Apocalypse: Starting With Three Unique Blessings-Chapter 47: Determination.

Magnus stared at the system screen and released a deep sigh of relief.

At least there waa more time to prepare for the inevitable onslaught of the next wave. He turned to the weary faces of his soldiers, their armor battered, their expressions grim. "Return to the territory," he commanded, his voice carrying the weight of responsibility. "Rest, recuperate, and have your wounds treated. The next wave will arrive in twenty hours."

His men, obedient despite their exhaustion, turned and began the trek back towards the fortified walls of their territory. Magnus then contacted his summon overseeing the other sections of the defensive perimeter, relaying the same orders. With that task complete, he turned back to the desolate battlefield, a scene of carnage and destruction.

Vorax was diligently clearing the scattered remains of the monstrous horde. The corpses of the fallen beasts were being systematically devoured, leaving the ground strangely barren. As for the bodies of Magnus’s own soldiers who had perished in the defense, he had already given orders for their respectful retrieval. They would receive a proper burial within the territory once the harrowing trial concluded.

After a considerable amount of time, Vorax finished its gruesome task. It slithered back to Magnus, depositing a small mountain of beast cores at his feet. Thousands of them shimmered with raw energy, a testament to the sheer number of creatures that had fallen. This battlefield wasn’t the only one Vorax had cleared. The massive worm had diligently scoured every corner of the territory’s defenses, consuming the fallen beasts and collecting the valuable cores.

Magnus’s gaze lingered on the glittering pile, his eyes drawn to five cores in the center that pulsed with a more intense light. He recognized them instantly. These were the remnants of the five Feral-Rank Minotaurs, their power far surpassing that of the lesser beasts.

"Good job, buddy," Magnus praised, reaching down to stroke Vorax’s enormous head. The colossal worm whimpered softly, a low rumble that resonated through the ground.

Taking advantage of the moment, Magnus scanned Vorax’s immense body. For the first time, he saw signs of genuine injury on his normally impervious companion. Many of Vorax’s thick, iron-like spikes were broken or missing. A deep crack marred one of the remaining spikes, likely punctured by a Minotaur horn. A golden, viscous fluid, Vorax’s blood, oozed sluggishly from the wound.

Magnus sighed, sensing a wave of suppressed rage emanating from the creature. But beneath the anger, he also detected something else: profound exhaustion. Vorax had single-handedly fought off thousands of beasts across three relentless waves. Even for a Celestial beast of its caliber, the constant battle had taken a heavy toll.

Ten small crystals materialized in Magnus’s hand, each one brimming with concentrated celestial essence. Vorax’s eyes widened, fixated on the potent energy within the crystals. It stared with an intensity that reminded Magnus of a starving predator.

Without hesitation, Magnus tossed the crystals towards Vorax. The ten small orbs fit easily in his palm. Vorax opened its massive maw and swallowed them whole. Magnus sensed a brief surge in Vorax’s aura, a flicker of renewed strength, before it quickly subsided. Knowing that Vorax needed rest and time to absorb the celestial energy, Magnus sent Vorax back to its void space where it could recover undisturbed.

With Vorax gone, Magnus took one last look at the ravaged battlefield before turning back towards the territory. A pall of grief hung over the settlement. The sounds of weeping and wailing echoed through the streets, carried on the wind. The returning soldiers had been counted, and the absence of loved ones confirmed. Heartbreak was palpable.

Magnus sighed, but he pushed the sorrow aside. There were more pressing matters at hand. His primary focus had to be on completing the trial. He would address the emotional fallout later, once the immediate threat was neutralized.

Ignoring the mournful cries, Magnus made his way to the infirmary. The building was overflowing with injured soldiers. Every healer he had summoned was working tirelessly, their healing magic radiating outwards, creating a soothing aura that struggled to compete with the pervasive scent of blood and the groans of pain.

Magnus waved off the concerned looks and greetings as he surveyed the scene. The injuries, though severe in appearance, were not as dire as they seemed. With the constant ministrations of the healers, most of his men would recover quickly. He estimated they would be ready to fight again by the time the next wave arrived.

There were a few, however, who had suffered truly horrific injuries. Magnus’s gaze fell upon one man in particular. His entire left arm had been ripped from its socket, leaving a mangled, bloody stump at the shoulder. The man’s cries were agonizing, his body covered in deep claw marks. It was a miracle he was still alive.

The healers worked frantically, trying to stabilize him and stem the profuse bleeding. But even if they succeeded in saving his life, the man’s future looked bleak. Injuries of this magnitude, particularly the loss of a limb, required the intervention of an S-Rank healer, or perhaps even higher, to fully restore the body. Healers of that caliber were rare and beyond Magnus’s current reach.

This man wasn’t the only one clinging precariously to life. Others lay nearby, their injuries equally grave, some even worse. The air hung heavy with the stench of blood and the desperate gasps of the dying.

Magnus stared at the scene, a deep sigh escaping his lips. He felt the weight of their suffering, the cost of his ambition. But the thought of giving up never crossed his mind. He could end the trial now, claim the reward for completing the third difficulty tier, and stop the relentless waves of monstrous attacks. But he refused.

He knew some might call him selfish, a man willing to sacrifice his people for his own advancement. He was pushing for higher difficulty levels, knowing full well it would lead to more casualties. His ultimate goal, to ascend his territory to the coveted status of a Holy Land, overshadowed everything else.

He had his reasons. Weakness, he knew, was a death sentence. His father’s moment of weakness, his misplaced trust, had allowed Gaylord and his men to slaughter thousands within their territory. The previous Magnus, too, had been hampered by weakness, leading to his death and the deaths of countless others during his quest for revenge.

This wasn’t just a personal observation. It was a fundamental law of the universe. The strong devoured the weak. The brightest stars consumed their lesser counterparts. It was a principle woven into the fabric of existence, from the vastness of space to the smallest microcosm. Strength, therefore, was his only objective.

He wasn’t heartless. He would do everything in his power to minimize casualties among his people. But his ultimate goal remained paramount. Nothing mattered more than becoming stronger.

Leaving the infirmary behind, Magnus walked with a determined stride towards a secluded corner of the territory. This isolated area had become his designated summoning ground ever since he had accidentally wrecked his room summoning Kael.

Few people ventured to this remote location, minimizing the risk of being observed. The summoning process, as he utilized it, would attract unwanted attention and potentially expose his secret. Everyone knew that conventional summoning required elaborate arrays, rare magical treasures, and even then, success was far from guaranteed. Magnus, on the other hand, simply purchased summoning cards and could summon thousands of troops with ease.

Such an ability, if discovered, would make him a target. He wasn’t powerful enough yet to withstand the scrutiny and potential threats that would come with exposure. He had to remain cautious, biding his time. For now, he stationed some of his summoned troops around the area to ensure his privacy.

With the area secured, Magnus’s expression hardened. He accessed the system store, ready to spend a substantial amount of evolution points on summoning cards. He didn’t hesitate. The heavens, it seemed, were trying to suppress him with this trial. He would prove them wrong.

He was destined for greatness. The heavens would need to do far more than throw a few waves of monsters at him to derail his ambition.

After a considerable amount of time, he was finished. He had spent hundreds of thousands of evolution points, acquiring four hundred summoning cards. He immediately activated his summoning skill. A dark, purplish portal shimmered into existence before him. With a grim expression, Magnus began feeding the cards into the portal, one after another, wasting no time. The next wave was coming, he needs to be prepared for whatever challenges it brought with it.

# #

[A/N_ Due to personal issues, I haven’t been able to maintain a consistent daily Chapter release schedule for a while now, and I apologize for that, especially to those who have purchased privilege. I plan to change this starting tomorrow, with a minimum of two Chapters released daily, potentially more.

I’m also planning a mass release at the beginning of next month if we reach the first tier of win-win. I hope we can achieve this goal.

Thanks for reading! Please let me know in the comments how you’ve been enjoying the story and if there’s anything you’d like to see changed.]