The Ersatz soldiers sauntered in perfect formation. The ones at the very front, considered to be the cannon fodder in any battalion, were filled with 4th stage Artifice Maugnetics.
The weakest among them were multitudes times more stronger than anyone that the Orcs faced earlier.
And right now, there were hundreds more marching out of the castle grounds, ready to face the invasive Orc forces.
Narito and Sasuki stood at the forefront, the Elite Penumbra and the High Penumbras behind them. The Mortal Orcs were forced to retreat safely at a distance. Their job was done. Joining into the fray would only make them a liability.
"Who are you? Present yourselves," said one of the Ersatz soldiers.
He rode a horse behind a battalion, flag bearers supporting him from behind.
He was a leader. A Major. Just his presence alone made the Orcs tremble.
Not in fear, but because of the sheer mammoth difference in cultivation between them. Their bodies signalled retreat, like how mortals shivered when faced with an insurmountable cold.
He was in the 6th stage of the Body Formation realm. The Orcs, barely at the 1st.
But despite the difference, the Orcs remained. Shadows never retreated from their target.
"Who would dare invade an Ersatz Stronghold?"
The Major slammed his massive glaive into the ground, cracking the cobblestone floor.
"You have successfully launched a secret invasion against a Stronghold. That is unprecedented. Do you not dare claim this achievement?"
The Orcs remained silent, their eyes watching as the Ersatz soldiers slowly closed in on them from all sides.
"Are you a part of the Consortium?" the Major asked.
But a few seconds later, he shook his head. "If you are, then this is a massive failure on our part. Who would have thought that those old fashioned bastards have finally cracked the ability to turn demi-humans useful?"
His insult was sharp.
The shadows seethed.
"No matter. All will be revealed once we capture every single one of you," the Major said.
He looked around at the castle, seeing his men now stationed around the walls. Archers positioned themselves in the battlements, ready to rain down their arrows into the Orcs.
He raised his hand. The soldiers tensed.
It was at this critical moment when the Orcanine Chieftain slammed his foot onto the ground.
The ground cracked.
The Major stopped and observed.
Narito slammed the other foot down onto the ground, like a sumo wrestler ready to brawl.
Then, he looked up at the Major. His eyes burning with shadows.
"BU TO TO!" he screamed.
A shockwave of power emanated from his scream. It reached the Major. His natural defenses rebuffed it.
But… his eyes twitched.
Narito slammed his chest. Then his thigh.
With each slap, a booming sound echoed out into the battlefield.
BU TO TO!
BU TO TO!
The Elite Penumbras behind him rallied. The Orcanines among the group slapped their chests and thighs in accordance with their Chieftain.
Their resonance further deepened the rhythmic drums.
"RAH TA TA!"
The quills on Sasuki's back rattled with his shout. He was like a snake about to pounce. This high-pitched sound created another layer within the booming effect.
It only grew stronger as the Elite Penumbras followed.
RAH TA TA!
RAH TA TA!
And suddenly, the soldiers in the Ersatz army shifted their feet. They were unnerved at the strange ritual happening in front of them.
Sasuki's strumming of quills created a constant beat that supplemented the rhythmic pattern of Narito's slaps. They became melodic to the Orcs' ears. Invigorating them. Galvanizing their blood to boil.
But to the soldiers, it was nothing less than horrifying.
"BU TO TO!"
"RAH TA TA!"
"BU TO TO!"
"RAH TA TA!"
"BU TO TO!"
"RAH TA TA!"
The rest of the Shadow Orcs followed after their leaders. Aubility Powers be damned. They might not be Maugnetics like their Chieftains, but they were still Orcs! They still had their culture to uphold.
Thousands upon thousands of Orcs slammed their chests and strummed their quills.
The whole Stronghold was engulfed in their shouts.
Now, the soldiers couldn't help but feel their nerves starting to act up. They backed away, causing confusion within their ranks.
It wasn't long before one of them tumbled, creating a domino effect as an entire battalion suddenly lost their footing.
No Aubility Power was involved in this phenomenon. It was all purely through the spectacle of the Orc rituals.
"Enough of this!" screamed the Major.
Immense pressure boomed out of his body as a figure of a full-armored Demon appeared above his head.
The presence of this 6th stage Diva immediately neutralized the chanting Orcs. They staggered, breaking the building momentum.
"You all have nothing to be afraid of," he shouted to the Ersatz guards. "They are mere fledglings of Maugnetics. Demi-humans!"
The Major stepped forward, glaive at the ready.
Then, he pointed his blade at the cornered Shadow Orcs.
The army he commanded immediately charged with no fear. They brought out their Divas, further solidifying the massive cultivation differences between the two groups.
"Get out of the way!" Major said as he jostled his own soldiers. He wanted to be the first to strike down this group of Orcs. He wanted glory. And most of all, he wanted to get rid of that unnerved feeling in his heart. There was no way he was afraid of them!
A few meters away, he raised his Glaive. The armored demon above him did the same, but this time, its weapon elongated up to the very skies itself! This effect created a semi-translucent aura around the Major's weapon, giving it the same over-reaching effect as his Diva.
With one swing, he would decimate this entire army of Orcs!
In the middle of his swing, something flashed above him.
Thousands of twinkling lights emerged from the skies like a constellation of stars.
Yet, these were neither stars nor heavenly bodies. They were flying only above the Stronghold itself.
Finally, these 'stars' shimmered into reality. They were Mini Drones.
But before the Major could even decipher their origin, thousands of Unity beams rained down on his body.