Beyond the Apocalypse

Back on the border between the Jerar Country and the Wendy Country, the situation was just as bloody as on any other front. Vlad stood at the head of hundreds of thousands of soldiers clad in black armor, each breathing heavily as they gazed out over the battlefield.

In front of the soldiers were over one and a half million Leviathans’ corpses. Although Vlad’s decision to rest earlier had allowed the hive mind to retake biomass in the south of the country, the human forces had still managed to intercept this swarm before it could cross into Wendy Country. While it was not a total victory, killing these forces would still wound the Leviathan race deeply.

The battle that had just concluded here had been hard. They had pushed themselves to their limit, clashing furiously with the Leviathans, yet the fight ended more swiftly than anyone expected—it lasted less than an hour. Given their previous respite, it would be only a matter of minutes before Vlad and his soldiers could recover enough strength to fight at full capacity again.

Vlad himself was already beginning to feel the return of his energy, his stamina raging back into him like a river bursting through a broken dam. Since the swarm they had faced had not been a singular overpowering force, he was not forced to use his Depravita Aura.

However, despite this, there was a solemn expression etched onto Vlad’s face as he gazed toward the Wendy Country. He knew the heart of the Leviathan Race lay in that land, the obsidian obelisk. Despite his final target getting closer and closer, for some reason, his instincts screamed danger at the thought of marching forward. It was as if something unimaginably hazardous lurked on the other side of that border. Yet fear and doubt could not be allowed to cloud his judgment. Danger was as natural in war as the very air they breathed, and trying to avoid it was simply ridiculous. If he hesitated now, all their previous efforts would go to waste.

He made sure that all the soldiers had recovered their energy before giving the signal. The mighty battalions marched forward, crossing the border and entering the Wendy Country without hesitation. For a moment, an eerie silence spread across the scorched earth. They heard nothing but their own footsteps and the muffled rustle of armor.

However, it did not remain silent for long. Soon, the sound of piercing cries echoed in the distance. The troops halted briefly, straining their senses. What they saw next was perplexing. A swarm of Leviathans marched forward to meet them, but it was barely two million strong this time. Moreover, while it contained a decent number of insect-humanoid hybrids and aerial units, it did not seem like a force that could truly stand against the might of these well-rested, well-organized human battalions. Confusion arose on the faces of the soldiers. They had expected a monumental confrontation, perhaps an unimaginable horde designed to crush them utterly. Instead, the hive mind presented a force that looked almost meager in comparison.

Even Vlad found himself momentarily perplexed by this sight. The hive mind was resourceful and cunning. Why send such a comparatively small swarm forward when it could have gathered more numbers before challenging them again? Admittedly, waiting to gather more troops might have meant losing more terrain to the humans, but it would still have been preferable to send these Leviathans to their doom. It was not like the hive mind to make such a straightforward and seemingly wasteful mistake.