Chapter 326 - 326: BATTLING ENVY CLAN
The Copy Cats surged forward with unrelenting fervor, a living tide of shifting forms racing toward the Envy territory's outer defenses.
Their movements were chaotic yet perfectly synchronized, claws scraping stone and dirt as they closed the distance at terrifying speed.
The demons reacted instantly.
From the high walls and watchtowers, they unleashed a storm of long-range attacks, crimson energy lances, arcs of poisonous green fire, jagged shards of shadow, and roaring blasts of demonic force.
The sky lit up with the barrage, the air crackling and hissing as the spells converged on the advancing swarm.
But it was futile. Completely useless.
The Copy Cats refused to die.
Or rather, they simply couldn't.
Explosions tore through their ranks, flames engulfed dozens at a time, and piercing projectiles ripped gaping holes in their bodies, yet the creatures simply reformed, their flesh knitting back together in seconds.
Severed limbs twitched once and then rejoined the main mass.
Charred husks crumbled only to rise again, eyes glowing with the same mindless hunger.
The demons remained oblivious to the truth: deep within each Copy Cat pulsed a pea-sized core, the single vulnerable point that could end them.
Without knowing where or how to strike it, every attack was wasted effort.
"What the hell is going on?" Cain asked, eyebrows shooting up as he watched the impossible scene unfold.
"Why aren't your Copy Cats dying?"
Greg glanced sideways at him, expression calm. "Same reason Shadow slaves can't die."
He turned his attention back to the battlefield.
The Copy Cats had already reached the base of the massive castle wall that guarded the Envy Clan's heart.
They scaled it with horrifying ease, claws digging into stone, bodies piling over one another like living ladders.
Demon archers stationed along the battlements fired frantically, arrows raining down in black clouds. But the Copy Cats kept coming.
At the top of the wall, the defenders fought desperately. Swords flashed, spears thrust, spells detonated in close quarters.
Screams echoed as demons were dragged over the edge or torn apart mid-swing.
Yet their attempts were doomed from the very start.
The terror once reserved for Shadow slaves now gripped the Envy Clan's forces.
They realized with growing horror that these invaders could not be easily killed.
No matter how many times they struck, the creatures returned, stronger in number, hungrier in purpose.
Chaos spread like wildfire along the ramparts.
The Copy Cats continued their relentless assault, pulling demons apart limb from limb, scaling higher, overwhelming positions one by one.
Blood slicked the stone, dripping in thick rivulets down the wall face.
"Annabelle. It's your turn," Greg said, voice steady as he nodded toward his sister.
Annabelle stepped forward without hesitation, moving to the forefront of the group.
Her eyes narrowed in focus, power gathering visibly around her in shimmering waves of heat.
"Blazing Sun," she intoned, casting the devastating AOE flame spell.
A blinding sphere of pure solar fire erupted from her outstretched hands.
It expanded rapidly, roaring outward like a newborn star.
The intense heat warped the air itself before the spell even made contact.
When it struck the castle wall, the massive structure didn't just crack, it disintegrated.
Stone melted into glowing slag, towers collapsed in molten ruin, and the entire section of the wall vanished in a deafening explosion of flame and superheated debris.
A shockwave rolled outward, knocking demons off their feet and scorching everything in its path.
"You all charge," Greg commanded, turning to the group.
"Ensure to protect yourselves while at it. I will be going forward to deal with the Demon Lord. Annabelle, you will back me up against him. The rest of you provide support and prevent mobs from disrupting us."
"I don't think we can take care of all the mobs," Aaron said, using his Observer talent to scan the battlefield. "They are a lot."
"I'm aware," Greg replied. "You will receive help."
He opened his independent space with a casual gesture.
A wide rift tore open beside him, and from within it poured an entirely new army.
Demon ants swarmed out in disciplined black waves.
Towering Demon Titans lumbered forward, shaking the ground with each step.
Hordes of snarling Demon Goblins flooded the field, followed by packs of massive Direwolves, their eyes glowing with feral hunger.
"That will be enough," Greg added calmly. "After all, you have one more army with you guys too." He glanced toward Cain.
"Yeah right," Will said with a growing smile. "We'll be more than okay actually."
With the tactics fully sorted, Greg dashed forward in a blur of motion.
Annabelle followed right behind him, flames still flickering along her arms as they carved a straight path toward the heart of the castle.
The others advanced more slowly but steadily, clearing a wide corridor through the enemy ranks.
Their combined forces drew the bulk of the demonic attention, keeping the main horde occupied.
"Rise!" Cain called out, his voice carrying dark authority.
One by one, undead rose from the blood-soaked earth under his command.
Skeletons clawed their way up, rotting warriors staggered to their feet, and spectral forms shimmered into existence.
The battlefield grew even more crowded as Cain's legion joined the fray.
Thomas charged straight into the thickest swarm of demons, dual blades already spinning in deadly arcs.
With two weapons in hand, his attack power multiplied fourfold.
He moved like a force of nature, raw, brutal, unstoppable.
Demons fell apart before him in sprays of gore.
Body parts flew in every direction: severed arms, heads tumbling through the air, torsos splitting open.
Blood painted the ground around him in widening pools as he carved deeper into the enemy lines.
On the opposite flank, Brian fought in stark contrast.
Where Thomas was overwhelming force, Brian was elegant precision.
He moved like a graceful dancer amid the carnage, body flowing fluidly between strikes.
A demon's claw slashed toward his face; he pivoted smoothly to the left, the attack whistling past.
Retaining perfect balance, he drove his sword forward in a clean thrust, piercing the demon's chest.
With a twist and surge of strength, he sliced through the creature as though it were soft tofu, freeing his blade in one smooth motion.
He dodged the downward hammer slam of another demon just in time, the heavy weapon cratering the ground beside him.
Without missing a beat, Brian stepped lightly onto the hammer's head.
As the demon lifted it instinctively, Brian used the momentum as a springboard, launching himself high into the air.
"Annihilation Strike!" he shouted, activating his skill mid-leap.
A brilliant crescent of energy erupted from his blade, sweeping outward in a wide arc.
It carved through several demons at once, heads, torsos, limbs severed in a single devastating pass.
Bodies collapsed in heaps as Brian landed lightly, already moving to the next target.