It started almost silently, like a tsunami at sea which would stay undetected until it roared onto the shore, ready to devastate and destroy everything in its path.
The words of the grotesque being which echoed throughout the cave even brought expressions of disgust and anger on the faces of the Domination Corps who were extremely busy contending against the horde of seemingly undead soldiers who kept getting up, no matter how much they were stabbed, so it didn't even need to be said just how much rage they gave birth to in the sovereigns to whom the king was practically the most important person in their lives.
Before, they had initially been a little cautious with the intention of probing out their opponent and then launching attacks based on what they found, but they simultaneously scrapped that plan with a mutual understanding which only came to be because of the long periods of time that they had spent together.
They had already reached within a few hundred meters of the being by the time his words had reached them, so they stopped in place, following which two majestic cries echoed throughout the cave.
Both would strike fear into anyone normal, and they also had a certain grandeur about them which hadn't been seen on this continent in a long, long while.
The first was the cry of a Phoenix, breaking free from its shell to soar unrivaled among the heavens leaving a blazing trail which was the symbol of its inexorable might.
The second was much more muted in volume, at least, but in terms of the effect that it had on the battlefield… It would suffice to say that the cry of the Phoenix would hardly be worthy of being spoken in the same breath, at least at the moment.
It sounded vaguely like the squawk of a Black Raven, but it was so much more deeper and complex, with layered effects that brought changes upon the entire cave that they were in.
First of all, it made even the Army fighting the Domination Corps turn around, as they felt a threat which made them look back and check whether it was one that they needed to worry about.
This gave much-needed respite to the Domination Corps who were slowly being thoroughly overwhelmed, and as they gazed at the sight of the four who had gone ahead, shock shone in their eyes, as they understood why these people had been hand-picked by the king to be at his side throughout his journey.
Secondly, it caused the gravity in the entire cave to shift wildly, growing stronger in some places and lighter in others, while extremely strong attractive forces kept appearing and disappearing all over, almost as if there was an invisible storm influencing the entire area which was both unseen and unheard of.
Finally… It made a dark aura surround the four sovereigns, giving them an extra shield that had the power of pulling away and weakening any attacks that were sent towards it.
It almost looked like each sovereign had been given wings made of a metallic material that looked like it was comprised of gleaming black feathers which had an ethereal quality about them, and this made it clear that they had been conjured specifically by the one who had called upon them.
And of course, the one who had done so… was the inheritor of the legendary Devouring Monarch of the Skies, or, as it had once been called before it had wrought havoc upon humanity and earned this name- the Divine Black Raven.
If someone from the age of the Empire were here, they would definitely recognize the singular aura and these unique effects that were only accompanied by a real Black Raven appearing in front of them.
When they found out that it was actually all being displayed by just a Bloodline inheritor… They would definitely be stunned, and remark just how much talent this person seemed to have in that particular Bloodline.
Knowing this, Faxul got a smile on his face, but of course, no one could tell that that was the case, as he had transformed completely into a majestic twelve-foot tall shining Black Raven with a wingspan that was double its height.
He floated there in the air, behind the three other sovereigns, whom he had all enshrouded in this new ability that he had unlocked in his training.
In the case of Aran and Elanev, it looked like they had put on an extra cloak which also made them look as if they had wings, but on Cassandra… It had an amazing effect that fought for superiority with Faxul in the eyes of those who were watching the scene.
And that… Was because a brilliantly burning Phoenix had appeared all around her, with her being in the center, almost hidden from sight, yet still visible as the Phoenix slowly flapped its wings.
It had a crest on its head that shone more brilliantly than everything else, and the rest of its body was also made up of bright yellow- almost bordering on white-colored flames which made the air shimmer due to their extremely high temperature.
Faxul's ability made it so that these flames were enshrouded in a black colored substance which made them seem all the more brighter due to the contrast, and if anyone even looked at its figure long enough, they would feel their eyes burning.
Elanev smirked as he saw this.
"How can I let you juniors steal the show?"
Saying this, he underwent a transformation, too.
He had still not broken through to become a Champion, but he was so close that he had already begun to be able to channel the powers that he would obtain in the Champion realm even though he was still a Peak warrior.
The essence of his path was to burn up everything to give out explosive bursts of power, and one of its abilities… Allowed him to gain both limitless power and stunning speed.
He used it now, making him instantly enlarge into three times what he had been. Rippling muscle could be seen all over his body, but unlike the monstrosities of old which had ravaged Angaria, his body was balanced, giving both the aura of power that had once belonged to those things and a halo of indestructibility due to the uniformity that he had which would make anyone think twice before going up against him.
His clothes tore in the process, but he didn't care. He had prepared two trinkets in his arms, and as he pressed down on them, they enlarged into two gigantic gloves that seemed to be made of some sort of solid material that had the flexibility of cloth.
He put them on, and four spikes each instantly jutted out from the spot above his knuckles, giving him an extremely menacing atmosphere as he cracked his fingers.
The loud popping sounds echoed in the cave, and all three looked at Aran, who was just standing there normally.
"Err…f*ck you all, I don't have anything to transform into."
Aran had been grumbling since the moment he had seen these impressive displays, as he had nothing to show in a manner that would awe people when they looked at him.
Still, he followed his words with those spoken with pride.
"I may not be flashy, but I'm actually the most important of you all. Move forward to strike in three, two, one… Hey, you! Your dreams are my b*tch!."
His last words were said as he turned around and pointed at the monstrosity which had been watching all this while as it waited to let these individuals strut around for as long as they wished before displaying its power and bringing them under its feet, but at that moment, everything changed.
The writhing hands that had already creeped everyone out suddenly went limp, and the grotesque figure started to sway from side to side.
Aran didn't need to say anything more. The rest saw that his ability had taken effect, and it was their chance.
Of course, they had been prepared. Faxul was the fastest- using the Black Raven's speed, he slipped behind the being and instantly activated two large black holes, each the size of two fists held together, and slammed them into the sides of its body, ripping into the tens of hands that they came into contact with.
Cassandra reached next. She stood bravely in front of it, and without flinching even a bit, she held both hands together like the mages in the Domination Corps.
Unlike them, though… The fireball she started to make was the mother of all fireballs, and it had such concentrated heat that the atmosphere in the humongous cave even started to be affected.
"EYYYEAHH!"
With a loud warcry that she had been known for by her regiment which indicated that they needed to go join her no matter where she was, Cassandra thrust that pulsing ball of fire forward, making many, many hands instantly burn up into crisps and fall to the ground.
Elanev was last, but no one who was watching would be disillusioned into thinking that this meant that he was the least effective.
As soon as he reached their opponent, his fists had enlarged even further, and by the time they struck the parts on the large body of the being which weren't being affected by the attacks of the others, each fist was half the size of a full-grown man.
"BOOOOMMM!!!"
The impact made a shock wave vibrate outward, accompanied by the sick sound of blood and bones being crushed into mincemeat.
This attack was impressive enough, but the more shocking thing… Was that it was only the first of many.
He kept moving around and punching wherever he could find, and his next fist was actually aimed at the feet of the being so that it would fall to the ground and leave itself completely exposed from the front.
All sorts of barriers kept popping into being and then being destroyed instantly by the combined attacks of the four sovereigns who let their wrath loose, and it was a glorious sight.
Each attack of theirs was made with their full energy, and because of their Bloodlines and Champion Paths which were exceptional, it was almost like Faxul, Elanev and Cassandra were respectively putting forward the power of a Peak Eminent Champion, an Amateur Champion and a Peak Warrior on the verge of breaking through who were all destroying the Peak Champion who had dared to abduct their King.
In such a situation, any Peak Champion would find themselves very close to death soon, and in this case, this came to be in a very short amount of time.
The Devouring Monarch of the Skies' devastating black holes, the Divine Phoenix's supernova, and the Limitless Berserker's frenzied fists mowed through the mesh of arms with almost no effort, and it looked like victory was within their grasp.
Yet, they did not slack. They did not need to look back to know that Aran's eyes had begun to bleed, while his face was so flashed that it looked like it would blow up soon. This was the effect of forcefully using his Bloodline on someone much stronger than him, and at any second, he would give out.
Thankfully, their opponent's end seemed to be close, because no matter how many barriers came up, they kept smashing through the incredibly large body of their opponent until they finally began to get a glimpse of what his real body underneath might be.
It was at this moment, though, where smiles filled with triumph were beginning to appear on both the Domination Corps and the Sovereigns… that everything changed.
SKKKRRNNGGG!!
With a strange sound, a golden barrier burst forth with such suddenness and intensity that none of them were prepared to react.
"AAAHHH!!!!"
At the same time, Aran reached his limit and collapsed to the ground with a loud scream, while the three sovereigns were blown backward by a power that far exceeded the Champion Realm.
Each of them became injured in the process, with Faxul even losing both of his talons which had been engulfed in the barrier and then torn apart from him when he was flung back.
Cassandra's entire body was bloodied, and Elanev was missing two large chunks from both his shoulders, making his hands barely hang on to his body.
The three sovereigns somehow managed to right themselves in the air, and that… Was when hopelessness finally appeared on their faces.
If the opponent had remained injured, this might not have happened, but the image they were presented with made it clear that they had been wrong all along.
Instantly, all of the hands had begun to grow at a speed that was unthinkable for a Champion, and each even began to become coated in a golden substance that was in the same shade as the barrier that had injured them.
It was all done in barely four seconds. They had been attacking for only five, so it was astonishing that it had taken less time for the being to heal itself that had taken for them to get that far.
The most horrific thing, probably…was that the being did not even look tired.
Instead of looking like someone who had just escaped death, it bent back its entire body, and… laughed loudly, before saying a statement that made all the blood drain away from the faces of those who were watching.
"I did not think that I would have to reveal my Hero-level powers! Ha, I guess I can at least say that the followers of this prick are capable. Well, it gives me all the more pressure to crush into oblivion those who would definitely have grown to become beacons of hope for this blasted continent. Now… Time to have some fun."