The Dawn of the New World

The bombardment lasted for close to 10 seconds, decimating hundreds of grunts and leaving a hardened patch of land in its wake that instantly froze the feet of any creature that stepped on it.

That was enough to not only clear a wide area but also slow the advancement of the remaining horde.

Hazel saw what a huge difference just two people had made so she urged them on even more.

"Very good! Keep going, do not stop! As soon as one of you exhausts your Qi just step back and recover. Let the person behind you go next!"

Riding that momentum the rest of the cultivators did as ordered and one by one unleashed everything they had. Two more people that used bows came forward as well.

One of them was using a heavy bow that fired a volley of arrows in a cone in front of him while the other used a great War Bow that shot arrows ignited by a deep blue flame.

Each arrow pierced through multiple enemies and went on for close to 40 meters in a straight line before exploding in a flash of devastating light.

One of them could overturn entire chunks of hardened land, effectively burying the grunts alive the moment they got too close while another used something akin to a black metal scepter to summon rows of ethereal blades from the ground that turned everything they touched into mincemeat.

But at most they could use their abilities for 1-2 minutes before depleting all the spiritual energy. The battlefield that was teeming with uncountable corrupt spawn was all but wiped clean in a matter of minutes.

The Grail Seeker that stood tall in Hazel's hand acted as a great support instrument in these moments since it allowed them to completely recover their energy reserves within minutes instead of hours. Its gentle golden light sent out a constant wave of energy that lasted several seconds each time.

For how long she could keep using the Grail Seeker was as of yet unknown but nevertheless, it did not hold her back whatsoever.

While many of the others saw a glimmer of hope in the darkness, Hazel saw something much different. Her gaze was fixated on the horizon.

"They're coming, get ready," she muttered under her breath without realizing no one could hear her so she repeated in a much louder voice.

"Stop, save your energy for what's coming next!"

She gave no further explanation.

"Huh? What does that mean? Are there more of them?"

"Probably but it doesn't matter. Seeing how easily we wiped them out I am actually looking forward to killing a few hundred more hahaha."

"True. As long as we can recover our energy it doesn't matter how many come our way."

The mood had lifted quite a bit since they even found time to chit chat in between but that brief moment of reprieve was gone soon after as a new type of creature made its way to the city of Argham.

All chatter died down as a subtle tremor shook the city inside and out.

Through narrowed eyes Hazel examined the horizon for any changes but it was the boy that had fired the first arrow that saw them coming before anyone else. His vision was much better than any of his friends which allowed him to see with stark clarity the shapes and faces of the beast that were on their way.

His pupils constricted to the size of pinholes as his grip tightened around his precious bow.

Despite the Grail Seeker's placating energy he began to feel restless as a feeling of unease crept up his spine.

'How can we fight something like that!?' he thought inwardly before slowly walking closer to the girl that had given him a thumbs-up, trying his best not to draw any attention towards them.

"Brina!" he called out hoarsely, noticing only then that his throat had dried out in seconds.

The girl heard him and turned halfway with a raised eyebrow, "Wern? What's wrong? Stop fooling around and go back to your position before sister Hazel sees you!" (Both of them were first mentioned in CH 525 'The Big Fight')

Wern shook his head vigorously, "Listen to me for once in your life, please! Just come with me! Please?"

She saw the look of genuine concern in his eyes which made her worried too.

"Why?"

"It- we can't fight that. It's completely pointless."

"What do you mean? Why is it pointless? We just killed so many of them-"

"Not nearly enough! Just- Please, okay? I will never ask for anything again so come with me."

Brina had never seen Wern act this way even though they had known each other for most of their lives. She stole a quick glance at the battlefield before looking at the thousands of people camped just a short distance away.

"If you want to hide then be my guest. I will not run away, ever. Not again...."