They endured their hunger until they could not any longer before taking a bite of their compressed biscuit. They did not even have time to drink water. "Reinforce the flank with more firepower. We have another wave incoming," Mountain gave instructions through the communicator.The monsters, dense as the tides, continued to rush in endlessly. As soon as they took one down, another monster would take its place. It was a vicious cycle."Die, you b*stards!"Howls erupted throughout the group of warriors. Every soldier was filled with furious rage at the sudden turn of events that shattered their originally happy lives. As warriors, children, lovers, and parents, they were furious at the person who took away their wonderful lives. They turned this anger into strength, and no one stepped back or uttered a word about being tired. They knew that they would only be killed if they stopped and that there was no retreat.On one side of the train stood a young man. He gazed at the horde of m
It was too late. The deadly scythe was closing in on Garen.Time seemed to freeze at that moment.Croco, knowing he would not reach Garen in time, fired at the Grim. He hoped his attack would knock the Grim down and save Garen, but his bullets had zero effect."Garen!" Mountain roared, his eyes bloodshot. "Stop!"A moment later, the scythe had punctured Garen's abdomen. The youth shuddered and blood gushed out from his wounds. At that moment, Garen finally noticed Grim standing before him. "Garen!""Garen!"The soldiers closest to him yelled and rushed toward him to try and save him. Countless bullets hit the Grim's body, but they had no effect on it. Everyone stood there in shock, mouths agape as cries filled the air."No!" Mountain was in tears and on the brink of collapse.Garen turned to face Mountain and saw the madness in his commander's eyes. The reality of what had happened then sunk in. He looked toward the Grim, then at his comrades who were madly charging toward hi
Mountain had taken Garen under his wing at the end of last year. The boy, nearly eighteen years old, had yet to shed all of his childishness. In his first few days with the team, he cried endlessly at the thought of his mother. Mountain had drilled him with routine after routine in the hopes of refining the little boy into a young man.Garen had to step out onto the battlefield less than a year after he joined Wyvern Peak.A pocket watch fell from the sky and landed at Mountain's feet."I don't really like you, sir. You’re so fierce toward me, unlike my mother. She's always really kind and gentle. She even got me this pocket watch."Mountain opened the pocket watch, revealing a photo of a young woman; Garen's mother whom he missed dearly. The man’s filled with tears. He stowed the pocket watch inside his uniform and sobbed, "Garen, I take back everything I said before. You are indeed a real man, a true soldier, and someone I'm genuinely proud of."After wiping his tears, Mountain
"Condor Squad, prepare yourselves. Leave all of your equipment and resources and follow me," Skyhawk commanded. The thirteen soldiers jumped down from the train. One of the armored vehicles came to a stop and was taken over by the Condor Squad. Skyhawk then led his comrades toward the massive Grims. They nimbly maneuvered between the Grims’ feet, avoiding attacks and aiming to enter the heart of the enemy group to resolve the crisis.Everyone else provided cover fire. Aerial support also divided its forces to cover the ground team. Skyhawk and his team halted at the designated positions. Upon his command, there was a thunderous explosion and a mushroom cloud rose into the sky. Everything around the explosion ceased to exist.The horde of Grims was obliterated, and the explosion left behind a massive crater in the ground. Skyhawk's team had managed to avoid the tracks, and the force of the explosion did not affect the train.The Grims had been wiped out, and the others continued
Rozi did not know how to respond to this. At that moment, Adrian approached and said, "We’ll win. The Creator may be strong, but we can’t be estimated. We consist of billions of people, hundreds of thousands of them soldiers, godkings, battle warriors, and countless more who are willing to fight. Put them all together and we're a force to be reckoned with. We have a bright future ahead of us as long as we keep alive the hope in our hearts."Marissa turned to look at Adrian, who continued, "Let's work together to win this battle."She felt inspired and nodded enthusiastically. "I'll do my best. Even if I have to sacrifice myself and become an eagle, I’ll do it. I don't want us to live in a world like this. I want to live in a world where there is no war.""That will happen, but we need to work together toward that. All right, it's getting late. We'll continue through the night since Peach Village is just up ahead," Adrian said.Rozi and Marissa nodded. The trio got back into the c
Time passed slowly, and countless more sacrifices were made. All kinds of events unfolded throughout the cities, including many deaths. These events bore witness to the power of hope and determination.Finally, one noon, after navigating through various obstacles, Adrian and his group reached their destination. Before them was Bronze City, the small town they had so painstakingly looked for. They were now less than forty kilometers away from Peach Village."We’re here!" Adrian announced, parking the car and gazing at the small town.Despite being small, the Bronze City was shrouded in an eerie silence. They could see signs of monsters passing through, with many houses damaged or destroyed. The sky was filled with bird monsters circling overhead as if they were watching their prey on the ground. The town appeared to be devoid of any living humans, and numerous bodies were scattered throughout in various poses. Most of them had started to decay due to the elements. This place had on
The large tree was wilting away from not having obtained any sunlight for a long time. It would die if it did not get any soon."Adrian!" Marissa said when she heard the cat's meows.She pointed at the cat in the tree, while Adrian glanced around to make sure there were no nearby monsters. Then, he nodded to Marissa, who took out a bag of fish snacks from her backpack and approached the tree. The scent of the snacks filled the air when she opened it."You must be starving, little kitty. I've got something tasty for you, so come down here," Marissa gently coaxed the cat.The cat, although hungry, remained cautious and did not dare to approach Marissa."I'll put it on the ground so that you can come and enjoy it."Marissa put the snack on the ground and stepped back several paces. The cat then jumped down from the tree and began to eat eagerly, meowing in hunger. It was famished, as was every other animal in the world.The trio watched smilingly as the cat began to eat the snack.
Thus, six felines joined the human trio. Bronze City was now within sight, and the town was crawling with monsters. Adrian surveyed their surroundings and said, "Rozi, let's take care of the ones inside the town first so that we don't alert the surrounding ones.""Understood." Rozi opened the car window and climbed onto the roof. A sword appeared in her hand, emitting an array of brilliant lights. The sword then began to multiply, splitting into twos, then into fours, until dozens of illusionary swords floated in front of Rozi. With a swift motion of her arm, all the swords flew out. Monsters in the sky and on the ground were pierced by the swords and collapsed.With these monsters dealt with, Adrian continued driving into Bronze City. He was no longer as anxious since there were no more monsters left. They could now enter safely.The streets of Bronze City were strewn with bodies. Most of them had been killed by the monster's blades. Bronze City only had one main street, and it
The Daemon Emperor was startled."What is happening? This power..."Formless energy was surging forward, pressuring his nerves and senses.Below, Andy and the others trembled uncontrollably."Who is it?" Finnian stared into the crimson mist.Even Andy was horrified, his gaze locked on the unfolding scene in disbelief, and asked, "What is this? What exactly is happening?" At this moment, Adrian abruptly opened his eyes.Apparently, the Daemon Emperor had once conspired with Adrian's subordinates to ambush him.However, Adrian had managed to annihilate the traitors and sealed this Daemon Emperor. Now, fate had brought them together again."If I killed you once, I can kill you again." Adrian stood tall, his white robes fluttering in the air.The Daemon Emperor was stunned into silence."This is impossible! You're not that mortal boy!""Is that so? In this life, your end has come, and so has the era of the daemons." Adrian's voice was calm yet resolute. He stretched out his han
Adrian's face hardened at the words. He despised threats above all else. While he understood what the mysterious entity desired, he couldn't yet fully comprehend its implications or find a way to counter it. His only choice was to focus on growing stronger.Within the hot spring, waves of raw, terrifying power surged and crashed violently against Adrian's body.The force, though beneficial, was brutal and overwhelming. Adrian's body struggled to endure, cracking as though it were disintegrating."Arghhh!"A heart-wrenching scream echoed as Adrian's flesh was torn apart and his aura gradually dimmed."Ahhh!"His agonized cries echoed once more. He could no longer withstand the pain.In the distance, a towering figure appeared and sneered. "What's this? Can't take it anymore? Pathetic. Humans are truly the epitome of stupidity."Suddenly, Adrian erupted with an explosive surge of energy, and in that instant, he broke through to the pinnacle of the Void Stage."Hmm? He actually b
At that moment, the crowd was speechless.Adrian had ascended as if it were the easiest thing in the world.Faced with such a sight, no one could say much beyond admiration. Even if the Holy Son claimed Adrian had cheated, many secretly wished they could cheat the same way.Lacking Adrian's means, all they could do was envy him.Finnian chuckled. "Haha! You really caught us all by surprise, kid. Still, I'll count this as you repaying me a favor."For Finnian, the outcome couldn't have been better. With a broad smile, he seemed to have achieved his desired result. Adrian's successful climb was all that mattered to him.Once Adrian had vanished, the focus shifted to the rest of the group and their trials.When Adrian opened his eyes again, his entire body ached, but an oddly comforting sensation flowed through him. Surveying his surroundings, he realized he was now in a pond."Where am I?" he asked.Though uncertain about the place, Adrian knew he had cleared the trial and arriv
The onlookers stared in bewilderment, their faces etched with confusion as they struggled to grasp the unfolding events.Meanwhile, Adrian seethed with barely contained rage. This wasn't his first encounter with such torment. Every few steps he ascended, another trial awaited.To Adrian, the relentless punishments felt suffocating. Yet he pressed on—this was the final stretch of the climb. "Adrian, hang in there!" Andy shouted, urging him to conquer the last step. To Andy, reaching that final step symbolized Adrian's growth. He had witnessed Adrian's remarkable resilience countless times and held unwavering faith in his potential. In Andy's eyes, Adrian was destined for greatness. Adrian's expression turned cold as he locked his gaze on the steps ahead. Determination flickered in his eyes. "If reaching the top guarantees a reward, it doesn't have to be me up there. As long as someone makes it, that's enough." With that, he shifted his focus to the void above and formed
Adrian felt as if every nerve in his body was beyond his control. A deep sense of grievance filled his heart as the divine thunder from the void relentlessly crashed down.Rage surged within him, but under the onslaught of endless forces, he felt weak and constrained.Still, he had no choice but to press forward. He knew victory was within reach if he could endure a little longer—giving up now would mean death.If he fell, the shame and humiliation would crush him.Below, the Holy Son and others waited, eager to see him fail and mock him. This left Adrian no option but to push forward, striving toward the void above and his ultimate goal.The violent forces continued to bombard him from the sky.With every step, the thunder's impact intensified tenfold. His soul, already battered from a fierce battle with a horde of beasts, now felt as though it was dragging his exhausted body forward.Anyone else would likely have succumbed to despair. After all, under such immense pressure, ev
The oppressive forces descending from the void seemed determined to halt Adrian’s ascent up the staircase.Yet he refused to yield. To him, these overwhelming challenges were merely obstacles to conquer.He pressed forward with relentless determination.Thunderbolts continued to rain down, but the ominous red light from before did not return—a relief, as he never wished to endure its crushing weight again.The memory of that light still haunted him, leaving a lingering sense of helplessness. Its suffocating pressure had drained his strength, reducing him to a gasping, powerless state.Despite the toll on his body and mind, Adrian remained singularly focused on reaching the final step. His burning desire for greater power drove him forward, unwavering and resolute.Step by step, he ascended, reaching the 95th step in what felt like an instant.Only five steps remained. His gaze locked onto the summit, and a wild glint lit his eyes. A daring idea sparked within him, consuming his
Adrian pondered his situation, his cold gaze reflecting simmering frustration. Yet deep down, he recognized that whoever had designed the staircase was far from ordinary.Creating such a formidable trial required unimaginable power.Even a pinnacle Void Stage expert—or perhaps someone of the Multiply Stage—might bow in reverence before the ladder's creator."He won't last much longer. The divine lightning in this void is utterly destructive. In moments, he'll be reduced to ashes," sneered the Holy Son, his sharp eyes gleaming with malice.To the Holy Son, Adrian's demise was inevitable. Adrian had dared to offend him, and he was certain such audacity could only lead to death.Adrian caught the Holy Son's words and cast him a frosty glare. His intent to kill was unmistakable, though now wasn't the time.The staircase was no place for personal vendettas—eliminating him here would require careful planning.He also knew the Holy Son carried seals of immense power. A reckless move co
Finnian's sharp gaze reflected a hint of admiration. "Kid, you owe me a big favor this time. You'd better treasure this opportunity."Adrian remained silent, unsure how to respond. His cold eyes revealed no emotion, though he fully grasped the challenges ahead.Fear was a luxury he couldn't afford—he'd come too far to back down now.Suddenly, a streak of red light surged from the void, hurtling toward Adrian with terrifying speed. His eyes widened in shock as the crimson beam struck him, slamming him against the staircase.Caught off guard, Adrian collapsed, sprawled helplessly on the steps.The crowd below watched in astonishment. No one had expected his seemingly indestructible body to be overwhelmed so easily.The Holy Son sneered. "Haha! It seems he's triggered some kind of taboo. Let's see how arrogant he is now!"His voice dripped with schadenfreude, his eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction as he relished Adrian's struggle.Despite the crushing force, Adrian refused
"What exactly is up there pulling me so strongly?" Adrian's expression hardened as he pondered the mysterious force drawing him upward.A surge of violent energy erupted across the sky, crashing down like a raging storm.Adrian advanced cautiously, each step deliberate and precise.Gone were the reckless strides of before—now he moved with steely determination, fully aware of the lurking dangers.He'd learned that the void's formidable forces seemed to target him directly, compelling him to proceed step by step. Any attempt to bypass its unseen barriers would provoke a devastating strike."Ridiculous," Adrian muttered. "If I've chosen to climb, nothing will stop me."The void's relentless power intensified.Bolts of thunder hammered down mercilessly, battering Adrian's body. Yet fear never crossed his mind.What was there to be afraid of?To him, the divine thunder wasn't an obstacle—it was a crucible, a tool to temper his body and strengthen his resolve.Despite the storm, A