Iron Shield Fortress, this magnificent fortress built of black granite, has now been transformed into a living hell. The once impregnable walls are now riddled with spiderweb-like cracks, and huge impact craters are everywhere. The purplish-black blood of monsters and the blood of human warriors mingled and flowed on the scorched earth, emitting a nauseating stench. The air is thick with the smells of gunpowder, ozone, and burnt flesh. The shouts of battle, the explosions, the roars of monsters, and the cries of the wounded intertwine to create a brutal symphony of war.
The monsters' attack had escalated. No longer were they charging mindlessly, but rather launching a series of orderly, wave-like attacks led by several dark purple, giant battering ram-shaped " Siege Beast." These Siege Beast had skin as hard as iron and heads that were enormous, cone-shaped bone hammers; each strike caused the entire section of the city wall to tremble violently, sending rubble raining down. Behind them, a tidal wave of black and dark purple monsters swarmed the city wall like ants, attacking the defenders with their claws and energy breath.
"Aim at the big ones! Armor-piercing shells! Quickly!" In the middle of the city wall, an army colonel, his face covered in gunpowder and his arm wrapped in bandages, shouted hoarsely. The defensive crossbows and energy cannons roared, unleashing specially designed armor-piercing bolts and concentrated energy beams at the Siege Beast. However, most of these attacks only left deep dents or charred marks on their thick carapaces, failing to inflict fatal damage.
"Colonel! The third tower on the west side has completely collapsed! Monsters are swarming in!" A communications soldier scrambled over, his face filled with terror.
"Damn it! Second reserve! Follow me! Block the breach!" The colonel spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, drew his dagger, which had already been chipped, and led a squad of soldiers with resolute eyes toward the lost territory.
At the breach, the battle had escalated into the most brutal urban warfare. Monsters and human soldiers clashed, the sounds of clashing swords, firing energy guns, roars, and screams filling the air. The colonel stood firm at the forefront, his Armament Haki covering his blade. Each strike severed the monsters' claws or cleaved through their energy breath, but the monsters were too numerous, and the soldiers around him fell one after another.
"For our homeland! Fight to the death!" the colonel roared, cleaving a lunging, dark purple monster in two with a single strike. But his left shoulder was also pierced by a bone spike from another monster, the excruciating pain and corrosive energy nearly causing him to faint.
Just as the defensive line was about to collapse, a blazing white-gold light descended from the sky, like a meteor falling to earth, crashing into the area where the monsters were most concentrated!
" The World-Purifying Flame - A Wildfire!"
Boom! A platinum-gold firestorm swept outwards from the point of impact, instantly vaporizing dozens of monsters with its terrifying heat and purifying power, even purifying the fungal carpet on the ground into a scorched clearing.
As the flames subsided, Ace, clad in a filthy white commander's coat, appeared before the colonel. He glanced back at the colonel's bleeding shoulder, his brow furrowing slightly, and casually flicked out a wisp of fine, pure white-gold flame. The flame landed precisely on the wound, and the colonel felt a warm and powerful force surge into it. The corrosive energy, like ice melting away, was quickly dispelled, and the bleeding stopped.
"Ace... Commander Ace!" The colonel was both surprised and delighted, almost unable to believe his eyes.
"Leave this to me." Ace's tone was calm, but his fiery eyes revealed an overwhelming fighting spirit. "You go and reorganize the defenses; I'll hold the breach."
After speaking, Ace turned to face the surging demonic tide that was coming again. He took a deep breath, as if to inhale all the remaining energy in the surrounding air into his lungs. He slowly spread his arms, and an even more powerful and scorching Flame of World Purification gathered and rose around him. The temperature was so high that it distorted the air, and even space itself seemed to ripple slightly.
"You scum who only know how to devour and destroy..." Ace's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out all the noise of the battlefield, carrying a chilling rage, "This land, flowing with our blood and sweat, bearing our memories... is not a table for you to defile!"
" Great Flame Commandment - Flame Emperor - Pure Lotus Flower!"
He no longer merely released a massive fireball, but compressed and shaped the Flame of World Purification to an extreme degree! A colossal, slowly rotating platinum-gold flame lotus condensed and took shape above his head! Each petal of the lotus was lifelike, with a sacred radiance flowing around its edges that purified everything, while the central lotus seedpod contained a terrifyingly destructive energy!
Lotus floated slowly forward, seemingly slowly, but in reality, she instantly met the few dark purple Siege Beast at the forefront of the demonic tide! Under the illumination of the purifying light, the Siege Beast let out painful roars, and their hard shells melted and cracked rapidly, like ice and snow encountering the Lieyang! Lotus gently touched them.
There was no deafening explosion, only a strange, annihilating scene, as if Return of All Things to the Void. The demons touched by the lotus, whether powerful Siege Beast or mere minions, were all reduced to the most basic particles and vanished without a trace! Wherever the lotus passed, it forcibly carved out a brief vacuum zone in the black demonic tide!
The surviving defenders on the city wall, witnessing this miraculous scene, erupted in a deafening cheer of relief! Their morale soared!
However, Ace's all-out attack had taken a heavy toll, his face was slightly pale, and his chest heaved. He knew that this could only temporarily relieve the pressure. Sure enough, from behind the demonic tide, an even more terrifying and violent aura instantly locked onto him! A dark red figure tore through the air at a speed Transcendence visual perception, leaving faint traces of corrosion in the air it passed through!
That was a Admiral -level Rift Demons Marshal! It possessed a humanoid silhouette, but its skin was an unsettling dark red, covered with fine bone armor, its hands were ferocious claws, and its eyes gleamed with a pure desire for destruction. It did not use any weapons, for it itself was the most terrifying weapon!
"Finally, someone decent has arrived..." Ace wiped the trace of blood from the corner of his mouth caused by the recoil of the force, and platinum flames rose from his body once more, his eyes sharp as knives, "Your opponent is me!"
Without a word, the Crimson Demon General responded to Ace with a Inazuma- fast pounce! His claws tore through the air, carrying an energy that could corrode everything, as he lunged for Ace's head!
"Hmph!" Ace snorted coldly, neither dodging nor avoiding, his fist, covered with top-level Armament Haki and the Flame of World Purification, fiercely met the attack!
boom--!!!
Fists and claws clashed, like two meteorites colliding! A terrifying shockwave spread out in a ring, instantly clearing everything within dozens of meters, whether monsters or rubble! The city walls shook violently, and the guards near the point of impact were even shaken so badly that their ears and noses bled!
Ace slid back several steps, each step leaving deep scorch marks on the ground. The Crimson Demon General also swayed, the dark red energy swirling around its claws sizzling as it was burned by the Flame of World Purification, but the ferocity in its eyes intensified.
"Such powerful strength... and it's absorbing my flames!" Ace's heart skipped a beat as he sensed a faint suction force emanating from the opponent's claws. Although the purifying properties of the Flame of World Purification made it extremely difficult and painful for the opponent to absorb, it was indeed happening.
"We can't afford to fight it for long!" Ace made the decision instantly. He moved swiftly, transforming into a streak of platinum-gold flame, and launched the attack!
"Divine Fire - Shiranui!" His arms transformed into flaming spears, swiftly piercing the demon general's eyes and other vital points.
The Crimson Demon General moved with incredible speed, his claws flashing as he precisely parried the flaming spear, while simultaneously reaching for Ace's heart with his other claw. The two engaged in a high-speed duel that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye on the open ground in front of the city wall! Platinum flames and crimson energy collided and exploded repeatedly, each clash causing the earth to tremble.
Ace maximized the flexibility and purifying properties of flames, sometimes transforming them into a fiery net that entwined the enemy, and sometimes condensing them into fiery blades that slashed down. The Crimson Demon General, on the other hand, relied on his powerful physique, terrifying speed, and his energy-absorbing claws to block and counterattack head-on.
The aftershocks of the battle caused immense damage to the surrounding area. A section of the already crumbling city wall collapsed under the energy impact, and the defenders on it fell with screams.
"Commander Ace! Watch out on the left!" a soldier cried out.
Ace narrowly avoided a sneak attack from another purple monster that came from the side, and blasted it away with a backhand punch. But in the instant his attention was diverted, the Crimson Demon General slashed his ribs with a claw. Even with his Haki defense, he was still cut open with a deep wound that exposed the bone, and the dark red energy immediately began to erode him!
"Ugh!" Ace groaned as the Flame of World Purification quickly enveloped his wound, dispelling the alien energy, but the pain and energy drain were real.
"We must finish this as soon as possible!" Ace's eyes hardened, and he held nothing back. He took a deep breath and frantically poured his remaining power into his arms, causing the platinum flames to deepen in color, almost becoming transparent!
"Purification Technique: Twin Flames Piercing Strike!"
He unleashed both fists simultaneously, unleashing two extremely condensed platinum beams of light that appeared to be composed of liquid flames. Like raging dragons emerging from the sea, they instantly traversed space and shot straight at the Crimson Demon General's chest! This was highly compressed purifying power, pursuing ultimate penetration and annihilation!
The Crimson Demon General also sensed the deadly threat. It let out a sharp roar, crossed its arms to protect its chest, and condensed its crimson energy with unprecedented intensity, forming a thick energy shield!
Swoosh -- Boom!!!
The platinum beam slammed into the crimson shield! It didn't explode immediately, but instead emitted a sickening, corrosive sound! The purifying power and the destructive energy annihilated each other in a frenzy! In the end, the shield couldn't withstand the force and shattered with a deafening roar! The crimson demon general was violently thrown back by the force of the explosion, his chest charred black, clearly seriously injured.
However, Ace was also exhausted and knelt on one knee, panting heavily, and was temporarily unable to pursue.
However, the demonic tide did not stop because its commander was injured. More demons, including two other dark purple demons, seized the opportunity to swarm forward and attack the seemingly exhausted Ace!
"Protect the commander!" Upon seeing this, the remaining defenders, their eyes red with fury, rushed down the city wall without hesitation, forming a human wall with their own flesh and blood to fight the monster and buy Ace time to recover!
Iron Shield Fortress, this crucible of flesh and blood, is plunged into its most brutal moment since the start of the war. The duel between the Sweet Commander has temporarily ended, but an even more brutal war of attrition has just begun. Every inch of land fought for has come at an astonishing price. And the rift in the distance still exists, casting an even greater shadow over everyone's heart.