Apotheosis

The flocks of Sun Crows approached from all sides. They surrounded Blue Cloud City like a vast, dark colored tide.

The few buildings in the city stood like rocks visible on the surface of the sea. They crumbled as the enemy flew over them, submerged in the tide of Sun Crows.

"They are coming!"

Zen said, holding his sword ready. Everyone was tense, waiting for the battle to start.

The various Other Shore Tokens released all kinds of energy, which vibrated and hummed in the air.

The first to fall to the Sun Crows were the people who stood in the outermost layer.

Some among these people were True Gods and Other Shore Realm warriors. Yet their strength was below that of the soldiers in the inner circle, and they were soon outmatched by the sheer numbers of the Sun Crows. They put up only a brief resistance before they were overwhelmed.

The sharp, acrid smell of blood filled the air. The sounds of screams, cries, and calls for help echoed all around them, punctuated by the quacks and squawks of the crows.

Some of the soldiers were upset, and wanted to spread out to try to help the people under attack. But their orders were clear.

"Everyone, stay put!"

The strongest guards had already gathered in the central region and formed an array, their strongest line of resistance against the Sun Crows. If any soldier left without permission, the array would be broken.

And so no one moved an inch, although their fists clenched and their hearts wept at the tragedy unfolding around them.

These were battle-hardened soldiers. They were used to seeing death and destruction. Yet it was a terrible tragedy to see their own kind being torn into pieces by a different race.

The crows were brutal and vicious in their attack. They slaughtered the people in their path by ripping them to shreds, and eating the torn pieces of their victims. Inexorably, the legions of crows drew closer and closer to the central region.

When the crows were within striking range, a voice shouted from the high wall. "Attack!"

There was a loud swish as soldiers swung their swords in unison.

Countless rows of long swords shone, emitting waves of light and energy.

It was finally time for the warriors to unleash their theurgies.

The colorful radiance of the swords radiated brightly, spreading outwards towards the crows.

The power emanating from everyone was incomparable. The huge gathering of people of the Other Shore Realm meant that all their various powers had been centralized into one massive, unstoppable force.

As the light reached the first wave of Sun Crows, the crows were killed and torn apart. Every crow that rushed forward to take the place of the fallen met with the same fate.

The sight of the dead crows

e ground.

Bright golden feathers fluttered in the air around him. Maxim almost fell to his knees. He was still in shock.

He turned and found Zen stood there, holding a long sword, wearing a faint smile on his face.

"Zen?" In his incredulity, Maxim forgot that there was still a fierce battle going on around him. He asked, "Zen, was that you? Did you kill the crows attacking me?"

"You can't fight them off alone. Better if we work together," Zen said.

"That's not what I mean. I mean..."

Maxim trailed off, unsure of what to say. He simply couldn't believe that a young man in the first stage of the Other Shore Realm had just managed to kill several Sharp-winged Sun Crows with seeming ease. Even Maxim himself had a hard time dealing with the crows right now.

Unbidden, he recalled the strange events of yesterday.

During the last attack of the Sun Crow army, many people and guards had been killed.

But of the people he had brought here from the Grand River Fortress, none had died. He had considered that there might be one or two powerful people among that group.

Until now, the possibility that it might be Zen had never occurred to Maxim. Zen had the lowest cultivation base. He couldn't have developed such abilities in such a brief period of time.

"Maybe you can ask your questions later," Zen said, interrupting Maxim's thoughts. The two of them looked up at the endless flocks of crows still flooding into the sky over the city.

Zen had been adjusting his style of attack to be more efficient against these unusual enemies. These Sun Crows were strong and fast, but they were also unarmored, and could be stopped by a well-aimed strike. So Zen compressed his powers and lowered the range of his attacks while increasing their strength and accuracy. He killed virtually every crow he targeted.