Chapter 1173: The Undead Siege


    ?


    The Law Gate''s defenses roared to life. Automated turrets unleashed streams of concentrated energy, the brain crystals powering them, turning their already powerful attacks into


    something that could fry a Thaid in mere seconds.


    Each st tore through the ranks of the undead Thaids controlled by the Chimaeric Demons, ripping apart decaying flesh, boiling blood, and shattering bones.


    Yet not a single Chimaeric Demon died, at least, and that was because they weren''t directly joining the fight, at least for the time being.


    Erik''s orders had been clear. They had to attack only when the barrier was taken down or if the undead got decimated.


    But even that was most likely not going to be enough for them to join the fight, and the reason was simple.


    As soon as they entered the city, they would bring forth new undead, those made from the bodies of the ckguards defending this ce, or so everyone hoped.


    Erik needed all the troops he could bring to Mur, and creating battle-ready Chimaeric Demons was not a fast affair.


    Besides, given the utterly massive number of dead monsters, it was unlikely they would join the fight in a short time.


    ckguard soldiers lined the walls of the fortress city like sentinels carved from living stone directly from the walls. They were unmoving, only focusing on killing the abominations their enemies unleashed on them. An unbreakable chain of defenders whose unwavering vignce mirrored the eternal seas that had consumed the shores of this ce since the beginning of life.


    Their own brain crystal powers joining the barrage and making bodies pile up on the ground, this time dead.


    Many kinds of energy, stemming from mana, flew toward the undead. Ice-based attacks froze entire sections of the advancing horde, turning rotting flesh brittle enough to shatter.


    Fire-based attacks incinerated wave after wave of undead, turning their bodies to ash that got scattered by the winds or the sts of other powers.


    There were many more, of course, but the spectrum of powers outside there wasn''t easy to quantify.


    The only problem with all of this was that whatever the ckguards did, it wasn''t enough. The undead responded with equal fury. Bear-like Thaids absorbed direct hits from the turrets. They were powerful enough to withstand most of the attacks.


    Flying units swooped through the storms, some torn apart by defensive fire, but there were simply too many for that to be meaningful.


    Besides, the undead were nothing more than mere distractions, puppets used to make the ckguards focus on a battlefield they couldn''t possibly ignore while Erik and his team advanced toward the barrier masters and the generators, unseen.


    Missile batteriesunched salvos, their warheads designed to counter Thaids. Explosions rippled across the battlefield, sending body parts in all directions. Yet the horde pressed forward, their dead eyes glowing with the power they borrowed from their Chimaeric Demons'' masters.


    "They''re not stopping," a ckguard said over themunicationwork. His squad unleashed another volley of attacks that scattered dozens of smaller Thaids.


    Another ckguard''s voice crackled through themunicationwork. "Multiple casualties in Sector Eight! We need reinforcements!"


    "Redirect fire to support Sector Eight," came the Vindicator''s response. "Focus on therger threats first."


    The defensive line trembled as another wave of undead crashed against the barrier. Energy weapons carved through the ranks of shambling corpses.


    Energy weapons screeched through the air as undead bodies mmed against the massive defense. Explosions boomed while brain crystal weapons fired.


    Each impact made the ground shake violently. The undead wailed as they died again, while turrets swiveled and tracked targets. Energy sts turned flesh to vapor with a sizzle.


    The barrier maintained its steady drone, pulsing with power as it absorbed each hit like the massive shield it was.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Sir!" Another voice cut through the chaos. "We''re detecting unusual energy signatures beneath the eastern wall. Could be tunnel activity!"


    The Vindicator paused a second to think. "Get me a detailed scan of the subterranean levels. If they''re trying to breach from below, I want to know about it."


    The armored quadrupeds at the rear of the army began their own assault, too. Their brain crystals red as theyunched devastating attacks at the barrier.


    The undead creatures at the back of the armyunched powerful attacks at the protective barrier. Each hit was so strong it made the entire Law Gate shake. However, the barrier remained just as strong as before, withstanding all these attacks without weakening.


    Waves of undead creatures crashed against the barrier in an endless assault. The protective field shed with each impact as it absorbed and deflected the attacks.


    More defensive systems activated from the ckguards'' side. Hidden panels in the walls opened to revealser turrets. They released waves of pure energy that rippled across the battlefield and turned the undead into ashes.


    The night sky got flooded with lights.


    Inside the Law Gate''smand center, reports flooded themunication channels. Operators shouted updates across the room.


    There was chaos there. The ckguards didn''t exactly expect the attack of a massive horde of thaids. At that point, it became clear that was Erik Romano''s attack. It was just that everyone knew where this power came from, and that unsettled everyone.


    "Sector Seven reporting massive Thaid presence! They''reing up from underground positions!"


    "More flying units spotted in Sector Three!" another voice cut through the chaos. "Flying thaid, at least 5 thousand of them are approaching!"


    Commands echoed through the fortress as officers rallied their troops. "Don''t let them gather! Keep firing! Show these undead bastards what the ckguards can do!"


    The defensive turrets adjusted their firing patterns, spreading to cover more ground and address the new threats.


    It was just that the monsters seemed never-ending. At that point, the already obscured sky was filled with creatures. The rays of the fading moonpletely covered by the flock.


    Explosions lit up different sections near the walls as the battle expanded. Squad leaders shouted encouragement to their soldiers, urging them to keep their positions.


    Until the barrier held, there was no way they would lose. They were raining down death, the true one, on the undead creature, and it was just a matter of time before they killed them all. Inside themand center, the ckguards maintained theirposure through sheer discipline and training, but an undercurrent of tension ran through every operator. Their voices remained steady, yet beads of sweat formed on their foreheads as they processed the endless stream of threat reports.


    "Eastern quadrant under heavy assault!" The radio crackled. "Bear-type Thaids breaking through our line of fire!"


    "Redirect power to Sectors Four through Six!" an Enforcer ordered. "We can''t let them concentrate their forces!"


    They had trained for attacks such as this one, practiced countless defensive scenarios, but nothing had prepared them for the scale of the assault, not for the kind of monsters they were


    facing.


    The sheer number of undead creatures testing their barriers challenged not just their tactical abilities but also their psychological strength.


    More undead emerged from the dark tunnels, but they couldn''t see from where they were


    coming from exactly.


    "Where are the tunnel exits?"


    "Doesn''t matter! Just keep firing! The barrier holds-that''s all that matters!"


    The barrier and defensive systems gave them confidence. The automated defense systems


    operated at their absolute limits. The mechanism fired the brain crystal itself, now devoid of mana, discharging it on the side and releasing steam.


    A ckguard then opened the fiery hot housing and ced a new brain crystal inside the machine. Simr scenes were ying everywhere.


    "Sir! New contacts detected in Sector Nine! Multiple signatures approaching from the


    northwest quadrant!"


    "I want eyes on every side now! These undead have to being from somewhere. Find their source, and we might prevent them from spawning!"


    While the chaos unfolded above, Erik led his small team through the winding tunnels beneath


    the Law Gate.


    June walked close behind him, while Amber, Mira, and Emily followed behind. Three Chimaeric Demons brought up the rear, protecting the three women from attacks. They knew nothing could happen inside the tunnels, but once they teleported, it would have been better to already be in position rather than to waste time, possibly under attack.


    "We''re getting close."


    June nodded. "The diversion above works perfectly, master."


    If one could call that a diversion. With over 60 thousand undead Thaids assaulting the walls, thousands of flying creatures darkening the skies, and massive bear-like monstrosities pounding against the barriers, this was more of a full-scale invasion.


    Every attack was meant to exhaust the ckguards, strain their defensive systems, and keep


    their attention fixed on the chaos above ground.


    "We still need to bring down that barrier," a Chimaeric Demon said.


    Amber and Emily exchanged nces.


    Erik turned to look at Amber. She was going to warp them soon. "Are you ready?" he asked.


    "Yes."


    Then the barrier came into view, its shimmering surface extending even this far beneath the surface. The shield stretched through the rocky earth, prating deep underground where their tunnel had brought them, forming a dome that protected the Law Gate both above and


    below ground. Not for long, though.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!