Chapter 237: Tactics (2/2)

I banged my chest, the sound of metal on metal echoing across the desert,

”Let's show them the might of those that fight for survival.”

As the crowd boomed, I pressed my palm together for anther mana bomb. I turned to Krog, ”You know the plan?”

Krog nodded, ”Of course. According to Torix, you and I will be planting bombs before I rush in with the soldiers. You'll be creating chaos elsewhere.”

I grinned, ”Good. Let's go.”

As Krog explained the plan to the troops, I created more mana crystals. As I did so, I experimented. Instead of creating pure quintessence bombs, I injected a bit of ascendant mana into them as well. This created white crystals that carried flowing red streaks in them.

The idea was simple. Instead of making mindless elemental flows, I intended on giving the elements a bit of sentience. Nothing too complicated, but just enough that ascendant mana would affect them. This provided the elemental bombardments with a targeting system of sorts.

It would be like detonating a grenade and having the shrapnel seek out enemies. The idea seemed sound as I progressed through the various mana bombs I created.

Breakthrough achieved! Mana Crystallization(lvl 13) --->(lvl 38)

The bonus enhanced my fluidity and control, letting me give a firmer intent to the mana crystals. By the time everyone was up to date, and Spear ripped open a portal, I created twenty crystals. Stepping up to the portal, I ripped it open, letting the troops walk through.

As the last one through the warp, we ended up beside an eldritch's nest. A hive of spacial ants warped around in a colony made of chewed wood. This anthill stood taller than a small building, piled on top of what used to be a dungeon entrance.

The situation lacked any real urgency, however. Many of Giess's flaming anteaters feasted on the eldritch. Literal herds congregated around the anthill, their tongues lashing like flaming chains at the ants. This natural wildlife made Giess safe even without the espens clearing dungeons. It's crazy to think that ended up being more of a problem than a boon. It led to the reliance on natural mana, the silvers spreading, and even the espens lack of initiative.

It was too late to solve that problem now. With our routes set, we traversed through a familiar ancient wood. As we passed trees that dwarfed even redwoods, Krog spoke with a mystic reverence,

”This is where the world began on Giess. This is one of the most ancient woods and the first place where our species crawled up from the oceans. Our connection with life is greatest here, and this is also where Lehesion was born.”

Krog grimaced, ”And now it will be the place where our kind was slaughtered and used as cattle.”

I shook my head, ”It will be the place where the gialgathens fought back. That is how it will be remembered.”

Krog peered ahead, ”Yes...It will be.”

As we navigated through the dense forests, mana crystals stayed exposed on the surface. Here the wildlife effused mana, ancient and powerful beings staying here. Ice hydras, island sized turtles, even aetherial wisps stayed here. As we closed in on Astelle, the wildlife changed.

A few of the natural creatures showed scars or signs of hybridization. The mana here carried the Hybrid's blight, infected with their ilk. Their stench tainted the wind, and their poison effused the ground. It showed that while the wildlife stopped silvers, they couldn't stop the Hybrids.

That task fell to us. After a half-hour of traveling, we reached near Astelle. The city laid at the center of an island lake and along its shores. Ancient as time itself, the stones carried the deep scars of wind and rain. The new scars carved into these old buildings from the Hybrids above.

They swarmed from dreadnoughts above the city. They reminded me of an anthill that was stepped on, their numbers changing the color of the landscape. The same horrors blotted the area, and the spires wriggled above the horizon, enclosing the skies.

Hybrids corrupted the skin and flesh of gialgathens, many robbed of their lives as they were harvested. Unlike Polydra, Astelle lacked a prison that protected them. They took the full brunt of the Adair Family's power. In the face of their might, the gialgathens fizzled like cinders under a rainstorm.

We were ready for this, however.

Most of the forces stayed back, hiding along the forest's wall. Krog and I snuck out towards the eastern edge of the city. There we found the entrance to the sewers. Guarding it, two Hybrids cackled like deformed insects.

Signalling Krog, I sprinted forward and lifted up my hands. As I did, walls of rock compressed over the Hybrids. I heated the rock with Star Forger, melting it within a second. They still moved even when covered in lava. To stop them, I flash froze the rock.

As the lava hardened, the Hybrids stalled in glassy obsidian. Running up, I smashed them with telekinetic bullets. Shattering like ice sculptures, I turned towards Krog. The old general's eyes opened wide as he whispered,

”You might've discovered their weakness.”

I rolled my fingers, ”Let's hope. Come on.”

After wrenching open the gate, we ran through the sewers. The map Torix obtained was up to date, and the routes held up. We tore the Hybrids apart using the flash freeze method I stumbled upon earlier. It made killing them far quieter, which worked in our favor.

We passed through a ten-mile circle of the city. I planted all twenty mana crystals near the roots of the spires and at critical locations. It took a bit of rerouting since my predictions weren't perfect, but they were close enough. Along the way, we decimated the underground forces planted here, giving our forces routes to escape and move through.

Within thirty minutes, we completed the operation. With the sewers cleared, we regrouped with our troops. They still hid within the dense underbrush of the ancient woods. After Krog assumed control of the soldiers, Spear and I made a mad dash through the sewers once more.

As we searched, we uncovered more tactical information. Near the bay of the lake, we discovered new piping leading to the island at Astelle's center. These routes proved valuable as the lake teemed with Hybrids. Their metal frames let them run across the lake's bottom. This gave the monsters fantastic aquatic maneuverability when you'd think they could hardly move.

The massive pipelines gave us dozens of routes towards the island, evading our enemies when they enjoyed an advantage. We also avoided their aerial support which was a nice bonus. Here at the center of Astelle, many of the Adair Family's forces clustered together. With a bit of scouting, we found the majority of the captured gialgathens stuck in pits. There they hybridized in an orange soup.

Between several pits, we pinpointed the perfect place for unloading the Orbital Bombardment. With our mission complete, Spear warped us out. After informing Krog and the soldiers of the new routes, we adjusted our obelisk's maps. The preparation emboldened our troops, instilling confidence where there was none. In a way, all the pieces we needed fell in place.

Compared with the last assault, this one would make it look like child's play. With time on our side, Spear warped us out into the Rak'Sha desert. We took the next few minutes prepping the final details - more mana bombs, more molten dimensional fabric in my storage, and enough mana for a singularity in my blood.

Like clockwork, I rose into the atmosphere over the next ten minutes. A comet coming from the sky, I raced down with enough force to level a city. Around me, the violet hues of heat coursed over my skin. The portal expanded in my vision, a spot of sewer floor in the middle of the sandy dunes.

I sent a mental message towards the troops to rush in. They ran down the preplanned routes, ready to detonate the mana bombs with a telepathic wave. With seconds before I landed onto the ground, I issued the final command.

The Living Multiverse(Lvl 10,250 | Guildmaster: The Harbinger's Legion(S-) | Titles: The Harbinger of Cataclysm, The Cleanser of Polydra | Cities: Mt. Verner, Elderfire) - Let's go.