With Daneel incapacitated, Eloise knew that they were at their weakest yet. No enemy would miss such a chance, and sure enough, the Bishop kept coming closer and closer to Angaria with the last two cards that still remained hidden floating behind her.
Her rallying cry worked on the people, who assembled into groups and began to ready their attacks. Daneel had left behind clear instructions that she would be the one to lead the continent in case anything happened to him, so at least, there was no trouble in taking command.
"Have the Heroes recovered? I wish I could give them more time, but I need them now."
"Yes, pretty much. Where do you want me to deploy them?"
"They will be the vanguard. We can't take any chances."
"Got it."
After a short conversation with the Head, she saw the Heroes of the Order who had been replenishing themselves until now fly up from the hidden camps spread all over Angaria. Having played major roles in all three battles until now, they had been given time to recuperate and absorb Energy, but she couldn't keep them on the sidelines anymore.
As the familiar humanoid giants came to life just behind the barrier once again, she could see the Bishop's face twist. The wounds of the first battle were still fresh, so seeing these Heroes was definitely reminding her of that defeat.
She seemed determined not to let history repeat, though, as she waved her hand and made the depleted remnants of the third wave attack the barrier. The Godnet had resumed its usual shape, protecting Angaria in its spherical, shimmering wall of light, so at first, it looked like a repeat of the battle that had happened until now. Of the 2000 soldiers, around 500 had been rendered unfit for battle during their efforts to save their commanders, but all who were left were still a major threat. Splitting into groups again, they took the form of the same arrow-shaped construct that had been used by the soldiers of the first wave to try to overcome the Godnet using piercing force.
The Heroes of the Order were determined not to let them have an easy time. The members that made up that each giant had trained so that their Paths could be used together to great effect. Their attacks all synced perfectly, flying with an unseen rhythm in the air before striking the Chameleon corps and forcing them to divert resources to defense.
Fire-based attacks were helped along by air. Water-based attacks were made stronger by being turned to ice. Earth-based attacks were helped by all the other elements, making them grow in size until they were hurtling mightily through the barrier to rip the Chameleon corps in two.
The Godnet also showed its versatility by disabling the barrier just in time for the attacks of the Order to go through, and then enabling it again before the Chameleon corps could take advantage. Eloise could see the Bishop gnashing her teeth and glaring in her direction as she saw this, but if she knew that they had rehearsed this repeatedly until this form of war was something they could take part in even in their sleep, she wouldn't have been so surprised.
A glance at Daneel made the smile reappear on her face, though, and it was Eloise's turn to bite down with nervousness when she saw the Bishop turn around, swishing her torn black dress behind her. She flew to the last two masses of darkness in the air, and as she raised her hand, one of them was revealed.
She had never seen anything like it, but undoubtedly, it was a sword. It had no crossguard or hilt, instead possessing a bare metal block where one might hold it. There was a long ridge running through its silvery center that glowed and pulsed with each second, and its point was rounded instead of being sharp.
While the battle raged on near the Godnet, she raised her hand and made the sword float towards her. When she grasped it in her hands, it cut deep, staining the metal of the weapon with her blood, but as Eloise watched, she could swear that she saw a grinning face appear at the rounded tip for the briefest of moments.
A second later, the sword turned the color of blood, and with a satisfied nod, the Bishop floated to her next card.
"Ready your attacks. Something is coming."
"Aunty Eloise! We're ready, too! The Godking told us we could rest, but I could feel that something was wrong so I made everyone use the calming trinkets! Just give the word, and we will attack!"
Dalia's familiar voice made Eloise feel relieved. Daneel had given her an update regarding the Hivemind before being attacked, so it was great news to hear that this precious card was also back in the battle.
"Good. Be ready, then. I think we're going to need everything, soon. If the Heroes of the Order get in trouble, help them out."
As soon as she was done sending the message, the Bishop raised her hand again, and the last of the darkness disappeared.
Within…was strangely, a mass of light.
It was more like a cloud that was hiding a strong light source within. Looking like the perfect antithesis of whatever had concealed it until now, it stood in place for a few seconds, writhing and rippling as if it was confined, before darting toward the Bishop and enveloping her within.
Even the Chameleon corps could feel that something was going on. The soldiers who weren't busy fighting turned to see what had changed, just like all the Angarians who watched on with nervous eyes.
For a few seconds, nothing happened, and then, just like the ghosts that were still trying to devour their Godking, the mass of light doubled, then tripled in size. It also began to coalesce into a shape that they could not identify, yet, but as they saw it grow and grow until it was the size of a city, many gulped and took a step back.
When its growth began to slow down, the form that it had taken began to grow clearer. They could see arms, legs, and swathes of lightforged mass, and finally, a heard appeared with familiar features.
The Bishop had become a giant that stood 150 feet(45 m) tall. Dwarfing all the constructs of the Order, she was a monstrosity that could flatten a town with a single footstep. Those swathes of light moved to encapsulate her, and soon, they finished forming into a brilliant suit of ivory armour that glinted in the sun. Unlike the armour she had used to save her commanders, this one had a clearly defined breastplate, cuirass, and helmet. There were no links between them that could be targeted as weak points, and as her 6 feet tall face grinned, fear struck deep into the hearts of many of the Angarians witnessing the scene.
Even without doing anything, she has delivered the first attack.
With growing unease, Eloise watched as the mages struggled to calm the people like they had done before. Yet, the face they could see beyond the Godnet seemed to have some kind of power that unsettled almost anyone who looked at it, and as she gazed into its eyes, she couldn't even blame the Angarians below.
The first thing the Bishop did was raise her hands, and between them, a hammer that was as tall as her formed from the same substance that encompassed her body. When she moved, Eloise saw that the sword from before was strapped along her back, but when the hammer struck down, she wondered whether it would even need to be unsheathed.
BANG!
Like a large gong being struck, almost all of Angaria vibrated as ripples of Energy formed on the surface of the Godnet. It was struggling to defend, and from this sight, the Bishop's objective became clear: while Daneel was still incapacitated, she wanted to destroy the Godnet and kill as many Angarians as possible. This last card of hers was slow-moving, but all-powerful… so as she thought about it, she saw no choice but to attack.
"Everyone… to me."
This time, she sent the message to those who hadn't stirred yet.
"People of Angaria. She is not the only one with surprises. Turn around, and watch."
Hearing her, millions directed their gaze to the center of the continent, where there was no change for a few seconds. But after that…the first of those she had summoned arrived, and the loudest cheer yet went up among a certain group of the Angarians.
A 30-foot tall version of Queen Arafell stood glittering under the center, bedecked in jewels and clothes that hugged her body tightly. A couple of seconds later, a Goddess appeared beside her, standing 10 feet taller. Its face was just as beautiful as when it had attacked Daneel and the sovereigns, but the goddesses within now waited to use their power for good.
Next, the elvish queens appeared with a contingent of mages who had not been given over to the war effort. Together, they created a 25-foot tall giant that was actually the most cohesive of all three, and from this, it was obvious that the elves had decided to remind the continent of their prowess in magic.
Another giant humanoid figure arrived then, but it was headless. The Sect of Hedon announced their presence by beating their chests and bellowing out loud, but beside them, the Fortress's Fighters drowned out the sound by simply stamping the feet of the 10-armed construct they had created with the help of the Godnet.
With a nod to her fellow sovereigns, Eloise descended, too, and took the helm of the largest figure of them all. It stood 70 feet tall, and although it was only half the height of the figure outside, its weapons made it seem much more menacing. Comprised of almost all the sovereigns, it had fiery Phoenix wings, a woodcutter's axe in one hand, a shadow-wreathed blade in the other, an enlarged head that seemed dangerous even though no one could explain why, and a glow surrounding it that seemed to give it power. Finally, Faxul morphed into a gigantic Black Raven that wasn't smaller than any of the newly formed giants, and as he screeched in the air… a being joined its voice to his, and made all the Angarians watching step forward with excitement.
Drakos arrived last, but he was the most effective in helping the people join back together into their groups. It was said that there was no sound more effective than a Dragon's roar in either striking fear into one's enemies or building confidence in those on its side, so with their courage regained, the Angarians turned back toward the Bishop who did not seem all that threatening now.
They were all standing in front of the center, where Daneel was in the care of the emperor, still fighting the ghosts. With one last look in his direction, she raised her hand and pointed at the Bishop before shouting, "He fought all these years for us. Now, we fight for him. We fight for our people. We fight for the future. We will win, or die… but either way, our heads will always be held up high. Today, we shall bathe in the blood of our enemies! Angarians…ATTACK!"
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