Chapter 426
Yet, the appeal of the tactic was undeniable. The Zealots’ numbers were dwindling. Their usual overwhelming assault had weakened, their movements growing more frantic and desperate. It was clear that the elite warriors who had been taken into the other realm were making significant progress.
The watching Apelings saw the opportunity and did not hesitate. If their comrades were turning the tide in the upside-down world, then reinforcements would only hasten victory. One by one, they deliberately left themselves vulnerable, presenting easy targets for the Zealots. The creatures, driven by their instincts, lunged at them, dragging them into the warped reality where the battle raged on.
More warriors vanished from sight. More fighters entered the other world.
But the cost came swiftly.
A bone-chilling shriek tore through the air, an unnatural sound that clawed into the very essence of those who heard it. The guards, locked in combat with the Zealots, felt their hearts lurch at the sound. It was not the wail of the Zealots—it was something worse.
In the distance, through the distorted horizon of the upside-down world, shadows began to stir. Silhouettes darker than night itself slithered forward, their movements both fluid and jagged, as if they were flickering between realities. Their forms were twisted, their limbs unnaturally long, their hollow faces shifting with unreadable expressions.
These were not possessed Zealots. These were the true denizens of this world.
And they were coming fast.
The warriors still locked in battle with the Zealots faltered, their blades hesitating for the briefest moment. The fear was primal, instinctual—the kind of fear that sank into bones and made survival feel like a fragile hope.
The Apelings had stepped into the enemy’s world. And now, the world itself was answering.
Ikem, towering in his giant form, carried the rune pillar steadily as he advanced. Despite the chaos behind him, he did not falter—his senses, sharp as ever, tracked every moment of the battle. The desperate struggles of his warriors, their courage in taking the fight to the enemy’s domain, weighed heavily on his heart. But their willingness, their unwavering spirit, was a sign that he too should not stop. He pressed on.