Chapter 42: Ruthless Bandits, Absolutely Ruthless Bandits! (5.1k)_3
Bright thunderbolts exploded, and the mountainous giant was torn and crushed inch by inch. Its flesh and limbs had lost all vitality before they even hit the ground, becoming drifting embers.
It was a success!
Watching clumps of grayish-white fluff falling from the sky, Hercules sighed with relief and, carrying a dark stone tablet left by Antaeus, walked toward the battlefield.
Seeing only the Divine Blood Heroes from the human side emerging from the dense forest, holding the belongings of their leader Antaeus, the remaining fighting will of the giants completely collapsed.
They rushed into the pitch-black fissure opened earlier, fleeing toward the depths of the earth.
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"These ground rats are escaping, go!"
Excitedly shouting, the Divine Blood Heroes plunged into the fissure, ready to beat the drowning dogs.
Seeing one figure after another disappearing into the dark abyss, Luo En quickly shouted from behind the citadel.
"Don't chase, come back!"
This was just a small faction of the Giant Spirit Clan, and their leader Antaeus couldn't even be considered a true Gigante.
Similarly, those currently holding up the front at Thessaly were merely some Divine Blood Heroes, mostly not even in the first line; at most, it was just Telamon, the Spartan Twins, Cainis, Hercules, and Medea who were presentable.
Even if their side had directly crushed this giant squad, both the intensity and scale of the war were absolutely not up to the level of the legendary Battle of the Giants.
Because in memory, the true Battle of the Giants required a collective response from the gods and human heroes to finally achieve victory.
So now, blindly following them, from the familiar ground into the unfamiliar abyss, what awaited these Divine Blood Heroes was evident.
However, the heroes were already delirious with their easy victory and their wilful, relaxed nature made them completely deaf to the advice from behind.
Hence, Luo En could only watch as dozens of Divine Blood Heroes rushed headlong into the dark crevice in the ground, chasing after the fleeing giants.
Even the Spartan Twins and Hercules were swept along into the abyss.
The problem with hero units lay here: their individual combat power was astonishing, but due to their pride and insubordination, they often couldn't be commanded.
Moreover, being an outsider who had joined the side of Thessaly only a few days ago, Luo En had merely nodding acquaintance with those Divine Blood Heroes from different city-states. Even with his identity as a teacher from the Academy of Athens and his previous impressive performance, he was far from making these stubborn rogues sincerely obedient.
Fortunately, King Thessaly Admetos was relatively vigilant and knew his own strengths, so upon hearing the warning, he quickly took Telamon and Cainis to restrain the troops, avoiding following the self-reliant Divine Blood Heroes into the fray.
Seeing the scene unfold before him, Luo En finally felt some comfort and continued to call out loudly.
"This is not the main force of the Giant Spirit Clan, and we don't know what lies beneath. For safety, come back and hold your ground, quickly gather the mages and the Temple Priests, repair the walls, and stabilize the defenses!"
Admetos nodded understandingly, quickly cleaned up the battlefield, and led the Divine Blood Guard and a few more obedient Divine Blood Heroes back into the Royal City of Thessaly to rebuild the collapsed defenses.
After all, with Hercules and the Twin Brothers inside, they should be able to bring back those reckless fools alive, right?
Just as Luo En hesitated over his next move, a dull roar came from the pitch-black abyss ahead, and the cracks in the ground began to close by themselves.
Even more deadly, the aura of the Sacred Robe seemed to be blocked by some force, and the connection with him was growing weaker.
Back in the city, when King Thessaly, Admetos, looked back and saw this scene, his face changed dramatically, a wave of fear washing over him.
And as the last remaining sliver of the ground also began to close, Luo En's expression darkened. He leapt from the Citadel, plunging into the bottomless darkness.
"You all hold the fort, I'll bring them back!"
On the city walls, Admetos watched as the figure, who had been controlling the situation, disappeared into the darkness, feeling an inexplicable sense of void and uneasiness arise in his heart.
Looking at the damaged walls and the limbs strewn outside the city, he swallowed hard and quickly ordered the mages and Priests to speed up the repair of the walls and rebuild the defense system of the Royal City.
Three quarters of an hour later, the collapsed wall was mostly restored, and reinforced inscriptions were carved into it, allowing the Royal City's Defensive Charm to operate, albeit barely.
Looking at the slowly activating light barriers before him, Admetos breathed a sigh of relief, the anxiety in his heart slightly lessened.
"Boom!"
However, before he could catch his breath, a familiar roar sounded from another direction of the Royal City.
Admetos stiffly turned his neck, looking at the clouds of dust stirred up outside the city and the towering figures emerging from the cracked earth, standing against the horizon, his face turned pale immediately.
The Giant Spirit Clan, another group!
The forces attacking Thessaly had not one, but two groups, and those led by Antaeus, like the Divine Blood Guard he had previously led, were merely decoys designed to draw out Thessaly's main forces and trump cards.
Since when did the mindless Titans also start employing human tricks? This shouldn't be!
This counterintuitive scene threw everyone's mind into chaos.
"Woo~woo!"
The mournful and bleak sound of a horn rang out from the recently completed Citadel, and the Divine Blood Heroes, mages, and Priests, pulling themselves together, bit their pale lips, and took their positions at their respective posts.
Outside the city, under a blood-red setting sun, hundreds of giants with sinister smiles approached the ruined human fortress with heavy steps, their towering figures blocking the sky and the sun, casting a dark shadow over Thessaly's Royal City.
The air was filled with the scent of death and eeriness.
"Don't panic! If we can hold out until they return, we'll be safe!"
Admetos shouted encouragingly, then, waving a bronze dagger full of notches, he struck it against the battlements of the city wall, letting out a hysterical yell.
"Everyone, form up—face the enemy!"