A shrill roar, an unending scream, a cutting howl - a single, unbearable note swept across the entire battlefield.
It was impossible not to hear or notice it. Even if a nearby explosion reduced your eardrums to sherds, your body would still feel the vibration that invariably resonated with the scream spreading through the air.
At times, the sound would fall almost to zero, then rise again to peaks, nearly making the ears bleed.
If it had to be compared to something, the closest analogy would be the sound of a nuclear alarm siren. Although, considering the current situation, it essentially served the same purpose.
Hearing it, no matter who you were, samurai or warmaster, yokai or onmyoji, you had to retreat headlong, or, if you couldn't, search for any surviving entrance to the underground defense complex.
Because the sound, produced by the members of a small clan with a quirky lineage, meant that the supreme warmasters behind them were about to strike with full force.
When the magic of such a rank was involved, a deviation of a kilometer was hardly considered a significant error.
That's why, disregarding the rampant advance of chaos, the defenders frantically scattered earth, split fallen stone blocks, washed away the crumbling soil, and blasted blocked tunnels.
Doing this with chaos champions and corrupted warmasters breathing down their necks was not easy, but there was no choice.
Those closest to the rear lines retreated, but not everyone had that option.
But it was clear to everyone that soon only death would remain above ground.
The dragons desperately flapped their wings, striving to rise as high as possible to escape the strike zone. And that was not easy.
The air around their wings sparkled with green lightning and glimmered with bright flashes and rending howls.
The retreated onmyoji, staying in relatively intact bunkers, never stopped ripping apart warlocks' spells, making the airspace look more like a monochrome disco than anything else.
However, waiting long was not an option. It was necessary to strike the enemies as quickly as possible, before they realized and prepared.
As Stas observed the formidable force lined up on their side, a spooky chill ran through him.
Right now, he was witnessing a power capable of reshaping, if not continents, then nearly so. Even a single supreme from the Sumada clan could easily alter the landscape, creating hills and even entire mountains.
Give such a monster time, and the surrounding world would become unrecognizable.
Now, however, there were more than a hundred of them.
Yes, they were stretched incredibly thin across the vast battlefield, but that changed nothing.
The war of elements had begun.
The surrounding world shuddered as the Sumada's prana began to sink into the earth, claiming all nearby surroundings.
Like a giant octopus, this energy stretched its tentacles in all directions, subjugating tens of thousands of tons of stone to the will of its masters.
Sensing the changes, regular warmasters either burrowed even further into the ground, reaching special deep bunkers, or tried to escape from the strike zone.
The Mizuno also didn't just stand by. Since their element was not as prevalent as the Sumada's, they had to undertake additional preparations before the fight, utilizing them now.
Thus, the accumulating rainwater was stored in spacious underground reservoirs created in advance.
Deep beneath the earth, thick pipes led to them, through which water noisily flowed from the waterfall looming in the distance.
And now all this water burst to the surface with a roar, swirling into towering vortices and forming into raging waves, washing away and tearing apart any chaos servants, mutants, or spawn they encountered.
Interestingly, aside from the visible attack, there was also another one that was not so easy to notice. Besides pipes for water supply, the Sumada had created a series of channels for a secret strike. The alliance of water and earth warmasters spawned interesting concepts for warfare.
However, let's return to how the earth itself rose up against the audacious invaders.
Despite the ongoing earthquakes and the trembling ground, it might seem like nothing happened after the Sumada's actions.
The first to notice something amiss would be those standing at a distance. They would confusedly note that the battlefield seemed to be shifting.
And within a minute, they would ecstatically realize they were not mistaken.
The combined might of the most skilled and powerful earth warmasters, gaining control over all the surrounding stone, did not try to build separate constructs.
Oh no.
They chose to control it all.
It most resembled a gigantic stone slug that, for some reason, decided to move sideways. The resulting titanic carcass slowly, but with each second accelerating, crawled out of its own "bed," moving toward the ranks of chaos.
And since everything on the surface of the magically animated battlefield was controlled by the defenders, the mutants, spawn, and chaos champions soon began dying from countless forests of stone spikes and earthy mires.
As if that weren't enough, atop the many-kilometer-long slug, water techniques in the form of raging twisters and waves awaited their turn. In many places, they formed blue droplets playing the role of shields, protecting the back of their "mount."
At the same time, they also attacked from range, bombarding the ranks of the followers of change with a continuous stream of water techniques.
Even the chaos spawn, unaccustomed to fearing anything, activated their brains at the sight of the approaching majestic spectacle.
Attempts to retreat were successful only initially, for the immense wave of stone continued to accelerate, catching first the slowest, and then even those faster.
As for attempts to fight... Yes, the techniques of chaos champions or corrupted warmasters broke off pieces or cut off entirely the earth tentacles reaching for them, but it was all in vain, as the fallen parts were immediately absorbed by the base.
For a moment, it might have seemed that the battle was already won and that nothing could be done against what the Sumada and Mizuno had created.
But, unfortunately, the fallen Avasaki and Hizoru were also not idle.
Even from such a distance, one could see scores of fireballs igniting, burning so brightly it pained the eyes to watch.
Streams of fire and air converged on these embodiments of the primal elements, creating something so terrifying that it was beyond the understanding of the inhabitants of this world.
Attempts to disrupt their preparation led to nothing. The chaos servants excelled at defending themselves, deflecting, splitting, or burning everything that flew at them.
Letting the unknown techniques flare up, the Hizoru unleashed their magic, causing the fireballs to plummet downward, but they were caught in the firm "grip" of the Avasaki.
Trails of dust made it easy to see the chaotic flow of air currents. And it was not hard to figure out their target.
Involuntarily, Ordyntsev and all the surrounding warriors began to create and strengthen barriers.
In the same second, with a thunderous snap, all the sun orbs were fired toward the defense line.
Their speed was so staggering that even to the perception of the supremes, these shots merged into one elongated red stripe.
But even so, the supremes still managed to react, raising the titanic "slug" to meet the enemy projectiles. Hundreds of stone and water techniques, spikes, and tentacles burst from the wall of stone and the water covering it, trying to detonate the sun orbs before they collided with the body of the "slug," but all in vain.
Ignoring all their efforts, the spawn of air and fire burned through everything that stood before them and plunged directly into the body of the colossal golem.
For one long, agonizing moment, Stas thought in horror that the might of the created golem would not be enough to stop the strike of the chaos servants, and right now, the sun orbs bursting from the back of the "slug" would turn them all to ash.
However, the golem held up, but only until the techniques of the Hizoru detonated.
A hot, scorching light flooded the entire surrounding world, forcing Ordyntsev to not only close his eyes but also urgently begin healing them. The radiation was so strong that it burned the cornea, causing severe pain. The skin cracked and flaked.
He didn't see how dozens of areas on the body of the animated battlefield simply ceased to exist, disappearing in dazzlingly bright energy spheres that continued to spin and release the power hidden within them.
All matter that entered the zone of these nightmarish techniques simply ceased to exist, turning into incandescent gases.
But if the radiation and relatively small plasma areas didn't cause the colossal golem much trouble, then when the sun orbs lost their stability...
The series of explosions made it feel as if the planet itself was shaking. The energy released in all directions tore the golem apart in dozens of places, scattering its contents in a real squall of rock and water.
The force of the impact was such that, even at many kilometers' distance, both sides of the battle had to protect themselves to avoid being swept away by the aftermath of the blast.
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Since most of the explosive energy struck from above, all the revived mass of stone was forcefully pressed into the ground, causing another seismic shock.
Only unlike the one that occurred earlier, this shock proved truly devastating. The release of enormous amounts of elemental and natural energy did not benefit the "health" of the world. The chaos and the spiritual energy of yokai and onmyoji, tearing the fabric of the universe, only exacerbated the impact.
All of this affected the surrounding world in a way that was far from the best. And it should come as no surprise when the agonizing world finally reacted.
Somewhere in the distance, with a bone-chilling rumble, the land, scorched by the blast, exploded with streams of lava. Following the gases rushing into the sky, they rose to a staggering height, spraying rocks that melted everything around.
And if only that lava column had been the only one.
New and new explosions followed in an endless spree as the suffering world spilled its "blood."
The earth quivered so much that it was hard to stand on it. In several places, widening fissures appeared, which, however, were promptly sealed by warmasters. But it was useless, as for each closed, two new ones appeared on the side.
But despite the disaster unfolding around them, the battle was far from subsiding.
Obeying the unbreakable will of the supremes, the scattered and broken stone began to coalesce into a single whole.
The fallen and seemingly defeated golem revived, beginning to move forward. The water evaporated from previous explosions was replenished by falling rain and streams rising from underground reservoirs.
In a couple of places where lava-filled fissures touched water collectors, entire clouds of hot steam burst to the surface.
Unfortunately, the Avasaki and Hizoru were also unwilling to give up. Again, new sun orbs began to shine over their positions.
This moment was chosen by the defenders to deliver their secret strike. The ground layer under the enemy's positions, filled with water through concealed channels, erupted upward with maximum force, delivering a good shakeup to everyone gathered there.
And although the damage could have been better, as the chaos servants managed to partially defend themselves, they still suffered some losses, including among the warlocks.
However, the formation of their nuclear techniques was not greatly hindered.
For the subsequent explosion, Stas considered himself morally and physically prepared.
But it was impossible to prepare for something like this.
The only difference from the last time was that the Sumada and Mizuno managed to reinforce the front side, causing the strike to hit not from the top but rather diagonally, pushing the golem back.
Needless to say, another devastating blow to the world's energy did not go unpunished.
His vision recovering from the flash, Ordyntsev watched with a nasty premonition as the strip of bursting and writhing land began to grow rapidly in all directions. And if he knew anything, it was that this growth was rather exponential.
The affected area was so vast that the hospital located behind their backs began an emergency evacuation as all the underground tunnels began collapsing into the depths of hell.
Ordyntsev barely suppressed the urge to rush there and check if his dear snake was safe. Through their bond, he felt that she was worried but healthy. Nevertheless, that was not enough for him. The only thing that stopped him was the understanding that it would be even more dangerous for her with him.
Meanwhile, even a complete idiot would understand that by fighting each other, they were destroying the world around them.
If the first "attack" affected only a couple of dozen kilometers, the second impacted hundreds, then what might the scale of the third be? Thousands? How much time would pass before this entire planet turned into a lava-bleeding orb?
Already now, Stas could see how the beautiful waterfall he had admired before the battle was collapsing in the distance.
Was this how they would end, all burned together in a world dying from excessive battles?
As it turned out, not really.
Whoever the followers of chaos were, mindless destruction of worlds did not appeal to them.
Cultists, along with their masters, considered worlds as a tasty and empowering breakfast, lunch, and dinner in one.
The souls of intelligent beings, once in the stomachs of demons, would become excellent energy batteries until they were completely purified and went on to rebirth. Warlocks would also get splendid victims for rituals. Archdemons and Dark Gods would be interested in divine beings or even the world itself.
The death of intelligent beings from lava and lack of atmosphere would yield them nothing.
And that meant that the moment had come to forgo wide-area techniques of astronomical power. But if long-range combat was out of the question, it was time to engage at close quarters.
However, if the chaos servants themselves were ready to give up the sun orbs, the defenders had no such plans.
The native inhabitants of this world were ready to die but defeat the invaders at any cost, even despite the possible consequences.
Ironically, chaos itself was not ready to go that far.
As a result, the chaos servants had to break through to the supreme Sumada and Mizuno, as well as other defenders, while fighting with the sprawling stone plateau advancing towards them.
On the other hand, considering that half of them were Avasaki, who could easily fly, the task did not seem so difficult.
"Now they'll rue the day they crossed us," Jishin said bloodthirstily. "Let them come; we'll give them a warm welcome."
The words of the head of the great clan pleased everyone present, but the defenders should have long learned that chaos was not so simple.
Curiously, of all the supremes present at the command post, it was the old onmyoji who sensed something amiss. And he was the one who managed to do what no one else did.
Ordyntsev would remember the calm gaze of this ancient-looking man for the rest of his days. His unnaturally blue eyes looked at him with some deep understanding and resignation.
Then, a bright light burst from those eyes, forming a shimmering blue spherical barrier around them.
Immediately after, the world flashed like a thousand suns, and Stas lost consciousness.
The earthling did not see the falling body of the old onmyoji. Having given all his strength in a sole desire to protect, Hidoro Shigero died with a calm smile on his lips.
The man also did not see what happened at all and did not hear the cry of the yokai mourning him. Although they originally served him under duress, over the decades, the spirits had come to truly respect the old master.
Loving unexpected strikes and sneaky attacks, chaos prepared a group of Hizoru and Avasaki, who, hidden under the magic of warlocks, rose high in the air and there formed a trio of the familiar sun orbs.
The first of them hit the command post, the second and third exploded at the positions of the supremes, causing terrible devastation. They were not as strong as those fired at the golem, otherwise, someone would have noticed them.
But even this was enough to fatally surprise the defenders. Yes, the dragons who finally noticed the hidden enemy, led by Yamato, immediately rushed to restore order, but the damage had already been done.
Having lost control, the titan fell down, splitting the already fragile soil and beginning to sink into the lava.
Laughing, the previously retreating legions of chaos immediately rushed forward. And now they were joined by the elite of the elite, the supremes and warlocks.
Meanwhile, despite the sacrifice of the onmyoji leader, the warriors inside the barrier dome also received significant damage, though they remained alive. Had they been ordinary people, none of them would have survived.
What more is there to say when such a grievous fate would await even ordinary warmasters?
But there were no such fighters at the command post. Only experienced and powerful supremes, whose bodies had long had very little in common with ordinary human biology.
Regaining consciousness was agonizing, causing Stas to fiercely inhale the air reeking of smoke and rot, after which he doubled over in a fit of wild coughing.
"Shiro! Come to your senses already! It's no time to lie around!" as if muffled by cotton wool, Jishin's imperious voice reached the earthling's clouded mind.
It was hard to concentrate, but with an immense effort of will, he managed to do so and activate a simple but effective healing technique. As soon as the glowing green hand touched his temple, Stas felt better enough to activate a full-fledged regeneration technique.
His aching body and head returned to normal in a couple of seconds.
But if his body no longer hurt, coming to terms with what he had witnessed was considerably harder.
"Did I die and go to hell?" Ordyntsev rasped once he fully assessed the nightmare unfolding around him.
"If so, then we all died!" the head of Sumada barked, sending a technique glowing with prana somewhere with a wave of his hand. "Now, get up and fight! Otherwise, we're all done for!"