NOVEL NEXT Chapter 121: The Retreat
At the southern force frontline, daylight poured across the battlefield, casting long shadows over the ravaged land. Dust and thick smoke spiraled into the galaxy, rising from the deep fissures, scattered craters, and fractured stones left behind by the relentless assault of the Aqua and Gravity Astro teams. The murmuring voices of warriors echoed through the desolate expanse, breaking the eerie silence as their subordinates moved in disciplined formations, reinforcing their positions with practiced efficiency.
"All members, be on board. Let's proceed forward," Lumina commanded, her voice calm yet firm.
At her words, her subordinates swiftly hopped onto the Aether Glide, its sleek metallic frame humming with energy as it lifted off the ground. Lumina and Beorn climbed atop the airborne vessel, the mechanical beast responding to their weight with a faint, stabilizing whir before gliding forward in synchronized motion.
Meanwhile, far to the east, the Gravity Astro Aether Glide mirrored their movement, drifting like a silent predator through the smoke-laden air.
Then, without warning, the fragile calm shattered. The very earth beneath them trembled, a deep, bone-rattling vibration that sent pebbles skittering and cracks splintering further across the battlefield. The heavy, rhythmic pounding of colossal feet reverberated like a war drum, a harbinger of the unseen monstrosities closing in. A chilling realization swept through the troops like a cold gust, turning their breath shallow, their hands instinctively tightening around their weapons.
A single bead of sweat traced a path down Lumina's cheek, but she remained resolute.
"Steady yourselves," she ordered, her voice unwavering despite the primal dread clawing at the air. "Slow the Aether Glide. We advance with caution."
With fluid precision, she raised her divine bow, its polished surface glinting under the dim daylight. Her left index and thumb drew back the string, an arrow of pure energy materializing between her fingers, humming with latent power. Her piercing gaze locked onto the swirling dust ahead, scanning for the source of the unseen menace.
The Aether Glides from both Astro teams drifted to a halt, their metallic hulls exhaling a soft hiss as they held position. The battlefield held its breath.
Then, through the shifting veil of dust, shapes began to emerge, hulking, grotesque, and brimming with primal fury. A Primordial Beast surged out of the rising smoke.
Behind the rising veil of smoke, a flickering image of a primordial Rhino materialized and vanished in rapid succession, its massive form obscured by the swirling dust. Lumina's fingers remained taut against her bowstring, her knuckles white with tension. Then, without warning, a searing beam of light erupted from the beast's horn, splitting through the haze like a divine spear. The force of the blast sent a shockwave rippling through the air, scattering loose debris in its wake.
"Iceflame Archery: Flamecore Arrow," Lumina whispered, her voice steady yet charged with raw power.
The arrow tore from her bow with deadly precision, slicing through the wind so cleanly that even the air itself seemed to shudder in its wake. A biting chill radiated from the projectile, causing the space around it to tremble slightly, momentarily distorting reality before it stabilized. When the arrow clashed against the beast's blinding light beam, a violent reaction ensued, an ethereal collision that rippled outward like waves upon a disturbed lake.
The very fabric of space within a one-meter radius shuddered as the arrow's icy flames ignited, unleashing a burst of freezing fire. The explosion devoured nearly half of the luminous blast, freezing it mid-motion with an intensity that sent cracks spiraling through the hardened light. What remained of the energy, now trapped behind the frozen mass, detonated upon itself, unable to surge forward, dissolving in a burst of fragmented radiance.
Lumina barely had a moment to recover when movement stirred behind the fallen beast. The dust curtain gradually parted, revealing more creatures of its kind, primordial Rhinos, their massive frames forming an ominous silhouette across the battlefield. Their sheer numbers sent a pulse of dread thrumming through the air, their presence heralding a fight far from over.
The ground quaked with a relentless tremor, each pulse amplifying the sheer might of the approaching Primordial Beasts. The air itself seemed to shudder under the weight of their monstrous presence.
"Hummm," Beorn exhaled, his voice barely above a murmur, yet the unease it carried was unmistakable. A bead of sweat traced a slow path down his right cheek as he stood beside Lumina, his gaze locked onto the tidal wave of beasts surging toward them. The sheer number made the very air feel dense, suffocating. His grip on his weapon tightened instinctively.
"I think… it's better we retreat," he suggested, his tone cautious yet firm.
But Lumina remained silent. Her piercing gaze fixated on the oncoming horrors, caught between the primal instinct to flee and the warrior's urge to stand her ground. Indecision flickered in her eyes, a battle waging within her that no one else could see.
Then, a voice tore through the wind, calling her name from the right. "Lumi... Lumina… Lumina!"
She turned sharply, her trance broken by the familiar timbre. It was Dunstan. His voice roared over the battlefield, carried by the speeding Aether Glide.
"The Astro Lord has ordered a retreat!" he bellowed, urgency laced in every syllable.
Even as the Aether Glide reversed its course, levitating backward with a steady hum, Lumina's gaze darted between the fleeing vessel and the monstrous tide advancing toward them.
For a moment, she lingered. Then, her resolve hardened. "Tell them to retreat," she instructed Beorn.
"Yes, ma'am!" he responded without hesitation. His movements were swift, decisive, he leaped from the top of the Aether Glide, gripping the metallic frame before swinging himself inside to relay her message.
With that, the retreat commenced. But it was too late.
The Primordial Beasts, their speed tripling that of their fleeing foes, closed the distance with terrifying efficiency. The earth cracked beneath their weight, and a cacophony of guttural roars and thunderous steps filled the air. Then, like a storm given form, they attacked.
Claws ripped through the sky. Fangs gleamed in the dimming light. Desperation clawed at the Aqua Aether Glide's crew as they swerved and twisted to evade the onslaught. Every strike that narrowly missed them sent a shockwave of raw power across the battlefield.
Lumina, refusing to remain idle, pulled back her divine bowstring, her fingers trembling under the strain of the weapon's immense power. Arrows of light streaked toward the beasts, piercing through their ranks with radiant fury, yet it was not enough. They came, undeterred, dominant, unstoppable.
Her breath hitched. Sweat slicked her brow. Her arms burned from overuse, but fear gripped her harder than exhaustion ever could.
Her subordinates, huddled in the Aether Glide, watched in silent horror. Hopelessness pooled in their eyes. They knew, this was the end.
Then, suddenly, something changed. The Primordial Beasts faltered. Their movements, once swift and merciless, turned sluggish, as though invisible chains bound them in place.
Beorn stood unfazed, his expression calm amidst the chaos. His hands shimmered with raw energy, the faint glow outlining his fingers like ethereal fire. Power rippled from his form, its unseen force weaving through the battlefield, constraining the beasts in its invisible grasp.
With their foes slowed, the Aqua Aether Glide surged forward, their retreat finally gaining momentum.
The battle was not won, but they had survived.
At the Southern Frontline, Seraphina, Centric, and Kal stood firm, their energy crackling faintly like restless stars caught in the fabric of twilight. Every muscle in their bodies coiled like drawn bows, the air thick with a suffocating tension, pressing down on them with an unseen weight.
Across the battlefield, the Primordial Beasts advanced, their monstrous forms silhouetted against the pale glow of the heavens. Each footfall was a hammer against the earth, a war drum pounding in a relentless rhythm, shaking the very marrow of the world. The three celestial warriors felt themselves momentarily lift, their balance faltering as though gravity itself had wavered beneath the sheer force of the beasts' march. The earth trembled, not in submission, but in warning.
Meanwhile, at the secret route, Nyxander lay atop the levitating Aether Glide, his form relaxed, yet his senses sharp as a predator at rest. The other six of his subordinates had dispersed, moving like silent shadows around their escorts, their gazes flickering back toward the distant horizon. A storm of unspoken tension brewed behind them, an undeniable force swelling in the void of the unknown. They pushed forward, closing the gap to the road's edge, but something, something vast and inescapable, lurked in the space they had left behind, watching, waiting.
A war once carefully planned thought to be a balanced struggle, predicted to achieve partial success, has unexpectedly escalated, plunged prematurely into its most intense phase.
The three forces now stand locked in a tense standoff, each burdened by its own pressure. The tide of battle hinges on which side will break free first, shifting the course of the conflict in an instant.