Some of my warriors got into such a mess, and fell into the crater. Luckily not a single one was hurt. But that made me look at that young illusionist standing on top of a big eagle in the air with a cold gaze.
"It's not a good thing to throw a fist before a word," I calmly said.
"He is strong," the jumper whispered as he came to my aid without any delay.
"I know," he wasn't just strong, he had such wealth to buy such a weapon. I couldn't recognise the attack from the start, but when I saw that green silver fog that was pushed away by my shield warriors, my heart felt a cold grip holding it.
It wasn't just toxic gas, but it was one that would curse the person's soul.
That dude standing over there was the one who cursed the jumper. And that told me a lot about how formidable he was, and how bad the jumper situation was.
The jumper was one of my assets, one valuable asset that I worked my ass to get him on my side. Losing him in such a useless way was out of the question.
But I also knew that dealing with that person now wasn't feasible, not without enough preparations.
"Humph, it's you who came crushing on our doors and killing my people," he retorted before adding, "retreat now and I'll consider this as if it never happened."
"Oh, acting mighty and generous when you are one foot away from defeat and death? Interesting…" I didn't waste anymore time talking to him.
His sudden appearance interrupted my earlier momentum, but I knew what he was aiming for.
After all this wasn't the only race invading our world or Jersey city. And if I imagined that the other races wouldn't hurry here to help despite their differences with each other, then I'd be committing a grave sin.
They were enemies, but when removing humans out of the picture. Against us, all the races acted like a unified sword and a mighty shield.
"Stop me if you can," I knew I couldn't possibly kill him at this moment, but that didn't mean I wouldn't preserve my life if he dared to attack me again.
If he decided to stop me, he wouldn't succeed, I guarantee that. I wouldn't kill him, but he would fail to stop or even hurt me!
"Pretty stubborn I see," I could feel cold deadly daggers at my back, but that didn't stop my steps towards the emblem.
"Just wait at your gate," I said in a clear challenge, "I'd come and claim that gate for me right after."
"Humph," but when I got near the emblem, I felt a sudden change in the entire atmosphere. I was ready for that. The moment I felt such danger, my precious chariot came again into this world.
Only four minutes passed since I started forcing the contract with the trapped illusionists. I needed one more time to bind them all, but who cared?
I had to preserve all my current strength no matter what! Losing my warriors was equal to losing an arm or leg for me!
And that would turn my current achievement of having illusionists worthless! So decisively and in cold blood I decided to accept a current small loss than take a larger loss later on.
*Rumble!*
As I summoned the chariot, I could see a flash of many messages that I didn't care about. I knew beforehand that the system would warn me of the interruption in the binding process and would tell me how much I gained.
But at this moment of crisis, I didn't have the luxury to care about any of that.
Once I summoned the chariot, I called that central pillar of its shining star. And without any hesitation I placed many of my stat crystals inside, even much more than needed.
"Activate the defensive shield!" The shield was summoned just a moment later from calling off my precious girl and doing all that. Once the chariot appeared, a mighty rumbling occurred as its innate shield of the basic form stood erect against the incoming deadly attack.
But when the fully powered state was activated, that shield was sturdy enough to push back that attack and relieve the sense of crisis over my heart.
And at that moment I could see the real shape of that attack.
"Damn ruthless! It's my luck to have my chariot at this moment!"
Just outside the shield, a world of hell was there. Fire, thunder, and even cracks in the air that seemed like they were tearing the entire world apart were assaulting the shield.
It was a mighty weapon that I once heard of its terror, the tears of the illusionists' god; the Lorcerk!
They even had the support of such a high grade god this early on in the apocalypse! That tear wasn't a tear, but it was a bead of filthy fluid that contained all the resentment and part of the real power of that god.
Just releasing it was enough to wipe out an entire city from existence! It was a weapon on par of the deadly star of the angels!
Yet at these stressful moments, it seemed like my chariot's defensive shield was doing a good job at facing off this attack, making it focused all over the chariot without being able to crack the shield.
To demonstrate its terror, the tear must explode and release its all energy stored within. So right now that attack wasn't even considered close to one tenth of the real formidable power of it.
Like that deadly star, this kind of weapon also had a limitation. That god was rumoured to only give one tear to one trusted subordinate for free. Wanting more required lots and lots of quests and missions to be done successfully.
"Take more," as I saw this, I couldn't help but throw more stat crystals without reservation inside that beating star of my chariot. Right now my chariot defensive shield was the only thing standing between that weapon and my life.
What was good about keeping my hand and reserve my riches if I was going to die? It was simply foolish!
As for others around, not a single person said even a single word, not even a gasp of shock or fear.
It was expected. After all humans knew how weak they were when faced with such unstoppable and unimaginable might.
"Damn you cockroach! You are still alive?!!!"
The attack lasted for five straight minutes, during which I never stopped pouring my stat crystals every time I got the message that the energy was almost depleted.
Just in these five minutes I consumed about eight hundred thousand stat points at least! But I didn't care, stat points could be replaced easily at any time, but not my life!
"I swear to come to your neck once I control you damn gate!" with a heavy heart filled with wrath and desire for vengeance, I swore in a loud tone before I heard a strange laugh.
"Then you have to hurry into the city and look for me then."
*Fwoosh!*
As the world outside started to get cleared, all I saw was a flash of a light that passed fast, so fast like a lightning bolt towards the horizon.
And when I turned my head upwards, I didn't find any remnants of that damn gate anywhere in the sky!
"W… W… What was that?!!!"
The spearhead was all shaking in fear while not being able to even stand! His body slammed on the ground in a muffled thud, and like dominoes all the others fell as well.
Even my warriors, even my dragons, even the jumper… not a single one was an exception… except for me.
I moved my eyes around. The shield of my chariot seemed to take all the destruction caused by that god tear, as everything around looked the same.
The buildings inside the castle stood erect like before, and even the enemy forces were still alive.
Yet they weren't in any better state than my group and warriors. I moved my eyes around, taking in a deep breath while feeling blessed and lucky to escape this close moment of death.
Yes this was my victory, yes I remained alive and managed to keep the emblem and castle under my control. Yes I was now able to crush the remaining army of mixed races around.
But I failed to kill that person! And from him I felt an immense threat of deadly danger.
"And that was only an illusionist," I wiped the small beads of cold sweat off my forehead before adding in soft tone, "and there are still those barbaric Selvators and bloody violent dragons… Damn!"
I felt this quest was going far beyond my abilities to handle. If it was just one race then I had some confidence in handling them. But I knew I had to face off at least five mighty races at the same time.
And from this battle I was sure these races would combine and coordinate with each other. That only meant going against one race was like going against all of them. It also meant that stepping into that city was like stepping into a deadly trap.
Just a casual encounter with the illusionists here forced them to send such a mighty figure to fend me off. Just imagine the other races? And now they were alarmed, and would be very much prepared for me next.
But I had no other choice but to crush them all! I steadied my heart and firmed my resolve. Yes, I had no other choice but to face all the obstacles they threw at my face and crush them all to survive and thrive.
I didn't come back here to just survive, I was surviving well enough back when I got nothing to back me up.
I accepted such fate before because I had no power to resist, not even a good class to make the difference.
But now? I had such a unique class, blessed with all the warriors and humans I gathered up so far. I had many plans waiting for me once I finished here, and I had my path to the cultivation world still waiting for me to enter.
I could never stop right now, how could I accept such fate?
I now aspired to triumph over everything and everyone. Be it angels, races, and even gods… Just wait… I'd come and crush you all and place you under the feet of mine one day!
Yes, that was my goal from now on… I'd become a mighty human, the human that would become a terror to the rest of the universe.
Just you wait… I wouldn't waste my chance like an idiot, I promise you I wouldn't!