Chapter 1603 Chapter 1425: Closing Curtains 1
Deep inside the Infinity Maze, Alex's location.
A few days have passed after Alex and his group killed two generals. The enemy became restless, it could be explained by the following scene.
The army of the undead descended upon them with the force of raging storms, striking like savage predators descending from towering peaks.
Madeline's gaze narrowed, and with swift precision, she flipped through the pages of the ancient tome. The book crackled with power as countless magical barriers shimmered in a holy radiance, holding back the impending disaster. The vile death knights and hovering vampires recoiled from the blinding brilliance, forced to retreat. In that moment, a rare solemnity settled upon Madeline's features. She glanced upwards, scanning the battlefield, before emitting a sharp whistle. At her signal, the soldiers swiftly withdrew, and columns of restorative light erupted from the ground. Within moments, the once chaotic battleground was emptied, the relentless undead creatures smashing through the barriers in pursuit of their enemies. Observing the scene, Madeline let out a bored yawn from her position at the rear of the army. She extended her hand and snapped her fingers.
Snap!
Suddenly, the magic tome in her grasp emitted a golden glow, causing the battlefield to crumble into nothingness. The once solid and formidable land disintegrated into a fragile wooden board. Before the undead could escape, they were consumed by the gaping abyss that materialized, along with layers of earth. In the blink of an eye, the battlefield vanished, replaced by a vast abyss stretching hundreds of meters, resembling the maw of a monstrous creature. Satisfied, Madeline nodded and turned away, strolling casually.
"What exactly are they trying to achieve?"
However, the young ladies, despite achieving a supposed "great victory," found no cause for celebration. On the contrary, confusion etched their brows. The Dali Kingdom had previously halted their attacks after Madeline's initial assault. But now, they resumed their offensive. Not only that, they noticed an increasing number of formidable troops on the battlefield. It was a perplexing turn of events, as this was meant to be a mere game of testing each other's strength. Cecilia suspected that the Dali Kingdom shared the same sentiment. It was a delicate balance, but the Dark Dragon treated it as a matter of life and death, continually tipping the scales. It was akin to a gambler who, after losing several games, relentlessly increased their bets in a casino. If the gambler were to lose everything, they might resort to violence. However, this was only a game, and taking it so seriously crossed a line.
"Sigh... those guys have become so bothersome lately. Anne is exhausted."
Anne sprawled across the table, rolling about in boredom. As a shield warrior, she was always on the front line alongside Madeline and the others. What puzzled them the most was that despite Anne's participation in every battle against the Dali Kingdom, she had never once perished. Not only that, but even those she protected remained unharmed. This was expected for spellcasters like them, whose defensive spells were formidable. However, for a shield warrior like Anne, it was an extraordinary feat.
Beside her, a mage let out a weary sigh. It was understandable considering her role as a cleric had become increasingly crucial.
Leading a team of healers to revive the fallen soldiers with the special revival spell required immense concentration and stamina. She had the responsibility of ensuring everyone returned safely from the battlefield, a task that seemed impossible in the past but had now become achievable. Despite Madeline's final assurance after battles, recording and releasing all healing spells cast by the head healer and the other healers, the burden weighed heavily on the head healer. Thus, she often appeared listless after each battle.
However, their current concerns went beyond the battlefield.
"It's all thanks to Miss Madeline's caution that we made it back safely..."
Cecilia expressed her gratitude, nodding appreciatively at Madeline. Despite the seemingly absurd nature of her actions, they proved to be remarkably effective. One such action was the strategic placement of crystals containing various spells around the battlefield. These spells included earthquakes, gales, and walls of fire. Cecilia couldn't help but feel skeptical about their usefulness, as they lacked any significant and decisive impact. However, her doubts were dispelled when she realized that the fissures across the land were not solely caused by the buried crystals. In a remarkable display of skill, Madeline not only activated the crystals but also replicated and unleashed the spells for continuous attacks. It was an almost impossible feat, and while Scarlett and the others were able to achieve it as well, Madeline's meticulousness left them in awe.
"...But now, the problem lies in not knowing what exactly the Dark Dragon is striving to achieve. Perhaps the loss of two generals has driven him to such recklessness, but I don't believe it justifies his current actions."
Cecilia voiced her concerns, turning her gaze towards the silent Alice.
"Alice, do you have any solutions?"
''Well, if the Lord Alex was present he might have a solution.''
''You are right but we must think of a solution before he comes back.'' Cecilia proposed and the others nodded.
Meanwhile, in the Dali Kingdom.
Smash!
A crystal-made wineglass inlaid with glorious patterns shattered to dust upon being hurled to the ground by an immense force. General Kade half-knelt on the ground, lowered his head, and sensed the rage burning in the man's eyes in front of him. It was an incomparable wrath. The dark, oppressive palace became even more ice-cold and dangerous, even for Kade his right hand man. It was a terrifying rage that almost froze his soul.
"In other words, we lost again?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Even though they retreated, they didn't seem to have many casualties. As for our side…"
"You're saying that they didn't even send out Valkyries and yet, resisted the undead army with a bunch of humans?"
"… Yes, Your Majesty."
Kade responded and let out a sigh. In the past, everyone on the continent feared the undead army. But it was entirely different now. Ever since the revival spell was discovered, the threat of the undead army declined sharply. Kade experienced the effects of it because not too long ago, he had led the undead army and gotten into a war of attrition with Madeline. Well, he disguised himself like a normal soldier to observe carefully.
That's right, a war of attrition.
This was impossible to describe the undead army, but that was the truth. Even though Kade didn't show up in the battles personally to avoid going up against them, he commanded the army from the rear. Facing his 100,000 troops, Madeline had only sent out 30,000 units. She didn't draw support from strongholds or the enormous fortress, had no special weapons, and merely set up some defensive mechanisms—yes, just some defensive mechanisms—and clashed with the army of 100,000 troops.
That battle was like a gigantic meat grinder that kept grinding and grinding for three nights. As a result, Madeline successfully withdrew 28,000 people and left behind 2,000 corpses. On the other hand, less than 30,000 remained from the 100,000 troops for Balende's side… The undead creatures had the absolute upper hand over mortals. But in situations where mortals could be revived, the flaws of the undead army were clearly revealed in comparison.
After all, the so-called undead didn't have the same meaning as being completely revived.
No matter how strong the overwhelming undead soldiers were, they were just living dead manipulated by death spells. As soon as they were purified, they would return to being what they should have been and would disappear entirely. After losing their source of corpses, the undead army could no longer replenish their strength and their consumption continued to increase. Of course, the Dali Kingdom could also cast revival spells, but with the premise that they had to revive all the undead soldiers into living beings. To them that had undead creatures occupying up to 80 percent of the nation's population, this would be a tough challenge.
"…"
Upon hearing Kade's response, Bahamut's clone didn't say a word. He let out a grunt and after a few moments, he seemed he had underestimated the enemy too much. It was time to end this game.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m