Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 472: Today, we fight at the end of the world

Chapter 472: Today, we fight at the end of the world

The human army only encountered silence as they advanced through the Wendy Country. There were no ambushes, no sporadic skirmishes—just an eerie stillness that weighed heavily on the soldiers. The absence of resistance made many frown. It was clear to the entire human army that the hive mind had abandoned its strategy of divide and conquer. Instead, it had gathered its full might for the final confrontation, where it intended to crush the human forces in a single decisive battle.

Vlad was acutely aware of the implications. Yet, he did not hesitate. His every step was resolute as he led the army forward, undeterred by the shadow of death looming over them. The soldiers followed, their boots marching in rhythm, the rumble of tanks providing a steady backdrop as they closed the distance to their ultimate target. After two and a half more days of marching, they finally saw it.

Standing atop a massive hill, Vlad surveyed the scene below. His eyes sharpened as they took in the full splendor—and horror—of the obsidian obelisk. It loomed impossibly large, piercing the heavens, its dark surface shimmering as though alive. Yet it was not the structure alone that captured his attention but the seething army surrounding it.

The swarm of Leviathans stretched across the horizon, a monstrous tide that seemed endless. They were packed so tightly together that it appeared chaotic, yet Vlad knew better. What looked like disorder was a carefully orchestrated arrangement, each creature manipulated by the singular will of the hive mind. The swarm’s sheer size and cohesion made it a terrifying force, one that would demand every ounce of strength and strategy from the human troops.

Freya, Ouroboros, and Jormungandr stood beside Vlad, their expressions somber as they gazed at the sea of monstrosities. Freya’s hand gripped her mace tightly, her knuckles white with tension. Ouroboros narrowed his eyes while Jormungandr’s tail coiled restlessly, his energy barely contained. Even Overlord, pragmatic and unflinching, betrayed a flicker of dread as he regarded the massive Leviathan army since his mind calculated the chances of success upon a direction confrontation, and they were not good.

However, their focus soon shifted to their true adversaries, the counterweights to their own power. Among the swarm, the Leviathan Lords radiated an overwhelming aura. Their presence alone distorted the air around them, their physical might palpable even from a distance. These were beings Vlad and his companions had faced before, each battle leaving scars both physical and mental. None among them, except Overlord, had managed a decisive victory against these Lords. Even then, Overlord’s triumph had come with a huge asterisk, as the Multi-Arm Leviathan Lord had already been gravely wounded in its prior clash with Freya.

Just as the human forces noticed the swarm, so too did the Leviathans take note of their enemies. Neither side had attempted to conceal their numbers, and now they stood openly, the battlefield laid bare for all to see. Unlike the Leviathans, however, the humans had one weapon held in reserve, one they had been saving for this exact moment.

Vlad’s gaze shifted to Overlord. The Divine Avatar met his eyes and performed a small nod, the command already given. Satisfied, Vlad turned to face his army. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers stood before him, their faces a mixture of determination and fear. They were not machines. They did not wish to die. Yet here they stood, ready to march into the maw of death, prepared to give their last breath to protect those they loved.

For a moment, Vlad stood in silence, letting the weight of their gazes settle on him. Then, finally, he spoke.

"Today, we stand here, united as one. We do not do so as members of different races or citizens of divided countries but as sons and daughters of Terra." His voice thundered across the landscape, carried by unseen forces to reach the ears of every soldier. "We have risen beyond our origins, and while the ones by your side may not share your blood, they share a bond that makes them your brothers and sisters."

The soldiers stood straighter, their eyes sharpening as Vlad’s words ignited a fire within them.

"Today, we face the apocalypse! Today, we butcher the monsters that reach our doors! Today, we fight at the end of the world!"

As his final words echoed across the army, the sky seemed to shatter. Hundreds of sonic booms reverberated above them, heralding the arrival of the last card of humanity. The weapons coursed through the air, streaking toward the Leviathan swarm like vengeful comets. Each missile carried enough destructive power to level entire cities, their trajectories calculated to inflict maximum damage on the tightly packed Leviathan forces.

Grand Marshal Anglius, King Viserin, Major General Theodoro, and the other generals recognized the weapons instantly. There was no forgetting the might of the Divine Ballista Missiles. These weapons of mass destruction had been forged in the depths of Xaos City, and every resource and every ounce of Divine Force was poured into their creation. They could have turned the tide of earlier battles, but Vlad had insisted they be saved for this moment, where their impact would be most significant.

Vlad allowed himself a small smile as he watched the missiles streak toward their targets. But the hive mind was not caught unprepared. As the missiles descended at supersonic speeds, hundreds of Elite Units within the Leviathan ranks raised their arms, aiming with a precision born of the hive mind’s control. Their claws left their hand, propelled into the sky, striking at the incoming missiles.

Despite the difficulty of targeting objects moving so fast, the Elite Units lived up to their name. They managed to strike every single missile before it could reach the ground.

Cold smiles spread across the faces of the Leviathan Lords as they watched the human weapons fail. It was a victory for the hive mind, one that it hoped would crush the spirit of the humans before the final battle began.