2206 - Short-Lived Glory
"AAAAHHH!!!"
Asr tore through the void, dragging behind him a slender sword in one hand and an hourglass in the other.
After telling Lord Robin everything, he had risen to go with him, but Lord Robin told him to sit down, gather as much energy as possible, and heal whatever wounds he could before returning; otherwise, his return would be useless.
Indeed, Asr used the Imperial Guard Triple Array, and headed back toward the Gate when he felt ready to fight again, racing against time so he could take part in what was happening, and to see why Lord Robin hadn't shrunk the Gate and entered himself!!
"...Aaaah... Huh?" Asr's speed gradually diminished until he came to a complete halt.
His expression shifted from sacrifice and valor to astonishment and awe...
There was indeed a massive battle raging before him, a battle he hadn't been able to see from afar.
From a distance, he had seen countless Nascent Space Beasts encircling a faint light, but when he drew closer, he noticed it was an Inferno, not merely light.
Hundreds of beasts burning in agony, hundreds of beasts being torn apart by swords, and thousands of beasts continuing to circle from afar, afraid to approach one of the Seven Foci.
"What exactly is going on?!" Asr asked in a low voice.
"Oh, you came just in time." Robin turned back and then gestured for Asr to come over to them, "I'll need you in a bit."
"Hey..." Althera's voice came from amidst the screams, a low, unfocused tone, "How many units have you consumed so far?"
Curiosity was eating Althera alive, heart and soul.
Barely ten minutes had passed since the start of the battle; the seven combat units hadn't yet penetrated the enemy's core, nor had they faced a single young space beast.
Yet...
The sheer volume of tearing apart spirit creatures had forced Robin to reconstruct them multiple times. True, each time he left parts of them exposed and burning, but each time he also rebuilt entire limbs or even heads.
How many units were needed to reconstruct one of those things' limbs?
In fact... how many units were required to manifest even one of them with such combat power?
"I don't like to think too much about the amount of units consumed, or else I'd back out." Robin sighed. "Spirit Units aren't easily replenished, and that's one of the biggest reasons Spirit Masters avoid direct combat. All this consumption will be compensated with a massive amount of Emeralds, and Emeralds don't grow on trees, as you know. Even if you have enough money, you might not find enough Emeralds!"
When Robin mentioned the Spirit Inheritance Technique that allows ordinary mortals to produce Emeralds, he chuckled and waved his hand. "Alright, forget it. Compensation will be easy."
"...?!" Althera turned to him. "I wasn't asking how you'd compensate them. I'm well aware of the extent of your wealth." Then she pointed toward the battle. "My question is, how does your spiritual range even accommodate all of this in the first place."
"...?" Blokan turned to Robin, waiting for an answer. Even Asr, who had just arrived and was beginning to piece together what was happening, looked toward Robin.
"Actually, I have the Elastic Range Strand, plenty of Emeralds, and free time." Robin chuckled.
"..?" Blokan furrowed his brows deeply. "Didn't the heavens intend to leave anything for the rest of us?!"
"Hey, this is the only trait I was born with. Everything else, I worked for—even the Purification Strand, I paid a high price for it." Robin raised an eyebrow in displeasure, then turned back to watch the battle. "Anyway, get ready."
"Get ready for what, exactly?" Althera asked.
But Robin didn't reply. The moment her question ended, she heard a massive explosion and felt a wave of energy pushing her backward.
She turned her gaze back to the battlefield.
The Seven Combat Units had reached the center of the Nest in a scene straight out of a fantasy novel, advancing like seven blazing suns, slaughtering everything that came near them. Their march hadn't stalled for a single moment during the first phase of the battle. The number of kills behind them was estimated in the thousands, and even though they were still surrounded by millions of Nascent Space Beasts, they found no difficulty in advancing.
The reason was the fear those Nascent Beasts had of advancing—the screams of their brethren were enough to hold them back.
But the easy path didn't last long…
The Young Space Beasts finally appeared.
BOOM
The collision of the seven units with the Young Space Beasts was like the clash of solar systems against one another.
Instantly, the swords exploded outward, and the nascent space beasts were sent flying by the immense shockwave, as if the young space beasts were deliberately trying to dismantle this formation.
"Raaaawr—"
Seven young space beasts lunged with their claws, fangs, and energy attacks at the young spirit creatures, which soon began to burn with Purifier Fire.
But that did not stop them; the pain seemed to drive them to tear apart with even greater fury and strength.
Then more space beasts came and surrounded Robin's spirit creatures, each one pulling a limb for itself without considering anything else.
The nascent spirit creatures no longer had protection after moving away from the formation, and they were quickly slaughtered by the sea of beasts around them.
Swoosh
Swoosh
The massive swords continued to strike and slice, but the young space beasts began hunting them down with energy attacks or tail strikes, exploding them upon contact.
"Raaaaaaaaaaawr—"
The nascent space beasts, after being humiliated and having large numbers killed, and after the young space beasts started roaring at them in anger and reprimand, taking over the situation, all of them looked in one direction...
Toward the passage, toward Robin and the rest.
"Ah..." Blokan stepped back again. "About the escape plan."
"Not now." Robin pointed forward. "We'll fight."
Then he produced a spear in his right hand and an array disc in his left. "We'll only retreat after they've learned their lesson thoroughly!"
Then...
*Thud*
He advanced toward the Nascent Space Beasts like a stone trying to halt the tide of the sea.
"...Is he serious?!" Blokan spoke in a panicked tone.
As for Althera, she shouted, "Damn it!" Then she raised her short sword and followed Robin.