Chapter 679 Grand Finale [IV]
?Chaptre 679: Grand Finale [IV]
[A/N: Today and tomorrow, only one chapter because it's my bday :d]
Mika's heirloom arrow was stronger than ever. The Drake Soul infused into the Wyvernwood Bow, enhancing the heirloom arrow after Mika used 5-Star Arrow Duplication several times. The overcharged application of Pierce transformed the heirloom arrow in the strongest attack Mika had released since he became an Awakened.
The heirloom arrow propelled through the air in a beautiful arc. It emerged from the Untamed Jungle's outer ring, shrouded in bright light and twinkling stars.
Arrow Duplication jumped into effect as the twinkling miniature runes on the heirloom arrow were triggered. The arrows were duplicated multiple times in quick succession. It was only a matter of milliseconds before the heirloom arrow transformed into 131,072 arrows.
Each arrowhead was coated in Pierce's effect as they reached the climax, forming what looked like a dazzling cloud in the sky. In the next second, the duplicated heirloom arrows descended upon the massive crowd of enemies.
Time seemed to slow down as the duplicated arrows plunged from the sky. The deadly downpour attracted everyone's attention.
The Savannah's forces tried to erect shields in time by using some of their protection Artifacts and Soultraits, but there were only a few Awakened among the masses of three million Summons. Some managed to block a few attacks, however, their defense failed them after a dozen arrows amplified by Pierce.
The first arrows broke the defense down slowly, while the latter burst through cleanly before hitting their targets. The downpour of 131,072 arrows didn't last long. A few seconds and it was all over. More than 30,000 bodies sprawled all over the area of impact, the last bits of lifeforce leaving them.
The heirloom arrow had killed tens of thousands, and twice that sustained more or less severe injuries. The injured soldiers groaned in pain and screamed at the top of their lungs, but they weren't granted much mercy either. The Forest Elven Archers, Sharpshooters, and others targeted them, reaping their lives while they paid the most attention to their wounds.
Within a few minutes, 100,000 members of the Savannah forces died. Their corpses formed small piles in front of the Untamed Jungle. It almost looked like a warning. Enter the Untamed Jungle, and you will meet the same fate.
Mika's initial attack was extraordinary. Seeds of fear had been planted in the hearts of those who survived, forcing them to rethink their decision. They were afraid to move ahead and barge into the Untamed Jungle as it felt like a death sentence. That was not what Mika intended, but it was good enough to slow the advances of the Savannah forces.
A vibrant smile blossomed on Mika's lips as he flashed his white teeth. Unfortunately, he couldn't even enjoy the chaos he caused with a single attack. Mika broke into a cold sweat, his eyes rolled up until only the white was visible, and he fainted. Fortunately, Opars was there to catch Mika. Otherwise, the young Forest Elf would have fallen from the thick tree branch. That would have been far from great.
Mika strained his energy veins, overused his Soultraits, and used way too much energy in such a short time span. However, there was more. The flood of more than 30,000 energy influxes was the final trigger. He was exhausted and on the verge of collapsing, only for 30,000 energy influxes to bombard his War Rune.
A few hundred energy influxes would have been fine in Mika's condition, but 30,000 energy influxes simultaneously was too much for Mika to handle. Mika was also about to advance to Tier-3 soon. The energy influxes obtained from killing so many enemies was enough to crack the barrier obstructing his path to Tier-3.
He might wake up as a Tier3 Awakened if he was lucky. Zeroa, the Elemental Empress, observed Mika briefly and snapped her fingers, teleporting Mika away from the battlefield. He did more than enough and deserved to take a break. It was not like he could fight any longer, either way.
Distracted by the downpour of arrows from the front, many Summons didn't pay much attention to the sides. The Warlock Centaurs took advantage of that to face the enemy cavalry head-on.
The Warlock Centaurs were the best cavalry on the battlefield, and they exploited that fact as much as possible. The enemy cavalry was not as fast as them, so Mekhaz, Zeron Polik, and the other Warlock Centaurs used brute force and razor-sharp blades to smash into the mounts before striking the riders with fast and heavy attacks.
Tiara observed the Warlock Centaurs' attack with great interest, but her attention was pulled to the Savannah forces shortly after. Tiara noticed that thousands of Summons from the Savannah region turned their heads left and right in confusion. They began screaming at the top of their lungs, tears trickling down their cheeks. They clutched their chests and continued looking left and right as if they were confused.
They didn't know where they were or what had just happened. Suddenly, anger and fury filled their hearts as they saw who their 'allies' were. Some Summons couldn't hold back anymore. They readied their weapons and attacked their allies.
The corners of Tiara's lips tucked upward.
Michael's tactic was working. Some Lords lost their power, therefore terminating the Links of Loyalty with their Summons and the Awakened. Losing the Links of Loyalty with their Summons turned out to be disastrous. The Summons, who'd just regained their freedom, didn't hesitate to attack those who'd killed their friends and family several years ago. They slaughtered their allies, ignoring the consequences of their actions.
Now that they finally gained full control of their actions, nothing other than revenge mattered.
Not all of them attacked each other, but the number increased quickly. Many Lords lost their powers, releasing the leashes that restrained their subjects until now.
Unfortunately, the chaos created by friendly fire was not enough to block the Savannah forces entirely. The Untamed Army was forced to retreat inside the Untamed Jungle, where Hiraku awaited them.
Hiraku was nine meters tall after he transformed inside the Untamed Jungle. His entire body was covered in vines, branches, and roots. All kinds of plant life was growing on his body due to his connection to the Greater Nature Spirit. The connection with the Greater Nature Spirit granted Hiraku a Minor Nature Affinity. He could control the surrounding plant life to a certain extent.
Combining his control of the surrounding plant life with Zeroa's Nature Affinity, they transformed the surroundings into a death zone. After all, the Lesser Elementals had also been terraforming the surrounding area.
The Savannah forces could only rush into the Untamed Jungle's outer ring before they slowed down. They had to stay vigilant to avoid falling into a muddy pit or getting entangled in the veins and roots that lunged at them now and then.
As the Savannah Forces slowed down to enter the Untamed Jungle, they paid the most attention to the surroundings. Nonetheless, they didn't notice when the enemies attacked. The Untamed Army knew the Untamed Jungle better than everyone. They traveled swiftly through the thicket and released a barrage of arrows and elemental projectiles from the weirdest angles. The Savannah forces didn't expect to receive attacks from there and were forced to slow down further.
Of course, there were also Summons who didn't want to slow down anymore. They were too impatient and moved onward, only to find themselves struck by various projectiles and a blade slashing their throats.
Hiraku could have charged the Savannah forces since he was at a great advantage in the Untamed Jungle but was not in a rush. He focused on controlling the thicket, roots, and veins in his range to restrain as many enemies as possible.
Hiraku chose to act as a temporary Supporter. That produced more benefits than charging the Savannah forces while blocking his allies' view. They couldn't target their enemies with arrows and elemental projectiles if they couldn't see them.
Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before the muddy pits and the advantage of the terrain deteriorated. The Untamed Jungle's effect on the Savannah forces decreased as they had the means to counter it. They had the means to destroy the obstacles in their paths and alter the surrounding terrain as well.
Some Higher Lifeforms used brute force and their Artifacts to destroy the towering trees that prevented the Savannah troops from maintaining their formation as they charged into the Untamed Jungle. In contrast, others had to use their Soultraits to terraform the ground. Two Awakened filled the ground with their Soultraits, whereas a third Awakened used his Soultrait to drain the moisture in the ground.
The percentage of Awakened among the three million soldiers was exceedingly low, but that didn't mean they were nonexistent or weak. It was just a matter of fact that most territories didn't have many Awakened.
Lilica and Opars tried to assassinate the Awakened of the Savannah forces. The duo managed to kill a few of them as they harnessed their Artifacts to barge through the undergrowth by destroying everything in their path.
Opars' Herculean Strength, alongside Lilica's means to hunt dozens of enemies without getting noticed, were extraordinarily useful. They managed to kill many enemies. However, they had to change their position way too often to avoid getting found out or overwhelmed by the number of enemies.
Slowly but steadily, they had to push back deeper and deeper into the Untamed Jungle. Not many members of the Untamed Army died at first, but that changed several hours into the battle. The Untamed Army was forced to alter its stance. They couldn't continue hunting down smaller batches of enemies while retreating all the time, otherwise, Arx and their beloved would be exposed to the Savannah forces.
Hiraku and the Untamed Awakened noticed the same. Lokai harnessed Burning Fury alongside her other Soultraits to join Hiraku in a fierce battle. Everyone charged forward to engage in melee combat with the Savannah forces now that they were deep inside the densely grown Untamed Jungle.
Their troops were split up due to the thicket and densely grown environment, granting the Untamed Awakened the biggest advantage. After all, their individual combat prowess far surpassed the individual power of the Savannah's forces.
Hiraku acted as the main attraction – the tank – of the group. He was ready to block most damage using the thick vines and roots that coiled around his entire body in a lively manner. He conjured large plates of highly resilient metal to cover his body. However, instead of forming a proper armor with the metal plates, Hiraku willed the roots and vines to integrate them into his body's plant life.
His defense increased drastically, but Hiraku was unsure if that was enough. Many Higher Lifeforms paid attention to him and attacked together.
Hiraku was not a fan of defending. He didn't like blocking all attacks or that he had to act as a supporter to allow the Untamed Army and other Awakened to assault their enemies. It was an ungrateful job and didn't have much impact on the result of the Regional War either. Nonetheless, Hiraku did it because he knew that his actions would help alter the course of the battle, even if it was merely a minor alteration.
But that was about to change. He could finally assault with full force. There was no need to hold back. If anything, Hiraku had to go all-out if he wanted to use Lokai's Burning Fury. The stronger their opponents and the more they struggled the more advantages they would gain from Burning Fury.
However, Hiraku didn't expect a sudden change in the Savannah forces' strategy.Less than five minutes passed after he barged into the masses of the Savannah forces, yet he found himself pinned down to the ground.
He slaughtered thousands of enemies before they pinned him down with their overwhelming numbers, but he ended up losing. It was only a matter of minutes before the Savannah troops would break through his defense and kill him.
Similar situations like this occurred in various places. The tides of the battle turned against the Untamed Army suddenly.
Suddenly, the atmosphere all over the Untamed Jungle's outer ring and the Savannah changed once again.
Everyone's hearts stirred like crazy as fear fuelled their entire being. Something big was about to happen.
Countless golden mots shrouded the border between the Untamed Jungle and the Savannah Region. Screams echoed through the surroundings, and thousands of Summons collapsed to the ground, their lifeforce and origin energy sucked dry within seconds.
A individual appeared in the sky above the Savannah forces, his body covered in cuts and his face shrouded in wrath.
Michael had returned.
**
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