As a cautionary force began to fly down toward Angaria, Daneel folded his hands and called for everyone to wait.
The darkness had not fazed any of them, as all of them had been told that it was something that was almost guaranteed to happen. Each and every Angarian who was fighting had been equipped with inexpensive trinkets that lit up everything in front of them as if it was noon, so at the moment, all that the weapon of the Church had done was inconvenience them.
Only ten of the creatures in the first row began to come toward them, and Daneel almost scoffed as he saw how careful they were being. He could definitely tell that the days of being underestimated were behind them, and as soon as he got this thought, the thrill of battle swept through his mind, making his blood heat up as he waited for the war to finally start.
At first, all ten of the weapons were slow, but they began to pick up speed when they neared the area where the clouds above Angaria were usually present. This increase in momentum was abrupt, and after taking a closer look, Daneel saw that compressed Energy was being burnt behind them all to give them the sudden boost that made them cleave through the air like comets streaking from the Heavens to bring destruction down below.
Their shapes didn't matter anymore as all of them were wreathed in flame. He didn't know whether this was by design or because of the fierce resistance of the air, but either way, their fearsome magnificence was definitely something that would strike fear into many.
Yet, when they reached a point just a few metres away from the first defensive barrier of the continent… Daneel couldn't help but smile.
CLANG!
With a sound akin to an arrow bouncing off of armour that had been polished and strengthened until it glinted in the sun, all 10 weapons met a wall of light that seemed to have suddenly turned solid. They immediately bounced off it, and for the briefest of seconds, the entirety of this newly-formed barrier around Angaria was exposed.
"Ha, they stand no chance! For victory!"
His bandit queen was the one who sent up this shout among the people below, and in barely the span of a few seconds, everyone picked it up and began to cheer for Angaria.
As hundreds of thousands were heard whooping and screaming themselves hoarse, it made for a merry sight that was definitely bolstered by the image of the enormous globe of light that protected the entire continent. It's appearance also seemed to have given strength to those who had been nervous to finally face this foe they had been waiting for for what felt like so long, as even those who had been close to shaking with nervousness a few moments before were now taking part eagerly in the round of hurrahs.
Cheering really was the best way to boost morale, so after raising one eyebrow, Daneel cast a spell to make the words of the bandit queen heard throughout the continent. Soon, with his encouragement, the roar of millions calling for blood soon became strong enough that it reached the second wave of the Church despite the natural sound dampening effect of all of their protective formations.
"When that force attacked so long ago, you wanted the Godnet to be present to protect us just like this, didn't you?"
The Emperor answered after looking down and shaking his head, as if the memory of that time was something he had not wanted to think of, at all, today.
"Yes. All of the other functions were great, too, but first and foremost, it was going to be a barrier to protect the entire continent."
With a nod, Daneel watched as the ten barrier-breaking weapons of the church began to go back towards the place where they had come from. Indeed, the Godnet was the one that had lit up just now, and truly, it had been a spectacular sight to behold when it had looked as if all of Angaria was covered in a protective cocoon of glowing light that looked nigh unbreakable.
Only…when all fifty weapons in the first row moved at once, Daneel still felt concern grip his mind. This changed instantly, though, when half of the second row also moved.
This meant that those first few weapons had gathered enough data to let them know exactly how much force they needed to break through. Daneel and the rest had already known that this was their purpose, but still, they had let the people think that they had already won a small victory. The effect of this was visible in the way that almost all the Angarians were now looking at the Church like nothing but a powerful pest that had had the gall to threaten their hard-grown crops.
Such a similarity was appropriate as most of the common population were made up of farmers, and now, they were all ready to fight together as warriors.
The sight of all fifty weapons moving at once still made many feel the slightest hint of dread, but the mindless shouting of those near them was enough to help them to brush it aside and wait for orders.
According to the data, all of the weapons of the first row would now be adjusted to burn enough Energy to get through the barrier. Their plan was simple: they now knew that this first layer was the strongest, and after getting through it, the leftover momentum and Energy in each weapon would be enough to break past any and all other defensive measures that might still be present, assuming that these were inferior to the defensive power of the Godnet. Each weapon of these fifty was also heavily fortified, so even if the assumption was wrong, it would be easy for them to go back and simply replenish the resources.
If they succeeded and directly entered the airspace of Angaria, the weapons that were coming behind them would be used to strike down at all the people who were defiantly screaming for victory. But if there was an even stronger defence which they might not be able to get through, the weapons could also simply retreat and wait for another breach after the Energy levels were studied again.
This was apparently the main advantage of the first row. Instead of having an absolute power level, they could be changed according to the situation, and hence, they could be deployed matter what kind of force the Church was facing.
Their tactics were sound. They had definitely come with enough resources to keep doing this, and each time a barrier was broken, Daneel was the one who would be hard-pressed to find enough Energy to repair the point where they were breached. Each time it happened, Angaria would get closer and closer to exhausting everything they had, and because this was still just the second wave, it was almost guaranteed that in the long run, they would lose.
Daneel could tell that these were the exact thoughts in the minds of those controlling the fifty weapons from the way that their faces were filled with glee when they shot through the air to break through the Godnet. Standing behind and within each weapon, the members of the Church looked like they were also screaming something when they made their way to the Godnet.
As they got closer and closer to the point from which they had bounced off the barrier before, their excitement kept growing, and when they were just a few metres from the point of impact, all of them threw up their hands and made all fifty weapons suddenly glow with a dazzling radiance.
Daneel had been waiting for this to happen. It was the clear sign that all of the Energy that had been placed inside each weapon was going to be ignited for a frenzied rush of power that would increase the piercing ability of each of them to unthinkable levels.
But was he really going to let them have their way so easily?
Not a chance.
"Now!"
With his shout, the globe that had appeared before once again exposed itself, but just as all of the barrier-breaking Artefacts were about to give it the kiss of destruction…it disappeared.
The weapons of the church flew into Angaria unopposed while wasting their sudden combustion of Energy, and for the briefest of moments, none of them even understood what had just happened. The faces of those who were visible were all clouded over with confusion, but suddenly, when something became visible right in front of them, the blood drained out of all of their faces and they hastily tried to call for a retreat.
Alas, it was too late.
"Devour!"
The shout that escaped Husare's lips was filled with delight. Normally, Daneel would have reprimanded her for revealing her presence even though she was not supposed to yet, but at the moment, he just couldn't fault her.
At the exact moment that the barrier created by the Godnet had deactivated… a million ten-foot-long snakes had appeared out of nowhere before latching onto each and every weapon of the Church. They were apparently of a special type that was able to suck in Energy of all forms, so they quickly began to tear down the defense of each Artifact while the members of the Church realized right away that they had been led headfirst into a trap…again.
At the exact moment that the barrier created by the Godnet had deactivated… a million ten-foot-long snakes had appeared out of nowhere before latching onto each and every weapon of the Church. They were apparently of a special type that was able to suck in Energy of all forms, so they quickly began to tear down the defense of each Artifact while the members of the Church realized right away that they had been led headfirst into a trap…again.
At the exact moment that the barrier created by the Godnet had deactivated… a million ten-foot-long snakes had appeared out of nowhere before latching onto each and every weapon of the Church. They were apparently of a special type that was able to suck in Energy of all forms, so they quickly began to tear down the defense of each Artifact while the members of the Church realized right away that they had been led headfirst into a trap…again.
At the exact moment that the barrier created by the Godnet had deactivated… a million ten-foot-long snakes had appeared out of nowhere before latching onto each and every weapon of the Church. They were apparently of a special type that was able to suck in Energy of all forms, so they quickly began to tear down the defense of each Artifact while the members of the Church realized right away that they had been led headfirst into a trap…again.
You already confirmed that we have external help…then why hide it anymore? Time to put aside all pretences, and as she said…devour!
With this thought in his mind, Daneel took in a deep breath and shouted a command that rang out across the entire continent.
"ATTACK!"
As soon as they all heard him, for the space of half a heartbeat, everyone was still, and then… all of Angaria rose to the call, and all hell was let loose.