RUMBLE!
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The sounds were harrowing just by themselves, the people of Heaven's Army absolutely couldn't imagine the type of battle that was taking place beyond the barrier.
The previous event was terrifying. Countless thousands had died from the explosions, but there was no time to mourn them.
Now that the branch managers were fighting the main Commander, the rest of them needed to eliminate the enemy before they came back.
"Squad 1, support Squad 13 on the left! Squad 20, move west and meet up with Squad 6! Work together to suppress the enemy and follow the Roaring Dragon Cavalry!"
Orders were still being given out by high-ranking officials, and they were still being followed as best as possible. The various squads moved with vigor and fervor, desperate to survive the battle and become stronger so they could save their universe.
With every universe denizen that died, a Nox would die too. Even if it was a hopeless situation, these soldiers would rather detonate themselves than allow another Nox to live on.
At least, most of them.
"S-senior brother, you…!" A man crouched, bloodied on the ground. A hole had been punctured in his heart just moments prior.
"Hahaha, little Long, the reason is simple. It is impossible for us to win against the strength of the great Lords! If we do not succumb, we will die! Little Long, if you had just joined me back then…" the man trailed off, looking at his dying friend with pity.
However, the dying man merely spat blood on his old friend's boots.
"I will…never…turn traitor."
No matter how choppy his sentence was, he ended it firmly.
And in the next moment…
"Well said!"
Shing!
A crisp sound floated through the air, and the traitor's head floated into the air with it.
The dying man looked up at the killer with weak eyes. A smile hung on his face.
Even if he died, it was great to see that the traitorous scum got his ending as well.
Suddenly, a bright white light covered his body.
The blood pumping through his veins boiled as his heart pumped once more.
The wound…was closing.
The man's shocked expression was frozen on his face like it was a still frame. By the time he managed to look up at his savior…
The man was already gone.
'Hero…'
The thought stuck in the newly revived man's mind. In fact, it was a thought that reverberated through the army.
This was the Heretic Executioner's 5th round of cleanup. In the past hour of war, he'd already taken care of tens of traitors who'd snuck their way into the army.
The man was praised in the hearts of many as a hero, but he himself didn't feel any joy.
'There's too many.'
His brows furrowed as he moved, decapitating yet another traitor.
'If this number is present in an army of only the Blood-Drenched Wilderness' forces, how many exist in Eien as a whole…?'
And even more concerning, what if there were stronger ones?
Damien gritted his teeth. He hated traitors even more than the Nox. He hated people who gave up without even trying, succumbing to a fate that they could change with their own hands if they just put in the effort.
It was deplorable, disgusting, and absolutely scummy.
'The Roaring Dragon Cavalry has been mostly maintaining the backline and pressuring the enemy, but the frontline isn't doing so hot. If we don't provide ai—hm?'
Damien's attention went upward. He suddenly felt a strange fluctuation coming from the sky.
'That is…'
The blackness of the abyss and the space of Grand Heavens Boundary seemed to be…merging?
'That can't be good.'
Damien's frown deepened.
He returned to formation with the Roaring Dragon Cavalry and took a backseat in the battle for a few moments as he observed space and tried to understand what was happening.
'The root cause is…'
"Over there."
He traced the origin of the fluctuations that were disrupting space, leading him past the golden barrier separating the Nox Commander from the main army.
'The space on Eien is so strong. Even Demigods can fight here without totally collapsing the atmosphere and causing a phenomenon like this. This is the same reason why Eien is called a desolate land without opportunity, since it's nigh-impossible for circumstance to alter the environment…'
Whatever was happening, Damien didn't have enough knowledge of Eien to interfere or even understand. All he knew was that he definitely didn't like it.
'I'll have to keep my eye on that as I fight. We need to clean up as much as we can before cracks start to form!'
At that point, everyone would die.
Damien's eyes narrowed. He spread his awareness to take stock of the entire battlefield.
To the side, the fierce and wild clash between the Lesser Nox and 3rd class beings continued. It looked as though the number on Heaven's Army's side had already been reduced by around 100,000. As for the Nox…
'There's too many of them. It's impossible to tell how many have died.'
That alone qualified the secondary battlefield as Heaven's Army's disadvantage.
The main battlefield was far more stable. The death toll on both sides remained relatively equal, but that still wasn't a good thing.
Sacrificing every single troop they had for the sake of this battle wasn't worth it at all.
'All I can do is try my best…right?'
Just as Damien was going to return his focus to the battlefield, he was stopped by yet another realization.
'For space to be disrupted to this degree, the attacks within the barrier can't merely be utilizing other Laws. This kind of convolution can only be achieved by manipulating space itself.'
There was a spatial expert beyond the barrier, the only question was which side they were on.
'It's definitely not the Iron Fortress or Sanctuary guild branch managers. I caught a glimpse of their attacks before the barrier formed, so I can guess their affinities quite easily…'
Between the Hope Organization branch manager and the Nox Commander…
'I really hope it's the former.'
At the end of the day, it didn't matter.
It was said that the Sanctuary branch manager was the strongest of the three. As long as her strength wasn't hindered…
'I'll take the gamble.'
"Captain, I received an order directly from the branch manager! I'll be separating from the squad for now!" He shouted.
"Haha, no worries! Come back to us when you're free. Your presence is always welcome!"
In classic Ezio fashion, the man responded as if Damien was a retiring coworker rather than a comrade in war.
Damien smiled.
He really wished he could spend more time with a cozy and tight-knit group like this one.
Sadly, he didn't have that kind of freedom.
Damien swerved his airbike and veered away from the cavalry unit, dismounting the machine only after getting several thousand kilometers from the battlefield.
Here, the only traces of war were the fierce sounds and mana fluctuations, as well as a domineering golden barrier.
Damien placed his hand on it.
"Woah!"
He slipped through unhindered.
"…"
Shaking his head in incredulity, Damien pushed his hand out.
"Why" he could enter the barrier didn't matter. All that mattered was that he'd done it.
Now…
'Dimensional Prison: Celestial Lock.'
A spatial fluctuation traveled the entire length of the barrier and even further.
In the next instant…
Space locked, and a mountainous suppression bore down on all those existing within it.
