Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 481: King vs King (II)

Chapter 481: King vs King (II)

The hundreds of thousands of human soldiers and the millions of Leviathans kept killing each other, each side fueled by the mighty presence of their respective kings.

Thanks to the Leviathan King, the hive mind was able to mobilize the remainder of its army into a harrowing battle of attrition. Such a strategy meant the Leviathans killed far fewer humans each moment, but they could last significantly longer in the grand conflict. This approach was chosen because the hive mind believed the Leviathan King would surely win when it ultimately clashed with Vlad, the Xaos King.

All the Leviathan forces had to do was endure until Vlad fell. Afterward, the Leviathan King would direct its immense power against the rest of the human army, breaking every defensive line and formation, allowing the remaining Leviathans to swarm the humans and slaughter them all.

Of course, the human army fought with the same conviction. The Xaos King had never failed them; he consistently brought miracles to the battlefield as if a divine will stood behind him. Because of this, they fought with unyielding determination, striving to kill the alien monsters swiftly. Bloodshed spread throughout the warzone, dark blood staining the ground until mud covered hundreds of thousands of meters around the obsidian obelisk. That sprawl of slick, clotted earth bore gruesome testimony to the ceaseless carnage between humanity and the Leviathans.

Every inch of Grand Marshal Anglius’s golden armor was coated in the Leviathans’ blood, his breathing harsh and his lungs aflame. Nevertheless, he continued swinging his halberd in wide arcs, each wave of the massive weapon annihilating hundreds of those monsters at a time. Despite the agony in his chest, he never stopped or slowed, compelled by his duty as one of humanity’s greatest protectors in this apocalypse.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

He had just crushed a Leviathan warrior under his foot, feeling chitin shatter beneath his colossal strength, when an immense explosion thundered above his head. Looking upward, he saw the Xaos King barreling through the sky, carrying the Leviathan King along with him. Traces of their blood spattered the air before they both slammed into a towering mountain in the distance—one easily five hundred meters in height.

The resulting collision obliterated the structure, with fragments of rock scattering in every direction. Astonishingly, no more than a second later, Vlad and the Leviathan King emerged from the new crater, fists smashing into each other, their blows unleashing colossal shockwaves. Huge chunks of debris launched into the sky, the might of these two combatants making it appear as though the mountain might collapse entirely beneath their onslaught.

That sight caused Grand Marshal Anglius’s blood to burn with renewed zeal. Determination flashed in his gaze as he roared an order that sent a tremor through the hearts of all the nearby soldiers.

"Berserk Mode!"

These words carried a dire meaning: the consumption of Berserker Pills. Taking these would restore every soldier to their peak condition, but the horrifying consequence was that the backlash afterward would not allow them to retreat. If they resorted to the pills, no one would leave this battlefield alive unless they prevailed. They would either stand victorious upon the corpses of their enemies or fail and meet their own doom. Accepting that ultimate risk was no simple task, yet every man and woman who had come to this battleground knew the stakes they faced. Their eyes glowed with unbreakable resolve as they bit into the pills hidden inside their mouths.

"Arrgggghhh!"

Roars echoed throughout the chaos. An electrifying surge flooded the human ranks, each soldier’s energy and stamina restored to their prime. Weapons, once heavy with fatigue, now cleaved through Leviathan’s flesh with renewed ferocity while powerful spells flashed across the battlefield, devastating the monsters in bright arcs of magical force. Vikings leaped from the safety of Xaos Tanks, racing forward alongside colossal metallic war machines. Their savagery manifested in a frenzy of sword strikes, mace blows, shield bashes, and unleashed spells, all of which were empowered by the Totemic energy that propelled them beyond their limitations.

The Royal Guard, the nineteen Bloodline Soldiers, and the Lords of Horror followed suit. They consumed Guardian Tier Berserker Pills, igniting their power to its peak, their blood seeming to boil with unstoppable might. The Leviathan Race’s Elite Units faltered as the humans tore through them, the surging energy glowing and outlining each soldier’s figure like a grim halo. Here, the tide of battle was measured in dismembered limbs and shattered chitin.

"CRUSH!"

Clasius bellowed, lifting his immense bastard sword overhead before smashing it down upon two Elite Units, reducing them to writhing husks. Amara dashed beside him, her dagger blurring in swift arcs, so rapid that she seemed more spirit than flesh, felling any creature unlucky enough to cross her path.

"BURN!"

Roman, Mirena, and Frank synchronized their powers, summoning a raging vortex of magma and lightning, swirling with hundreds of shadow arrows that obliterated every Elite Unit caught in its wake. In an instant, the scorched remains of the Leviathans collapsed, no match for the combined might of these three.

"KILL THE MONSTERS!" Major General Theodor shouted. He bore a gaping wound on his abdomen that looked to have punctured his stomach, yet terror did not register in his eyes. He led the Bloodline Soldiers headlong into the fray and hacked at every Elite Unit that attempted to hold their line.

Ned and the Lords of Horror fought nearby, each nursing grim injuries—some had lungs punctured, others carried wounds near their hearts or brains. Still, they pressed on, fueled by the singular focus on slaughtering Leviathans. They recognized that once their adrenaline and alchemical enhancements wore off, their mortal wounds would likely claim their lives, but until that moment arrived, they would not falter!

Elsewhere in the melee, King Viserin continued to advance with thousands of Turkin riders in his wake. His left arm dangled limply, connected only by torn muscle, rendered entirely useless. He had also lost his left eye, yet he rode atop his massive demonic soul as though he were invincible, gripping a sword in his right hand while another blade remained clenched between his teeth. His silence spoke volumes, and the absolute ferocity of his march motivated the elite Turkin riders to press on, expending every last ember of their vitality to kill Leviathans.

That same fierceness and resolve burning in the hearts of the entire human army emanated equally from its three mighty champions. Jormgundr, Ouroborus, and Freya burst with power. Each consumed a Blood Berserker Pill, unleashing a power that soared beyond their previous limits. The monstrous Leviathan Lords found themselves driven back by the ferocity of these champions. In the heavens above, the gigantic sky wolf slammed the Manticore Leviathan Lord against the obsidian obelisk. The beast snarled and thrashed, but Ouroborus sank his fangs into its shoulder, shattering bone. With a violent tug, he wrenched the entire limb free.

"SHIRKKKKKKK!"

A shriek of agony tore from the Manticore Leviathan Lord as its arm was ripped off, yet Ouroborus continued attacking, claws flashing in relentless arcs. He refused to let this chance slip away, determined to finish the creature before it could recover.

On the ground, two enormous serpents remained locked in a deadly dance. The World Snake confronted the Kraken Leviathan Lord, forcing it into the soil. The massive Leviathan hissed and struggled, attempting to free itself from the World Snake’s tightening coils.

"AHHHHHH!"

A roar of torment erupted from the Kraken Leviathan Lord as it tried to stand, only to be pinned even more firmly. A streak of motion descended from the sky like a spear of dawn, crashing directly onto the monster’s chest with incredible force, driving it into the earth. Freya’s eyes were aflame with battle-lust as she held the creature down, creating the opportunity for Jormgundr to bury his fangs into the monster’s neck. The World Snake’s eyes shone with a meaningful glow as it shot Freya, continuing to suppress the Kraken Leviathan Lord’s frantic attempts. Freya comprehended the silent message behind Jormgundr’s gaze, nodding as she turned to peer into the distance, bracing herself.

All around them, the battlefield was a furnace of war. Humans, enhanced by Berserker Pills, fought as men and women possessed, each one fully aware of the lethal cost once the effects wore off. The Leviathans, guided by their Hive Mind and buoyed by the presence of their own unstoppable king, refused to yield an inch. Corpses piled upon corpses, forming gruesome mounds, and the stench of blood filled the air so completely that it became suffocating.

In the midst of it all, the obsidian obelisk stood as a grim sentinel, a silent witness to the slaughter and mayhem. Streams of dark Leviathan blood merged with human crimson, creating a vast morass of sludge stretching hundreds of thousands of meters. Weapons clashed incessantly, accompanied by spells of lightning, fire, and shadow. The war seemed endless, each kill replaced by another foe stepping forward to fill the void.