Chapter 260: Wallbreaker (1/2)

Zac looked at the emperor through a crack in the ranks of soldiers in front of him. The man was nothing like the Medhin princeling he killed on the first day. Tyrbat had relied on the empowerment of his war array and his trinkets, but Nenothep was completely different.

He gave off a similar aura as Greatest. Of course, not the same levels of power, but the air of someone who had fought countless battles. Zac had a feeling this would turn into another battle where his lacking experience would be holding him back. However, he didn’t care much about Nenothep himself, he was more worried about where Thea was being held.

“The girl is with me,” a voice suddenly sounded in his head, making him look around with wide eyes. “You won’t find me, Mr. Atwood. Thea Marshall will be safely released, but you must cooperate with my game. Kill Nenothep and she will be set free. Try to find her and I will immediately execute her.”

Zac’s heartbeat sped up as he tried to look anywhere for the source of the transmission. He didn't recognize the voice, but after putting two and two together he had a strong suspicion it was Vasidas Medhin who spoke. He didn't know who else would be able to find him when it appeared not even the emperor had spotted him.

Zac looked around, but he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He also couldn’t see Thea anywhere, meaning she likely was hidden away out of his reach.

He realized that his plan had been naïve. How would he free Thea in a situation like this? He didn’t even know where she was. The most likely place would be within the protective arrays of the summit palace, but to get there he would have to cross the entire Medhin army. The question was whether he should go along with the voice or if he should ignore it and try to locate Thea while the others duked it out.

Unfortunately, the rest of the world didn’t wait for him to decide on his course of action. A shocking aura started seeping out of Ylvas as he aimed his sword at the emperor. Zac's brows rose in surprise from the supreme aura he emitted. Honestly, Ylvas hadn't given him a large impression so far, but it was clear that he was the real deal. Unfortunately, it was also clear that while he was very strong for an early E-Grade warrior he was still not Nenothep's match.

“Your dynasty ends today. Berum will never become the fuel for your insane Redeemer,” Ylvas said, undeterred by the fact that his aura was getting somewhat suppressed by Nenothep.

Soldiers shared confused glances in both camps due to Ylvas' proclamation, meaning that the Medhin soldiers were unaware of the truth of their imperial family. They would likely become fuel as well if their side won, yet they exhibited a great bloodlust as they glared at the resistance army who in a sense tried to save their lives as well.

Of course, the forces of Berum would likely try to spread the news as widely as they could as soon as they got back, in hopes of fomenting insurrection within the Medhin population.

“Shields!,” a general to the right Nenothep roared, and the next moment a huge silver shield covered the whole army that stood behind Nenothep.

“Empyrean Guard!” a second general shouted, and within seconds Nenothep was covered in a golden glow.

The setup was similar to all the other squads that he had encountered. One part defended the footsoldiers whereas another part empowered their champion. It made sense since the foot soldiers would only become fodder if they tried to personally fight against people like Zac or Ylvas.

The dense aura of Nenothep increased even further, and Zac felt that the Emperor would have no problems contending with Inevitability in his current condition. However, Ylvas wasn’t cowed by the aura and unhesitantly pushed forward with enough force to cause huge cracks in the ground.

The power Ylvas emitted was far beyond anything he had shown during the past days, and it all seemed to be concentrated in the tip of his sword as he stabbed straight toward Nenothep who swung his spear to intercept the strike. A shocking collision made the whole mountain shake, and that initial salvo was the start of the war. The huge general pushed forward with heavy steps and slammed her sword into the ground as she ran.

Somehow she managed to rip up a three-meter tall boulder with her sword, and with shocking precision launched it straight at Nenothep with a grunt as she kept running. The stone was imbued with some high-level Dao as well since it started burning and caused multiple explosions in the air as it approached its target.

However, Nenothep barely spared a glance at the incoming boulder, and with a lightning-quick stab of his spear turned it into fine sand that exploded outward. Fire and gravel flew in all directions, but Nenothep was unfazed by the assault.

The attack might not have wounded the emperor, but at least it obscured his vision somewhat. Ylvas was ready and tried to use the fire as a distraction while he stabbed at the Nenothep's guts with a sword shimmering with some unknown power.

At the same time, two roots pierced through the ground, aiming to stab the emperor in his back. It was the final general, and Zac only now noticed that his staff looked like a tree planted in the ground, likely spreading its roots all the way over to the battle between Ylvas and Nenothep.

Even the large general had caught up, and tried to decapitate the emperor with a wide swing flying straight above Ylvas' head. But it was as though the emperor had ten hands, every attack was blocked by either his spear or a bracer. He even had time to slam a knee into Ylvas face, throwing him back ten meters with a grunt. Worst off was the female general, who had a large gash in her side from a lightning-quick stab.

“Come all, you maggots!” Nenothep roared as his bloodlust soared to the skies, and he forcibly started to suppress the trio who desperately tried to get past his defenses.

The generals weren’t the only ones who had gone all out from the start, as large shields were erected above the ranged attackers while the melee warriors started a suicidal run toward the enemy ranks. There was no longer any time to hesitate, and Zac turned toward his huge ally.

“Billy, I can’t find Thea,” Zac whispered to the giant who balefully glared at the other side. “We will have to beat up the bad guys first. Can you break that shield? It is very strong.”

“Billy will give it his biggest Thwonk,” the giant nodded as he started running toward the shield along with the other melee fighters.

Zac followed suit, using Billy’s enormous frame to hide out of sight from Nenothep and his generals. The sky was starting to blot out with attacks soaring between the two camps, and there were already a few fatalities amongst the melee warriors who couldn’t dodge or endure the onslaught.

The Medhin army was far better off since not one of them had stepped outside of the protective cover of their shields, and they could leisurely pick off one approaching warrior after another with ranged attacks.