Chapter 18 Attack on Toril
After internal strife and reorganization by the Lord of Terror, this team composed of Aragami has begun to take shape. Although it is still full of chaotic nature, it can at least obey orders on the surface.
Under the deliberate nurturing of the Lord of Terror, two Wild Gods emerged and became His most capable deputies.
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The Dark Serpent Dandel was fed corpses by the Lord of Terror, which caused it to grow to a size that could swallow a star whole, its scales resembling black holes that devour light.
It can glide through the void and excels at stealth and surprise attacks. The Lord of Terror has entrusted it with the task of commanding reconnaissance and assassination forces.
The Aragami Utau, fed with divinity by the Lord of Terror, continues to evolve. Its form resembles an ever-changing geometric crystal, and its thinking is agile and ruthless.
It can process large amounts of information simultaneously and excels at planning and calculation. The Lord of Terror put it in charge of tactical planning and logistical organization.
With these two capable assistants, the Lord of Terror's rule became more secure. The management of the army also became more efficient.
The Lord of Terror conducted his first full-scale reconnaissance. After internal strife and consolidation, the total number of Aragami remained at around ten thousand, forming an eerie symmetry with the number of gods in the Pantheon of the Toril Universe.
"Ten thousand against ten thousand," the Lord of Terror said to Dandel and Utau, "a fair number."
Utau immediately began analyzing the composition and power distribution of the Pantheon in preparation for future war. Dender, on the other hand, dispatched even more reconnaissance squads to monitor the gods' movements.
The Lord of Terror wasted no time and immediately began training the entire army. The training was simple and brutal: obey orders, use weapons, and execute tactics.
The training process was fraught with violence and punishment. Any disobedient Aragami would be publicly and brutally punished, with the most severe cases resulting in their absorption by the Chaos Axe. The Lord of Terror maintained discipline through fear.
Meanwhile, the Lord of Terror continued his research into how to open a stable passage to the Prime Material Plane. He discovered that the power of the Chaos Axe alone was insufficient; more energy and more precise control were required.
He commanded Uta'o to design a large energy gathering device that could concentrate the power of ten thousand Ara Gods and forcibly tear apart the spatial barrier.
Dendel was tasked with testing the feasibility of small-scale intrusions. He dispatched elite squads to attempt to open temporary rifts in the astral barrier's weak points.
Several tests failed. The magic net woven by the goddess of magic, Mysriel, and the starlight barrier of Suren were exceptionally strong, and small-scale attacks could not break through them.
But Dendel discovered an important piece of information: the barrier was not perfect. At certain times and locations, the barrier would exhibit slight fluctuations.
Upon receiving this intelligence, the Lord of Terror ordered Utau to focus on studying the patterns of these fluctuations. Simultaneously, He accelerated the training of the entire army, preparing for a final assault at the opportune moment.
To improve the army's combat effectiveness, the Lord of Terror implemented a brutal elimination system. Regular live-fire exercises were held, and those who performed poorly were punished or even executed, while those who performed well gained more power and higher status.
This system greatly stimulated the competitive spirit of the Aragami. In order to survive and improve, they had to train and fight hard.
The Lord of Terror also improved weaponry. Now every Aragami is equipped with at least one Chaos weapon and a set of Chaos armor.
Elite troops are also equipped with special equipment, such as long-range weapons that can fire energy beams and mobile devices that can teleport short distances.
Utau designed a simple yet effective communication system that enabled the Aragami army to coordinate in a basic way. This was unthinkable before, as the Chaos Aragami had always fought independently.
Dandel trained a strike force specifically for infiltration and sabotage. This force can disguise itself as other energy forms to stealthily approach targets.
While the Lord of Terror was actively preparing for war, the gods of the Toril universe remained unaware of this growing threat.
During a routine meeting of the Pantheon, the goddess of magic, Mysriel, reported on the recent unusual fluctuations in the barrier.
"Some unusual energy surges have been detected at the astral boundary," Misriel said. "They may be normal fluctuations in the chaotic void, but we recommend increased monitoring."
Most of the gods were unimpressed. The god of war, Tempas, even laughed, "Those chaotic wild gods? They don't even know basic tactics, how could they possibly threaten us?"
Suren looked slightly worried: "It's better to be cautious. I suggest increasing the frequency of patrols."
However, this proposal was rejected by most of the gods. They believed that bloodshed and internal affairs, such as matters of faith, already consumed too many resources, and there was no need to waste power on an impossible threat.
Only Shantia supported Suren: "The balance of the universe is very delicate, it's always good to be careful."
The meeting ultimately decided to maintain the status quo, only requiring Misriel to continue monitoring.
But the Lord of Terror has already found a way to break through the barrier.
Through long-term monitoring, Utaou discovered the precise patterns of the barrier's fluctuations.
It calculates an optimal time to attack: when the next chaotic tide resonates with the astral energy fluctuations, the barrier will experience a brief period of weakness.
The Lord of Terror immediately devised an invasion plan.
He divided the army into three waves: the first wave, led by Dandel, was responsible for opening the passage; the second wave, commanded by Utau, was responsible for securing the passage; and the third wave, led by himself, was the main force for the attack.
Meanwhile, the Lord of Terror prepared a secret weapon: He connected the Chaos Axe to a large energy gathering device, which could unleash tremendous power capable of tearing apart the barrier in a short period of time.
The day of attack arrived. The army of the Lord of Terror gathered in the chaotic void, with ten thousand Wild Gods arranged in battle formations—a sight unimaginable before.
Dendel led the advance party stealthily approaching the weak point of the barrier. They awaited the perfect moment.
When the chaotic tides and astral energy resonate to their peak, Dendel sends out a signal.
The Lord of Terror immediately activated the energy gathering device. Ten thousand Wild Gods simultaneously unleashed chaotic energy, which was then concentrated onto the Chaos Axe through the device.
The Lord of Terror struck with all his might at the weak point, tearing open a temporary passage.
Dendel immediately led an advance party into the passage. Their mission was to prevent the passage from closing and to buy time for the main force.
The other side of the passage was the edge of the astral plane. Several astral patrol angels stared in astonishment at the suddenly appearing Aragami, only to be annihilated before they could even raise an alarm.
However, the battle fluctuations were still detected. Misriel immediately issued an alarm: "The barrier has been breached! An Aragami has invaded!"
The gods were shocked and immediately organized a counterattack. The angelic legions and divine avatars rushed to the breakthrough point.
However, the Lord of Terror's plan had only just begun. While the gods' attention was diverted, Utau commanded a second wave of troops to launch a simultaneous attack from another location.
Taking advantage of the moment when the main force was drawing attention, Utaou opened a second passage with less energy. This passage was more concealed, but large enough for him to pass through.
Dendel's forces stealthily infiltrated the astral plane and began their sabotage operations. They attacked communication nodes, disrupted transmission networks, and created chaos.
The gods are caught in a two-front war. Their main forces are holding off the Lord of Terror's attacks on the front lines, while they also have to deal with sabotage activities from the rear.
The Lord of Terror personally led the main force through the main passage. Each swing of the Chaos Axe took away a large number of angels and divine avatars.
The gods finally realized the gravity of the problem. This army of wild gods was completely different from before: they were organized, tactically adept, and well-equipped.
Suren and Misriel did their utmost to maintain the barrier, preventing more Aragami from flooding in. The other gods fought with all their might.
The battle was exceptionally fierce. The army of the Wild Gods initially gained the upper hand due to their superior equipment and numbers, but the home-field advantage of the gods allowed the primordial gods like Suren to gradually stabilize their position.
Seeing that a decisive victory was not yet possible, the Lord of Terror decisively ordered a retreat. The army of the Wild Gods withdrew in an orderly fashion back into the chaotic void.
The first invasion was over, but the shock it left on the gods was far from over.
The gods realized that the army of the Wild Gods was far more powerful than they had expected. They were no longer chaotic beasts, but a true army.
Except for the goddess of darkness, Shar, who was absent, the Pantheon convened an emergency meeting. They all realized the seriousness of the situation.
"We must reassess the threat posed by the Wild Gods," Suren said solemnly. "They have evolved."
Misriel added, "They seem to have a unified leadership and organization."
The gods decided to take immediate action: strengthen the barrier defenses, increase patrol forces, and form a special task force to deal with the threat of the Wild Gods.
Meanwhile, the gods began to study the new tactics and equipment of the Aragami, searching for ways to counter them.
Ling Hao knew this was just the beginning. The Lord of Terror had already proven his ability to break through the barrier, and perhaps the next invasion would be even more dangerous