In a split second, a huge wave of soldiers was blasted out of Ruin Society.
Boom.
An explosion shook the battlefield.
Grimori and Mala dashed into the field like beasts unleashed.
They crashed into Foi and sent him flying.
The Northern Gate War had truly begun.
Boom.
Pratik landed beside Grimori once again.
[Pratik]: Is everyone here?
he asked with a smile.
Grimori simply nodded.
The next moment, Pratik's ear was being pulled.
Hard.
[Mala]: You ran off with our shopping bags that day and never came back. Is that how you're supposed to behave?
she scolded.
[Pratik]: Ouch! That hurts.
A tear formed at the corner of his eye.
Mala finally released him.
His ear had turned completely red.
Pratik (thinking): She's a complete bully.
[Mala]: Listen carefully, brat.Me and Grimori will deal with that commander. You take down the vice commander hiding in the grasslands.
She spoke in a commanding tone while walking forward.
The earth beneath them trembled.
Foi had returned.
His massive fist shot forward.
Boom.
Grimori was sent flying.
He crashed into the wall.
The eight-hundred-meter wall couldn't withstand the impact.
A gigantic section collapsed instantly.
Pratik stared in shock.
He looked back at Foi.
[Pratik]: Did that guy seriously take down Grimori with a single pu—
Before he could finish—
Grimori casually walked past him.
[Grimori]: Don't be ridiculous. I'm not going down that easily.
He cracked his fingers.
[Mala]: To be honest, if you had gone down from that, I was planning to leave you here alone.
She smirked.
Grimori stood beside Mala.
Foi watched them with intrigued eyes.
[Foi]: It seems you truly live up to your words, kids.Very well. I shall be your opponent.
Foi was launched into the sky.
The next instant, another force struck him mid-air and hurled him away.
A distant mountain vanished upon impact.
Not cracked.
Not shattered.
Annihilated.
[Mala]: Just go already and do your assigned job.
She pointed at Pratik.
[Pratik]: Defeat him, guys.
Pratik turned and sprinted toward the grasslands.
The vice commander was waiting there.
The cannons continued firing at the Ganas.
Ordinary cannonballs were barely effective.
The magically enhanced ones, however, could actually injure them.
Kel and Lila ran across what remained of the Northern Wall.
[Lila]: These attacks...Do they have hidden cannons somewhere?
[Kel]: Most likely. The trajectory is strange though. The cannonballs only appear once they're already high in the air.
[Lila]: Can we track them through magic perception?
[Kel]:They might trace us back.
The exchange was brief.
Direct.
[Kel]: We'll use their own strategy. I'll stay here and deploy barriers in the air at short intervals.You focus on healing injured Ganas during those openings. We'll keep doing it until we locate their hidden position.
She jumped from the wall.
Kel sighed.
[Kel]: What a mess.
Deep within the forest below the mountain—
Mala and Grimori raced through the trees.
The ground cracked beneath every step.
Soon they leapt together.
The earth exploded beneath them.
Moments later, they arrived at the place where Foi had landed.
The giant stood waiting.
Completely unharmed.
[Foi]: That was an impressive attack. Especially for novice human sorcerers.
His black eyes slowly shifted toward Mala.
He licked his lips.
[Foi]: I shall fight you for two minutes. After that...I will destroy Ruin Society.
He pointed at her.
[Foi]: And you... I shall make you my fourth woman.
Grimori's expression darkened.
Mala's killing intent exploded.
[Mala]: I'm really mad now, you old sack.
Grimori lunged forward.
Mala took her stance.
Foi dodged Grimori effortlessly and entered Mala's range.
[Mala]: Pureno, Diable.
Purple light wrapped around her hand.
Boom.
Her fist struck Foi's abdomen.
His tough skin burst open.
At the same moment, Grimori coated his arm with Dark Energy Reserves and pierced through Foi's back.
The two attacks met inside his body.
His internal organs exploded.
For a brief moment—
It looked like victory.
[Foi]: It seems this human vessel is too weak for opponents like you.
His body suddenly expanded.
A violent shockwave erupted.
Mala and Grimori were thrown away.
All of Foi's wounds regenerated.
Completely.
[Foi]: You still have forty-five seconds. Use whatever tricks you have left.
His voice echoed through the forest.
Mala (thinking): He's hiding something. I'll save my trump card. Grimori is probably thinking the same thing.
Grimori (thinking): He's hiding something. I'll save my trump card. Mala is probably thinking the same thing.
The two exchanged a glance.
Then nodded.
Foi simply stood there.
Completely open.
Completely confident.
[Foi]: Thirty seconds. Mala and Grimori charged again.
[Grimori]: Do you have anything that can destroy him at the molecular level?
he asked while exchanging blows.
[Mala]: I can seal him under certain conditions. But I'm not using that yet.
She narrowly avoided one of Foi's attacks.
The moment Grimori entered within five meters—
[Grimori]: Mighty Punch!
]
Dark Energy Reserves coated both fists.
A two-layered technique.
Every punch unleashed a devastating shockwave upon contact.
Foi's bones shattered repeatedly.
Yet before another strike could land—
they healed.
Again.
And again.
And again.
[Foi]: Is this supposed to be your best?
His hoarse voice sounded almost disappointed.
Mala slipped into range.
She raised her palm toward his head.
[Mala]: Short Beam.
A concentrated beam of extreme heat shot forward.
It pierced his forehead.
His skull cracked apart.
Then instantly regenerated.
Foi caught Grimori's next punch.
With a single motion, he threw him away.
[Foi]: Time's up. Now...I shall erase everything standing before me.
Grimori and Mala narrowed their eyes.
Foi spread his arms.
[Foi]: DEITIC TRANSFORMATION. GARAR.
The world trembled.
The ground shook violently.
The sky darkened.
Then—
Foi disappeared.
[Mala]: This doesn't look good.
War elephants near the Northern Gate began running wildly.
Panic spread across the battlefield.
Grimori slowly looked upward.
His eyes widened.
Mala followed.
For the first time during the battle—
surprise appeared on her face.
The darkened sky itself had changed.
The black clouds stretched endlessly overhead.
And together—
they formed a colossal smiling face.
Foi's face.
Watching the battlefield from above.
Far away in the grasslands—
the Vice Commander observed the scene.
He simply sighed.
A disappointed sigh.
The real threat had finally appeared.
To be continued...