Chapter 34: The Invisible Backstab of Teammates
With the ultimate ability of the War Lord title activated, the already grim atmosphere around gained a layer of cold desolation. It wasn't the chill of the air, but rather the prickling cold sensation of cold metal pressed against the skin.
For some reason, the ancient war beast that could usually be summoned immediately had this time transformed into an ancient creature, and it wasn't summoned right away.
Su Xiao had never heard of "World-Corroding" before. For now, all he could do was wait. Fortunately, the battle hadn't started yet, so this trump card arriving a bit slower was no big deal.
On some instinctive level, Su Xiao felt that activating the War Lord title's ultimate ability this time seemed to be empowered by this world, hence the change.
The shift in the surrounding atmosphere was also noticed by Uying Soraro, who stood on the city wall opposite. But after waiting a few seconds and seeing nothing happen, his furrowed brow relaxed slightly. He quietly issued a secret order to the female adjutant beside him, who hurried away.
Before the Platinum Capital stretched a vast open plain. The original signal towers and such had all been destroyed in the previous chaotic battle. Now on this plain, the Demon Beast Legion faced off against the opposing Corrupted Legion, separated by several hundred meters.
At the front of the Demon Beast army stood Abaddon, over 4 meters tall, clad in full black armor, and humanoid in form. As a leader-level unit among the Demon Beasts, it also had a nearly 5-meter-long blade tail. In its hand, it held a two-handed greatsword that seemed to have magma flowing within.
On the opposite side, before the Corrupted, was a knight riding a Nether War Beast. He wore heavy black-green armor, held a long-handled heavy hammer in his right hand, and wore a heavy arm guard on his left. His armor had biological conduits connecting to the beast beneath him. This was Uying Soraro's top general, Rage Hammer Wenze.
The two armies faced off for a few seconds before a blast came from above—a plasma cannonball streaked across the sky, arcing down into the Platinum Capital.
Yes, for this decisive battle, the Titan Beasts were naturally brought along. To transport these giants, many hosts had been fused, with Demon Flame Dragons dragging them through flight.
With that explosion, among the Corrupted, a short, special Corrupted with translucent green flesh let out a roar. It was a "Body Walker" among the Corrupted. Out of tens of thousands of Corrupted, there were only 1 to 3 such special individuals. They could be considered local battlefield commanders.
The roars of the Corrupted merged into one. At the front, the heavy-armored knight Rage Hammer Wenze slapped his war beast and charged first. The Corrupted behind him began to sprint forward, baring fangs and claws in a ferocious display.
On their side, the leader-level Demon Beast Abaddon met the enemy general. With a clang, his greatsword clashed against the straight hammer. The shockwave from their collision sent Demon Beasts and Corrupted in the surrounding area flying, scattering like petals in the wind.
The greatsword and war hammer pressed against each other. The magma-like substance inside Abaddon's sword quickly spread up his arm, soon covering the right half of his body with magma-like veins.
On the battlefield, Demon Beasts swept their tail blades, cutting Corrupted into flying limbs. But the Corrupted were also formidable, as fearless as the insect race.
This was why the Empire had chosen to watch from the sidelines. Among the three factions, the combat units of two had no concept of low morale; they were always at full morale, and fearlessness was the norm.
Facing these two competitors on the same stage, the Empire felt bitter but didn't know where to start.
Su Xiao looked down at the battlefield. The Nether side's defense wasn't strong. The black tide of 480,000 Demon Beasts on their side was steadily advancing, getting closer to the towering alloy city walls. Above, the Nether Dragon Whales were being completely suppressed by their 5,000-plus Demon Flame Dragons.
The battle situation was favorable. At this rate, they could conquer the Platinum Capital without even building Brutal Cannon Towers.
Just as Su Xiao was wondering what Uying Soraro had planned, the amethyst ring on his finger flickered with a faint light—a mental message from Jila.
Their base camp was under attack. The enemy had opened two Dark Holes, each 5 kilometers in diameter, directly above and diagonally in front of their base camp. These two Dark Holes were now pouring out Corrupted at full force.
Su Xiao had already experienced how troublesome Dark Holes were. Last time, just one Dark Hole nearly caused their base camp to fall. Although their base camp's defenses had been strengthened—with 780 Brutal Cannon Towers and 10 Titan Beasts left behind—there was still a risk of being overrun.
He had to admit, Uying Soraro's move was cleverly executed.
Su Xiao even suspected that the intelligence about the World Gate being established was deliberately leaked by the enemy, all to make them send out all their forces this morning to attack the Platinum Capital.
In such a campaign, Su Xiao would inevitably be at the front lines. That would leave only Jila and various defensive structures at their base camp, at most a few personal guard Demon Beasts.
Once they began their assault on the Platinum Capital, Uying Soraro would order the Dark Holes near their base camp to open, continuously pouring down Corrupted, leaving Su Xiao with only two choices.