Chapter 56: March of the Void
Kanos walked slowly in the middle of the formation. His right arm was still tightly bound to his chest. His pale face was completely devoid of any emotion. He was incredibly exhausted, but his mind was running purely on adrenaline and cold, calculated vengeance.
"We are getting close to the transition zone," Papuyu spoke quietly. Her voice barely cut through the sound of the marching golems. "The Sensor Bureau definitely sealed the main gate leading to the upper floors. They will not let us just walk up to the quarantine barrier."
The tunnel gradually widened, finally opening up into a massive underground cavern that served as the main checkpoint between the tenth and ninth floors. The sight waiting for them was heavily intimidating. The Sensor Bureau had built a massive blockade across the entire width of the cavern. Dozens of thick steel barricades were lined up perfectly. Behind those barricades stood at least two hundred silver armored Executioners.
The moment Kanos and his army stepped out of the tunnel, the Executioner Commander standing on the highest barricade raised his glowing gauntlet.
Ten heavy magic cannons fired simultaneously. The deafening boom shook the dust from the cavern ceiling. Ten massive spheres of highly concentrated plasma magic shot through the air, illuminating the dark cavern with a blinding blue light. The attack carried enough destructive force to vaporize an entire city block.
"Eat," Kanos commanded.
The explosion never happened.
The two hundred Executioners behind the barricades froze in absolute horror. Their ultimate heavy artillery did absolutely zero damage.
The twenty Black Golems charged forward. Their massive stone bodies built extreme momentum. They did not care about the desperate magical arrows and fireballs the Executioners suddenly started shooting at them. The magic spells just bounced harmlessly off the void stone.
"Hunt," Kanos whispered.
Screams of terror and agony echoed wildly across the cavern. Belida let out a booming laugh. The giant knight charged into the chaos. He swung his heavy black sword in massive, sweeping arcs, completely ignoring defense because the Null Hounds were already suppressing all the magical threats around him. Every swing of Belidaβs sword sent two or three Executioners flying through the air with broken ribs.
Kanos just kept walking forward. He walked through the chaotic battlefield with a slow, steady pace. He did not need to draw anything. He did not need to waste his energy. His printed army was functioning flawlessly. A desperate Executioner tried to rush him from the side holding a spear, but a Null Hound instantly dropped from the ceiling and bit the manβs head clean off before he even got within three meters of Kanos.
Sili was right. The surviving Executioners completely lost their morale. Seeing their magic rendered utterly useless and their comrades slaughtered effortlessly by unkillable shadow beasts broke their conditioned discipline. They threw their weapons to the ground and scrambled desperately toward the heavy iron gate at the back of the cavern.
"Do not let a single one leave," Kanos said coldly.
The main checkpoint was entirely secured. The path to the ninth floor was officially wide open. Kanos stepped over a broken silver helmet, his tired eyes looking up toward the dark staircase ahead.
