The 14,000 new Archons, plus the original 176, all summoned as many Vorathid Sky-Hunters as they could. Another batch of thousands of troops got summoned as a result.

Clouds of insects erupted from the Archons’ positions. Millions of Vorathid Sky-Hunters swarmed into the air, their buzzing wings creating a drone that vibrated in Reidar’s teeth.

The sky turned black with them.

Through the Overmind Consciousness, Reidar checked the map showing his summons’ positions, and the sheer number of friendly units turned the area into a solid block of green dots.

[Active Summons: 100,000+]

[Damage Resistance Bonus: Capped at 90%]

He felt invincible. But he knew he wasn’t.

<This is as prepared as I’m going to get.>

The plan was simple. If he was forced to fight, the Archon Rift-Lords would handle the rear while the Vorathid Sky-Hunters would fight at the front while also luring the monsters and checking around for him.

The shared skills would make them stronger or make the enemy weaker. If Reidar was lucky, he would kill some more Ignis and level up in the process.

Emperor’s Decree would boost their damage by 200%. Gaze of the Pariah would strip enemy resistances. Wellspring of Vitality would keep them alive. And the Vorathid Sky-Hunters would provide overwhelming numbers.

Reidar stood and looked out the window. The Ignis group was gone. The street was clear.

“Scout the city,” Reidar said to the Vorathid Sky-hunters. “Find Mara.”

He turned to the Archons.

“As for you,” Reidar said to the Archons, “kill everything and make as much noise as possible to draw them all far from me.”

The Archon Rift-Lords left the building and then unleashed a barrage of elemental magic that lit up the gloom surrounding Kilovar.

Fireballs, lightning strikes, and bolts of every kind slammed into the surrounding buildings, blowing apart walls and collapsing towers, all with the goal of making as much noise as possible.

The Vorathid Sky-Hunters, instead, spread out like a plague to look around and to make sure that all monsters came here.

The Shadow Sovereigns remained with Reidar because they were stealthy and could create obstacles. Of course, they would not resist against the Ignis or the other monsters here, but they would at least create visual impairments.

Regardless, the Archons did their work well, because the noise they made was deafening. Explosions, screeches, and the crack of thunder.

Reidar didn’t stay to watch. He needed to get the hell out of this place, and fast at that.

He summoned the Apex Menagerie.

22 massive wolves materialized in the street below. He jumped onto the back of the largest one and gave the order.

“Get me out of here,” he said.

Reidar didn’t look back at the army he had created. They were expendable, and their job was to die so he could survive.

As the wolf leaped forward, the pack surged away from the area, putting distance between Reidar and the trap he had set. Behind him, the city began to wake; deep roars answered the explosions the Archons made, and the ground trembled as the titans stirred from their slumber.

Through the shared vision of his rearguard Archons, Reidar saw the patrol of forty Ignis moving toward them. They heard the noise and reached the thousands of Archons.

Reidar kept riding.

As he navigated the stirring streets, it became clear that the plan was working. Drawn like moths to a flame by the mana spike and the sounds of the battle that had just started, the monsters had left whatever they were doing.

Even the plaza, which had been guarded by the Ignis earlier, was now deserted as they rushed to join the fray.

Crossing the intersection where the behemoth had slumbered, he saw only the crushed pavement where the creature had lain. Reidar pushed deeper into the city, making his way toward the unsearched areas.

Needing a vantage point to scan the city while the monsters were distracted, he saw a spire that rose above the ruins. Dismounting at the base, he ascended the stairs two at a time.

Upon reaching the top floor, he entered a circular room where the windows had long since shattered.

Reidar looked out to where the battle raged. Flashes of red, blue, and gold illuminated the smoke rising from the site of the battle.

<Good. Keep them busy.>

However, the spire allowed him to notice something else, something that he could not see previously since the buildings were still too tall for him to see unobstructed.

<How could I have missed that?>

There was some kind of palace in the city. It was far, covered by impossibly tall buildings, and having been on the ground earlier, missing it was a possibility.

<Mara must be there…>

The battle in the east grew louder, signaling the arrival of the titans.

[Your Summon (Archon Rift-Lord) has been destroyed.]

[Your Summon (Archon Rift-Lord) has been destroyed.]

[Your Summon (Archon Rift-Lord) has been destroyed.]

…

[Your Summon (Archon Rift-Lord) has been destroyed.]

[Your Summon (Archon Rift-Lord) has been destroyed.]

[Your Summon (Archon Rift-Lord) has been destroyed.]

…

[Your Summon (Archon Rift-Lord) has been destroyed.]

[Your Summon (Archon Rift-Lord) has been destroyed.]

…

The notifications scrolled by in a blur, confirming that a Level 650 monster had entered the fray.

<I don’t have much time.> The Archons had killed nothing yet.

He urged the Sky-Hunters to go search the palace, while he jumped down and started moving in its direction.

However, the sky-hunters didn’t have the time to reach the place because suddenly, the weather changed.

A wind gusted through the open windows, and above, the layer of ash began to swirl, darkening to a bruised purple as Reidar noticed the ambient mana decreasing.

<Shit!>

Looking up, he saw the clouds spiraling inward to form a massive vortex over the northern part of the city. It resembled a hurricane, yet there was no rain, only energy flowing like water down a drain toward a single point.

Connecting to the nearest Sky-Hunters, Reidar saw it through their eyes: the palace was right beneath the eye of the weird storm.

<A portal! Mara is there!>

Reidar gripped the fur of his wolf. Mara was already opening the portal.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep