The battle continues between Allen's party and the Devils in the territory of Space-Time God and Magic God, spanning for over a good 40 minutes.
"What's wrong? Losing your focus already?”
«...Heh, and what made you believe so? You really do think you can extract any more information, do you?»
Allen tried to hook Fiend King Mara through his taunt, though she deflected them. He then trained his gaze on Virdiga at the frontline, but again, he caught neither a trace of their conversation nor he found noteworthy from their deadpan expression. Perhaps, this was their way to prevent any information leak.
(So it seems, but there's definitely a steepness in her words. Urgency may have started to seize them. Hmm, maybe? I mean, we have felled quite a good number of their forces, eh....Oh wait, is it possible buffs are going to last for next 20 minutes or so only? I do hope so. It's truly heartening that Hero's trial has ended just as we need him. This should... ease the pressure against the three-pronged assault.)
Allen’s grip tightened around his sword as he continued to fight alongside Graham, fused together via awakening skill. A clash of determination and might ensued on surface, but beneath it raged a psychological warfare, the favour tilting in Allen's side given the hundreds of thousands of intelligence stat difference between them.
The tides of battle had started to show signs of turning over, while Allen and his party managed to kill off demons for good, leaving no room for resurrection, the unexpected reinforcement sought their way toward Divine Arena and Heavenly Kingdom.
A good half an hour from the beginning of Demon King Army's invasion, Hero Helmios appeared, having successfully cleared the trial of Opharia, the god of armament, and joined the defenders against the carnage of demons.
In the Divine Arena, information from the First Angel Lupto had prompted the still-training angels and even the Gods of Armaments to rise in defense.
Back in the skies of Shandar, the tide of battle was turning as well. Kiel and Rosalina were providing expert healing and buffs, while warriors like Dogora and Shea—each wielding divine relics—had entered the fight. Thanks to their efforts, the casualties among the dragonkin, beastkin, and angels were starting to decline.Meanwhile the other half of Allen's remaining party—the buff and recovery specialist Keel and Roselina, or sacred artifact holders Dogora and Shea—rise up against the demon back at Heavenly Sandal Kingdom, their expertise and strength abating the casualties of dragonkin, beastkin, and angels.
As the evacuation picked up pace, the death count visibly lowered. And of the 1000 demons and archdemons that launched the raid, the invaders had lost 20% of their force or so the situation he conferred while Bird E continued to monitor the live situation.
He had been watching Supreme Commander Ordo and the other executives of Demon King Army through Kuwataro's «Pursuit Sight», but he made sure to watch the situation unfolding in concerned places.
It was a plus he could hear or capture the situation of Ordo and others, but to make sure he didn't tunnel his vision, Allen had been keeping tabs on affected areas just as much. And as the situation was no longer precarious, he judged it was time for him to make a move as well. He had stalled enough to probe what might be their opponent wanted, but anymore would be detrimental.
Demon’s buff should start to run around at the mark of 50 minutes, so the victory was quite in sight if they continued at their current pace, bringing down one, then another. However, Supreme Demon Commander Ordo and others had been especially sensitive to the one hour mark, and after which, they might see a change in Demon King Army.
It was unfortunate he couldn't find any worthwhile information behind their deployment, but they had to go all-out now.
"We don't have many enemies left. Do not give them a chance, and no one should escape alive!!"
(Oh, we have taken down 30! Yup, the victory is within our reach, though I must keep Virdiga no matter what.)
Allen inspired his comrades as they effectively felled the evil god incarnates. A majority of his attention had trained on the midguard and rearguards of their enemies, eliminating their healers and buffers first.
With the enemy’s forces reduced by 30%, the situation had finally tipped in their favor—more than enough to break through and finish the battle. They might not have gained reinforcement, but the thinning of the enemy ranks gave them a disproportionate advantage.
"A-Allen-sama, you might not be thinking of—?! No, this is far too dangerous! This place is still teeming with enemies!"
Perhaps inferring Allen's next step of action, Sophie panicked and raised a voice of concern. Allen had held back from using *that*, for it was too much of a threat against Andrey, though the situation was no less dangerous here, much less when they still had over 70 opponents left.
(I know Sophie, really do, but victory favours those who're willing to take risks.)
The sole reason he had shelved back «Warrior's Howl» from bringing in use was due to the AoE of Andrey, spanning over 300m. Though it also didn't change what Allen was going to use was essentially a double-edged sword.
"Graham, use the Warrior's Howl. Now is the moment to smite our enemies!!"
(Virdiga's body is going to be mine!!)
«Oh, are we motivated? I like this passion.»
Once the captain of Imperial Guards of Giamoth Empire a 1000 years ago, having clawed his way from the bottom barrel of knights, and now entwined with Allen, Graham smirked... Or Allen was sure he did.
A moment later, the bluish-white flames, an effect of their merged state, cascading over Allen's body, saw a change, turning bright red.
(Phew, how long has it been since I last used Warrior's Howl? You have my gratitude, Pecktan!!)
Allen's Status during Warrior's Howl (equipment bonus included)
[Strength] - 78,000/314,987 (Present stat/Max Points)
[Mana] - 370,937
[Spiritual Aura] - 370,937
[Attack] - 300,887 + 50,000
[Endurance] - 304,531 + 12,000
[Agility] - 358,674
[Intelligence] - 484,832 + 30,000
[Luck] - 314,992
[Warrior's Howl Bonus Effect - a reference from chapter 12, simplified]
Activation Condition: HP must be at or below 25% of max.
Deactivation: Skill cancels if HP exceeds 25% of max.
Effect: All stats increase by 20%.
Additional Buff: Swordsmanship skill level increases by 1.
It was a substantial leap in his stats, though he could ONLY use it sporadically so far due to Luvanka.
Luvanka's protection grants 1% HP regeneration every second, meanwhile Allen had to ensure his HP was below 25% to maintain the buff from Warrior's Howl. At this juncture, the only option Allen had would be to remove Luvanka's card from order, but it wasn't so easy to follow through when it was a teamwide buff that would be a lifeline for many.
The dilemma was broken by Allen's new summon—S-rank Grass Pecktan. Though Pecktan's blessing of «Cycle of Life», he could now convert the healing into spiritual aura. Plus, the benefits went further, now whenever his health dropped below critical zone, the stored mana would continue to cover up for the loss, while also keeping it below threshold to maintain Warrior's Howl.
"'Oh, Allen, do not put yourself into danger! Your friends are barely hanging on to their life!!"
(I know. I know everyone and this place will meet an ill-fate if I fall here. I fear even Cecile might get implicated in it.)
From behind him, Formar shouted a warning—his decision was as good as having no strategy. After all, the skills and abilities of Allen's summon were the game changing element in a war.
He might get the strength he desired by bringing up Warrior's Howl, conversely, he would also putting himself in harm's way. While his summons possessed resurrection type skills and other safeguard abilities in lieu of such precarious situations, there was never a flawless plan. Besides, just as miraculous the revival skills were, they demanded equal compensation. His strategy wa nothing short of a suicide attack.
[Benefits and Drawbacks of Allen's Resurrection Skill]
Benefit — No Delay Revival
1. Awakening skill «Undying Skill» activates automatically at the sigh of death.
2. Ability «Mushroom of Resurrection» brings the dead back to life as soon as they fall.
Drawbacks —
1. «Undying Bird» is effective only on Allen.
2. Once Undying Bird takes effect, all cards are erased.
3. «Mushroom of Resurrection» is effective on Allen's allies, but not himself. (Shared Benefit - The resurrected target keeps the duration and effect of buff.)
This was a step too heavy. Allen's death brings erasure of his summons too. They'd already witnessed the said aftermath during the battle against Spirit Beast God. Even Kuwataro and Pecktan would be off the field.
Yes, some of Allen’s summoned beasts possessed resurrection-type skills and awakened powers designed to bring him back from the brink—but none were foolproof.
Deliberately staying at dangerously low HP made Allen significantly more vulnerable. And even with several resurrection abilities at his disposal, each one came with steep trade-offs.
They could create them again by using Saint Points, but when they're in the life-and-death scenario, Pecktan's absence would be a huge detrimental.
"Believe me!!"
(Focus… Now's the time.)
Allen, with his health hanging by a thread, surged straight into the densest part of the enemy force—toward Virdiga, and other demons.
«—!!»
Virdiga promptly noticed the changes in Allen. The surging power in Allen was obvious to him when he tanked the incoming slash with his biggest scythe.
"Haaaaaaaaaa!! Soul Sabeeeeerrrrrrr!!"
A crushing downward slash descended at Virdiga, Allen's sword hacking down the emerald exoskeleton. In human anatomy terms, it was equal to drawing a slanted slash, starting from the left shoulder, leaving a huge gash in its trail. And the first in the battle, Virdiga's stance crumbled, his knees bending.
«What the—grhh!»
«You dare! Deathly Flame!!»
«Not on my watch!!»
Mara promptly made an attempt to rescue her fellow demon, a mass of jet black flame spewing in Allen's direction, but Leon wedged himself on the path before they could harm Allen.
"This is our chance, everyone!! Give me your best cover fire!!"
"Muton, give that cracked insect bastard a taste of our poison swamp!"
Once Virdiga was pushed into a defenceless state, Sophie and Luck understood it was their do-or-die moment for the victory. They must support Allen in any way they can while he paved the path for them.
Sophie guided her great spirits, blocking any demon from getting into victini of Allen. Luck inflicted a resistance debuff as the cracks ran through Virdiga's exoskeleton.
«You all, hurry and heal Virdiga!»
Mara knew it would be a game over should Virdiga fall, and guided the surviving healers to put their focus on him, her voice laced with an urgency.
"You haven't forgotten us, do you?!"
«Geerghaaa?!»
Formar's arrow found itself piercing through the skull of a demon just as it attempted to heal Virdiga. Meanwhile, the Ultimate Demon Construct Scree had been hopping around the battlefield, frantically reviving the fallen demons and archdemons, leaving it with no room to support other.
"I have moreeeeeeeee!!"
«Arghh!»
Pushed to his knees, and one of the four arms severed, Virdiga made an attempt to block Allen's strikes. Sparks scattered around them, and a shockwave spread out in the aftermath of their confrontation.
As the battle raged more fiercer than ever in Space-Time God's territory, Shinonom received contact from other divisions. Kuwataro promptly captured the movement of Supreme Commander Ordo, and of course, Allen immediately came to know this.
«Hey, Shinonom! Can you immediately teleport our army back?!»
"Haa?! H-Hold on for a moment. It's impossible to make an arrangement right away!"
(Oh? Has Ordo's division faced a problem?)
Ordo winced at Shinonom's response, and next, he communicated with Mara.
«Mara, how long are we going to wait? Phase to next strategy!»
«Make haste, you all. Our actions will be the one to open the floodgate to Great Demon King's dominion over three realms. Tch, healers are being targeted. The magic barrier—»
Back at the Divine Realm, Ordo leaned his hand next to his ear, apparently trying to make contact with Mara. However the communication slipped past her.
«Hey, Mara. I am asking you!!»
«O-Ordo-sama!?»
«I asked why is there no confirmation from your end?! You're well behind our prediction by large!!»
«I-I apologise, but we're gaining the upper hand in battle here.»
«Then why the hell are you not at Heavenly Kingdom?! I have my hands occupied with Armament God! Pick up 100 of your minions and mount an assault on Heavenly Kingdom. In their current situation, it shouldn't be a problem for you!!»
«Y-yes, I understand! I am teleporting right away!!»
Suddenly, a magic circle expanded beneath Fiend King Mara's feet. It appeared Mara had decided to leave the injured Virdiga and other demons behind.
«M-Mara-sama, what's the meaning of this?!»
A perplexment spread amidst the demons when they saw the disappearance of one of their chief executives, halting their movements.
«There's no need to panic...... The answer we seek is right at arm's reach. Everything must proceed as instructed.»
«B-but, my liege?!»
«Pipe down. We can't turn our backs on this battle!! This is the answer!!»
*Crackle*
Left standard, as if drawing on every last ounce of strength, Virdiga began transforming—his body mutating, twisting, reinforcing itself in a final attempt to rise again.