Chapter 1111 Taking over the Mountain Rock City
Chapter 1111 Taking over the Mountain Rock City
Cough!
Shavtar spat out a mouthful of blood, his body trembling as he pushed himself out of the rubble. His hand pressed against his chest, where a massive hole was gushing blood, staining his body.
"Damn..." he cursed under his breath, a wave of numbness sweeping through him.
"Defeated by a Fifth Shackle Realm..." The words tasted bitter on his tongue, a humiliation he couldn't swallow.
For a titan like him, this was a disgrace. To fall to someone who was supposed to be beneath him was a blow to his pride. A titan who suffered such a defeat was no longer worthy of respect.
Shavtar's gaze lifted, his eyes meeting the demon standing over him, the one who had torn through his defenses with relentless power.
"So this is what a demon is..." Shavtar muttered, struggling to gather his energy for one final push. But before he could make a move, Alice responded with a powerful golden ray that cut through the air, followed by a barrage of gigantic golden spears.
Bang!!
The golden ray tore through the island, reducing it to nothing but debris and dust.
Alice looked up, her expression cold and unwavering. With a simple motion, she reached out and summoned the severed head of Shavtar.
The massive titan's head landed in her hand with a sickening thud.
"A Sixth Shackle Realm titan is dead."
She muttered the words with an eerie calmness, before casually tossing the head aside. Her body was then engulfed in blue flames, her demonic form fading away as her disguised form reemerged.
Her Element Drive, Dream Power, and other skills were all deactivated. Alice fell to her knees, feeling the full weight of exhaustion crash into her.
Even with the power of the Archetype, the toll it took was immense.
"I've done my job..." Alice muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible as she lifted her head.
She stood alone, bloodied and weary, yet unbroken.
From a distance, the remaining titans watched her in stunned silence, their hearts heavy with dread. They couldn't fathom how a Fifth Shackle Realm being could defeat one of their own at the Sixth Shackle Realm.
A demon.
The realization sent a chill through the air. Fear rippled through them as they saw her standing tall, a force of nature they couldn't understand or defeat.
...
Somewhere on the floor, Eztein floated in the vast, empty space. Before him, an ancient symbol was etched directly into the very fabric of reality itself.
"What the hell?! They even carved a rune into the fabric of space!" Eztein's eyes widened in disbelief. "The one who did this must be a master! A true expert!"
He marveled at the rune, his awe mixed with a sense of unease. This kind of symbol wasn't something easily destroyed. Even with all his might, attacking it would only provoke a response—and likely one that would be dangerous to him.
Eztein pulled out a strange device, holding it carefully in his hands. The device hovered, its sleek surface gleaming as it emitted a faint hum.
He poured his mana into it, and as if responding to his energy, the device began to glow with a brilliant white light.
Ohm!!
The light from the device grew brighter and brighter, shifting from a radiant white to a deep, eerie red. Then, it faded into an unsettling black. Suddenly, a strange, intricate symbol materialized in the air.
"What's happening...?" Eztein murmured in confusion. He hadn't anticipated anything like this when he activated the device.
Bang!!
A pair of massive skeletal hands shot out from the air, their size immense and overwhelming.
"What is this?" Eztein instinctively took a step back, his heart racing.
From the device, a towering skeleton slowly emerged. It rose to a staggering height of thirty meters, its bones crackling as it stretched to its full height. With a powerful motion, the skeletal figure reached out and grabbed hold of the ancient rune carved into the very fabric of space.
A burst of unimaginable energy erupted as the skeleton made contact, sending a violent shockwave through the air.
The sheer force of the explosion sent Eztein flying, crashing through the air for dozens of meters before he hit the ground with a heavy thud.
The entire floor was soon enveloped in a dark, oppressive light that seemed to devour everything around them.
Whooosh!!
Alice, Vashno, and the others felt the intense pull of the light, their bodies seemingly consumed by it in an instant. In the blink of an eye, they found themselves in a completely different place.
Eztein slowly pushed himself to his feet, dazed but unharmed. He looked around in disbelief at the surroundings—towering mountains, massive icy structures, and a bleak, familiar landscape.
"What?! We're back on the surface!" he exclaimed, his voice laced with confusion.
Alice, Vashno, and the others glanced around, confirming that they had indeed been transported to the surface. The air felt different, and the familiar sensation of being inside the tower was gone.
The other squads that had participated in the mission were also there, appearing just as bewildered. It seemed that once they completed their task, the mysterious force had pulled them all away and brought them to the surface, though none of them fully understood how or why.
They had been transported as soon as the runes were dispelled. Without those active runes, they became vulnerable to higher-level manipulation of power. And the only one capable of such a feat was the massive skeleton that had emerged from the device.
The skeleton was the force that had dispelled the runes, enabling their sudden transport.
"Why didn't the skeleton come out earlier? It would've made it much easier if it had helped us fight," someone asked, their voice tinged with frustration.
Sekdab looked over at the speaker, then shook his head.
"Even we didn't know about the skeleton in the device. All we knew was that it had the ability to dispel those ancient runes," he explained.
The truth was, the skeleton had done its job—dispelling the ancient runes—and now the barrier that had protected Mountain Rock City was gone. With no protection remaining, the titans would no longer be shielded from the forces they had been fighting so hard to protect.
Suddenly, a booming voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Exterminate the titans! From today, Mountain Rock City will be returned to us!"
With those words, a surge of powerful pressure erupted in the sky, signaling the beginning of the final assault.
Hero-rank warriors clashed fiercely in the air, their momentum surging as they launched their attacks. Their intent was clear—to eradicate the titans and reclaim the city that had been under their threat for so long.
The battle was now in full swing, and with the barrier gone, there was no holding back.
Boom!!
A massive sword slash descended from the sky, landing squarely in the heart of Mountain Rock City. The force of the impact shattered the ground beneath it, sending shockwaves through the surrounding area and creating a massive explosion that could be felt for miles.
Alice looked up and saw a fierce woman with long green hair. The aura around her was oppressively powerful, causing the air to vibrate with its intensity.
The woman gazed down coldly at the battlefield.
The other Hero-rank titans attempted to advance, but they were held back by the Hero-rank warriors. Despite the fierce battles raging around her, the woman remained unfazed. She raised her sword high and declared, "In the name of our Goddess Athena, I, Kyveli, the Chosen Hero, shall destroy this place!"
Her energy exploded like a volcanic eruption, sweeping across the area, making every living being feel its overwhelming force.
Meanwhile, deep underground in the tower, the skeletons—who had stopped moving after dispelling the runes—began to stir once more. They resonated with the power of Kyveli's energy, their movements synchronized with her intense force.
Ohm!!
The skeletons' bodies expanded.
On the surface, Kyveli looked down and frowned.
'It's not here...' she thought before swinging her sword downward.
A massive energy blade shot out, crashing into the city and obliterating everything in its path. Then, a pillar of violent energy shot into the sky, followed by an underground explosion of high-intensity energy.
Boom!!!
All the titans beneath the surface were annihilated.
"The power of a Hero..." Alice stared at Kyveli, who was suspended in the air.
...
The battle in Mountain Rock City lasted for two days before the titans were completely exterminated.
The Hero of Goddess Athena, Kyveli, made her move and slew one of the two Ninth Shackle Realm titans guarding the city.
While there were still many questions about the higher-ups' plan, the details remained sealed. Only the Gods and a few select mortals, like the Heroes, knew the full scope of the plan.
The warriors quickly established a base in Mountain Rock City and dispatched units to flank the other titan settlements.
The tide of battle shifted when the titan settlement in Mountain Rock City collapsed. Hero-ranks appeared frequently, fighting fiercely, and their presence had a profound impact on the lower-ranked beings.
...
In the Goddess Palace, Goddess Athena sat on her throne, a worried look on her face. In front of her, Kyveli, one of her Heroes, knelt in submission.
"My Lady, it seems that the Right Hand of the Great Night is not in Mountain Rock City. Other titan settlements have been taken over, but it's the same situation everywhere," Kyveli reported.
"Great Night... Nyx... Zeus said that it's buried in one of the places where the titans were sealed. We have to find it," Athena muttered.
"I understand, My Lady. I will do anything to accomplish it," Kyveli responded.
Athena closed her eyes.
The Great Goddess of the Night.
According to Zeus and his brothers, Goddess Nyx had separated herself into different parts, and those parts scattered across the Land of Olympus.
'It will be done... This war will end soon. However, those beings on Nyx's level will awaken as well. There's also the Ruler of Gluttony. I can feel that he's planning something again,' Athena thought inwardly.
...
It had been three days since the battle in Mountain Rock City ended.
Eztein glanced at Alice, who was staring out of the window. He frowned and asked, "Are you worried about what you did?"
"No," Alice shook her head. She knew he was referring to her use of the demonic form. "I'm sure it's not a problem. The titans said it could block the perception of the Gods. Moreover, judging by the actions of the higher-ups, it seems they're trying to find something."
If the Gods of Olympus couldn't perceive what was happening inside the barrier, then her father would likely be in the same position.
"I see..." Eztein nodded in understanding.
A lot of people in the Astros were aware that Alice was a demon, especially the witches. After all, Alice had used her true form when fighting against the Clan Leader, and many people had witnessed that battle.
However, the information was tightly controlled within the Astros because of the parasites in their bodies. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't share it with anyone outside.
"We've earned tons of merits, so I think it's time to exchange them. We should use them to strengthen ourselves again," Alice said.
"I understand," Eztein nodded.
"I think we should let Leef and the others take lower-difficulty missions by themselves. The last mission was too dangerous for them," Vashno suggested.
Alice rubbed her chin thoughtfully, considering Vashno's words. After a few moments, she nodded. "That's a good idea. There are too many high-level titans in our missions, and it's becoming harder for them to keep up with us."