Upon seeing their leader dead, the beetle-men flew into a frenzy, breaking their formations as they charged toward me — no, rather, they were rushing desperately to recover the corpse of that powerful beetle-man in particular. The beasts with simpler minds that composed the enemy horde, however, continued their assault. Yet without the support of the beetle warriors, they were easily pierced, sliced apart, or turned into living pin cushions for arrows.
A few beetle warriors managed to reach my position, shouting words I couldn't understand.
"No… actually, I do understand them. I understand them perfectly."
I could guess what they wanted. I could guess they were suffering.
Rage consumed me.
"After everything you've taken from us, you disgusting beasts…"
"HOW DARE YOU PRETEND THAT YOU ARE THE ONES SUFFERING?!"
I screamed and lunged forward, my sword ready for the massacre. Pieces of bodies began flying everywhere. The beetle-men, with their multiple lower limbs and sometimes four to six arms, made it impossible for me not to feel satisfaction with every cut.
The battle raged for moments longer until a golden radiance emerged behind us — a shining, radiant angel soaring up from the depths where the spell nexus had been. She descended between us and the enemy. In an instant, her spear expanded to a massive size, colossal enough to cover most of the entrance. Ariel first crushed the enemies beneath it as if they were insects, then raised it again, bringing the entrance crashing down.
In mere moments, the monstrous horde that had consumed most of our strength was stopped by her alone.
"That's the power of a semi-transcendent blessed by the divine," I thought with pride — though there lingered an uncomfortable feeling I buried deep within. I wasn't in the mood to dwell on where those thoughts came from.
Ariel flew toward me first. Her expression was serious, and the first thing she did was stretch out her hand, touching my face as if to make sure I was really there.
"I'm glad you managed to wake up. Your wounds were severe — you had horrible burns all over your body."
I took her hand and pressed it between both of mine, feeling her warmth.
"All thanks to you. Without your help, I would've burned to death."
Ariel smiled faintly, a blush spreading across her face.
"I would never let you die as long as I'm alive, Midas."
At that moment, the stones from the collapse began to shift slightly — the enemy was trying to break through again.
Ariel straightened herself and began issuing orders swiftly:
"Everyone, move as close to the center as possible to form a large-scale teleportation circuit! We're abandoning the spell nexus and moving to a new position!"
I was intrigued. What could be more important than defending this place?
The mages responsible for the defenses had arrived with Ariel, and the rest were already in position, ready for the mass teleportation. Once we were all inside the circle, the spell activated — and we vanished.
We arrived at an unknown place. We were above the entire Bastion — at the very top.
A massive floating island, unreachable by anyone who couldn't fly. The wind howled fiercely at this height. Behind us stood an enormous cube that seemed to be absorbing ether from its surroundings.
Ariel rose above everyone with her legion — they had apparently reached the floating island before us.
"Humans, elves, demons, and angels — hear my words. We have fought to defend this fortress for years, knowing it would one day fall. But everything has led to this moment. What stands behind you is a weapon forged by the gods themselves — one that will bring us victory. Through years of pain and suffering, we shall triumph! Do not let the sacrifices made be in vain! Fight to the last man, and bring tomorrow to this world! NOT ONE STEP BACK!"
The roar of thousands of soldiers erupted across the floating island. They had fought for years with no purpose beyond survival; but today, for the first time, they had something to fight for — to save the world and destroy evil like the heroes of old.
I raised my sword to the sky, and Alnis followed my lead.
"TODAY WE FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN! TODAY WE FIGHT FOR ALL WHO ONCE GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR US! NOT ONE STEP BACK, SOLDIERS!"
"NOT ONE STEP BACK!"
"NOT ONE STEP BACK!"
"NOT ONE STEP BACK!"
The sound of a war horn echoed alongside the shouts.
We had a clear goal — and, above all, hope. Yet even amidst all the screams and emotion, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The unease I had pushed aside was growing stronger by the second.
Once again, I had to set my thoughts aside — below us came the shrieks of thousands of monsters, the roars of mastodons, and the clatter of enemy armor.
The creatures on the ground, realizing what had happened and that their prey had fled upward, began to climb over one another, trying to reach the island. I looked to the horizon and saw only darkness — an endless sea of monsters.
And then, a roar far more terrifying than any before shook the world.
In the distant sky, a blood-red shape approached. It was immense, its colossal size spanning hundreds of clouds, and even from kilometers away, the beating of its wings and its thunderous roar could be felt. The aura it emanated was immense — of semi-transcendent rank.
"So that's the enemy general this time…"
Probably one of the strongest monsters alive: the traitor dragon, Leviathan. A dragon who had betrayed its own kind — out of hatred for the world, or perhaps hatred for its lineage… maybe both. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter anymore.
It was no different from the undead dragons Ariel had slain — for when you faced Ariel directly, there was no difference between you and a corpse.
"I'll take care of him. Don't let anyone near the structure."
"Don't worry. Go."
Ariel rose into the sky to face Leviathan, her legion soaring after her.
And me? I still had a Manemite spear left to use.
"SKUTARI, FORM A SHIELD WALL AROUND THE MAGES!"
"LIONS OF ASTURIAS, TAKE DOWN ANYTHING THAT APPROACHES THE MAGES!"
"MAGES, DON'T STOP CASTING SPELLS!"
"SHADOWS OF EITHNE, ELIMINATE ANY BEAST THAT APPROACHES THE FORMATION!"
"INFERNAL DEMONS, SLAUGHTER ANYTHING THAT BREAKS THROUGH THE SKUTARI!"
The island was quickly surrounded by enemies, who used the bodies of freshly sacrificed monsters to create makeshift ramps toward us. Others, like the beetle-men, constructed earthen bridges with terrifying speed, using geomancy.
Even worse, monsters began appearing in the middle of our formation — teleported from somewhere else. But the Lions of Asturias and the Infernal Demons were vigilant, cutting down anything that slipped through and protecting the archers and mages. There was little they could do, though, if the monsters appeared right above us.
"MAGES, CEASE FIRE! PREPARE AN ANTI-SPELL FORMATION!"
I gave the order — but at that moment:
"Oh blessed earth,
Let the path be lost,
Let the translation be stopped."
Alnis chanted, and the power of the Vox negated any teleportation spells within the floating island.
Finally, a few monsters managed to climb up — but the first to reach us met the edge of my blade. I stepped ahead of the Skutari line and swung my sword; every arc of its swing sent monster bodies flying apart.
Elsewhere, the rest of the monsters met the Skutari, who shredded them like true meat grinders.
There were all kinds of monsters — satyr-men with long sabers, beetle-men who had been formidable enemies so far, serpent-men, and in the distance, I saw spider-like figures and corrupted minotaurs approaching. But that was fine. It didn't matter what kind of monster came — race or species — they would all meet the same end: cut down or burned by my lightning.
"ROAAAAAAH!"
A furious roar came from behind me — a massive demon with a gigantic black halberd charged toward my position.
"Armageddon, good to see you."
"The princess thought you might need some help."
The imposing demon stood beside me and swung his halberd, obliterating anything daring to cross the bridge.
"I'LL TEAR YOU TO PIECES! I'LL TURN YOU INTO MINCED MEAT AND DEVOUR YOU ALL!"
The demon's battle-thirsty laughter echoed across the battlefield as the enemies were slaughtered in droves.
Then, in the sky, a ferocious roar sounded — the heavens opened, letting through faint rays of sunlight. Everyone froze, staring at the battle raging above.
Ariel and Leviathan clashed in the skies, tearing the heavens apart. The echoes of their blows made the very air tremble — a colossal golden spear was summoned, and seas of fire flooded the sky, its heat reaching even our battlefield.
We quickly snapped out of our awe and returned to the fight.
Soon the area was surrounded; the beetle-men had finished their bridges with astounding speed. They were large enough for their biggest beasts — mastodons several meters tall — to charge up alongside the minotaurs.
Those bridges were a problem.
"Armageddon, destroy as many bridges as you can."
The demon spread his massive wings and launched himself toward them.
Two bridges stood before me; I had no way to destroy them except with magic, so I retreated behind our lines.
Some mastodons managed to reach us, crushing the Skutari ranks beneath their enormous weight. But when I thought the line would break, finally—
"STAND FIRM FOR THE LORD OF STORMS! FOR THE LORD OF LIGHTNING!"
"FOR THE GOD OF LIGHTNING!"
"FOR THE GOD OF LIGHTNING!"
My gaze grew heavy with sorrow. Even after being abandoned for so long, my men still clung to their god.
"Perhaps hearing that they were defending a divine weapon gave them strength."
As their cries to their god rang out, the remaining Skutari charged the massive creatures without fear, spears striking wherever they could — some even cast aside their shields to cling to the beasts and stab their eyes.
Even the Lions of Asturias struck their chests and rushed forward to assist, shouting:
"FOR THE GOD OF STORMS!"
I hesitated for a moment — then resolve filled me. I saw my men. I had long abandoned my title as Hegemon, first son of the God of Lightning, after being forsaken by Him.
But if my men still chose to believe, then I would give them the courage to fight for their faith.
Lightning surged through my body. I unleashed my most powerful magic as I stepped ahead of the men holding the line.
"HEAR ME, MONSTERS! YOU STAND BEFORE THE HEGEMON OF THE EMPIRE OF LIGHTNING — THE STORM RIDER, SON OF GOD, AND RULER OF HUMANITY!"
My voice thundered across the skies, and above the island — above nearly all of Last Bastion — storm clouds began to form, thick with violent lightning.
"HEGEMON!"
"HEGEMON!"
"RULER OF HUMANITY!"
The human legions chanted; their morale soared. The soldiers' weapons gleamed, charged with lightning. Every man became a weapon of divine wrath.
My power returned — not born from faith in my God, but from the faith of those who still believed in their beloved deity.
I raised my sword; the lightning reflected off my armor.
"THE SON OF THE STORM COMMANDS: DISAPPEAR, MISERABLE MONSTERS! RETURN TO THE ASHES YOU CAME FROM!"
"STORM CATACLYSM!"
At that moment, the power gathered in the heavens descended — thousands of lightning bolts struck the battlefield with divine fury. Judgment fell upon the enemies of mankind, annihilating them in a storm of destruction. The thunder roared, rain poured, and the wind howled with all the fury of our pain.
The stone bridges were obliterated as bolts from the cataclysm rained down. Tens of thousands of enemies perished, reduced to dust beneath our feet.
That attack drained most of my mana — but I still had a bit left. Just enough to do one last thing.
I looked up at Leviathan — the battle between him and Ariel now raged within the storm clouds. I prepared to aid her, lifting my arm and charging my final spear.
Lightning roared through me again as I took aim — then the spear was released, vanishing into the storm. I truly hoped it would help her.
"Now… back to our fight."
I looked upon the battlefield once more — new monsters were gathering, the beetle-men rebuilding their bridges from the massive pit below. I was out of magic.
My men shouted that the God of Storms and the Hegemon were with them — their morale burned bright — but I could do little more for them now.
Armageddon returned to my side.
"Ready to keep slaughtering?"
He looked pleased — but I knew he understood: we wouldn't last much longer.
"Let's send those beasts back to the depths."