Man on the ark, forced to become king

When the spell collapses, it signifies death; it's a move that results in mutual destruction.

Under the banner of national unity, both friend and foe will perish!

The pristine white snow was torn apart and shattered, turning inky black. An ominous aura lingered on the earth, and the air seemed to echo with countless overlapping roars and whispers.

Darkness is spreading.

In an instant, all the light within the domain was swallowed by darkness, vision was severely restricted, and the ubiquitous whispers rendered hearing useless, making it impossible to discern directions or the location of enemies.

Grandia held Remian in her arms, raised her long spear high, and twirled it, the golden light emanating from it breaking through the darkness and creating a small, pure land several meters in diameter amidst the demonic influence.

However, without being able to ascertain the enemy's location, she dared not act rashly.

"Steady up, give me five seconds."

A halo of light floated above Remian's head, expanding into another ring around its perimeter. Pink engravings emerged from within the halo, forming a shape resembling a scope, shimmering brightly.

She broke free from Goredia's embrace, and the wings of light behind her extended outward, becoming more solid. Gold and pink mingled together, flowing like water, spreading from her body to her guns, making her appear as if she were enveloped in a layer of shimmering light.

She raised her gun, aimed, and even the darkness couldn't obstruct her vision.

hum!

Four seconds.

The tangible impact of the spell was like a crystal wall, pushing towards them from the darkness. Graceia reacted immediately, standing in front of Remian. Her golden spear, gleaming brightly, was driven into the ground, fixing her in place and allowing her to withstand the crushing shockwave.

three seconds.

The pattern of a crosshair was reflected in her pale pink eyes, locking onto a certain location through the heavy darkness.

The clothes on Goredia's arms burst open in the impact, revealing her overly pale skin. The long spear, which was driven into the ground, was forcibly pulled up, slashing out a crescent-shaped blade of light that went straight into the darkness and collided with the magical impact hidden within.

two seconds.

The fluffy snow trembled and collapsed, the entire ground shook, and a massive surge of magical energy pressed in like a tidal wave. In the darkness, shadows quietly emerged, and sharp blades suddenly revealed their fangs.

The second inside defender!

one second.

The brief reaction distance left Grandia with no time to react, forcing her to hastily abandon her long spear, which was not very agile at short distances, and draw her short sword to intercept the black fangs that rushed in from behind Remian. The metal clashed, creating a burst of bright sparks.

Bang!

All the light flowing around Remian instantly recoiled, flowing into the gun, pressing into the bullet, and shooting out of the barrel.

A ray of golden light tore through the boundless darkness, precisely striking the source of the magical impact.

Fireworks, blooming silently.

Remyane, who had just fired the shot, swayed, her face pale, and was about to collapse. Fortunately, Grandia was right beside her and helped her up while dealing with the inner guards' attack.

At the heart of the kingdom, a sudden burst of pure golden light pierced the shadows, accompanied by a faint, mournful wail.

In the lingering afterglow, the upper body of the bodyguard, who was originally wearing a black overcoat, was blasted open, leaving a huge hole. Countless tiny fleshy buds emerged from the hole, intertwined, wriggled, and merged, forming a huge, dark blue vertical pupil.

The kingdom, which should have crumbled with the death of the inner guard, not only failed to dissipate but became even more solidified. Nauseating filth filled every inch of space, like invisible arms attempting to drag everything within its domain into a dark hell.

"Damn it, the demons have revived, at this time—"

The guard who was engaged in close combat with Goredia cursed, but before he could finish speaking, he was pulled out of the darkness, staggered to his knees, and lost control of his body.

Crimson flesh burst forth from his left shoulder, tearing and devouring the surrounding clothing and armor. Pulsating blood vessels spread throughout his body, and tentacles emerged from the flesh, piercing into the respirator. Black mist, mixed with a foul stench, spewed from the pierced holes, merging with the surrounding darkness and further reducing the visible distance.

call out!

The short blade flashed, cleaving through the darkness, but only brought up a cloud of snow mist; the spot where the inner guard had been was now empty.

Even without knowing the true situation of the inner guards, upon seeing this scene, Gretia and Remian immediately realized what had happened—these inner guards had gone out of control, and the demonic flesh inside their bodies had replaced their existence and taken over their bodies.

Now, lurking in this darkness are two demons that are resurrecting.

There is no doubt that this is dangerous.

Realizing this, Greta pulled Remian into her arms again and whispered, "Is there any way to confirm the boundary? We must break through here."

If it were just her, she would be confident enough to protect herself, but with Remian by her side, she wasn't so sure. After all, this was the demons' territory, where they had no advantage whatsoever, and even their senses were severely affected.

Therefore, the best way is to break through, transcend this barrier, and return to a normal environment.

"No, the power of this area has deepened, and I can't see through it now."

The ring above her head expanded into the shape of a scope again, and after a moment, Remian shook her head, indicating that she couldn't do it.

This result weighed heavily on Goredia's heart, and she gripped the dagger in her hand tightly.

The situation seems to be getting worse.

hum!

Suddenly, a subtle tremor broke through the darkness of the demonic hell, and Goredia looked up abruptly, a hint of joy appearing on her usually stern face.

In the deep darkness, there was a surface that had been painted orange-red, like a crystal wall advancing, with large halos of light floating and spreading out, encompassing their location.

crunch~

crunch~

The sound of footsteps crunching on the snow grew louder as Vayvan, shield in hand, strolled in. With each step she took, ripples spread outwards from beneath her feet.

"Don't worry, no one can hurt you before I fall."

Saria's voice was as steady and reliable as ever. As she finished speaking, a grayish-white substance materialized out of thin air and adhered to the bodies of Remian and Grandia, forming a thin shell.

Boom!

Stop in your tracks. The gray color, centered on Saria, rapidly expands into the orange-red area, flattening and solidifying the earth, as if laying a layer of gray-white steel. Golden patterns extend and outline on the solidified ground, stretching to a great distance.

Beyond that realm, there remained only profound darkness.

Within the area, the uneasy atmosphere completely dissipated.

At this moment, even Gretia couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, her tense body relaxing slightly.

Saria's support came just in time, reminding her of a saying that circulated within the Golden Tree.

You can always trust Saria.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Artillery Barrage

"@＃￥%!"

An incomprehensible, piercing shriek surged from all directions, pouring into the pristine land covered in gray and white.

Grandia carried Remian and landed next to Saria, scanning their surroundings with wary eyes.

"So, are you confident?"

"Just a monster that has lost its mind. External things are just external things after all, and they can't stop me."

Boom!

The shield fell to the ground and got stuck in the grayish-white substance extending from the ground. Saria released her hand holding the shield, took out a roll of bandage engraved with gold patterns, and slowly wrapped it around her hand.

Snapped!

The bandages wrapped around her hand were forcibly torn off, and Goreia keenly sensed that Saria's aura had changed at this moment.

If she was like an insurmountable mountain just now, she is now a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, its edge undeniable.

Could it be that the shield is actually some kind of seal for her?

"Wait a minute...give me thirty seconds."

The calm voice diluted the shrill whispers spreading from the darkness, and Saria's narrowed eyes suddenly opened, turning into pure gold vertical pupils.

Click!

The solid ground, enhanced by the magic, could not withstand the pressure, and cracks spread several meters away. The white-haired Vayvan disappeared from the spot.

The next second, golden light flashed from within the black mist!

A fleshy mass formed by crimson tentacles emerged from the darkness, while a gray-white phantom swooped in like an arrow. Enamel formed by magic flowed onto the arm and solidified into sharp barbs.

boom!

A deafening explosion!

The materialized shockwave swept away layers of black mist, and Saria's arm instantly pierced into the interior of the demonic aberration. The filthy tentacles danced wildly, and the immense force they carried even cracked the hard enamel. The deep shadows expanded and coiled, trying to corrode the enemy that was right in front of them, but they were all dispersed by the radiance emanating from the golden patterns clinging to the gray-white shell.

Despite being enveloped by countless tentacles, Saria remained unmoved, standing ramrod straight. With a burst of strength, she actually managed to lift the demon up and slam it to the ground.

Woo!

The whooshing sound arrived in an instant, and the fleshy spear, leaving afterimages, stabbed from behind, but Saria grabbed it with her backhand and held it tightly, no matter how much it trembled, it could not break free.

"I...don't have time to play around with you guys."

A cold voice was exhaled with each breath, and pure golden vertical pupils widened in anger as the mutated creature that had attacked from behind was dragged out by immense force.

Wow!

The gray color spread across the earth like a rolling tide, layer upon layer, converging into a gray giant wave that rolled inward, with sharp spikes protruding from it, like steel nails, or like the mouth of a giant beast covered with fangs, biting down hard on the two deformed creatures, swallowing them into its mouth, tearing and chewing them.

Crunch...crunch...