Salvos

Chapter 506: The Plan

506. The Plan

They they did it!

Daniels eyes grew wide as he stared up into the sky. The [Hellabomination]s corpse fell from the sky for a moment. But not for long as its body turned to flakes of dust. Claytons Grand Skill had struck it, boring a hole straight through its chest. And from there, the wild Primeval Demons body was entirely disintegrated.

Nothing of it remained. Not even ash. The [Hero] stared on, standing still even amidst the clash of battle. There was a moment where the fighting seemed to stop. The world froze around him. He wasnt the only one gaping at the sight of the falling [Hellabomination].

Heads turned. Eyes shot up. The United Coalition of the Human Lands watched as Clayton Skyshredder, Ze-jai, and Salvos overwhelmed the [Hellabomination], defeating it in battle. The second Primeval Demon had finally fallen, and they cheered.

A clamor of triumphant shouts roared out as Daniel felt his lips curling up. He looked on as Salvos descended victoriously with the highest-leveled [Mage] and highest-leveled [Druid] in the Human lands. She waved down below as the greatest armies of Humankind rallied beneath her. And a terrible screech drew the young mans attention.

He spun around just in time to see a crimson glow. The [Archarachnes] were locked in combat. One of them the one that was still being controlled by the Demons had the other pinned to the ground. The wild [Archarachne] head was pressed into the earth as it clicked its mandibles, a red aura coalescing around its mouth.

All at once, the wild [Archarachne] unleashed the beam of crimson energy out. But the other [Archarachne] diverted its attacks towards the Human army. Daniels eyes grew wide as he saw the blast streaking his way. It ripped across thousands of soldiers and adventurers, shearing through magical barriers like they were nothing.

Daniel wasnt even sure if he could stop its attack with a [Hero]s Skill. He backed away, pursing his lips. But if the attack was allowed to continue, it would kill thousands more. So he stepped forward. The [Hero] faced down the wild [Archarachne]s Skill, raising the Sword of Alexander.

He couldnt back down. Not in the face of this Primeval Demon. He raised his sword as the crimson beam tore his way

And a figure leapt before him.

A man dressed in a knights armor brought a large shield down as he threw himself before the crimson beam. It was a large tower shield. One that was even larger than a person. It absorbed the attack as the man raised a spear towards Daniel.

What are you doing? Kacey said you were a fool, but this is outright suicidal!

Blinking, Daniel saw the man standing before him. He was Thraust Steelwall. A Level 158 [Crusader].

His tower shield glinted as a blue barrier overcame it. Thrust stood there like an immovable rock as the crimson beam was absorbed into the barrier. And finally, the attack faded away. The wild [Archarachne] pushed the other [Archarachne] off it and leapt to the side.

Daniel just stared at as Thraust lowered his shield, shaking his head.

That was a foolish maneuver. If you had gotten yourself killed, you would have done more damage to the army than letting a few thousand die. Do you not understand that morale is just as important to victory as numbers?

Thats

The young man from Earth gritted his teeth. He looked on as the Elite [Crusader] raised his spear. Thraust thrust his spear forward, and it was overcome by a crimson glow. The spear shot out like a ballista bolt and struck the wild [Archarachne]s side.

It hissed as its carapace exploded, spilling out black blood. It turned its attention towards the [Crusader] as Daniel watched Thraust charged forward. The [Hero] stood there as the Elite [Crusader] rallied the nearby soldiers and adventurers, glancing back at Daniel once.

I suggest you take a backseat, [Hero]. Lest you will get yourself and many more killed.

Daniel didnt reply. He just looked on as Thraust led the charge. And the wild [Archarachne] loomed over them. It raised its mandibles as the world around the Elite [Crusader] and the soldiers rippled.

Shit

The young mans eyes grew wide as he watched a crimson dome encapsulate them. He tried to move, but he was too slow. The wild [Archarachne] had trapped Thraust and thousands of others in its Grand Skill.

And there was no way for Daniel to break them out.

Scarlets eyes flickered as she saw the crimson dome fall over the other side of the front lines. There were thousands that had been caught in the wild [Archarachne]s Grand Skill. A domain that only could be pierced by an equal or superior Grand Skill.

This is

She started. And paused. A prickling feeling ran down her spine as her hair stood on end. The Red Rose froze. She blinked as an unsettling sensation gurgled in her stomach. Everyone in the battlefield slowed, including the Demons.

They all glanced towards the site of the grand ritual. And the Red Rose frowned.

What is going on?

And she got her answer as the crimson pillar vanished. The red sky faded away. ANd the ground shone a dark black.

All across the battlefield, figures slowed. Whether it was Clayton Skyshredder himself or Helena Warshade. Even Salvos was taken aback by the sudden disappearance of the grand ritual. She glanced up, having failed to break through the crimson dome created by the wild [Archarachne]. Levithus simply swept his gaze through the battlefield with a scrying spell, seeing all the shocked Human reactions.

He watched as Tyrian the Brightsbane Archer fell in battle. He looked on as Thraust Steelwall impaled the wild [Archarachne] even while being shredded apart by the crimson threads. Elite Ranked Humans and Primeval Demons fell all the same. Soldiers and adventurers. Wild Demons and Archdemons.

None of it mattered to him. He saw their deaths he had seen the [Hellabomination] disintegrate. He had looked on as the [Chthonic Agaros] was ripped apart.

He even had watched as Ira died. He had seen the sub-rituals fall, meagerly defended and lost. Hundreds of thousands of Humans had died across the thirteen sub-ritual locations. And an equal amount of wild Demons and Archdemons had fallen too.

But that had all been according to the plan. All the deaths all the fading mana it had all dissipated back into the sub-rituals. Because the sub-rituals were not just a summoning site, but a gathering site as well.

Ira was never meant to live or survive. He had known that from the moment he had crossed over to the Mortal Realm. Perhaps the other Dukes and Duchesses didnt know it, but Ira understood this fact very well.

Every single one of the Demons that had been summoned thus far was merely a sacrifice. And this included Levithus himself.

He smiled as he raised his head, whispering softly.

The life of a single Level 100 is worth the life of ten thousand Level 10s. And the life of a single Elite is worth more than ten times that.

Levithus eyes flickered as he watched Thraust fall along with the wild [Archarachne]. The crimson dome dissipated, but it didnt matter. The grand ritual faded away. And the true ritual took its place. The entire battlefield shone as the red glow in the sky vanished.

A dark aura overcame the earth, drawing from the dead Humans and Demons gathered here. It wasnt just from them either. All across the Inoria Empire and the Elutra Kingdom, the sub-rituals shone with the black luminescent light. And they drew from all the dead throughout the last month of fighting, powering this final ritual circle.

Even if we had sacrificed ten million lives, it never would have been enough. Not to merge the entirety of the planes, and not to achieve my Kings goal.

Levithus whispered. It would have been too inefficient to slay all those weak Humans to bring over Regnorexs domain. Not that that had ever been the intention.

Instead, they had slain ten million Humans, and used them as sacrifices to summon an army of Demons. And using the Demons as fodder, they were able to double the amount of magic harvested from the battle through killing hundreds of thousands of high-leveled Humans as well.

Now, it was the equivalent of sacrificing twenty-million lives. But not to merge the planes. The goal was only ever one thing to bring the Demon King and his greatest soldiers across to the Mortal Realm.

Levithus grinned wide as he saw the first visage of a black spire breaking through the earth. There was no crimson column. No merger. It was a summoning ritual. And the ground reflected it. It was like a glass window to the Netherworld. To the Demon Kings castle.

And Regnorex stood there at the other side. The towering crimson figure waited with his arms crossed, a line of Primeval Demons kneeling behind him. Only a single figure remained standing. An Archdemon at his right side. The Demon King smiled and spoke through the portal with a warped voice.

Good work, Levithus.

Levithus could only bow in response, watching as the Demon Kings castle slowly broke its way into the Mortal Realm.

Praise be my King. I live to serve.

And, finally, the true ritual began.