Leon stood atop the towering castle, his gaze fixed on the battlefield below, while Julius raced towards the sacred altar, his heart pounding with anticipation.
"He is not here," Leon relayed through his communicator, his voice filled with a sense of urgency.
"I didn't find him here either; then where in the hell is he?" Julius responded anxiously, his voice crackling with frustration. Suddenly, a deafening explosion shattered the air, shaking the ground and creating a massive crater just 50 meters away from him. Emerging from the dust and debris was a fearsome figure—a crimson, reptilian creature with immense wings sprouting from its back and a menacing horn jutting from its forehead.
"I assume you are the one who is leading this group of insects," the red monster sneered, its jagged yellow teeth glinting in a malicious grin. Its towering height of twelve feet only amplified the overwhelming sense of dread that emanated from its presence. "Then you must be a strong insect, aren't you?"
Julius remained silent, his hand stealthily reaching for his concealed sword. His eyes flickered with a vibrant green light as the wind began to swirl around him, responding to the impending clash.
"Multiple wind slashes!" Julius proclaimed, his voice filled with unwavering determination. Instantly, countless wind blades materialized in the air, slicing through the battlefield with blinding speed, hurtling towards the lizard-like demon.
Amidst the chaos, the red creature chuckled, swiftly folding its wings back before unleashing them with tremendous force in a dazzling display of agility.
"BOOM!"
The ground ruptured, sending rubble flying in all directions. The sheer force of the impact annihilated the wind blades, obliterating them with the sheer power of the unleashed air pressure. Rubble soared towards Julius at breakneck speed, threatening to engulf him.
"Aurora shield!" Julius roared, his voice cutting through the chaos. In an instant, a radiant, rainbow-colored sphere materialized around him, forming a protective barrier that shielded him from the onslaught of debris. But before he could catch his breath, a shiver crawled down his spine as an ominous voice slithered from behind him.
"Nice shield! Let's see how much it can endure." The demon lizard taunted, appearing behind Julius in a menacing punching stance. Before Julius could react, a thunderous sound, louder than a thousand thunderbolts, exploded through the battlefield.
"BOOOOOOMMM!"
The force of the demon's punch collided with Julius' shield, causing shockwaves that rippled through the air, shaking the very fabric of reality. A catastrophic noise filled the air as the barrier strained against the overwhelming power, and a 700-metre-long Carter appeared. The ground was torn off 40 metres deep as a dust cloud rose hundreds of metres in the sky. Julius' ears were still ringing from the attack as he looked around him.
Hundreds of human bodies were torn apart and lying in Carter's arms; these were the bodies of his comrades who were caught in the crossfire. As soon as Julius ears stopped ringing, the first thing he heard was the laughing sound of the red demon lizard.
"You.. youu.. bast*rd, I will kill you " Julius shouted at the top of his lungs as his Aurora barrier shattered along with his mask, reviling the face of an angry young elf with shiny golden hair somewhere around his 30s.
His left eye glowed with a radiant golden light, while his right eye retained its intense green hue. With a swift motion, he summoned a holy lance into his right hand, infusing it with the power of the wind. The air around him intensified, crackling with energy as blood trickled down his forehead.
Huffing and taking deep breaths, Julius screamed with unbridled fury. Utilizing his momentum, he unleashed the wind-powered holy lance with all his might. As the lance shot through the air, his armguard shattered into pieces, and blood seeped from his wounded skin. The lance hurtled forward with hypersonic speed, covering an astonishing 600 meters in the blink of an eye, obliterating everything in its path, whether it made contact or not...
Caught off guard by the ferocity of the attack, the red demon lizard instinctively reached out with its left hand, attempting to intercept the lance. Yet, it proved to be a grave mistake. The moment its hand made contact, an immense force propelled the creature backward with unparalleled velocity, hurtling it towards the castle.
"AAAAAGGGGGHHHH..." A spine-chilling, ear-splitting scream pierced the air, sending shivers down the spines of all who bore witness to the battle. "Insolent insect, I will... kill you," the demon lizard snarled, rising to its feet, blood dripping from its twisted, unnaturally angled palm. Folding its legs, it lunged toward Julius, who stood gasping for breath, his body battered and bruised.
As soon as the lizard launched towards Julius, a Carter was formed from where he took off. The lizard prepared a punch from his right hand, and just as he was about to hit Julius,
"Iron Defence: Iron Shield"
"DINNNNNNNNNNN" A ringing sound of metal hitting metal vibrated through the city as the shockwaves of the punch sent ripples through the air itself.
"HAHAHA, tough opponent, aren't you " When dust clouds left, one could see that the Demon Lizard punch was stopped by two war axes crossed over a man's chest as thunder plasma danced through its body.
"Leon..." A name slipped through Julius' lips as he looked at the red-haired berserker in front of him. Numerous scars were visible on his fair skin, reflecting his experiences through life and death battles.
As the lizard sensed his punch being blocked, he opened his mouth wide, condensing energy into the size of a cricket ball.
"RUNNN .. Julius," Leon said, hiding his head behind his war axes.
"Wings of Altria "
Julius chanted, as two green energy wings came out of his back and he flew with supersonic speed upward.
"CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"
An ear-piercing sound passed through the air as a red energy beam was thrown towards Leon, making a 90-metre-deep carter on where he was standing.
Julius turned around as he took out a bow and arrows from his storage ring and launched multiple arrows at the demon lizard standing and huffing on the ground. 'Bang, bang, bang." The sound of enchanted arrows blasting resounded throughout the city as the demon let out a roar in pain. His muscles started to bulge up, and a red aura surrounded his body as he grew 1.5 times his size.
[A/N: Storage rings, or dimension rings, are used to store objects in small spaces; you can think of them as inventory in games.]
The demon lizard used its wings to fly towards Julius, trying to catch him, but he was intercepted by fire arrows and wind-enchanted arrows directed at him. While the demon was in shock at the blast, Julius cast yet another spell.
"FLAMING DRIVE"
Julius poured all his magic into his final move as his body was covered in golden light and he moved directly towards the demon lizard, who covered his body with his wings. As soon as the golden projectile hit the demon lizard, his wings were cut off, making him fall to the ground, while Julius landed far from there.
Before the demon could fully recover from the impact, an enormous force collided with its left side—a powerful blow delivered by Leon's waraxe. "Boom!" The impact sent the creature hurtling through twenty buildings, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, before it finally crashed into the castle.
Determined and undeterred, the demon lizard swiftly rose from the rubble, taking a few steps forward before launching a fierce punch at Leon with its remaining hand. Leon, wielding his waraxe, met the attack head-on. The clash of their strikes generated shockwaves that rippled through the air, causing the ground to crack and electric plasma to dance around them. In this brutal exchange, a clear victor emerged as the demon lizard's left hand was sent flying through the air, releasing torrents of blackened blood.
However, the creature refused to yield, disregarding its pain. With a swift motion, it seized Leon's leg, tossing him into the air before delivering a bone-crushing kick that propelled him three kilometres skyward.
"Thunder whip"
Leon used the move as four stretchable thunder strings came out of his body, acting like rubber string, loading him upwards. While on the ground, the demon lizard collected enough red energy to be the size of a football as it let out a massive red beam from its mouth.
While airborne, Leon's eyes glowed with a mesmerizing shade of purple, and his body radiated a brilliant, ethereal light as he descended towards the ground, supported by his thunder whip. The shadow of a dragon materialized behind him, enhancing his formidable presence.
Watching this awe-inspiring spectacle from the side lines, Julius muttered under his breath, awe evident in his voice, "This is the skill of the legendary berserker of Patliputra. So, this is how it looks..."
"THUNDER DRAGON"
The words resounded through the battlefield as the red beam collided with the thunderous silhouette. An ear-splitting screech—cheeeeeeeeeeeeeee—vibrated through the air, and a white orb of light began to radiate from the point of collision, turning the night into day. The blinding light pierced through the red beam, carving its path like a ship sailing against the current.
For those observing from afar, it appeared as if the sun itself was descending upon the earth. The radiance intensified, searing the eyes and overwhelming the senses. As the blinding light finally struck the ground, the castle was enveloped in a dome of resplendent white, causing the earth to tremble as if shaken by an earthquake.
"BOOOOOOOOOM!"
The resounding explosion echoed throughout the city, its shockwaves reaching the very heavens, leaving a trail of light that pierced the clouds. When the blast finally subsided, Leon stood amidst the aftermath, his body covered in burns and cuts, yet undeterred. He nodded toward Julius, a silent acknowledgement passing between them.
Despite his grievous wounds and the agony coursing through his body, Julius mustered the strength to rise to his feet, tears streaming down his face. He retrieved a sword from the ground, raising it skyward, shattering the silence.
"WE WON!!!"
"Yeahhhhhhh!!" The exultant cheers and laughter of the crowd erupted, blending with the triumphant cries of liberated slaves. Joy and relief flooded the battlefield, marking humans' first victorious stand against the demons.
And so, amidst the shattered remnants of the castle, the Resistance etched their mark upon history, a testament to the unyielding spirit of humanity.