Apocalypse: Starting With Three Unique Blessings-Chapter 51: Fourth Wave (2)

As Magnus plunged back into the battle, he continued his relentless slaughter of the beasts surging towards him. The battle raged, initially a chaotic melee between Magnus’s forces and the monstrous horde. They had reached the midpoint of the conflict, and already half of the beasts lay slain, yet Magnus’s side had suffered significant casualties as well.

Suddenly, a chorus of piercing shrieks ripped through the air, halting the battle in a chilling tableau. Every eye, including Magnus’s, turned skyward. His heart plummeted as he recognized the thousands of birds circling overhead: Soulsinger Birds.

The name was chillingly apt. These creatures specialized in soul attacks, a terrifying departure from the typical physical assaults of other beasts. Unlike the powerful, hulking monsters they faced on the ground, Soulsinger Birds were deceptively small, barely the size of an adult’s hand. They could be crushed with minimal force. Yet, their appearance brought no comfort to Magnus or his men. Those who recognized the birds understood the gravity of the situation. Their small size masked a potent and terrifying power.

A Soulsinger Bird’s strength lay not in its physicality, but in its numbers. Encountering a solitary Soulsinger Bird was practically unheard of. They always traveled in vast flocks, their combined power multiplying exponentially. Each shriek was a potent soul attack; the combined assault of thousands was a devastating force.

"Damn it!" Magnus roared, abandoning his immediate foe and clamping his hands over his ears, attempting to shield himself from the impending onslaught.

Just as he did, the Soulsinger Birds attacked.

*Shriek!*

A melodious, almost hypnotic chorus filled the air, resembling a beautiful symphony. But no one had the luxury of appreciating the sound. An agonizing pain ripped through everyone on the battlefield. The Soulsinger Birds’ attack was indiscriminate, affecting beast and human alike. The entire battlefield was their canvas of suffering.

While Magnus’s quick thinking in covering his ears mitigated some of the sonic assault, many of his men were not so fortunate. They collapsed, writhing in agony, blood seeping from their eyes, noses, and ears.

Even with his ears covered and a stronger soul than his men, Magnus was not immune. An intense, searing pain tore through him, as if his very soul were being shredded. It was even more excruciating than the pain he had endured when binding with the Lord’s Seal.

He coughed, a mouthful of blood splattering onto the ground, intensifying the agony. From the corner of his eye, he saw a beast charging towards him, capitalizing on his vulnerability.

"Damn it!" Magnus cursed again, scrambling for his sword, which he had dropped in his initial panic.

The same scene played out across the battlefield. Many of the beasts, possessing inherently stronger souls than humans, began to recover from the Soulsinger Birds’ attack, turning their attention to the incapacitated humans.

Just as the Soulsinger Birds’ assault ceased, Magnus and his men were left vulnerable, struggling to recover while the beasts rallied. The situation was dire.

Then, Avice intervened. A ball of vibrant green energy coalesced in his hands, which he hurled towards the battlefield. Upon impact, the energy exploded in a wave of revitalizing power, washing over Magnus and his men.

Magnus, bracing for the beast’s attack, felt the soothing energy wash over him. The shredding pain in his soul began to recede, his strength returning. It gave him the precious time he needed to defend himself against the oncoming beast. The green energy acted as a balm, mending the damage to their souls and allowing them to fight back against the resurgent beasts.

Having recovered, Magnus swiftly dispatched the attacking beast and looked towards the sky. Although the Soulsinger Birds had paused their assault, he knew it was only temporary. He needed to eliminate them quickly. He pulled a potion from his inventory and drank it down. While Avice’s green energy had provided a welcome reprieve, it was a temporary fix. Magnus could still feel the lingering sting of the soul attack.

After consuming the potion, Magnus turned his attention back to the battlefield, strategizing against the Soulsinger Birds. First, he needed a way to reach them. Second, he needed a method to deal with them swiftly before they could launch another attack. An idea quickly formed. The Storm Eagle would provide the necessary transportation, and for the offensive, his gaze drifted towards a robed mage wielding a staff, an idea solidifying in his mind.

Without hesitation, he mentally contacted his summoned allies: Noah, the beast tamer, and Roger, the mage. They immediately set his plan in motion.

Noah commanded the Storm Eagle to descend, allowing Roger to climb onto its back. With a powerful beat of its wings, the eagle soared skyward, heading straight for the Soulsinger Birds.

The Soulsinger Birds shrieked angrily at the approaching duo. The Storm Eagle responded with an equally furious shriek. It, too, had suffered from the soul attack and was now fueled by pure rage.

With a mighty flap of its massive wings, the Storm Eagle unleashed a devastating wind blade that sliced through dozens of Soulsinger Birds, sending a spray of blood across the sky.

The Soulsinger Birds shrieked again, but they were powerless. Their soul attack required time to recharge, leaving them only the option of fleeing. But the Storm Eagle was too fast. Moreover, Roger had already begun his attack.

Raising his staff, the embedded blue crystal glowed brightly. He pointed it towards the fleeing birds, unleashing a blizzard of freezing ice. Any Soulsinger Bird caught in the icy blast was instantly frozen solid.

Meanwhile, the battle raged on below. Both sides had recovered from the soul attack and were locked in a fierce, unrelenting struggle.

The Soulsinger Birds’ interference had taken a heavy toll on Magnus’s forces. He watched with a heavy heart as his men fell, cursing the heavens for their cruelty.

The Storm Eagle’s shriek drew Magnus’s attention back to the sky. Roger and the Storm Eagle were effectively decimating the Soulsinger Birds. Their numbers dwindled rapidly under the combined assault of wind blades and blizzards.

Magnus felt no joy at this sight. The casualties his side had sustained were staggering. While he was grateful for the reprieve, he couldn’t shake a sense of foreboding. What other horrors did this wave hold? What about the next?

He sighed and shook his head, pushing aside his anxieties. He couldn’t afford to be distracted. The battle before him demanded his full attention. Just then, the ground trembled, drawing his gaze forward.

"Incoming!" someone shouted, a note of panic in their voice.

Magnus looked up and saw a barrage of boulders hurtling through the air towards their position, closing in with terrifying speed.

"Damn it!.." he roared, steeling himself for the next onslaught.

# #

[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. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

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.][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.][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.][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.]