Chapter 764- The War Comes To An End.

Chapter 764: Chapter 764- The War Comes To An End.

His voice had become deeper, rougher, almost animalistic.

With his shout, the world changed.

A burning domain erupted outward. Massive fissures tore across the battlefield, and from within them, lava erupted. Volcanoes suddenly formed from the earth, their peaks exploding as molten rock poured across the land.

Rivers of fire spread in every direction. The air became unbearably hot. Every breath burned. Even the golden feathers descending from the sky were affected by the raging crimson landscape.

With his powerful ability, he changed the very terrain.

However, this still wasn’t Astaroth’s limit.

His crimson eyes became increasingly feral. Blood began oozing out of his body as ancient markings appeared on his skin.

"[Ancestral Bloodline Regression]."

The next instant, his scales thickened. His horns became longer and more jagged. His spine rose beneath his flesh. Muscles expanded, and the shape of Astaroth’s body became more primitive, more brutal.

At least earlier, he had still retained a humanoid shape. Now, it all disappeared beneath the instinctive majesty of an awakened ancient predator.

His crimson scales darkened, almost to the point of turning black. His claws elongated, and the steam and heat radiating from his body distorted even the air.

With his transformation, Astaroth’s aura also surged, spiking dramatically and reaching new heights. Even those knights far away from the center could feel his powerful aura.

"Hoh, so this is your second-phase transformation, huh?"

Looking at his opponent, who seemed to be undergoing some transformation as if peeling away the layers imposed upon him by civilization and returning to something far older, Reinhardt showed no intention of intervening.

He simply stood there as Astaroth became some kind of feral, violent demonic beast.

Why was he allowing his enemy to obviously power up when, logically, he should stop his opponent?

It was because things were still under his control.

And besides, he wanted to see just how powerful the Heavenly Kings could get.

Looking at the now more robust and primal form of Astaroth, Reinhardt could tell that the other party’s strength, defense, and endurance had increased drastically.

However, in return, he had lost his agility and clarity of mind, giving in to the impulse of destruction and violence.

GRRRR...

Astaroth growled, no longer able to even form proper words.

"Come."

Reinhardt beckoned with his hand.

The battle began.

There were no words exchanged. Only violence.

Astaroth moved. His enormous crimson body dropped low, four limbs digging into the burning earth before he launched himself forward.

BOOM...

His body came crushing down like a mountain. His claws were like guillotines.

Facing such a simple attack, Reinhardt merely tilted his body. The claws passed beside him.

The next moment, Astaroth twisted his torso unnaturally, his tail sweeping around like a colossal whip. A burst of flame erupted from the scales along its length.

Reinhardt raised his sword and perfectly deflected the force.

CLANG...

The impact exploded outward. The shockwave flattened everything around them.

Reinhardt spun through the air and descended with a slash.

[Holy Sword Art] Third Light- [Radiant Cascade]... [Exalted Strike].... [Radiant Ascension].

He unleashed one attack after another.

Astaroth tanked the attacks or rather, he could only do so.

BOOM...

The collision created a crater beneath them, spraying lava everywhere.

Neither gave ground.

Astaroth immediately opened his mouth. A torrent of crimson fire erupted.

[Aetherial Stride].

Reinhardt vanished.

The flame swept across the battlefield, turning stone black and vaporizing everything caught within its path.

Reinhardt reappeared above him. But Astaroth was able to respond thanks to his enhanced beastly instincts.

Sword collided with claws.

BOOOOOOM...

The air itself seemed to detonate.

No matter how sharp and sturdy these claws were, they were no match for the Divine Sword- Solar Edge. The claws were easily cleaved through.

Astaroth followed with another claw. Then a knee strike followed by a tail sweep. Every physical movement carried extreme fire with it. His claws left flaming trails through the air.

Even when bisected, they regenerated instantly.

Claws, elbows, body slams, tail sweeps... there was no longer any semblance of intelligence or technique. Only instinct and predation.

Astaroth fought like a beast in a frenzy.

Their figures flashed through the battlefield so quickly that ordinary knights could barely track them. One moment they were in the sky. The next, they crashed into the earth.

BOOM... BOOM... BOOM...

Every collision produced catastrophic shockwaves that swept through the camp. Lava was torn from the earth and hurled through the sky. Chunks of earth were ripped loose by the force of their movements before crashing back down like meteors.

The surrounding air became a storm of fire, stone, and golden light.

"All knights below Elite rank, fall back."

Seeing the chaos spreading, Erza quickly took command.

"Everyone, move away from the center. Don’t get caught in their exchange."

Brutus raised his weapons and resisted the impact. Sigurd also created a protective barrier that redirected the debris and moved his group away.

It was not only them. Even the demons began fleeing.

Those closest to the two were unable to react in time and were consumed by the firestorm. Others were caught by the spreading lava and flying debris.

Erza looked toward the center of the demonic encampment.

Reinhardt and Astaroth were already fighting. The knights had already pushed the demons to the center.

They could now begin the plan.

"Everyone, proceed with the plan. Annihilate the demons."

The knights took out the branches of the World Tree that had been prepared beforehand and immediately began to move. They rushed to predetermined positions and began carving a complex formation.

The branches were planted at the center of each node.

Before long, a crude and hastily drawn formation appeared before everyone.

If viewed from above, one would be able to see that the entire demonic camp was within the formation.

"The formation is completed."

Erza received the news and nodded her head. She looked at the escaping demons and gave her order.

"Activate the formation. Do not let any demon escape."

The knights hurriedly followed the command.

Golden light burst through the branches and spread all across the formation. The next second, the entire formation lit up.

A vast sacred pattern spread across the ground, and a dome engulfed the camp.

At the same time, the blackened soil began changing. Corruption peeled away, and demonic residue evaporated.

More importantly, the corruption plaguing the mana veins deep underneath the ground was purged, causing natural mana to begin flowing through the ground once again.

With mana back, the atmosphere instantly lightened.

Especially for the high-ranking knights. They could now restore their expended mana without any worries.

"So this is the skill Reinhardt was talking about..."

Erza stared at the vast golden formation spreading across the battlefield. The land that had no mana just a moment ago was now filled with a vast amount of natural mana.

"It really is miraculous."

Although she had been briefed about the skill in the previous night’s meeting, seeing and hearing about it were two different things.

Witnessing the miracle brought by the formation, she could not help but marvel at it.

There was no need to ask what it was.

This was the very same skill Reinhardt had inscribed back in their camp.

[Divine Sanctum].

That said, Erza did not allow herself to marvel at it for long. Her eyes immediately returned to the battlefield.

The demons inside the Sanctum were weakened, and their demonic energy was being suppressed. Their regeneration was crippled.

Meanwhile, the human knights were fighting at their peak.

This was the moment.

Erza raised her sword.

"Encircle them. Don’t allow any demon to escape the Sanctum. Separate their formations and destroy them one group at a time."

The knights immediately responded.

"Yes, Dame Erza!"

Team after team closed around the demons and began massacring them en masse.

Although the sight looked cruel, one should know that the opponent was a race that did not allow other races to coexist. They were vile creatures bent on destroying and corrupting everything.

What had once been an invading force now found itself surrounded from every direction.

The demons tried to break through, but they failed. Every path and route was guarded by groups of waiting knights.

Seeing the plan being executed smoothly, Erza moved her gaze back toward the center of the battlefield.

There... golden light and crimson fire continued tearing through the heavens. Reinhardt and the Eighth Heavenly King were locked in an intense battle.

Though Erza could tell that Reinhardt was clearly holding his own.

No, it was more accurate to say that Reinhardt was controlling the entire war.

"Now, with Reinhardt holding off the Eighth Heavenly King, this is our chance. We finish this war."

At this moment, Brutus walked over. He glanced toward the distant clash before asking.

"Shouldn’t we go help Reinhardt? That thing is a Heavenly King, after all."

Erza thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"No."

Her gaze swept across the battlefield.

"There are still two Heavenly Kings who haven’t revealed themselves. Until we know where they are, we can’t afford to gather everyone at the center."