Divine Beast Ascension

Chapter 330: Complete Tactical Control

“What have–”

The first low-perennial tried to jokingly ask what was going on but Hurman was already on top of him, swinging both swords down from the sky. He quickly took out his own greatsword to block the blows.

As the blade turned icy-saw crashed onto the blocking greatsword, the earth essence gathered around the greatsword was chewed away with rapid speed. This didn’t faze the low-perennial’s grin, at least not until the following swing of the earthen blade connected. That low-perennial nearly lost his grip as the earth-crusted blade was far heavier than expected, actually chipping the greatsword where the defending essence had been stripped away.

Not wasting an opening, the second perennial sped toward Hurman with haste. He wielded a three-part staff, swinging it at Hurman’s unguarded back. But sharp, earthen spikes abruptly erupted out of the ground to Hurman’s defense.

The spikes failed to injure or touch the low-perennial with lightning affinity but it bought Hurman a moment to step back after his initial attack.

“Who are you?” asked the second perennial, startled to see an aged early perennial with such unusual tactics and techniques.

“Just an old man that needs a good fight to get back in the swing of things!” Hurman chuckled, throwing himself back into the foe with earth affinity.

.....

As Hurman’s 2-v-1 began to play out, the former assistant circled around his mid-perennial foe. But his wind blades did little to nothing as the foe burned the wind blades before they were any threat to him.

“Why turn coats?” laughed the fire-wielding mid-perennial. “How much did they offer?”

“Enough...” The former assistant shrugged. Though he didn’t have the ability to easily harm his opponent, at least he could corral and outspeed the man.

“Enough to turn against a king? What makes you think–”

“I have my reasons and you have yours. For now, can’t we just fight in peace, Marsel?”

Laughing along with his former acquaintance, the flaming perennial nodded. “If you say so, Lambier... But what about them?”

“Don’t worry about them. Just focus on me!” Lambier laughed louder, ignoring the uniting army reaching the center road.

Then, as if on cue, an explosion of rock and rubble occurred between the dueling perennials and the reuniting army. A tunnel opened up from inside the synthetic hill, and from inside the tunnel charged the wildebeest, stallion, and frog armies.

“NO MERCY!” Nixt ordered, leaping off of Eefran’s back into and directly into the unifying army.

“Not bad... Who planned all this? The leopard?” Marsel asked, genuinely impressed.

“Maybe, maybe not...”

“Ha! You don’t even know, do you?”

“Does that matter?” chuckled Lambier. “I was given a reward and accepted orders. But the moment Bicard turns the tables, I’m running with my money.”

“They already paid you?!”

Shrugging, Lambier laughed, “You think I’d accept the deal otherwise?”

“What about him? Aren’t you worried about him too?” Marsel asked, pointing into the crowd below.

But the former assistant shook his head without batting an eye. “Nah, I’m only waiting to see if that gorilla’s death wish pays off!”

“Hmm... Interesting...” Marsel’s mind began to wander as his attacks became more robotic. His match with Lambier became more of a rough dance than a fight, each simply responding to the other’s attacks without either trying to take the lead.

As for the men now in the woods, they charged and rushed to flank the fort. Their captains remained calm and the perennials alongside them kept quiet for the moment. But only for a moment.

CRASH, CRASH, CRASH!!!

On the west side of the fort, invading mercenaries were shocked as the rows of trees in front of them splintered and crashed back onto the army. Multiple tree trunks had been thrown with terrifying force, ripping through the treeline to create a large opening to do battle. While most mercenaries managed to evade the collapsing trees, they were all shocked to see the Iron-body Gorillas leading a small army of lynxes.

“NO MERCY!” order the lead gorilla, lifting her war hammer to the sky.

“AAAHHH...”

“Foxes!!”

As the hired army waited in the clearing, screams sounded from the rear. Immediately, the perennial captains were forced to take action. One led his men into the clearing and one rushed to save those at the rear. The one in the clearing was instantly targeted by Ania’s war hammer, and the one saving the army’s rear had no chance to act personally thanks to Puula’s interference.

CRASH, CRASH, CRASH!!!

On the east side of the fort, a similar scene was unfolding. Trees were thrown to tear open a clearing among the forest. There, jaguars lined up behind a row of gorillas. Hurdo stood at the lead, pounding his chest, roaring, “NO MERCY!”

The perennial captains rushed ahead again but one was forced to turn around. More foxes appeared from the shaded woods, forcing the soldiers to advance toward the clearing. And while one captain charged against the Hurdo, the other stopped in his tracks before ever reaching his fleeing men.

With a thundering roar, Sarpo leaped down from the treetops, almost taking off the captain’s head with his lightning-fast surprise attack.

The invading army had been successfully diverted and separated into three smaller forces. Though two of those forces were flanking the fortress, that didn’t matter. Those two separated forces were now encircled. Though the third force in front of the fort was larger and had more perennials, they were cut off from helping the flanking forces thanks to pools of lava that lingered in the trenches. And that central group would now face the majority of Iron Army’s forces.

But the moment Nixt and Eefran plowed into the invading army, three figures rushed to take them out, followed by a fourth, slower silhouette. Two were immediately met by Eefran and Nixt, stalling their charge into the mortal mercenaries. That left the remaining two figures an opening to strike.

Keeping an eye on the nearby battlefield, Marsel sighed, “See. This–”

“AAAaaahh...”

Marsel began to taunt Lambier again, only to bite his own tongue. Looking back, Marsel nodded and chuckled, “That’s where the leopard’s been hiding...”