The Heroes of Himmel took charge of the entire battlefield. Ten thousand Rank 60 Spirit King phantoms, each one more powerful than the next, stormed into battle without a single shred of fear. The calvary were the ones that led the charge. Mounted on their ghost steeds, the gallant warriors mowed down the Umbras as if they were carving through a cake. Their pikes easily decapitated thousands of Spirit Beasts while the elements surrounding them danced around in complete joy. Some of the spearmen were able to summon eternally burning flames, corroding the flesh of the Umbras made out of the darkness. Others summoned out torrential hurricanes with each swing, breaking through the frontlines as quickly as a cheetah dashing through the Serengeti.

Thousands of arrows were released from the rear, and many of them broke into a thousand more arrows. Bowmen that had Elemental Arrow Rain, one of the most famous archery spiritual abilities, endlessly unleashed their fury. Other archers leapt up into the skies, their muscles popping from pulling their bowstring too hard. Their sharp eyes locked onto the higher-ranked Umbras, such as the winged serpent that breathed poisonous gas. With no warning, the archers released their arrows, and within milliseconds, the Umbras fell straight to the ground with their souls ripped from their vessels.

If the calvary and backlines were working this hard, there was no way that the vanguard could remain idle. The warriors stomped their feet on the winter grounds, barging forward with their great shields and weapons both drawn. Knights danced through the snowy fields as if they were figure-skaters, slicing and dicing anything that stood in their way. None of the armoured warriors cared about defence, moving without fear of pain or death. Beautiful and deadly martial arts were displayed by each soldier, and the Umbras could barely counter them.

However, whenever the Umbra did pierce through one of the phantom’s skull, it would merely take a step back, regenerate and attack once again. Dark matter spewed onto the ground as each Umbra fell into oblivion. The Obsidian Gate was still churning out more and more of their compatriots, but how long could they actually last? Although there were more than a million Umbras, what could they do against ten thousand Immortal Spirit Lords?

As long as the Himmel Ancestor still had mana, the battle would continue to rage on. The flag of Himmel was still fluttering proudly in the winter winds, contaminating the world with an endless amount of spiritual energy. The World Serpent attempted to attack the Spirit Saint, but nine Spirit Venerates had long surrounded him.

The remnant forces of the Alliance, filled with a mixture of Spirit Emperors and upper-tiered Spirit Beasts, had overrun the mansion that Junius once called home. Black Masks of all levels, Brahmins, Kshatriyas… and even Dalits. They were all being pushed back and massacred. Some of the Alliance members attempted to capture the Black Masks, but it was to no avail. The Black Masks that were captured, under the Allfather’s influence, all self-detonated, leaving behind nothing but ash and burning flesh.

“It’s… over...” Shin muttered from high above the skies. With his bird’s eye view, Shin could witness the entire battle unfold. There were over a million Umbras, with many more coming out from the Obsidian Gate. Each one of them bore fangs that were as sharp as spears, and their mana was as frightening as any ferocious Spirit Beast that lived.

However, that elderly man… The one that seemed incapable of beating an entire army by himself… was currently doing just that. The Spirit of Himmel was hoisted high, and the unkillable phantom army charged onwards onto the Obsidian Gate. There was nothing that the World Serpent, or the Allfather for that matter, could do about it.

“So this is the power of the Himmel Empire’s Ancestor...” Shin gulped as a cold shiver ran down his spine. He’d once thought that he’d seen it all. He trained daily with Saint Longyu Tian and had seen the other three Spirit Saints of the Lantis Republic display their skills. Shin had swum with the Azure Dragons and visited all of the Guardian Beasts that protected the Lantis Republic. He’d seen the Kraken, a goliath octopus that measured larger than any living creature Shin had ever seen. However, the power that the Himmel Ancestor was displaying… That was on a whole other level.

“No wonder no one dares to march on the Himmel Empire’s Capital… They will be flattened if the Ancestor acts...” The new Prince of the Lantis Republic made a mental note to never cross the Himmel Empire.

Lady Seph nodded before dryly coughing twice. “That’s right, Shin. As much as I hate to admit it, that leathery-faced bastard is standing at the pinnacle of all human beings. So, you should avoid him at all costs. If he wishes to harm you, there’s little that I can do...”

“I understand...” Shin gulped and reverted his eyes back onto the battlefield. In due time, the Ancestor will reach the Obsidian Gate, and the world will revert back to normal. The strongest force that Shin had assembled would take over the entire west, leaving the Black Masks completely trapped on Mythpoint Reach.

Once that happens, the Alliance would be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The war that had taken the world by storm would reach its final stages, and all that was left to do was to chop off the Allfather’s head once and for all. However, before that could happen…

‘Where’s Junius?’

Shin had some unsettled business to tend to. Half of his mana had been replenished by Zishen, and in just a few more minutes, Shin would be topped off, becoming as good as new. He had travelled this far north for one reason and one reason only. To claim Junius’ head. There was no way that Shin was going to leave Illusory Canyon empty-handed. The eagle eyes of Shin scoured through the entire mansion, which was now desolate and burnt. All of the Black Masks hiding within were either detonating themselves or fighting till the very end. Their eyes were bloodshot, and their faces completely drenched with sweat. The zealots were willing to throw their lives away for the Allfather and were all on the frontlines. However, there was no sign of the tall, viridian-haired man.

“Bingbing, have you seen anything?” Shin asked the little girl who was grabbing onto the hems of his shirt.

“Yip! Not particularly,” the Kamaitachi replied, her face completely blank. “I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled, but there hasn’t been any sign of the man you asked me to look out for. Did he escape beforehand?” Bingbing theorised.

Shin shook his head in denial. “I highly doubt so… According to Venerate Maurice, Junius is the Tree of Illusions’ champion. For him to leave the Empyrean Wonder so willingly… I just can’t see the Allfather agreeing to that notion.”

Any key to an Empyrean Wonder was a great asset to any organisation. For example, the Lantis Republic was able to monopolise the Celestial River, and it had served them well throughout their long history. At the very least, an Empyrean Wonder could serve as an eternal source of spiritual energy, a resource that the Black Masks needs to heavily capitalise upon should they want to win the war. Not to mention, given how quickly Shin and the Alliance members had rushed to the scene, Junius shouldn’t have had the time to escape.

Shin took one final look at the dominant showing that the Himmel Ancestor was putting on before heaving out one deep sigh. “There’s nothing else that we can do here. If Junius isn’t in the mansion, we’ll just have to expand our search area.”

“My Prince, you’re leaving?” Heigui Xuegang glanced over his raised arms, which were busy providing mana to the Xuanwu’s turtle shell barrier.

“Yes,” Shin succinctly replied. “Tell Senior Hilin and the rest that I’ll be heading to Illusory Canyon with Venerate Maurice in search of Junius. Once I’ve replenished my mana, I’ll be moving off immediately.”

The Prince then looked at Zishen, the Azure Dragon Lord who was wearing a bitter smile. A tonne of spiritual energy had been transferred from the Tier 9 Spirit Beast into Shin; however, the man showed no signs of strain. “Senior, are your mana reserves sufficient?”

“Mmmm… All good...”

“Master, what about you?” Shin turned to the blonde beauty, posing the same question.

“Never been better!” Lady Seph chuckled. “I’ll be able to restore you back to your former self in no time!”

“That’s good...” The black-haired man took one deep breath in. “Speaking of Restoration… Let me place a Restoration Point in all of your bodies. As insignificant as it may seem, the Illusory Canyon is still the domain of the Tree of Illusions, an Empyrean Wonder. We can’t underestimate the danger that the Tree and Junius will pose.”

Shin’s voice turned extremely low. Even though the Alliance had turned the battle into a one-sided affair, the Prince didn’t dare belittle the threat of his former brother. Shin had been burnt far too many times before. That’s why, even though he was plenty strong enough, Shin was going to bring Zishen, Bingbing, Lady Seph, Maurice and even Heigui Zhengkang with him.

Just to face Junius.

❖❖❖

“We’re losing...”

A few kilometres away from the action, two figures were standing on top of an obscured cave. Surrounding them were hundreds of tree branches, blocking anyone from ever catching an eye on their darkened robes. Vellan, the bulkier of the two, stood just inches away from the cave entrance. However, he could still clearly witness the terrifying onslaught of the Himmel Ancestor.

“All of our plans… Just washed down the drain… Just like that...” The Brahmin sighed. It took them years to mould the west to their liking. Building the Obsidian Gate, securing the mansion… Even the numerous tunnels that connected the Uncharted Wilderness to the rest of the Kori Federation. It took years of planning and decades to build. However, with just one mistake… All of that hard work had come crashing down.

“It was inevitable...” Junius replied. His eyes were completely dead and his frown bringing forth a tone of loneliness. “Unless the Allfather himself makes an appearance, we were doomed to lose to this squad. The moment Senior Ao let Venerate Maurice escape, the west was fated to fall.”

“Hey, he made the choice to save your life, Junius.” Vellan snorted. “If it weren’t for him, you would have bled to death by now.”

“I know,” the viridian-haired man said coldly. “However, if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be in this situation. And that’s a fact you can’t deny.”

“Junius! That’s enough already! You…!” Vellan wanted to make a rebuttal but was forced to swallow his words. Junius sights were no longer on the man that saved his life and accompanied him all these years. Instead, they were looking at a far more distant figure…

“It’s about time...” Junius exhaled, his voice laced with a tinge of melancholy. He turned around to Vellan, saying: “Remember what I’ve told you. When the time comes, execute your duty.” Junius leapt down from the trees and headed straight towards the misty canyon.

“Wait, Junius! You’re not even going to say goodbye to Shia and your son?”

“There is no more waiting...” Junius stifled a laugh as he turned back at the hefty man. “Everything that happens next… It’s my destiny… And it will be yours. There’s no fighting it Vellan.”

And with that, the Blade of Death bade his final farewell, before fading into the dense fog, wholly enveloped by the Tree of Illusions’ mana.