Chapter 1281: The Mighty Force of the Creasant Republic
Chapter 1281: The Mighty Force of the Creasant Republic
The surrounding water was annihilated as the gigantic golden spears collided head-on with the blood-red lightning.
BOOOOMMMM!!!
The impact unleashed a catastrophe.
Golden light and crimson lightning devoured one another while the resulting shockwave swept across the battlefield with unstoppable force. The surrounding seawater was instantly vaporized, leaving behind a vast empty region devoid of currents.
Then a sphere of destruction formed at the center of the collision.
It expanded rapidly.
Everything in its path vanished.
Rock, water, energy, and even the air trapped within the oceanic currents was erased.
For a brief moment, a massive vacuum appeared in the middle of the battlefield, exposing a region of pure emptiness where nothing could exist.
Cracks spread through space itself as the destructive force continued to rage.
Yet amidst the chaos, Souta emerged unharmed.
"Blocked it."
A smile spread across his face. Then he bent his knees.
BOOM!!
The shattered battlefield exploded beneath him as he launched himself forward like a blood-red comet.
Dense crimson lightning surged behind him, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
Swoosh!!
Urhan’s eyes widened.
He hadn’t expected Souta to block the full force of the Second Stance so completely.
For a split second, disbelief flashed across his face. But his combat instincts immediately took over.
"Attack!!"
His command echoed across the battlefield.
The Eight Shackle Realm experts acted instantly.
Whoooosh!!
Dozens of powerful spells erupted from every direction.
Blinding rays of energy, destructive elemental attacks, and spatial distortions surged toward Souta like a tidal wave.
At the same time, the Seventh Shackle Realm experts rapidly formed hand seals.
Vast amounts of mana poured from their bodies as layers upon layers of defensive barriers materialized around the battlefield.
The supporting experts moved with perfect coordination.
Some attacked.
Others defended.
And several focused entirely on weakening their enemy.
Souta darted through the storm of attacks. His body zigzagged across the battlefield as blood-red lightning flashed repeatedly.
One beam narrowly missed his head.
Another passed inches from his chest.
A third exploded behind him, sending destructive ripples through the ocean.
Despite the relentless barrage, he continued advancing.
Then he frowned.
His movements felt slightly heavier.
The blood-red lightning surrounding him had weakened.
Even his strength had noticeably dropped.
"Debuffs..." Souta muttered.
His sharp senses quickly identified the source.
Several Eight Shackle Realm experts standing farther back weren’t attacking at all. Instead, they were continuously casting suppression spells.
Souta sneered.
Trying to weaken him?
A violent power suddenly erupted from deep within his body.
BOOM!!!
Crimson lightning exploded outward.
The seawater within hundreds of meters instantly boiled and detonated under the pressure.
His muscles swelled slightly as blood energy surged through every vein.
His aura climbed even higher than before.
His speed increased. His strength increased. And his defenses hardened further.
The terrifying pressure radiating from his body caused many distant experts to instinctively retreat.
A savage grin slowly appeared on Souta’s face.
"If you want to stop me..."
His crimson eyes locked onto the formation of experts ahead.
"...then try harder."
[Blessing of the Hunt]!
[Blessing of War and Wisdom]!
The two blessings stacked on top of each other.
Souta burst forward with even greater speed as blood-red lightning gathered around his blade. With this much power, he felt that he could kill those Seventh Shackle Realm experts even under the watchful eyes of Urhan and the other Eighth Shackle Realm experts.
"Saya, let’s—"
He suddenly paused as he glanced at the sword in his hand.
That’s right.
Saya was gone.
It still felt unreal not hearing her voice in the middle of a fierce battle.
In that moment of distraction, a tremendous force slammed into his body.
BOOM!!!
His body crashed into the seabed.
Dust and shattered rocks erupted as the seabed collapsed. Waves of energy swept outward, blasting everything away.
Bang!!
Deep within the cracks, Souta lay on his back. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and felt several of his bones shatter from the attack he had just received.
A gruesome wound stretched across his stomach, exposing the intestines beneath.
"Argh... That hurts."
Souta pushed himself out of the pit. Holding his head, he glanced at the sword in his left hand.
"Saya... I will help you live."
He slowly rose to his feet, gripping the sword tightly. The bloodlust radiating from his body grew so dense that it began to materialize in the surrounding waters.
Souta glanced down at his body as his wounds started to heal. He deliberately left some of them untreated to maintain the buff from [Draw Blood]. He was powerful, but he was alone. Under these circumstances, he couldn’t afford to underestimate his opponents.
He raised his head and looked toward the distance.
"This piece of land... I will offer it to you."
...
Urhan floated above, looking down at the collapsing seabed.
"Getting distracted in a fight. An amateur mistake," he sneered.
Although he had landed a direct hit, Urhan felt that Souta wouldn’t go down so easily. After all, the momentum Souta had displayed just now was immense.
Urhan suddenly sensed something and turned his head.
"It seems the battle has disturbed the president enough to issue the highest level of alarm."
What he sensed was the presence of numerous experts approaching from afar.
Seventh Shackle Realm experts. Eighth Shackle Realm experts. There were even Ninth Shackle Realm experts among them.
The very foundation of the Creasant Republic.
This made things easier for him.
Urhan relaxed his tense muscles. He knew that fighting that monster without reinforcements would be extremely difficult. Now that the others had arrived, things would become much easier for everyone.
Whooosh!!
Several presences appeared beside Urhan.
Without even turning his head, Urhan knew who they were. Everyone present was a high-ranking figure within the Creasant Republic.
Aldemaran of the Reinfir Clan, Sea Devourer of the Flaming Ray Clan, and Armante, the President of the Creasant Republic.
"What happened, Urhan? You even used your Archetype," Aldemaran asked.
He was surprised to see that Urhan had been pushed to the point of using his Archetype. In the entire Depths of Banquet, only Urhan and Armante possessed an Archetype. Not even the three ruling families of the Tidal Merchant Group had one.
It was the reason why Urhan and Armante were so powerful, surpassing the other Ninth Shackle Realm experts in this land.
"An initial fifth-stage energy level, yet the fluctuations are this strong... This..." Sea Devourer muttered as he felt the dense and violent energy lingering in the surroundings.
He was shocked. He could hardly believe what he was sensing.
"Yeah, that monster is unreal. I can’t believe he exists," Urhan said.
"Where did such a monster come from?" Sea Devourer asked.
Urhan shook his head.
"It certainly doesn’t belong here. Lately, I’ve heard news about the skirmishes between the Bodam Kingdom and the Tarrant Nation. Freida was forced into hiding after killing Kras’ah," Aldemaran said, revealing some recent developments concerning the two countries.
"I heard about it. It shocked me at first," Urhan replied.
He knew how powerful Freida was. The two had fought once in the past. She had nearly defeated him, but in the end, he managed to win by utilizing the power of his Archetype.
"Kras’ah is dead? Where did he find the courage to fight Freida? Did he forget that he would’ve died at her hands if the King of the Bodam Kingdom hadn’t saved him?" Sea Devourer laughed.
Armante remained silent. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed below while holding a long silver-platinum staff.
Suddenly, the battlefield fell silent.
The endless explosions ceased and the raging currents calmed.
Even the countless experts surrounding the battlefield unconsciously held their breath.
Ohm!!
A powerful pulse of energy erupted from the depths of the seabed.
The ocean trembled as a crimson flash illuminated the battlefield.
Crack!!
Crack!!
Blood-red lightning spread across the surroundings once again, dancing through the water like living serpents. The immense pressure carried by each arc of lightning caused the nearby experts to tense instinctively.
A suffocating aura descended upon the battlefield.
Armante narrowed his eyes.
Sea Devourer’s expression turned serious.
Urhan tightened his grip on his trident.
Even Aldemaran’s gaze sharpened.
Thud!
A figure stepped out from the sea of crimson lightning.
Thud!
Another step followed.
Though the surroundings were water, the sound felt like a feet step into something solid.
The pressure grew heavier.
Clad in crimson armor, the figure emerged completely from the lightning storm. Long dark-red hair flowed behind him while his scarlet eyes seemed capable of piercing through everything before him.
It was Souta.
The battlefield instinctively became quieter.
Souta slowly swept his gaze across the assembled forces.
His eyes lingered on the countless experts gathered around him.
Then they settled on the four strongest figures present.
Three Ninth Shackle Realm experts and one Advanced Fifth Stage monster.
The pillars of the Creasant Republic.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Creasant Republic..."
His voice echoed clearly throughout the battlefield.
"So you’ve all finally arrived."
Crimson lightning crackled around his body. The pressure radiating from him intensified.
"Then I might as well repeat my proposal."
His eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.
"Submit to me."
The smile on his face widened.
"Or I’ll use force to conquer your country."
The surrounding experts immediately turned grim.
What arrogance.
What madness.
Yet none of them could dismiss his words as mere boasting.
After all, the battlefield beneath their feet was proof of his strength.
Souta casually observed the enemy lineup.
Fifty-two Eight Shackle Realm experts, sixteen Intermediate Fifth Stage monsters, one hundred one Seventh Shackle Realm experts, and forty-nine Initial Fifth Stage monsters.
What a terrifying force.
What a magnificent army.
The military might displayed by the Creasant Republic far surpassed that of the Bodam Kingdom and the Tarrant Nation.
Any one of the two nations would be crushed if they faced such a lineup alone.
Yet instead of concern, excitement flashed within Souta’s eyes.
The greater the opposition before him, the stronger the urge to challenge it became.
Blood-red lightning surged wildly around his body as his feral grin widened.
To everyone present, he looked less like a conqueror and more like a monster standing before a feast.