Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Or maybe it was Seth proving the power of bards, as even the undead were clad in a blue aura and strengthened under the battle sky as they joined the choir with their inarticulate growls and grunts. The bard was busy keeping up the Cathedral of Valor but kept a sharp eye on the situation.

Aside from Evee's growing army of Undead, the melee members of the field teams, the Oathguard and Faer were putting pressure on the monster army, while the magicians led by Shay, Ray, Alison, and Jess kept bombarding the beasts with magic from the cliff, only facing minimal backlash.

Like Fin, those who experienced divine power-ups went to intercept the bosses threatening their base. An interesting addition to the overall picture was the rise of arrows flitting through the air. Rains of projectiles rained down on the army, sowing discord among them.

But it was not only Archer, the archer who was chosen by the Goddess of Archery. Lydia, the chosen of Wepwawet, had also gained archery skills. Since Seth was busy with large-scale support, he lent her the Mind Reaper bow, which she was able to use thanks to her divine class change.

While Archer stood among the mages on the cliff and carpeted the enemy, the lycanized Lydia was parkouring around between the enemy line, showing an elvish style of mixing close and mid-range combat with bow and arrows.

Although Minas Mar's people were stronger individually, they were facing thousands of beasts. Despite launching a full offense, the army of subjects was fighting tenaciously. Without Tekar, James, and the priests guarding the mages at the cliff, they may have lost their rear guard to the various magics and breath attacks of the creatures below.

Their weird and outlandish attacks and skills were one of the reasons they were so hard to deal with. The beasts were no different from an army of adventurers. If it wasn't for Minas Mar being an even more outlandish collection of skills and equipment, things may have been dire.

On this kind of chaotic battlefield, Seth was only able to follow what happened, in addition to performing his music, thanks to his new pendant. <Theia's Vision> allowed him to see and process the scenes he saw at an abnormal level. A few times, he was about to intervene, only for his friends to surprise him.

He almost lost his rhythm when he saw what looked like a giant, skeletal-looking mammoth called <Subject 00023B: Necrophant (Boss) lv.98> break through the wobbly shield and charge into the walls of the fortress.

Despite the might of Evee's wards, dust fell and some fine cracks appeared on the structure. A witness to the immense strength of the beast, despite not being much more than skin and bones. However, the next moment, the Necrophant was picked up by something that was only bone and armor.

The giant maw of Python clamped down on its nape and flung it into the hordes below. The Necrophant smashed into the ground with earth and rock exploding everywhere, leaving a gauge like a crashed plane in its wake.

The giant snake didn't mind the minions, as it waltzed over the enemy army, pursuing its prey. Even a lv.98 boss couldn't stand up to the snake. Even with <Theia's Discerning Eyes>, Seth was unable to completely appraise the strength and level of Python. It was similar for Ceres, Puffles, Wolfram, and the Helm of Hades.

Although the fight was not as one-sided as Seth had hoped, it was clear that their victory was merely a matter of time. Yet, the bard avoided thinking conceited thoughts like a plague, even though it was hard. He had no intention to raise a flag.

Despite explicitly not raising a flag, bad news came knocking at his door.

…

"Damn demons. Are you sure Durzum and his mages were wiped out? Didn't the demon messenger assure us of their safety?"

Viggu asked concerned. The tall and fair-skinned general looked almost like a handsome human. Aside from being one of the rare oni-mutations from Kozdam, he was also in the unfortunate position to be the leader of the troops closest to the battlefield.

The one knew something was fishy about this whole thing. They didn't have much trouble with the native forces the local Adventurer Guild brought in a vain attempt to push them back. Why did the insects fail? Although he was unwilling, he had to acknowledge the strength of the crawler empire. Was it really that their enemy was that much more powerful?

Things just didn't add up for him. They had gotten updates over several days about that place from their phantasm walker and nothing indicated such strength, except for the disappearance of said scout. Nothing implied the strength or number needed to defeat the bugs.

But not only did the crawlers allegedly lose, but they even decided to retreat and make a deal with that devil to create an opportunity to defeat them. Things became weirder when even their commander agreed to join a combined effort. He made a deal with that demon to get rid of them. A group of mages to break the shield was no big nor small favor, but everyone knew that demons were not to be trusted.

Only few among the races of Kozdam gained a talent for magic. Now they had suddenly lost all contact to Durzum, a court mage and leader of the group of rare magic users. None of the other members could be reached either. There was not even a sign from their hidden guards. Did something go wrong, or was it a trap from the start?

Guess who was the poor bloke that now had to go look what was going on. Him of course. The fair man with three horns on his forehead and fiery red hair was forced to ready his man and set off to check on the progress of the battle.

Disgruntled, he rode his Warhog at the peak of the warg riders. Their wargs were already imposing beasts, the size of horses and canine features, yet stronger and wider than even a dire wolf. Yet, even these specially bred wargs paled before his Warhog, which could even take down a Manticore.

As they got closer to the gorge at the edge of their territory, Viggu could already see a massive spectral structure in the sky above. The sight deeply disturbed him, only confusing him more.

Soon they were close enough to hear the noise of battle and see a group of mages firing their spells into the gorge. There was no hope to crush when he saw the mages. From the spells they saw, it was apparent that they were human mages, players most likely.

Had they managed to defeat Durzum and take their position? Viggu ground his teeth. It was obvious the demon's plan had failed and they had lost a group of precious magic casters. He got rid of the doubts and questions that clouded his mind.

It was clear what he had to do. He wouldn't let the death of his people go without taking vengeance. Even if this was what the demon was aiming for from the start, there was no hesitation in his decision-making.

"Everyone ready up! Get in formation! We will wipe out those casters first and assist the demon's troops!"

The orc army got into formation, but before they could charge, the sudden changes on the other side took them by surprise. An undefined mess of limbs and bodies suddenly started appearing on the rocky field between them and the mages

"So it was all a ruse after all!" the Oni exclaimed at the sight.