The Dawn of the New World

Right behind the barbarian prince were two other figures he recognized on sight.

Tasgall, who had lost an arm and even the ability to speak during the time he was with them, and Jarek, who looked more human than ever before. (If you have the time I would suggest reading through some of the chapters from the time they were in the pyramid, Ch 700 ish, to refresh your memory)

They were fighting tooth and nail along with the other eighty or so barbarians trying to keep these horrors from reaching the otherwise defenseless civilians behind them.

Burak threw a punch that sent over a dozen beasts flying away and took that opportunity to quickly relay some orders.

"First and second squad stays here, what's left of the third squad will guide the others away!"

About ten men that were fighting near the back, wounded and sapped of almost all signs of life immediately became alert.

"We will not leave the prince!" they all shouted in unison but Burak was in no mood to talk.

"GO NOW!" he barked, "This is an order! They are the future, you will help them get to Argham to die trying! We will be right behind you! LEAVE!" he said waving his hand.

A small golden shield kindled behind each of the ten men, covering all of their blind spots as they hesitantly retreated. But seeing the majority of them getting away the beasts became even more fierce and forceful in their pursuit.

Several of them threw themselves at Burak to weaken his stance before another group jumped on him from every direction. Their teeth dug into his flesh and refused to let go but such an act only pushed him further into a frenzy.

He screamed like a madman and began ripping their heads off with his bare hands. Unfortunately, the blood loss was too much for his body and he would lose consciousness sooner rather than later.

The others weren't in much better shape either since the beasts didn't give them even a moment to rest.

From Hao Xuan's point of view, it looked like a tsunami that was being held back by a scant few blocks of lumber patched together on the spot. They were doing the best they could in the moment but would soon be overrun if things continued as they were.

It only took him a few seconds to analyze the terrain and come up with the best strategy to deal with such an overwhelming enemy force before inspecting the creatures one more time to break them down one flaw at a time.

His eyes swiveled left and right saccadically.

'Atrophied forelimbs with sharpened claws that are most probably poisoned or even cursed. Eyes are located at the front and covered by a thick epidermis on the sides, limiting the field of vision to roughly 110 degrees.'

'Disjointed hind limbs are created for jumping rather than running making them slow-moving targets on the open field. Feelers located on the back and abdomen make up for the limited vision but are easier to disrupt due to their sensitive nature.'

'Average creature power level lies somewhere in the middle of the spirit realm with rather low individual intelligence. Hmm, the best method would be-'

Hao Xuan waved his hand to call out a 1.8-meter-long curved blade that was wide enough to sway with the wind. It was sharp but extremely thick and heavy, suitable only for someone with a lot of strength.

It had no special attributes but in his hands, it was deadlier than a machine gun nest.

"This will do nicely," he muttered under his breath while inspecting it, "I can use the tried and tested 1st form of the Black Cavalry from the plains of Ishtravan!"

If his right hand was still working he would have called out another similar blade to best utilize his position and speed but he could only work with what he had.

"Hya!"

With a light kick, Grey vaulted over the ravine and sprinted straight into the heart of the valley.

Burak was the first one to notice them. Under the pale moonlight Grey looked like a winged beast with one of its wings clipped off but as he came closer the rider on his back also came into view.

His eyes opened wide in a most welcome surprise.

The creatures only took note of his presence when he was a little more than 30 meters away and by then it was already too late.

Hao Xuan's grip tightened around the silvery blade as a spark of black and white lightning ignited around its hilt before spreading to the rest of the massive sword in the shape of a spider's web.

"Chaos Lightning!"

Grey dashed through the last few meters and was on the back of the largest beast wave in the blink of an eye.

*Shluuuup*

Hao Xuan swung the blade up and down while Grey carried him straight through the enemy ranks. Everything it touched was cut in half or burnt to cinders on the spot.

*Bzzt*

Hao Xuan had arrived on horseback, swinging a blade of lightning to cut himself a path through the battlefield with an unshakeable momentum.