The cuts soon heal.
But the bigger lacerations of flesh continue to bleed. It doesn't help that they are in constant motion, always swinging their blades, always moving their legs, always matching forward. So their blood falls to the earth which they stood upon, only to be trampled upon by the comrades that follow behind.
"Only victory will do."
Nothing else will do. It is what Soverick has sculpted them into. They simply repeat that chant in their mind as they matched forward. "Only Victory Will Do." It's what Soverick told them to think of when he forced them to match under the aura of a titan of law. That titan had released the full might of her aura on an entire army. They were shivering where they stood unable to move a single muscle. Even their dull senses could feel the threat to their lives.
The repetition of that chant didn't make them suddenly able to move, but it helped ease their fear, especially when they could hear the soldiers next to them also chanting it. They might not be able to handle the aura of a titan of law but they can take the overwhelming numbers of their enemies. Only Victory Will Do.
"Till our bodies break."
"And our backs give out."
"Till our souls wear down."
"And our will gives up."
For days they continued matching. For days they continued to stand strong as they weathered the attacks. For days, they bled, they fought, they sang and yet, they didn't tire. Each one of them is a vitality core stage refiner. They are greater than a normal man in healing and stamina. But even days of constant, non-stop fighting could break a man. They had experienced days of practice before coming here but it is nothing compared to what they are facing.
"Only victory will do."
They are not perfect. They wear and tear, but it doesn't matter. They are but a wheel or a gear in the clockwork that is the army. Their bodies may break, their backs may give out, their very souls might wear down and their Will give up, but the clock keeps running. The wheels and gears turn, they are tuned by the orders of their army commander, and they are replaced by their brethren when they wear out. They all know that they are not alone.
"Even through stormy seas"
"Even through sundered skies"
"Even on our last breaths"
"Even on our last legs."
"Only victory will do."
Still, they held on. They helped their fallen brethren up. They replaced their worn-out comrades. It is difficult to kill them because of their vitality. But many of them have died. They simply matched on and continue in the pursuit of what their comrades died for. The Virut plane must be free from the gods and must have origin energy.
Such is the life of a soldier. No matter the weather or the situation, no matter the odds, a soldier follows orders. A soldier is a weapon to be wielded in the machination of victory.
The gorge within the canyon continued to expand. From a width of only 50m to 200m over a distance of 100km. It took them 15 days to make that distance. They had to shed blood for every inch that they faced. It didn't help that the increase in width meant that the enemies they faced increased and they had to fight extra hard to defend the grounds they have already claimed.
Soverick stood overlooking what was left of his army and their enemies. His soldiers had reduced from 1 million to about 700 thousand. Their enemies have been reduced from 10 million to 100 thousand. The victory that they sought was in sight, it is all but certain.
He had been highly significant to their victory but that significantly reduced as they moved further within the gorge until his major contribution was just removing the ranged weapons of war. Even the amplification of the total eight gates he has didn't make him stand out more than usual. That left the army to do most of the work. They had scraped and sacrificed but they have finally reached this step.
Beyond the last of the resistance is a massive gate. It is their target, the gate to the next levels of the divine dungeon. The defending army didn't want them to reach this step but they are here finally.
"We are almost there. Don't slack now." He encouraged them.
They just had to wipe out these remnants and they would be free to do whatever they want to do.
'Maybe we shouldn't overwhelm them.' He scratched his chin as he considered what to do with this remnant.
They already had these mobs cornered. He could use them to grow his army so that a lot of them will be able to reach the mana entity stage. The opponents they will face behind that door will be of that stage. He is already having trouble getting the energy he needs to create another gate, which means he can't break through either. Since he might not be reliable for the next stage of the expedition, it would be more assuring to prepare others that might fill in.
He was still considering what to do when something changed with the angels. They stopped fighting, made contact with one another, and melded into one. Then they repeated the process. Each time they were getting bigger.
"They are fusing?" He asked in astonishment.
"Stand back." He yelled at the army.
The army stopped attacking. He gave out more orders to make the army withdraw to a safe distance. He didn't know what the angels were doing but it is obviously a last-ditch effort. It also had to be something they didn't want to do or couldn't do easily, or they would have done it right from the start.
He has two choices, attack and try to stop whatever they are doing. Or they could stand back and watch, and assess the situation before taking the appropriate actions.
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