Chapter 40: Protect the Sect!
The wind was unnaturally still. A heavy sheet of grey clouds hung above the Bright Blade Subsect, dimming the world beneath with a muted light. The sect grounds, normally alive with routine training and chatter, now overflowed with cultivators standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Disciples, guest warriors, and clan elites from every corner of Brawlmanica had gathered, filling the plaza below the grand podium.
The weight pressing down on them was not only the ominous aura of the incoming beast tide, but also the raw pressure of power collected in one place. From Gold Tier 5 elders to the newest Bronze Tier 1 recruits, every cultivator suppressed their essence and stood tall.
Among the countless figures stood Elton, Zoro, Ramiro, and Erica. Around them lingered several Soloman Clan guards and seniors, their glances toward Elton laced with barely restrained irritation. Erica ignored them entirely, standing close to Elton with calm defiance. Her posture alone made it clear—if anyone dared to speak against him, they would answer to her first.
A hush fell over the assembly as a single cough echoed from the raised platform.
The Sect Leader stepped forward.
Clad in golden armor lined with ancient inscriptions, his expression was carved from iron. His gaze swept over the masses before his aura surged outward in full. The weight of his Gold Tier 5 cultivation pressed against the crowd, forcing the front rows to stumble back slightly. With one raised hand, silence reigned.
"You already know why we stand here today," his voice rumbled, deep and commanding. "The storm is no rumor. You have felt its shadow in the land. It comes for us, and it comes now."
Not a soul dared to interrupt.
"Reinforcements from the main sect will arrive," he continued, voice like a war drum. "But until that moment, we alone must hold the line. The Bright Blade Sect will not cower behind walls."
His eyes narrowed with fire.
"I will not soften the truth. Some of you will not survive this day. The beast tide is not a story to frighten children—it is a living horde of claws and bloodlust. But hear this! If we fall, it will not be quietly. For every one of us who falls, let a mountain of beasts be slain! For every disciple lost, let ten of their corpses pave the field!"
His voice thundered, building like a storm.
"We may stand as a subsect, but weakness is not our name. We are Bright Blade cultivators! Our swords were forged for battle! Our spirits burn brighter than any darkness!"
The spiritual pressure of his words burst outward like a sun flaring to life, shaking the plaza.
"To those twisted things that dare tread upon our land—we will drag you screaming into the abyss!"
Cheers exploded, spreading like fire through dry grass.
"We will burn you! We will cut you down! We will scatter your bones across the earth until the soil itself drinks your blood!"
The crowd roared, every voice united.
"Until the last sword breaks! Until the last cultivator falls! WE WILL HOLD THIS LINE!"
The Sect Leader raised his hand toward the heavens. His aura burst like a golden inferno.
"PREPARE FOR WAR! PROTECT THE SECT!"
A tidal wave of fighting spirit surged through the gathered cultivators. Elders and disciples alike erupted with essence, their roars shaking the sky. The suffocating air was no longer fear but pure, unbreakable defiance.
Elton trembled. His body quivered as if his legs would collapse, yet his heart thundered like a war drum. Terror, pride, and exhilaration boiled together in his chest until sparks of blue essence flickered from his skin.
Zoro stood beside him with a predator's grin. Ramiro cracked his neck, his eyes alight with fire. Erica held her head high, her guards encircling her protectively. None of that mattered now. The tide was coming.
And they would meet it head-on.
The horns blared.
The storm had arrived.
The barrier shimmered with sacred light as battle formations activated across the sect. Buffing spells spread like waves, empowering bodies and weapons alike. From the strongest elder to the youngest recruit, everyone braced themselves as the world began to tremble.
The first impact came.
BOOOOOOM!
A thunderous chain of explosions erupted outside the barrier. Dust and smoke billowed as mangled beast corpses rained down from the sky. The trap fields had been triggered.
Dozens, then hundreds of demonic beasts—horned, scaled, feathered, and clawed—charged headlong into the slaughter. Massive formation spells lit the heavens, raining destruction like the wrath of gods. Lightning split the skies. Firestorms howled. The ground itself convulsed beneath waves of earth-shattering arts.
The front ranks of the horde were torn apart in an instant, yet more surged forward. Thousands pressed onward, some intelligent, most mindless, but all bloodthirsty.
They smashed against the barrier with a sound like mountains colliding. The protective shield glowed brilliantly, but tremors rippled across its surface. Several sections groaned, strained beneath the force of monstrous blows and unnatural magic.
The defenders did not hesitate.
Elton streaked through a gap in the barrier like blue lightning, his Star Energy Sword blazing with celestial light. Each slash carved beasts apart in arcs of destruction, the blade humming as if singing with the stars themselves.
Zoro moved beside him like a phantom. His twin katanas gleamed with dark Ki, and every step carried him from shadow to shadow. His strikes found weak points with surgical precision, each cut silencing a beast before it could roar.
Ramiro erupted forward with thunderous force, his spear striking the ground in explosive arcs. Shockwaves burst outward, cracking the earth and sending waves of beasts tumbling. Every thrust carried the weight of his burning will, his spear technique bending the battlefield around him.
"Kuroha, left flank! Kageha, cover the rear!" Elton shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. Their formation adjusted seamlessly, each member playing their role, each strike preventing collapse.
Still, for every beast slain, more poured forward.
High above on a watch platform, Erica stood seething. Guarded by Soloman elites, she was forced to remain behind, her staff glowing with white-hot lightning. The air around her staff screamed with restrained power.
Her fury erupted in the next instant.
FWOOSH!
A bolt of Flaming White Lightning tore across the battlefield, incinerating a beast mid-leap. Gasps followed from nearby disciples.
"That's the Soloman bloodline," one whispered, awestruck.
"She wields it so young… no wonder they guard her like treasure," another muttered.
Erica ignored every word. Her gaze never left Elton. "I should be fighting at his side," she growled.
A short distance from her and the Soloman clan, Cedric stood calm but watchful with the Vanthor noble guards. He gripped his gold-hilted dagger tightly, eyes calculating. When a cluster of beasts surged toward a weaker line, he slashed.
FWOOOM!
A crescent wave of flame burst forth, cutting through them with terrifying force. His Gold Star-ranked dagger blazed, strengthened further by formation buffs. Without pause, he released another flaming arc, his precision steady, his focus absolute.
He preferred this distance. It kept him alive.
All along the barrier, squads rotated in and out, striking and retreating with clockwork precision. The defenders fought like a living machine, grinding the beast tide into blood-soaked earth.
Yet the tide did not falter.
From deep within the horde, monstrous roars shook the heavens. Larger shapes began to emerge, their auras far heavier than the mindless beasts that led the charge.
The battle had only begun.