Chapter 10:story (part 10):The Third wave "i"
### Chapter 10: The Third Wave (Part 1)
"Wave 3, huh? Let's see what you've got, demons," the king muttered, his golden eyes glowing with intensity as he stared at the horizon. The faint traces of dark fog in the distance were growing thicker, signaling the arrival of the next wave. The battlefield, still littered with the remnants of the second wave, was about to become a stage for an even greater clash.
It took about an hour for the demon army to regroup and advance to the edge of the forest, stepping into the battlefield once more. During that time, the king had ordered his men to rest and recover their lost mana. Soldiers drank stamina potions, while others replenished their mana reserves with specialized elixirs. The king himself took a moment to rest, though he hadn't engaged in direct combat. The mental energy he had expended in strategizing and commanding his troops was no small burden, and he needed to be at his peak for the battles to come.
---
An hour later, the demons arrived. This wave was even larger and more formidable than the last—a sea of 350,000 enemies marching in disciplined formation. The demons were organized into four lines, each containing 70,000 soldiers. What struck the king and his commanders most was the intelligence behind their formation. The demons were mimicking the humans' tactics, a chilling sign of their growing adaptability.
"Rank 2 demons," the king said, his voice low and grim. "And look—they're copying our formation."
Clora, the mage commander, nodded in agreement. "Spear demons with light shields at the front, swordsmen behind them, archers in the rear, and... mages."Her voice trailed off as she mentioned the last group, her expression darkening.
The commanders exchanged uneasy glances. Mages were a terrifying force on the battlefield. A single mage could wipe out a team of 35 warriors with a few well-placed spells. While warriors excelled in defense and physical combat, mages could devastate entire ranks from a distance if left unchecked.
"On the plus side," Andry, the assassin commander, interjected, his voice calm but calculating, "their bodies are weaker. If our archers focus on the mages, we can neutralize them before they cause too much damage. They're only rank 2, after all. Our men can handle rank 4 tier 3 demons without much trouble."
The commanders' furrowed brows relaxed slightly at his words, but Jack, the archer commander, cursed under his breath. "That defense of theirs is going to be a pain in the a*s to deal with."
Clora turned to the king. "Your majesty, do you think we should use our mages to counter theirs?"
The king shook his head. "No. As Andry pointed out, they're only rank 2. They won't be able to do significant damage to our men. Archers A, prepare to fire at 450 meters. I want everything shot down."
"Understood!"the soldiers replied in unison, their voices echoing with determination.
---
The archers loaded their bows, took aim, and pulled back their bowstrings, waiting for the command. The demons were advancing rapidly, their speed astonishing for such a massive force. By the time they crossed the 670-meter mark, the archers began channeling their skills, infusing their arrows with elemental energy.
At 480 meters, the archers were ready to fire. But just as they prepared to release their arrows, the demons pulled a dirty trick.
The moment the demons crossed the 450-meter mark, the king gave the order. "Fire!"
A rainbow-colored arc of arrows soared into the sky, each one crackling with elemental energy. Fire, frost, poison, and shadow—the arrows rained down on the demon ranks, their power enough to burn, freeze, melt, and explode anything in their path.
But the demons didn't panic. The shield-bearing demons at the front raised their shields and activated a skill. A massive dark shield with red edges materialized above their ranks, forming a protective barrier. However, the humans' arrows were far more powerful than the demons anticipated.
The mages among the demons stepped forward, raising their staffs and chanting. A dark dome enveloped the demon army, shielding them from the incoming barrage. The arrows struck the dome, their explosions reverberating across the battlefield.
**Boom!**
**Thoom!**
**Boom!**
The dark shield lasted only four seconds before shattering under the relentless assault. The dome, too, began to crack under the pressure. One by one, the cracks spread, until the dome finally collapsed, leaving the demons exposed.
The weakened pillar of red-hot energy descended upon the first row of demons, incinerating them instantly. But the demons weren't done yet.
---
The mages raised their staffs once more, chanting in unison. The swordsmen in the second row vanished in a flash of dark energy, only to reappear 60 meters away from the human soldiers through a black portal.
"Space magic,"the king muttered, his eyes narrowing. A bad premonition crept into his mind, but he couldn't pinpoint its source.
The sword demons charged forward without hesitation, their blades gleaming with dark energy. At 30 meters, they unsheathed their swords. At 10 meters, they slashed horizontally, their attacks slamming into the human shields with enough force to shift the heavy tanks an inch backward.
"That power... That's not rank 2. They're rank 3!" the king yelled, his voice cutting through the chaos. He immediately pressed his index finger to his ear, activating the communication spell to relay orders to his troops.
The human soldiers sprang into action. The spear wielders stabbed forward, activating their skills to counter the demon assault.
**[Multiple Stab]**
**[Fire Stab]**
**[Blizzard]**
The battlefield erupted into chaos as the two forces clashed, their skills and weapons colliding in a symphony of destruction.
The battlefield was a cacophony of clashing steel, roaring flames, and the guttural cries of demons. Skills were being activated one after another, each one adding to the chaos. The human soldiers fought valiantly, but the demons were relentless, their ranks pushing forward with terrifying determination.
---
Suddenly, one of the demons bent slightly, and another demon ran toward him, using his shoulder as a launching pad. The second demon soared through the air, flying over the front lines and landing deep within the human ranks. The spear wielders, caught off guard, couldn't react in time to stop the airborne threat.
But not all the soldiers were unprepared. In the third row, a burly man wielding a mace saw the flying demon approaching. Without hesitation, he stomped the ground, launching himself into the air to meet the demon mid-flight. With a powerful upward swing, he brought his mace down in a crushing arc, striking the demon with enough force to send it hurtling back toward its own ranks.
The demon crashed into the one who had launched it, both of them tumbling to the ground. One demon died instantly, its body crushed by the impact, while the other lay barely alive, groaning in pain. The mace wielder landed with a grunt, his eyes scanning the battlefield for the next threat.
--
The battlefield raged on, with the hammer wielders now taking the front lines. The sheer force of their attacks had obliterated the first wave of demons, and the tanks were able to regroup and recover. But the demons were relentless, and their mages were preparing for another assault.
The king, watching from the walls, knew that this battle was far from over. He pressed his index finger to his ear and barked, "Archers, focus on the mages! Take them down before they can cast!"
The archers obeyed without hesitation, their arrows flying toward the demon mages. But the demons' shield bearers stepped forward, raising their dark shields to protect their spellcasters. The arrows struck the shields, their explosions lighting up the battlefield but failing to break through.
The mages, now confident in their protection, began chanting once more. Dark shards, dark spears, dark disks, and dark arrows formed in the air, flying toward the human ranks with deadly precision.
The tanks, seeing the incoming magical barrage, activated their defensive skill in unison.
**[Magic Shield]**
A transparent dome enveloped the human army, pushing the attacking demons back more than 25 meters with an invisible force. The shield absorbed the magical attacks, their explosions reverberating across the battlefield.
**Boom!**
**Thoom!**
**Boom!**
The front was covered in dust, obscuring the battlefield from view. When the dust finally settled, the dome remained intact, its surface unscathed. The demons, undeterred, continued their assault, but the human soldiers stood firm, their resolve unshaken.
The hammer wielders, now at the forefront, activated their skills in unison.
**[Rumble, Tumble]**,
**[Shaking the Earth]**,
**[Ground Breaker]**.
The ground quaked as they slammed their weapons into the earth, creating shockwaves that obliterated everything in their path. A massive crater formed, 250 meters wide and 370 feet deep, its edges littered with the remains of demons.
The hammer wielders stood at the front of the tanks, their weapons ready. The third row had now entered the battlefield, and the humans were ready to fight back with everything they had.
But the king knew this was only the beginning. The demons were far from defeated, and the true test of strength was yet to come.
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