Seconds...
A measurement of time that was exceptionally short, barely noticed by most mortals, yet the coming seconds in the Nexus Battlefield will define its future and the fate of all those within. All of it hinged on the will of a single man, facing an Ascended army of 9,462 Spirits of War.
His will and his saber.
The imposing image of a closed-eyed man of exceedingly handsome visage walking towards an entire army was etched into the retinas of every single Spirit of War. They viewed this act as simply implausible. They felt fear. Fear for a mortal.
"Men! Steady, front! Archers, take aim! Commanders, focus!" The Legion Commander explosively went into action after seeing half a battalion drowned by saber light, leaving pure devastation and a large trench etched into the earth. The corpses of his heavy infantry battalion were still present, yet no life remained in their bodies. Their heavily armored bodies were riddled with saber scars, and most were disfigured beyond recognition.
The soldiers were dismayed by this event, yet their response was exceedingly swift. The men steadied their hearts, their battle stances firm, and faced the enemy before them with fearless gazes. Be it death or a god, they wouldn't retreat before either of them, so against a mortal... It was clear that they wouldn't be truly cowed. They were born from war. The battlefield was their home and they had no issues with it being their graves.
The sounds of bows being pulled taut echoed out. A ordinary warrior would tense at the sheer sounds of this. Furthermore, if they were facing the front of the army, they could only hear the sounds, but not the archers. It was as if they were hidden amongst the other soldiers, thoroughly concealed.
The squad leaders, company leaders, and battalion commanders had all reacted just as fast. Their disordered movements and response caused by fear had been settled in a split second through training and mental fortitude. These Ascended beings were not to be underestimated.
Wei Wuyin observed all of this with his spiritual sense. Their formations, the orders, the reliance and trust these soldiers had towards their leaders, and the willingness to fight and die on the battlefield. It was admirable.
"Too bad; I'm not kind enough to allow this." Restricted by a time-limit, Wei Wuyin was unable to admire and witness the full strength of a full-fledged army of Ascended. With his spiritual strength at its absolute maximum, his senses reaching a kilometer of distance, all those within his range were subjected to his spiritual power.
His entire body leaked out spiritual light. Soon, the spiritual light swirled around him. These lights were of various colors such as grey, white, silver, and seven-colored, reflecting the seven aspects of the Alchemic Dao. The rings of his Soul Idols spun incredibly fast, moving so fast that it seemed as if it wasn't moving, yet the spiritual aura effusing outwards as torrential and oppressive.
Fixed Soul Spell!
Wei Wuyin had become quite adept in using this spell, executing it flawlessly and with ease following the rise of his spiritual strength. The squad leaders, company leaders, and battalion commanders all suffered pauses mid-ordering! This instilled a strange atmosphere of confusion amongst the troops.
"Fire!" The Legion Commander thunderously shouted! A wave of vocal soundwaves rippled throughout the entire Nexus Battlefield. The sounds of bowstrings being released echoed out as a singular whole. Shockingly, the archers were nowhere to be seen!
But Wei Wuyin saw them.
They were all focused on him.
Wei Wuyin steadied himself, bringing his saber horizontally in front of his body, lowering his posture and 'staring' ahead. The arrows were like shadows, exiting from the narrow spaces of certain soldiers, from underneath their armpits, through their legs, over their shoulders, slightly above their heads, and zoomed with remarkable speed!
This was the first time Wei Wuyin experienced such practiced, trusted camouflaged firing of arrows! To fire between your allies so perfectly and confidently! Not only did the archer need confidence, but the soldiers standing in front must be absolutely calm and trusting in their allies. A single mistake and these arrows could easily pierce them!
Wei Wuyin's eyebrows lifted slightly. The angles of each arrow, numbering a hundred exactly, were from different areas yet they all converged towards his position. Furthermore, it wasn't just at the spot where he was, but where he could dodge! These soldiers were clearly trained in fighting stronger opponents.
Wei Wuyin didn't retreat in the face of this barrage. He dashed forth with an explosive push. The earth beneath his feet collapsed, creating a ten-meter-deep crater.
Cling! Cling! Cling!
Wei Wuyin's movements were agile. He weaved through the arrows and struck the tips of arrows that he couldn't avoid. He was genuinely startled by the sheer power of these arrows. His saber-wielding arm trembled slightly with each impact. If it weren't for these Ascended being restricted from exerting their mystic power, he would undoubtedly find these arrows far, far more challenging to handle.
Closing the distance, he was met with a few heavy infantry that wielded imposing circular shields. They formed a clustered defense that served as a wall. From its height and firmness, it seemed like an impregnable one.
"Forty-six…"
Wei Wuyin didn't hold back. He relentlessly pushed forward without any hint of retreat within his expression, dodging an incoming arrow narrowly and slicing out. His saber was the combination of his Saber Heart Intent, Element, and King's Soul Idol!
Just its base material was peak Mystic-Earth grade, so its sharpness couldn't be underestimated!
Wei Wuyin's saber edge touched the wall of shields, slicing through them with complete ease like hot butter. The screams of bisected soldiers resounded as they were inundated by saber light, their lives coming to an end.
Zsoosh!
Suddenly, a spear pierced out from the light, aimed at Wei Wuyin's torso. Even with his posture lowered to reduce the targeted area for the arrows, this spear was remarkably accurate and aimed for his heart. However, Wei Wuyin's spiritual sense was alive and well! He unhesitatingly twisted his body, using his scaled forearm to smash against the shaft of the spear, redirecting it.
He kicked off instantly.
Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!
Three arrows pierced at three different locations, yet they all missed Wei Wuyin. These were arrows specifically launched to cut off every last bit of his escape routes. If he had retreated or dodged, he would've had to react to these piercing arrows almost immediately!
Wei Wuyin rapidly spun a full rotation, sending out another torrential wave of saber light in a direction. A wave of screams and deathly wails resounded. Despite being trained soldiers and Spirits of War, their deaths were as realistic as true living beings. Yet this did little to dull Wei Wuyin's edge nor the edge of his saber.
Wei Wuyin noticed that the Legion Commander had already retreated with his warhorse, giving out swift and concise commands that seemed to collapse together. It was as if he was speaking out ten orders all at once, coming off strange and disorientating. However, these Spirits of War were fast to react!
The Legion Commander had deftly seized control of the entire army after the leaders were frozen! How impressive!
Wei Wuyin had directly entered the army's formation, yet he knew he was being surrounded, the archers spreading out with ease. They might be restrained, but they were all incredibly fast in their movements. The poison expert was right. They were all Ascended beings so their physical bodies were far, far stronger than mortals!
He sliced out another wave of saber light, inducing further deaths. Every swing took lives without mercy. Yet those who died would simply be instantly replaced. He would then meet a coordinated assault of arrows and thrown spears. Furthermore, if he didn't have his spiritual sense, he wouldn't be able to sense any of this! Becoming a bloodied porcupine would've been his only fate.
"Forty-five…"
Wei Wuyin kicked off harder!
BOOSH!
His steps caused the earth beneath to collapse even larger, disturbing the footing of these soldiers. They lost balance and were taken by surprise. Wei Wuyin wildly brandished his saber, sending heads flying with each swing. No shield, armor, or life could escape the edge of his saber.
"You!" The Battalion Commander, the female poison expert, had just awakened from the Fixed Soul Spell, guarded protectively by heavy infantry. These men gave their heads and lives to halt Wei Wuyin's forward momentum. There was no doubt that he was rushing towards her. A few soldiers realized what was happening and jumped forward without hesitation.
Their bodies were severed without fail. Split into pieces; their corpses littered the field. This delayed Wei Wuyin and allowed the poison expert to retreat with astonishing quickness. She didn't hesitate to call out, sending soldier after soldier to give their lives to protect her.
She was normally far stronger than these soldiers, her cultivation base far higher than them, but as she was affected by the raw poison mixture that ate away at her innate energies as well, her life would be forfeit if Wei Wuyin arrived before her. So she did what anyone would. She ran. However, as she did, more died because of her, valiantly attempting to protect her life.
She saw, from the corner of her eye, a still frozen Battalion Commander far off that was being protected. When she discovered this, her eyes violently contracted. Why had she been released? When she thought about this, her eyes contracted even further.
She saw the chaos her fear-fueled retreat had brought to the army to protect her, causing the arrows and spears to cease as the soldiers jumped forward uncontrollably in their attempt to protect her! Yet they were all dying to a single swing, sometimes multiple in a single one!
Oh no!
Her heart clenched tightly, but then her soul was fixed as she was about to speak.
Shiiing!
Her head flew into the air. A geyser of blood followed.
Wei Wuyin hurriedly shifted his body and sped towards another Battalion Commander, unfreezing them and causing another chase. The act of hunting down their commanders provoked fear into the soldier's hearts but also a valiant will to disregard themselves to buy time! Their actions became less uniform and more responsive.
"Forty…"
8,871 Spirits of War roared in their hearts!
