NOVPUB
Chapter 390: 390
The unexpected onslaught momentarily stunned the mages. The spiders surged toward them, forcing the group to scatter and redirect their focus. Simultaneously, the phantom spider looming in the sky began to destabilize the binding spell. By the time the mages dispatched the smaller spiders, the Alpha broke free.
A red-haired goblin mage, a specialist in earth magic, slammed his staff into the ground, conjuring a wall of jagged stone spikes. The Alpha smirked—a terrifyingly human expression—and leapt, using its webbing to anchor itself to the wall and propel upward.
Weaving through a hail of ice shards and energy blasts, the Alpha closed the distance. It lunged at the goblin mage, its claws raking across his chest in a blur of motion. Blood sprayed into the air as the mage collapsed, lifeless before his body hit the ground.
"We need to regroup!" shouted Elinor, her voice cutting through the chaos.
The Alpha allowed no such reprieve, unleashing a barrage of webbing that ensnared the legs of two descending mages. One mage frantically tried to burn through the webbing with fire magic, but the Alpha was upon him in seconds. Its mandibles clamped onto his shoulder, tearing through flesh and bone. His agonized screams echoed through the canyon.
The second trapped mage managed to slice through the webbing with a blade of pure energy, but not before the Alpha’s tail-like appendage speared him through the abdomen. Blood dripped from its claws as it flung the limp body aside.
The eldest mage glanced at the phantom spider in the sky, his eyes narrowing with determination. Conjuring a cyclone of wind, he ascended rapidly. The closer he got to the phantom, the more his spell faltered, but he pushed forward. When he reached his limit, a faint smile graced his lips.
He detonated his mana core.
The battlefield went silent for a moment as a brilliant flash of light engulfed the area, followed by a deafening explosion. The phantom spider shattered, its oppressive field vanishing with it.
Tears streaked down Elinor’s face as she seized the opportunity created by the sacrifice. Raising her staff high, she bellowed, "Focus your attacks! We cannot let the sacrifice be in vain!"
The remaining mages regrouped, forming a tight triangle. Their casting synchronized perfectly as they combined their elemental powers. A torrent of fire, ice, and lightning merged into a singular, devastating beam that surged toward the Alpha.
The hybrid roared in defiance, its spider legs anchoring it firmly to the ground. As the beam struck, its scaled hide cracked under the immense pressure. Black ichor spilled from its wounds, yet it held its ground. With a desperate leap, it evaded the beam’s direct path, though it emerged heavily wounded.
Bloodied and battered, the Alpha resorted to cunning. It lunged toward a nearby rock formation, tearing chunks of stone free and hurling them at the mages. One boulder struck a younger mage, shattering his protective barrier and crushing him instantly.
The survivors adapted, abandoning large-scale elemental assaults in favor of concentrated attacks. Smaller, more potent projectiles of ice and lightning targeted the Alpha’s weak points. Ice spikes, sharp as daggers, streaked through the air alongside crackling bolts of concentrated lightning.
One ice spike pierced the Alpha’s leg, causing it to stumble. A bolt of lightning followed, searing the wound and eliciting an agonized shriek. Its movements became erratic as it swiped futilely at the relentless barrage.
Weakened and cornered, the Alpha’s defiance began to falter as the mages pressed their advantage. The battle was far from over, but the tide had finally turned.
Elinor, her face streaked with tears and grime, directed the attack. "Focus on the joints! The gaps in its armor!" she cried, her voice hoarse. The mages adjusted their aim, targeting the vulnerable areas where the Alpha’s thick plates met: the joints of its legs, the gaps beneath its armored carapace, the soft flesh around its eyes.
A well-aimed ice spike struck the Alpha’s knee joint, causing it to buckle. The creature roared in pain, its weight shifting awkwardly. Taking advantage of this momentary weakness, Elinor channeled a surge of energy into her staff. A blinding flash of light erupted from its tip, followed by a concentrated beam of pure force. The beam struck the Alpha squarely in the chest, sending it staggering backward.
The other mages seized the opportunity, launching a volley of ice spikes and lightning bolts at the exposed wound. Several found their mark, piercing deep into the creature’s flesh. The Alpha thrashed wildly, its legs scrambling for purchase as it began to lose its balance. With a final, agonizing roar, it collapsed to the ground, its massive body shaking the earth.
But the battle was not yet over. As the dust settled, a low, guttural growl emanated from the fallen beast. Its legs twitched, and its body began to tremble. Suddenly, with a burst of unnatural strength, the Alpha reared its head, its mandibles snapping. It lunged forward, its massive weight shifting towards two of the mages. Before Elinor could react, the Alpha’s powerful jaws closed around one mage, crushing him instantly. The other mage, too slow to evade, was impaled by a massive spike that erupted from the Alpha’s back as a final, desperate attack.
Elinor cried out in horror, her heart sinking as she witnessed the sacrifice of her comrades. But the Alpha’s final act had sealed its own fate. The effort of the sudden attack, coupled with the accumulated injuries, proved too much. Its body shuddered one last time, and then went still. A final tremor ran through its massive form, and then silence.
Elinor stood alone amidst the carnage, the wind whipping around her. The silence was deafening, broken only by the crackling of dying embers and the distant cries of other creatures. The Alpha was dead, but the victory was pyrrhic. Two of her companions lay lifeless beside the monstrous corpse, a grim reminder of the cost of victory. She knelt beside them, tears streaming down her face. Their sacrifice had not been in vain, but the weight of their loss settled heavily upon her shoulders.
Meanwhile, Vorenza watched from the abyss, her laughter echoing as she observed the aftermath. Though the Alpha had fallen, it had decimated the mage forces, leaving the city vulnerable. Her gaze shifted to the struggling ratmen and ogre army. Without the mages, their resistance was crumbling—it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.
However, Vorenza’s amusement increased when her attention turned to Gurnak. The mage had sensed the mages’ life signs fading and wore a grim expression. Yet, before he could fully process the loss, the demons began shifting their tactics. The first-tier demons, previously rushing headlong into Gurnak’s gravity rain, spread out. They found weak points where the gravity magic was less intense, exploiting these openings.
Gurnak’s worst fears unfolded before his eyes. Demons breached the uncorrupted land, their deaths triggering explosions of corrupted flesh that tainted the surroundings. Like a hive mind, the demons quickly shared this information, spreading further and pressing through the weakened defenses. Gurnak gritted his teeth as the halo-like magic circle behind him dissipated, canceling the gravity rain.
High above the city, Gurnak reappeared, his piercing gaze sweeping the battlefield. He saw the lifeless bodies of the mages who had bought him time and the grieving Elinor amidst the chaos. The ratmen were pouring through the breach, their overwhelming numbers threatening to consume the city.
With a roar of pure rage, Gurnak activated the magic tower. Its ancient mechanisms hummed to life, and a brilliant pillar of light shot skyward. The battlefield darkened as an uncountable ominous spark appeared in the sky, descending rapidly.
On the ground, Sknull—the ratmen leader—squinted at the descending light. His enhanced vision revealed its true nature, and panic overtook him. Dropping his massive spear, he fled without warning his kin. But it was too late.
A colossal arrows of pure energy slammed into the battlefield, impaling countless ratmen and hybrids while sparing the ogres. The devastation didn’t end there; the multiple radiant arrows pierced into the breach, moving through the underground tunnels and annihilating, and seeking out the ratmen and hybrids hiding within, no one was spared.
Gurnak floated above the battlefield, his eyes blazing with fury as he surveyed the destruction. The ratmen and hybrid were defeated, but his city was no more. Everything had been reduced to rubble. Yet, even this devastation would not halt the advancing demons.
He drifted toward the Ogre general and the remaining 99 Rune Ogres. A flicker of respect crossed Gurnak’s face as he regarded his fellow green kin. Though their paths had diverged, leading to the ogres being regarded as lesser by others and the empire, Gurnak now happen to be the few who knows their strength and resolve were undeniable.
The general had the option to retreat with his men, yet he chose to stay. Gurnak’s attention was drawn to the distant roars of the approaching demons, their ominous cries growing louder with each passing moment.
