Chapter 124: The Devourer and The Devouring King

The eastern flank held barely. Razer was in the frontlines of the Orc formation, blood trickling from his arms despite the deep gashes on his body. Despite his injuries, the massive Warrior was still standing firm as Greater Orcs battled the Monster Lord class beasts while lesser Varkesh monsters swarmed through the crevices. Razer’s bare fist sent the Monster Lord class creature crashing to the ground. The earth trembled. "Hold the line!" The Orc Lord’s roar echoed across the battlefield, his subordinates responding to his call.

Meanwhile, on a more westerly battlefield, Raizen was having a tougher time. The Star Wolf King slashed at the corrupted beast before him, but another Monster Lord class creature was bearing down on his blindside. Raxolf was the first to see it. "Raizen!" Raizen spun around. The Monster Lord’s maw clamped shut on where Raizen’s throat used to be. Raizen vanished in a blur of motion before reappearing above the creature, his claws tearing into the thing’s skull. The Monster Lord staggered. Raizen landed a second later, his senses already picking up on three new powerful presences approaching from different angles. His eyes narrowed. "They’re switching targets."

Rhazek was already deducing the same. From the command post, the Demon Lord observed the unfolding battle. He was beginning to understand. Raizen was a Monster Lord class warrior. The Kijin were Monster Lord class warriors. Razer was Monster Lord class. Drakar was Monster Lord class. They were the pillars holding Eldoris’s great army together. Which also made them the perfect pressure points. Rhazek raised a single finger. "Break the pillars." The Varkesh commanders did not hesitate.

The signal passed through the Varkesh ranks, subtly shifting the battlefield dynamics. Three Monster Lord class creatures were drawn away from Raizen’s battlefield, another set of them switched targets with Razer. A heavily armoured beast was leading a host of lesser Varkesh towards Drakar’s position at the back of the battlefield. Near the center, several corrupted Monster Lord class beasts were being directed to target the Kijin. Rhazek did not need to fight them himself. He only needed to distract them.

Tanaka felt it. His body twitched as another group of his subordinates screamed in agony through the link connecting king to kingdom. Pain. Fear. Death. Tanaka had spent the early days of the war analyzing the enemy. Now he understood. Rhazek was not trying to eradicate Eldoris. He was breaking it apart, pillar by pillar. "Tanaka!" Sora’s voice reached him through Telepathy.

"The healing tents are getting attacked again!" Tanaka glanced towards the eastern flank. He saw the pattern unfold before his eyes as Varkesh warriors bypassed some of Eldoris’s strongest defenders to target the injured. Another voice joined in. "Raizen is surrounded!" Zephyr’s voice came in right after. "Drakar’s position is also under attack!" Tanaka’s eyes darkened. It was too much. They were all Monster Lord class warriors. Rhazek had deliberately made several battles that only such warriors could hope to stand against. And Tanaka could not protect them all at once. Now he finally understood why the Demon Lord was smiling. Rhazek was not trying to destroy Eldoris. He was forcing them to make impossible choices.

Tanaka propelled himself forward. His body compressed before exploding upwards in a sudden burst of speed. The leap took him across the battlefield before landing between the healing tents and a hulking corrupted beast. The thing was massive, veins of black running across its body, corrupted mana oozing from its maw with every breath. Behind Tanaka, the healers were already scrambling. "Get the wounded inside!" Tanaka barked.

The beast lunged at him. Tanaka activated Stone Body. The impact sent him skidding backwards, furrows appearing on the battlefield from his movement. The corruption burned through him with an agonizing sensation. Tanaka gritted his teeth as he activated Pain Tolerance, countering the sensation. The beast’s maw opened wide before raking its claws at Tanaka’s side. Tanaka twisted away from the attack, his own claws tearing through the beast’s hide. Tanaka felt the beast’s rage as it turned and slammed the Warrior against the ground. Tanaka coughed up blood.

His Magic Core shuddered. This was stronger than anything he had fought before. The corruption was far more condensed in this creature. Tanaka could feel it burrowing into the magic within the beast, corrupting it. The beast attacked again. Tanaka caught its limbs in his grasp but the moment he did, black mana surged into his body. Tanaka reeled as his vision blurred and his very core screamed in agony. Pain Tolerance almost failed at keeping him conscious. "The healers." Tanaka gritted his teeth before forcing his body to withstand the pain. Endless Abyss opened up, drawing the corruption away.

The creature convulsed. Tanaka felt something within its body trying to burrow into his Magic Core. Tanaka snarled before clamping his fingers tighter around its limbs. The corruption resisted, writhing and twisting before being dragged into Endless Abyss. Tanaka’s Magic Core cracked from the strain. A loud creaking noise echoed within him but Pain Tolerance kept him from losing awareness. Tanaka pushed himself forward again and again before a sudden change within him caused the corruption to stop spreading into his core.

The resistance within him grew denser, stronger, more complete. Tanaka panted as his Corruption Resistance evolved. He could feel the change within him. The pain was still there, the danger as well. But the corruption no longer held as much power over him. Tanaka pulled the last of the negativity into Endless Abyss. The Monster Lord class creature slumped to the ground as the healing tents went silent. Tanaka stood over its remains before one of the healers spoke. "Your Majesty..." Tanaka turned to look at her. "Keep them alive." With that, he turned away.

An explosion rocked the battlefield in the distance, Raishin battling two Monster Lord class creatures at once. Lightning crackled around Raishin’s body, Thunder Fist impacting one of the beasts before Lightning Step carried him over the other. Rogan joined the fray from the side, Iron Dominion sending one beast staggering. Ryuken came in behind the creature and War Blade cut through its limbs. The three Kijin worked in unison but another corrupted Monster Lord class creature was already coming up from behind. Raveana intercepted it. She laughed. "Come on!" Battle Trance ignited as she charged in to meet it, Titan Breaker impacting the creature with enough force to shake the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Raizen was still surrounded. Razer continued to hold the frontlines while Drakar was forced to engage at the front to protect the resource carriers and injured civilians. Every Monster Lord class warrior was being pushed from all sides, forcing them to expend their strength. Tanaka understood the plan immediately. Rhazek had identified every pillar of Eldoris and now he was forcing them to fight, Varkesh throwing more monsters at them each time. Tanaka clenched his fists. "This is how you’re doing it?" Tanaka finally understood. Rhazek did not have to kill everyone. He only needed to get people to expend themselves on the battlefield. After that, the rest would follow.

Tanaka looked towards the distant Varkesh command post. For the first time since the war started, Tanaka felt the Demon Lord’s presence press in on him. Rhazek was observing him. Tanaka stepped forward and Sora appeared at his side. "Tanaka?" Tanaka looked at the battlefield. "Stay with the healers." "What about you?"

Tanaka’s gaze hardened. "I’ll go where the pressure is the most." Tanaka propelled himself forward once again. This time, he was not heading towards any particular battlefield. Rhazek watched the miniscule black figure vanish into the fray. His crimson eyes narrowed. The Demon Lord had thought the strange creature an interesting anomaly, but now he understood.

The thing moved like a king on the battlefield, defending every part of his kingdom. Rhazek smiled. "So that’s the Devourer." His claws dug into the armrest of his throne. "No." Rhazek watched Tanaka carve through another corrupted beast. "That is the Devouring King."