Chapter 1286 |
The tornadoes unleashed by the Splitting Heaven and Earth: Dragon Rising swept across the ranks of the Marchioni Imperial Army and slaughtered every single one who dared to stay in their path.
The sight of tens of thousands of enemy soldiers being ripped apart by the tornadoes was so grotesque that it looked like a bunch of tomatoes being shredded in a blender.
‘T-This is ridiculous…’ Siegfried thought, dumbstruck by the massacre unfolding before his eyes.
Then, a question appeared in his head.
‘But why?’
He couldn’t understand why the skill, Splitting Heaven and Earth, was suddenly enhanced to Splitting Heaven and Earth: Dragon Rising.
‘Is it because of this weapon?’
Finally, he flashed his Rune of Insight at the Annihilation’s Grasp.
[Annihilation’s Grasp]
[The final masterpiece of the Legendary Blacksmith, Herbert. He conceived the idea during his lifetime but was unable to complete it.]
[It was ultimately finished under the leadership of Herbert’s descendant, Quandt, with the Dragon Blacksmith, Yong Seol-Hwa, assisting in the final stages.]
[This ultimate weapon of destruction could potentially bring about the end of the world.]
[The Ego dwelling within the weapon is immensely powerful, so much so that the wielder risks being devoured by it if not careful.]
[Type: Main Weapon (Lance)]
[Rating: Universal]
[Durability: Infinite]
[Requirement: Level 800+ (Siegfried von Proa can equip from Level 600 due to blood bound)]
[Attack Power: 70,000]
[Magic Power: 0]
[Current Utilization: 11.4% (Utilization will increase as the user’s level rises, proportionally making the weapon stronger)]
[Effects]
- Form Transformation
- All Weapon Masteries MAX
- Invincible Spear Art +30 Levels
- All Skills Enhanced
- All Stats +1,500
- All Skill +20 Levels
- Additional effects will proc depending on the skill used
[Side Effects]
- HP reduction per second
- Primordial Force reduction per second
- Stamina reduction per second
[Warning 1: The higher the weapon’s utilization, the more HP, Primordial Force, and Stamina will decrease.]
[Warning 2: Recklessly using this weapon may result in death.]
The stats of Annihilation’s Grasp were simply overwhelming, and Siegfried had never seen any other item that came close to it.
‘So this thing’s effect was what enhanced the Splitting Heaven and Earth?’ he thought, surprised.
However, the most shocking part wasn't his skill being enhanced, but the fact that his utilization was currently only at 11.4 percent.
“Did you see that? That’s what I’m capable of. I’m a being that can bestow you powers beyond your wildest imagination. Well, you couldn’t even use ten percent of it, so I doubt if you’re truly worthy of—”
Siegfried finally understood why Annihilation’s Grasp had no problems saying something so arrogant. Just as the weapon said, Siegfried was barely able to use ten percent of its true powers.
However, there were more things he couldn't use...
[Special Abilities]
- Extinction
- LOCKED (Info N/A) (Unusable)
- LOCKED (Info N/A) (Unusable)
- LOCKED (Info N/A) (Unusable)
- LOCKED (Info N/A) (Unusable)
The Scourge of God was upgraded to a new ability called Extinction, and there were four other special abilities.
Unfortunately, Siegfried was apparently too weak for him to even check those locked abilities.
‘Will I even get to use them?’ he wondered. The Scourge of God was an absurdly powerful ability, one most would deem to be overpowered, so Siegfried couldn’t begin to imagine just how absurdly broken the other abilities would be.
‘This is absolutely crazy…’ he thought, finally understanding just how overpowered his new weapon was.
Annihilation’s Grasp was probably the closest weapon ever crafted that fit the ideal weapon the Bavarian Workshop had always dreamt of—a weapon capable of mass carnage.
No, in fact, it was possibly the very weapon that they had always dreamt of creating.
‘Good. Time to sweep them all up and put an end to this war. I won’t allow any more casualties among my men. I have to end this myself,’ Siegfried resolved, channeling his Primordial Force into the Annihilation’s Grasp.
He focused all of his senses on Annihilation’s Grasp.
Wooong!
The Omnipotent Mechanical Gear within the Annihilation’s Grasp activated, transforming into a form similar to an umbrella.
‘Transcendent… Torrential… Flower Rain!’
He used one of his most powerful offensive skills, but this time, a completely different skill was activated.
Shwiiiiiiik!
The Annihilation’s Grasp split into tens of thousands of projectiles, raining down upon the Marchioni Imperial forces.
Shwiiiiik!!
Annihilation’s Grasp also enhanced the Transcendent Torrential Flower Rain. Before it could reach the enemy lines, the projectiles unleashed waves of aura blades that swept outward.
Each projectile and aura blade found its mark, piercing their skulls. Then, they drilled into the ones behind them, killing multiple enemies in the process.
Just like bees returning to the hive to regroup and strike out once again, rather than fading away after losing their momentum, the projectiles circled back to the Annihilation’s Grasp and catapulted themselves once more to rain another deadly volley of aura blades on their unfortunate victims.
The process repeated over and over, and before long, only the corpses of the Marchioni Empire soldiers piled up across the entire area.
‘T-This thing is a monster. Its sole existence is to slaughter the living.’ Siegfried trembled at the sheer power of the weapon.
He was both excited and scared at the same time.
What if this demonic weapon were to go on a rampage? What if he slipped up and it attacked him instead?
Just imagining what would happen sent a chill down his spine.
The Universal-rated weapon, Annihilation’s Grasp, was an absolutely terrifying weapon that made even Siegfried shudder.
***
It was not an exaggeration to say that the battle was as good as over the moment Siegfried shot down the battleships.
The Proatine Imperial Army now had absolute air superiority, allowing it to have free rein to wreak havoc on the Marchioni Imperial Army’s backlines.
“Aaaack!”
“Kyaaah!”
“R-Retreat! Retreat!”
“Save meee!”
The soldiers stationed at the rear abandoned the battle and fled in all directions, a rare sight for the troops of the mighty Marchioni Empire.
This was only natural. Half of them were not even professional soldiers but conscripts, so there was no reason for them to be disciplined to their bones. No, even if they were elite soldiers drilled with the staunchest military discipline, running away would still be the obvious choice.
A torrential downpour of shells was raining down from above; there were so many that it was impossible to even count them. Anyone who tried to stand their ground in that hellfire would not be displaying bravery, but rather, utter foolishness.
They only had two choices—flee or die.
Meanwhile, the Marchioni Imperial troops still engaged with the Proatine Imperial Army and the Allied forces were not faring any better.
The clones of Duke Randoll once swarming the battlefield were dwindling rapidly, and their secret weapon, the Four Heavenly Kings, were already dead. Some of the enhanced knights were still standing, but even they were no match for the combined might of the Proatine Imperial Army and its allies.
Why? It was all because the Proatine Imperial Army was not only composed of humans, but also angels and demons.
The Marchioni Empire’s knights were renowned for being some of the most powerful warriors on the continent, but there was little they could do against the three-man squads formed by humans, angels, and demons.
Some of the knights displayed prowess far above others and drove back the three-man squads, but then there was Siegfried.
Armed with Annihilation’s Grasp, he became an existence far beyond what the Marchioni Imperial troops could stop.
Stopping him had already been impossible for the ordinary soldiers and knights, but with a Universal-rated weapon specifically designed to cause mass destruction, he was simply untouchable.
Siegfried dominated the battlefield.
How could anyone hope to stop a monster who had annihilated an entire fleet of battleships with nothing but a single lance? Even thinking that they, mere soldiers and knights, could do something against him was foolish.
A Marchioni Imperial soldier threw his weapon to the ground and raised both hands.
“S-Stop! I surrender! Please don’t kill me!” he cried out.
One by one, the soldiers around him dropped their weapons too and surrendered.
“W-We surrender!”
“Don’t kill us! I yield!”
“Please spare me! I’ll surrender!”
And soon enough, those cries of surrender spread like a plague throughout the ranks of the Marchioni Imperial Army.
There was no doubt that the battle was already lost, and total annihilation was the only fate that awaited them. Also, their morale had long since hit rock bottom, so nobody had the will to fight anymore.
After all, continuing to fight would only mean dying for nothing, so why should they risk their lives for a lost cause?
At this point, the fall of the Marchioni Empire was already inevitable.
Despite the predicament they were in, the so-called Emperor was nowhere to be seen. Rather than personally leading his army, he had locked himself away inside the safety of the imperial palace.
When all of these were taken into account, it was little wonder the troops had completely lost the will to fight.
“M-Mercy! I surrender!”
“We yield! Don’t kill us!”
Cries of surrender rang out all across the battlefield, and the Marchioni Imperial troops threw their weapons down one after another.
Of course, there were still those who refused to surrender and still burned with the resolve to fight until the very bitter end.
The long history of the great Marchioni Empire was not to be taken lightly. Many among the imperial army possessed a patriotism so fierce that they would willingly throw away their lives without hesitation for the sake of their beloved motherland.
“How dare you surrender to these filthy swines?! And you call yourself a soldier of the great Marchioni Empire?!”
“Shut the fuck up! To hell with this damned empire! Why should I care whether it falls or not? What did this empire do for me that I must die for it?!”
“You ungrateful son of a whore!”
“Die!”
The patriotic ones among the Marchioni Imperial troops began attacking those who had dropped their weapons and surrendered.
Ironically, the ones who had surrendered had done so out of sheer desperation to live, yet now, they had no choice but to take up their weapons once again after being attacked by their own comrades.
It was truly an irony at the highest level, one so tragic yet perfectly showed the chaos of the battlefield.
“Attention, all forces.”
At that moment, Siegfried’s calm yet resonant voice pierced the ears of everyone present on the battlefield.
“Spare those who surrender. Anyone who kills an unarmed enemy who has surrendered will be dealt with by military law. But those who refuse to surrender… Kill them all. There will be no prisoners in this war. Show no mercy.”
Siegfried's declaration sealed the matter.
“I surrender!”
“We surrender! We surrender!”
Hearing Siegfried’s declaration, the soldiers threw their weapons down once again, making it clear they no longer had any intention to fight.
“His Imperial Majesty has spoken! Spare those who surrender!”
“Uphold your honor as soldiers! Show mercy to those who surrender! We are not war criminals!”
“Kill all who refuse to yield! Show no mercy!”
Every single soldier of the Proatine Imperial Army and Allied Forces followed Siegfried’s command.
Who would dare disobey him? To the NPCs, Siegfried’s words had long become law.
Of course, there were a few who suffered from PTSD, or who, driven by rage and hatred after witnessing the death of their comrades, acted recklessly despite Siegfried’s command.
But they were swiftly subdued by the other, allowing the enemy soldiers to surrender without being harmed.
After some time had passed—
“W-We… won…”
Those two words slipped from the mouth of a soldier.
“We won! We did it!”
“I survived…!”
“We won the war!”
Soon, the same cry began to erupt from every corner of the battlefield.
Waaaaaaah!
The cries mixed together, turning into a thunderous triumphant roar that shook the entire battlefield.
“Long live the Proatine Empire!”
“Long live the Allied Forces!”
“All hail His Imperial Majesty Siegfried von Proa!”
“Long live the Emperor!”
With the cheering of millions, the grand war for world supremacy had finally come to an end.
The great Marchioni Empire, who had enjoyed hegemony over the entire world for more than five hundred years, had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the rising Proatine Empire and its allies.
This was the decisive battle that completely crushed the military power of the Marchioni Empire once and for all.
***
Meanwhile, back at the imperial palace of the Marchioni Empire.
“We have received word, Your Imperial Majesty.”
The head chamberlain of the imperial household reported to Emperor Stuttgart.
Even as the battle raged, the emperor continued doing paperwork in his office—just as always.
“What is it?”
“Our empire has… been defeated in battle, sire.”
It was then.
Clack!
The quill in the emperor’s hand snapped in half.
He had never imagined, not even in his wildest dreams, that the great Marchioni Empire would be defeated in battle. He personally knew better than anyone else just how much the empire had poured into their military in preparation for this grand campaign.
How much resources and technology had they invested in this war? How many men were mobilized?
The sheer military might prepared by the Marchioni Empire would have sufficed to conquer the world many times over, and this was precisely the reason that he was confident they would emerge victorious.
He had accepted victory without question and carried out his duties as if nothing was amiss.
However, the grand army was actually defeated?
Emperor Stuttgart doubted his ears, and he found it so surreal that he couldn’t tell whether he was having a nightmare or what.
Just then, the old chamberlain bowed and pleaded, “Your Imperial Majesty! You must move to safety at once!”
Tokki's Thoughts
Tokki’s Thoughts:
I usually dislike it when the author spends 5+ chapters purely on battles. Those “Oh this fight is super important so you must read it for 5 chapters!”
But I would’ve loved at least a chapter or two of Siegfried going against the Four Heavenly Kings.
That wasn’t even short… It was, erm… I can’t even find the word I’m looking for. Can y’all help me out? q.q