Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

The spirit of the Nuwa Clan suddenly manifested beside them, staring at the mountain. 

"The time is near. We have perhaps a day before the Idol of Chaos comes", she said. 

"Considering the speed of that army, they'll be here within the hour. Most likely, they will try to weaken us for the Idol, capture our attention, and let that thing rampage."

Du Xiu looked, sharpening his gaze towards Shi Hou especially. For a moment their eyes met but the commander felt something and he brought on a small smile.

"Let's start. This is the final battle." 

Everyone nodded and descended the gate walls. The spirit looked at them before facing the mountain with a serious but worried look. Nevertheless, this temporary body of hers vanished, returning to dust. 

With their descent, it was a sign to every soldier and cultivator in the fortress. 

And the forest reached a new level of bustling as everyone did their last checks, shining the last spot of their helmet or sharpening the tips of their weapons. They did whatever they needed to do because this was their only chance and possibly their last chance. 

And just as Zi Jing has spoken earlier, the Cerulean Fortress transformed. The spires opened up to reveal the line of cannons inside them. They all turned to point at the oncoming force, aimed down at them. 

The barrels began to warm and energy slowly built up within its chambers. 

Standing in the highest level of the main spire, Zi Jing continued to watch the marching demons as they came. 

He had the medallion up to his face, ready to signal the others to shoot. 

They continued to march one step at a time, unwavering and unfaltering. With Shi Hou leading them, they seemed to have nothing to fear. 

Zi Jing then looked down from the spires, making eye contact with the other commanders, especially Du Xiu. All of them had changed into their armor. Everyone had was nearly finished, getting into their formations. Those that were melee stayed on the ground while ranged units lined the walls of the fortress. Among them was Xuan Yin, already holding her bow out.

Ming Yue stood to the side. After all, this was not her fight, not yet at least. 

But as she gazed at the masses, there were some faces that she recognized. Some that surprised her greatly. 

"Hm, there's a few people from Heaven's Gate and Clear Spring Mountain, even some of the elders too", she thought. 

Among them were the Xukun and Anqing as well as a few other disciples and Inheritors. She even saw Liu Wan, the soldier that had taken her around the North Fort in the beginning. Unfortunately, they were too far from each other to say hello but even then, it was not a good time to do so. 

Not when the battle was about to begin.

Du Xiu looked up at Zi Jing for several seconds before quietly nodding.  And with that, the man in the spire gave a single command through the medallion. 

"Fire."

And just like the first time, these cannons roared out in unison, producing a sound comparable to a thunderstorm! 

Thirty rays of fiery red light arced through the arcs and descended down upon this army like meteors. This attack that was capable of reducing a mountain to rubble and magma now fell upon them. But none of them were worried in the slightest. 

Not when they had the Huilu King and Azure Dragon Queen!

The Huo Clan and the Ao Clan marched forward before raising their arms up and chanting. Huo Shen and Ao Shuang floated above the army with their swords crossed together to face this barrage of cannon shots. 

A formation emerged from where their swords crossed, created from crimson and azure energy. 

Supported by their clansmen, it grew larger and larger, a circular pattern complete with strange characters and symbols. 

"Ocean of Flames!"

Chanting in unison, flames sprouted from the formation, growing and spreading until it covered the entire army. As the cannon shots crashed into this formation, these fires engulfed them, swallowing the explosions and letting none of it escape. If not the army would've been decimated. 

And they continued forward. 

"Of course, it'd never be that easy." 

Zi Jing muttered before speaking into the medallions. 

"Spread the shots, don't do waves, keep it continuous", he ordered. 

After the next volley, the cannons all moved towards different angles before firing. Rather than one loud bang every minute, it was a constant rumbling as they fired off one by one in quick succession. 

Despite the change in tactics, these shots were like rain droplets falling on a puddle. None of it came close to breaking through. The army continued forward without so much of a hitch. 

But then as they came closer and closer to the fortress, Shi Hou started to walk faster and faster. 

"ARCHERS READY! ALL RANGED UNITS READY!"

Yu Zhen's voice shouted out, echoing through the walls. 

Many like Xuan Yin, raised their bows and loaded their arrows. Some manifested arrows in their hands, ones of ice, earth, lightning, and many more. Those who didn't have a bow had other ways. From ethereal swords of the Metal Dao to sharp notes of a flute, there even seemed to be a small dragon of fire waiting to be released.

Ming Yue also chose to join, forming a single Blasting Gale but forcing as much power as she could into it. 

Shi Hou's speed began to ramp up, leaving behind a deep imprint with each step he took. In this hulking armor of his, he looked like a giant boulder of metal, soaring over the ground and heading straight for the fortress gates. 

The army followed suit, going from a brisk walk into a full sprint. By then the formation created by the Huo and Ao Clan had grown much weaker as the explosive power of the cannon shots wore the flames thin. 

A thousand meters...

Cracks began to form. 

Six hundred meters...

It slowly began to spread and grow weaker. 

Four hundred...

Unable to endure, the formation shattered and the flames no longer protected the army from the shots. 

Two hundred...

And then, the Roaring King showed exactly why he was titled as such. He opened his mouth and let out a roar loud enough to drown out the rumbling cannons. 

At the same time, Yu Zhen unsheathed her saber and swung out as a signal to everyone. 

Just as this great army charged, they were met with a wave of arrows and a slew of other attacks. Without the protection of the two clans, they were open to this attack but they were prepared. 

Before it could reach them, shields were raised over their heads, bearing the brunt of the attack. Nevertheless, not everyone would come out unscathed.

But Shi Hou ignored it all. With how thick and dense his armor was, it seemed that nothing would be able to get through to him. His steps grew exceedingly heavy as he gather as much strength as he could, lowering his head and pointing the horns of his helmet towards the gates. 

Made of wood and metal braces, the fortress gates stood tall. They were even reinforced with several formations. It could weather the worst of storms but when faced against this one demon, it was uncertain as to what would happen. 

The amount of sheer power that Shi Hou's charge had was immense. 

It was only seconds before he would reach the gates. This mass of muscle and metal soon smashed himself into the gates. His horns pierced it while the impact caused it to crack and even the walls to tremble. 

He stayed there, digging his feet into the ground as he pushed further and further in. not letting himself retreat. 

"Break! Break for me!" Shi Hou shouted. 

Suddenly, the gates flew open, sending him back into his army as several figures emerged from the gates. 

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