Apocalypse: Starting With Three Unique Blessings-Chapter 41: Beginning Of The Trial (2)

BAM!

Magnus’s fist slammed into the head of a massive, scorpion-like creature. Its carapace, seemingly forged from iron, shattered under the immense force of the blow. A spray of viscous green fluid erupted from the wound.

Magnus nimbly dodged the gushing liquid. It landed nearby with a sizzling hiss, immediately corroding the ground where it splashed.

But Magnus ignored the corrosive spray, his attention focused on the scorpion’s tail, which was now whipping towards him with deadly speed. He swung his sword, the sound of metal clashing against metal ringing out as the blade met the scorpion’s tail. The tail, covered in the same iron-like carapace as its head, offered a brief resistance. But the defense was futile. Magnus’s sword sliced through, severing the appendage.

The scorpion shrieked in agony. Magnus didn’t hesitate. Before he could finish off the creature, a wolf-like beast lunged at him from seemingly nowhere. With lightning reflexes, Magnus reached out his left hand, catching the wolf mid-air. He slammed it to the ground with bone-jarring force. Simultaneously, his right hand, still gripping his sword, plunged the blade into the scorpion’s skull, killing it instantly.

In a single, fluid motion, he withdrew his sword and plunged it into the skull of the wolf-like creature, still sprawled on the ground from the impact. The wolf died without a sound.

Magnus rose to his feet, silently surveying the battlefield. The battle had raged for hours. Both sides had suffered casualties, but the beasts had taken the brunt of the losses. Numerous beast corpses littered the ground. While Magnus’s side had sustained injuries, as far as he knew, none had been fatal. Yet, there was no trace of triumph in Magnus’s eyes.

Despite the mounting pile of carcasses, the beast horde showed no sign of thinning. They continued their relentless assault.

Just then, William contacted him through their mental link. It seemed William’s unit was facing heavy resistance.

Without breaking stride, Magnus contacted Godiva, requesting reinforcements for William. He then sent a quick message to William, assuring him that help was on its way.

He turned his attention back to the battle. The beast horde was growing denser, surging towards him.

With a powerful kick, he sent a cluster of beasts flying into the oncoming wave, disrupting their advance and throwing some off balance.

Magnus charged forward, his sword a blur of motion. Blood sprayed everywhere, accompanied by the shrieks of the unfortunate beasts caught in the blade’s path. One creature’s fate seemed especially dire as the sword plunged deep into its flesh.

Magnus didn’t pause. Another beast was charging at him. Before he could even turn, he saw a gaping maw filled with rows of sharp teeth coming straight for him. There was no time to counterattack. He dodged, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws. Then, with a swift retaliatory swing, he decapitated the beast with a single, powerful stroke.

An explosion boomed nearby, followed by a wave of intense heat. Kelvin, wreathed in flames, had launched himself into the air. With another powerful blast, he descended into the heart of the beast horde, unleashing an inferno that incinerated everything in the immediate vicinity.

The intense heat radiated outwards, scorching dozens of beasts and gravely injuring many more as the flames spread. The air filled with the agonized cries of the burning creatures.

Then, Vorax’s roar echoed across the battlefield, shaking the very ground. The beast seemed enraged, its attacks becoming even more frenzied. Nearby beasts became its victims.

Distracted by the commotion, Magnus suddenly sensed danger. He turned to see a massive paw descending towards him. But before he could react, an arrow whizzed through the air, striking the beast and bringing it down instantly.

Magnus looked towards the wall from where the arrow had originated. He saw a blue-haired elf with short purple horns. It was Seraphina. She and the other archers, positioned atop the territory wall, were providing crucial support in the battle.

Magnus nodded his thanks to Seraphina and charged back into the fray. The beast horde wasn’t going to conquer itself.

The battle raged for what felt like an eternity. As the first rays of dawn finally broke through the darkness, the fighting ceased. Magnus’s territory had emerged victorious, but no cheers erupted. They knew this was just the beginning. This was merely the first tier of the trial. More battles awaited them.

A system screen flashed before Magnus.

-[Congratulations on completing Tier 1 (Basic) difficulty. Would you like to continue to the next tier?]

"Yes," Magnus muttered without hesitation.

-[The next tier will begin in three hours.]

Magnus stared at the screen for a moment before dismissing it. He surveyed the battlefield. His men stood around, chests heaving, exhausted from the prolonged fight. Only Magnus and his summon seemed relatively unscathed.

Magnus possessed attributes far superior to ordinary humans, and his summons were all awakened individuals, so it was understandable that they had fared better than the rest.

"All right, everyone, get some rest," Magnus announced to his troops. "The next wave will arrive in three hours. Rest as much as you can before then."

His men acknowledged his command and dispersed, seeking places to rest. Those who had sustained injuries headed towards the healers.

Magnus watched them for a moment before contacting his summons stationed on the other sections of the wall, relaying the same instructions. He also contacted Godiva.

The southern wall had experienced the least action; they hadn’t been attacked at all.

Magnus and Godiva devised a plan to rotate their forces. The exhausted men from the eastern wall would be reassigned to the southern wall, and the fresh troops from the south would take their place on the eastern wall, ready for the next wave. This wasn’t a leisurely outing; no one could afford to remain completely rested. After finalizing the plan, Magnus summoned Vorax.

The immense creature crossed the vast battlefield in the blink of an eye, appearing before Magnus. Magnus examined Vorax closely. The beast appeared completely unharmed.

Its body was covered in blood, a testament to the number of beasts it had crushed during the battle.

Magnus continued his inspection, finally spotting what he was looking for. A few of the spinning spikes that adorned Vorax’s body were missing, perhaps a couple out of the hundreds that covered its form. Vorax didn’t seem to notice or care about the missing spikes, yet it radiated an intense anger. It seemed enraged that such insignificant creatures had managed to even graze it. This explained the furious roar from earlier.

Magnus sighed. He had momentarily forgotten Vorax’s true origins. It was a Celestial beast, a magical being formed from the essence of the universe, just like the Gods and other celestial beings.

Its anger stemmed not from the minor injury itself, but from the sheer audacity of the lesser beasts that had dared to inflict it.

’Celestial pride is truly unmatched,’ Magnus mused.

"Calm down, buddy, it’s nothing," Magnus murmured, stroking Vorax. But the beast’s anger remained unassuaged. It seemed nothing but the blood of more of these insignificant creatures could quench its rage.

Magnus sighed, realizing his words were futile. He instructed Vorax to gather the beast cores from the slain creatures—in other words, consume the bodies and extract the cores.

The next wave was only three hours away. While three hours seemed like a substantial amount of time, it wasn’t nearly enough to clear the thousands of beast corpses scattered across the battlefield. That’s where Vorax came in.

Since Vorax consumed beast corpses to fuel its growth, this task was a win-win situation. Vorax could consume the corpses, gather the beast cores, and gain energy for its evolution simultaneously.

Without needing further prompting, Vorax set off to carry out its task, relishing the prospect of all the readily available energy. It was a feast.

Magnus turned away from Vorax and walked towards his men, who were resting in various spots across the battlefield. Their faces were grim, but their resolve was evident.

Even though they knew the next wave would be more challenging than the one they had just endured, they were determined to face it head-on. After all, greater danger brought greater rewards, and that knowledge fueled their determination.

Seeing their resolve, Magnus sighed in relief. He didn’t need to bolster their morale; they already possessed the necessary determination. He settled down to rest as well. Even though he had fared better than the unranked members of his force, he was still slightly exhausted.