The Snake God with SSS Rank Evolution System

Chapter 397: Sovereign’s Stand

On the other side of the battlefield, Alice moved like a living shadow. Void energy pulsed at the tips of her claws as she tore through the Solarian soldiers—each swing bringing death.

One soldier tried to slash at her from the side. Alice twisted without breaking stride, her claws carving through his throat before he could complete his swing. Another lunged from the front, spear aimed at her chest—Alice vanished into shadow and reappeared behind him, her hand already wrapped around his skull. She squeezed. The crack echoed briefly before the body dropped.

Blood splattered across her cheek. She wiped it with the back of her hand, her dark violet eyes scanning the remaining soldiers with cold, dismissive contempt.

"Disgusting."

Hans’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding, steadying his shaken troops.

"Close-quarters units, hold your ground! Coordinate with Delta formation! Mages, prepare your spells—don’t let her break through!"

The soldiers scrambled to regroup, shields locking into a tighter formation. The mages behind them began to chant, arcane energy crackling at their fingertips.

Alice’s ears flattened. Her tail lashed once with irritation as she glanced at Azrynn.

"They just keep coming. This is getting annoying." Her voice was flat, but carried an edge of genuine frustration. "Azrynn. Do you have anything wide-area?"

Azrynn’s yellow eyes narrowed in thought. She loosed another arrow, felling a soldier mid-charge, before responding, her voice tight but focused.

"I do. But it takes time to prepare."

Alice’s lips curved into a sharp, predatory smile. Her tail swayed once, deliberate.

"Then I’ll keep them busy. Take your time." She cracked her neck, rolling her shoulders as she turned back to face the advancing soldiers. Her voice dropped, cold and calm.

"I’m done playing with them."

She lunged forward, her form dissolving into shadow as she met the Solarian line head-on.

Behind her, Azrynn’s hands began to move, her fingers tracing glowing runes in the air with practiced precision, preparing for the attack that would end this.

The Solarian soldiers tightened their formation, shields locking together as they braced for Alice’s charge. Hans’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding.

"Mages, fire on my mark!"

Alice’s lips curved into a cold, predatory smile. Her form dissolved into shadow as she closed the distance, reappearing in the middle of the formation before the soldiers could react. Her claws extended, dark violet energy flaring along their edges.

"[Nightclaw]!"

She spun, her claws carving through armor and flesh alike. Three soldiers fell before they could even scream. Alice didn’t pause. Her tail lashed out, wrapping around a fourth soldier’s ankle and yanking him off balance. She drove her claws through his chest as he fell.

The remaining soldiers stumbled back, their formation breaking under the sudden, brutal assault.

"Mages! NOW!" Hans bellowed.

Fire and lightning erupted from the back lines, streaking toward Alice in a devastating barrage. She twisted, her body flowing like water as she wove between the projectiles. One bolt of lightning grazed her shoulder, leaving a shallow burn. She hissed, but didn’t slow.

"You’ll have to be faster than that."

She lunged forward, closing the distance on the mages before they could fire another volley. Her claws raked across the first mage’s throat, and he crumpled. The second tried to raise a barrier, but Alice was already behind him, her claws piercing his back.

Hans’s face went pale. His voice cracked with desperation.

"Retreat! Fall back to the secondary position!"

The surviving soldiers scrambled, their earlier confidence shattered. Alice watched them flee, her tail swaying lazily, her dark violet eyes gleaming with cold satisfaction. She didn’t pursue. She simply stood amidst the carnage, her claws dripping with blood, and let them run.

Azrynn’s voice came from behind her, calm but focused.

"Almost ready."

Alice’s ear twitched. Her tail swayed once, a faint, approving note in her voice.

"Good."

Ahead, the Solarian soldiers were regrouping at the edge of the clearing, their formation ragged but still holding. Hans stood at the center, his jaw tight, his eyes fixed on Alice with a mixture of fear and cold calculation.

Alice’s gaze drifted to the demon forces still locked in combat with Adam. Her voice carried a flat, dismissive note.

"Looks like Adam’s having fun. I wonder if he even needs us."

Azrynn’s voice was quiet, but carried a note of wry amusement.

"Knowing him, he’s probably just enjoying the fight."

Alice let out a low laugh, a flicker of genuine warmth passing through her dark violet eyes.

"He really is an idiot."

The runes around Azrynn’s hands burned with a quiet, gathering intensity. "The preparation is complete."

The words had barely left her lips before Alice vanished—melting into shadow as the spell crested. Then the silver light came, pouring from Azrynn’s palms like a tidal wave of runic destruction, each sigil humming with finality as the power was released.

"[Glyph Severance: Runic Annihilation]."

The runes exploded outward as a descending storm of silver light that rained down from the sky like a meteor shower. Each streak of light struck the earth with surgical precision, carving through the Solarian ranks. Shields shattered. Armor melted. Bodies disintegrated into ash, their screams swallowed by the roar of the runic onslaught.

Hans’s aura blazed to life before the strike could land—a dense, shimmering barrier of Sovereign Will that erupted from his body and wrapped around him and the nearest soldiers. The runes struck the barrier, cracking its surface, but his master-level aura held, absorbing and dispersing the brunt of the attack.

Hans’s voice rang out, raw and commanding, his eyes blazing with golden fire.

"Hold the line! I will not let this be our end!"

The surviving soldiers rallied behind him, their formation tightening around his blazing aura, their weapons raised, their faces pale but resolute.

Alice’s ear twitched, her dark violet eyes narrowing as she studied the glowing barrier. Her voice carried a note of cool assessment.

"Tch. So the leader has some fight left in him."

Azrynn’s chest heaved, the effort of the Glyph Severance draining her mana reserves. Her voice came out tight, strained.

"That was my strongest attack. He’s still standing."

Alice’s tail lashed once, her voice dropping into a flat, predatory murmur.

"Then I’ll just have to finish what you started."

Hans’s golden aura flickered violently as a violent cough wracked his frame, blood spattering against his gauntlet. His knees buckled for just a moment before he forced himself upright.

Neil, his second-in-command, rushed to his side, his face pale with alarm. His voice was tight, urgent.

"Commander! Your wounds—you’re pushing yourself too hard!"

Hans’s jaw set, refusing to yield, his voice sharp and commanding despite the blood staining his lips.

"Don’t underestimate me, Neil. I can still fight."

Neil’s eyes blazed with frustration, his voice rising with desperation.

"But sir, if you keep pushing yourself like this—those wounds haven’t healed! You’ll—"

Hans cut him off, his voice low and steady, carrying the weight of a man who had already made his choice.

"If I hadn’t released my aura, we would all be dead right now. That elf’s attack would have wiped out everyone in this clearing."

Neil’s mouth opened, then closed. His shoulders sagged, the fight draining from him as he absorbed the weight of Hans’s words.

Hans’s voice softened, just a fraction, as he met Neil’s eyes.

"Don’t worry. We’ll survive. We’re going to make it back to our families. I promise you that."

Neil’s jaw tightened, his voice quiet but steady.

"...Yes, Commander."

Hans straightened, his golden aura flaring brighter as he turned to face the approaching shadows. His voice rang out, sharp and commanding, a rallying cry for the soldiers who still stood behind him.

"Solaria! Hold the line!"

The soldiers roared in response, their voices rising above the chaos as they braced themselves for the next wave.

"We fight for Solaria!"

"Hold the line!"

"Until the last breath—we stand!"

Behind them, Neil tightened his grip on his blade. He wanted to argue, to force Hans to fall back and rest. But he knew the commander too well. Once Hans had made up his mind, nothing short of death would change it. He let out a slow, steadying breath, forcing himself to focus.

"Then I’ll stand with you, Commander," Neil said firmly, falling into position beside Hans. "To the end."

Hans’s lips curved into a faint, approving smile. He said nothing.

The survivors formed a jagged line, their weapons raised, their eyes fixed on the beast. The air grew heavy, thick with the weight of what was to come.

Hans’s voice rang out, steady and commanding, cutting through the tension like a blade.

"On my command, we hold. We bleed. We survive."

"FOR SOLARIA!"

Alice’s voice drifted through the shadows, a whisper of dark amusement that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"Hee? He has quite the resolve for a human."

Hans’s golden aura blazed brighter. His voice was cold, absolute, as he raised his greatsword and pointed it toward the shadows.

"The same resolve that will see me cut you down, beast."