To the southeast, far from Reflinton, where Cerise's great army was stationed, Tales and his troops found themselves in dire straits. They faced a zombie army of almost ten thousand and its fearsome leader, Erfez.
"Holy Bolt!" cried the priest standing behind the knight's shield as he launched a holy arrow at the oncoming horde of zombies. Their magic arrows had a powerful effect on the Undead. Those at the forefront disintegrated when exposed to this magic. After several more large-scale bombardments, the first group of priests retreated, allowing a new group to take over.
Tales was not overly concerned about the zombie army. Although his forces were outnumbered, their defensive strategy and use of holy magic had produced great results. However, he was unsure if this approach would work against the colossal figure leading the enemy forces.
"He's taller than the palace," Tales observed, gazing up at the giant figure approaching him. Erfez was several times larger than he remembered. Tales estimated that the creature was even taller than the highest point of the white castle in the capital.
...just how many other zombies had this demon devoured?…
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In the Northeast, near Nottingville, the Alkaiser's army clashed with the skeleton army of the Golden Skeleton, which had been standing in front of the city. The Golden Skeleton had missed a move, causing most of their forces to fight outside the city, leaving them vulnerable when they returned to settle in the city.
Genevieve stood atop the city walls, waving the Atezia's flag while a group of warriors snuck into the city through secret passages dug into the walls. With the help from her power of high-ranking vampire, Alkaiser's soldiers, and excavators borrowed from Sonata, she was able to come in and successfully close the city gates, trapping the Golden Skeleton's army outside.
Suddenly, a blade shot towards Genevieve from behind, and she quickly realized what was happening and fled. Though the blade missed her head, her neck was nearly cut in half. Thankfully, being a vampire saved her from being killed by the attack.
"Heartless" Genevieve felt a chill as she stared into the empty faces of her attackers, certain that the bodiless armor was staring back at her.
Several warriors rushed to her defense and attacked the dark purple armor demon, but their attacks were ineffective.
Clang! Cling!
The knight's spear sent their bodies flying, and they were killed instantly, leaving only Genevieve to witness their demise.
...Too bad, this one is real…
**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
Meanwhile, in the village of the boarmen's largest nest, Alto had just arrived and began raiding the village to rescue boarmen's captive humans. Originally, Cerise had intended to let the mission go, as defeating boarmen, who could fight opponents day and night, was a difficult task.
Boarmen are physically larger and stronger than humans. The reason why an aggressive and prolific race like them had not occupied the continent since ancient times was that they are essentially barbaric without strategy. Many sub-races never had anyone who could truly unify them until the day Griff was born. He was a Boarman king with intelligence no different from a human, but more ferocious than any other boarmen.
Markel discovered him while scouting Revarent's territory and freed him from captivity as a slave, before handing Griff over to the Dark Jester to deal with.
No one knows exactly what happened, but Griff has been transformed into an even more terrifying monster. He made a deal with Revarent, and all boarmen have been part of their army ever since.
Alto delegated the task of helping the captives to his subordinates and personally walked into the boarmen's encirclement alone. Several boarmen ran towards him but were unable to touch him.
Every attack was useless, and the number of hearts he had taken out was increasing.
Alto was unaware of the nature of the magic being cast by the wraiths, but he had a hunch that it boded ill. He knew he ought to intervene, yet his curiosity compelled Alto to remain a spectator until the very end. When the incantation concluded, Griff's colossal ax underwent a transformation, assuming the same translucent quality as that of the wraiths.
"Or... Etheric Form?" Alto's eyebrows twitched as he referred to matter in a state beyond the physical. While physical attacks may not affect him, a direct attack on his spirit would be…. no laughing matter.
**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
As the war raged on, it was impossible to discern which side held the decisive advantage, regardless of the battlefield. Each side had its own strengths and weaknesses, and it was widely acknowledged that the outcome of the war was anyone's guess.
However, there was one battlefield where Revarents were certain of their victory: Reflinton. Presently, all three of the Revarants' armies - the vampire warriors under the leadership of the warlike Markel, the army of the Skeleton King Kronox, and the Golden Skeleton's small remaining army - had arrived at the front of the city.
Dark Jester held a different opinion. He believed that deploying all the ruling zombies in this battle would be a foolish decision. Instead, he had dispersed them throughout the borders of Atezia, where they were rapidly increasing in numbers.
"They have brought most of their forces here. My zombies will be unstoppable," Dark Jester chuckled.
"You must capture Reflinton. No, we must eliminate them all," Kronox spoke with a strange expression every time he mentioned the city. The Dark Jester was the only one who understood why - Kronok was once a nobleman in Reflinton when he was still human, and he may still hold fond memories of the place.
"Don't forget, if you encounter that vampire woman, bring her to me," Markel glared fiercely at the city wall. He did not just seek to eradicate Atezia, but he also had a personal score to settle with Genevieve, who had the potential to ruin his centuries-long ambition. However, he remained oblivious to the fact that Genevieve was currently battling Heartless elsewhere.
Sonata and his adoptive father made a final check of the ship's condition to ensure that nothing went unnoticed. He had already taken care of everything that needed to be done. Despite his belief that Ateผia would eventually emerge victorious from the war, there was one last thing he needed to complete with his own hands.
After issuing an order to start the engine a few minutes later, the half-day sector that was once submerged in the swamp slowly rose to the surface.
The objective of this expedition had already been established. The transmitters that Sonata had hidden throughout Necropolis could transmit signals through magical defenses, accurately scanning the entire city's location.
"It's deep, too," said one of the Silencers as they examined the three-dimensional city plan. "But that's all. Let's destroy it."
"Don't forget the key," Sonata reminded his men of their other objective. Their goal was not just to completely destroy Necropolis.
"The leaders are fighting outside. Are you sure the key is still in town?"
"Absolutely," Sonata replied flatly, without explaining why he was so confident.
**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
The roar of the two-thousand-meter-long ship only briefly sounded before it was silenced as it ascended. The enormous craft soared through the night sky at high speed, drawing the attention of many who looked up without warning.
It was a stark contrast to its previous descent from the heavens, now soaring towards the heat of battle with cutting-edge technology. Sector One wasted no time in reaching the first battlefield. Suddenly, the ship halted mid-air, as though seized by an invisible force. Its hull opened, releasing something.
Only minutes earlier, Tales had nearly given up hope of winning the battle. Erfez had engulfed his entire zombie army, and no matter how hard the priests attacked, Erfez remained unshaken.
Tales tried to climb the monster's body and strike its head, which was larger than an entire house, as many had anticipated. However, he soon discovered that it was not just the monster's size that was daunting. Its attack, recovery, and defense powers had all been amplified. Even Tales' sword inflicted a severe wound on its neck, but the wound healed almost immediately.
Tales was not a strategist, so he resorted to slashing continuously with his dual swords. He hoped that if he could attack quickly enough, he would overcome the monster's regenerative abilities. However, fighting while climbing was no easy feat, and Erfez did not simply wait for Tales to attack. It countered with a fist that was larger than Tales' entire body.
Despite being repeatedly knocked down, the frenzied warrior refused to give up. He climbed back onto the monster's body and attacked again and again, dozens of times, until his condition was almost unbearable to witness.
"Knock him down again, quickly heal him!" the priest shouted, but he was unable to finish his sentence. Erfez's giant foot stomped on him until he was crushed, a sight so terrifying that everyone had to look away.