Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 2006 1978. Lava
The spell that Raccard cast was not simple; it merely summoned a giant burning skull to smash down.

This involves the profound and dangerous power of fire and lava.

The vengeful spirits of the skeletons that crashed down from the clouds with trails of fire began a series of explosions from the fiery red trails they left in mid-air!
The thick, dark clouds were blasted open, revealing countless skeletal spirits with trails of death. In an instant, the clouds were blasted into something resembling porous blocks of cheese.

The moonlight and the light from the golden tree shone down, but at this moment, their radiance still could not compare to the power of Rakad.

Countless lines of fire descended from the sky along their trajectory, then exploded into large swaths of lava and sparks!
The sky and the earth seemed to be connected by an endless fiery red!

Each time it explodes, the world, now ablaze with color, flashes once.

The whole world at that moment felt like it was on a lag-flickering slideshow.

"You! How dare you! Surround and attack me?!"

Lakad's voice seemed to come from a distant place as his power spread.

The demigod's tone was filled with rage, and coupled with the power he was displaying at that moment, it was practically the wrath of a god!
With his roar, the vengeful spirits screamed as they crashed into the earth.

The earth was naturally shattered, and the erupting flames then ripped up the deeper layers of the earth. Finally, the explosions that landed formed lava.

The viscous, hot, reddish semi-solid remained on the ground, showing no signs of solidifying into a lump within a short time or disappearing as the force weakened.

Now, the entire battlefield is covered with a layer of scorching lava!

The dark red air reflected in the light became distorted and blurred.

In that scorching heat, the people fighting, fleeing, and shouting on the battlefield looked more like silhouettes of demons from hell.

But it is in this hell that...

"Om~"

A holy golden light flashed across the sky above Rodel.

Lakad's wide-area attack, affecting everything behind the walls of Rodel, was completely wiped out in a seemingly calm flash of light.

Rodel was the unbroken capital of the Golden Dynasty, and Mount Gmir was once an enemy of the dynasty, both located on the Alpine Plateau.

Despite the proximity, Mount Gmir is not even mentioned in Rodel's Undying Myths; the only record is of the outer city walls being breached during the Battle of the Ancient Dragons.

This is enough to show that the spells from Mount Gmir have no chance of threatening Rodel's walls.

And not just the city walls.

"Gather! Gather!"

The Rodel Knights, who had just scattered in a hurry, now had to regroup immediately.

A deep shout came from beneath the helmets of the Tree Guardians. The Flower of the Golden Dynasty lowered the golden shield she had raised to the sky, and the gleaming golden emblem of law on it vanished.

Beneath the great shield of the tree guardians were not only himself and his mount, but also two tree guardians who were each specifically protecting a Rhodel Knight.

The two knights knelt on one knee, and the magical catalysts in their hands emitted a golden light, forming the emblem of the Golden Tree, which then spread outwards.

[Golden Tree Prayer - Grace and Blessing]

The enormous prayer that once covered Rodel's in Prince Godwin's hands could certainly not be so exaggerated in the hands of Knight Rodel.

However, although its scope and effectiveness were greatly reduced, a successful prayer still exerted its power.

A layer of warm golden light enveloped all the surrounding Rodel Knights, continuously supplying them with the warm life force from the Golden Tree.

The surrounding area was a scene of lava inferno, but the Knights of Rodel still managed to quickly gather a large number of them back.

After all, they had come fully prepared from Rodelly, having calculated the time and seized the opportunity before setting out.

When they came out, each person had at least three or four prayer blessings attached to them.

Only then could it be used for lighting, its golden sheen making it usable.

Even so, after being reorganized, the number of people had already decreased by a third.

Conversely, the demigod alliance suffered heavy losses in Lakkad's wide-ranging attacks.

The Central Legion, entangled and unable to move by the Blood Madmen, along with the Blood Madmen themselves, disappeared into the orange-red lava.

Because they were locked in combat, they were positioned too close together, making them the most vulnerable to full-coverage attacks.

In other areas, the demigod alliance also suffered heavy losses.

At least the Knights of Rodel had unified commands and mutual assistance when they were well-organized, while the demigod alliance was in complete chaos from beginning to end in this battle, with no one able to take care of anyone else.

The Knights of Rodel lost a third of their forces, while the Allied Forces of the Demigods lost at least more than half!

To be honest, the demigod alliance that Lann and the Tree Guardians led two squads of Rodel Knights to charge into battle just now didn't have the same ferocity as Larkad's attack!

However, considering this demigod's temperament and personality, those familiar with him know that it wouldn't be surprising if he did this. Rakad was, after all, a ruthless and cruel demigod.

However, this ruthless approach is unlikely to intimidate those who have truly witnessed cruelty.

Raccard was, after all, just a 'young man' who was born in the middle to late stages of the War of the Giants.

"Rakad was pushed to the limit."

After the troops behind Lann regrouped, Krepp was the first to speak.

The lava on the ground was still a scalding, orange-red semi-solid. When you stood on it and talked, not only did Rodel's warhorse kick up its heels in agitation, but you also felt your respiratory tract being burned.

Exposed skin, such as the cheeks, was burning painfully from below under the orange glow of the lava.

However, although Rodel's ordinary warhorse could not compare to the tree guardian's mount or Lann's Qilin, it could walk casually through the lava.

But now, with the blessing of prayer, I am not unable to bear it.

These knights of the Age of Gods have been desensitized and trained to ride on lava, let alone on larger terrains.

Lann didn't speak. After the skeletal spirits of Raccard bombarded the ground and the air began to sway in the heat, he began to observe the battlefield, the enemy's remaining strength, position, and condition.

But Lann didn't have time to respond at the moment, while Dolores, Viher, and Christopher all nodded in agreement with Krepp's statement.

“Raccard comes from the royal family of Caria, and he is skilled in large-scale magic.” Dolores took a new barrel of Torina arrows from beside his warhorse. “However, what he is good at is not well suited for small-scale battles.”

Even though demigods are powerful and noble, they still have areas of expertise and areas of weakness.

Raccard's large-scale spells are very useful on open battlefields.

If he weren't facing Rodel's walls, he alone would have been able to destroy most of the world's magnificent cities.

But how much help can these spells provide in a close-quarters, life-or-death struggle?
Conversely, the Valkyrie's swordsmanship is sharp, making her effective in close-quarters combat. But on a large, open battlefield, how much time would she waste just running around?

This isn't a matter of strength difference, but rather a matter of which combat skills and fighting styles are better suited to which scenario.

Moreover, the consequences of the massive, blind release of spells were witnessed by the Faded Ones and the Knights of Rodel just seconds before.

If he hadn't been extremely angry and helpless, Laqad probably wouldn't have been so indifferent to even his own soldiers.

His powerful spell, which blotted out the sky and shattered even the thick, dark clouds, plunging the world into a fiery red glow, ironically revealed that his current situation was far from ideal.

“We have to go and support Gideon and the others,” said Viherer, who remained calm and rational. “The demigod alliance has been crippled by Laqad himself, and they won’t be able to regroup for at least a few days.”

If they still have a chance to organize themselves after a few days, then it can only mean that Rodel is too useless.

"The focus now is on Rakad and Gevya," Vihler stated bluntly and decisively, clarifying the current situation. "As long as we defeat these two demigods..."

Viherer didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present could understand the unspoken meaning.

Meanwhile, even Krepp, the most radical two-finger believer, began to have his eyes shining under his hood.

“Then you all go find Rakad.” The Witcher patted the Qilin’s neck and suddenly said to the group. “Concentrate your strength and suppress him first. He is currently the strongest demigod among our enemies, and it’s worth giving him the vast majority of our power.”

At this time, the plush ball had not yet returned. But Lan En was not worried about the kitten's safety.

After all, its cat armor may look unremarkable, but it was made from the same batch and the same materials as its own Smaug.

This kind of magma can't do anything to the velvet ball.

“Raccard certainly deserves all of us, but you’re in trouble.” Christopher, who was unassuming and looked like an ordinary Rhodes knight, said to Lann. “Gafia isn’t rumored to be strong, but the difficulty now is finding him. Things are too chaotic right now.”

Lan En nodded to them: "I have some experience in finding people. Don't worry."

The brief exchange immediately ceased; the war was still raging, and both the Faded Ones and the Ancient Dragon Knights were seasoned veterans.

They immediately spurred their horses forward without the slightest hesitation.

The lava was still flowing hot, but Lan En flipped off the Qilin's back and, with a 'rip,' stood directly on it in his bone-white Smaug boots.

The Qilin nodded to him, sparks crackling around its body, and ran off in one direction. Taking advantage of its speed, it expanded its search area for Ge Fuya.

Meanwhile, Lann silently began to observe the land, now covered in lava and with drastically altered terrain, preparing to precisely search for the demigod's whereabouts.

But before he could even separate himself from the Qilin by two meters, a surging whistling sound suddenly came from above the distorted and scorching air!
"Hula~"

The hot air is easier to blow, making it almost impossible for people to stand up.

Even with Lan En's composure, he couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath.

As darkness fell, the dead bird paid no heed to how brightly the lava illuminated the ground and the sky.

It didn't care how the war was going... it still came.

(End of this chapter)