With a loud crack the barrier began to fall, the explosions tearing through the mana and making it impossible for the Fiends supplying the mana towards it to continue justifying their expenditure, so without much fanfare the iridescent barrier simply shattered.
One mont it was withstanding the relentless barrage of explosives and whirling tornados ripping at its surface and then the next it was gone, allowing the next spells to streak through the air and crash amongst the monsters waiting outside of the walls.
The six of us jogged behind the first battalion of soldiers, using their shields to protect ourselves as they marched forwards in uniford steps, each of their blades pointed at the enemies before us.
Even as the barrier collapsed they maintained the sa pace, and the sea of monsters that awaited us was already experiencing the fluctuations that ca from gigantic spheres of fla crashing down amongst them, setting their fur alight and charring any exposed flesh. The monsters were of a wide array of species with a myriad of subspecies sprinkled in; there were the usual Goblins and Ghouls, the Serpents and Canines, but there were also so more unique monsters like Drakes and Sphinxes that were prowling around, their stronger and more independent natures setting them apart from the masses.
And yet all were made equal beneath the bombardnt, and I could see a towering lion headed, lizard bodied monster standing on its powerful hind legs so that it could screech in agony as it cradled one of its upper limbs, only to have its head blown off as another spell landed atop it.
Goblins were thrown into the air as they rushed around trying to avoid the explosions, and the Ghouls and other Undead stumbled forwards as they mindlessly made their way towards us; everything was getting hit, but the mont we reached a certain point the wave of spells began to rise towards the walls next, raining down upon the many cultists standing above us and forcing them into cover.
Instantly we were able to close the gap between us and the monsters, and not even a second later our forces collided with a thunderous boom joining the explosive chorus from above, the slamming of shields against chitin and muscle adding another layer to this all that further emphasized the chaos we found ourselves in.
As soon as the shield bearers in front of us collided with the monsters we were free to engage with them as we saw fit, and for Jahi that ant hoisting her great sword as high as she could before cleaving it down into the skull of an overconfident Serpent that was lunging over the shields towards us.
Blood splashed all around us, sizzling against the hot grains of sand and filling the air with that tallic stench that was only going to get stronger as we were embroiled into this battle, with each of us seeking out our own targets to begin the slaughter that would take us to the walls.
The Demoness led the way with Saif by her side, the two hulking warriors using their heavy weapons to clear a path forwards and relying on us to protect their flanks, which Anput and Zahrah took seriously as they both began their own deadly dances as we pushed into a horde of Goblins and Ghouls.
Both of the Jackalkin moved fluidly as they brandished their blades with speed and precision, Anput's long and thin blade cutting through the air with a horrifying shriek each ti it caught fla from her magic while Zahrah made more use of her legs to close the distance between herself and her targets as she cut them multiple tis.
At the back it was Leone and I, my jagged single edged sword cutting through flesh with ease as I only allowed the Wind Helix to be activated, conserving my mana; my lover thought the sa as she wielded her Estoc with that uncanny precision we rarely got to see, relying on the alloyed steel to cut her opponents down as she marched alongside .
All around us the troops hacked and slashed at anything that moved and wasn't a Caninekin, though the few tis we saw one of the cultists they were quickly singled out and cut down as spells whizzed through the air to halt them only to allow soone to get closer and deal with them in lee combat.
Spears and scimitars flashed out from behind the shields, and the chanical efficiency of the troops was only broken up by the small pockets of Death Jackals that moved in to support whover needed it, bringing our casualties down to as few as possible.
Sotis luck simply ran out for soone on our side, and that was shown by a Sphinx letting out a roar and tearing one of the soldiers in half before succumbing to the dozens of spears stabbing at it, or by a Drake bathing the soldiers in flas and overriding one of the enchantnts just enough to break the line, allowing it to cook that particular person alive.
More often than not though people took on minor wounds that a single sip of a potion cleared up in seconds, sothing that filled Leone and I with a small amount of pride whenever we were able to see it and understand what we were witnessing in between the repetitive stabs and swings we were going through.
The start was entirely a warm up for both sides, the expendable monsters chewing away at so of our stamina and dealing so damage here and there whilst also giving them ti to prepare, which was contrasted by the gradual improvents we made as we settled into a groove, our sword arms becoming well oiled as we chewed through the various chaff in front of us.
It was a start that was abruptly ended when more explosions rocked the desert, but instead of fireballs sending up chunks of monster and a cloud of sand, these explosions were the sudden arrival of heavily armored enemies landing just beyond our reach, dropping down amongst the monsters and rushing forwards to push us back.
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