Chapter 295: First Salvo: Erica Starts Blasting
--
The silence wasn't peaceful.
It was tense, scary, and so brittle that it could snap at any moment.
Nobody dared to speak; some didn't even dare to breathe loudly. Everybody just waited until the moment arrived where everything went to hell.
All sides of the defense walls were manned and equipped with all sorts of defense mechanisms. Soldiers, officers, knight captains, lord commanders, war generals, and high marshals—the entirety of the human army—were all disposed of the duty to protect their homes.
Behind these manned walls were the scared civilians, the majority of whom are hiding in bunkers guarded by superhumans to increase their security. It didn't matter even if they weren't there to see what's happening because they could all feel it.
The silence of the world allowed them to be more in tune with the sounds of nature and the vibrations of the earth. Despite not seeing even a shadow of the horde yet, they could tell that they're coming and that they're close just by feeling how the earth trembles at their march.
The animals felt this more profoundly than humans do, actually. The birds didn't dare to fly, the reptiles curled up in their habitats, and the mammals felt a strong urge to migrate despite not having anywhere to go.
It is safe to say that everybody could feel the incoming threat and respond according to their instincts. Humans were not so different.
OOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Every single living being within the walls jolted in shock after hearing the long and ominous bellow of the war horn. Their sense of crisis dialed up to eleven, and the first salvo that marked the start of the war was released.
Pffft! BOOOOOM!!!
The opening fire that stared at this nightmarish defense came from a special missile launcher created by Tech God Charles himself.
It fired a missle that streaked through the air, leaving a gorgeous yet ominous trail of smoke in its wake. At the peak of its flight, it burst into a salvo of shrapnels that rained down at the first sight of the horde.
Pik Pak Pik Pak!
They sounded like fireworks, yet their terrifying effect was reflected for every soldier to see.
Upon making contact with the ground, they left a trail of ghastly flames. The demons charged through it, thinking that it wasn't anything, only to suffer immensely because not only did those flames contain the profound charm of concept laws, they also started spreading amongst them like wildfire.
A missile launcher that could shoot salvos with the charm of concept laws—a piece of technology that could harness the power of planar laws—only a person such as the Tech God could do something like this on Prime Earth.
Since the first salvo was launched, it's expected that the next wave will come too. Once they saw the firestarter, the rest surely followed. This was no time to hesitate; this was a war for survival. Hesitation means death here.
While the missile launchers of Tech God were destructive, they weren't enough to cull the sheer number of the horde. Moreover, there were varieties of demonkind that could outright ignore or neutralize the string of salvos raining down on them.
The incoming army wasn't passive either. Bolts and orbs darker than ink flew towards the soldiers on the walls. Exploding skulls, leaving trails of ghastly blood, were seen flying around. There were also acid projectiles, corrupted fireballs, the rain of thorns, etc.
At this point, there was no use in hiding. The human territory might've been able to hide from the eyes of demons during these past few months, but they certainly didn't go anywhere. The demons still knew where they were, and this was confirmed when they sent the Night Stalkers to infiltrate the walls.
They might've lost contact with the Night Stalkers, but their disappearance itself was a sign that humanity was still there, just hiding. This was also why the Undead Bone Dragon didn't hesitate to lead this decisive march.
The human territory was surrounded. There's just no way around it. Anthony was right in his speculations; 5 million was just an initial estimate of their numbers. The incoming army did pick up stray animals along their march, and their army increased. Even those who were on the opposite side of the continent felt the incoming presence of the horde and were drawn to this place.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that humanity is currently facing all of the demons that were initially roaming around the Azure Terra Continent.
**
"Blast them to pieces!!"
"Brothers, kill!!"
"For the protection of our home!"
"Die! Die! Die!"
The soldiers were in a frenzy. Those who manned the walls fired their projectile launchers crazily. They didn't care about how much money they're spending; they also didn't care about aiming too much since, with the size of this horde, their chances of them missing were practically zero.
Behind these crazed soldiers were also the crazed members of the Lifestyle Guild, who were madly producing ammunition to support the firing squad. Everybody has a duty to uphold, especially when their home is threatened.
On top of the walls were the spellcasters and archers. Behind them were the support classes, who are in charge of buffing them and restoring their energy.
Erica was perched on the Eastern Defense Wall. She wore a grim countenance as she regarded the sheer size of the horde. She gripped her staff tightly as she felt fear creeping up on her.
This was a nightmare. It hasn't even been 10 minutes since the first salvo was launched, but there were already casualties on their side. Of course, the many demons were killed, but knowing that they're 'technically' immortal didn't provide her any comfort at all.
'It's okay, Erica. Just do what you can,' she told herself.
It would've been nice if Cedric was here. Just his presence alone would get rid of her fears. However, she knew that she couldn't be overly reliant on him...humanity can't be too reliant on him.
"Hey! Don't just stand there! Start firing!"
The corners of Erica's lips twitched as she heard someone calling her out for inactivity. She reeled in her temper and looked back with a wry smile on her face before saying,
"My bad. I'll start now."
She ignored the sneer of the person behind her. Instead, she focused and tapped into the lake of violet qi within her. Her aura sharply rose, which greatly alarmed the people nearby; the one who felt it the most was, of course, the person behind her.
Erica hasn't said a word yet; her presence was made known within 10 miles around her.
She raised her staff, and suddenly, fifty magical circles hovered above her, causing many people's eyes to widen.
With a cold look on her face, she aimed her staff at the horde, and then the fireworks were released.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
It sounds like an opera of percussions. All fifty magical circles released bolts of magic missiles that skewered demons with 100% accuracy. Her rate of fire was so high that her spells looked like a light show.
"H-Hey! Don't use too much mana! I-I wouldn't be able to keep up with you!" The supporting person yelled behind her.
"It's okay!" Erica responded amidst the noise of the battlefield. "I can maintain this all day without any problems."
"Impossible!"
She ignored the guy's disbelief and focused on her task. Frankly, Erica has no need for any support at all, but she had to follow the arrangements of the army leaders.
Pshew! BOOM!!
Because of her high-profile spellcasting, it was inevitable that she would get the attention of stronger demons. And she did. A Demon Lord launched the attack just now; a flaming stake covered in barbs coated with poison was originally meant to kill her, but a timely barrier stopped it from getting anywhere close to her.
A magical circle appeared on the head of her staff as she blasted that pesky Demon Lord to nihility in response, all without instability on the firing rate of other magical circles above her.
"Girl, aren't you using too much mana all at once?"
Erica detected the presence of High Marshal Filius before he even spoke, so she wasn't startled by his appearance.
"I'm fine, High Marshal," she responded. "Believe me, this hardly drains me of energy. I could sit here all day doing this and still be fine. In fact, I would use more destructive spells, but I don't want to scare them so much that they avoid this place."
Filius was hesitant. This was a really bold claim, and he wasn't informed about it before. He wants to believe her, of course, but aren't her claims too outrageous?
Suddenly, a system window appeared before the High Marshal, something that only he could see. It says:
[She's telling the truth. Trust her.]
Filius inhaled sharply after seeing this. He instantly knew that this was Acala speaking to him directly, and frankly, that's all the convincing he needed.
He then turned to the supporting ally behind Erica and ordered:
"Make yourself useful in other places. She'll be fine."
"Yes, High Marshal."
Erica barely paid attention to their exchange. Instead, her eyes were looking at the inauspicious cloud of purple smoke rising in the middle of the horde with a barely visible grin on her face.