Chapter 529: Chaos Sky
At the forefront of the storm-laden sky, a silver beast of metallic sheen reared into the air, its vast wings slashing through the cold. A freezing hurricane erupted in its wake, and with a thunderous roar, it declared:
"Roar—!"
"Demons! You do not belong here! By Melward’s name, return to the abyssal trenches!"
"Shhh—!"
With a howl, the biting wind tore through the heavy mist conjured by the Bazut Demons, scattering the swirling veil and revealing their grotesque, nightmare forms—twisted, feral creatures with matted, decayed fur stained with filth and blood, riddled with bullet holes oozing purple-black pus.
Now, the Bazut Demons had spotted the Silver Dragon descending from the clouds.
"Awooo!"
"Kill these crawlers!"
Their eyes burned with bloodlust, jaws snapping open to spit foul saliva, their bodies trembling with rage. They were wounded—harshly so—by the Imperial Army’s fierce rebellion. And wounded Bazut Demons entered a berserk frenzy, attacking without fear, driven by instinct to kill or be killed—even when facing a creature as powerful as a Silver Dragon.
"Ah… so these are the infamous Bazut Demons' home troops. Not bad for mortals. Holding out this long, even killing one of them—it’s impressive."
The Silver Dragon lowered his clawed forelimbs, and in a ripple of spatial distortion, a finely carved mithril scepter materialized from thin air. He whispered an ancient, complex incantation in Dragon Tongue. At the scepter’s tip, a magic crystal flared with blinding light, illuminating the entire highland like daylight.
With a mighty beat of his wings, the Silver Dragon stretched his long neck and roared:
"Since you have chosen to invade the Prime Material Plane—then suffer our wrath. Pay the price!"
"Mausoleum of Light (Dragon Tongue)!"
A thunderous command echoed across the sky. Dozens of radiant beams descended from above, striking the Bazut Demons and forming spectral tombstones around them. Under the holy light, their flesh began to smoke, their fur blackened and scorched, their bodies shrieking in agony as the magic spell sealed their souls in eternal torment.
"Aaaah—!"
The Demons wailed in unison, paralyzed—trapped in place by the spell. Their very essence, tainted by sin, was being purged. Their distorted, emaciated bodies were pinned to the earth like corpses on display.
"Now! Eradicate them! No mercy for these filthy abominations!"
With a roar, the Silver Dragon plunged from hundreds of meters above, a storm of silver fury. He was none other than Adroville—Prime Silver Dragon of Melward, the eternal guardian of the frontline against Abyssal invasions, the legendary "Guardian’s Scale."
"Boom!"
He slammed into a Bazut Demon, his massive dragon body crushing its flesh into pulp. Then, leaping from the corpse, he lunged at another immobilized target, slashing with his colossal silver claw. With one clean stroke, he severed the head of a ram-like demon, sending it tumbling to the ground.
"By Melward’s name! Eradicate the demons!"
A sharp cry rang out. Another long, serpentine Dragon descended from the sky, landing with a thunderous thud. Frost erupted from her maw, freezing a Bazut Demon solid in seconds. Her silver scales gleamed under the light, reflecting a radiant sheen.
This was Jennyhis—the adult Silver Dragon of the Melward Clan, envoy representative of this alliance, renowned as the "Pearl of Korda."
Behind her, more Silver Dragons descended from the heavens, joining the fray. They tore into the Demons with fangs and claws, lashed with tails, and unleashed icy breaths as they dived low, freezing entire swaths of enemies in crystalline ice.
With the arrival of the Silver Dragon relief forces, the tide of battle turned in an instant. The once-ferocious Demons, now caught in a devastating offensive, were crushed like dry stalks underfoot. Even the most powerful Bazut Demons fell easily before the seasoned might of Adroville and Jennyhis and their kin—veterans who had fought countless Abyssal invasions and knew precisely how to counter these monstrous infantry.
"Look! Captain George was right—we made it!"
"Thank the gods! Relief forces!"
"Counterattack!"
"For the Empire!"
Imperial soldiers, locked in desperate combat with the Demons, saw the dawn of victory. They blew their horns, charging forward with renewed fury, driving the Demons back from the high ground they had nearly seized.
Many soldiers were blood-crazed, attacking like beasts, unleashing years of pent-up rage and despair. Before the arrival of the Silver Dragons, they had been crushed—forced to watch their comrades slaughtered without hope. Now, the time for revenge had come.
"Kill these abyss scum! Slay them all!"
"Avenge our battalion commander!"
"Charge on! Let them know our strength!"
Their battle cries, the Demons’ wails, and the Silver Dragons’ roars crashed together in the chaos of war.
Adroville hovered high above, wings flared, surveying the battlefield. He stared at the soldiers hacking and slashing through the Demon ranks, at the fallen officer lying beside a demon corpse. After a long silence, he finally found the word:
"Resilient."
No wonder he was shaken. Though the Bazut Demons were no match for the Silver Dragons, how many such dragons were there in this world—or even on this continent?
To mortals, an army of Bazut Demons was pure nightmare—a death incarnate.
And yet, this was merely one of the Empire’s most common infantry regiments. Only their commander bore Dragon blood; the rest were ordinary mortals, trained only in military discipline.
Adroville had witnessed ten such invasions. In other realms, mortal armies had shattered at the mere sight of these creatures—no resistance, no rebellion. The Demons had slain thousands in a single sweep, their power a casual pastime.
But this army—this mortal force—had stood. Not just survived, but fought. It wasn’t just weapons. It was will. Unbreakable will.
He was lost in thought when Jennyhis’s voice cut through the wind.
"Adroville… have you noticed? The scale of this invasion… it’s not normal."
Adroville turned. His watch-sister’s face was grave, her eyes fixed on the horizon. He followed her gaze.
At the far edge of the battlefield, the distant mountains trembled. Thousands of Abyssal Drakes, their wings tattered and broken, flapped through the sky, darkening the heavens. On the earth, Giant Ox Demons, Hunter Spiders, and Abyssal Giants marched forward, shaking the ground beneath them. And countless low-level Demons poured in like a tidal wave—millions upon millions, surging toward the Empire’s frontline.
Adroville’s eyes widened. His pale blue pupils flickered with shock.
"Cross-plane teleportation is immensely costly. Even an Abyssal Lord couldn’t summon such a force into the Prime Material Plane… unless…"
Jennyhis and Adroville spoke in unison, their voices heavy with dread:
"The Abyssal Lord has manifested in physical form upon this plane."
From beneath the storm clouds, thick black fog poured forth—like cracks in the sky itself. The heavens split open.
"Jennyhis, go now! Alert the elders! Summon allies from across the realm! This invasion is far beyond our estimates. It’s no longer just an assault on the Ashen Empire. This… may be the beginning of a plane-wide war!"
Adroville roared, then plunged into the battle with a dozen adult Silver Dragons at his side. His face was etched with urgency and grim resolve.
If the Abyssal Lord’s true form took hold of the Ashen Empire, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Boom!"
Artillery fire erupted, shaking the earth as explosions tore through the Demon horde. Arrows, bullets, and spells rained down like a storm.
Within the defensive line, messengers darted through foxholes, amid the thunder of cannons and the frantic shouts of officers.
"Keep firing! Don’t let up!"
"By Kai Xiusu’s name!"
"26th Hill has fallen!"
But it was no use. The Demons pressed on.
In the distance, towering spiders—each as large as an elephant—rose on their hind legs. Their eyes glowed with unnatural light, their fanged maws dripping thick, venomous drool.
Hunter Spiders.
Bred from the flesh of fallen Demons, these monstrous arachnids were not mere constructs of stone, wood, or dead meat. In the darkest corners of the Great Beyond, powerful Demon Lords mastered the art of shaping primordial Abyssal flesh into twisted, grotesque forms.
They had no soul. No emotion. No will to rebel. Yet among them, the Hunter Spider was the most feared—a weapon of terror, used to hunt traitors and enforce loyalty among lesser Demons.
Now, over a hundred such beasts marched across the battlefield—mobile fortresses that shattered the Empire’s defenses.
In the frontline, Olivia—now a silver-haired girl—raised her staff, eyes closed, whispering a Dragon Tongue incantation.
"Star Cluster (Dragon Tongue)!"
"Boom!"
A cascade of meteors streaked across the sky, crashing into the Demon swarm. Instantly, beams of light erupted from the falling stars, purifying hundreds of Demons. Their bodies blackened, smoke poured from them, and they crumbled into ash.
She opened her eyes, staring at the advancing spider horrors—especially their compound eyes.
"Move! Get back! They’re Hunter Spiders!"
She tried to cast a protective spell, but it was too late.
"Shhh—!"
A beam of deep gray light shot from one spider’s eye. Hundreds of Imperial soldiers froze mid-motion—guns raised, mouths open in shouts, bodies locked in frantic strides—turned instantly into stone statues.
Petra Ray.
Olivia’s mind raced. She frantically constructed the Stone Removal spellcraft model.
But another Hunter Spider fired twin beams of searing flame. The rays swept across the petrified soldiers—shattering them into rubble.
"No…"
Tears welled in Olivia’s eyes. She watched helplessly as brave soldiers—only moments ago fighting—were reduced to dust.
"I will make them pay."
She gritted her teeth, raised her staff once more, and unleashed her most powerful spell yet: "Crown of Stars."
"Hurry! Destroy those spiders! Don’t let them fire again!"
"Fire support! Request fire support!"
Commanders realized the danger. They called for artillery and the Dragon Riders hovering above, directing targeted strikes.
"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom!"
Shells fell. Explosions tore through the Demons—but not a single Hunter Spider fell.
The beasts moved with terrifying speed on their eight legs, their bodies forged from the hardest Demon flesh and chitin. Immune to fire, resistant to blast—only direct hits could harm them. And even then, they were hard to hit.
"Boom!"
Another pair of fiery beams lashed out. The city wall shattered like glass. The soldiers behind it were vaporized.
Under the relentless charge of the Hunter Spiders, the Demon offensive grew fiercer. Some defensive lines were already breached.
Farther away, Adroville led his Silver Dragon squadron toward the battlefield—once again stunned by the scale of the carnage.
"How… how can there be so many Hunter Spiders?"
"This is unprecedented."
Jennyhis narrowed her eyes, wings beating as she flew toward the fiercest fighting.
Adroville said, "Jennyhis, warn Marshal Dolo—get the Blue-Skinned out. This is the only use these greedy, filthy Blue Dragons are good for. We can’t hold them back with strength alone."
He knew: the last time Hunter Spiders had appeared in the Prime Material Plane was fifty years ago. They had attacked the Sacred Fedran region of Cassander, and Adroville had fought that battle.
Back then, the Holy Faedran Empire was at its peak. They stood firm against the onslaught with their steel constructs, and only the divine power of Angelic Offspring had destroyed the twisted abominations.
But the Ashen Empire was a newborn realm. It lacked the ancient magic and technological mastery of Sacred Fedran. It couldn’t build steel titans. And even with its powerful army, the Silver Dragons doubted it could stop a Hunter Spider horde.
Jennyhis returned with a reply—but her tone was surprised.
"Marshal Dolo says he already knows. He’s launching a full counterattack. We’re not to worry."
"Boom—!"
A deep engine rumble, a piercing whistle. Thick steam billowed across the battlefield, shaking the earth.
All the Silver Dragons turned toward the front.
The fortress’s iron gate burst open. From within, armored iron beasts burst forth, crashing through the steam, carving deep grooves into the ground.
The Empire’s Steam Tanks.
(End of Chapter)
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