A day quickly passed as Feng Qing'er and her faction members prepared for the coming assault. At the moment, they were spread evenly in front of the gates of the city, creating a defense on all sides.
Rumble!
The ground rumbled and quaked from the impact of thousands of footsteps striking it at once. However, there was no uniformity among them.
Looking at the sea of black that was approaching from all sides, the 25 geniuses who were trying to defend the city together felt a shiver run down their spines.
Were they really supposed to take all of these enemies alone? Even with the consolation from Feng Qing'er that most of them were weak, the sheer number was enough to cause their morale to plummet.
Seeing them like this, Feng Qing'er sighed. Even she couldn't do anything at this point. She was also feeling some apprehension looking at the incoming tide.
No matter how much battle experience she had gained within the 3000 Beast Mountain Range, a situation like this was naturally not a part of it. When would any normal person find themselves facing an army alone?
But Feng Qing'er didn't spend too much time thinking about these things. Regardless, she was already in this situation. It was kill or be killed. If she cowered, if she showed even an ounce of fear, those under her would feel their own morale plummet even further.
Steeling herself, she bravely walked ahead of the defensive line they had formed, leaving the protection of the barrier.
"Geniuses of the 3000 Beast Mountain Range, it is time for us to show these demons why we are titled as such!"
For what reason should she allow the enemy to gain an advantage? She, Feng Qing'er would be the first to strike.
Wings of flame burst from her back, flapping powerfully and shooting her into the air. By the time she reached her intended height, the flame projection had already become more corporeal.
Her sharp gaze scanned the incoming army, and immediately, her wings flapped once again.
Hundreds of fiery red feathers detached themselves and shot forth like needles, charging into the crowd of abominations.
Boom!
A flame lit within the ranks. With every feather that shot forth, an abomination was combusted. Small explosions rang through the battlefield.
But even with the death of hundreds of abominations, the numbers didn't seem to shrink at all. In fact, the hole that was left was immediately filled in by other abominations.
"RAAAAAH!"
A loud cry rang out, followed by many more. The rumbling footsteps that shook the earth became even more pronounced as the abominations began their charge.
Boom! Clash!
A fierce battle began. Seeing how Feng Qing'er fearlessly charged forward, the other geniuses didn't want to get left behind.
They rushed out into the battlefield, mana costing their bodies to enhance their speed. Massive waves of elemental attacks continuously struck the oncoming tide of abominations, fiercely dwindling their numbers.
Or at least, that was what they expected. But the geniuses realized they had severely underestimated how big the difference in numbers was.
They were expecting thousands. Even if it took a while, they could deal with thousands of 2nd class beings. But they found that even with hundreds of abominations dying every minute, their battle didn't seem to end.
Seeing their plight, Feng Qing'er decided she needed to make a bigger move. From the sky where she stood, rings of heat began to emanate.
Burn!
The sky itself burned. And from the ashes rose a flaming Phoenix projection. Its massive wings flapped, a screech resounded through the air.
It charged into the crowd of abominations, causing them to burst into flames with ease. By the time the Phoenix projection faded, thousands of abominations had already died.
The geniuses were invigorated by her display of power. Tsunami-like tides formed in the air, powerful tornados joining them to create a hurricane of untold proportions.
In other areas, the ground itself ruptured and began to swallow hoards of abominations, pillars of magma shooting out and devouring the rest.
The geniuses no longer cared about taking things slow. They felt inferior to the girl in front of them, who was fighting much harder than any of them. And so, they let out everything they had.
Their attacks, fueled by the frustration of the endless onslaught they had been facing for many minutes already, charged into the tides of abominations and razed everything they touched.
But even with this, the true battle had yet to begin.
On the outskirts of the battle, a curious scene was taking place. Light winds breezed through the charging crowd of abominations as if their furious charge was nothing special.
However, everywhere these light winds passed, the heads of abominations would mysteriously be separated from their bodies.
It wasn't a matter of one or two at a time, but hundreds at once. The mindless beasts didn't even have the chance to reach the main battlefield before dying.
Black ink covered the ground, painting the grass black. And out of this blackness emerged a girl.
"Hmm, these guys are no fun. Where are the stronger ones?" Her tone didn't seem to match the surrounding atmosphere at all, but the girl didn't seem like she noticed.
Suddenly, her gaze pointed towards a certain direction. There, a congregation of 10 demons who looked much more humanoid than the abominations were gathered.
"Maybe those guys?" Tilting her head cutely, the girl once again melted into the darkness of the ground.
When her figure reappeared, she was already in front of the Demon Captains.
"So, would you like to play a game with me?"
A bright smile decorated the girl's face as she spoke. But to the demon captains who hadn't even been able to sense her approach, it was the smile of a devil even greater than them.
***
Countless battles raged on outside the city of Astoria. Flashing lights of various colors, as well as elemental phenomenons, decorated the atmosphere in a myriad of colors.
Concealed within the spatial layers, Damien watched it all unfold.
"I guess they aren't called geniuses for nothing."
Although the performance of those 25 geniuses could be considered spectacular, to Damien who had already killed thousands of abominations, they were merely rookie numbers.
His focus was mainly on two girls who were dominating the battlefield.
In the front, there was Feng Qing'er. Her flames seemed just as powerful as his sunflames, melting abominations with a mere touch. Phoenix projections flew across the sky and feathers rained down from the heavens. She didn't even move a single step from her spot in the sky, making it evident that she wasn't even trying yet.
Abruptly, 20 black streaks shot into the sky, encircling Feng Qing'er. Her gaze turned on them, a flaming pride in her eyes. It was clear that even in front of such an obstruction, she remained unfazed.
As for the other girl, her battle drew much less attention. Surrounded by demon captains, she had a bright smile on her face. Cuts and gashes randomly appeared on the bodies of those around her faster than they could react, and even their own shadows seemed to be fighting against them.
Although it didn't look grand or incredibly destructive, how could Damien's eyes be wrong? He could clearly see the raging sea of mana she was hiding in her small body.
"Not bad, not bad. But if I let you hog the spotlight any longer, there won't be anything left for me."
Above the gradually heating battlefield, thundering clouds began to form and gather.
