Battle Frenzy

All forces attack!

 Rumble! Bang bang!

Numerous airships rushed into the gap madly. A huge army of alien races awaited them on the ground below. Clearly, the enemy had predicted the landing coordinates that Sacred Teacher Timo’s army would enter from. While the Holy Land had their own intelligence, the alien races had the ability to foresee the future too. Nonetheless, this wasn’t considered to be an unusual thing. It was just a prediction of the future which wasn’t set in stone. Those who were gifted with a talent of time possessed this ability.

 With the invasion of the airships, the war horn of the Mizobudapi people sounded. An army of flying creatures rose into the air, looking like a dense black swarm from afar. However, only a small portion were warriors riding on griffins. Most of the army was made up of golems created by arcane skills. They had wings powered by arcane skills, and each one of them had varying appearances. Without exception, all of them were magical existences not born but created by arcane means. This was an army made up of rocks and iron.

Bang Bang Bang…

 The roaring of rune cannons could be heard as powerful runic energy condensed into light beams. With every light beam, several hundreds of airborne arcane golems were annihilated. However, the enemy didn’t care about their airborne golem army, firing numerous arcane missiles into the sky. They didn’t even spare their own and just attacked wildly!

 The airships that got trapped by the golem army were bombed by endless arcane missiles. Almost none of the airships’ shields could withstand that kind of power for even a moment, causing the airships to explode into pieces.

 The battle had gotten off to a violent start as if it was already the final stage of the battle. However, it was evident that the alien-race army here was different from the one in the northern battlefield which Sacred Teacher Leyson dominated. The military strength that they had invested in here wasn’t sufficient. Though the number of warriors on both sides was around the same, in terms of quality, this army that had to use arcane golems as cannon fodder appeared to be much weaker…

 By the time Carolyn entered the Mizobudapi World within the second batch of airships, the battle at the gap was already coming to an end. Tens of thousands of golems had already been obliterated, and only a griffin battalion of around several hundred was still resisting desperately. In the air, there was nothing else that could stop more airships from entering the world.

“Charge! Go! Go!”

 With rumbling sounds, the airships finally landed. As the commander shouted, cabins were opened one after another in an orderly manner. Warriors rushed out rapidly like arrows released from a bow. They got into formation and stood at attention to receive orders, then launching attacks on targets one by one!

 Carolyn dashed out too, following closely behind Senior Brother Jimmy. She saw Solomon following behind a Senior Brother from Imperial Court too.

 The surroundings were a miserable sight to behold. Several battles had occurred in this region that their airships landed on. Near them, some airships that had landed successfully were already completely destroyed by the Mizobudapi people. The ground was full of dead bodies, and a portion of them were humans, warriors that had harbored hope and wanted to bring glory to the Holy Land. They were the ones who paved the way for Carolyn and the others.

Now, it was time for Carolyn and the others to continue where they left off.

 Not long after, the Storm Listeners received the order to attack. They needed to extend the battle line so that more airships had space to land and complete their formation, strengthening their combat power. Mizobudapi warriors bolted toward them madly, as an army made up of knights and arcane masters assembled. The steel puppets that the enemies summoned led the charge.

 If the enemies had encountered low-tier exploration teams, like in the first batch that landed, such attacks would have had an effect. However, this time, it was the Storm Listeners that they were up against.

 The Storm Listeners was the number one exploration team in the Holy Land. Though Carolyn wasn’t in the elite squadron, and the main team leader wasn’t here, the combat power that her team wielded still left her flabbergasted. What she thought the battlefield would be like previously seemed naive compared to the actual scene now.

 The Storm Listeners cut into the enemy’s formation like a sharp blade. Other than the newcomers in every squadron, every person was like a war machine. Their division of roles was very clear as various people held the roles of attackers, defenders, and wards masters. They were well-trained in working together. It was as if they were one giant fighting together, rather than several people fighting separately.

 Just when it seemed like the humans were going to take over the battlefield, a crisp cry sounded in the air!

 Eight 7th rank phoenixes circled around their heads. The combat power of phoenixes was considered to be top-notch among 7th rank creatures. They possessed strong attack abilities and had an advantage in being able to fly. They were immune to various arcane and physical attacks. Unless a higher rank creature appeared and dominated over them, it was impossible to fight them.

 The appearance of these eight powerful creatures caused heavy damage to the Holy Land army. The elite exploration teams avoided them with finesse. They were experienced in battles and knew that there would be stronger people on their side who would deal with this sort of creature. However, a large number of the Holy Land army weren’t able to escape in time. Once they came into contact with the phoenixes’ flames, several hundreds of warriors were annihilated instantly, and dozens of airships were shot down, their runic shields being useless.

 Obviously, the phoenixes were the trump card of the Mizobudapi people on this battlefield! They had made elaborate preparations for this. They didn’t gather here to die or fight a meaningless battle.

 In mid-air, the enormous Trust Aircraft carrier had been restored to its original state. Sacred Teacher Timo was standing at the control console.

 Looking at the airships crash into the ground one by one, he was emotionless. He merely locked his cold gaze on the eight phoenixes.

 “Very pure elemental bodies. They would serve as good materials.”

 His cold voice rang. After that, he stretched out his right hand.

 A cracking sound could be heard as Timo’s right hand detached from his arm and zoomed past the gap into the Mizobudapi World like a cannonball. By the time his hand entered the Mizobudapi World, it had already expanded into a giant palm that extended over dozens of meters.

 The phoenixes focused their flames on the giant palm angrily. Their instinct told them that it was a huge threat. Amidst the flames, the giant palm divided itself into eight flying liquid substances. At lightning speed, they instantly glued themselves onto the flaming phoenixes.

The phoenixes released their flames. Their pure fire elemental bodies could purify everything, but they couldn’t do anything to this slimy liquid!

 On the contrary, under the catalysis of the flames, the sticky liquid started to boil and seemed to be stimulated. They spread out and covered the phoenixes’ bodies, lodging themselves inside.

 The slimy liquid mixed with the blood of the phoenixes; they rapidly invaded the internal organs, blood vessels, and nerves, destroying then rebuilding them again. The phoenixes struggled frantically in mid-air while wailing. The Mizobudapi people on the ground could only put up a useless struggle. Several alien-race creatures who seemed to be the controllers of these phoenixes vomited blood and dropped to the ground.

At this point in time, the eight phoenixes which were high and mighty previously became eight silver liquefied mechanical birds. Their eyes turned silver as they started to attack the Mizobudapi people. They spat out silver flames with a special characteristic: anyone who was hit directly by the attack would melt immediately. Even if only one drop touched you, those silver flames would penetrate into your body swiftly, like a decaying poison.

A smile appeared on Timo’s face. Eight fire elemental bodies could at best be considered as a small gain to him, but it was a good thing that the battle situation was in the Holy Land’s favor now. The enemies were starting to retreat.

 ……

 Ten days passed by in a flash. The construction of the headquarters on the northern battlefield had already been fully completed. Other than the base, the guard towers and defense deployments around the site had been completed too.

 They didn’t have a comprehensive understanding of the Mizobudapi World, so scouts had been sent out to spy and collect various pieces of info. The more important thing was to finish mapping the area. Accurate scanning instruments could completely project the regions that the scouts had explored onto the map in the commanding room. It seemed to be a peaceful 10-day break, but the higher-ups were busy coming up with numerous contingency battle plans.

The main army forces were being sent out constantly. Several top exploration teams received missions too. However, there were only a few exploration teams that received orders from the higher-ups since this was just the start of the Holy Battle when things hadn’t gotten heated up yet. These teams were the cream of the crop among all the exploration teams.

 Other than the Gourmets which was split into two teams under the two Sacred Teachers, the top 10 explorations teams, which attracted the most attention in this trip, included five teams under Leyson. They were the Phantom Squadron, the Red Spiders, the Seekers, the Blue Devil Squadron, and the Upside Down Squadron. These teams were the main force in the army that Leyson led in the northern battlefield. They received missions the past few days and frequently moved around, becoming the busiest teams among all the exploration teams who were there. Teams like the Swoksaar Squad, the Oceanic Beasts, and the Wanderlust Team were rather free during this period.

 It was the first time that most of these exploration teams were participating in a major event like the Holy Battle. Since these exploration teams didn’t have strong foundations, they were ignorant about many things and needed time to adjust to this environment. Undoubtedly, military achievements were the most important. You could earn Holy Coins by killing enemies, and you could exchange your spoils for Holy Coins based on their value. Of course, you had the right to keep your spoils too. However, as for slaves, they were not allowed as humans still hadn’t been able to completely grasp the Mizobudapi civilization yet.

The Wanderlust Team didn’t perform exceptionally well during the landing battle, but all team members managed to survive. This was a rare thing compared to other small-scale exploration teams. Almost everyone had suffered varying degrees of loss during the landing battle. Nonetheless, they were just assisting in combat, and the Holy Land army was currently dominating the battlefield, so their losses were still within acceptable limits. Considering their military achievements in the landing battle and how much cultivation resources those could be exchanged for, what they gained was far more than what they lost. This was also why the entire exploration-team camp area was filled with merriment and had a relaxed atmosphere in the past few days.

 On the whole, the exploration teams sensed a bright future ahead. The exploration teams who fought against the Mizobudapi people previously could sense that the Mizobudapi people were strong, but more than that, they were able to sense how powerful the Holy Land was.

 Though the enemies were strong, they were stronger! It was obvious that they had the upper hand and conquering this world was just a matter of time. As long as they followed the Holy Land army, all exploration teams who chose to participate in battles would be winners.

 There are also several temporary bars in the exploration-team camp area. Warriors needed a place to relax and rest too. It was noon, but the bars were already full of commotion. Electrifying music blasted from the bar counter, as the group of 10 from the Wanderlust Team took up a table at the corner of the bar. With the music in the bar and the exhilarating atmosphere, they blended into their surroundings.

 Sharmie drank so much that she was pulling Scarlet toward her for a kiss. She was really happy. It was fortunate that she had taken this trip. If she had been soft-hearted and listened to Mario, the two of them would be completely behind in the team. Beside her, Small Eyes jeered at them too. She was even better at teasing women as compared to men.

Scarlet was a quiet person from the beginning. Even after going through half a year of training outside, she was still flushed with embarrassment from the other two’s teasing. She only had a chance to rest when Wang Zhong ‘rescued’ her, letting her catch her breath. Honestly, she wasn’t turned off by this. To her, anywhere with Wang Zhong was paradise.

“They’ve really gone crazy.” Scarlet patted her chest and smiled at Wang Zhong.

“It’s good to relax now. Once the real attacks start, we probably won’t have a chance to relax anymore, and…” Wang Zhong didn’t continue his sentence, but there was concern in his tone.

“You think so badly of us? Didn’t we manage to win easily in the landing battle?”

 “The history of this civilization is comparable to ours. The population here is at a steady number, and there is a clear hierarchy. They are probably more advanced than us in terms of arcane skills and soul research. Don’t you find that their attack ability is no weaker than our Heroic Soul soldiers’?” Wang Zhong smiled. “Also, the report previously said that there were experts in the Mizobudapi civilization who had the same level of power as a Sacred Teacher. Those experts haven’t appeared yet. The resistance that we encountered in the landing battle is definitely not the main army. It’s just our enemy trying to test us. Even though the landing battle went smoothly, we shouldn’t definitively assume anything. It’s not unusual to present a weaker side to your enemy to test their limits when you don’t have a complete understanding of the enemy’s strength.”

 Scarlet was shocked. She didn’t notice these details. Even if they didn’t factor in the experts, the Mizobudapi soldiers were indeed very sharp in their attacks and didn’t lag as much as human Heroic Soul soldiers. “Should we remind them?”

 “Remind who?” Wang Zhong laughed. “These exploration teams enjoying themselves in the bars? There’s no need for that. As for the higher-ups, they have more accurate information and have their own judgment. We don’t have much status, so it’s useless even if we try to say anything. Furthermore, this is just a hunch. I hope it’s wrong. Ha, let’s just try to protect ourselves.”

 “Okay!” Scarlet smiled happily. She didn’t seem to be very worried about the battle situation. “We can fight together again.”

 “Hey, hey, don’t go all lovey-dovey on us!” Small Eyes opened her eyes wide and yelled from the side.

 “I’m not!” Scarlet felt a little guilty but happy at the same time. She had gone through too much, and staying by Wang Zhong’s side was the most blissful place she could be. That was her simple wish.

 “Everyone saw it! If you don’t believe me, let’s ask the most honest Grai to testify!”

 Everybody looked towards Grai who pursed his lips. “Mm, you guys are a little… Senior, I would thank the heavens if my future girlfriend is half as good as Senior Scarlet.”

“Look!”

 “Wow, let us live, you two!” Napier yelled, eager to make the situation more chaotic. “You have to compensate all the single people here!”