Chapter 131: The Great Melee (Tenth Installment!!!)

"Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived!"

In the ruins of High Court, Li Chou’s eyes were bloodshot as he shouted at the top of his lungs. As his voice trailed off, dozens of figures materialized beside him, accompanied by a massive influx of powerful equipment and various supplies.

When these servants appeared, they didn't need to deliberate; they immediately cast their furious gazes toward the swarm of aberrations surging from the perimeter. Their chests were filled with raw, burning rage. These were the very things that had killed their lord. Yet, they did not act rashly; they followed Li Chou’s arrangements with absolute discipline, focused solely on victory.

At that moment, a crimson banner stained with blood was delivered to Shana. Seeing the familiar sun emblem on it, her gaze faltered for a heartbeat. She could feel the "wrath" contained within the fabric, the countless unyielding souls woven into it. Shana extended her hand, covered in fine lacerations and smeared with blood, and gripped the banner tightly.

A split second later, with a metallic clang, she drove the staff into the earth with all her might. Bright, gentle, and protective light erupted from the banner, forming a shimmering veil of energy.

But that was not all it could do. The power of the "Sacred Triumphant Banner" was far greater than that. Its true strength lay in its vow of blessing.

"In the name of Shana Heraka, I forge a covenant with the 'Light'..." Shana endured her extreme exhaustion, gripping the staff tightly as she channeled her will to ignite its true power. "...to bring victory to Colin... *cough*..."

However, before she could finish, a crushing pressure descended upon her. Blood welled from her facial orifices, and her chest felt as if it had been struck by a heavy blow, causing her to vomit a mouthful of dark, crimson blood. Her aura weakened significantly in that instant, the lethargy of her body becoming more pronounced, and a visible pallor spread across her face, masked by blood and dirt.

Yet, she paid no mind to her own wounds, glancing back at the light that had already dimmed upon the gray stone throne. Her blue pupils, reflecting the blood-stained stone seat and steps, contracted sharply. There was no life left there.

"Mr. Colin, what exactly are you enduring?"

Before the thought could fully form, a layer of extreme, writhing, and terrifying "night aura" poured into the area, shattering her shock. It was a strand no thicker than a hair—inconspicuous and distant, yet impossible to ignore. People could not see it, yet its sheer terror formed a "vision" directly within their minds.

This was the aura of the "Night" piercing through the gray fog to reach this place. As Colin entered the "Nightmare," It too had located this place, projecting Its power through the obstacles.

At this moment, that "black hair" writhed and expanded, forming a "black hole" that appeared no larger than half a fingernail to the naked eye. But in terms of perception, it was infinitely vast, devouring all light and obscuring the entire world "before" them.

The next second...

The terrifying aura instantly enveloped the entire subterranean zone. One after another, horrific entities were cast out from the "black hole." Each figure was suffocating to behold. They were... Lord-level aberrations!

Shana leaned on the blood-red banner, staring at the boundless sea of enemies, her teeth biting deep into her lip. *Do not retreat!*

Beside her, under the shroud of "Light," no one felt fear. Even though their explosives were exhausted! Even though Lord-level aberrations stood before them! Even though they were about to face this endless horror with their bare flesh, they did not waver, nor were they overcome by terror.

Shana stood resolutely in the vanguard, looking up at the infinite enemies without yielding a single inch. She gripped the banner with both hands, her teeth clenched, prepared to trade her life to buy Colin more time. Even if it were only a second...

However, at that moment, an unexpected voice emerged.

"Friends, leave this to us."

The voice resonated in everyone's hearts. As they stood in stunned silence, the ground trembled, and a dense, chaotic swarm of figures erupted from the white fog in the distance.

"Living Olive Trees"!

Countless "Living Olive Trees" were charging out from the white fog, reinforcements from the "Land of Weeping Olives"! Furthermore, behind them, within the thickest part of the mist, a magnificent, mountain-like olive tree, a thousand meters tall, gradually emerged. Each step shook the earth. It was the giant olive tree transformed by "Miracle"—Kimino!

At this moment, he, the incarnation of "Miracle," "looked" toward the surging darkness. Suddenly, a massive amount of suffering thorns, covered in black spikes and shimmering with a cold, metallic luster, erupted from his body. Thousands of thorns surged toward the writhing darkness, piercing it and binding it in layer upon layer of restraints, pinning it high in the air.

The teleportation was severed. A multitude of Lord-level aberrations that had been funneled into the dark tunnel but had not yet descended were frozen behind the darkness, unable to arrive or return.

And he... also fell silent. The two sides reached a stalemate.

Despite the disruption of the mass teleportation, the balance of power on the ground remained precarious. However, at that moment, a petite figure stepped out from the shadows beside Kimino and, without hesitation, emitted a shrill, frenzied shriek.

*Clatter-clatter-clatter...*

The sound of clashing bones echoed from within the shadows. The next second, a massive beast, nothing but white bone, crawled out from the darkness.

It even had enormous antlers growing from its skull!

The figure seemed to whisper something to it, and the beast immediately charged toward the terrifying Lord-level aberrations. At the same time, the sound of a woman’s mournful sobbing echoed through the mountains. The tide of Living Olive Trees collided with the wave of aberrations. Like two clashing currents of black and red, they erupted into a brutal war that shook the mountains.

But it was not enough.

"The Lord has prepared a seat for every loyal and brave soul!"

In the High Court, a brilliant fire suddenly flared. Number One held a lantern high, its light illuminating every face etched with loyalty and resolve.

"Now is the moment for us to spill the foul blood of the heretics!"

"For the glory of the Lord!"

Accompanied by a roar as vast as the sea, this human crusade—composed of tens of thousands of soldiers empowered by "Gifts"—charged forward with blades, axes, war hammers, and mystical artifacts, joining the white-hot battle!

Thus, the most massive, magnificent, and inevitably most brutal battle in the long struggle between humanity and the "Night" erupted before the "High Court"! Humans, Living Olive Trees, aberrations, and fallen dark lifeforms were all churned together into a massive meat grinder of life and death. As the grinder turned, countless lives were torn asunder, pulverized into dust. Blood soaked meters into the earth, moistening every parched inch. Amidst the frantic, hoarse war cries, the entire battlefield descended into unprecedented madness.

At this moment, whether it was humans, olive trees, or the "Dark Aura," all were continuously pouring their forces into the grinder of flesh and blood. The battle here might not decide the ultimate outcome, but if they allowed the enemy to break through the line and raise their butcher's knives against the man on the gray stone throne, humanity would lose all hope forever.

Meanwhile, a recovered Shana took a deep breath. She looked at the giant grinder less than a thousand meters away, forced her battered body to stand, raised the "Sacred Triumphant Banner" high, and issued her declaration once more.

"In the name of Shana Heraka, I forge a covenant with the 'Light' to bring victory to this battlefield!"

She waved the banner, spinning it in her hands to unfurl it, and then drove it into the earth with every ounce of her remaining strength. A magnificent and noble aura radiated from the banner. Her pale gold hair, pinned up behind her head, came undone and streamed backward, each strand turning white.

The next second, the bloodstains on the banner flaked away like rust. A sacred light erupted from within, like a new sun rising. A pure, gentle, and healing power instantly blanketed the entire battlefield, bestowing a sacred and powerful blessing upon every warrior.

The effects of the blessing, purchased with Shana’s life force, were evident. The strength of all human fighters grew significantly; wounds closed rapidly, and movements became swifter.

But both sides knew that what would truly decide this battle was not here...

It was in another place, where hope seemed already lost.

The "Nightmare"...