Half a day later.
Buzz!
A powerful energy wave emanated from Raine's body, faint but discernible.
He had successfully leveled up from Formal Level 1 to Formal Level 3!
"Another promotion?"
Pros, who had been keeping an eye on him, was astonished.
Just a few days ago, Raine was only a Trainee Level 3, and this speed was simply unbelievable.
"Could he be one of those legendary combat prodigies? Getting stronger with every battle?"
Pros thought to himself.
"If he had awakened his abilities a few years earlier and joined the military, he might have already been selected for an elite unit or a special training program."
If humans relied on the usual slow progression, they would have been devoured by the alien races long ago!
The reason humans could withstand repeated defeats wasn't just their large population base, but also the rare geniuses who quickly advanced on the battlefield!
After all, no matter how many ants there are, they can't withstand an apocalyptic avalanche!
These geniuses might have seemed ordinary at first, but once they entered the alien races' battlefields, they would become as ferocious as if on drugs!
They grew at an insane speed, even surpassing the advancement rate of alien race prodigies!
It was because of these people that humanity could withstand the blows of the alien races' top forces!
...
Bloodhowl Highlands, the Main Battlefield.
The intensity of the battle here far surpassed the side peak by a hundredfold.
Every inch of the scorched earth was soaked with blood, and stepping on it felt like walking through thick mud.
Mountains of corpses piled up, with bodies of humans, shadowclaw beasts, gargoyles, and various other strange creatures, nearly covering every inch of the battlefield.
The pungent smell of blood and rotting flesh mixed in the air, creating a nauseating battlefield atmosphere.
On the human side, the forces were mainly made up of the remaining troops from Bloodhowl Highlands, the 4th and 5th squads, and reinforcements urgently drawn from other defensive lines, totaling over 50,000 troops!
But after days of brutal fighting, nearly half had been lost!
On the alien races' side, the main force was composed of gargoyles, with high-intelligence alien races such as Soul Devourers and Heartwitch Succubi, supported by spinepiercers, shadowclaw beasts, and boulder beetles, totaling over 100,000!
Under the fierce resistance from humans, they too had suffered more than half of their forces wiped out, with corpses strewn across the battlefield.
In the skies, the battle between Expert and Master-level combatants was even more turbulent.
On the human side, besides the well-known Master-level warriors such as Tetra, the commander of the original Bloodhowl Highlands, Antonio, the captain of the 4th squad, and Dennis, the veteran from the 5th squad, there were five other Master-level officers struggling to hold their ground.
On the alien races' side, the gargoyle leader, Bonecrusher Quin, commanded six Master-level warriors.
Additionally, there was a Master-level beast, the Inferno Beast, which burned with ghostly green flames!
Every roar it made sent terrifying flame-based abilities spewing from its mouth.
Around the battlefield's perimeter, four other Master-level gargoyle lords were leading the way.
They were specifically there to protect the young gargoyle prodigies!
At this moment, those seven young gargoyle geniuses seemed to be hunting, specifically targeting human Elite-level officers.
In a short time, several experienced Elite-level officers had already been ambushed and killed.
The tide of war was slowly tilting in favor of the alien races due to these geniuses hunting down the Elite-level officers.
Each time an Elite-level officer fell, a gap would appear in the human defense line, which could only be filled with the lives of more ordinary soldiers.
"Herbert! Hold the left-wing gap with your men!"
"Don't let those claws get through!"
Black Falcon, drenched in blood, roared. He had just taken over the position of the commander, who had been killed in action.
Roderick and Aaron, after leaving some troops to consolidate the side peak, led the remaining 2,000 warriors from their squads and boldly charged into the main battlefield.
While this small force seemed insignificant in the grand scheme of things, most of them were awakeners who controlled Nex.
Ordinary warriors who couldn't awaken Nex had already been wiped out in this extraordinary battlefield!
However, the presence of Roderick and Aaron, two powerful Master-level warriors, greatly alleviated the pressure in the sky and drew the attention of several higher-level gargoyle warriors.
"Oh? Two more Masters?"
On the battlefield,
A proud-looking gargoyle youth glanced at the sky. His golden eyes showed no fear, but rather a deeper interest.
"Perfect, the fun of the hunt can be extended a little longer."
With a flap of his wings, he shot like a streak of light toward a brave Elite-level human officer.
The officer was a squad leader from the 4th squad, a burly man covered in scars!
"Gargoyle scum! Come at me!"
The man roared.
He tore open his tattered shirt to reveal his rock-like muscles and old battle scars.
Facing the diving gargoyle prodigy, he was unafraid.
Gripping a heavy Ironstrike sword, he unleashed an Elite Level 5 Nex, charging upward like a beast!
The gargoyle youth snorted coldly and summoned a spear made of pure stone energy.
With a flick of his wrist, he easily pierced the man's Nex!
Using the extreme mobility granted by his wings, he made a strange arc in the air and attacked again from the side.
The spear morphed into numerous deadly spear shadows that rained down.
Though the gargoyle prodigy was only Elite Level 3, being a noble of the gargoyle race, his battle techniques were far more sophisticated and vicious than those of his human counterparts. Combined with the advantage of flight, he could easily make up for the difference in rank.
He burned with excitement in his golden eyes, seeing the human before him as the perfect sharpening stone!
The burly man, relying on his battle instincts honed through bloodshed and his fearless fighting style, clashed fiercely with the barrage of spear shadows.
The sound of metal striking metal rang out, and explosions of energy filled the air!
Seeing an opening, the man suddenly sprang into the air, his Ironstrike sword slashing downward with the force to split mountains and stones!
The gargoyle youth flapped his wings rapidly, nimbly dodging, then pulled back to strike again.
His aerial superiority allowed him to control the rhythm of the battle.
They fought from morning until afternoon.
The gargoyle youth still soared effortlessly, with his wings beating gracefully.
Meanwhile, the human officer was now bloodied, his left shoulder shattered, and his movements slowed.
"Is that all?"
"You weak, fleshy body!"
The gargoyle youth hovered in midair, his voice mocking, like a cat toying with a mouse.
As a noble gargoyle, their race had no weakness of fatigue or blood loss!
His spear suddenly blazed with bright light, transforming into a massive war spear that he hurled down toward the man!
"Die!"
The burly man's eyes widened in desperation.
He drew on all his remaining strength and injected it into his cracked Ironstrike sword, delivering a desperate strike to meet the war spear.
Boom!
The sword clashed with the spear, sending a deafening explosion through the air.
However, in the instant of the energy blast,
The gargoyle youth flashed, using the cover of the explosion to advance faster than the eye could follow, stabbing his spear directly into the man's chest!
Thud!
The spear pierced through!