NOVPUBChapter 300: Chapter 279: The Demon’s Gate Opens!_2
The thick scent of fear, madness, and death now even began to stir Lis’s nerves.
Even though the City Guard Army and the Snow Eagle Army were both elite troops, and all soldiers were basically low-level professionals, they couldn’t withstand the invasion of this negative atmosphere.
Moreover, those on the battlefield were even less likely to notice this, only venting their madness on their opponents.
Could this be the Demon Envoy’s doing?
“Hiss~”
Lis felt that things were getting out of hand.
...
Souls and flesh have always been demons’ favorites, souls being their nourishment for growth, and the madness in fresh blood bringing them supreme pleasure.
Similarly, both were also necessary offerings for many Abyss Rituals.
This included the top-tier Abyss Ritual “Demon’s Gate”!
Could it be that Duke Ward wished to open the Demon’s Gate through this method and deal King Dillon the final blow?
Lis frowned, his mind racing.
But no matter how much he pondered, Lis always felt something was off.
Especially the feeling Duke Ward gave him, it always felt somewhat at odds with the chaotic developments at hand.
What am I still missing?
Hidden in the shadows, Lis went unnoticed by anyone.
The assassin profession specialty “Shadow Crown” and the “Shadow Dragon Skin Gloves” he wore provided a priority in Shadow skills, making him undetectable even to Gold-level assassins without a specialization in Shadow Power.
But soon, Lis’s thoughts were drawn to something else.
The ground trembled ever so slightly, the vibrations becoming more and more apparent as time went by, causing a slight dusting to fall from the nearby houses.
As an unstoppable figure riding a white bear burst through the city gates, entering the view of everyone present, the atmosphere on the entire battlefield shifted.
The Snow Bear Legion has arrived!
“Everyone, follow me and charge!”
Taking the lead, Eden Wolf, the commander of the Snow Bear Legion, cried out, leading the White Bear Army in an unstoppable charge towards the City Guard Army’s battle line.
The soldiers of the Snow Eagle Army shouted in triumph and then surged even more fiercely toward the thinning ranks of the City Guard soldiers.
The black-armored City Guards, whose expressions had been firm, finally showed signs of panic. As more and more soldiers from the Snow Bear Legion attacked from both front and rear, the City Guards quickly collapsed and began to scatter and flee.
The Snow Bear Legion and Snow Eagle Army didn’t hold back at all, frantically slaughtering any soldiers they encountered.
The intense scent of blood soared into the sky, and the sky seemed to darken significantly, with the entire Ice Peak City shrouded in the aura of blood.
In Lis’s eyes, once the Snow Bear Legion finished slaughtering everyone, they completely occupied the city gate area.
After joining forces, the two elite legions, with the Snow Bear Legion as the main force, formed a battle line and slowly advanced toward Ice and Snow Square and the Ice Castle Palace.
Having secured the city gate, the two legions completed the first phase of their mission; all that remained was to steadily advance and wait for Duke Ward’s arrival at Ice Peak City.
Knights in silver-white armor rode on white bears, crossing a bloody path soaked in mangled flesh and blood, slowly moving forward on the empty main road, with the somewhat dim Ice Castle Palace ahead.
The main battlefield had fallen silent, the sounds of killing had disappeared, only sparse and sporadic clashes occurred elsewhere.
The sudden quiet did not ease the frenzied, deadly atmosphere in Ice Peak City; instead, it accumulated under the tension, like a rope being pulled ever tighter, just waiting for that final explosive moment.
Lis, who was off to the side, felt this most profoundly; he already noticed a faint mist of blood beginning to gather and spread to every part of Ice Peak City.
By helping Duke Ward bring the Snow Bear Legion and the Snow Eagle Army to Ice Peak City, it seemed as if he had opened a Pandora’s box.
The Demon’s Gate was about to open!
He was no longer certain of the final outcome.
Were the Ice and Snow Goddess Church and the “Northern Fury” still in Ice Peak City at this time?
Lis carefully observed the Snow Bear Legion passing by him, waiting for the opening of the Demon’s Gate.
…
“Where is His Majesty?”
Anna frowned deeply, looking very troubled.
Originally planning to lead the Royal Court Guard Army to defend against the Snow Bear Legion at the city wall, the emergence of the second Teleportation Gate disrupted his plans, and the appearance of the Snow Eagle Army made things even worse.
Forced into a corner, he had to ask the Royal Court Guard Army to support the city gate as quickly as possible, while he prepared to hold the Ice Castle Palace with the Royals.
Knowing full well the strength of the Snow Bear Legion and Snow Eagle Army, he was even prepared to give up Ice Peak City and to accompany King Lukar to regroup elsewhere in the Kingdom.
But at this critical moment, Lukar was nowhere to be found!
Anna did not believe that Lukar would run away; his pride would not allow it.
Could it be Duke Ward’s doing, to have taken control of His Majesty the King in advance?
Anna’s mind was in turmoil; the usually calm him now felt somewhat at a loss.
Taking a deep breath, he forcefully suppressed other thoughts and called over a servant of the Royal Family, asking,
“Where is ‘Northern Fury’ now?”
“I don’t know, Lord Anna.”
This Gold Mage said somewhat helplessly; they had never been able to track the movements of legendary strongmen.
“Damn it!”
The always refined Minister Anna finally couldn’t hold back and swore.
How in the world did Duke Ward manage to deceive so many spies and transport the Snow Bear Legion and Snow Eagle Army to Ice Peak City?
A teleportation gate?
How could there be such powerful magic?
…
Duke Ward and the Nobles willing to follow him hurried, eventually arriving at Ice Peak City.
As they entered through the city gates, into the city, all the Nobles were exhilarated.
It was nothing short of a miracle!
They could hardly believe how easily Ice Peak City had fallen; all that was left was to take down the Ice Castle Palace and capture that young and arrogant King.
The Nobles were all in high spirits, itching to grab their weapons and charge to the front line to vie for meritorious deeds.
Duke Ward, however, was not so optimistic at this moment. A heavy stone seemed to press on his heart, his mood growing heavier and heavier. 𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝒐𝙢
“What’s wrong?”
Bella, who was closely following Duke Ward, noticed his grim expression and asked.
“I feel…”
Before Duke Ward could finish, a sudden cataclysm interrupted him.
Boom!
Kong~ Kong~ Kong~
A deafening noise suddenly erupted from the midair above Ice Peak City, after which the entire city shook violently like it was being hit by a severe earthquake.
With the intense tremors, the blood-red fog that had been swirling around Ice Peak City began to rapidly condense.
From high above in the sky looking down, one would see the blood-red fog in several places over the city forming huge blood-colored vortexes.
They emitted a thick aura of madness, destruction, and death from the Abyss, and a mere glance by an ordinary person might cause them to lose their sanity, becoming puppets of the Abyss’s corrupting influence.
Boom~ Ka-ching!
Countless blood-red thunders fell from the sky, striking around the blood-colored vortexes, even the clouds above seemed to take on an ominous black-red hue.
Is it coming?
Lis stared intently at the blood-colored vortex located directly in front of Ice Castle Palace, focusing his spirit.
He recognized the genuine Abyss Breath within it, but with various Spirit Resistance specialties stacked upon him, Lis was unaffected by the Abyss Breath and even felt slightly emboldened.
“Haha, Stran Ward!”
“I must thank you for your help!”
“Let this land experience the agony from the Abyss!”
As Lis watched, a blood-colored figure appeared in the sky, arms outstretched in a frenzied shout.
Then, his body contorted and writhed, suddenly collapsing into a mass of flesh containing the ultimate forces of death and destruction, plummeting into the vortex below.
The blood-colored vortex, upon absorbing all the power of the Demon Envoy, swelled as if injected with stimulants, and once it had expanded to its limit, it burst apart.
A sudden gust spread rapidly in every direction, and in the space where the vortex had been, a tear opened up, as if a painting torn from the middle, under the influence of the Abyss Power.
Although the surrounding space was squirming, as if the world was trying to resist the abnormal intrusion, the space rift eventually stabilized amidst the continued onslaught and support of the Abyss Power.
Once the space rift was completely stable, one could faintly make out a tower built of skulls and an endless Saltwater Swamp, where countless shadows of Abyss Demons stirred.
The Demon’s Gate had opened!
