Chapter 979

Gunther and Sera were pushing their limits to prevent the enemy from reaching the gates, and so far, they were succeeding admirably.

No opponent had managed to slip past their guard to threaten the entrance.

Even on the rare occasion that someone drew close, they were immediately neutralized by Lilly’s precise arrows.

Her fingers were now more bruised and battered than ever before.

She hadn’t ceased firing for a single moment, refusing to take even a brief respite.

She had even contemplated activating her bow’s newest function, but a deep skepticism held her back.

The potential agony was too much to bear, and she wasn’t prepared to endure that trial again—not yet.

The sea of enemies remained so vast that merely looking over the horizon was nauseating.

To make matters worse, a thousand elite soldiers still stood guard around Devan, who continued to observe the shifting tides of the battle with a volatile expression.

Tilting his head from side to side, Gunther moved with a velocity that far surpassed the pests obstructing his path.

Their strikes slid harmlessly past his face before he proceeded to rip through their ranks as if they were mere fabric.

He was calm, precise, and entirely nonchalant.

The rank-and-file stood no chance against him.

Sera was moving like a localized storm as well.

She dismantled foe after foe without sustaining so much as a scratch.

Because not every soldier was wise—or foolish—enough to charge the gates simultaneously, the immediate pressure on the duo had eased slightly, preventing them from being buried under sheer numbers.

This slight lull allowed Gunther to lift his head mid-dodge and spot a figure calmly treading across the distance.

Based on the stranger’s trajectory, it was clear he was focused on a single objective: the Gate.

Squinting through the chaos, Gunther deflected a blow and finally discerned the man’s features clearly.

It was the third vice leader—Ortiz!

’Ah... now this will be fun.’

Driving his foot into the torso of the man before him, Gunther sent the body flying to create a brief opening.

"Hey Seraphine, handle these pests!"

Sera frowned mid-fight as she ducked under a lethal swing aimed at her head.

"Why? Where are you headed?" she questioned, her voice tight with exertion.

Ki coursed through Gunther’s legs, compressing intensely around the soles of his feet.

"... To stop a more worthy opponent."

BANG—!

Gunther slipped past the enemies attempting to encircle him, flash-stepping with incredible velocity.

He cut through the atmosphere like a honed blade and, within a second, appeared before Ortiz just as the vice leader was about to take another step.

A curved blade sliced through the air, aiming for Ortiz’s neck.

The vice leader’s gaze sharpened instantly as he retracted his outstretched foot just in time.

Bounding backward, he watched the sword miss his throat by a mere few inches.

"Oh! Fast. I like that."

Gunther grinned before darting forward again with a savage swing of his second sword.

Ortiz canted his head to the side as the steel rushed past his face.

Ki swirled and coalesced visually around the man’s hand before he bolted forward, parrying Gunther’s strike and swiftly stabbing a formed Ki blade toward the warrior’s throat.

Gunther hurriedly deflected the lunge with his off-hand sword.

Ortiz didn’t relent; he surged forward again with a second thrust targeted at the same spot.

"Hey. What’s with the obsession with my throat?"

"Gunther Stormvale," Ortiz spoke calmly even as his blow was deflected.

He didn’t pause for a heartbeat.

A second Ki sword manifested in his grip as he blocked Gunther’s counter-slash.

A loud, metallic clang rang out through the air.

"... I know of you. A battle maniac. But I want to know if you can truly defeat someone who makes sure to study his opponent and their patterns before engaging."

Pushing Gunther away with a surge of strength, Ortiz rocketed forward with a swift lunge for the warrior’s flank.

Unfazed, Gunther simply grinned like someone who had just been handed the greatest gift imaginable.

***

Dame and Anna were in a pickle.

Even with their flawless teamwork, they were still sustaining injuries throughout the grueling exchange.

Though the wounds were not fatal, they were still receiving marks and abrasions here and there.

Driving his knuckles into the face of a man who had tried sneaking up on his sister, Dame watched as the attacker slid backward.

This intervention gave Anna enough time to regain her footing and lunge for a second warrior.

The man deflected her thrust for his throat to the side, thinking he had won the exchange.

But Anna gently reversed her grip on the spear, flipping the weapon around before smashing the blunt side into the man’s abdomen with all her might.

The soldier slid backward for a second, doubled over in pain.

However, the agony didn’t last long, as the pointed tip of the spear ripped through his head and then pulled back out fluidly.

Her face was drenched in sweat; she was panting in exhaustion, which was beginning to take a significant toll on her stamina.

Dame was punched in the face, causing him to skid backward for a few inches as a throbbing pain radiated through his jaw.

The assailant lunged at him for a finishing strike, sensing a moment of weakness.

Dame just calmly sidestepped the punch before his leg snapped forward, crashing into the side of his assailant.

The force sent the man sliding in Anna’s direction, who dealt a final, decisive blow to his head.

"Haaa... haaa.... Are we even going to win this war?" Anna questioned, her voice strained as she was unable to see the Dawn forces at all through the suffocating swarms of enemies.

Dame found himself asking the same question in his mind as he glanced at the sky.

His hands were soaked in blood.

But with gritted teeth, he snapped his head forward and shifted into a determined stance once more.

"We can do this. The Dawn faction will not fall to the Behemoth Clan."

"They are called the Behemoth Clan for a reason, though," Anna snarked, even as she twirled her spear around to flick the gathered blood away.

Sucking in a sharp breath, she placed her back against Dame’s as more enemies were already approaching them quickly.

"Let’s go!"

They charged forward together to meet the rising tide of the enemy.