Crunch-crunch-crunch—
An eerie sound emanated from the cocoon embedded in the center of the magical beast's body.
The cocoon pulsed rhythmically, gradually expanding its fleshy surface ever so slightly.
The beast that housed it was so massive that the three-meter cocoon seemed minuscule.
Yet, positioned at the very core like a heart and beating at regular intervals, it exuded an ominous presence regardless of its scale.
At that moment, a strange transformation occurred in the colossal magical beast's body.
Swoosh!
Thousands of tentacles erupted from the beast's abdomen, stretching long toward Atlas.
One of the airborne magical beasts then hurled the man it had captured toward the tentacles.
Rustle!
"Aaah!"
The tentacles caught the man mid-air and immediately wrapped around his entire body.
Soon, the tentacles began to undulate gently, and moments later, they uncoiled.
Inside lay the man, drained of all bodily fluids and reduced to a mummified husk.
Crackle!
The corpse, now just bones and skin, crumbled, scattering fragments into the air.
The other magical beasts followed suit, snatching up humans and delivering them to the tentacles.
Among them were wounded knights and soldiers.
"Urgh!"
The knights swung their swords desperately, trying to free themselves from the tentacles coiling around their bodies.
But even they were inexorably drained of fluids and withered into mummies.
As the number of humans absorbed by the tentacles increased, the cocoon's growth accelerated visibly.
Kali watched from atop the ramparts, gritting her teeth in fury.
'They're using us as nutrients.'
She now understood why the magical beasts, despite their numerical superiority, had not overwhelmed Atlas in a single assault.
Their intent had been to wear down the defenders with relentless attacks, then harvest them as easy sustenance.
Kali felt a searing rage toward these creatures that disregarded human dignity, treating them as mere fodder.
Rumble!
She gripped her sword and drew upon her energy.
The ominous storm of aura emanating from her caused the magical beasts that had pulled back to swarm toward her once more.
Caw!
As the beasts bared their razor-sharp fangs and charged, the White Silver Knights blocked her path.
"Protect the lord!"
Their armor already battered and stained with the blood and remains of magical beasts, the White Silver Knight Order's knights mustered every ounce of strength to shield Kali.
Swoosh!
Swords infused with aura sliced through the charging beasts, severing limbs and tentacles.
Yet the magical beasts refused to die easily, pressing their assault on the knights.
"Argh!"
One knight screamed in agony as a sharp claw pierced his abdomen.
But even in that instant, he did not release his sword.
Swallowing the blood rising to his throat, he drove his blade into the beast until the very end.
Thanks to the White Silver Knights' sacrifices, Kali bought herself some time.
Rumble!
A heavy surge of energy concentrated into Kali's sword, known as the Giant Strength Sword.
She shouted to the knights.
"Everyone, fall back!"
At her command, the knights rolled aside, clearing the way.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar like cracking thunder, the sword in Kali's hand surged upward from below.
The energy focused in the blade extended in a straight line, targeting not only the beasts lunging at her but also the colossal magical beast beyond.
Boom!
Like a giant wielding a greatsword in an upward swing, Kali's enlarged aura blade pulverized every magical beast in its path in an instant.
Boom-boom-boom!
The sword strike hurtled onward with enough force to bisect the massive beast in one blow.
But at the very moment it reached its target, a translucent membrane enveloped the colossal beast's body.
Whummm!
A protective barrier, similar to the one that had defended Atlas, materialized and blocked Kali's strike.
Rumble!
The one-hit-kill attack from Kali's sword was futilely halted by the barrier.
Seeing this, Kali and the White Silver Knights' faces filled with despair.
Kali had been swinging her sword on the battlefield throughout the war. Having expended all her strength in this assault, even standing was now a struggle.
Unconsciously, she dropped to one knee, hunching over.
With her stamina and mental fortitude at their limits, Kali tried desperately to rise, but her body refused to obey.
'Move! Move!'
She whipped herself mentally, summoning her will to force her arms and legs, but it was no use.
Then, the colossal magical beast's body underwent another change.
Cannon-like maws protruded one after another from its gaping back, aiming at the defensive wall.
Rumble!
An ominous sound emanated from the cannon-like maws.
Sensing the dire energy, Kali scanned it briefly before shouting to the surrounding knights.
"Jump down from the ramparts! Hurry!"
The knights and soldiers heeded her words, hastily descending the walls.
But Kali herself could not move.
Other knights tried to rush to her aid, but they were too far away.
Black orbs were already forming from the maws extended by the beast, warping the air around them.
Rumble-rumble!
With a massive vibration, over a dozen black orbs spun forth, hurtling toward Atlas's ramparts.
Boom-boom-boom!
The black orbs collided with the ramparts in a deafening explosion.
Crash!
As if the sky itself were collapsing, one section of Atlas's sturdy ramparts crumbled in an instant.
black orbs unleashed by the colossal beast not only obliterated the ramparts
but also obliterated the moat before them and every obstacle impeding the magical beasts' advance.
Rumble!
Moments later, as the massive dust cloud settled, the devastation revealed itself. The area was razed clean, as if the ramparts had never existed.
The knights who had barely escaped wailed at the sight of the obliterated wall.
"Lorrrrdd!"
Kali, who had failed to escape the ramparts in time, had been caught in the bombardment and vanished without a trace.
With their spiritual pillar and rallying point gone, the knights were utterly bereft of hope.
Defeat and despair etched themselves onto their faces.
Beyond the collapsed ramparts, something dark and swarming approached.
Thud-thud-thud!
In a hopeless turn, the magical beasts originally advancing on Atlas now converged on the breach.
The knights and soldiers plunged into despair once more at the sight.
There was nowhere left to flee.
As the horde closed in, one soldier among them screamed, discarding his weapon and fleeing.
"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
Though he ran backward, there was no escape from this place. Fleeing soldier was soon snatched by another airborne magical beast and handed over to the tentacles.
In this grim situation where death or slaughter were the only options, the White Silver Knights slowly rose, gripping their swords once more.
Zing—
Defeat and frustration still marked their faces.
Yet what drove them was the last vestige of pride as knights.
The White Silver Knights all raised their swords, pressing the pommels to their chests.
With silent tribute to their departed lord, they summoned their remaining strength.
The lead senior knight murmured slowly.
"White Silver Knight Order. Charge."
Without cheers or valor, they raised their swords and charged toward the tens of thousands of oncoming magical beasts.
But then.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
A massive bolt of lightning struck down toward the beasts charging at them.
Screech!
The beasts hit by the lightning writhed in agonized screams.
Dozens more bolts followed, crashing down upon the entire horde.
Crackle-crackle!
Beasts struck from all sides exploded, crumbling into black ash and scattering.
White Silver Knights, swords raised and mid-charge, froze in shock as the sudden lightning swept away the magical beasts.
"Wh-what is this...?"
They looked up to the sky from where the lightning had fallen.
Above the colossal floating magical beast, something else hovered.
It was none other than.
"A ship?"
A single vessel floated in the air.
At the same moment, white lightning surged from the ship once more, plummeting toward the magical beasts.
Boom-boom-boom!
The powerful bolts spread outward, instantly annihilating thousands of the vanguard beasts.
As the knights stared in bewilderment, something approached them.
Neigh!
Bucephalus, in the form of a celestial steed, carried what they thought was the deceased Kali and let out a long cry.
The knights gasped at the sight of her.
"Lord!"
Just before the ramparts collapsed, Bucephalus had borne Kali on its back and swiftly evacuated the area.
Kali, seated atop Bucephalus, shouted to the knights.
"Gather the survivors and reform the lines!"
Her resounding voice snapped the knights back to reality.
The senior knight raised his sword in a salute of respect to Kali.
Then, pointing to the breached ramparts, he said.
"Lord! If the magical beasts pour through the collapsed ramparts, it will be impossible to contain them. We should concentrate our forces to defend that spot..."
But Kali shook her head.
"No need to worry about that."
As the senior knight faltered in confusion at her firm words.
Rumble-rumble!
Incredibly, a wall began to rise on its own at the site of the collapsed ramparts.
Crunch-crunch—
Not only was the breach being rebuilt, but the existing ramparts were also transforming.
Cannon batteries mounted atop the walls, and gunports appeared in strategic spots.
Rumble!
The newly installed batteries soon targeted the airborne magical beasts, unleashing a barrage of mana rounds.
Thud-thud-thud!
Beasts struck by the mana rounds plummeted helplessly.
A translucent protective barrier then formed in front of the ramparts.
The advancing magical beasts slammed into it, unable to proceed further.
As the knights struggled to process the sudden changes, unexpected allies appeared from the flank.
Rustle-rustle—
The undead legion, radiating the aura of death, had arrived not at Thermo Fortress but directly at Atlas, leaving the knights stunned once more.
Clack-clack! Clack!
Contrary to their fears, the immortal legion—vassals of the Lord of the Abyss—had come here under their alliance with the Guide of Fair Suffering to strike down his foes.
Armed with bone armor and bone swords, the undead warriors charged toward the magical beasts.
Caw!
An unprecedented spectacle unfolded: a war between the undead legion and the magical beasts.
***
"It's fortunate we weren't too late."
Zeke sat in the Ark's command seat, monitoring the battlefield in real time through the system.
Rather than using a portal to reach Atlas, he had gone to Death Valley and brought the mobile fortress, the Ark.
[Successfully linked Defense Mode with the city of Atlas.]
[Control system linkage with Atlas is now possible.]
Upon assessing the battlefield, Zeke immediately used the linked Defense Mode to reconstruct Atlas's shattered defenses.
He rebuilt the ramparts and installed anti-air batteries as needed.
Though it consumed points, the mass elimination of magical beasts within the Defense Mode's range more than compensated for the expenditure.
Zeke deployed Guardians and shadow spirits across key points in Atlas's defenses.
Applying chess tactics he had learned in the Demon Realm, he calculated the optimal placements to minimize allied casualties while efficiently annihilating the magical beasts.
Thanks to this, the number of invading magical beasts dwindled rapidly.
Confirming that Atlas's defensive line had stabilized with the reconstruction, Zeke turned his gaze to the whale-like colossal magical beast at the Ark's prow.
The angel's cocoon sprouting from the beast's gaping back caught his eye.
Zeke's eyes gleamed as he observed it.
"You'll regret touching Atlas."
From the command seat, he grasped the Ark's control crystal orb and murmured.
"I'll shatter you to pieces before you can hatch."