Year 30, Day 95
If spiritual energy is akin to water, then the body would be a barrel.
At some point, the barrel is filled. No matter how much I compress the liquid inside, I cannot exceed the barrel's volume, and if it overflows, I explode.
Even if it saddens me, I understand why the sect pays us so little attention. We are just cannon fodder meant to support the main disciples.
I was very naive back then.
Even if I manage to break through, I will be much weaker than the others and will likely remain stuck at the beginning of the divine sea for a long time.
I don't really have any other choices. According to the elders, there exists a certain plant in this world that could allow me to elevate my celestial spiritual root to a supreme spiritual root: Ascension Peaches.
I have no other choice. It's my only chance to continue improving.
...
Beep
"Alpha team, headquarters here, report your position! Over."
Two sections of the Great Army of Alandal moved swiftly across the fire plains, leaving only shadows in their wake.
A Valyr mage flying low over the ground heard the call from the radio on his left chest plate and quickly responded.
Beep
"Headquarters, Alpha team here, we are approaching the area. Approximate distance: one hundred and fifty kilometers. ETA two hours. Over."
Beep
"Copy that, Alpha team. Switch to radio silence until mission completion, out!"
Beep
"Out."
The mage's gaze tightened as he looked at the troops under his command.
The hundred men moved like a spearhead, with an entire section forming the point and another forming the shaft. Each section was fifty meters apart from the previous one.
The two captains, he and a pinnacle Foundation Establishment naga wielding a sword, stood in the center of the formation and coordinated the section sergeants.
Although he had somewhat received a small promotion by gaining command of Alpha team, he displayed no smile but rather a grave expression.
The council had decided to launch a large-scale operation aimed at gaining a foothold in the center of the world, deploying a detachment of 20,000 men, led by Sylvera himself, as a diversion.
At the same time, about thirty rank 4s would also disperse and carry out surgical strikes on various villages, mines, and large farmlands to cause maximum confusion.
As for their team, their mission was simple: infiltrate deep into enemy territory and map as many areas as possible.
"I have a bad feeling about this," thought Max with a dark expression as Alpha team weaved between rocky formations, delving into previously unknown territory.
...
ROOOAAAAAAR
Three gigantic wyverns flapped their wings and flew a few hundred meters high, releasing their terrifying aura on the beings below.
Animals and insects in the distance lay flat on the ground, trembling in fear, while those closest fell unconscious.
The weakest were even directly killed by the aura as their souls couldn't bear the immense pressure.
After all, even if it wasn't directly targeted at them, the combined pressure of a pinnacle spirit beast and two others at the beginner and advanced stages was too much for these rank 0 and 1 beings.
The beasts took their time as they approached the world's center, sweeping the area with their spiritual senses.
Occasionally, they cast destructive spells or launched large arcs of energy from their claws.
This was the frightening aspect of beasts: they could master the spells of mages and the techniques of cultivators thanks to their particular internal energy.
In fact, they could practically master all techniques from different power systems, provided they spent enough time studying them.
Their only disadvantage was their own bloodline, which limited them far more than a spiritual or magical root would.
...
About two hundred kilometers south, at the center of the plane, in a large underground complex.
Hundreds of white humanoid monkeys with black stripes ran in all directions through the corridors while an alarm siren echoed throughout the facility.
They were clad in modern, lightweight black armor covering their torsos and legs, along with tactical combat helmets.
Most carried long black tactical rifles slung over their backs, leaving their hands free.
Those who didn't were larger, stronger, and distinguished by their massive appearance.
They ran three to four times faster than the other monkeys, and the others carefully stepped aside to let them pass.
If one were to look at the complex from above, one would see that regardless of the location, these super-monkeys were all heading to the same place.
...
In a large room at the center of the complex, one of the few where the siren didn't sound, dozens of large monkeys stood around a holographic map with severe expressions.
"I'd like to know..." said the monkey at the center of the group.
He was by far the tallest, and judging by the looks from the other monkeys, he held the most power in this base.
"Where such an army comes from. No, better yet. How did such an army get so close to us without us knowing? Isn't that right, Lieutenant Lukteka?"
Another monkey shuddered, feeling the undisguised murderous intent of the big monkey. Nevertheless, he took on a resolute expression and confronted his superior's inquisitive gaze.
"Captain, we've been in the dark since we lost communications with the satellites two years ago. Since those mysterious fissures in the sky appeared, we haven't received any reinforcements. With our meager resources and lack of supplies, we could only secure the vicinity of the cent—"
The man, however, never finished his sentence as his head was abruptly severed from his body, sending a spray of blood into the air as his body collapsed to the ground.
The other officers around the table felt a shiver run down their spines while two beings in jet-black powered armor came to pick up the corpse expressionlessly and dragged it outside.
"Always excuses!" said the Captain, wiping the blood from his hand.
He cast a sharp glance at the other terrified members of the assembly, who didn't dare meet his gaze and lowered their eyes.
The man immediately felt an urge to crush his incompetent subordinates' heads, but even someone as violent and unbridled as he was knew this wasn't the time.
"Let's forget this little interlude and return to the current situation!" he said darkly as he looked at the monkey to his right. "Lieutenant Minusk, I want a full report of the situation, starting from the beginning! When did we first spot them?"
...
The three wyverns continued to advance, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
The strongest of the three, an ice wyvern, unleashed a gigantic ice hurricane that covered an area of more than four hundred meters in radius, freezing everything in its path.
Unfortunately for her, the lava rivers soon re-emerged and melted part of the ice.
Nothing could be done about it; the environment was naturally unfavorable for her.
Suddenly, she felt her danger sense roar in her mind as a terrible threat appeared out of nowhere.
Purely by instinct, she gave a sudden wing beat and erected several magical barriers around her body.
BRBRBRBRB
A few tenths of a second later, a long black tube passed at a speed far exceeding that of sound where she had previously been.
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
Three massive explosions echoed, and the shockwave sent her reeling in the air, shaking her magical barrier.
She quickly regained balance and stabilized, deploying her spiritual sense to its maximum and entering combat mode.
She immediately spotted three more of these long tubes a few kilometers away, but this time, she was prepared.
She used her strong will to manipulate her mana and instantly wove hundreds of rank 2 spells.
Around her, hundreds of ice cones materialized and charged at the missiles.
Even though they were only rank 2 spells, she was, after all, a pinnacle rank 4 wyvern.
In her hands, these spells were no weaker than low-level rank 3 spells, and better yet, they were much faster.
She sent them directly onto what she thought was the path of the long tubes and also took the opportunity to check the state of her companions.
The youngest wyvern, who had barely entered adulthood, lay unconscious on the ground.
The right side of his chest had been entirely pulverized, and his body was almost cut in two. His aura weakened with each passing moment, and she doubted he would survive long without emergency treatment.
Fortunately, wyverns were much more resilient than other species, and their dragon bloodline was not to be taken lightly. Any other beast of the same level would already be dead.
As for the other wyvern, although she was slightly stronger, she had also been injured, and her left hind leg was completely shredded.
Nevertheless, as an earth wyvern, she was much more resistant and strong in defense than her peers, and she was directly taking charge of her injured comrade's safety despite her wounds, having erected a true turtle shell.
At the same time, the missile she had dodged had formed a crater thirty-five meters deep and sixty meters wide, demonstrating the penetrating nature of these tubes, while the shockwaves had leveled the area for nearly five hundred meters.
Relieved that there were no deaths, she immediately focused on the approaching threat.
However, without the element of surprise, she had no trouble intercepting all three.
Although they moved at high speed, their trajectory was more than predictable.
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
Shortly after, three explosions echoed in the air, and the pressure waves swept the surroundings.
The elder wyvern descended and stopped above her two companions.
"I'll carry Shylius; let's get out of here!" she said.
Shortly after, the two wyverns took off at full speed after stabilizing the condition of the young fire wyvern.
The earth wyvern led the way while the elder flew just behind, dragging Shylius' injured body between her claws.
...
The center of the plane trembled constantly as a hundred mushroom clouds rose towards the sky.
In the allied armies' command center, Isabella gazed at the devastated landscape with sorrow.
A few minutes ago, about ten long black tubes had fallen at supersonic speed near their camp, blocked by the magical barrier deployed by Ilbert.
The barrier hadn't even wavered, but the explosion's shockwave had ravaged the camp's surroundings.
The problem came when another tube fell on the camp shortly after.
This one was much larger, faster, and similarly, much more powerful.
Since she didn't feel any threat, she didn't intervene and let it explode on the barrier.
At the very center of the magical formation, nearly 10,000 spirit stones had lost their luster as their energy was drained by the barrier.
The explosion itself had made the entire plane tremble.
Within a seven-kilometer radius around the camp, there was nothing left alive. Plants and animals had been vaporized, hills and mountains had disappeared, and the ground itself had sunk nearly a hundred meters, leaving the camp as the only survivor of the explosion.
Earlier, when she was sure there was no more danger, she took to the sky, and the sight she saw deeply shocked her, for there was nothing but desolation for nearly forty kilometers.
Within the camp itself, many weak individuals ended up blind or deaf due to the explosion, bleeding from the seven orifices.
Only the rank 3s were more or less spared, while several mortals couldn't withstand it and also died.
"At least the barrier spared us from the heat and the explosion's blast; otherwise, I doubt anyone below an intermediate existence would have survived. No, even most rank 4s would have died too!" she thought with horror.
Even though she was very proud and felt superior, she wasn't blind.
She was still far from causing such destruction.
"It's not the power that's ridiculous; it's the quantity!"
She was sure of it!
Even if Ilbert was an old fogey who had already lived more than a thousand years and was undoubtedly Alandal's number one formation master, he couldn't handle rank 6 attacks.
"The power doesn't exceed rank 5, but it's as if dozens of them had used their ultimate attack in the same place."