Chapter 298: War: The Sin of Wrath Appears
The war went on for longer.
Salvos were launched, skills and spells were thrown out, and soliders were engaged in a brutal melee to protect their home.
The horde of demons was seemingly endless; the saving grace is that, for some reason, they seem to be getting weaker, especially after that tall purple fog amidst their rank appeared out of nowhere. Of course, at first, humans thought that the purple fog was harmful to them, but it stayed over there, so they couldn't actually tell.
Of course, the High Marshals are aware of where this purple fog comes from, and admittedly, they're stunned. They would've never imagined something so incredibly sinister would come from a human, moreso a girl. Fortunately, the girl was loyal to the race, or else...
Speaking of the High Marshals, they still haven't made a move, even after so long, because they were waiting.
All of them are looking at the dark clouds looming over their home with solemnity. Despite being outnumbered and the rising casualties they're having, they knew that they still had the upper hand. If this continues, humans will eventually wipe out the millions of demons that came to invade them.
However, the real enemy has yet to show up, and they obviously know this. Just to be on the safer side and to make sure that they are at their prime to face that thing, they just sat behind the scenes for now and overlooked the entire proceedings of the war.
Tech God Charles' preparations are what truly gave them the edge here. With all of the modern weaponry he installed on the walls, the soldiers went crazy with their duty. With the seemingly endless supply of ammunition, they shot volleys after volleys of missles, cannonballs, ballista arrows, etc.
So long as they're being careful and the people below them are paying attention, the chances of them injuring themselves are very low. And because the shots could raze through multiple demons at once, the casualties of demons were far higher than humans had.
If this were to continue, it would only take a couple more hours for humanity to completely wipe out the horde. Unfortunately, someone has had enough of this.
Snort!
A thunderous snort, which echoed throughout the entire continent, was heard. It was so loud and so fierce that it even caused a weak earthquake.
Then, the dark and gloomy skies suddenly swirled in a horrific and apocalyptic way that made many soldiers weak in their knees. It was then followed by a ferocious aura, dripping with killing intent and corruption, that flooded the entire area. The aura was so dense that even the formation that's protecting human territory was unable to prevent it from seeping in.
If this corruption felt terrible for humans, it was the opposite for the demons, of course. To them, this was akin to a concentrated shot of steroids injected directly into their veins, making them stronger, tougher, and crazier.
From the massive swirl of dark clouds came the true instigator of this invasion.
A massive dragon, void of flesh and sinews. Its body was at least 100 kilometers long and around 50 kilometers tall. Its wingspan was so wide that it almost blotted out the sky.
Its skeletal frame was wreathed with ghastly purple flames that burned brighter on its limbs and its wings. Looking closely, there's also some of it coming out of its mouth.
The bone dragon's hollowed-out eye-sockets had a pair of ghasly green will-o-wisps that coldly regarded the ant-like creatures beneath them, and on its chest, a massive insignia that nobody could interpret was engraved.
ROOOOOOAAAARRRR!!!
It released an earth-shaking roar that shattered the resolve and determination of every human soldier below. Even the ones behind the walls weren't spared from its effects. It was a pure shot of terror that nobody was immune to, save for a handful of people. And because of this roar, the effects of demonic corruption increased, and it began turning people mad.
"Oh, hell no, you don't!" Erica fiercely spat.
She spun her staff above her and mobilized her violet qi in waves. She then slammed the butt of her staff on the ground so hard that it left a web of cracks as she did so. Then, a massive magical circle appeared above the sky of human territory, releasing a holy radiance that made her look like an angel.
"Divine blessings!!!" She solemnly chanted.
The spell 'Divine Blessings' was a pretty common spell that cancels out the negative effect on her targets and improves their attributes. While there's no upper limit on how many people she could support with this, one could still imagine the sheer skill requirement needed to give this to more than 10 people (which was the minimum), much less millions.
And yet Erica did it...
With her support, all the negative effects of the bone dragon's roar and demonic corruption attempting to take hold were cancelled. Everyone, save for the handful of people who were affected to begin with, felt their minds clearing up and their fears ebbing away. They all looked at the saint who made this all possible with barely disguised awe on their faces.
Her spell also had a restraining effect on demons. All the bonuses they had previously received were neutralized by Erica's spell.
She alone negated the maddening attack of an entity that completely outclassed her. She stood on top of the eastern wall fearlessly, unafraid of announcing her presence to the massive bone dragon that's emanating the sin of wrath above. There is no doubt that she has established her prestige among everyone from here on out.
"Fantastic work, Lady!!" Filius exclaimed next to her.
He appeared like a ghost, but that's not important right now. He wore a pleasantly surprised face because he was certainly not expecting this. This lady has surely hidden a lot from them.
Unfortunately, now is not the time for questions.
Filius rose to the air; he was later joined by his fellow High Marshals, Anthony, Raven, and Cassandra. The other High Marshals didn't come because they were needed more below than here.
Old Man Jin, Lissandra, and Fiona also marched together with them. Gabriel, Charles, and the rest of the well-known, strong people of humanity stayed behind.
"A pitiful attempt; how awfully sad."
The deep and grating voice of the Undead Bone Dragon of Sin greeted the four High Marshals.
"Finally out of your little hidey-hole, eh?" Anthony sneered.
As they approached the wrath's sin, a complete set of armor appeared on their bodies. Their sharp weapons also released a cold gleam, which mirrored their determination to bring this massive thing down.
Looking at their appearance, the Undead Bone Dragon's willowy eyes seemingly narrowed. It released a cold snort before saying,
"You even stooped so low and used the remains of my kind for some meager protection. Truly pitiful."
"What a hypocrite," Cassandra sneered. "You speak as if you and your kind never coveted our world and its resources. If you can do it, why can't we?"
"The weak and ignorant never deserve rich treasures," the Undead Bone Dragon spat.
"Yet this weak and ignorant race has trapped you all for centuries," Raven spat back. "You yap about your false superiority, but despite your multiple attempts, you failed again and again to eradicate us. You call us pitiful, yet you rallied your troops all the way here from the farthest corner of this continent because you couldn't endure it anymore."
Raven drew his twin swords and released a flood of killing intent. He wore an expression of contempt as he taunted: "What's wrong? Can't stand our hospitality anymore? What a shame."
The Undead Bone Dragon snarled in rage, the mysterious insignia on its chest flaring with power in response. Its pure maddening rage drowned out the surroundings with the same affliction as well, a clear display of its prowess as one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
It opened its maws wide and released a breath of ghastly green flames with a corrupted source, torching the tiny and irritating creatures in front of it, but they were ready.
Filius snorted in disdain and raised a hand. Behind him, an image of an extremely tall golden tree flashed into existence. It released a verdant radiant filled with the aura of life and rained down giant leaves that coiled around his allies to protect them.
Behind him, Lissandra also made a move. She raised her staff, and a curtain of sparkling silver energy rose like a tide beneath her. This protected all the combatants beneath them from the attack of the Undead Bone Dragon.
Old Man Jin gripped his sword around the same time as Raven and Cassandra did.
There were no words after that. The moment this hateful dragon attacked was also the moment this fight began. Old Man Jin, Raven, and Cassandra turned into blurs of motion and flashed their killing intent.
Fiona followed suit, followed by Anthony and Lissandra. Filius supported them from behind.
As everyone watched their leaders engage with the massive calamity above, the soldiers on the ground let out throes of rage and continued this long and exhausting fight for survival.