Chef in the Apocalypse

Jayce and his army were traveling through the forest at a moderate pace. Considering everyone was at least at the Foundation Establishment realm, this much activity wasn’t enough to affect their stamina.

Being at the front of the pack, Jayce was focused on the road ahead. From the map in his mind, it would not be long until they arrived at their destination. By now it had been a few hours since he had set up the teleportation array.

As if to confirm his theory, the sun began to peak over the horizon, yet the large moon was still visible. For a brief moment of time the two celestial bodies shone down with a similar radiance, painting the sky and clouds in an orange hue.

It was almost as if they had both come to witness what would transpire on this day.

As Jayce was running, Zane suddenly appeared to his right, keeping pace with him.

"The forest ends in 2 kilometers, there are signs of an array set up in the open field." He said calmly.

Jayce nodded, "Stay at the edge of the forest, we’ll break through in one fell swoop."

Zane did not respond, disappearing from his position a moment later.

When he got closer to the edge of the forest, Jayce began to slow his pace, eventually coming to a stop. The others who had been silently following him also did the same, awaiting his orders.

Jayce turned around and gazed upon the serious faces of his army, a small smile forming on his lips.

"When I give the signal, branch out in your Company and begin the attack." He sent a look at his Generals who were all patiently waiting by the side and nodded calmly before turning around and heading towards the formation array.

He saw Zane crouching behind a tree, trying to evaluate the formation array.

"Leader, the array looks pretty sophisticated. I’m not sure we can break through in a short amount of time." He said, a frown forming on his face.

In a few of the manuals left behind by Rubick, there were studies and information on formation arrays. Jayce had made copies and ensured that everyone had studied at least the rudimentary knowledge contained within.

Those that had excelled in their understanding would then be allowed to receive the intermediate manuals. Zane was one such person who had attained some proficiency with arrays, much to his surprise.

"Judging by the positions of the flags, it is probably a killing array. The moment we step into its vicinity it will activate, sending vicious attacks while messing with our senses. I don’t even think that you will come out unscathed." He said, a hint of anxiety flashing into his usually stoic expression.

This was probably the most words he had heard come out of Zane’s mouth, however they were all useless. Jayce let out a small smile and praised him.

"Nice work Zane. Leave it to me."

Saying those words, he stood up tall and flourished his wrist, producing a dark purple sword in his right hand which seemed to glow with power. Jayce gazed upon it like one would a dear friend, using his off-hand to pat it lovingly. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Zane looked at Jayce with a hint of puzzlement, not understanding what his intentions were. However before he could ask, Jayce lifted the sword above his right shoulder and slashed down ferociously.

The ground quaked as a tremendous pressure assaulted his vicinity. Zane instinctively sprawled onto the floor, gripping onto the nearby tree so he was not blown away by the sheer force of the blow.

Dirt and trees were sent flying from the wind pressure, making it difficult to see anything in the surroundings. When everything died down, Zane finally allowed himself to get up from the ground and looked in the direction Jayce had just attacked.

His mouth opened wide, seeing the almost 100 meter long and 5 meter deep gash that had been carved out of the Earth in front of him. He could instantly tell that the strike had destroyed the central point of the array, obliterating it in one fell swoop.

The formation array that would have taken him hours to methodically dismantle was easily blown apart by a single strike from the dark purple sword.

"Attack!" Jayce raised his sword and bellowed loudly before rushing forward with blinding speed.

"OUUUUH!" Colin was the first to yell out in response, followed by a cacophony of voices which followed as the other Generals and their team broke through the forest and charged at the town in front.

Zane quickly got to his feet, not wanting to miss out on the action. He turned to his team of 50 elites and made a few hand signals before rushing off himself.

These units were his Elite Rangers, specializing in stealth, scouting and both long range and close combat. They would be scouting the battlefield, gaining crucial information while also providing support from the shadows to those who needed it.

Jayce sped forward over the plains. Although he could now fly in the air thanks to reaching the Core Formation level, it would be tough to track down Leah if he were to do so.

A large group of people suddenly appeared from behind the row of cabins, easily numbering a few thousand. It was almost as if they had been patiently waiting for their arrival.

Men and women dressed in their class gear stood with grim faces. Some channeled spells while others pulled back on their bows, waiting for the group to get close enough.

Jayce could feel a horrifying amount of mana accumulating from the enemies, almost causing him to balk subconsciously. It was clear that Rubick was correct when he had said their levels had been boosted by the system.

Throughout both of his lives, he had never felt this kind of power from the system before.

The group released their charged up spells towards Jayce and his army. Blizzards, inferno’s, earthquakes and tornado’s suddenly appeared, taking up their whole vision.

It was as if Armageddon had descended upon them.