Chapter 166: Black Lands

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The Black Lands...

That's what they call the closest landmass to Azure Terra, only separated by the Great Wall. They call it that due to the sheer corruption that has tainted, what used to be vast and fertile, land black.

This place is crawling with demons of all shapes and sizes. With the absence of the sun, they are extremely powerful here. The lands have been converted into their home, giving them the advantage and even more strength.

It wouldn't be wrong to say that every inch of land outside was harmful and an enemy to humans. That's why only a select few people could go out here safely.

About 500 miles away from the Eastern Gate of the Great Wall, perpendicular and to the left, a light suddenly blossomed. Then, came a group of 20 young men and women, feeling a bit shaken by the sudden transfer.

These were none other than the Squad #1. They just got transported from the other side of the wall to here to do their mission.

Despite having a glimpse of what's truly on the other side of the wall, it wasn't enough to prepare them for the real thing.

The air was foul, the land was like a quagmire dragging and slowing them down, the visibility of their surroundings was shit, and the density of corruption makes them feel greatly uncomfortable.

Some of them felt fear gripping their hearts. Panic was slowly tightening its grasp on them, causing them to see visions and experience psychosis. The resolve that they tried to build up before coming here was slowly crumbling.

...and all of this happened within the first minute of their arrival here.

The entire squad seems to be experiencing this except for one person. And thankfully, that person was their leader - Cedric.

Seeing the state of his group, Cedric could only inwardly sigh. As much as he wanted to scold them for dropping their guard, he really couldn't. He's the weird one here, not them.

He flourished his sword and got into a stance. With a snort, he released a pulse of Ki filled with his vigor and unbending willpower.

When his Ki swept to his teammates, the corruption's hold on them disappeared. They suddenly found clarity returning to them.

This wasn't its only effect though...

The pulse of his Ki didn't go very far, it went for about 50 meters or so before dissipating into nothingness, but in that tiny distance, it was uncontested.

Corruption screeched and sizzled when Cedric's Ki touched them as if they were burned by fire. It weakened the corruption by a smudge in the grand scheme of things but it was more than enough to save the people who were spiraling down to the endless abyss of fear and uncertainty.

'We'd have to be here for 8 hours, I should limit my field of senses to 5,000 miles. That should be good enough to prevent any surprises.' Cedric mused to himself as he heard his squad finishing their reports.

"Alright. Since you can recall your duties, it means that you're back to reality. We will begin moving soon. Whenever you feel that the corruption's getting to you, don't hesitate to do Ki Pulse."

"Remember what I told you. Demons only use Demonic Corruption and Infernal Energy. They don't understand and disdain energy forms that we, humans, use. So don't worry about alerting them."

"Sir, yes Sir!" His squad replied to him.

"Good. Let's move. Keep up the formation, go!"

And just like that, Squad #1 began their patrol...

Cedric was at the helm of the formation, flanked by two people. Behind them were the ladies who were tasked to write down as much detail as they could see. He tasked them to write their own observations so that they could compare notes after the mission was over. Of course, Cedric also had mental notes to add to their observations.

Guarding them were the fairly sensitive boys. Their task is to be on the lookout for any possible threats. Anything they see that so much as twitch the wrong way, they were supposed to report to alert the team.

Right behind these boys were the rest whose task it was to watch over their entire formation. Every five minutes, they have to do a headcount to make sure that everybody's still around and hasn't left the formation.

The dark, depressing, and corruption-filled lands of their surroundings could cause hallucinations and visions, as they have experienced before, therefor their task is paramount to ensure that everybody returns to the other side of the wall intact and alive.

Of course, everybody was primed for combat. They all have their weapons out and are ready to slay if they are attacked.

They are to keep this formation for their entire patrol. The only times it will change is when Cedric orders them to and the changes will vary depending on their encounters.

Cedric instilled every formation in their bodies to the point that they would react even before thinking as soon as he gave out orders.

"Heads up, I see a pack of Imps 100 meters away from us. They burrowed and are starting the hunt, it seems that they have noticed us."

One of the scanners reported to the team.

Cedric could feel everybody tensing up so he cleared his throat and said:

"Maintain the formation and prepare for battle. Eliminate them with extreme prejudice. Am I clear?"

"Sir, yes Sir!"

And just like that, Squad #1 prepared themselves for their first battle outside the walls.