Chapter 364: Crusade (1/2)
Zac was back in New London soon enough after changing back to his Mr. Black persona, and he was relieved that nothing too alarming happened while he was gone. The two incursions who previously traded with the Union had begun raiding settlements in the area, but Zac was already about to deal with them in any case.
Verana and her Beast Masters didn’t need a lot of prodding as most of them were bored from staying put in New London or taking stock of the various properties that were previously owned by the Union. They got ready for war in less than an hour after hearing that they were going to battle with the Abyssal Demons. Zac knew that closing the Incursion of an elite Demonkin species would likely count as a great achievement for their people, and eagerness could be seen on their faces as they streamed toward the teleporter.
The demons who Zac initially brought to the Underworld still hadn’t entered the real Underworld due to the presence of the Abyssal Demons. Some of them had stood ready in the hidden cave beneath the Underworld Nexus, whereas others had helped Mr. Trang in scouting out the massive continent above. Those who had been stuck in the darkness for weeks were all to happy when Zac instructed them to secure the Technocrat Incursion as soon as possible. He only had time for a quick sweep after the fight, and there might be more things of value in the area.
Six hours later Zac and his punitive army stood some distance from the demon Incursion. They had long been spotted by some flying bat-thing, which apparently was the demon version of a drone according to Verana, and the demons were waiting for them. There was no way that they would manage to sneak attack these guys.
The Abyssal Demons had built a decent-sized city in the open Underworld, which formed a half-circle against a mountain wall. Zac couldn't really see, but he suspected the demons had dug into the wall for resources, as large plumes of smoke rose from the back of the town, indicating there might be furnaces or some other sort of industry there.
The town itself was covered in a reddish glow from an Array, and it seemed quite sturdy. Billy was not available this time, so Zac turned to Verana for ideas on how to get int. He would no doubt be able to crack it open with [Nature's Punishment], but he wanted to fight in his undead form.
“Grub can probably cause a crack in the array, which would allow you to sneak inside. But he would get killed even before he got close,” Verana said with hesitation.
“I can protect him,” Zac said as he looked over at the wall in the distance. “Unless they have someone over level 100 my shield will hold.”
“Okay, so jump on board,” Verana smiled as Grub appeared out of nowhere, and the furry beast quickly grew to its real size.
Zac had already learned that most Beast Masters could keep their pets in some sort of stasis in their bodies. However, the tamed beasts couldn't cultivate while in stasis, so most of the time they were kept in the open. It did however allow them to conjure their pets in the middle of the fight, surprising the enemy.
Slither woke up from its nap on Verana's shoulder, and it started to rapidly grow as well. It ballooned into a terrifying beast reaching over thirty meters in length. Even Zac’s hair stood on end when he saw the transformation, but he quickly jumped on top of Grub’s head and took out his replacement shield. It was nowhere near as good as the large tower shield he found in the hunt, but it would allow him to activate his skills.
Zac nodded down at Verana who raised a thin sword.
When Grub saw his master’s signal he opened his impossibly large maw and emitted a resounding bellow before it slammed its mouth shut, releasing a shockwave by the collision of its large slabs for teeth.
It started rushing forward with a speed that belied its short stubby legs, and the army behind started to follow as soon as there was a comfortable distance. Hundreds of purple fireballs rose from the demon town to meet the charge, and Zac quickly summoned [Immutable Bulwark] and expanded it to its largest possible size.
Even then it wasn’t enough to properly protect the huge beast, so Zac infused the shield with the Seed of Sanctuary to make it even larger. However, Grub wasn’t completely helpless himself, and he deftly dodged quite a few of the attacks to lessen Zac’s burden.
The next moment Zac’s vision swam, and he suddenly found himself looking around in confusion. His surroundings had changed, but he quickly realized that he was right above the expansive town. Grub had somehow teleported, just like when the two fought the first time he met Verana, and it started to descend with amazing momentum.
Zac quickly readjusted his shield as he unleashed his Dao Field rife with Heaviness. He wasn’t able to infuse the large beast directly, so he could only slightly increase their momentum with the help of his Dao.
Grub didn’t need much help though as he landed like a furry meteor on the shield, and it immediately cracked to let the two through. Unfortunately, the array seemed to have impressive healing capabilities, and the damage had almost completely healed by the time they landed with a tremendous crash that toppled a dozen buildings around them.
Zac quickly activated [Fields of Despair] as he looked around for the control crystal that supported the Defensive Array. Destroying the control crystal wouldn’t destroy the whole array, but it would no longer be supplied with energy. From there Verana and the others should be able to quickly whittle down the array to gain entry to the town. That meant that Zac and Grub were isolated inside the town for now, but he wasn't too worried about it.
He soon spotted a command platform with an enormous Abyssal Demon wielding a jagged two-hand sword on his back. To his side there were two skinny, for the massive Abyssal Demons, demons who stood in front of a large crimson crystal, continuously infusing it with power. A third demon was quicky exchanging a handful of crystals to replenish the lost energy from Grub’s descent.
Zac prodded the large beast, and it immediately understood what Zac wanted to do. Unfortunately it seemed it was unable to teleport once again in such short succession. With a lack of better options it started to rush straight ahead with undeniable momentum. The beast also started slamming its teeth to cause massive shockwaves that spread like waves of destruction toward the demons who hurriedly got down from the wall to form a new defensive line.
Dozens of attacks soared toward the charging beast, but Zac immediately activated [Immutable Bulwark] once more to erect a shimmering wall covering the two from all directions, effectively turning Grub into a fortified bulldozer.
Screams and wails echoed across the battlefield as Grub’s attacks and [Deathwish] started to cause mayhem, but a sudden sense of danger made Zac immediately perk up and infuse himself with the Dao of Hardness. His eyes immediately found the demon leader who had gripped his sword and swung it in a massive arc that seemed to make the air itself crackle.