The geniuses and even the Demons were so focused on the ongoing fight that they weren’t able to notice the changes to the overall environment around them.
The battle had started in the middle of the day, so the sun was still high in the sky, casting plenty of light upon the ground. But at some point, the light of the sun had begun to dim.
A blackness overtook it, causing dusk to descend upon the brightly lit battlefield. Shadows quietly spread through the earth below them, and before long, the entire area was encompassed.
In a mere instant, it became night. For the first time since the chaotic battle began, the Demon Generals lousing around in the back had grim looks on their faces.
“Swamp of Darkness.”
A crisp voice flowed through the air like a melody. The small scuffles and major waves taking place on the battlefield came to a half, as if everyone present was mesmerized by the voice.
“Arise.”
The Swamp of Darkness had already spread its reach, but it wasn’t an offensive ability. Rather, it was just setting the stage for what was to come.
When the single word was spoken, the darkness began to move in strange patterns as if it was alive. From within it, tens of figures began to rise as if they were waking up from a prolonged slumber.
“W-what is…”
“Those are…!”
Both the geniuses and the Demon Generals were stumped when they saw the beings that rose from the darkness. For the geniuses, they were merely surprised at the power that they had never seen before, and wary about which side it belonged to.
As for the Demon Generals, they felt a much more visceral fear. After all, the figures rising from the depths were Demon Generals just like them!
However, these Demon Generals barely bore any resemblance to their own race anymore. They had become one with the darkness they emerged from, becoming slaves to its will.
“Go.”
The melodious yet sinister voice rang out again. On its command, the Shadow Generals flashed into the crowd and began to wantonly slaughter the Demon Captains within.
But that wasn’t the terrifying part. Each time a Demon Captain fell, their bodies would sink into the Swamp of Darkness. And seconds later, a shadowy counterpart would emerge and join the ongoing slaughter.
With the Shadow Captains joining their ranks, the Shadow Generals no longer focused on the small fries. They turned into fleeting shadows and arrived in front of the Demon Generals on the backlines, immediately engaging in combat.
Blades of darkness and constructs made of the same mana flew threw the air, slicing at the Demon Generals. They, who had been unprepared for the sudden change of events, failed to react in time.
Heads flew into the air.
Just like that, 5 Demon Generals had died.
“H-how is this…”
“There’s no way…”
The geniuses were shocked beyond belief. Those Demon Generals that they had to form groups to fight, the ones that they desperately resisted. They had been slaughtered like they were mere abominations.
It was only when those Generals reappeared as shadows that the geniuses regained their wits.
“They’re on our side!”
Someone shouted. This shout set off a chain reaction. When everyone realized that they didn’t need to fear the shadows or the domain they’d been encased in, they began to fight again with renewed vigor.
“Don’t let those shadows steal our contribution points!”
“Let’s go!”
The darkness was once again filled with the light of elemental mana. The forces of the Demon army slowly began to dwindle.
***
Somewhere within the domain of darkness, ten Demon Generals stood together and watched the proceedings. These ten had never participated in the fight since the beginning. In fact, the geniuses didn’t even know that there were actually 60 Demon Generals instead of 50!
“I didn’t think the situation would become like this.” One of them pointed out. Astonishment was clear in his tone.
“Right. When the King gave us our orders, I was sure this was a suicide mission. But it no longer seems to be the case.”
“Those shadows seem to be unforgiving, though. How can we be sure that they won’t target us?”
“Our location has most likely already been exposed since we are within the caster’s domain. There’s no other choice. We must take action.”
“You don’t mean…”
A series of gasps rang out as the others realized what the Demon General was implying.
“We can’t! You know just as well as we do what will happen to us if we do!”
“But we’ll only be punished if someone finds out about it. Only the Apostles had record crystals with them, so the proceedings on the main battlefield are still unknown to the rest of the Apostles at the base.”
“That’s…true. But still. If we do it, there’s no going back. The stench of traitors is something that can’t be washed away. The second we return to the city, we will be charged.”
“Was returning ever an option? Returning would only implicate the King. And are we so ungrateful that we would cause trouble for him? Even after everything he’s done for us?”
“No. Don’t even suggest it.”
“Sigh. I never thought things would turn out this way. But, it has always been our fate. The King took us in because we share his ideologies. None of us want to continue being slaves for a being that isn’t even one of us. The regime needs to end at some point.”
“Ha! You talk as if we’re actually rebelling! But that had never been what we are doing. Rather than rebelling, we are just taking back what’s ours.”
“Anyway, enough of this. Judging by the amount of power the owner of this domain possesses, at least one of the Commanders has already died.”
“The power of outsiders has truly been underestimated.”
“But this one isn’t the Stormbringer. The King mentioned that the Stormbringer was a man, but the owner of the voice earlier was clearly a woman.”
“She must be one of his associates. If we can manage to earn her trust, then she will be able to introduce us to the Stormbringer.”
“Right. There’s no need for any more talk. Let us move.”
The group of Demon Generals turned into flashes of light before appearing on the battlefield. It had already become a mess while they were discussing, with the Demons dying left and right.
The Shadow army now had over twenty Demon Generals within it, but nobody doubted the fact that there could’ve been more if the shadows decided to be aggressive. It was clear that the owner of the domain was allowing the normal geniuses to grab their contribution points.
“You guys! What are you doing standing still?! Come help me fend this thing off!”
An enraged shout entered the ears of the group. When they turned their attention, they saw a group of 5 Demon Generals fiercely resisting shadows that used to be their comrades.
The Demon Generals looked at each other and nodded. In the next second, they arrived next to the group that was being attacked.
“Good that you’re here! Now, let’s work together and—”
The Demon General’s eyes widened while he was speaking. His words cut off as blood rushed up his throat. When he looked down, he saw a black dagger pierced through his heart.
“You…!”
He couldn’t say anything else before he collapsed to the ground. His expression was twisted with a sense of betrayal even after death.
Soon, four more thudding sounds rang out as the rest of the Demon Generals were slain. Each of the Generals from the defecting group had a slightly uncomfortable expression on their face, but they had already hardened their hearts.
Seeing that the Shadow Generals in the vicinity weren’t attacking them, the Defecting Generals nodded at each other and set their sights on another group.
Even if they weren’t necessary for this battle to end, they would still do their best. After all, they had no way of knowing if the domain owner would kill them if they were half-hearted.
Soon enough, cries of betrayal and anguish filled the domain, surpassing the sounds of even the rest of the mayhem that was taking place within.
Outside the black dome that had encompassed the area, Qing Tan watched in with a smile.
“King…Stormbringer…Apostles…how interesting!”
A charming smile decorated her face as she watched the carnage she had induced. Not to mention, it looked like her Shadow army was set for another big expansion!