Chapter 84: Mysterious Helper
Those golden orbs of light seemed like miniature suns...
Not only did they provide warmth to people around them, but they also brought hope and a source of power.
Nobody saw how they appeared. In fact, those who tried to probe the orbs couldn't trace anything. They don't know who produced them nor how they work at first. All they knew was that they suddenly appeared when the situation turned for the worst.
Imagine their surprise when, all of a sudden, the golden orbs started spinning fast and proceeded to shoot projectiles at demons. What's even more surprising is that, everything those projectiles touched turned into dust in mere seconds.
Their firing speed wasn't slow either. Some experts saw and calculated that the orbs were shooting out at least six shots per second. What's even more absurd is that those projectiles do not miss.
Each shot was approaching the speed of light, they seemed to track heat for nobody saw even a single projectile fail to kill a demon so far, and if one shot wasn't enough, then two it is...at least for the weaker enemies. Those who needed more to kill will of course receive more.
The surprise didn't end there either...
Just as everybody was marveling at the sudden appearance and ability of the golden orbs, a pillar of golden light erupted from the core of the city, drowning everything with a golden radiance.
Nobody was prepared for it. Thankfully, it wasn't an enemy attack. Everything that golden light touched was purified, yes this includes the Black Sky itself.
Those who were showing signs of being corrupted instantly felt their mind clearing up. The psychosis induced by the corruption was instantly silenced by the sudden eruption of that golden light.
Beyond that, the golden light healed everybody to their peak state. Yes, everybody, as in every single person within the city was healed by that golden light. Even those who were barely clinging to life were healed back to their peak state.
And as the golden wave of light traveled and touched the army of Tier 5 Demons wanting to bury the city, they turned incomparably ferocious. Demons who were touched by the golden wave of light suffered extreme agony and were severely weakened. Everyone else felt it too.
The demons were already dreading those miniature suns atop the city walls and now they have been weakened by another attack they haven't seen before. The sheer suddenness of the tables turning could give anyone a whiplash.
The sky has been cleared, allowing the fake sunlight to shine down the city. While demons were suffering, the majority of Humans in the city were still gobsmacked by the sudden turn of their situation.
"KILL!!!!"
It's unknown who shouted this, and it probably doesn't matter. What's important is that, whoever shouted just now, woke everybody up from their stupor.
Finally understanding that the tables have turned in their favor, shock faded from their faces and was replaced by killing intent. Everybody was back at their peak state, they were brimming with energy and desire to eliminate demons who were still suffering from the aftermath of the sudden attack.
The army Tier 5 Demons who seemed invincible just a moment ago have become prey to slaughter.
Spells rained down on them, and so did all kinds of attacks. With the disappearance of the Black Sky, their Berserk State also disappeared. With the injuries they accumulated as well as the vigorous desire of humans to kill every single one of them, they had no choice but to kill their way out.
But how could humans allow that to happen? Wasn't this the best time to deal a harsh blow to an army of demons? Did they really think that they could just come and go to their civilization and not suffer any consequences? Where would the pride of humans be if they let that pass?
So of course, they chased after them. The once terrifying army of demons turned into dogs running with their tail between their legs. This was the perfect chance to eliminate them permanently so why hesitate?
Everybody mobilized, most of them even jumped down the walls to personally tear demons apart. Everybody was hell-bent on exacting revenge for what they suffered during the past few days.
Arishem and his Shadow Runners joined the fight as well. As for the City Lord, he was cackling madly as he tore through the army of demons with palpable vigor.
He could confidently say that he had never felt this good before. All the stress, anxiety, and despair dissipated the moment he realized what was happening.
For him, that golden light was nothing short of a god's divine intervention or miracle. Not only did it cure recent injuries for everybody, but it also got rid of the hidden injuries he accumulated from all those years ago. Injuries that not even the most proficient healers and saints could heal...
It's also healed one specific injury that has been holding him back for many years now. The source of his true despair prevented him from knocking at the doors of Tier 7, the bottleneck that stopped him from advancing for nearly a decade now.
It was an injury that he got from an expedition to the Outer World back then. It left a terrifying wound across his chest that has scarred but not completely healed even after spending most of his fortune on specialized treatments.
The truth about that injury is that it's accompanied by a deadly curse that chained the City Lord's potential. Originally, unless he killed the one who did this to him, this injury would've remained for as long as he lived. But that golden wave of light changed it all.
That golden light seemed to be the bane of all evil. Under its radiance, the lingering curse on the City Lord's body dissipated like snow under the sunlight's glare.
Even as he threw space-rending punches left and right, the City Lord didn't feel tired. It's the opposite actually, the more he did this, the more exhilirated he became.
The vigor of the Martial King exploded at once. It's already astonishing even while he's injured but now that his injury was removed, forget about being tired, the City Lord felt like he could do this all day!
The City Lord knows his body better than anybody else. Since the curse that had been holding him back was removed by the golden light, he could feel his suppressed vitality returning to him and his latent potential exploding.
The only scar on his body, which also coincidentally carried the curse, has now completely disappeared. It wasn't the golden light that did but it's more or less the same.
More importantly though, the real reason behind the City Lord's exuberance, he could now feel his imminent breakthrough within reach.
The City Lord felt so relieved that his eyes turned misty. He was emotional and nobody could blame him. He knew very well how much suffering he endured from that pesky curse. How much he lamented over the fact that he could not get through the next stage.
After more than a decade of searching for answers and failing, it turns out that only a mysterious aid from an unseen helper would do what he had been seeking all along. He wanted to complain but he really couldn't. Not when he's feeling so relieved and light-hearted that he could go back to his roots and advance his power that has stagnated for more than a decade now.
As for the one responsible for this sudden turn of events? Well, he's back in his house, pale and extremely exhausted.
"...shit, I barely had enough energy to handle all of that." Cedric groaned as he nursed his head.
He weakly drank some water and lay down on his bed. He already calculated his expenditure and knew that this would happen, but still, he underestimated the backlash of releasing more power than he could handle.
"That's fine though. With that done, I could rely on the rest to finish the demons off." He sighed as he rested.
He used two skills from his Sage Arts just now, they were the 'Sunlit Stars' and a new one called 'Light of Dawn'.
The Sunlit Stars were those golden orbs. As for the 'Light of Dawn', it's a mass-healing spell that is frankly beyond his current skill level to cast, but he did it anyway through sheer grit and determination. It's also why he's weakened right now, his lack of expertise caused him to experience backlash from the skill.
That was the first time he used the Light of Dawn, he should already be thankful that it worked just fine despite him being severely weakened after using it.
Thankfully, he had an absurd physique. He will recover within two hours so what he did wasn't severely threatening to him. He exerted himself for that act, yes. But he did provide massive help to the people around him.
Even though he's determined to never let anybody know that it was him who did that for now, the mere idea that he helped turn the situation around for the better was enough to make this exhaustion worth it.
Even with his senses disabled, Cedric could tell that the humans won this war already, he could rest easy and recover, not having to worry about the final outcome.