Sylvester felt his tongue freeze. The cannibals knelt before him as he stood atop a hill of lifeless bodies. There were few cannibals remaining, and they all gazed at Sylvester's halo.
"Jasaka! Jasaka! Jasaka!"
The cannibals chanted the same word repeatedly. Only those who understood the cannibal tongue could interpret it. Sylvester was one of them, for he had studied the fundamentals of their language, hoping to find similarities with the languages he knew.
'Jasaka? The Fire God?' Sylvester understood that they were addressing him as their fire God, the deity to whom the cannibals prayed. They resided in the desert, embracing the heat, which became an integral part of their culture. Their faith originated from the period when they discovered fire, which saved them from the cold and wild beasts. They regarded it as a divine boon.
Thud! Thud!
But before he could think about using the opportunity to his advantage, he heard the earth rumble, and far in the distance, a faint shadow of another horde appeared.
"Prepare yourselves! The second wave is coming, and it's massive!" Sylvester exclaimed.
The cannibals near Sylvester instantly turned around and began to shout in their language.
"Wari neo selka nabo Jasaka!"
"We found Jakasa." That was what the cannibals meant.
'They are willing to go to such extremes?' Sylvester realized he had found a useful tool. 'Since only those at the front line can see me, I should be able to sow chaos in their ranks by exhibiting my halo. If more of them believe I am truly Jasaka, they may turn on those at the back.'
Sylvester swiftly created the halo behind his head by humming a hymn under his breath. Then, he added the finishing touch by using fire elemental magic and spewing flames around himself to incinerate the corpses.
"Stop the ungrateful children or learn the wrath of fire!" Sylvester warned in the cannibal tongue.
The cannibals close to him trembled in fear and sprinted toward the incoming horde. But the horde had no intention of halting as it was impossible to do so.
However, those at the forefront of the massive horde only heard the words as they trampled the screaming cannibals beneath their feet.
"Jasaka! Jasaka is here!"
Of course, once those at the front heard those words and spotted Sylvester, the idea became embedded in their minds. Indeed, Jasaka was present. Their deity had come to lead them to the promised land.
In a frenzy, the forefront attempted to alert those behind about the turn of events. However, the instant they stopped, they were crushed. In a flash, a colossal stampede formed, and everyone fell over one another.
They transformed into a colossal heap of bodies, entwined with each other, screaming to escape the weight pressing them down. Some died instantly, crushed under the weight, while those in the middle flailed their arms, struggling to breathe as they turned blue.
As even more cannibals from the back fell, the stampede only worsened with more layers added. Only a handful of cannibals managed to escape and run forward, but the knights quickly killed them.
Sylvester's halo remained suspended behind his head as he approached the massive pile of the stampede. It was somewhat terrifying, but it was also a massive victory at the same time.
"Jasaka wishes to meet you all." Sylvester voiced and pointed his arms at the crowd.
Shhh…!
Instantly, great streams of fire spewed forth and engulfed the stampede of cannibals. Not only Sylvester, but other knights also joined in, mercilessly burning the cannibals while occasionally battling those that fought back.
"Aaaaa…!"
"Great Jasaka!"
"I'm blessed!"
The foolish cannibals believed they had been given the blessing of their God as Sylvester set the crowd ablaze. It was perhaps the biggest incident in the history of people being burned alive.
"At least a few hundred thousand should be here. But the horde was much larger entirely. More should be stuck behind the stampede and trying to make their way," Sylvester guessed.
He was right. Soon, the cannibals at the back began making their way over the corpses of burning cannibals. They did not hesitate to walk on the burning blaze, crazily attacking the knights. Fortunately, Sylvester's actions had given the Knights enough time to catch their breath and recover.
The battle resumed soon after, with Sylvester remaining at the forefront with his halo. He confused his enemies, making some think he was their God. In turn, absolute mayhem began as the Knights of Sandwall killed every cannibal in sight, while the cannibals turned on their own in the name of Jasaka.
'I am truly blessed.' Sylvester muttered to himself.
The battle continued non-stop for three hours. Yet, the knights refused to use their special abilities, fearing that something worse was waiting for them. Unfortunately, casualties were rising, with a hundred Knights dead already.
But overall, Sandwall County proved its might by slaying the entire remaining cannibal army. However, they did not let their guard down and remained vigilant, knowing more was coming.
"The cannibals attack in waves during a larger raid. Each wave is stronger than the last, and we never know how many waves there may be. The most we've faced in the past hundred years was three," a Knight informed Sylvester.
'At this rate, we may face more than five. How the hell do they have such a massive population?' Sylvester wondered aloud.
"Maxy, I'm not tired yet." Miraj notified calmly. "Is it over?"
"No, there's more coming. Stronger than the last time," Sylvester replied, focusing on the distant battlefield.
Boom!
Thud!
As expected, loud sounds reverberated, and the ground shook. However, this time the sounds came from three sides: front, left, and right. Not only that, the loud thuds indicated that there was something more than just humans in the mist.
"Gather around!" Count Sandwall finally appeared to have taken command of his soldiers, slowly making his way to Sylvester. "What is your plan? You stopped me, so now it is up to you to bring us out of this dilemma. We cannot fight them off if they attack us from all sides, along with their wild giant lizards."
Sylvester knew very well that the man only wanted him to accept that he was wrong. "Don't worry, Count. I will deal with all the giant lizards. The front and the left sides of the battlefield as well."
"Haha, you plan to fight on two fronts alone? Do not overestimate yourself, bard." The Count mocked him. "I still have a unit of sacrifices at the ready. Just say the word, and they shall be deployed."
'This bastard went ahead without my permission.' Sylvester glared at the man's face. After all, the Count was responsible for their outnumbered position.
If the Count had informed Sylvester earlier, he could have called heavy forces from nearby Duchies, Inquisition, and Holy Army.
"Follow my lead and focus on the right." Sylvester ignored the Count and prepared to fight the next wave.
"Hah, in that case, let's see how long you last."
He quickly ingested some Solarium crystals to return to his peak form. Then, he securely fastened his helmet and readied his spear. Finally, it was time for the world to witness the power of the Spear of Infinity, the legendary weapon that terrorized Beastaria during the Thousand Year War.
Thud!
Thud!
A faint, large shadow emerged from the mist, soon becoming clear in the open. A giant lizard, larger than elephants, moved on two legs with tiny arms.
"A T-Rex?" Sylvester exclaimed. "They tamed T-Rex?"
"Wraaaa!"
Alas, there was no other option but mindless violence. The air grew thick with the bloodthirsty screams of cannibals as they approached, this time in an even larger horde with fiercer fighters than before.
'How many are there? A million? Have the cannibal factions joined together for this?' Sylvester wondered.
He took a long, tiresome breath and prepared to secure the front and left sides. It was going to be a long day, and he would need all of his strength, but he could not back down. It meant saving two hundred thousand innocent refugees and perhaps avoiding persecution by the Shadow Knight.
"Chonky, cover my back, will you."
"I got it, Maxy."
Sylvester infused the Spear of Infinity with a heavy dose of Solarium, extending it greatly. It moved faster than a cannonball and pierced straight into the eyes, then the brain of the lizard creature, which slowly fell after the hit.
Sylvester then retracted the spear and turned around on his feet, slowly extending the spear. He aimed it precisely at the faces and necks of the cannibals while initiating a few magical runes to make the spear's tip hotter.
Woosh!
The tip melted into flesh with ease, cutting apart throats, faces, and chests. As Sylvester spun on his feet, his speed increased, as did the spear's length, extending from ten meters to a hundred. However, keeping it extended consumed a lot of Solarium.
'This won't do.' Sylvester realized that he was only slowing the horde, not ending it.
"Very well, come and fetch me!"
Sylvester swiftly retracted the spear, then pointed it towards the heavens. He extended it again, grasping the neck of the weapon near the tip as he did. As the spear lengthened, Sylvester's body rose with it until he disappeared into the low-hanging clouds.
"It's time to unleash the destructive power of the Piercing Hell," thought Sylvester, preparing for his latest ultimate move, which he was certain would be ranked SSS.
With the spear extended, Sylvester ascended higher than before, soaring above the storm clouds and into the clear, captivating sky. It was a sight he would have appreciated if he had the time, but he had to focus on the task at hand.
"Hold on tight, Chonky," he cautioned, waiting for the cannibals to gather beneath him.
"Let's do it!"
Woosh!
Sylvester retracted the spear instantly as he began his descent toward the ground again, diving like a sparrow. He held his spear at the front, the tip shining with fire rune circles and the tail of the spear shining with a light rune, giving intense propulsion downward.
His velocity increased significantly, and soon air and earth runes appeared beneath the fire rune. Within moments, Sylvester's entire body resembled a massive spear of scorching flames illuminating the stormy sky.
Breaking the sound barrier, the sonic boom resounded. Sylvester emerged from the thick clouds, revealing a massive, bloodied field below. Fortunately, the cannibals had gathered where Sylvester had been standing moments earlier, looking up in amazement and horror.
Sylvester gritted his teeth and prepared himself for the opposing force from the intense strike. A few bones may break, and he was prepared.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
Boom!
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