NOVEL FROG Chapter 53: Malediction
Hidden beneath a pile of sand, Zyrus was also observing the glemorax army’s movements via his map.
He had to acknowledge that he had underestimated his enemy. As cautious as he may be, he didn’t consider anyone except the three world bosses to be worthy of his attention. It wasn't that he was arrogant, but these enemies were indeed at a low level by sanctuary's standard.
However, unlike the monsters in the sanctuary these aliens were trained for war. It was like the difference between domesticated animals in a zoo versus fierce beasts in the forest. They might have the same level of strength, but their mentality was completely different.
He believed that no one except the world bosses had the ability to overpower him in a battle. But looking at the glemorax army that was charging in the desert like a well-oiled machine, he was forced to change his opinion.
There was a vast difference between a war and a simple battle. It wasn’t just two groups fighting against one another.
War was a contest of wealth, knowledge, and integrity. Strength wasn’t the only aspect that determined the outcome.
And as he observed the army, Zyrus realized that apart from the knowledge he was severely lacking in other aspects.
‘And even the edge I have over knowledge is thanks to the cube…’
This was a hard blow for someone as prideful as him. He didn’t know the full extent of the alien's formation, but even with a glance its might was unquestionable.
Not to mention they had taken him as a threat after just a minor setback. There was a saying that even a tiger would give his all when hunting a rabbit.
However, not all tigers could do that.
Zyrus would prefer strong and arrogant opponents over clever bastards like these anytime.
‘It’s no longer possible to finish them off while I’m on the first ring,’
He had thought that he would be able to kill these small fries and leave the world boss for later on. Unfortunately, the one leading them was a cautious general.
It was impossible to wipe them out with the current strength he had. By using various tactics and hidden cards one can defeat those who are stronger than them. In his past life, Humans also used their clever brains to defeat monsters that were far stronger than them.
They had an advantage in numbers and intelligence. But these victories didn’t last long.
What if their enemies also had the same amount of numbers and intelligence? What if they had more unity than humans? Unlike the strong and powerful monsters, it was groups like these that caused most causalities.
Hunting gigantic creatures was far easier compared to fighting against orc chiefs and spirit kings.
Of course, this didn’t mean that Zyrus was out of options.
“Disengage,” Zyrus commanded in a low voice and the troops moved in straight lines.
Behind him were 9000 Empowered warriors. Initially, he planned to use the same wedge formation tactic with stronger opponents.
Rather than not giving any information about your troops, it was better to give them false and half-true ones. People are more vigilant against an unknown enemy after all.
‘But this won’t work against them.’
Zyrus was trying to play mind games with them as his goal was a war of attrition. But what if the other party didn’t entertain his thoughts? The glemorax chief didn’t care whether the opponent had 10,000 or 100,000 summons.
They would use their full strength to crush them all the same.
“Amargs, to the front,”
*Thud*Thud*Thud*
The ophidian warriors looked cautiously with their slit eyes and made way for their new ‘comrades.’
It looked like a forest was moving in the desert as their green scales and red claws shined under the sunlight. They were showing their true might as an infantry at this moment.
Despite the ophidian warriors' majestic moves, it was Zyrus’s rank 2 summons who had the spotlight.
Brown monsters who were bigger than rhinos walked out from the center of the formation. They had lean muscles and fierce orange eyes unlike the other herbivores.
*Thump*
Zyrus looked at his 1000 summons with expectation. Red and white spikes jutted out from their spine, covering all the way to their back. Some were a few inches long while others were as long as two feet.
Their neck and tail were both 10 feet long. One might expect them to make these creatures imbalanced, but after looking at their four limbs all such thoughts would vanish.
He named them after Amargasaurus due to these traits. His first thought was to create a cavalry unit by making the ophidian warriors ride them. But that plan was scrapped once he saw them move in the desert.
These creatures resembled the extinct dinosaurs, but that was all there was to it.
A resemblance.
*Grrrrrrr*
Unlike Ophidian warriors these Amargs had a clear sense of hierarchy. The one standing in front of Zyrus was the first rank two creature he had awakened, and not surprisingly, it was the leader of this species.
“Don’t eat them and send them back to the warehouse, okay?”
“…”
“…”
“Grrrrr”
“Well, I’ll take that as a yes,”
If there was one thing that Zyrus was unsatisfied with, then it was this. They were just as if not more unintelligent than the ophidian warriors.
‘I wish someone like Ria was here,’
Zyrus sighed as he looked at the approaching red dots on the map. His troops' movement was limited due to the lack of a command structure, but there was nothing he could do.
Without further ado, he channeled his mana and the power of abyss. The glemorax army was much slower than him and this gave him ample time to prepare.
Theoretically speaking, with his teleportation ability, he could travel from one side of the earth to the other in just an hour.
The only reason it took him so long to kill the Verdara beetles was due to their scattered numbers. He didn’t just have to travel linearly. Even if he moved a hundred miles sideways, the cooldown would remain the same.
*Sizzle*
Black sparks appeared on his hands as he concentrated the power of the abyss. With their intelligence network, the aliens must have known about his powers as well.
Thus, he didn’t have to hide all his strength.
He had figured out to create a domain with his source of origin. However, he didn’t plan to use it just yet. He had a gut feeling that the power of origin would be much more effective against these aliens.
‘I’ll save the big guns for the world boss,’
As Zyrus and his troops were getting ready, the glemorax army was also getting closer. Soon, he was able to see the dust clouds formed by their charge.
“Graaaa”
“Wait a bit longer,” Zyrus patted the impatient Amarg’s head as he observed the enemy formation.
*BUUUUUUUU*
With the thundering sound of a bugle, the glemorax chief finally made his appearance. He, along with a thousand others was flying in the sky.
Although both sides were still far apart, the distance was within the range of telepathy.
Zyrus faced 9 eyeballs staring at him as met the glemorax chief’s gaze.
“Quite a unique formation you have. What is it called?”
<…>
Zyrus didn’t care about their so-called lord or what he wanted. Instead, he was more interested in their three dimensional cog-like formation.
“Of course it’s not. Will you give me any information about your 'lord' or why you’re here?”
Zyrus cocked his head and glared back at the flying chief. What he said was true.
Although both sides wanted to know more about the other, neither were willing to share any details.
The glemorax chief looked down on Zyrus’s army and commanded his troops to charge ahead. The summons were different from the ones reported by the advance party, and even their numbers were lesser than the previous battle.
*Thump*Thump*
Whatever the case may be, his decision remained the same. Thousands of armored aliens marched under his command.
“Don’t you want to probe my new summons or something?”
“Tch… the previous guy was much more fun,” Zyrus spoke in a teasing tone as he looked at the leader of the advance party.
The glemorax chief didn’t even wait for the captain to get angry.
*Boom*
It seemed like the air itself had exploded when he flapped his wings. In the next instance, he was only a hundred meters away from Zyrus.
The glemorax army wasn’t far behind either. In a couple more breaths they’ll engage with his troops as well.
“Too bad then.”
Zyrus looked straight into the eyes of the glemorax chief and walked at a steady pace. Not a trace of playfulness remained on his face.
Although he didn’t manage to lure out that captain, he had achieved his goal. The chief and the front of the army were already within a kilometer of himself.
The glemorax chief flew back a hundred feet and also ordered his army to stay vigilant. He had never underestimated the creature in front of him, but still, he was caught off guard by the sudden change.
Zyrus’s aura had changed completely at this moment. He was no longer fighting as a level 15 player or a unique summoner.
He was the Void Monarch. He may have lost his powers and the empire, but the sharp edge of his presence hadn’t decreased a single bit.
[Malediction]
A dark power surged from Zyrus as he unfolded his domain. It was as if a pitch-black ink had stained the crimson sky.
Nearly 5000 glemorax warriors were engulfed by the dark aura in just a second.
A domain didn’t just depend on the caster’s mana.
The glemorax chief lost his composure for the first time. He was shrouded by the dark mana, but that wasn’t what worried him the most.
A domain like this was a manifestation of a person’s understanding of the laws and their willpower. Mana acted as a bridge that connected those two metaphysical concepts to reality.
Neither Zyrus’s mana nor the laws of abyss posed a threat to the glemorax chief.
Even Zyrus didn’t know that the thing he had taken for granted was his greatest strength. Why did the red eyed man choose him out of everyone? Why was he able to sit on the throne of the seventh ring? Why was this domain so effective despite his lack of mana?
The answer to all these questions was the same.
It was because of his willpower.
Zyrus didn’t realize this yet because he hadn’t met anyone who fought with the powers of origin.
The chief knew more about the source of origin than Zyrus. He had witnessed with his own eyes what happens when two sides fight with their source of origin.
“Hahahaha…….Can you?”
Zyrus spared his arms widely and laughed at the approaching army.
It had been a long time since he had this feeling.