Three more, and the Wingless Crow would be done for the day.
Souta sighed and canceled his elemental drive, returning his figure to normal. For the time being, he didn't need to use it anymore.
Nevertheless, his doppelgangers were engaged in battles all around. All the shadows were on the frontline, fighting the Army of Gluttony. Each one of his doppelgangers was formidable enough to take on experts at the Four Shackles Realm. In fact, they were even stronger, as it would take at least two Four Shackles experts to destroy one of the shadows.
The alliance army was locked in an all-out war. They clashed fiercely with the enemy, and various experts began to reveal their true prowess. The four angels at the frontline radiated overwhelming energy. Their power permeated the entire area, capturing the attention of countless people.
Manaka and Ichisaki, the two representatives from Takamagahara, also went all out. Their elemental energy and mana exploded, shaking the entire battlefield. They were simultaneously battling several Six Circle Officers.
'Strong... They are going to hold the enemies in this place,' Souta thought inwardly.
Nevertheless, some of the enemies managed to pass through and headed toward the country. While they weren't top experts, they could still pose a threat to Selnes Country, which was home to millions of civilians.
A few seconds passed, and Bezvin eliminated all the Four Shackles experts who had been chasing Hono.
"Fall..."
Bezvin muttered as he glanced at the experts he had killed, watching them plummet to the ground like a pile of leaves. He then turned around and disappeared into the darkness once again.
Bezvin joined the battle.
Upon seeing this, Souta didn't waste any more time.
"I should wrap this up quickly. I need to return to the country as well."
Hono, Genzu, Souta, and Bezvin easily dispatched the two remaining experts from the Wingless Crow. Genzu and Bezvin already had an advantage when facing four of them, so it was inevitable that they would be overpowered with only two opponents left. Additionally, Souta and Hono were also present, sealing their fate.
Some experts who wanted to help the Wingless Crow arrived, but they were all too late. All the Wingless Crow members had been killed.
Two top experts found themselves surrounded and, in the end, met their demise.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The four who had just finished their battles found themselves surrounded once more, this time by a large number of Five Circle Officers.
Souta, Hono, Genzu, and Bezvin exchanged glances and nodded at each other before charging forward, colliding with the enemies before them.
Suddenly, Souta came to a halt in midair. He heard a familiar notification in his mind and saw that he had completed the quest.
He turned his head slightly and saw that Shen Yao and Li Guan had killed the last remaining member of the Wingless Crow.
All six experts had finally perished, and the quest was complete.
"Hmph, Wingless Crow... They're nothing but trouble," Souta sneered, contemplating how he would deal with the Wingless Crow in the future. There was no place for them in this world anymore.
He was determined to destroy them.
As for his other quest, Souta glanced at the system.
[All Filter Barrier Formation]: Return to Selnes Country before the barrier closes. Time remaining: 3 minutes
Rewards: 800,000 experience points, 15 free attribute points, and 7 skill points
Souta took a deep breath, then slowly opened his mouth and said, "Warriors of Olympus, heed my words! Return to Selnes Country! The War Company under Heido and the Hammer's Guard under Santu will remain here! Defend this place with all you've got! Genzu and I will return to Selnes Country!"
His voice reverberated, and all of the warriors of Olympus heard his words.
Heido and Santu glanced at each other before nodding. It had been decided that they would stay here, which meant they wouldn't be able to fight in Selnes Country. In that case, there was no need to conserve their energy any longer.
Boom!
Heido and Santu immediately activated their [Element Drive].
They would leave what was happening in the country to Souta and Genzu. All that mattered to them now was defending their post.
Heido and Santu's men roared fiercely, charging toward the enemy with great momentum. They no longer cared about returning to the country; they had received their orders and were determined to follow them as true warriors.
Souta cast his eyes over the battlefield. He would leave this place to them.
With this decision, there would be two battlefields in this land: one inside the country and the other outside.
Kasci and Naruse had already made this choice. Both of them had entered Selnes Nation and left most of their men outside the country, with only a few dozen warriors accompanying them.
Souta had decided that their choice was worth it. It was better to divide the enemy forces than to face them in one place. While there were drawbacks to this strategy, he had already prepared himself.
He was confident that the others were also prepared. The enemies who had entered the nation must be stronger. Indeed, Souta recognized a few faces among them.
"This is good..."
He took a deep breath and joined Genzu, Bezvin, and Hono in eliminating the Five Circle Officers and Six Circle Officers who surrounded them.
Their speed was astounding, and within moments, they had already dispatched dozens of Five Circle Officers. Their figures darted left and right, executing killing skills that emanated terrifying energy.
The Five Circle Officers fell like grass before a scythe. All they could do was delay the four for a few seconds before meeting their demise.
The four warriors paused and looked at the remaining officers surrounding them.
"We've eliminated half of them. We should head back. If we stay any longer, the number of enemies blocking our way will only increase," Hono suggested.
Bezvin nodded in agreement.
"Alright, they won't be able to stop us now, given their dwindling numbers," Genzu affirmed.
Souta concurred with their decision.
Hono and Genzu targeted the weakest link in the enemy formation. A sea of flames and a massive energy blade burst forth, killing two Five Circle Officers in the blink of an eye.
Five Circle Officers posed no threat to them; it was the sheer number that made them capable of blocking Souta and the others' path.
Boom!
They shattered the enemy formation and flew straight toward the country. Souta followed closely behind them, while Bezvin concealed himself in the darkness, where no one could detect him.
Genzu glanced back.
Heido and Santu were holding off several Six Circle Officers, which was why no Six Circle Officers were blocking their path. It was thanks to these two brave warriors.
In addition to them, warriors from the larger nations were also stopping the enemies. Manaka, Ichisaki, and the four angels were battling the enemy's top experts.
It was a fight to the death. It had ceased to be a simple test. The barrier was now disabled, and some enemies had breached the lines. Warriors from different factions had united to hold their ground, preventing the enemy from advancing.
This respite allowed others to retreat to Selnes Country.
Asfrith and Adel were also making their way back, alongside Shen Yao and Li Guan. A few dozen of their men were following suit.
'Against the enemies in the country, I think we have a chance,' Souta thought inwardly, reassured by the sight of people returning to Selnes.
Suddenly, everyone felt a spine-chilling sensation. A foreboding aura rapidly spread, covering the entire battlefield.
Boom!
The ground shook violently as numerous experts below the Shackled Realm level dropped to their knees. An overwhelmingly oppressive aura enveloped the entire land, causing massive destruction.
A man clad in red armor appeared one hundred kilometers away from Selnes Country.
Hono's eyes widened in shock as she stared into the distance and muttered, "No!! A Hero-ranked expert!"
Genzu and Souta's expressions darkened as they sensed the energy fluctuations.
There was no room for doubt.
This sudden change caught everyone off guard.
Had the war already escalated to the point where a Hero-ranked warrior was dispatched?
No matter what everyone thought, it seemed too soon. The top SSS-rank experts hadn't even fallen yet, and a Hero-ranked individual had already appeared.
"Is that person headed for the country too?!"
If that were the case, it would be incredibly dangerous. Most of them would likely perish if that happened.
"That expert is still a long way off! We need to enter the barrier before it closes!" Bezvin exclaimed loudly.
His voice snapped the others out of their shock.
Genzu and Souta nodded with grave expressions. They continued to fly toward Selnes at an extraordinarily high speed, their figures streaking through the air like meteors, leaving a trail of light behind them.
They were fast, but the enemy Hero-ranked warrior was even faster.
Whoosh!
The Hero-ranked warrior sped through the battlefield. All the warriors who blocked his path were crushed to death. He effortlessly broke through the formation, killing hundreds of warriors from the alliance army.
They were in despair... except for the angels.
Ohm!
A brilliant light erupted in the sky above Selnes, enveloping every living being in holy radiance. Suddenly, they felt rejuvenated.
A man adorned in golden armor with two pairs of pure white wings descended from the heavens. He stood twenty kilometers above the ground, gazing at the man in red armor.
"As expected, this was bound to happen. A Hero-ranked warrior would emerge in this conflict," the angel muttered.
