Chapter 1267: Teeth of Steel

Chapter 1267: Teeth of Steel

Lurking in the Chaos fog, Ion overlooked the large spread of land before him, his eyes glinting in an unknown and eager flash. He sensed the formidable strength of Chaos cruising in his body. At a glance, everything had succumbed to his power. This was true power. He didn't borrow this power from anyone—it belonged to him entirely instead. No one could steal this power away from him! He used to look forward to it so much, and didn't expect to fulfill his wish in this rather ironic fashion. But no matter what, he had done it and now, he also possessed a strong, formidable army. The Order barrier was also destroyed by the contamination of Chaos. And next, he only had to dispatch his army, and he could dominate the land of Order before him in the shortest time possible!

When that happens, this entire continent will be mine!

"Get ready..."

Standing on the shoulder of the Skeleton Giant, Ion extended his arm and was about to give a high-spirited command when suddenly, his whole body trembled abruptly. He swallowed the words that were supposed to leave his mouth. For some unknown reason, Ion suddenly recalled the scene when he attacked the Country of Light the first time. Back then, he was equally as vigorous and grasped powerful strength, where countless undead creatures bowed down in submission to him. He was still the same as before. He was certain that he was invincible and the entire world trembled under his feet. That was why he gave the order to attack, he anticipated wiping out the Country of Light and becoming the supreme ruler of the continent.

But... It ended badly.

At this thought, Ion shuddered.

Why? Why did I recall that? I'm no longer the same. I'm no longer my old self. I won't commit the same mistake twice. I'm ready this time. Not only has Chaos influenced all undead creatures in the Country of Darkness, but I have also summoned several Chaos Lords for this war. This time, I will not lose! That's right, it is impossible for me to lose; totally impossible... I must win. There is no doubt about that! There is no limit to the strength of Chaos. Nothing stands in the way of Chaos. I'm confident of winning! There will neither be any accidents nor any unexpected situations this time!

Ion shook his head with force, lifted his head, and extended his arm to point ahead.

"... Attack!"

Chaos warped; teleportation doors appeared in the sky one after another with tens of thousands of Chaos creatures marching out of them. Even though these 'creatures' were undead creatures, they were in various shapes and sizes. At a glance, some of their lower bodies were that of insects, while some had entirely fused with others, having three upper bodies and five pairs of arms. The death knights merged into one with their mounts, seemingly like centaurs clad in black armor from head to toe. The Abominations looked even more disgusting now. Their incredibly tall build appeared like hills of flesh, and their every step shook the land. Flying above them were masses of soul griffins, enfolding half the sky. They expanded and drifted ahead like dark clouds. Under the influence of Chaos, the soul griffins also changed forms. They were initially a flying bag of bones. But now, filthy sacks of rotten flesh hung from their bodies as though they were wild beasts instead of birds. Dark green liquid smeared all over their razor-sharp claws, dripping on the ground like drops of rain along with their every movement. As the revolting, filthy liquid dribbled down, the once green, lively grasslands gradually withered. The colors full of vitality were absorbed dry as the grasses converted into another form.

"This feels so familiar."

Standing on the city wall and gazing at the endless source of undead army in the distance, Rhode let out a soft sigh. Just like Ion, he also recalled the first time he officially joined a war in this world. The undead creatures were so insane and strong. Back then, even Rhode didn't believe he had the strength to defeat them and change the destiny of the Munn Kingdom and himself. But now, he had done it. He stood here, facing this similar scene. This time, there were no changes to his situation, future, and enemies.

Time sure flies... It has been just over a year.

But when Rhode recalled that war, he thought of it as something that happened in his previous life. Many details were blurred and sealed in the corner of his memories. The only thing he remembered was that he won.

It is the same in the past, present, and future. There is only victory. No matter where I am, be it virtual-reality or in real life, everything is the same.

Only the winner is the king.

While Rhode immersed himself in his memories, the undead creatures finally launched their attack. They let out sharp screeches. Soul griffins sprinkled their pungent, filthy blood, forging ahead like stormy dark clouds. Right below them, the hill-like Abominations marched forward with tens of thousands of skeleton soldiers clustering around them. At the back were death knights that had turned into centaurs.

They stepped onto the land of Order in their nauseating, twisted Chaos aura. And now, they were no longer undead creatures, but Chaos creatures instead.

"That is Big Brother's army..."

Gazing at this scene, Erin couldn't help but get caught up in a complicated mood. This wasn't her first time seeing an undead army. In the past, she battled alongside and retreated alongside the undead creatures. But now, they stood on opposite sides. This was her first time being forced to face her former companions and army. She was overwhelmed with grief. But despite that, she arranged her emotions. Such personal feelings weren't needed on the battlefield. At least for now, her mission was to stop their attacks and prevent the undead creatures that were influenced by Chaos from stepping over her defensive line and penetrating the land of Order.

"Get ready for battle."

Erin turned to Angelina, who stood beside her. Upon hearing her command, Angelina nodded slightly and gestured to the lich.

Swish———!

At that moment, the blue spiritual flames at the peak of the guard tower exploded suddenly, turning into a dazzling blue light column. Upon witnessing the blue light column, the players standing above the city walls burst out in loud cheers. Frankly, there actually weren't many players around. Rhode had only sent out 8,000 of them for this defensive line. However, these players were split into groups of 10 and were responsible for each section of the city walls, which clearly showed the lack in manpower. However, they seemed much more pumped and passionate than the ice-cold undead creatures. A burst of cheers sounded from a distance, echoing clearly in the silent night. Upon hearing the cheers, the corners of Erin's mouth perked up slightly into a smile. For some unknown reason, the battle had just begun and both sides hadn't come into contact, but the people on her side were so confident as though they had already won...

How interesting.

"Huhuhu...!"

As the undead creatures swarmed ahead, the prairie responded. The grass that was one meter tall bound them swiftly, entangling many of them in just a few seconds. The instant the seemingly soft, gentle grass trapped the undead creatures, they revealed their steel-like characteristics. Along with a string of loud crackles, many skeleton soldiers were crushed into powder, collapsing to the ground and sinking into the soil as the grass dragged them in.

Looking at this scene, Rhode nodded. He had to admit that these methods carried out by the Country of Law were indeed useful; no wonder Erin was able to resist the earlier invasions of Chaos with this small amount of manpower. But it was a pity that there were also flaws in the methods.

As though confirming his thoughts, just as the grass began to attack the Chaos army on their own, the 'dark clouds' of soul griffins arrived above the prairie. Along with the sprinkle of filthy liquid, the steel-like grass that not even the skeleton soldiers' swords could cut became lifeless. They turned yellow and dry and lost their vitality. After breaking free from the restraints, the Chaos army advanced without any intention of stopping.

"That's the way! Attack! Trample them! Annihilate them! This world shall belong to Chaos!"

Looking at this scene, Ion grew so excited that his eyes turned bloodshot. He could imagine the scene of his Chaos army breaking through the enemy's defenses and penetrating straight into their base. He also discovered that his younger sister didn't have enough solutions to face the attack of the Chaos army, which was why she could only rely upon the prairie. Even though Ion admitted that his younger sister was smart, it was a pity that the power she possessed was still too weak!

And now, it was time to let her witness the true strength of Chaos.

"———Hum!"

At that moment, Ion witnessed a scarlet light column descended from heaven, landing straight into the middle of his Chaos army. Upon seeing the light column, he couldn't help but stare blankly. He wasn't sure what that was. But strangely, the instant he saw it, he felt uncertain...

Boom!

At the next moment, a ring of fire spread with the scarlet light column in the middle. Flames that were hundreds of meters tall proliferated in all directions like a huge crashing wave that devoured the Chaos army. The soul griffins hovering in midair couldn't escape this attack either. They shrieked as the flames blazed their bodies. In an instant, one could witness a spinning, flowing, and blazing river in the sky. The soul griffins fluttered their wings and attempted to avoid the ambush of flames, but to no avail. Logically speaking, even though the filthy liquid flowing on their bodies should be sufficient to extinguish the flames, what was strange was that the flames were like bubble gum, where one couldn't pat it off once it stuck to one's body. Not only that, but as the soul griffins struggled, countless flares erupted and scattered in all directions. Shortly after, be it the sky or ground, the Chaos Creatures burned by the flares were lit in flames.

What's that power?!

Looking at this terrifying scene, Ion narrowed his eyes. He was certain that those weren't ordinary flames. If they were, they couldn't possibly result in such effects. And with such a mysterious effect, they had to be flames of Order. Only beings in the Peak Legendary Stage were able to merge rule power with elements and use them as attacks.

Is there really someone like that... in the Country of Darkness?

But before this doubt vanished in Ion's mind, he witnessed a more scary scene.

Blue, chilly winds blew across the prairie and patches of white snow fluttered. In the blink of an eye, an endless snowstorm erupted, pouncing on the Chaos army. The crystal clear snowflakes were razor-sharp, penetrating the skeleton soldiers ruthlessly and splitting their solid, steel-like bodies apart. Not only that, but even the Abominations, which had skin thick enough to resist slashes of legendary blades, couldn't defend against the menacing snowflakes. Ghastly wounds appeared all over their bodies and putrid, pitch-black blood spurted and splashed from their wounds.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

On the other side, dazzling bolts of lightning shot up from the ground, forming an enormous net of electricity that was hundreds of meters wide. Innumerable, blinding lightning bolts shuttled across from one Chaos creature to another. In the blink of an eye, the Chaos creatures caught in the huge net were shattered into powder before they could even struggle, vanishing from sight.

"W-What's going on?!"

Ion widened his eyes in disbelief. Flames, lightning bolts, snowstorms, and all sorts of magical radiance flashed before his eyes, completely enfolding his Chaos army. They might not be identical in nature, but their essence was the same. The magical spells consisted of authoritative powers that were higher than that of elemental lords—the highest-class in the power of Order!

At a glance, hundreds of magical brilliances flickered all over, which proved that there was a large number of beings in the same caliber as elemental lords.

That is impossible! How is it possible that she possesses such powerful strength?! This isn't realistic at all! How is it possible? Previously, when I probed for intelligence, I didn't find anything like this!

At this thought, Ion lifted his head once again, staring straight ahead.

Earlier on, due to the dark sky, he didn't notice it. But now, after taking a closer look, he discovered that there was actually a towering city wall of steel on the other side of the prairie! Countless magical radiances shone from there, displaying a strong aggression against the Chaos army.

But why... didn't I notice it earlier?

This is the same as before...

At that moment, Ion suddenly recalled the war that happened a long time ago. Back then, it was the same. What shouldn't have appeared showed up, stopping his army.

And this time... Could this be the same? No. It won't be! I won't be the same!

Meanwhile, Erin was also wide-eyed as she observed the unbelievable strength displayed by the crowds above the city wall.

A female mage dressed in a golden robe and wearing headphones rocked her head while listening to music, at the same time muttering under her breath. Then, she flipped up her arms abruptly and the solid ground melted all of a sudden with this action. As far as the eye could see, the land turned into sticky mud. As the land transformed, the enormous Abominations lost their balance and fell into the mud. At the same time, standing beside the female mage was a middle-aged man clad in a black robe. He let out a cheeky snort, raised the black, dull wooden staff in his hand, and hit it on the ground. In an instant, the void before him split into countless cracks as though certain creatures were widening and closing their mouths, devouring the unlucky undead creatures 'by their mouths'.

In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of Chaos creatures were wiped out, removing a huge chunk of the pitch-black army on the vast land. Despite that, the Chaos army didn't stop oits aggression. On the contrary, it continued to rush ahead...

"Dang, they came at the right time! Killlllllll!"

Gazing at the wiped-out battlefield that was quickly replenished by the Chaos creatures in the back, a young man in his 20s who wore a gorgeous robe couldn't help but stare in excitement. He rubbed his hands, muttered to himself, and spread his arms apart hurriedly. Along with this action, a twisted rune coalesced into shape in his hand. A powerful energy trembled and was about to explode...

"Hey, are you stupid?"

But before the man completed his spell, a knight landed a heavy punch on him.

"Just a gesture will do. Have you forgotten what Guild Leader said? What should we do if you scare them away? Our goal is to attract them over. If you go all-out, who will answer to Guild Leader if they flee? Guild Leader said to not act recklessly and stay calm!"

"Ahahaha, oops! I got into the zone and accidentally killed too many of them..."

The young man scratched his head in embarrassment before swinging his arm. The rune in his hand vanished all of a sudden and at the next moment, an invisible oscillating wave erupted in midair, sweeping forward like transparent blades. In an instant, tens of thousands of soul griffins were slashed and cleaved without any warning, crashing to the ground as they wailed. At this moment, the young man gazed at the sky before him and let out a chuckle.

"158,000 points. No matter what, I'm still in the top 50, brother. You'd better up your game."

"This is..."

Shortly after, Ion realized that the powerful magical attacks stopping his army gradually disappeared. Looking at this scene, he heaved a sigh of relief and rubbed his forehead, only to realize that beads of sweat were all over his forehead.

I never expect her to have such strength. But it is a pity that there is also a time limit for them. In the face of endless Chaos, resistance is futile. No matter how strong you are, you can never defend against Chaos!

At this thought, Ion couldn't help but calm his turbulent emotions. He looked ahead and ordered once more.

"Ambush!"