Chapter 184: The Battle Begins
The situation in Vicanti grows more tense as devils approach the town. Many people begin to cause a ruckus, but thanks to the mercenaries and adventurers, they are able to prevent further chaos. However, everyone is aware of the dire situation and the anxiety felt by the people, which is why the disturbances are occurring. The local prominent figures can use the teleportation station, while most commoners will have to walk south under protection.
Aldrian watched all of this with a serene expression, but beneath that calmness, there was also anxiety due to the uncertainty of his mother’s fate. He hoped that he could dash north to find her, but he wasn’t reckless. He knew this was war, and it was his first time being involved in it. He wanted to understand how the devils fought, as they had managed to breach the empire so deeply. Usually, the fighting was confined to the border and could only be considered skirmishes.
He wondered what made the Devil Lord decide to attack the empire, as a full-scale invasion like this was not common. The last time it happened was thousands of years ago. However, the situation then was not as dire as it was now, with the empire seemingly losing to the devils on all fronts. What made the devils feel different this time? What made them feel confident? He wanted to find out through this battle.
He had already created his domain here, standing atop the wall and gazing at the horizon, waiting for the incoming devils. He closed his eyes in meditation, his mind working through many scenarios. He also decided to create a formation within his domain to cover a small part of the town. With his domain extending over more than 3 kilometers, he couldn’t cover the entire town. If he wanted to cover the entire town, he would have to create the domain inside the town’s mayor’s mansion, where he believed the faith or karma of the people must be gathered.
An hour passed, but there was still no movement on the horizon. However, the Rivas family’s thousands of soldiers had already established a defense line 500 meters in front of the wall. The average cultivation of these soldiers was at the Baron stage, and all of them wore Earth-grade armor, showcasing how wealthy the Rivas family was in nurturing so many of their cultivators to this level and even providing them with artifacts for protection.
After another hour, they finally saw something on the horizon. At first, it appeared as a tiny dot in the sky, and not long after, they spotted a dot on the ground. Soon, they could clearly see a massive number of devils approaching them at high speed.
"Many of them are riding wyverns! Cultivators of the wind element, use your wind to prevent the wyverns from attacking! Kill as many as possible! After I give the signal, strike them! Use your energy wisely—don’t waste too much of it!" the commander of the Rivas family shouted. He then stood at the forefront of the defense line and raised his hand, his aura blaring with the power of his middle Grand Duke stage cultivation.
He then created a giant fire ball on top of his hand, the heat of which could be felt from inside the town. Many people who saw it were amazed by its power. When they saw thousands of wyverns, with devils riding on them, coming their way at full speed, they felt nervous but remained steadfast in their positions.
They also finally saw the main army of the devils on the ground, advancing with movements that created a rumbling sound and even made the ground tremble. This was one of the devils’ tactics to shake their opponents’ morale, and it was quite successful. Some of the mercenaries began to tremble when they saw the massive number of devils, their forces so numerous that they seemed to blacken the sky and the ground.