The fight continued...
Humans versus the invaders. So far, Humanity had the upper hand. They had weapons and strange abilities that were extremely effective against their enemies.
Although Humanity was greatly outnumbered at first, it didn't last for long thanks to the swift reaction of the authorities.
It was clear that the Federation and the Mystic Guild knew that something like this was bound to happen at some point. Therefore, they didn't hesitate to pour in resources to ensure the safety of their home.
In addition to this, Humanity had a deep understanding of the Invaders. Knowledge of them was practically being taught to everyone. Ways of handling them are also included in the curriculum so a lot of cultivators knew how to efficiently defend themselves.
The number of people who gained practical experience fighting off invaders was a lot. This was thanks to the unstoppable progress that the authorities kept on pushing. All of it amounted to the success of their defense against the onslaught of the invaders.
Just outside the Last Bastion, multiple explosions occurred. War cries erupted, there were colorful flashes of light, several figures streaked through the air and the clash shook the very ground beneath them.
The invaders; be they Celestials or Hypogeans, tried their best to survive. They did all they could to at least kill a few humans before they were killed. Unfortunately, Humans displayed an indisputable unity against them.
They could get hurt, yes, but not for long. Someone will undoubtedly come to their rescue to either cover for them or heal their injuries. The previously injured ones will just bounce back in the fight with even more fervor than before. It's as if they never got hurt in the first place.
As much as they hated to admit it, Humans are starting to scare them.
The tenacity they're showing was something that they haven't witnessed before. Plus, they do have the ability to support their confidence.
They could only helplessly watch as Humans tore through their numbers like they were reaping wheat...
All of them came here with the thought of ending Humanity once and for all. They weren't supposed to put up this much fight. They should be begging for mercy, not going to war with them.
This was supposed to be a mundane thing; rounding up the locals and moving on with the real fight against their rival race. But no, Humans turned this into a battle for survival.
The worst part is? They were the ones who were asking for it, not Humans...
While the fierce struggle beneath continued happening, the battle above the skies still rages on as well.
Ashton who was still observing everything with a keen eye watched the battle intently.
From the looks of it, despite bringing out everything they got, the girls were still beating them by a large margin.
Alice was having fun hacking them with her sword. Their regenerative trait made her even more active since anything she does wouldn't end the fun early.
Mary calmly covered her rear, only doing something when Alice is at risk of getting hurt.
'It's going well...' Ashton mummed inwardly. He sat on a chair, running a hand through Skylar's feathers.
His expression remained still as he watches the fight. Unlike previously, there was no longer a need for him to interfere.
He didn't need to support his men with Buffs since there were a lot of people who could do that in his place. He's still monitoring the overall situation and wouldn't be opposed to making a move in case of an emergency, but judging from the trend so far, everything's fine.
And it would've been better if it continued to stay that way. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be...
The hand that he's using to stroke the feathers of Skylar froze. A chill ran down his spine as his attention was suddenly brought to the skies above.
With his vision warping to see the situation properly, he felt suddenly uneasy. And in times like these, Ashton was more inclined to trust his instincts...
"!!!"
Ashton heard something, he was certain of it. But by the looks of it, it's probably only him who heard it.
It was spoken in a language that he did not understand. Which, in itself, was surprising given the fact that Ashton was Omnilingual.
The voice of the speaker was unfamiliar to him as well. In fact, he didn't even know where it came from.
All he knows is that, around the same time he heard the voice, a change was bound to occur, and he could already tell that he was not going to like it.
And surely, his instincts were right...
The Demon Emperor and the Miraculous Son started acting weirdly. They stopped moving as if their bodies were ceased by an unknown force. This didn't escape the sense of their enemies of course.
But shortly after that, a surprising scene occurred.
The Demon Emperor's body and the Miraculous Son's body turned into a puddle.
Both of them, flew together as if attracted to each other and started fusing.
Ashton's eyes narrowed dangerously upon witnessing that scene. On the other hand, Alice and Mary were stupefied.
This certainly hasn't happened before. None of them knew that it was even remotely possible in the first place, so their reactions were understandable, to say the least.
During the fusion, the mixture suddenly shot up into space, much to their surprise.
Ashton reacted to that almost immediately. He linked to Blake and said:
"Blake, go and support the girls. Follow that mixture into space. If you could, try your best to end it before it succeeds."
Not even a split second after giving out the order, Blake was already leaving his post.
Blake was left to protect Fantasia just in case a stray attack landed on it. He was strong enough to protect their home from civilization-wiping blows, so that task was left to him.
If this development didn't occur, Blake would've stayed hidden. But the situation calls for it, he needed to be with the girls since they're the strongest that Humanity could offer.
The girls also received orders from him, so the three of them followed the mixture out into space.
They are World Sages, the vacuum of space wouldn't be able to harm them.
And just as Ashton ordered, they did their best to end whatever existence was that was meant to be born from that mixture.
Blake, Alice, and Mary stopped holding back and attacked using their full strength. They too realized the possibility by now and they too didn't like the idea of it.
Surprisingly, however, the mixture was extremely tenacious despite its looks. It tanked their combined attacks like they were nothing.
It's being protected by a mysterious barrier that they just couldn't break. It didn't matter how hard they tried to hit it, not even a scratch was left.
It didn't take long before Ashton told them to stop and conserve their energy, while he was at it, he also provided them with buffs before he forgets to do so.
The mixture had an invincible shield. It's useless to continue attacking, it would just be a waste of time and energy. It's better for them to just wait until the process was over and prepare for what's going to occur next.
Waiting for it was almost unbearable. They just watched as the mixture of pitch black and gold wriggled and folded in itself.
After a couple of minutes, the mixture started lighting up. Then, it took form.
The creature was bipedal. Its lower body resembled that of a horse, it has a torso of a human and the head of a horned ram.
Specks of gray matter flaked off from the creature's body. They didn't even need to come close for them to smell the putrid stench of corruption but this one was on an entirely different level.
Chills ran down their spine as they saw the creature's eyes. They were empty, soulless even. It's as if it had no sentience whatsoever, but at the same time, its aura was something that even they feel intimidated by.
Nobody thought that a Celestial and Hypogean could exist as one. Especially not with the status of these two.
This creature was neither a Celestial nor a Hypogean. Although it's a mixture of the two, it retained nothing of the traits which makes up both race.
It's a unique existence. Something that they've never seen before. And judging from the aura leaking from its body, it's obscenely strong.
The Big 3 doesn't have time to wonder about its creation. They know what must be done. With the strength of this creature, they understand that they couldn't allow it anywhere near their home or else there will be steep consequences.
And while most of the people were left completely unaware of this development, Ashton looked extremely bothered by the creature's existence.
Although he sent the Big 3 after it, he still feels restless. The feeling was almost unbearable, especially since this development was something that he never even thought possible.
Thus, while there's still some time left. He opted to do something, just in case something happens.
