Salvos

Chapter 500: First Into Battle

500. First Into Battle

They were here.

Levithus raised his head, turning away from the crimson pillar. His long undulating body swished behind him as he approached the edge of the city. Most of Inor had already been consumed by the grand ritual. Every single one of the citys citizens lay dead, mere husks used to power the merger. The palace had fallen long ago, and the landscape had mostly changed, bringing plateaus and mountains over from the Netherworld to this desecrated land.

An army of [Legions] stood in waiting. A hundred thousand of them. Mostly fodder. And there were ten thousand [Fiends] and [Changelings] accompanying them, with thousands of Archdemons flying overhead.

This mass of Demons was but a small fraction of the Demon Kings army. Levithus knew that if the true might of Regnorexs forces marched into the Mortal Realm, there would be nothing any Human, Kobold, or Elf could do to stop the merger.

But there was one component missing. The grand ritual, as it was right now, was still incomplete. Levithus shook his head, chuckling. He stared at an engraving on the ground at his tail. Symbols were etched into the white earth. A preparation for the Human army that had come.

The plan might have been expedited, but this was always part of the plan. And the Primeval Demon smiled as he knew that it was soon time for Regnorex to make his entrance to the Mortal Realm.

[Chthonic Agaros - Lvl. 165]

[Archarachne - Lvl 169]

[Archarachne - Lvl. 166]

[Hellabomination - Lvl. 175]

Four Primeval Demons. There were four Primeval Demons here in Inor. Wild Demons. Creatures akin to monsters even more savage than Centinels. Each of them were at least a hundred feet tall. The [Archarachnes] were the smallest by far, only a hundred feet tall each, but the widest of them all with legs that spanned longer than its body.

The [Chthonic Agaros] was longer in body length, but didnt have the same wingspan as those giant spiders. It flew in the air with relatively small wings, about half the length of its own body, but somehow it managed to stay hovering there. It was quite literally ten times the size of a regular [Savage Agarat].

But the largest of them all by far was the [Hellabomination]. It stood there, towering over the [Archarachnes] at its feet. Even when hunched, its head reached the height of the flying [Chthonic Agaros]. It had to be at least five hundred feet tall, with arms that stretched nearly the length of its body, and a pair of bone-like wings that spread out behind it like two long tails.

It almost seemed impossible for those wings to carry the wild Primeval Demon, but I knew from experience, with my [Wings of the Netherworld], that it was very easily possible.

The Human army slowed as they saw this sight. A susurration swept over them their apprehension evident. They had thought this would be an easy battle. That it would be no different from taking the sub-ritual sites. But they were wrong.

I saw the Primeval Demon standing there, right before a vast inert ritual circle. He was sneering his gaze fixed onto the approaching Human army. I frowned, seeing the way he just peered at us. I didnt know what he was planning, but I saw the sigils beneath him. The symbols that clearly were waiting to be activated. He had something planned, and we couldnt just back down now.

My vision swept back past the wild Primeval Demons, over the army of [Legions, through the murmuring Humans, then back to me. I saw myself floating over the coalition of Humankind. Six wings at my back. [Angels Wings].

I was a Lesser God. Someone who had ascended before an audience of a hundred thousand. And my divinity had been witnessed all across the Inoria Empire when my clones took to the skies.

Even if I wasnt a [Hero], nor was I the Champion of the Human Lands, and neither was I the highest-leveled [Mage], I still saw the way the Human army looked at me. There was some reverence there. After all, most of them had heard my name at this point.

I was Salvos. They might have heard of me after Silvergrove, or they might have heard of me after the Plaguelands. Maybe they heard of me after I left the Bloodied Gulf, or after I defeated Belzu in the Motharis Mountain Range. They might have even only heard of me when I ascended.

But they had heard of me. And I knew that many of them looked up to me literally and figuratively. Whatever Levithus was planning I couldnt let it happen. We couldnt just retreat when we had already come so far. There was no more waiting.

This war ended today.

And I was going to do everything I could to ensure that happened. Even if it meant being the first one to charge into battle. So I flew ahead

Beneath me, heads turned. Faces raised to watch as I shot forward, propelled by my six wings. Clayton Skyshredder narrowed his eyes as I zipped ahead of the army, uncaring that I was alone. He looked almost suspicious of what I was doing. And so did Helena Warshade.

I was pretty sure they thought I was switching sides now. But others were more taken by surprise. My companions, specifically, stared wide-eyed as I fellow ahead.

Salvos!

Daniel called out. Edithe glanced around in a panic.

We need to help her

What is she doing?

Saffron furrowed her brows. But I soared on. The army of Demons saw me approaching. The Archdemons flying ahead moved to intercept me. [Fiends] down below began to hurl spells my way. The [Hellabomination] moved. The [Archarachnes] shrieked. The [Chthonic Agaros] flew forward.

And as the barrage of magic flew at me, I laughed and raised a hand.

[My Flames Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends]. [Divine Essence of the Angelic Devil Princess]. [Salvo of Vanity]. And [The Call of Armageddon].

I grinned, unleashing a salvo of Skills in a single moment. And as my clones winked into existence around me, I clashed with the army of Demons all by myselves, explosions filling the sky.