Thirty kilometers south of Micity Port, the Corisdo Grand Canyon.
Roar!
Caw!
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
"Kill them! Slaughter them!"
"H-help!"
"Hahaha! A bunch of sheep."
"Damn it, what the hell are these monsters?!"
The Corisdo Grand Canyon was engulfed in constant smoke and fire. The pungent smell of blood and gunpowder was overwhelmingly thick.
Various beast roars, eagle cries, explosions, screams, wails, curses, and more echoed incessantly.
Within the canyon, an overwhelming tide of stone and metal beast-riders slaughtered wantonly. Countless Kingdom soldiers lay dead, dismembered limbs scattered everywhere, rivers of blood flowing—a scene like a Shura's hell, unbearable to witness.
Roar!
A massive black dragon circled in the air, letting out an earth-shattering roar; the terrifying sound waves reverberated through the canyon, deafening all.
In mid-air, two silver, horned demons with bat-like wings brandished greatswords and heavy hammers, hunting like predators. They even let out eerie "je-je" cackles, unsettling all who heard them.
On the ground, two five-meter-tall silver golems stomped with heavy steps, swinging their massive hands, flattening soldiers into meat paste. No military formation could withstand them; they were complete war machines.
A sky full of strange winged beasts and ground-bound beast-riders, either stone or metal, easily crushed army after army.
"Damn pirates! Vicious monsters!"
A tall general, clad in golden armor with a crimson cape, was drenched in blood. He ran like the wind, roaring as he wielded two nearly two-meter-long metal spears, smashing apart stone beasts one after another and sending metal knights flying.
Howl!
A three-meter-long metal-bronze giant wolf howled as it ran along the canyon's rock face, its four sharp claws digging deep into the rock, leaving behind claw marks, as it charged towards the golden-armored general.
Roar!
On the ground, a five-meter-long metal-bronze lion roared, its four legs thundering as it rampaged through the Kingdom's army, trampling countless soldiers to their deaths, and clashing fiercely with the golden-armored general.
Whoosh!
Facing the charging metal-bronze giant wolf, the golden-armored general suddenly halted his rapid run. Using the momentum and gathering all his strength, he vigorously flung one metal spear, sending it flying. With the combined force of both, the spear seemed to pierce the air, emitting a piercing shriek.
Clang!
The nearly two-meter-long metal spear transformed into a black blur under the immense force, instantly crossing tens of meters and fiercely striking the giant wolf's body. The spearhead collided with its form, producing a powerful clang amidst sparking flames, sending the giant wolf flying from the cliff face to crash heavily onto the ground.
Next, facing the charging lion, the golden-armored general showed no fear. Holding a single spear, he swung it mightily. With terrifying force, the spear seemed to rip through the air, almost leaving afterimages, striking the bronze lion with a resounding boom.
Clang!
The collision between the spear and the lion produced a massive sound, and a shockwave immediately erupted, blowing away countless shattered rocks. The metal-bronze lion was struck as if by a heavy blow, also sent flying, tumbling more than a dozen times on the ground before coming to a halt.
"Damn it! Too hard! What the hell are these things?!" The golden-armored general couldn't help but curse, seeing his attacks, strong enough to cleave metal and stone, only leave shallow marks on the opponents.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Suddenly, a series of faint cutting sounds came from overhead. The golden-armored general looked up to see more than a dozen small white shadows rapidly shooting from the sky, like throwing weapons. He didn't try to block them, instead dodging back and forth.
Thud, thud, thud, thud...
More than a dozen small white shadows successively embedded themselves in the ground, most of them sinking into the rock.
"Paper shurikens?"
The golden-armored general raised an eyebrow. The small white shadows were four-pointed shurikens, about half the size of a palm, and surprisingly, they were folded from white paper. Yet, these paper shurikens could pierce rock, which was extremely peculiar.
"It's an honor to meet you, Neo Cydrick, Minister of the Clifford Kingdom's Military Department and Commander of the First Legion, 'Nail General'!" A man in a white suit spoke with a laugh from mid-air. This man wore a white suit, white shoes, and a white top hat adorned with a white paper flower. A pair of white wings flapped on his back, allowing him to float in the air. These white wings, however, appeared to be made of paper.
"You are... Paperman Ward! Paperman Bright Ward!" The golden-armored general, known as Neo Cydrick, looked at the man in the sky, hesitating for a moment, but then recognized the newcomer.
As a former pirate Supernova, his presence was only natural.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a white slash swept towards Cydrick. Cydrick merely shifted his body a step to the side, avoiding the attack.
Thwack!
The massive slash directly struck a rock, instantly cutting it in half.
"Made it just in time. Was afraid you'd run off." Enrod stroked his white hair, gripping a katana, and walked over with a sinister grin.
"You arrived so fast. Did you deal with Tesoro?" Dimitri, holding an ivory flintlock pistol in one hand and a beast-tooth dagger in the other, rode on a five-meter-long metal-bronze tiger that trotted over.
"My apologies."
Hearing this, Enrod scratched his head, explaining sheepishly, "That guy led me, Otto, and Rock on a chase everywhere, eventually ending up in a mine outside the port. Who knew that mine was a gold mine? He used the massive amount of gold inside to greatly increase his strength, almost collapsing the entire mine. By the time we got out, that bastard had already vanished."
"A gold mine, huh... Doesn't matter." Dimitri raised an eyebrow, seated calmly on 'Taigo', the metal monster tiger from the ruins of Gamas, waving dismissively.
Tesoro was just an unexpected presence; it was fine if he escaped.
"White Mane Swordsman Enrod! What exactly is your purpose, you pirates?!" Cydrick looked at Enrod, immediately recognizing him. He confronted the three, fearless in his interrogation.
This was the largest and widest canyon in the Clifford Kingdom, approximately twenty-six kilometers long, about one kilometer wide at its broadest point, and two hundred meters at its narrowest. Its highest walls reached over three hundred meters, while the lowest were seventy to eighty meters.
Although the paths within the canyon were rugged, it was a shortcut directly to the capital, Nakor.
If an army marched quickly, they could reach it in three hours after passing through the canyon.
Taking the main road, however, would require a full day.
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