Second World

Arther stood at the forefront as the massive Liguritudum army came crashing. They stood their ground and mainly acted as a defensive wall to protect the left wing and the center army while they dealt with the enemies.

Arther activated his Sphere of Aegis and dove right into the enemy's midst. While this skill was active, he was nearly invincible. The white fiery sphere not only protected his body but also damaged all it touched. His speed was also increased when this skill was active. His silvery transparent wings tool let him zip around, creating chaos within the enemy's ranks.

*

The center and left-wing armies should have originally engaged an army that was fewer than them, but the sudden appearance of the hidden army turned the situation around. Especially for the left-wing army. The hidden army came to their left flank. They were now dealing with a force twice their size.

The commander of the left-wing army, Meryl, didn't appear intimidated. Instead, she uttered a roar that bordered on excitement. The army's morale was roused because of that. She fired her bow with extreme speed. Every arrow left a trail of light as they flew. They were as if small comets.

These arrows exploded upon impact, dealing AOE damage and delivering strong knockback. These knockbacks forced the enemy's charge to stop, disrupting their formation.

A figure suddenly shot out from the disrupted army. Meryl jumped away just before this figure landed with a bang. The ground where it landed was shattered and a shockwave radiated out, causing the Themisphere soldiers nearby to fall to the ground.

The figure was a large dwarf. A dead dwarf to be exact. The skin on his face was pale and cracked. His eyes were hollow. The dwarf was ex-admiral of Palgrost, Thorack Groundbreaker.

Thorack was four levels stronger than Meryl, but the lord marshall didn't back down. She continued firing her arrows at Thorack, who charged forward.

Thorack charged using a skill, Forceful Charge. A protective layer of energy covered his body while he charged, reducing a great deal of damage as well as negating all movement restrictions. Meryl's arrows that hit his body bounced off without dealing much damage. The high-speed charge brought him before Meryl in an instant. His huge hammer was launched at Mery's face.

A heater shield came between the hammer and the face.

"You think I am powerless in a melee because I use bow and arrow?" Meryl said. Her body spun dexterously and she was already behind Thorack before he could respond.

Her main hand was now holding a one-handed sword. Following her spinning momentum, she used the pommel of her sword and struck the back of Thorack's head, sending him reeling forward.

She was one of the few natives that originally knew martial arts. After the Themisphere implemented the large-scale martial arts drill in the army, she was one of the few who was most enthusiastic about learning it. The drill further refined her movements, giving her expert precision.

With quick movements, she switched the shield in her left hand to an axe that hung beside her waist. She slashed with the axe and stabbed with the sword. The two weapons also emitted energy that was the characteristic of Ki Weapon.

Thorack couldn't cope with Meryl's fast and varied attacks. He received hits on multiple occasions. The damage he received was mitigated, though, because he was protected by Divine Armor. Meryl didn't mind. Any damage dealt to this zombie admiral, however small, was a win. This was because the zombie units couldn't be healed.

Thorack swung his hammer with a power that could level mountains. Every swing generated a force that created a tidal wave. Meryl felt suffocating pressures from those swings. She had difficulty moving every time the hammer passed by her. She had to use all her focus to move with precise timing so she didn't get hit by these powerful blows.

However, war was not a place for a duel. Her focus had instead opened her up to another attack. She was struck by a lightning bolt cast by an enemy. This lightning bolt stunned her just as Thorack's hammer came swinging again.

Luckily, Meryl was not alone. A beam of light came crashing into Thorack from the side. He stumbled from the force of the beam. His swing missed Meryl.

Meryl turned to the source of the light beam and saw Duchess Isabelle floating not far away. Multiple melee weapons made of light were floating around her. In her hand was a long multi-tailed whip that was also made of light.

Meryl flashed her a grateful gaze before returning her attention to Thorack.

The admiral didn't feel pain or humiliation from Isabelle's surprise attack. He didn't feel anything for he was dead. He did growl, but not out of anger. The growl turned to a howl which stunned the soldiers around him. His body then enlarged. His body continued to grow until his body mass was five times his original size.

Meryl was now as if a baby in front of him.

He swung his giant hammer down. Meryl didn't dare to look down on this attack. She jumped away and tried to put as much distance as possible. When the hammer hit the ground. The surrounding soil collapsed. At the same time, a small earthquake radiated out.

Meryl was speechless. Thorack wasn't using any skill just now. That was just a standard attack.

She decided to be prudent and returned to using her bow and arrows. She maintained her distance as she kited Thorack.

*

While their commander was fighting the zombie admiral, the left-wing army wasn't having a good time. They were besieged from two sides by an army twice their number. John watched this from the small mountaintop.

"My offer still stands, son. Come to our side. There is no need for this pointless struggle," Linda continued to send John messages.

John smiled. "Hehe. As you said, I shouldn't be that gullible. Do you truly think I march my army into your trap just like that?"

"What do you mean?"

Answering Linda's question, an army of around 100,000 suddenly appeared out of thin air behind Liguritudum's hidden army that flanked Themisphere's left-wing army. This newly emerged army ambushed the unsuspecting hidden army from their rear.