Book 7, Chapter 84 - Clearing the Underground

Greenland Soldiers stood in tight formation, firing their weapons into anything that got too close . Monsters were blown to pieces before they could do any damage . Pained cries echoed through the underground . Corpses were piled high and rivers of blood soaked the stone .

It was a cruel, unmitigated ma.s.sacre . Luckily there was no one living here, otherwise the soldiers would have shot them down without a second thought . They showed no mercy to these supernatural and violent beasts .

But no matter how many they killed, more of these monsters kept coming . If this kept up they would be overrun .

Despite several upgrades, eboncrys weapons were relatively limited in rate of fire and how much ammo they held . This was especially true for heavier artillery, so after every volley there was a down period where they had to cool down and be reloaded . Plenty of time for the monsters to rally and push in closer .

Greenland’s Awakened stepped up and activated their defenses . The elemental attacks flung at them from the beasts. .h.i.t the s.h.i.+elds and fizzled away .

The Awakened supported the troops by deflecting long-range attacks and responding with some of their own . Arrows of mental energy streaked through the darkness, and although they didn’t have the range of eboncrys rifles they were deadly at mid-range .

Whoos.h.!.+ Ironspike raised his hand and sent a Mornarrow shot flying . It struck a metallic looking bird square in the chest, piercing its iron-like scales and blasted it into pieces . The mangled corpse hit the ground with a heavy thud .

He called out in triumph . “Leader Cloudhawk’s gift is a h.e.l.l of a thing!”

Cloudhawk’s inventions were incredible, without a doubt . The simple rings were easy to ma.s.s produce and worked off the same principle as Elysian exorcist bows . A single shot was like an armor-piercing cannon round, but with the psionic amplification Ironspike’s shot could rip through alloy armor half a meter thick .

He fired off a few more shots, wildly attacking whatever he saw . The monsters were coming in so thick he didn’t need to worry about missing .

He was elated . He’d trained for two years for this moment! Before he joined the Inst.i.tute he was just another twisted face, huddling in the shadows with his parents . Now he killed monsters worse than any they’d ever seen in the wastelands . Fate had brought him down a path he never would have imagined .

This was what Greenland Alliance promised! It had changed his life, so Ironspike vowed to defend his people and his leader with everything he could muster .

“f.u.c.kin’ things! Die! Die, die, die!”

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Ironspike and the other students never let up and the wall of corpses continued to climb . But just because these ordinary beasts were helpless, that didn’t mean there were more dangerous fiends lurking in the dark .

The s.p.a.ce between the two groups was shrinking every second . A group of giant pangolin-like monsters had pushed to the front and were acting as s.h.i.+elds . Their armored hides glimmered with a close-fitting s.h.i.+eld of energy . Shots from the eboncrys rifles hardly left a mark .

Ironspike flung an energy arrow at it . There was a sharp crack as some of the scales were chipped .

The scales of these monsters were similar to the dragons of Woodland Vale . They devoured a portion of the energy flung at them, effectively castrating Awakened attacks .

Gabriel’s long fingers danced as he manipulated his Shadethread . One of the pangolins was wrapped up, the weave carving wounds in its hide . Blood began to pour – a thick, corrosive substance that weakened Gabriel’s relic . One by one they snapped until the creature burst free .

This took the artist by surprise . “Well these things are obnoxious . ”

“Useless . Watch and learn!” Barb brandished her long sword .

As the drunk’s unnamed disciple she had spent years training her martial skills . She’d had some success in learning his abilities and top of her moderate mental talent . She was no less capable than Gabriel, and where he failed perhaps direct power would prevail .

But while Barb was fast, someone else was faster .

Azura shot off like a bullet . While in the air she fired off a volley of energy arrows, each one striking with the impact of a missile . They came in quick succession and caused the pangolin’s glimmering s.h.i.+eld to dim .

She drew her twin shortswords and spun around like a top . Before it could react the beast was caught in the whirling dervish and had its head cut neatly off its shoulders .

She was quick, and strong!

Azura had also learned a little from the old drunk . Her innate mental talents were also impressive . With the addition of the psionic necklace and her relic swords, the armor of these creatures was nothing .

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She hit the ground, carving a small crater . But half a second after landing she was back in the air .

Her body continued to spin . Like a boomerang she whipped through the enemy horde . Bleeding corpses of giant armored beasts lined her wake, whose gouts of blood burned other creatures who were too close . Like a stiff breeze Azura spun back to behind the soldiers and sheathed her weapons .

Pigblossom and Ironspike gaped at her . Son of a b.i.t.c.h! Her cla.s.smates had no idea this was how strong she was . If this was her now, where would she be in a few years? There was no doubt she would be a powerhouse .

“Nice work, Boss Azura!”

“I’m not strong, you’re just weak . ” She glared at the others and pulled no punches . “If you can’t even kill these things how are you supposed to fight G.o.ds?”

Her harsh words wounded them and the students glanced at once another .  We train so hard already, they thought .  Better than normal people by far! You’re already super talented, you don’t need to push so much .

Her talent wasn’t what made her frightening . She had the talent of a hundred people her age, but she also had the drive of a hundred people . It was a stellar combination, and the others could only stand by and eat her dust .

Natessa watched the fight unfold . Her and her elite squad did not act . Although it didn’t show on her face, she was stunned . This group was far from Cloudhawk’s best soldiers, but they were doing impressive work .

By now the sounds of battle had drawn out most of the beasts . Among them were a handful of especially strong monsters . The time was right . Natessa looked at Azura . “Adjust your formation . Prepare to push on!”

Barb and the others were at a loss . Their enemies only seemed to be increasing and there were deadly monsters among them . They should be prioritizing defense, otherwise people would die . s.h.i.+fting to the offensive didn’t make any sense!

Aaaaooorrrgghh!!

Exactly as they feared, a thunderous roar erupted from the creatures as monsters nine meters tall lumbered forth . The lesser beasts scrambled out of their way, themselves afraid of what these behemoths would do .

Everyone who saw them coming gasped in alarm .  

They were dog-like in appearance, but with important differences . Most striking was the giant pair of wings on their back and their nine heads . From the maw of each was belched streams of fire, so hot they could melt alloy .

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As soon as they appeared they spat plumes of fire into the human ranks .

Pigblossom cried out . “Wh, fire-breathing dogs? That’s one nasty looking thing . IF that fire catches me I’ll turn into bacon . ”

“Not bacon,” Ironspike corrected . “charred pork rinds . Maybe not even that . ”

Their banter was less funny with the knowledge that it was not an exaggeration . These nine-headed t.i.tans had lived down here for thousands of years and, like Awakened, had their own mental energy . Their were intelligent and capable of deadly tactics .

Worse still, the f.u.c.king things could fly . Any time they wished they could lift up and attack from above, exploiting breaks in their defenses . Dealing with them would be especially tricky .

A number of them launched into a full attack . Suddenly the air was filled with the sharp notes of a flute . The ethereal tones were not carried by air, but rather were waves of mental energy that hummed directly into everyone’s mind . As everyone was looking around for the source, they witnessed a strange phenomenon .

All the creatures around them had stopped . They didn’t move a muscle, almost like they were asleep . Soon after a green figure swooped down from above – the crystalline form of the Dragon King appeared in the air overhead . Upon its back stood a woman draped in green with a flute to her lips . Looming beside her was a ma.s.s of living vines in the shape of a behemoth .

The Shepherd G.o.d had arrived .

One of the G.o.d’s powers was in controlling the wills of lesser creatures . Those beasts that relied on instinct over intelligence succ.u.mbed to her whims, thus most of the monsters below her were frozen solid .  

Cloudhawk was smart to send her here . The soldiers he’d sent were not incapable of clearing the underground, but there would be considerable losses if they tried it alone . Now things were different, for the Shepherd G.o.d’s help was invaluable in this environment .  

The Dragon King circled several times while she played her tune . The sea of creatures swayed and moved under her spell . Controlling the fire-breathing canines was not so easy, but after a short time longer even they submitted to her control .

Autumn’s voice rang out . “I can’t hold a group this large for long . Finish them, time is short . ”

“We have to clear out their nest,” Natessa ordered .

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She was right . If they could find the source they could eliminate the creatures entirely . If not the waves would just keep coming until they were overwhelmed .

“Attack! Cut them down!”

Under the Shepherd G.o.d’s call the monsters turned and led the way . Any beast they encountered was torn apart as they marched toward the heart of their lair .

"Amazing," Azura muttered as she watched the G.o.d work . She wanted that power, the power to change the tide of battle and to protect the people she cared about . The power to fight by Cloudhawk's side .

Azura had become strong, but it was never enough . Ever since Cloudhawk found her she had been desperate to pay back his kindness . He'd saved her life! She had to get strong, then maybe one day she would save his . Her jaw set as Azura made the promise to herself .

In war the slightest distraction could be fatal . Thus, as Azura made her pledge to grow strong, she paid no mind to the shadow closing in from behind . Only when the sword burst forth from her chest did she notice them .

H-how . . ? Eyes wide, Azura felt the pain bloom through her, stealing her breath . In jerky movements she turned her head to see Pigblossom grinning at her . Only there was something horrible about it - twisted and unnatural .

That wasn't Pigblossom .

"A gift from the Hand of Gehenna . "

Those were the last words she heard .

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