meters in height.

Grand Marshal Anglius’ body became a fortress of flesh and raw power, a terrifying sight that shook the battlefield. Despite weighing several tons, he could still move at nearly one hundred kilometers per hour.

The ground trembled beneath his massive feet as Grand Marshal Anglius lumbered toward the thirty-meter-tall white walls like an unstoppable juggernaut. When he was less than fifty meters from his target, he activated one of his Force Skills, consuming nearly half of his energy in exchange for tripling his speed.

Grand Marshal Anglius’ immense body, now moving at a shocking velocity of three hundred kilometers per hour, barreled forward like a battering ram of destruction.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!"

When Anglius collided with the white wall, the impact was cataclysmic. The stone groaned and buckled under the full weight of his body. Already compromised by the continuous barrage of explosive boulders, the white wall couldn’t withstand the force of his assault. A massive section exploded outward as Anglius smashed through, breaching the capital’s defenses.

Thousands of soldiers from the Golden Wave Legion shouted with excitement and thrill upon seeing the massive figure of their leader break through the walls. Their power surged as their spirits burned with admiration and a desire to prove themselves.

In less than thirty seconds after the northern walls were blown to pieces, the south, eastern, and western walls had also been torn apart, leaving massive gaps for the thousands of soldiers from the Xaos Kingdom to march through.

The forces of the Azarin Empire were left reeling, as breaches opened up on all sides, and confusion assaulted their hearts. They had never prepared for something of this scale as they believed nothing could shatter the white walls.

Richard stood frozen for a moment, overwhelmed by the scale of the destruction. It was too much to process all at once. But soon, his eyes sharpened, a fire igniting in his soul as he steadied his mind. Taking a deep breath, he clenched his fists and gazed out over the chaos, knowing he had no time to hesitate.

"Generals and soldiers of the Azarin Empire, hear my voice and obey my commands. I will guide you through this order, and we will prevail!" Richard’s voice rang out across the battlefield with commanding authority as he began issuing orders to the remaining forces of the Azarin Empire. His strategy, though hastily formed in the wake of the devastating breaches, was calculated and precise.

"Mobilize the eastern front!" Richard shouted to five generals, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Deploy fifteen thousand soldiers immediately! We cannot allow the four thousand Xaos soldiers to march through the capital unchecked!"

The companies under those generals’ command were mostly made up of soldiers with little experience. Many had barely received six months of military training, and fewer had even reached Level 1 in the Level System.

This force couldn’t win a direct battle against the well-armed, clearly higher-level forces of the Xaos Kingdom. Their mission was to form a buffer between the advancing Xaos forces and the heart of the city, buying time for the rest of the troops.

"General Kallos, take two hundred Paladins and thirty Priests to reinforce the eastern flank!" Richard ordered. He knew that the regular soldiers alone would not hold long enough, so he sent one of his most seasoned generals and a significant portion of the Church of Glory’s forces.

General Kallos’ eyes were sharp as he nodded to Richard and guided the Paladins and Priests, all of them bursting with Divine Force, to the eastern front.

After securing the eastern flank, Richard’s gaze shifted. "Reinforce the western flank! Four thousand soldiers to the front, and send in the elite battalions! Paladins and Priests, move out!"

The western front was critical, as it led directly toward the imperial palace, and Richard could not allow the forces of the Xaos Kingdom to breach it. The soldiers he dispatched were among the best in the empire, their skills honed from countless battles. Accompanying them were two hundred and fifty Paladins and fifty Priests, their weapons aglow with divine energy. This was a formidable force, and Richard felt confident that they could hold the line.

However, it was the southern front that concerned him the most. The elite warriors of the Azarin Empire had already gathered there, their eyes fixed on the breach Vlad had created. These were the empire’s strongest warriors—no more than two hundred, but all of them Champions. They were fully prepared to face the strongest legion of the Xaos Kingdom.

Vlad had risen from the crater, his dark presence dominating the battlefield. His cold eyes scanned the soldiers on the southern wall before settling on Richard, who stood above them, directing the battle with fierce determination.

’Having someone like him among my troops would have made everything much easier,’ Vlad was impressed by Richard’s ability to command under such extreme pressure. It was a rare quality to remain calm and collected amidst chaos.

Of course, admiration only sharpened Vlad’s desire to crush the man. The more capable the enemy general, the more dangerous he became. The Depravita of Wrath’s gaze hardened as he prepared to strike, his mind calculating the next move.

Just as he readied himself to attack, Vlad sensed a sudden surge of energy. His eyes narrowed, instincts flaring to life.

Vlad had just recovered from the recoil of Infernal Comet and hadn’t yet fully mobilized his energy. However, he acted without hesitation, swinging his massive bastard sword upward to intercept an incoming spear of Holy Energy.

"BOOOOOMMMM!"

The clash was tremendous. The force of the impact sent shockwaves rippling through the ground, and Vlad’s arms trembled under the sheer power of the strike. The ground beneath him cracked as the energy from the Holy Spear collided with his sword. Regaining control, Vlad’s eyes turned cold as he tightened his grip on the sword and looked toward the sky.

Descending from above, surrounded by radiant divine light, was Jerom, the Pope of the Church of Glory.

"You disgusting fiend! You dare desecrate the sacred land of Goddess Lucia!" Jerom’s voice thundered, his eyes blazing with fury and madness. His white staff glowed with immense Divine Force as he floated above the battlefield.

Though fear lingered in the depths of Jerom’s soul from their past encounter, he knew the cost of letting Vlad go unchecked. His fear was overshadowed by the realization that if Vlad succeeded, the church, and everything they had built, would fall.

Jerom had once been a powerless office worker, but after the apocalypse, he had risen to power and prestige. Now, he was willing to do anything to defend that position, as going back to his old life was worse than death.

Vlad’s eyes narrowed, cold and calculating. Beneath the calm exterior burned a rage so deep it threatened to consume him. His last encounter with Jerom had left a lasting scar, and the pain of that loss still stung.

Now, he was far stronger than before, and the desire to tear Jerom apart was overwhelming. However, Vlad was a Depravita and he could not allow his emotions to cloud his judgment.

There was a plan in place, and while Jerom was powerful, the target of the Depravia of Wrath was someone else.

Vlad’s energy surged, the raw power of his Demon Soul Master’s abilities igniting the air around him as red lightning crackled and flames danced along the length of his massive bastard sword. With a swift, calculated motion, he swung the blade in a wide arc, releasing a massive wave of fire and lightning toward Jerom.

The arc of elemental energy was vast, a spectacle of sheer power. But while it covered Jerom’s field of view, it was not really that powerful.

Jerom, his expression stern, raised his staff. Holy energy surged from it, splitting the arc of fire and lightning in two, rendering it harmless.

As the arc dissipated, Jerom readied himself to unleash a powerful spell. But before he could act, a blur of black fur and gleaming claws appeared in front of him.

Before Jerom could react, a demonic figure materialized, moving with blinding speed. It was a werewolf-like creature, twisted and pulsing with dark energy and demonic power.

The werewolf unleashed a devastating spinning kick, the force of which sent the very air around it spiraling outward. This was no simple attack as it carried an overwhelming surge of dark energy, a violent combination of demonic strength and martial precision.

Jerom barely had time to summon a shield of white energy around his body before the kick landed.

"BOOOOM!"