Their only job was to buy time.


    ''Please hurry, Neo. I can''t hold these things for too long.''


    The battlefield became chaotic as the tornadoes tore across thend and maggots consumed everything in their path.


    The air was heavy with the stench of decay, and the flesh pirs continued to puke maggots.


    Thanatos'' expression was far from good.


    An Intent clone was formed by fusing powerful Intent withplex techniques.


    It had a specific number of techniques stored inside it, functioning as its ammunition.


    Once an intent clone exhausted its techniques or sustained irreparable damage, it would cease to exist.


    Thanatos had to use his techniques sparingly if he wanted tost for a long time.


    Suddenly, purple cracks started to spread across the shadow summons'' bodies.


    The unblinking eyes on the pirs locked onto the shadow summons and obliterated them.


    Two SSS-ranked shadow summons were eliminated in seconds.


    If it had been a few decades ago, those two shadows could have conquered the world.


    But before the [Angel] of an Outer God, they were no stronger than insects.


    Thanatos gripped his sword tightly.


    Red lightning crackled around him, illuminating the battlefield and the sky turned darker.


    He summoned ck tornadoes—formed from mimicked air elementals—raged across thend, temporarily stopping the maggots'' in their path.


    Thanatos entered the fray.


    He shed at the maggots and unleashedrge-scale attacks.


    However, his efforts inflicted no damage.


    As the battle dragged on, purple cracks began to creep across Thanatos'' own body.


    Unlike Neo, hecked the ability to heal.


    The physical strength and blessings that Neo wielded could not be stored within an Intent clone.


    Thanatos had weak defences due to being an Intent Clone.


    Those defenses were weakened further at the moment as Neo had divided Thanatos into two Intent clones, sending one to rescue Jack and Emma while the other protected association headquarters.


    The pirs trembled again as if enraged, noticing Thanatos'' continued resistance.


    Instantly, the spread of purple cracks on Thanatos'' body elerated.


    His leg exploded in a burst of dark mist.


    The sudden loss of his limb caused him to lose bnce, and the maggots capitalized on the opportunity.


    A particrly massive one lunged at him.


    Its gaping maw aimed to tear apart his upper body.


    Thanatos was toote to react.


    At thest second, Kronos appeared beside him, and grabbed his arm.


    In a blink, the two teleported away to a safer distance.


    "Why are you outside?" Thanatos asked calmly, leaning on his sword like a crutch.


    "To help you," Kronos replied.


    He had used his Concept of space element to teleport himself and Ares outside the association building.


    "Let me look at your injury," Ares said, stepping closer.


    "It''s fine," Thanatos interrupted. "This body has physical matter, but it is not a living body. It can''t be healed with holy or life elements—"


    "Then let me do it," Kronos said firmly.


    He activated his Concept of time element, reversing the flow of time on Thanatos'' injury.


    The destroyed limb reformed as though it had never been damaged.


    "See, we can help. There''s no need to—"


    A maggotunched a surprise attack before Kronos could finish his sentence.


    Its enormous jaws mped down, biting away Kronos'' entire body in an instant.


    What remained of Kronos'' corpse fell lifelessly to the side.


    Thanatos'' gaze shifted sharply.


    Ares was supposed to be covering them while Kronos healed him, but—


    "He died too."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Ares was killed before he could warn them.


    There was no time to mourn.


    The maggots closed in from all sides.


    Their grotesque forms continued to writhe and shift.


    Knowing they couldn''t breach the building filled with humans until they eliminated Thanatos, they attacked him without.a break .


    …


    Savage Expanse (destroyed)


    Jack''s grip on his twin swords tightened as he scanned the approaching swarm of maggots.


    Just looking at their grotesque forms caused him.a headache.


    Emma stood next to him.


    She summoned a staff that seemed to glow with a pulsing shadowy aura.


    The sky above them was shrouded in darkness.


    "Stick to the n," Jack said, his voice sharp and steady.


    "I''ll handle therger ones. Keep them off me," Emma said after she nodded.


    The maggots surged forward like a relentless tide.


    At the same time, Jack''s shadow bloomed.


    His legion of undead crawled out from the depths of the shadow''s darkness.


    Tens of thousands of skeleton soldiers, skeleton mages, duhans, several bone dragons, and thousands of other undead type of monsters stood behind him.


    "Attack!" Jack shouted.


    His legion moved at hismand like a well trained army.


    They shed with the maggots.


    Following them, the awakeners who hade to subjugate Typhaon roared and rushed ahead.


    They shed with the maggots.


    Jack wasted no time.


    He dashed into the battlefield.


    His silver swords cut moved with ruthless efficiency.


    His face happened when he realised his attacks were doing no damage.


    "This isn''t doing anything!"


    "Let me try."


    Emma raised her staff, using her Concept tomand the Darkness elementals.


    "Veil of Despair."


    The ground beneath the swarm turned pitch ck as a shadowy mist rose, swallowing the smaller maggots.


    While the darkness failed to devour them, it temporarily tied them down and they couldn''t continue their advance.


    The ineffectiveness of attacks took Jack and Emma by surprise.


    They were overwhelmed by the maggots and had no time to help other awakeners.


    The awakeners continued their desperate struggle.


    des shattered and arrows bounced harmlessly off the grotesque creatures.


    Theck of mana had caused their strength to plummet.


    One by one, they fell—consumed, crushed, or torn apart.


    Screams filled the air, quickly silenced by the relentless swarm.


    Jack''s sharp eyes caught sight of the two awakeners, both twins, about to be eaten by a giant maggot near him.


    He dashed forward without hesitation.


    "Get back!" he roared, shing at the maggot.


    His strike pushed the grotesque creature back.


    One of the twins Jack rescued tumbled.


    Jack nted himself between her and the monster.


    He summoned a shield made of Darkness.


    The maggot struck with a powerful force, sending Jack flying backward.


    Blood sprayed from a gaping wound on his shoulder as he mmed into the ground.