Chapter 191: The Last Day (6)

Inside the command center, dozens of organizers stared at the screens. Nobody spoke. They could only watch.

On one screen, Echidna raised her hand. On another, Chloe’s Absolute Zero spread across the forest. On another, Silas stood amid thousands of monsters, katana in one hand and bow in the other.

Then the command center’s chief organizer whispered, "We’re watching an S-Rank battle."

Another organizer shook his head.

"No." He stared at the screen. "That’s not an S-Rank battle."

His voice trembled.

"That’s something else."

***

Back in Blackridge, Silas suddenly vanished. Chloe vanished with him. Echidna’s eyes sharpened. The first monster reached her. She smiled.

And the battlefield disappeared beneath a collision of pink light, absolute frost, poisonous darkness, and monstrous fury.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The forest shook. The Central Blackridge Observatory trembled. Mountains in the distance rumbled. Above the battlefield, the emergency drone continued recording, because whatever happened next would become one of the most terrifying recordings in the history of New Liberty.

***

The battlefield had ceased to resemble a forest. There was no longer a distinction between trees and earth, between sky and ground.

Everything had become one enormous battlefield.

Trees had been uprooted and thrown hundreds of meters away. The ground was fractured by countless impacts, while poisonous mist hung between the remaining trunks. Frozen sections of the forest glittered beneath Chloe’s Absolute Zero, while other areas had been reduced to smoking craters.

And in the middle of it all stood three beings. None of them looked untouched anymore. Silas wiped the blood from his cheek. His breathing had become heavier. One sleeve of his armor had been torn away, exposing several shallow cuts across his arm.

Chloe wasn’t doing much better.

A long gash crossed her shoulder, blood slowly staining the silver-and-blue armor beneath it. Frost had formed around the wound, instinctively attempting to slow the bleeding.

Echidna herself had suffered considerably more damage than either of them. Several of her scales had been shattered. One of her horns had a crack running through it. Blood flowed from a cut across her abdomen, and yet she still looked composed, almost amused.

"You two are quite troublesome."

Silas spun his katana once.

"Thanks."

"I wasn’t complimenting you."

"I accepted it as one."

Echidna’s golden eyes narrowed, but she smiled.

"Then allow me to compliment you properly."

Her tail slammed against the ground. Silas and Chloe separated as the earth exploded between them. From beneath the ground, another wave of monsters emerged.

There were hundreds now.

"She’s really not running out," Silas said in a grim tone.

"No," Chloe said. Her spear formed within her hand. "She’s creating more."

Silas exhaled.

"Then I’ll create some too."

He raised his hand, and the space behind him distorted as a massive pink gate appeared. The air around it trembled.

Silas’s eyes glowed.

"Come out."

The gate opened, and a roar echoed from within. Gorgath’s forces poured onto the battlefield, ogres carrying enormous axes, orcs clad in crude but powerful armor, and goblins carrying spears, bows, and various weapons.

Dozens became hundreds. Then hundreds became thousands. The ground shook beneath their feet. Echidna’s expression changed. For the first time, genuine interest appeared in her eyes.

"Oh?"

Silas smiled. "Meet my people."

The largest ogre slammed its weapon into the ground.

"FOR THE KING!"

The army roared.

"FOR THE KING!"

Silas pointed toward the monsters.

"Deal with them."

The ogres charged, and the orcs followed. The goblins scattered across the battlefield, firing arrows and using traps to slow the monsters.

For several seconds, the tide changed.

Gorgath’s army overwhelmed Echidna’s creations. An ogre grabbed a massive beast by the neck and threw it through several trees. Orcs surrounded an A-Rank monster and attacked it from every direction. Goblins climbed onto larger creatures and stabbed at their eyes.

The battlefield became absolute chaos.

"That should help." Silas smiled.

Chloe glanced at him.

"You brought an army into an S-Rank battle."

"I thought ahead."

Echidna suddenly laughed, causing Silas’s smile to disappear.

"Why are you laughing?"

Echidna raised one hand.

"Because you brought me more children."

Silas’s eyes widened.

"No."

Echidna’s fingers slowly curled, and the monsters stopped. So did the ogres, the orcs, and the goblins. Every single creature from Gorgath froze.

Silas’s expression hardened.

"Don’t."

Echidna smiled.

"Such beautiful creatures."

Her Authority spread. A dark golden aura passed through the battlefield. One ogre slowly turned around, an orc lifted its weapon, and a goblin’s eyes changed.

Silas stared in disbelief.

"Everyone..."

The ogres turned toward him, their weapons rising.

"King..." One of them whispered.

Silas’s heart sank.

"Kill."

The entire army turned and charged toward Silas and Chloe.

"SHIT!"

Silas grabbed Chloe and pulled her backward. An enormous axe crashed where they had stood.

He kicked the ogre away.

"That’s my guy!"

The ogre roared and charged again. Silas blocked its weapon with his katana. The impact drove him several meters backward.

"You’re seriously making me fight my own people?!"

Echidna’s smile widened.

"Your people?" She raised her hand. "Then prove it."

Another ogre attacked; Silas ducked, and the weapon passed over his head. He spun and struck the ogre’s chest with the flat of his blade, causing the creature to fly backward.

Silas refused to cut it. He couldn’t. These were his people, his subjects, and soldiers. He wasn’t going to kill them because someone else had taken control of them.

Chloe understood immediately.

"You won’t hurt them."

"No."

"Then we’re at a disadvantage."

"I know."

A goblin fired an arrow; Chloe froze it midair. Another came, but she froze that one too. She raised her spear.

"Then I’ll handle mine."

The temperature dropped as an enormous magic circle appeared behind Chloe. The ground froze.

Silas looked over.

"Chloe?"

Her eyes glowed pale blue.

"I’ve been holding back." The magic circle expanded. "I won’t anymore."

The ice beneath her feet exploded outward. From the frozen ground, wolves emerged. They were beautiful creatures made entirely from ice. Their bodies were translucent, with glowing blue cores inside their chests.

Their claws were razor-sharp, while their eyes burned with cold light. They didn’t breathe, bleed, or possess souls. They were constructs.

Chloe raised her spear.

"Go."

The Ice Wolves charged.

Echidna’s eyes narrowed. She extended her Authority, but nothing happened. The wolves continued forward.

One of the wolves leapt toward her, but she caught it by the throat and shattered it, but another immediately attacked.

"They aren’t alive."

The Ice Wolves swarmed Echidna’s monsters, and the battlefield changed again. Ice and poison collided. Gorgath’s corrupted army clashed with Chloe’s constructs.

And in the middle, Silas faced his own soldiers. An ogre swung; Silas blocked. An orc attacked from behind; a thread caught its weapon. A goblin stabbed toward his side; Silas twisted, and the blade grazed his armor.

"Sorry." He grabbed the goblin and threw it away. "I really don’t want to hurt you."

Another ogre attacked; Silas’s katana blocked the axe, and his feet sank into the ground. The ogre pushed harder.

Silas gritted his teeth. Then another axe came from the side. He barely dodged. The blade tore across his armor, causing blood to spray. He jumped backward and touched the wound.

"Okay." His eyes darkened. "Enough."

The battlefield suddenly became silent. Even Echidna looked toward him. Silas stood still, his katana lowered. His bow disappeared, as the pink aura surrounding him began changing.

Something deeper emerged. Something that wasn’t merely his mana, but a presence. A command. It was law.

The air around him distorted. His eyes became intensely pink. The symbol of Cupid appeared behind him.

Echidna’s smile disappeared. "What are you doing?"

Silas slowly raised his head.

"I’m taking my people back."

A word appeared in the system.

[AUTHORITY.]

Silas’s Cupid Trait activated. The world seemed to stop for a fraction of a second. Then...

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

A pink shockwave erupted from Silas, causing every creature from Gorgath to freeze. The Authority passed through them, past their bodies, their minds, and the control imposed upon them.

It reached something deeper. The bond between king and subject, and the bond between Silas and Gorgath. They all dropped their weapons.

Echidna’s golden eyes widened.

"No..."

Silas clenched his fist.

"Come back."

The pink light intensified.

"That’s an order."

The creatures’ eyes suddenly returned to normal. One ogre looked around in confusion. Another looked toward Silas. Then it slammed its fist against its chest.

"MY KING!"

The others followed.

"MY KING!"

"MY KING!"

"MY KING!"

The roar of thousands of voices shook the battlefield. Echidna stared. For the first time since the battle began, she looked genuinely surprised.

"You possess Authority over them."

Silas slowly raised his katana.

"Yeah." His wounds still bled, his breathing remained heavy, his armor was damaged, but his eyes had become colder. "And you just made a very big mistake."

Chloe stepped beside him. Her Ice Wolves gathered behind her. The air around her dropped several more degrees.

Silas looked toward Gorgath’s army.

"Everyone."

Thousands of monsters raised their weapons.

"Protect Chloe."

The army roared.

Silas looked toward Chloe.

"You and I are going after her."

Chloe nodded.

"Together."

Echidna’s smile slowly returned, but this time, there was no amusement in it. Only anticipation.

"Good."

Her serpent body began expanding. The cracked scales on her body regenerated. Her broken horn repaired itself. The poisonous aura around her became so dense that the remaining trees began withering.

"Then come." The sky darkened. "Show me what the children of gods are capable of."

Silas tightened his grip on his katana, and Chloe lowered her spear. Behind them, Gorgath’s army charged. Beside them, the Ice Wolves howled.

And ahead, the Mother of Monsters prepared to unleash everything.

The second phase of the battle had begun.