Chapter 400
It was devastating. In ten seconds, the corruption spell killed two hundred forty-three soldiers and wounded nearly four hundred more.
The human advance halted immediately as soldiers scrambled to retreat from the corrupted area, as priests rushed forward with healing magic, as commanders shouted orders trying to restore organization.
From his elevated position, Commander Elric watched two hundred forty-three soldiers die to coordinated corruption magic.
He turned to Gatty.
"The corruption specialists have revealed themselves. They’re positioned somewhere three hundred yards behind Third Line—that’s where the spell originated. Find them. Kill them."
Gattychan’s blessed sword flared with holy light, his divine presence intensifying.
"Finally. It’s time." He looked at his three companion heroes. "Seraphelle, Mikazelle, Rindelle—let’s go."
"Where are they exactly?" Mikazelle asked, her spatial perception scanning the battlefield.
"Three hundred yards behind Third Line walls, in the direction the spell came from. Concealed in buildings or underground. Use your spatial perception to locate them precisely."
Mikazelle’s eyes glowed as she extended her senses across dimensions.
"I have them. Underground passages and cellars, approximately two hundred casters in a distributed network. They’re still in their casting positions, recovering from the spell."
"Perfect. They’re vulnerable right after major casting—magically exhausted." Gattychan smiled with divine certainty. "We strike now, while they can’t defend effectively. Teleport us directly to their position."
"Dimensional transport requires physical contact," Mikazelle said, placing her hands on Gattychan, Seraphelle, and Rindelle. "Hold on."
Space folded.
The Four Heroes vanished from the elevated building, teleporting across three hundred yards in an instant.
—-----------------
At Third Line, Seraphina felt the heroes’ presence vanish from her demon lord senses.
"Lyra! The heroes’ presence just disappeared from the battlefield! I can’t sense them anymore!"
Lyra felt ice run through her veins.
"When did they vanish?"
"Immediately after our corruption specialists launched their attack. One second they were at the human command position, the next second they were gone."
Lyra’s tactical mind made the connection instantly.
"They’re not gone. They teleported. Mikazelle’s spatial manipulation—she can transport through dimensions. They’re going after the corruption specialists!"
"How do you—"
"Because that’s what I would do! The corruption specialists just revealed their position with that large-scale spell! The heroes tracked the magical signature and teleported directly to them!" Lyra’s voice carried urgency. "Tell the corruption specialists to evacuate immediately! Get out of their position! They’re compromised!"
Seraphina broadcast the warning through her telepathic connection to her corruption specialists.
"All corruption specialists, immediate evacuation! Hero force incoming! Retreat to—"
Too late.
—----------
Mikazelle’s spatial perception had tracked the corruption spell’s origin to multiple positions across a three-hundred-yard area behind Third Line.
The two hundred corruption specialists weren’t concentrated in one location—that would have been tactically foolish. Instead, they were distributed across the battlefield , though not that quite far from each other.
Approximately ten specialists per position, each group coordinating through Seraphina’s telepathic network to create the massive combined spell.
When Mikazelle teleported the Four Heroes into the battlefield, she’d chosen the largest concentration—a network of three connected positions where fifty-three corruption specialists had been casting together.
Space tore open in the central position.
Gattychan manifested first, his divine presence exploding outward like a shockwave. His Villain’s Bane ability activated immediately, filling the underground space with holy energy that weakened anything demonic.
The corruption specialists felt it like a physical blow—their power drained to one-tenth effectiveness, their magic became sluggish, their demonic vitality suppressed by divine judgment.
But they didn’t flee.
Vex’theris—the lead specialist in this position, a demon who’d served Seraphina for two hundred years—raised his hands and manifested corruption energy despite the crushing pressure of Gattychan’s aura.
"FOR SERAPHINA! FOR THE SETTLEMENT!"
Forty-nine other voices in the cellars echoed: "FOR SERAPHINA!"
The fifty-three corruption specialists attacked.
Not with physical weapons—they were mages, not warriors. They attacked with the only weapons they had: curse magic, corruption spells, demonic energy.
Vex’theris unleashed a Decay Bolt—a concentrated beam of corruption energy designed to rot flesh. At full power, it could melt through armor and dissolve bone. At one-tenth power under Gattychan’s suppression, it was still dangerous.
The bolt struck Gattychan’s chest.
And dissipated harmlessly against his divine protection.
Gattychan didn’t even flinch. His blessed sword swept in a horizontal arc, holy light trailing from the blade.
The sword’s edge caught Vex’theris across the chest, cutting through demonic flesh like paper. Holy energy poured into the wound, burning from the inside.
Vex’theris screamed—not from pain, but from rage that he couldn’t hurt this human champion—and collapsed.
First specialist dead. Five seconds into the battle.
Seraphelle had entered behind Gattychan, her healing magic inverting into offensive divine judgment. She raised both hands, golden light manifesting.
"Divine Smite!"
Holy energy exploded outward in a wave, targeting everything demonic in the cellar. Fifteen corruption specialists caught in the blast felt divine power burn through their bodies.
Three died instantly, their demonic essence unable to withstand concentrated holy judgment.
Twelve survived but wounded, their flesh seared, their magic disrupted.
Mikazelle sealed the cellar exits with dimensional barriers—walls of warped space that prevented escape. Anyone trying to pass through would be torn apart by spatial distortion.
"They’re trapped," she announced calmly. "Thirty seconds to eliminate all targets."
Rindelle drew her bow, activated Catastrophic Amplification, and fired.
The arrow multiplied in power one-thousand-fold. In the confined cellar space, the impact was devastating.
The arrow struck the ceiling and detonated with explosive force. Stone and timber collapsed. Corruption specialists were crushed by falling debris, impaled by shattered beams, buried alive.
First position- Thirty Seconds:
53 corruption specialists total11 killed by Gattychan’s sword strikes7 killed by Seraphelle’s Divine Smite18 killed by Rindelle’s amplified arrow and collapsing structure17 wounded but still fighting
The seventeen survivors fought with desperate courage.
A specialist named Korth’vel launched himself at Gattychan physically, knowing magic wouldn’t work. His clawed hands raked across Gattychan’s armor, searching for weak points.
Gattychan grabbed him by the throat, divine light pouring from his hand. "The Light purges your corruption."
Korth’vel’s throat burned, his demonic flesh dissolving under holy touch. He died screaming.