Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 685

Chapter 685

Kwakwakwang!

The second defensive line was collapsing.

The monsters smashed through the painstakingly built defenses as though they were sandcastles. But by then, all of the awakened had already retreated to the final defensive line.

The expressions of the awakened standing on the last line of defense were resolute.

If this line fell, the monsters would pour straight into the slums.

They had to stop them here, no matter what.

Steeling themselves to the death, they stared at the tide of monsters surging toward them like a tsunami.

Between the second defensive line and the final defensive line, countless traps and explosives had been laid.

Kwakwakwang!

Anti-monster bombs and napalm shells exploded without pause, and massive traps activated one after another.

The numerous weapons installed atop the Diamond Wall bombarded the monsters.

The magic-type awakened also cast spells without ceasing, drawing the monsters' attention.

Countless monsters were funneled toward the Diamond Wall.

“At least we succeeded in herding them here.”

“Now all we can do is pray the Diamond Wall doesn't break.”

The traps and weapons had been arranged so that the monsters breaking through the first and second defensive lines would have no choice but to converge on the Diamond Wall.

Because the Diamond Wall was incomparably stronger than any other section.

The more monsters they could concentrate at the strongest point, the easier it would be to defend everywhere else.

In the end, just as Neo Seoul had planned, the majority of the monsters gathered before the Diamond Wall.

Now they could only pray that it would hold.

—Kwoooar!

—Kaaao!

The savagery of the monsters had reached its peak.

Their ferocious roars filled the awakened standing on the wall with fear.

Boom!

At last, the enormous horde crashed into the Diamond Wall.

Without regard for life or limb, they hurled themselves bodily against it.

Any ordinary structure would have been destroyed in an instant.

But the Diamond Wall stood firm, not shaking in the slightest.

The sight filled the awakened with courage.

“The wall is holding!”

“The Diamond Wall will protect us. Everyone, attack!”

“Waaaaah!”

Using the Diamond Wall as their shield, the awakened launched their attacks.

Bipedal monsters like ogres and cyclopes stretched out their arms, trying to climb over the wall.

But its surface was as smooth as glass, making it impossible to get a grip.

Even so, they struggled desperately to climb.

From atop the Diamond Wall, the awakened attacked them without restraint.

—Kweeeek!

—Uwoook!

The monsters struck by the concentrated assault were knocked back.

But killing that few hardly made a difference.

The spaces left by the dead ogres and cyclopes were instantly filled by other monsters, leaving no gaps at all.

Bang! Boom!

The monsters pounded relentlessly against the Diamond Wall.

Then, the S-rank monsters, which until now had carefully avoided overlapping one another's movements, appeared before the Diamond Wall as though they had planned it.

“Damn it!”

Levin took off once more to stop the giant bat.

Whoosh!

Transforming into the Thunder God, Levin shot into the sky.

The giant bat rushed toward him at terrifying speed.

“Hyaah!”

Levin fired Giga Lightning at it.

Using its danger detection ability, the giant bat dodged the attack.

Its hideous face twisted into what looked like a mocking grin.

“Quit laughing, you bastard.”

Flash!

At that instant, a bolt of lightning incomparably larger than Giga Lightning crashed down above the giant bat's head.

Thunder God's Hammer.

KWAKANG!

This time, even the giant bat's danger detection ability could not save it.

Levin had chained his skills together while calculating the creature's reactions.

—Kieeeh!

The giant bat took the tremendous hit and plummeted toward the ground at incredible speed.

Even an S-rank monster could not escape severe damage after taking a skill as powerful as Thunder God's Hammer head-on.

“Got you!”

With his plan succeeding, Levin shouted in triumph and moved in to finish it off.

He intended to end the fight while he still had the advantage.

But he was forced to change his plans.

The giant bat, which had been falling helplessly, regained consciousness midway and abruptly veered away.

Its recovery was worthy of an S-rank monster.

The moment it recovered, it attacked Levin with ultrasonic waves while widening the distance.

Levin's plan to finish it in one blow fell apart.

“Haa... damn it...”

Just as Levin cursed and prepared to attack again, something enormous flying in from beyond the horizon entered his vision.

“That is...?”

His pupils trembled.

Though it was unimaginably far away, he could clearly make out its shape.

A gigantic monster over a hundred meters long, with an inverted triangular body resembling a manta ray and a long tail tipped with mace-like spikes.

It was Abyss.

As though swimming through the deep sea, Abyss slowly beat its wings as it flew toward Neo Seoul.

“Why now of all times?”

At that moment, the giant bat that Levin had battered flew toward Abyss as though seeking the embrace of its mother.

In that instant, Levin understood.

“So it's that bastard... The one controlling the monsters and attacking Neo Seoul...”

It wasn't only because of the giant bat's reaction.

Every monster on the ground had also stopped attacking at the same time and turned to look at Abyss.

They looked exactly like soldiers gazing upon their king.

Just then—

Zeon rode in on a sandstorm and arrived beside Levin.

“Levin!”

“Hyung, do you see it?”

“I do.”

Nodding, Zeon fixed his gaze on Abyss.

Abyss had apparently noticed Zeon as well.

Its ten eyes were all staring directly at him.

Levin spoke.

“That bastard is definitely the one behind all of this.”

“So it would seem.”

“Hah. What's the best way to tear that bastard apart?”

“Levin. the Divine Judgement will be launching soon.”

“The Divine Judgement's finished?”

“Yes. Abyss must have sensed that the Divine Judgement is complete and is coming here to stop it.”

“Hmm...”

Levin frowned.

It was difficult to believe, but not impossible.

Abyss was no ordinary monster.

It was a mysterious entity capable of commanding even S-rank monsters.

If a creature like that possessed an extraordinary danger detection ability, there was nothing strange about it.

If Abyss had sensed the Divine Judgement...

And if it had realized the Divine Judgement would become the worst possible weapon against the monsters...

Then the current monster wave was perfectly explained.

Abyss was not the only one flying toward Neo Seoul.

As though escorting it, countless flying monsters accompanied it.

Blade Frigate Birds, griffins, wyverns...

The sky was filled with flying monsters.

Zeon spoke.

“We have to stop them from interfering with the Divine Judgement.”

“Hoo... Understood, Hyung.”

Levin answered with a hardened expression.

The monsters on the ground were savage, but the territorial instinct of the flying species was even stronger.

To them, the entire sky belonged to their domain, and they hated any other living creature entering it more than death itself.

The moment the Divine Judgement launched, they would certainly swarm it in a frenzy and tear it apart.

Until it reached orbit, the Divine Judgement could not use any of its power.

Even the slightest impact would cause it to crash or explode immediately.

That was why they had to protect it with their lives until it broke through Earth's mana field.

With cold, sunken eyes, Zeon stared at Abyss.

From the very first time he had seen it, he had felt it was no ordinary creature.

But he had never imagined it could command such an overwhelming army of monsters.

Its combat ability was still unknown, but when it came to ruling over monsters, it was in no way inferior to a dragon.

“Abyss...”

A life-form that had never existed in Kurayan.

A new species of monster born on Earth for reasons unknown.

Its purpose, its abilities—everything about it remained a mystery.

But one thing was certain.

It would be a more troublesome opponent than any monster Zeon had ever fought.

Like the sovereign of the skies, it slowly beat its wings as it approached with unhurried confidence.

Its ten eyes moved ceaselessly.

It was constantly surveying its surroundings, gathering information.

Looking at Abyss, Zeon was reminded of a relic from the civilization that no longer existed.

“Was it called... an Aegis destroyer? The god's shield that blocks everything.”

He did not know whether Abyss truly possessed abilities like an Aegis destroyer.

But the first impressions that came to his mind were usually accurate.

Zeon warned Levin.

“Be careful. Abyss is anything but an ordinary monster.”

“Yes. You too, Hyung.”

“I will.”

Just then—

A flurry of activity erupted within Neo Seoul.

The Divine Judgement, which had been inside the City Hall research laboratory, was being brought outside and moved to the launch pad.

When they built the Control Tower, they had already prepared the launch pad as well.

Neither the Control Tower nor the launch pad had been completed yet.

Only the framework had barely been finished.

Originally, they had intended to launch only after everything was complete.

But now was no time to be picky.

Krrrack! Boom!

Even now, the monsters continued throwing themselves against the Diamond Wall with all their might.

The awakened also fought desperately to hold them back.

The Diamond Wall had already been stained crimson with the blood of countless humans and monsters alike.

The longer this continued, the more lives would be lost.

To prevent the worst-case scenario, they had to stop Abyss first.

It was then—

Flash!

A blinding beam suddenly struck Zeon and Levin.

“Ghk!”

“Urgh!”

Agonizing pain, as though their entire bodies had caught fire, sent both of them flying.

Had either of them been even slightly weaker, the flash would have burned them to ashes.

The beam was Abyss's Destruction Ray.

Flash! Flash!

More Destruction Rays followed one after another.

This time, however, they were prepared.

Zeon raised a wall of sand to block the beams, while Levin turned incorporeal and evaded them completely.

As though Abyss's attack had been the signal, the flying monsters surged forward at terrifying speed.

The first to arrive were, as expected, the Blade Frigate Birds.

Boom! Bang!

They attacked Zeon and Levin with their own bodies.

The Blade Frigate Birds slammed into Zeon's sand wall and exploded.

Even after witnessing the deaths of their own kind, they showed not the slightest fear, hurling themselves into the sand wall over and over.

Fragments of the Blade Frigate Birds rained down from the sky.

But Zeon neither relaxed nor let down his guard.

He knew this assault was only the beginning.

Countless flying monsters poured in after them.

Buzzz!

Like swarms of flies, they filled the sky, darting about chaotically.

From the ground, they looked as small as real flies, but even the smallest among them was as large as a Flame Wolf.

Medium-sized monsters like griffins were the size of houses.

Many of the wyverns measured over twenty meters from head to tail.

Those enormous monsters now filled the heavens.

Most attacked Zeon and Levin.

Others targeted the awakened atop the Diamond Wall.

Like diving hawks, they plunged at terrifying speed, snatched awakened with their razor-sharp talons, and carried them back into the sky.

“Aaaargh!”

“Aaaah!”

The awakened were torn to pieces in midair in the blink of an eye.

Those on the ground could only watch helplessly as their comrades died above them.

They simply had no means of catching the flying monsters that glided through the skies as though they owned them.

The flying monsters circled overhead, constantly hunting the awakened.

Because of them, it became nearly impossible to concentrate on fighting the monsters on the ground.

It was at that moment that a voice of salvation rang out.

“Save them.”

With Brielle's command, her spirit, Lili, soared into the sky.

Countless other spirits followed after Lili.

Flying together in swarms, the spirits intercepted the flying monsters that were targeting the awakened.