Chapter 285

Ancient epics unfold in reality; the will of the gods intervenes in the mortal world through their chosen vessels.

This, perhaps, is destined to be a turning point in history.

"Sssss." A strange sound echoed endlessly.

On the battlefield beneath the earth, three Mirror Demons that had reached their designated positions underwent transformation simultaneously.

When they grew to the size of large trucks, spatial gates opened in three regions of the battlefield.

"Run!"

One of them opened directly above the fleeing captives.

Desperate and bewildered, they sprinted blindly; the roars and stench of demons were already near.

If they were caught, turned into pulped flesh, it might happen in an instant.

"Form ranks! Defend!"

From the suddenly opened gates emerged squad after squad of armored knights.

The kingdom's guardians fulfilled their duty.

Shield guards with tower shields swiftly deployed, while supporting mages hurriedly altered the terrain.

Turning stone to mud was indeed the best battlefield spell—temporary bunkers and trenches were built in mere seconds.

"Boom!" The flood crashed against the wall.

The demons' chaotic torrent collided with the knights; death and blood arrived together—screams filled the air, but louder still were the battle cries.

"For justice!"

"For our lord!"

Behind the shield guards, blades of light flickered and glowed.

Holy knights from various churches charged toward the front-line demon legions, shouting divine names or invoking justice and purity.

"Boom!"

Fireballs erupted within the demon war formations, but this time their effect was abysmal—demons' high fire resistance was common knowledge, and other elemental spells had little effect on these fiends from the Abyss.

Low- to mid-tier mages' attack spells always performed poorly against denizens of the lower planes.

Against such foes, the true main force remained with them.

"Don't retreat! For the kingdom, for our families!"

Knights wielded spears or heavy weapons; as the most potent combatants in formation, they were the main assault force.

Compared to the near-infinite demon horde, the knights emerging from the portals were few, but they were organized and professionally coordinated.

"Die, filthy demons!" Some blocked with swords, others rammed with shields, still others gritted their teeth and used their armored bodies to plug gaps in the defense.

They stood like a dam holding back a flood, forcibly stopping the torrent.

Men fell behind constantly; men died constantly—but knights behind them gritted their teeth and stepped forward.

Some hesitated; some even fled—but whenever a gap opened, someone gritted their teeth and filled it.

"For survival." Someone recalled Princess Talia S Daer 's words from moments ago.

For one's own survival, for the survival of one's family, for the continuation of one's organization (and for the benefit of descendants), and above all, for the survival of the race.

Fight for survival, fight for continuation, fight for descendants, fight for a place to return to, fight so that even after one's death, someone still remembers this sacrifice and honor.

"Fight for survival!"

"Live! If you won't let us live, we'll make you die first!"

Finally, all slogans and battle cries merged into one single phrase.

Whether human or beast, survival is always the first need.

The crumbling "dam" gradually held firm—not because they loved sacrifice, but because they knew there was nowhere left to retreat; if they fled here, where else could they run?

Meanwhile, on another front, a newly opened Mirror Demon was immediately targeted by concentrated fire.

Floating high-tier demons lunged toward the opening dimensional gate—they understood well what constituted a high-threat target in planar warfare.

"Banishment!"

"Glacial Formation!"

"Finger of Death!"

One after another, high-huan spells struck directly, felling the Mirror Demon.

Fully armed grand mages emerged, guarded by high-tier warriors and mercenaries.

Not only were the mages grand mages—most of their guards were fifth-rank or higher masters.

This was the altar zone, the blood sacrifice zone—the battlefield destined for the highest intensity.

The floating Mirror Demon opened its portal directly atop the enemy's "spawn point." As demons stepped through, high-huan spells rained down like machine-gun fire; the grand mages of Huicheng could no longer hold back.

To counter an extraplanar invasion, one must suppress it before it enters "explosive growth mode"—Princess Talia S Daer 's "sacrifice" made this possible, creating the opportunity for a spatially unimpeded surprise strike.

This was destined to be the most difficult and crucial battlefield; only by swiftly eliminating these altars could the nightmare end.

Grand mages and grand priests unleashed full power; great swordsmen and great knights charged in frenzy—Huicheng's elite combat force was concentrated here.

"For Aithelin! For the princess!" The retired city lord charged to the front.

This truly owed thanks to "Talia S Daer 's sacrifice." At this moment, the three Mirror Demons were catalyzed by divine power, achieving the perfect aerial deployment.

The knights blocked the demons' further blood sacrifices, while elites and high-ranking commanders seized the chance to strike the now-vulnerable dimensional gates. If the blood sacrifices ceased, the demons' exit speed from the gates would slow—and then they might be forcibly broken through.