"Quick! Hide in the canyon—!"
In the chaos, the Skyward Legionnaires surged madly toward the canyon.
Before they could enter the canyon to escape the rain of arrows, over a thousand hulking demons, led by Big Bull and Leo, charged out from both sides. Wielding deadly weapons like spiked clubs, giant axes, and war hammers, they blocked the Skyward Legionnaires' path.
Each of these ferocious faces looked like trouble—none to be trifled with!
"Fall back—fall back! It's an ambush!" someone shouted among the Skyward Legionnaires.
But he had no chance to retreat. The moment he paused, he was shoved down, and his panic-stricken comrades trampled over him, charging toward the demons who had been holding back their strength.
Roars of savage beasts echoed.
Suddenly, the two surging waves collided, bursting forth crimson sprays.
Broadswords, spiked clubs, war hammers, giant axes—slashing and smashing, never stabbing.
Blood, brains, severed limbs—the scene was a frenzied meat grinder, flesh and bone flying everywhere.
"Damn it, why are they retreating now? Hey, we just got started!"
"Come back, don't run! Please, don't run! I'm just getting into the rhythm!"
Big Bull, still riding the thrill of battle and gripping his broadsword, tried to give chase, but Leo grabbed him and pulled him back.
Yet, just as the Skyward Legionnaires thought they had escaped danger, another wave of powerful demons emerged from the eastern woods, ready to encircle them.
"Finally, it's our turn. Damn, looks like there aren't many left." Rhino licked the edge of his axe with excitement.
Behind him, the demons were eager for action, waiting for the Skyward Legionnaires to crash headlong into their wall of iron and bronze, just like before.
But their hopes were dashed.
This time, the panicked Skyward Legionnaires seemed to have learned their lesson. Instead of charging straight ahead, they quickly changed direction and began retreating toward the southern wetlands.
"Take flight! Take flight! There must be an ambush in the south! We can't go that way!" a young officer shouted.
A few Skyward Legionnaires listened to his warning, spread their wings, and tried to take to the air.
But spreading their wings in the midst of that arrow storm was pure suicide, and so those few Skyward Legionnaires were honored with a swift death.
The rest of the Skyward Legionnaires ignored him completely.
The chaotic ranks of Skyward Legionnaires quickly stepped into the wetlands.
Driven mad, the Skyward Legionnaires charged forward, but those leading the way were the first to sink into the marsh. Before they could flap their wings and escape the mire, countless others pressed in from behind.
Cries of despair echoed all around.
In the pools scattered across the wetlands, behind the green leaves, demons familiar with the terrain began to reveal themselves.
Snake demons, crocodile demons, spider demons, toad demons...
"Hey, want to bet whether they'll make it past us?"
"Sure, I bet they won't."
"No, I mean I bet they won't, and you bet they will."
"That's not how betting works!"
The Skyward Legionnaires stared in shock, mouths agape and crying out in panic. Never before had they seen demons so delighted to see them.
The demons cheered and waved their weapons, swarming toward the terrified celestial troops.
At the rear of the ranks, Simon spotted Rusty, an old toad demon hobbling along with a cane, waving a rusty blade and shouting, "Leave one for me, leave one for me, cough cough... I want to kill one too..."
The Skyward Legionnaires, now utterly routed, began to withdraw toward the edge of the cliff.
At this moment, only a little more than two thousand remained, pressed against the cliff, protected by a magical formation maintained by Heavenly Generals of the Divine Refinement Realm and above, barely holding back the arrows raining down from above.
No, they hadn't truly found their footing yet...
Before them, tens of thousands of land-based demons were surging forward in a frenzy.
That's right—they were pushing and shoving.
They scrambled and shoved with all their might, desperate to get ahead.
"Stop pushing! Stop pushing! Who stepped on my tail—!"
"Hey, what are you holding? A stick? Even bullying the Skyward Legionnaires shouldn't be this lame! Get out of the way and watch us work!"
A rat demon named Remy scrambled over the others, running across shoulders toward the front, only to be grabbed and tossed back: "Wait your turn to fight the Skyward Legionnaires! Wait your turn!"
"Move aside! I'm the leader! I'm the leader! Let me through!" Leo was trapped in the middle, roaring hysterically.
But in this chaos, even leaders had no privileges. If you moved too slowly, you were stuck at the back like everyone else.
Those who couldn't reach the front simply picked up rocks to hurl, some even tossing their own weapons.
What a scene—utterly unbelievable...
Perhaps these trembling Skyward Legionnaires could never have imagined, even in their wildest dreams, that a day like this would come.
A Heavenly General tried to unleash his magic weapon, but before he could finish his incantation, he was shoved so hard he lost all sense of direction—their side was just as packed.
Standing atop the cliff, Simon shouted, "The Drake King has ordered us to give you a proper welcome. You've earned plenty of military merit over the years—now, it's time to settle the accounts!"
In their despair, a signal flare shot up into the sky.
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In the distance, on the deck of the Western Army, several Skyward Legionnaires paused to watch, still waiting to duel with the few remaining demon warships.
"Is that a signal flare?"
"Yeah, not bad. These demons are getting better at it—even their signal flares look almost like ours."
"Bah, ours are way brighter. Look, ours outshine theirs by far."
The Skyward Legionnaires began to argue noisily.
Soon, countless signal flares rose into the sky.
"Is this a fireworks show?"
"Fireworks in broad daylight? Ridiculous!" General Zhuo, the commanding officer, strolled past them and spat disdainfully.
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