Apocalypse: Starting With Three Unique Blessings-Chapter 46: The Twin (2)

"I said scram!" Henry roared, his finger pointed towards the monstrous wolf. A dark energy coalesced at his fingertip, humming with power.

The wolf, sensing the imminent danger, felt a surge of terror. Its instincts screamed at it to flee, but it was too late. A bolt of dark energy erupted from Henry’s finger, hurtling towards the wolf with terrifying speed.

Reacting instantly, the wolf lashed out with a massive paw, its claws extended, creating a shimmering barrier ten times larger than the incoming energy blast. Despite its size, the claw offered no resistance. The dark energy sliced through it as if it were nothing, continuing its deadly trajectory towards the wolf.

Boom!

The dark energy slammed into the wolf, detonating in a blinding explosion. The wolf was pulverized, reduced to nothing but dust and scattered fur.

The cave, already weakened by the intense energy, finally succumbed. The roof groaned and then collapsed, sending tons of rock and debris crashing down. Unfazed, Henry and Ewan were enveloped in a shimmering barrier, protecting them from the falling debris.

Once the dust settled and the rumbling stopped, the barrier faded. Ewan rose to his feet, surveying the wreckage of the cave with a weary sigh. He turned to Henry in a look that said "Seriously?"

Henry simply shrugged in response to his twin’s exasperated look.

"Guess this mission’s a fail," he said casually.

Ewan sighed again at Henry’s nonchalant attitude. "Where to next?" he asked.

A smile spread across Henry’s face. "Why don’t we check on the kids’ first trial?" he suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Ewan replied, grinning back.

With that, the two brothers shot into the air with incredible speed, leaving the devastated cave behind.

Meanwhile, a group of five people trekking through the vast forest witnessed the brothers’ departure. The explosion from Henry’s attack had stopped them in their tracks. They stared in astonishment at the now-collapsed cave.

"Wait, isn’t that the Silverback Wolf’s lair?" the leader of the group, an older man clad in dark armor with a blue whip coiled at his waist, asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"It’s destroyed... Seems like the work of those two experts who just flew off," another member of the group replied, equally stunned.

The Silverback Wolf was a peak monstrous-rank magical beast, just a step away from the next evolutionary stage. It was the undisputed ruler of the entire area, the entire forest, in fact. No one, human or beast, dared venture near its lair for fear of becoming its next meal.

Fortunately, the Silverback Wolf was primarily territorial, preferring to remain within the confines of its cave. It only ventured out when its territory was threatened or when it needed to hunt.

Of course, this didn’t make it any less terrifying. No one wanted to be the unlucky soul who crossed its path during one of its rare outings.

One of the men furrowed his brow. "But wait, if it’s dead, does that mean...?" he began, his voice trailing off.

He didn’t need to finish his sentence. The others instantly understood what he was implying. Without another word, they raced towards the collapsed cave.

-

Boom!

A massive fireball exploded amidst a surging wave of monstrous beasts, sending a searing shockwave of flames across the battlefield. The explosion hurled the charred corpses of several creatures through the air, but the relentless onslaught continued. The remaining beasts charged towards the two humans standing their ground in the center of the carnage.

Kelvin roared, unleashing a fiery punch that detonated in another explosion within the horde.

Magnus, his sword dripping with blood, fought with equal ferocity. His armor was battered and torn, evidence of the brutal battle, but he remained uninjured.

"Ahh!" he yelled, swinging his sword with relentless power. He’d lost track of time, but this wave of beasts had been attacking for at least an hour, maybe two. And despite their efforts, the intensity of the assault only seemed to increase.

He and Kelvin were still essentially fighting the Minotaur, although the cunning creature remained hidden within the horde it commanded, waiting patiently for either of them to make a mistake, to show even the slightest opening. Then, it would strike.

"Lord Magnus, I can’t hold on much longer! I’m running out of mana!" Kelvin shouted, unleashing a wave of fire that incinerated the beasts in its path.

Magnus gritted his teeth. He knew Kelvin was telling the truth. The situation was dire, not just for them but for the entire territory. Beast hordes were attacking every section of the wall.

’I thought I wouldn’t need more troops,’ Magnus sighed.

"Kelvin, can you hold them back for a few minutes? I need to do something."

Kelvin understood. His master was likely planning a counter-offensive. "I’ll try," he replied, gritting his teeth.

A powerful aura erupted from Kelvin’s body. He unleashed a devastating blast of flame, obliterating everything within several meters.

Magnus watched, knowing that Kelvin had just expended almost all of his remaining energy. He had to act quickly.

Without hesitation, Magnus activated his summoning skill. A dark purple portal shimmered into existence before him. He tossed dozens of summoning cards into the swirling vortex.

The portal pulsed with intense energy, generating a powerful gust of wind. Then, figures began to emerge. A man in a gray robe, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and carrying a staff topped with a glowing blue crystal, stepped out, followed by around twenty others. Five were E-rank, and the rest were F-rank.

They all knelt before Magnus, bowing in greeting.

Before Magnus could speak, Kelvin cried out again. He was reaching his limit.

Magnus sighed and quickly issued orders, dispatching his newly summoned troops to reinforce the defenses along the wall. The mage with the staff and a few others were assigned to assist Kelvin.

The arrival of Magnus’s summons shifted the tide of the battle. The mage, with a wave of his staff, unleashed a barrage of icicles that shot through the air like bullets, killing dozens of beasts and injuring many more. The injured beasts quickly succumbed to the intense cold that seeped into their bodies, slowing them down and making them easy targets.

Seeing the shift in momentum, the Minotaur roared in fury, summoning even more beasts to overwhelm the mage. Just then, Vorax’s triumphant roar echoed across the battlefield. He had finally slain the Minotaur he’d been battling.

The other beasts still surrounded the celestial beast, but the death of one Minotaur bolstered the morale of the defenders. They surged forward with renewed vigor.

"For the Lancaster Territory!" they roared, charging into the fray. Even Magnus’s newly summoned allies, though unfamiliar with the conflict, joined the charge.

With Magnus, Kelvin, and the mage combining their power, they finally managed to push back the surging tide of beasts. It wasn’t easy, but the situation was significantly improved. Then, they turned their attention to the remaining Minotaur.

Already injured and unable to handle Magnus and Kelvin alone, the Minotaur quickly fell before their combined might, augmented by the mage’s powerful ice magic. Another cheer erupted from the defenders.

"Crush them all! For the Lancaster Territory!" Magnus shouted, raising his sword high.

"For the Lancaster Territory!" the soldiers echoed, charging into the remnants of the beast horde.

With both Minotaurs slain, the remaining beasts fought like mindless creatures, making them easier to dispatch. Even so, the battle continued for several more hours, and the defenders suffered heavy losses before finally achieving victory.

Magnus surveyed the ravaged battlefield. It was a scene of utter devastation, even worse than the aftermath of the first two waves combined. Craters pocked the ground, blood stained the earth crimson, and corpses littered the field – both human and beast.

Magnus sighed, knowing the casualty count would be high. His grim premonition was confirmed when Kelvin delivered the report.

Over two hundred soldiers were dead, and many more were injured, some gravely.

Magnus stared at the system screen before him, his face grim, weighing his options.

The cost of victory weighed heavily on Magnus. Should he continue or end the trial here?

The thought echoed in his mind. He desired the rewards of the next tier – the greater the difficulty, the greater the prize. But the third tier had already claimed over two hundred lives. What horrors awaited in the fourth and fifth tiers? Could his forces endure? 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

He could summon more troops, but would it even matter? Trials, both individual and territorial, weren’t simply challenges to prepare one for the next stage. They were a form of celestial suppression, a tribulation imposed by the heavens to restrict growth. Whether he summoned a million troops or a handful, the next wave would inevitably bring forth an equally overwhelming force.

Magnus sighed, turning to survey his men. Their faces were etched with exhaustion, and in some eyes, he saw fear. In others, however, he saw unwavering determination.

"You know what?" Magnus thought, a defiant glint in his eyes. "To hell with the heavens. I will not yield." He made his choice.

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

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-[A/N_ If you’re still confused about the ranking of this novel, please check out the first auxiliary Chapter; I have added the ranking there.]