Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 368: Caminata Aerea!

Chapter 368: Caminata Aerea!

The hive kept sending the drones forward, using them as cannon fodder to drain the stamina of the Lords of Horror. Yet, even as hours passed, the towering warriors remained unmoving, fighting nonstop. Their movements never became sluggish; neither their minds nor reflexes showed any sign of deterioration. It was as if fatigue did not exist in their vocabulary.

Freya’s eyes had not left their figures the entire time. She couldn’t help but feel in awe. Her strength and speed were greater than any of them, but she had to admit that when it came to endurance, she couldn’t compare. In a single clash or duel, she could defeat any of the Lords of Horror, but they were superior in terms of impact on the battlefield.

"Just how were they created?" she wondered aloud. Not even in Valhalla, a higher plane with advanced civilization, had Freya seen this type of war machine.

Grand Marshal Anglius was just as shocked as Freya, perhaps even more so. It took a moment, but he remembered the name Ned Anark. He was a first lieutenant, a man with an excellent military record, but according to his recollection, Ned had been only a Level 10 Warrior three months ago.

The golden giant couldn’t understand how such a massive change could have occurred. A small part of him couldn’t help but desire that transformation, becoming one of those unstoppable machines. Of course, Grand Marshal Anglius didn’t know that he wasn’t suitable for the transformation; his potential could allow him to become a Guardian, so there was no way he would be transformed and block his future.

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Hours carried on, and night had already fallen. The battlefield was bathed in an eerie glow from the arcs of lightning that crackled across the sky, illuminating the scene in brief, intense flashes. The Lords of Horror showed no signs of exhaustion, their massive forms moving with the same relentless precision as when the battle had begun. Their bastard swords swung through the air, each strike sending bolts of lightning slicing through the swarms of drones.

The ground was slick with the dark, viscous blood of the Leviathan drones. Broken bodies piled high, forming grotesque mounds that steamed under the cool night air. The scent of scorched chitin and ozone permeated the atmosphere. The Lords of Horror waded through the sea of corpses without hesitation; their white armor splattered with streaks of black ichor that only served to make them appear even more formidable.

In stark contrast, the Leviathans began to falter. The once seemingly endless waves of drones had been reduced at a steady rate. After fifteen hours of relentless combat, fewer than twenty thousand cannon fodder remained.

The Leviathans had kept their most powerful aerial drones and insect-humanoid warriors at the back, preserving their strongest units for the moment when the humans would show signs of weakness due to exhaustion. But it seemed they would run out of drones before that happened. The hive mind calculated its next move, realizing the exhaustion tactic had failed.

From their vantage point, the Lords of Horror narrowed their eyes behind their visors as they observed the insect-humanoid Leviathans marching forward alongside the aerial drones, now heading to the front of the charge. The air was filled with the ominous buzz of wings as the aerial drones took flight, ascending into the darkened sky. Simultaneously, the insect-humanoid hybrids leaped forward, their powerful legs propelling them dozens of meters ahead.

The Xaos forces and Turkin soldiers—all Demon Soul Masters with night vision—could clearly see the aerial drones forming a protective barrier above the charging hybrids. The Leviathans were using aerial drones to shield the insect-humanoids from the Lords of Horror’s Cañón attack.

Nervousness spread among the soldiers. If the Leviathan warriors managed to complete their jumps and land behind the Lords of Horror, the hive would be able to attack from two directions simultaneously, potentially spelling doom for the white giants.

Ned observed the Leviathans’ tactic, his expression unreadable beneath his helmet. Without hesitation, he gave a swift hand signal to those in the back row. Instantly, the boots of the sixteen Lords of Horror in the rear began to glow. In the next second, they launched into the air, ascending rapidly to meet the aerial assault.

As they soared upward, the Lords of Horror swung their bastard swords in unison. Lightning surged along the blades, culminating in a powerful wave that arced toward the aerial drones. The night sky was momentarily lit up as the scorching lightning wave tore through the swarm, blasting the aerial drones into charred fragments that rained down upon the battlefield.

The insect-humanoid warriors witnessed the destruction of their aerial barrier. Their multifaceted eyes reflected the brief flashes of light, but they showed only cold determination and insatiable hunger. They calculated that the Lords of Horror would descend after their attack, giving them just enough time to reach the other side of the battlefield before the humans could strike again.

But the Leviathans had miscalculated.

"Caminata Aerea!"

Rather than descending, the Lords of Horror activated their boots once more. The thrusters emitted a pale glow, and with a burst of energy, they propelled themselves forward, seemingly flying through the air. Shock registered in the Leviathan warriors as they saw the massive white giants closing the distance with alarming speed, swords poised to strike.

From the ground, the Xaos forces and Turkin soldiers watched in awe. The Lords of Horror appeared almost ethereal as they moved against the backdrop of the starry sky, their armor gleaming, cloaked in arcs of residual lightning. They defied gravity, turning the tide of battle in a way no one had anticipated.

Mid-air, the clash was swift and brutal. The Lords of Horror met the insect-humanoid warriors head-on. Swords swung with devastating power, cleaving through hardened exoskeletons. The Leviathans tried to retaliate, but they were not aerial creatures and could resist the momentum of the white giants.

One Lord of Horror parried a serrated limb before driving his blade through the Leviathan’s torso, the lightning-infused weapon sending a surge of energy that caused the creature to convulse violently before going limp. Another spun gracefully, evading a lunge and countering with an upward slash that bisected his foe.