97 Legions at the Gate Part 2 (1/2)

Over 200,000 suras received permission for a rift into Kilian's tribe, with many more debating their options. To solve the obvious space shortage, Kilian set up transportation cubes to house the new residents and provide them with a steady supply of Divine Water. He also added a close to the contract, compelling the new suras to offer him three dra each--his Dra Reserves shot up to 650,280. Buffed up and ready for war, Kilian joined hands with Inyoka to conceal his five Fehl Lords and the legions they summoned.

Thus, in the shadows of the sura glade, over 30,000 Fehl Nobles and 5 Fehl Lords stood with gore-hungry gazes, all eager to vent their Kilian-bestowed frustration on fehls and non-fehls alike. But while an unprecedented concentration of negativity filled the shadowy corners, Kilian lamented the lack of trees beyond the glade.

Thanks to his previous Atomic Dissociation, the Sura Plane now missed about 25 hectares worth of forest. If not for the untimely deforestation, he could have concealed his forces in the forest's shadows and forced the invading armies into quick desolation.

”What a shame…” or so he initially felt. But recalling the 502,000 dra that remained in his Philosopher's Stone, and the over 650,000 he now possessed, Kilian realized that he'd been trapped in the mentality of a professional beggar—still stingy despite millions in his bank account.

If there was no forest to take advantage of, couldn't he create one? When the thought settled, the half fehl's lips widened in a slasher grin—making Eleonora and Inyoka exchange confused glances.

With a grasping motion, Kilian pulled 32,000 fehls from the shadows and set them like pillars in the open space beyond the glade. Before they could make sense of the new arrangement, he snapped his fingers, green lightning flashed, and the 32,000 fehls' body twisted as they morphed into over 32,000 trees. Now, only the five Fehl Lords and their strongest Nobles remained on glade territory.

Seeing the daemonic horde morph into a new forest, the feasting suras gawked silly. Inyoka hissed at his boss, and Eleonora nodded in approval.

”Ambitious,” although the sudden transmutation depleted over 120,000 of Kilian's personal dra, when she imagined the fates of those carefree invading hordes, Eleonora couldn't help but sigh.

…

Meanwhile, an army of 150,000 fehl suras marched on Kilian's glade—or well, sort of. At first, they all flew, but as they neared the glade, for the sake of intimidation, 120,000 descended on the ground to display their almost resounding killing intent and military discipline. The remaining 30,000 still bloated the sky whose icy-blue shade remained unchanged despite all the time passed.

In tandem, 120,000 fehl suras moved past the forest trees to surround the glade, and with the 30,000 flying above them all, they blocked all existing paths. Now, whoever wished to advance or retreat relied entirely on their goodwill—or so they thought.

120,000 low to top-level High Emissary troops, 30,000 low to mid-level Archon to direct and support them. With such an army, the fehl suras' momentum dwarfed the region, making many of the glade suras flounder. Still, they carried on with their feast.

”Not only do you refuse to see the light, but you also remain dead-set on leading your fellow brethren into ruin. Impudent, rebellious, unredeemable wastes, the Sura Plane has no use for indecisive conservatives such as yourselves. However, in their grand generosity, their majesties give you one last chance to change your tune. Follow us back to the royal tribe to drink the true Divine Water, and all your sins may b-” the commander started his all-conquering speech, but was cut short by a purple bullet that nailed his forehead, pierced his brain and flew through the back of his skull.

No, not a bullet, a bullet-shaped dra projectile that moved at hypersonic speed. When their brains registered the dra bullet's sound, the fehl suras' commander's body was halfway toward the ground. Witnessing the fall of their only top-level Archon under a single dra bullet, the 150,000 realized one thing: none was safe.

Whoever fired that dra bullet could nail any one of them onto the ground.

Instantly, their morale and momentum took massive hits, but as their deputy leaders discussed the next course of action, one voice thundered across 100 hectares: ”Strike!”