After several breaths of time had passed, their vision finally cleared. Struggling to get up from the ground, they realized they were no longer in the same place.
Dark clouds enveloped the sky, with lightning flashing and thunder booming; the ferocious winds made it very difficult for them to stand; the ground was devoid of sand or stones, revealing bare, gray-black rocks that seemed to have been buffed smooth by the endless winds over countless years.
When Anat managed to stand, he noticed that only three people had not been toppled by the sudden storm—Matins, the leader of the warriors, Priest Rizzo, and Superior Georgette were all looking in the same direction.
Anat naturally followed their gazes, only to freeze in place.
He had managed to stand up the fastest, and the others, gradually getting up one by one, also looked curiously in that direction and then likewise turned to stone.
They saw a massive creature, towering as if it reached the sky; its body was like that of a giant bear, but it was covered with feathers; those white feathers had a tinge of blue, as if blue electrical arcs were flickering within them; its head, however, resembled that of a large bird, somewhat like an owl…
Among the group, most were natives of Rage Owl Star. Seeing the enormous creature before them, they couldn’t help but associate it with a mythology prevalent on Rage Owl Star, one that was widely known, even among non-believers, originating from the ancient times of this world: the Primal Fury Owl.
The Primal Fury Owl…
It was real!
While they were still shaken by this realization, the Primal Fury Owl moved.
It took steps toward them, or rather toward the Chaos Octagram Array they were surrounding.
Its pace was slow, as if bound by some force; yet it was determined, moving forward despite the slowness.
After a short while, it seemed to grow furious with the sense of binding as it roared up at the sky.
Instantaneously, wild winds howled, lightning flashed, and thunder roared!
Amidst this, one Storm Monster after another began to form and appear all around the Alliance Warriors.
The beasts roared as they charged at them!
At the same time, the orders from Matins, Rizzo, and Georgette were passed on, “Hold the line! Do not let any of the creatures breach the array behind us!”
“We shall be humanity’s front line shield, and we shall not allow any beast from the Abyss of Hell to break through our defense!”
Despite everything that was happening challenging their fragile nerves, they were all elite warriors. Upon hearing their commanders’ orders, they quickly formed a circular defense to isolate the Chaos Octagram Array from the assaulting monsters.
They fired their weapons with all their might, vanquishing monster after monster.
And this battle continued for nearly two hours.
During this period, they made no mistakes. Whether star warriors or Battle Nuns, even Demon Hunters and special forces soldiers in the army, all fought with their utmost effort.
Superior Georgette and Priest Rizzo continually boosted the morale of their fighters during the battle, making them keenly aware that this fight was crucial to the future of Rage Owl Star.
They were all resolved to fight to the death.
Continue your journey with empire
But despite this resolve, the harsh reality did not yield to their will—at least, not for the people here.
The ammunition in their hands dwindled as they fought; with the continuation of the battle, they grew fatigued.
By the two-hour mark, most people had run out of bullets and were forced into close combat with the monsters; how long could their tired bodies maintain the battle line?
Although it seemed like because of their disconnection, friendly forces on the ground had dispatched reconnaissance squads, who were also inexplicably pulled into this space, resulting in a few hundred reinforcements arriving one after another.
But altogether, things seemed to shift towards the worse.
Anat fought off the unstable creatures of wind charging at him while feeling anxious.
Of course, he could still hold on, he was a star warrior, a Phoenix, he possessed extraordinary strength.
The Battle Nuns appeared slightly worn out but seemed to have no major issues.
However, the Demon Hunters and special forces were beginning to show signs of faltering.
Close combat was undoubtedly taxing for those who had fought for a long time.
They were full of courage and determination, but after all, they were only mortals.
Without the help of these mortal heroes, and even when the Battle Nuns could barely hold on, could just the twelve star warriors ensure that not a single creature was missed?
And it was at this moment that he suddenly felt behind his head a powerful, yet oddly comforting energy fluctuation.
He couldn’t help but turn his head for a glance.
He saw the Governor.
Dressed in a red military uniform and standing tall, Mr. Gu floated there quietly. The wild storm, upon reaching his surroundings, was suppressed by a magical force, becoming almost insignificant, only causing his robe to flutter slightly—unable to do more.
Mr. Gu?
Mr. Gu… why had he come?
At that moment, Gu Hang didn’t immediately respond to these doubts.
He took a deep breath and then raised his hands.
A wave of Spiritual Energy belonging solely to him radiated outwards from his center, completely different from the storm’s energy.
The areas it brushed over were instantly calmed of the storm.
And the monsters formed from the storm dissipated as it calmed.
This only covered an area of about three to five hundred meters centered on Gu Hang and couldn’t last very long, but it at least solved the most pressing crisis.
Then, Gu Hang frowned slightly, and the warriors present suddenly felt their fatigue vanish into thin air.
At the same time, they discovered that their ammunition, which had been depleted, had suddenly become abundant again.
“Long live the Governor!” A Demon Hunter shouted fervently, which triggered everyone—including the Alliance Warriors—to start chanting “Long live the Governor.”
It was only after the Battle Nuns called out “For the Emperor” twice that they added those four words following “Long live the Governor.”
But Gu Hang didn’t really pay attention to this.
The Primal Fury Owl roared in anger, thunder and storm grew even fiercer. The three-hundred-meter calm zone that Gu Hang had created was quickly suppressed back, and at the same time, a large number of Storm Monsters formed and surged toward the human defenses again.
This time, Gu Hang didn’t try to tough it out.
His elite warriors, after being inspired, relieved of fatigue, and replenished with ammunition, were enough to keep those things out, just as they had done in the past two hours.
And at that moment, Gu Hang, floating in midair, had blue flames flickering constantly in his eyes.
Matins looked on with concern.
In fact, he had been worried since the arrival of the Governor, but the intense combat had left him no time to speak.
And now, as the situation seemed slightly calmer and seeing the Governor in a questionable state, he wanted to ask.
But he was held back by Rizzo and Georgette, one on each side.
Rizzo said, “Don’t disturb, Mr. Gu is thinking.”
Georgette’s expression was even more complicated: “This Mr. Gu… was he always such a powerful wielder of Spiritual Energy? He has grown too fast during this period. Or has he always possessed this strength but never revealed it before?”
Her question remained unanswered.
…
And as Rizzo said, Gu Hang was indeed pondering at this time.
After arriving in this part of the space, a massive, incredibly chaotic knowledge poured into his brain like a tidal wave.
He had to exert a lot of effort to extract some useful information from it.
Among this might be the method to resolve the current problem.
But before figuring out the method, Gu Hang first determined something:
This was the fabled Hell’s Abyss.
