Ch.227Chapter 227: Age of Chaos (11)

# Chapter 227: Age of Chaos (11)

His voice carried both joy and desperation.

He deflected an incoming demon’s spear and shouted.

“I apologize, Princess! And brave warriors! Please forgive my lack of formality due to the urgent battle situation! Please proceed inside to meet Her Majesty the Queen and assess the overall situation! Our Guardian Corps will somehow hold this position and buy you time!”

Arias nodded.

“Understood. Kiriel! I’ll leave this to you for now.”

Kiriel appeared to be an elven warrior of the 8th circle, an aura user.

The elves around him all seemed to be masters as well, powerful fighters.

Valt decided it would be better to meet the Queen first.

Following the relatively safe path indicated by the elven warrior, Valt’s group headed toward the Queen’s temporary residence located beneath the World Tree in the inner part of the village.

Fortunately, thanks to the World Tree’s influence, magical contamination was impossible in this area.

Magical contamination drove people—no, all living beings—to madness and frenzy.

Without strong mental fortitude like that of aura magic users, one couldn’t escape its influence.

However, the mere presence of the World Tree protected this place from magical contamination.

Valt could guess why demons were so desperate to destroy the World Tree.

The Queen’s residence was a cave-like space naturally formed by the largest root of the World Tree.

There, Elven Queen Lurien Silverwood, though gaunt but still dignified, was directing the battle situation alongside other elven elders.

Her blue eyes shone with deep sorrow and unwavering determination.

“Mother!”

Arias ran to Queen Lurien and embraced her.

“Arias!”

Mother and daughter shared a brief but tender reunion. It was a moment to confirm each other’s safety amid tears.

Queen Lurien quickly regained her composure and turned her gaze to Valt’s group.

“Thank you sincerely for coming such a long way, friends of Arias. And… Prince Valt Gerung. I’ve heard much about your reputation.”

Her voice was gentle yet carried great strength.

“As you can see, we elves are making our last stand in the name of the World Tree. Their objective is clear. They aim to sever the life force of the World Tree and cover this entire land with magical contamination, making it suitable for their kind to thrive.”

She continued with a grieved expression.

“If the World Tree falls, it would be equivalent to cutting the lifeline not just of this forest but of the entire continent. We’ve already sent word about the World Tree’s crisis to our brave allies among the dragonkin, beastkin, and fairy folk, requesting their aid. They too understand that the fate of the World Tree is their own fate, and have informed us they’re sending their elite forces this way. But until they arrive… we must hold this defensive line at all costs.”

A new resolve appeared on the faces of Valt’s companions. Especially Solfin and Yuria Lati, who were fired up by the news that their own races would be joining the battle.

Valt stepped forward and spoke firmly.

“That’s why we’re here.”

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Queen Lurien’s eyes.

“May the World Tree’s blessing be with your courage.”

Valt asked the Queen.

“Which area is most vulnerable?”

“The northern wall.”

Valt immediately turned around.

“Let’s go!”

At Valt’s command, more resolute and firm than ever, all his companions began to rush out.

Behind them, as they left the Queen’s residence, Queen Lurien’s blessing voice could be heard.

“Please… stay safe, Arias…”

The path from the center of the World Tree to the northern wall was relatively short, but the quality of the air was completely different.

Along the way, debris from beautiful elven outposts destroyed in battle and small forest animal carcasses that had turned black, seemingly unable to escape in time, were scattered about.

“Damn…! The area near the wall must be covered in magical contamination like fog! Even breathing will be torturous!”

Solfin covered his nose and readjusted his claymore.

Finally, the northern wall came into their view.

It was literally the boundary between hell and reality.

The dozens of meters high wall, made of the World Tree’s branches interwoven with ancient rune magic, was broken and blackened in many places, but still fiercely holding as the elves’ last line of resistance.

Great Warrior Kiriel was leading the elite elven swordsmen in a desperate close-quarters battle against demons pouring through the breaches in the wall.

His two swords continuously emitted blue blade energy, but his face already showed extreme fatigue.

Arias called out to him.

“Kiriel!”

After cutting down another demon, Kiriel approached Arias.

“Princess! You’ve come! But… the situation is not good!”

His voice was hoarse but filled with urgency.

“The ground demons keep coming endlessly, and from the sky, those cursed flying demons are constantly targeting our defensive wall mages and archers! If not for our elves’ almost supernatural archery skills, the air would already be theirs! Some brave archers are shooting down those flying demons, but there are too many!”

True to his words, dozens of gargoyle-like winged demons and more cunning imp-type flying demons that moved craftily while firing magic bullets were engaged in aerial combat with the elven archers.

While elven arrows shot down some demons, others fell screaming from the wall as demons exploited gaps in their defense.

Valt glared at the sky.

They couldn’t focus on the ground battle without eliminating the aerial threat first.

His gaze turned to one person.

“Robin!”

At Valt’s call, Robin Ash, who had been quietly observing the battle situation, had eyes that gleamed like a hawk’s.

The disciple of the Bow God. He already held a massive longbow in his hands.

“I’ll leave those flying pests to you. No need to kill them. Just knock them down!”

“Finally my time to shine. Leave it to me, Valt!”

Robin’s voice was brimming with confidence. He aimed his bow toward the sky.

His arrowhead began to concentrate a heavy, destructive energy different from ordinary arrows.

The Bow God’s archery technique specialized in destruction, putting everything into each shot rather than focusing on delicacy.

“Just need to knock them down? That’s easy!”

Celestial Bow Technique First Form – Falling Star Arrow

Robin’s bow released an arrow meant to pierce the sky and bring down stars, living up to its magnificent name.

*THWOOOSH*

Though he hadn’t had many chances to prove himself before, Robin had already reached the 7th circle of aura.

The frustration of not being able to accompany Valt had driven him to this level of skill.

*SHWEEEEEK!*

Robin’s arrow split the sky.

It struck the center of the wing of the closest approaching gargoyle demon.

*KWANG!*

Instead of penetrating, the arrow exploded with a massive shockwave, tearing the demon’s wing to shreds.

The explosions occurred in sequence, and demons caught in the blast lost their balance and fell screaming.

“Good! Victor, Solfin, Yuria, Irene!”

Valt shouted.

“You handle the ones Robin knocks down! Quick and decisive!”

“Yes! Finally time to stretch my muscles!”

Victor adjusted his gauntlets and rushed out first.

“I am Victor Gayans, disciple of the Fist King!”

Solfin, Yuria, and Irene also charged at the demons with their weapons ready.

From that moment, Robin’s divine archery skills unfolded.

His arrows tracked the airborne demons like guided missiles, causing powerful explosions upon impact that dragged them to the ground.

While elven archery was excellent, the Bow God’s technique truly lived up to its reputation.

Demons with torn wings or massive holes in their bodies fell like autumn leaves.

A rate of fire completely different from magic.

It was a moment when the true value of archery technique was revealed.

“Whew! Robin, I’m impressed! Now it’s my turn!”

Solfin roared as he drove his claymore into a demon that had crashed into the ground.

Yuria slit the throat of a still-struggling demon with her claw, while Irene swiftly dispatched fallen demons with her sword saint techniques.

It was a perfect coordinated play—Robin shot them down from the sky, and the ground team immediately finished them off.

The number of aerial demons that had been covering the elven village’s airspace noticeably decreased, allowing the elven archers to catch their breath and focus their firepower on ground enemies.

Great Warrior Kiriel exclaimed excitedly.

“Amazing! Now we must focus on the ground forces!”

He was right.

While Robin and the ground team’s brilliant performance had temporarily suppressed the aerial threat, the wave of ground demons rushing toward the wall seemed endless.

The specific section of the northern wall that Valt had just agreed to reinforce was already dangerously shaking, under concentrated attack from giant demons and their elite followers.

The elves were desperately holding on, but they were falling one by one due to numerical disadvantage, accumulated fatigue, and the constant pressure of magical contamination.

Valt observed the most precarious point of the northern wall and the endless demon army stretching beyond it.

Robin’s team was excellent, but insufficient to change the flow of this massive war.

The elves’ bravery and their own struggles had clear limitations in the face of this hopeless quantity of enemies.

This wouldn’t do. Something… a powerful single strike that could reverse the situation at once was needed.

Memories of the Great Orc War flashed through Valt’s mind.

The massive boulder that had fallen from the sky and the overwhelming destruction it had created.

‘Back then, I only had the meager power of the 5th circle… But now I’m… different.’

His heart began to beat violently.

His blood seemed to boil throughout his body.

The magic power of the 8th circle, the amulet that amplified physical force with magic.

And beside him were reliable magic-user companions he could trust.

Valt looked up at the sky.

The air was temporarily calm thanks to Robin’s efforts.

But no one knew when demons would cover the sky again.

There might be only one chance.

His gaze turned to Arias, Lati, and Liris.

The three mages seemed to read something in Valt’s eyes and were looking at him with tense expressions.

Valt finally made his decision.

His voice was low, but the weight it carried seemed capable of shaking the entire battlefield.

“Prepare to ascend to the sky.”

Liris and Arias, understanding the meaning of his words, nodded.

He declared toward the burning northern wall and the endless demon army pouring beyond it.

“It’s time to drop something quite heavy… on their heads.”