Apocalypse Gachapon Chapter 1908: Final novice battlefield

The abrupt vanishing of the light threads and light pillars opened up breaches in the defensive barrier.

Thanks to the heads-up from the Su Clan warriors, the guardians had braced themselves, yet confronting what appeared to be an unending wave of enemies, they were forced to fall back swiftly without the energy array's aid. If not, they'd be utterly crushed and erased from existence.

A series of cries echoed out. Her expression turned grim. Yet another Novice had perished, with multiple others wounded. Even the water chains unleashed by her and her fellow clansmen failed to offer full safeguard.

Their ranks were already thin, and with their key support suddenly gone, as they withdrew, the assailants spotted the perfect chance to press forward.

Numerous foes ramped up their assault speed on instinct, eager to ride the wave and breach the heart of the energy array. At minimum, they sought to wreak havoc on the defenders' numbers, paving the way for triumph.

It had barely hit the fifteen-minute mark. From the looks of things, the clash would wrap up around twenty minutes total. This lined up closely with the projected timeline.

"Advance!"

Right then, Jie Su bellowed out. Every fighter among the defenders shifted their spots abruptly.

It came off so resolute, almost as if they were surrendering the field.

Myriad foes dropped like felled trees. The fierce skirmish ground to a sudden stop thanks to this onslaught.

The remaining attackers fled in chaos, their visages twisted in horror.

Just moments ago, far too many of their comrades had met their end.

Before this, roughly ten evolved fighters had fallen, alongside under a hundred Novices. They'd figured that was the peak toll. Considering the power gap between the sides, the besieged group had already shone brightly with the energy array's boost! They'd simply braced for extra losses in wrapping up against tough nuts like White Robe and Jie Su.

Yet those light slashes hit out of nowhere and packed insane force. In a blink, over a hundred evolved warriors and six hundred Novices got sliced apart!

At present, those species boasting tough life force were still spasming and writhing inside the array, clinging to hopes of a last-second wonder to pull through.

But shortly after, they slipped away into silence, etching yet another grim trophy onto the Sihai Light Array's legacy.

The invading force, once tallying about 1,300 strong, had dwindled to just over 700. Losses hovered near fifty percent.

This spectacle didn't just terrify the aggressors—it left the myriad beings tuned in via countless light screens either hushed or gasping in shock.

Had the Sihai Light Array grown this formidable? Clearly, the Su Clan had refined it over the past years.

Moreover, with upgrades to the Sihai Light Array, what of the other formations?

The Su Clan had clearly surged ahead in their developments.

The fight paused for the moment. The two sides reverted to a standoff like at the start, but with dozens of minutes still ticking down on the Novice arena, everyone knew the fray would reignite.

"The destruction rate has surpassed eighty percent. We can't fire off the ultimate blow anymore."

Jie Su's words carried softly, yet clear to every guardian's ears.

Few grasped the Sihai Light Array's ultimate strike, but all sensed its devastating might. Launching it could spell real victory.

Just recall those waves of light slashes earlier.

Such a shame.

"Still, it holds one last trick," Jie Su continued. "I'll tweak the array's channels a bit, flipping it from offense within to defense inside. The leftover power will turn into a boost for us all, ramping up our defenses a touch and our strikes mildly."

Jie Su balled his hand tight, his look steady yet his spirit seething with reluctance.

The horde swarming the Sihai Light Array was overwhelming. Their sheer fury kept shredding the array's base nonstop. Though the heart endured, the ruin climbed wildly out of control.

To the extent that the climactic, mightiest assault remained out of reach.

Jie Su understood he shouldn't fault himself, but guilt gnawed deep all the same. With greater personal power, even holding the array at thirty percent wholeness, he'd have pulled off sharper strikes.

"Everyone... push on."

As Jie Su uttered this, the Sihai Light Array flared with blinding radiance. The enemies pulled back on reflex once more. Yet as the glow faded, they saw the array's etchings on the hillside soil had vanished entirely. Now, solely the stoutest central light pillar lingered upright. From it, slender, dim rays draped over the defenders, their purpose a mystery.

But one truth stood clear: that energy array, fresh from its horrifying barrage, likely offered little more aid.

Guided by the surviving hundred-plus evolved fighters, the Novices charged anew.

With their forces so stretched, the slope's guard could only shape a wedge setup. Jie Su and his kin handled one flank, Robe Bai directed the Novices on another, while Yisewei and her pair of escorts covered the last stretch.

She and her three clansmen hung back from the front, weaving water chains around their allies. The hurt ones, along with Ye Zhongming and the rest, stayed shielded at the core.

Jie Su's gear was odd: armored gloves fitted with four compact blades. No one knew the alloy's makeup. The blades hovered beside his forearms, syncing with the gloves' motions.

His two kin wielded identical arms: steel poles that looked plain at a glance, but revealed clever gears and designs up close.

"The next array expert meets his end here today." A massive being, akin to a tiny mound, loomed ahead of Jie Su and his group. As its four-lobed maw parted, it bared quadruple gums and fangs. Paired with its azure, furred hide, it struck as savage, frightful, and revolting.

"A half-formed freak." A spark lit in Jie Su's gaze, his battle lust igniting.

Each species faced bitter rivals. The one facing Jie Su hailed from the Heriber Star folk, locked in fierce enmity with the Su Clan. To the Su Clan, they ranked as mere savages.

Still, under those grotesque shells beat mighty frames, top-tier fighting skills, and a knack for forging gear from their vital forces and lifeblood.

Every Heriber Star individual began forging gear right from birth. This gear stuck with them lifelong. They gauged talent by how many pieces each could forge. After all, forging drained their essence; push past the brink, and death followed.

The figure opposite Jie Su went by Wolim, a royal scion of the Heriber Star people. His seven forged items marked him as a prime heir to the Great Chieftain throne someday.

He and Jie Su had crossed paths before, turning this into a grudge-fueled reunion.

"Words won't settle this. Let's go!"

With that, Wolim snatched a cluster of javelins from his rear!