Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 403: To the sumith

Chapter 403: To the sumith

Freya’s eyes narrowed as she heard those final words from the A.I. Chip Clone. From now on, she could not count on any more miracles happening; if they found themselves in a life-and-death situation again, they would have to rely solely on themselves to get out of it.

Without wasting time, the young woman adopted a meditative position atop the inner wall overlooking the battlefield. She pulled out several small vials from a pouch at her side—potent healing elixirs. The drugs would hinder her battle abilities temporarily due to the intense healing energy coursing through her flesh, but there would be no backlash. After a few hours, her broken bones and torn muscles would mend, restoring her strength.

Below her, the battle in the outer ring of Kuro Mountain was growing more and more bloody. The number of Leviathan drones was reducing at a staggering rate; tens of thousands perished every minute under the relentless assault of the human forces. Yet, despite the massive losses, the hive mind kept pushing forward. Waves upon waves of drones advanced without hesitation, crawling over the corpses of their fallen brethren.

It was true that the Leviathans were losing a significant portion of their war power, but none of that would matter if they managed to win the battle. After all, there was no such thing as a Pyrrhic victory for them; the Leviathans would consume their own dead once all this was over, regaining the lost biomass.

The Turkin riders had performed admirably, managing to clear the inner ring. Their killing speed equaled the rate at which drones crossed the wall!

Of course, all that success was thanks in large part to the massacre occurring in the outer ring. The Royal Guards were truly killing machines; hundreds of drones perished every second under their weapons and spells. Mirena, Amara, Frank, Roman, and Clasius fought with a ferocity that seemed almost otherworldly. Constant streams of Origin Force flooded their bodies, allowing them to keep fighting even as their stamina and energy pools began to drain.

Taking advantage of the massacre wrought by these five on the flanks, Grand Marshal Anglius and Major General Theodoro led the Golden Wave Legion and Shadowstrike Legion deeper into the middle of the outer ring. The thousands of elite soldiers forged a semicircle formation that expanded outward, laying waste to everything in their path.

The formation expanded, laying waste to the enemy before regressing, adjusting their positions, and expanding once more. It was a tactic that drained a lot of energy and would soon draw them to exhaustion, not to mention that it put them in great danger. But it was necessary if they wanted to generate a lasting effect on the battleground and push back the seemingly endless tide of enemies.

Deeper into the outer ring, a white and black flash kept clashing with overwhelming power. Ouroboros and the Special Unit Leviathan were locked in a fierce fight, the killing intent in each other’s eyes explosive. Wounds had already appeared on the Depravita of Greed’s body, but the same could be said about the Special Unit Leviathan.

As for Ned and the Lords of Horror, they were like a field of golden fire around the duo. Clad in their white armor, they moved with deadly efficiency, killing everything in their path. The Lords of Horror formed a perimeter, their attacks synchronized to create a barrier of death that no Leviathan could penetrate.

The river of black blood flowing from Kuro Mountain was no joke. It had already spread across the plains surrounding the area, a grim testament to how many Leviathans had perished in the last ten hours. The ground was slick with the viscous fluid, and the stench was overwhelming.

However, while the human butchering was majestic and granted a great edge on the battlefield, all good things were starting to come to an end. Mirena, Amara, Frank, Roman, and Clasius’s faces were pale, and sweat soaked their clothes and armor. The Royal Guards’ energy output had been outrageous from the start, and the Origin Force they gained from slaying the Leviathans was far from enough to sustain them indefinitely. After three hours of non-stop fighting, they reached their limits, and they would not be able to keep fighting for much longer than that.

Grand Marshal Anglius and Major General Theodoro had maintained a more stable energy output, but they had fought for much longer. They were even more exhausted than the Royal Guards, and the same could be said for King Viserin and the Turkin riders.

Despite the exhaustion, the soldiers continued to drive forward, their determination unwavering. They knew that faltering now could mean the end for all of them. The Leviathans showed no signs of slowing, their numbers still vast despite the heavy losses.

Finally, salvation came in the form of a signal. The gems embedded in their gauntlets began to glow with a gray color—a command from Overlord to initiate a tactical retreat. The soldiers could not help but release breaths of relief as they saw the signal. Carefully, they began to make their way back, maintaining defensive positions to prevent the Leviathans from exploiting any weaknesses.

"Fall back in good order!" Anglius ordered. "Do not let them break our lines!"

Of course, a tactical retreat also consumed energy, but thanks to the efforts of the Turkin riders and the massacre in the outer ring, the presence of Leviathans in the inner ring was minimal. The moment the Golden Wave Legion and Shadowstrike Legion passed the inner walls, they were able to head toward the summit without problems, accompanied by the Turkin riders.

Freya and the Royal Guards took the rear of the retreat, ensuring that nothing unexpected happened. Despite her earlier injuries, Freya had rejoined the battle. While she was still far from being able to fight at full strength, she could at least push back Leviathan warriors.

As for Ouroboros and the Lords of Horror, they rose into the air and moved through the sky, providing aerial cover to the forces below. From their vantage point, they could see the movements of the Leviathan swarm.

Of course, as soon as the human forces retreated, the swarm of Leviathans marched forward. Thousands upon thousands crossed the inner wall immediately, their relentless advance unimpeded. The dark ocean of drones surged into the inner ring, immediately marching toward the zenith of the volcano.