A huge chunk of forest was destroyed. Everything within this area was turned into dust. Buildings and rocks couldn't be seen anymore. The area within two kilometers radius turned into a desolate desert.
Everything was pulverized.
Banni was standing with blood all over his body. His breathing was heavy and his consciousness was slowly slipping away.
Ten meters away from him was Jayden. His condition was the same as his blood kept dripping on the sands.
In that instant, after Banni used his powerful attack Jayden activated the equipment skills of his rapier. It was his last resort and Banni tried to defend it by launching his own attack.
Everything happened in just a single moment. It was too fast.
"I-I'm sorry my fellow warriors... This is everything that I could do..."
Banni muttered as he slowly fell. His vision was blurred and he couldn't even feel his body.
Thud!
Jayden looked at Banni. He couldn't even move a single part of his body with his current condition. He was exhausted and didn't have enough energy to fight for a second time.
"As expected of Banni... I'm impressed... You just fought Shiela a while ago yet you still manage to defeat me..."
He fell down on his knees as his blood kept dripping. His left shoulder along with his left arm was gone. He guessed that he wouldn't be able to survive unless someone gave him a first aid.
A piece of yellow paper slipped out of his pocket. The yellow paper slowly fell on the sands as it emitted a dim blueish light.
"M-Master, are you t-there?" He asked with great effort.
"Yes..." A voice sounded from the paper. "I'm sorry, Jayden. I don't think I could help you."
"N-No..." Jayden said as he slowly lifted his head and looked at the crystals on the ceiling.
The two of them knew each other for a long time. He was the first person that joined the Red Matter Association. The two of them build this organization into its current state. They faced a lot of challenges and overcome them.
"Thank you for all your hard work."
Jayden smiled when he heard those words. His body fell on the sands as his consciousness left his body.
Ever since the two of them started this insane path, they were prepared to taint their hands. They steeled their hearts as they knew that one of them could die at any moment. They took a life of countless people and throughout their journey, a lot of their comrades died.
On the other side, Avron, the founder of the Red Matter Association, had a grave look on his face.
Veins were popping up on his forehead.
Avron glanced at the piece of yellow paper.
"So long, partner... On behalf of your effort, I will finish this no matter what."
...
On the edge of the eastern region...
"President, are you sure you want to gather are elite soldiers?!" One of the officials of the Aekr Republic asked.
"I've already gathered them. The civilians are safe outside the city and we've already confirmed the effect of the barrier." President said while glancing at the official.
The barrier around the entire nation didn't limit them from leaving the nation but it prevented them from entering, so once they were outside they wouldn't be able to enter the nation once again.
Why did the Red Matter Association create a barrier like this? He could think of one reason why.
Using the barrier the Red Matter divided the forces of the warriors, so there must be warriors outside the nation. While the warriors were divided, the Red Matter will try to annihilate the forces inside the nation before they fight the warriors outside the city.
In this way, the enemy wouldn't have to fight the entire forces of the warriors.
It was a good tactic along with the sealing runes. Everything was planned.
This was also the reason why the President was sure that no one would come at his people. If the enemy chased after his people then the warriors outside would sense it.
Their efforts to divide the warriors into two would have gone to waste if they were going to fight them at the same time. The Red Matter should've focused their strength on the warriors inside the nation.
"Soldiers, follow my lead!!"
The President shouted as he raised his fist above his head. Although he got injured from the failed assassination attempt, he could still fight as he already received first aid.
"Ahhh!!!"
The elite soldiers under his command roared.
"Let's go!"
The President flew and the elite soldiers followed him.
There's only one thing they could do to help the warriors in fighting the Red Matter Association.
And that was to assist them in claiming the device that could undo the sealing runes on the other warriors.
Leilus and the other warriors heard a battle cry on their backs. They turned around and saw the elite soldiers of the Aekr Republic charging forward to help them.
"The President already finished arranging them... It's good for our side." Leilus said with a smirk.
"We have some help?! Oh, I think we can do this one more time!!" Drami yelled as her mana flared up.
"Don't say anything. Just focus on breaking through the enemy's formation!" Marcus said before launching a powerful attack.
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
A huge battle continued the fighting spirit of the warriors was reignited. They pushed the enemy's formation along with the elite soldiers of the Aekr Republic.
Combat arts and spells were thrown all over the place, causing hundreds of explosions in the area around them. Since the civilians in this area have evacuated safely, they could go all out without minding the lives of innocent people.
Bang! Bang!
There's no tall building left standing in the place. All of the tall buildings were razed to the ground.
BOOM!!!
A powerful wave of energy surged in a distance far away from the warriors. Everyone who felt the energy wave sensed the intensity of it. The energy level was beyond their league and it cause them to stop and looked in the direction where the energy was coming from.
"The other warriors are fighting! We need to finish this as soon as possible!" Leilus yelled.
"We will prevail this, warriors! Our fellow warriors over there are doing their best so we will live up to the warrior's spirit!" Fridd, the Squad Leader of Wind Slide, yelled.
"AHHHH!!!"
The warriors roared.
The battle continued for dozens of minutes and several of them had fallen to the ground. They suffered heavy injuries, while some of them were exhausted.
"Squad Leader, I'm so tired..." Paolo said while kneeling on the ground. His left hand was covering the wound on his stomach.
"We've consumed all of our potions. Can you still do this?" Leilus asked.
"One more time. I don't think I will last longer." Paolo smiled.
"That's good," Leilus said and he swept his eyes on the battlefield.
He observed the condition of his squad members. Drami, Sekmet, and Marcus already showed signs of exhaustion just like Paolo. They wouldn't be able to last more than five minutes.
Even the help of the elite soldiers wasn't enough. At the very least, the help only gave them more time before they suffered a defeat. Without the elite soldiers, they would have fallen down earlier.
"I'll risk everything, Fridd. Hold them, can you do that for me?" Leilus asked his fellow Squad Leader.
"I can at least do that much." Fridd nodded with a serious look.
"Thanks for trusting me, warrior." Leilus smiled before he charged forward. "Marcus! Drami! Follow me! We'll drill through them!"
Boom!!
Leilus was in front while the two were behind him. They were charging forward at high speed and their energy level were rising rapidly.
Swoosh!!
"Stop those three!!"
The people of Red Matter stood in front of them. They were prepared to collide with these three.
Swoosh!
Several balls of flames suddenly flew over and landed on their bodies causing several explosions to occur.
Boom!! Boom!!
"Don't worry, I got you!" Fridd smiled as a sword flashed and deeply cut his body.
Ugh!!
"I'll leave it to you, warriors!"
He ignored the enemies in front of him but he instead focused his attention on the people that will try to stop those three even if he suffered grave injuries.
"Thanks."
Leilus, Drami, and Marcus's speed had increased several times. Their formation broke through the enemies.
They pierced through them.
Boom!!
Drami and Marcus quickly stopped. They turned around and looked at the enemies in front of them. This was the plan all along.
"Leave this to us, Squad Leader!"
Their Squad Leader will head inside while the two of them will try to stop the people from Red Matter Association.
"The two of you are true warriors..."
Leilus said as he entered a building. He trusts his comrades. Two warriors against dozens of experts on the same level. Their chances of winning were pretty much zero.
But their goal wasn't to win. It was to buy time so that Leilus could get the device and undo the sealing runes.
