Parallel Memory

Chapter 651: Tides of the Gate

The sun had begun its slow descent, casting long shadows over the shattered battleground surrounding the Devil King’s palace gates. The air was thick with smoke, dust, and the acrid tang of scorched stone, yet the human forces pressed on, teeth gritted, swords raised. Every step forward was a battle, every movement calculated. But the devils had learned quickly from the human tactics, and their counterattacks had grown fiercer, sharper, almost prescient.

Kaelion’s eyes swept over the frontline like a hawk, noting each minor falter, each hesitant footfall. Soldiers were shouting orders, their voices barely cutting through the chaos, but the elite vanguard held. For now.

"They’re testing us," Kaelion muttered under his breath. "Every surge is measured. Every counter, calculated. They know we can’t hold forever if we break formation."

And break they nearly did. A wave of horned devils surged through a weak point on the right flank, breaking the outer soldiers and spilling into the courtyard. Panic flickered across faces, but Kaelion’s mind was already moving, weaving contingencies faster than the devils could strike.

"Reform the line! Rotate the exhausted units back, give them cover, and push the reinforcements to the breach point!" His voice was calm but carried the weight of absolute command.

The Saintess stepped forward, her holy blessing shimmering in pulses over the faltering soldiers. Her presence wasn’t just morale—it was physical reinforcement. Armor seemed sturdier, footsteps surer, muscles more responsive. Each pulse of her mana was like a heartbeat guiding the human forces, turning hesitancy into action, despair into resolve.

Kaelion observed her closely, noting the subtle patterns of her blessing. He adjusted his commands accordingly. "Focus the waves on the center and left flank. Don’t let them collapse under numbers. Hold the choke point!"

The devils sensed the shift and roared in frustration. Their numerical advantage had always been their weapon, yet every attempt to crush the humans met resistance sharper than they expected. Kaelion had anticipated several of these moves, but even he could not predict the full scale of the devils’ adaptation.

"Saintess, the left is weakening!" he called, eyes narrowing. "Channel directly into their momentum—push back, give us space to regroup!"

Her hands rose, and a wave of energy cascaded across the struggling soldiers. The devils staggered under the force, their forward momentum blunted, giving the human soldiers just enough breathing room to reform lines and counter-push.

Kaelion’s mind raced. He calculated angles of advance, alternate routes, potential breaches. The devils were strong individually, but their reliance on overwhelming numbers created patterns, weaknesses if one could exploit them. "Rotate! Use the wedges! Don’t break cohesion—don’t give them the gap!"

One of his lieutenants shouted from the flank. "Kaelion! The silent pincer team is holding, but they’re under heavy fire—they can’t maintain formation if the devils press again!"

Kaelion nodded, already seeing the solution. "Deploy the secondary reinforcement squad! Shift reserves to support the pincer—anchor the position. The Saintess maintains blessing flow. Timing must be precise."

The battlefield shifted almost imperceptibly. Soldiers adjusted their formations with careful precision, moving in layers like clockwork gears. The devils, frustrated by their inability to break through, became reckless. They surged forward with wild force, leaving themselves open in small but crucial spaces. Kaelion’s mind seized the opportunity instantly.

"Strike the gap! Focus on their overextended lines!"

The elite units moved as one, pushing the devils back, regaining lost ground in a flurry of steel, spear, and arcane fire. Even the exhausted soldiers found renewed strength under the Saintess’s blessing, turning near-defeat into a hard-fought foothold.

Yet Kaelion knew it was only temporary. The devils would adapt again. Their resilience was staggering, and their sheer numbers meant the humans could never truly crush them in a frontal assault. This was a war of endurance, timing, and precision—and Kaelion’s mind raced, constantly seeking that tiny advantage that could turn the tide without risking everything.

Meanwhile, the devils were reorganizing. Horned beasts, winged horrors, and armored shock troops realigned in tight formations, learning from the humans’ counterattacks. Every breach Kaelion exploited was noted and avoided in the next wave. He cursed under his breath. "Their adaptation speed... faster than expected. We cannot outmuscle them. Every strategy must be layered, unpredictable, and flawless."

He glanced at the Saintess. Her calm face betrayed nothing, but he could see the strain behind her eyes. Mana reserves were being pushed to the limit, and she could not maintain the blessing indefinitely. Yet every pulse, every directed surge, was the lifeline of the frontlines.

A horned devil leaped over the barricade, smashing into the elite squad with overwhelming force. Soldiers fell, staggered, but Kaelion had anticipated such reckless strikes. "Shift left! Anchor the barricade! Counter-strike!"

The soldiers moved as a living organism, every action orchestrated with precision. The elite vanguard cut through the assaulting devils, regaining lost ground, and forming an almost imperceptible wedge into the attacking forces.

Kaelion exhaled, sweat dripping down his forehead. He had bought a temporary advantage, but the cost was high. Every unit was exhausted, every soldier teetering on the edge of collapse. One mistake, one overextension, could spell disaster.

He paused for a moment, eyes scanning the battlefield. In the distance, the gates themselves groaned under the repeated impact of massive devil forces. Stones cracked and splintered, showing that the physical structure could not hold indefinitely. It was a reminder that this was not just a battle of tactics, but of survival.

"Reinforce the front!" Kaelion barked. "Every soldier, every ounce of energy—hold them until the flanks stabilize. The gates must not fall today!"

The Saintess moved, her blessing flaring, extending outward like a protective tide, bolstering every soldier it touched. Kaelion’s calculated maneuvers and her precise blessing combined to create a fragile yet resilient human front. The devils, sensing the shift, hesitated, snarling in frustration.

Kaelion’s mind never rested. He anticipated the next wave, calculated the flow of mana, the placement of soldiers, and the timing of attacks. Every move had to be perfect. Every delay could cost lives. And yet, even in the chaos, a small part of him smiled grimly. This was the test of endurance, strategy, and courage. The devils might have strength and numbers, but the humans had coordination, precision, and willpower.

The battlefield raged on, waves of devils crashing against human lines, only to be met by expertly timed counters, blessings, and reinforcements. Kaelion adjusted every moment, a conductor in a symphony of chaos. The gates had not yet fallen, but the cost of survival weighed heavily on every soldier.

And in that tense, fragile balance, one thing became painfully clear: victory here would demand not just skill and strategy, but absolute resilience. The human forces could hold—for now—but Kaelion knew that the next wave could very well decide the fate of the entire army outside the palace gates.

The battle for the gates was far from over.