Chapter 48

Above the surface!

After the initial chaos of the surprise attack, Khaenri'ah immediately launched a ruthless counterattack.

Their technology, developed over many years, was no empty boast, utilizing the ability to analyze elements, alchemy, and study the ley lines.

They quickly stabilized their footing, and a massive barrier covering the entire city intercepted a vast number of attacks.

At the same time, tens of thousands of Ruin-series mechanical puppets rose from various factories and the underground, launching suicidal attacks wave after wave toward the direction of the Seven Archons.

No matter how many Ruin Guards equipped with autonomous AI were lost, they could be mass-produced as long as there were sufficient materials, so the Khaenri'ah side felt no heartache at all.

At this critical juncture, their immense foundation, accumulated over countless years, was finally exposed before the eyes of the gods.

Ruin-series autonomous humanoids, several meters to tens of meters tall, fired elemental lasers simultaneously.

Some were as thin as arms, others as thick as water barrels.

The light of death, representing pure destruction, seemed as if it would poke a hole through the sky.

Even the giant rock spears shot down by the Geo Archon were completely destroyed, surrounded and locked down by a large group of Ruin puppets.

Not only that, but soldiers who had mastered the manipulation of elements also arrived on the battlefield.

With the advantage of their weapons, they coordinated with elemental cannons and numerous elemental devices, unexpectedly holding the Seven Archons at a stalemate for a time.

On this side, seeing himself blocked, Morax’s expression remained unchanged; he stomped his foot with slight force, and a chasm instantly rose from the earth.

A roaring rock dragon crawled out from within, tearing into the Ruin Guards.

As time passed, shattered boulders fell incessantly, burying the broken remains of the Ruin puppets.

Dodging an attack from an elemental giant cannon, Morax frowned slightly as he watched the golden, profound barrier around him shatter with a boom.

"Entangling with these puppets is ultimately useless."

Seeing the defensive wall erected in the distance, he knew he had to solve the problem of pushing into the interior of Khaenri'ah.

Otherwise, if he were hit by a cannon shot while off guard, even he could not ignore the damage; the technology from the ancient kingdom was far stronger than Guizhong's Ballista.

"So be it; if it harms the innocent, that is not my wish."

Sighing in a low voice, Morax decided to manifest the might of an Archon that sweeps across the wilderness, using the authority of the Geo Archon.

Connecting with the stone from beyond the world, he intended to clear the obstacles with his own strength.

"The meteor has fallen; this is the movement of the heavens!"

In an instant, the stone from beyond the world tore through the false sky, falling into the land of Khaenri'ah with raging flames that destroyed everything.

Watching the meteor that occupied their entire field of vision fall, the Khaenri'ah soldiers who had just been bombarding the Geo Archon widened their eyes in shock.

Under this most primitive and pure violence, even the barrier erected by the ancient kingdom's technology shattered with a roar.

Large sections of the city walls were destroyed, and before the soldiers could even scream, they were crushed into pulp.

On the other side!

Barbatos whipped up a storm, the biting wind cutting through mountain ranges and carving out deep valleys, slicing the Ruin Guard groups in half as if harvesting wheat.

Unexpectedly, even when broken in two, the Ruin Guards could still fire cannons and rays from their heads.

After all, they were not purely living beings; as long as their internal cores remained undamaged, they could theoretically continue to fight indefinitely until their energy was exhausted.

"This is a bit troublesome."

Scratching his cheek in annoyance, Barbatos reached out to grab the Skyward Harp, using wind arrows as projectiles, and drew his bow.

In an instant, the arrows multiplied into hundreds, then thousands, precisely piercing through the cores of the guards.

It was not just the Geo Archon and the Anemo Archon; the other gods also displayed their own unique abilities, the difference being the speed of their advancement.

Only Raiden Makoto and Luo Li were the furthest behind.

"The foundation of Khaenri'ah is truly impressive."

Without even looking, Luo Li gestured with his hand, and the Void Spears hovering around him directly shattered a beam of light aimed at Raiden Makoto, then rapidly pierced down along that direction, pinning a Ruin Destroyer deep into the ground.

Looking around, he had roughly destroyed over ten thousand Ruin-series autonomous humanoids, yet there was still no end in sight, as they continued to join the battlefield from everywhere.

"If this continues, it will be endless."

Luo Li, who had intended to slack off, saw that the pressure on Raiden Makoto’s side was exceptionally high.

Perhaps sensing that the woman was a "weakness" Luo Li had to protect, most of the attacks were shifted onto Raiden Makoto.

If one were not in the midst of it, watching this grand spectacle from the outside, one would likely cheer for the "intense mechanical battle" before them.

Countless rays connected like rain, protecting the underground city like a hedgehog.

As the saying goes, many ants can bite an elephant to death, let alone a powerful ancient civilization like Khaenri'ah.

"Tsk, all of you, kneel."

With a pitch-black sphere that devoured all light appearing in his hand, Luo Li directly used the authority of the Herrscher of Earth, manipulating the gravity of the Khaenri'ah land as far as the eye could see.

Under the suppression of immense gravity, many Ruin-series autonomous humanoids shattered directly; even if they were not damaged, they were pinned firmly to the ground, unable to move.

In an instant, the surrounding frantic rays were cleared, and the intensity of the attacks covering the Raiden Shogun’s direction dropped significantly.

Huff, huff.

Finally able to rest for a moment, breathing with slight fatigue, Raiden Makoto was truly not adept at direct combat.

Even with Luo Li protecting her side, she had consumed quite a lot.

Her Dull Blade had severed many Ruin Guard cores, and thanks to this, the Musou Isshin remained unstained by blood.

As time slowly passed, the gap in the Seven Archons' blockade of Khaenri'ah grew smaller and smaller, until it gradually approached the edge of the city.

No matter how frantic the Ruin Guards were, they could not stop the Seven Archons' advance.

But gradually, Luo Li noticed something was wrong.

"The strength of those puppets is getting higher and higher, and they carry a certain ominous aura of a curse."

This was something not only he had noticed; all the Seven Archons sensed it clearly.

And its source came precisely from underground.

Raiden Makoto leaned half-against Luo Li’s back, and after finally steadying her breathing, she replied: "If things go wrong, don't worry about me; leave here as quickly as possible."

"You know that's impossible."

Luo Li’s tone did not change at all, as if the fierce battle just now had not been a drain on him at all.

With a wry smile, Makoto complained in a low voice: "What a stubborn man."

Her beautiful eyes reflecting his back, the gentle Raiden Shogun felt very at ease.

If she had come alone, she might have already met with misfortune.

The intensity of the war far exceeded her imagination.

PS: Please send flowers! Please send evaluation tickets!