Dozens of rank 2 cultivators died in an instant, explosions resounded on the various battlefields that the continent had chosen to invade.
The torrent of fuming spikes pierced the defenses of the rank 2 cultivators used as cannon fodder, they could do nothing against Noah's improved weapons.
A series of attacks followed the explosions, the cultivators of the underground organizations ambushed the soldiers of the continent in that defenseless moment.
Noah was on an island attacked by the forces of the Empire.
The Shandal Empire had been the one to send more troops so it was Noah's duty as Demon Prince to intercept them.
'We only have about eighty rank 3 cultivators here, I need to focus on reducing the number of those in the second rank so that we can overwhelm them.'
Noah stared at the battlefield from his hiding spot on top of a building.
It was morning so he couldn't use the Dark cover spell but the layer of mental energy around his figure managed to keep him hidden even from the inspections of the rank 3 cultivators still on the sh.i.p.s.
There were simply too many cultivators hiding on the buildings near the shore, it would be hard to spot Noah since he had yet to make his move.
More cultivators jumped off the sh.i.p.s, defending was easier than attacking, the Empire had long since predicted that the first assault would fail.
The second group of soldiers had a few rank 3 cultivators in their ranks, they advanced surrounded by the weaker soldiers as a form of protection from the traps.
It took only another series of steps before another formation lit up under their feet.
At that time, the soldiers of the Empire were prepared.
A blast occurred and many fuming spikes filled the battlefield, however, a large dome made of water covered the entirety of the invaders, preventing the spikes from reaching them.
Only the cultivators hit by the blast were injured or killed, the spikes didn't manage to take any life.
'They have come prepared.'
Noah's eyes sharpened when he saw how fast the soldiers countered the traps that he and Kate had prepared, that defensive spell perfectly countered the Instabilities hidden by Kate's formations!
'They know I'm here.'
That realization forced Noah to change the battle plan, his notebook appeared and he sent orders to the various captains.
Noah was the Hooded devil, his creations had taken many lives on the battlefield in Odrea nation.
Also, the separate dimension had revealed his position, it was normal to expect that the invaders had prepared countermeasures to his weapons, especially someone like the Empire that had personally tasted their power.
The captains followed Noah's orders and launched another series of spells toward the incoming group, they were prepared to the eventuality that the traps wouldn't work so their reaction was almost immediate.
The water dome appeared again to cover the troops on the ground, that time though it couldn't defend against the spells of so many cultivators and ultimately crumbled under their assault, allowing the attacks to land on the soldiers.
The rank 3 soldiers were able to retreat in time but those in the second rank were annihilated by the more than one hundred spells launched toward them, they had no hope to survive.
The rank 3 soldiers retreated on the ship to reorganize, they were only meant to probe the defensive measures that the Hive had deployed, those losses were totally acceptable.
Minutes of silence passed in the tense atmosphere on the island, the hidden forces of the Hive were waiting for their enemies to make a move.
After all, they aimed to buy as much time as possible, even though most of them didn't know why.
Then, hundreds of soldiers jumped off the many sh.i.p.s docked on the shore.
Noah recognized almost one hundred rank 3 cultivators and about six hundred soldiers in the second rank, that army could almost match the entirety of the human assets of the Chasing Demon sect and they were only a fraction of the full power of the Empire!
That sight was discouraging, the army completely filled the shore, becoming the only visible thing on the horizon.
"Let's bait them."
Noah ordered through his notebook, he expected nothing less from the number one country of the continent and didn't hesitate in switching battle tactic.
A series of spells was launched once again by the forces of the Hive but they didn't manage to break through the defenses of the rank 3 cultivators.
Meanwhile, they counterattacked with spells on their own, fireballs, bullets of various elements, and thunderbolts shot in the direction of the cultivators in hiding.
Attacking had revealed part of their position and it was simply impossible to defend against that sheer number of spells, many rank 2 cultivators in hiding died under that counterattack.
"Again."
Noah had a cold expression as he spoke, ordering them to attack was basically asking them to reveal their position.
However, he couldn't care less and those under him didn't dare to oppose his orders.
Another exchange of long-range attacks occurred, the soldiers of the Empire managed to defend and counterattack again, killing dozens of rank 2 cultivators in the process.
"Again."
Seeing that the soldiers didn't dare to advance yet, Noah could only order to attack.
The same thing happened, the soldiers defended and killed many cultivators in the second rank in the process, the Hive had lost almost one hundred cultivators already!
Then, Noah went silent, he waited for the Empire's reaction to those small victories.
The soldiers of the Empire didn't waste much time, they decided to advance when they saw that no more attacks came.
Formations lit up on their passage but the Instabilities linked to them weren't able to inflict many damages, those rank 3 soldiers were simply too prepared for Noah's weapons.
However, when they reached a certain point, they felt as if a weight had been added to their bodies.
The lines of a formation appeared on their bodies, which seemed some kind of restrictive trap that affected their movements.
Noah saw that they had fallen for Kate's trap and stood up, his orders resounded in the minds of the captains hiding on the island.
"Charge."