"Is it over... I hope so." Zhuge Liang yawned and muttered softly, "But after all, it is the bloodline of an ancient god. Who knows... well, dealing with things here is more important for now. I'm leaving."
With that, he left behind a confused Watcher and a slightly panicked demon army, disappearing from the battlefield with the temporarily sealed Atoksis and the little lizard on his shoulder.
...
Not long after, a desolate mountaintop, a hundred kilometers away from the Academy City, in a deserted area outside the Gravina Autonomous Territory, had its top third sliced off with a loud bang. The smoke and dust had not yet dispersed, leaving behind a small inconspicuous puddle of black, mud-like liquid, almost buried by the dust that was about to settle back down.
After a while, the black liquid seemed to be infused with life and slowly wriggled before eventually forming into a humanoid shape.
"That was close..."
Although Agatha had barely regained a human form, her height was now only a little over twenty centimeters, making her look like a living figurine.
Was that arrow the reason Yuan said she couldn't escape?
Recalling the fear she felt when the arrow chased after her at high speed from behind, Agatha shivered with her arms crossed.
Although her body no longer felt pain, the constant sense of her dark magic being destroyed and dissipated by the arrow's light made Agatha feel a sense of "death."
Thinking about it, Agatha's back broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, she turned around and fled when she sensed danger, or she might have truly met her end as Yuan had said.
As for Atoksis and the dark Elves she brought...
It didn't matter anymore.
Having given up on restoring her original form, Agatha could easily gain powerful strength by hunting high-quality blood. Their life or death was no longer relevant to her.
Yes, as long as she was alive, she would eventually recover, even becoming stronger. And when she encountered that powerful entity again... she would kill him!
Putting aside her fear, Agatha looked at her body with a hint of excitement in her burning eyes.
Although she understood that her inner self was a hideous black sludge... but it wasn't bad, was it?
Even Agatha herself didn't notice that the corner of her mouth naturally formed a villainous smile.
...
Outside the Academy City, the battle belonging to the Holy Rank continued.
Saros had almost fully utilized the part of his Swordmaster bloodline that he inherited, wielding his heavy sword with an aura reminiscent of the Eastern Immortal Swordsmen's "one sword breaking ten thousand techniques."
There wasn't much that Ciella and the Grand Magus could do about it. Both of them specialized in magic, and all they could do was kite from a distance, not daring to get close. Either that or use their understanding of laws against each other, seeing whose comprehension was stronger.
But most of their magic attacks were easily pierced, and Saros, with his experience at the Holy Rank, could only be suppressed in the laws, not completely defeated.
So the situation fell into a deadlock, although the balance of victory slowly tilted towards Ciella and the Grand Magus as Saros consumed more and more of his power, it would still take a while before a clear winner could be determined.
In terms of mental state, Saros actually had the advantage—his goal was for the Young Lord to successfully take over the spirit of the Demonseed, while Milt had to ensure that he held his ground here. The difference in pressure between the two sides was evident.
"Why is this guy so... stubborn!"
Dia had lost count of how many times he had unleashed the Arcane Magic Array to bombard Saros, but every explosion of countless pale purple magical cannons around Saros was blocked by a single sword.
Ciella, on the other hand, took a more direct approach. Without even using her usual magitech devices, the petite girl lifted a massive fireball that was completely disproportionate to her figure and smashed it down on top of Saros. The combination of space folding and extreme high temperatures would be devastating if it hit Saros.
"Heh, haven't you tried that already? It's useless against me!" Saros sneered, gripping his sword in both hands and directly counter-attacking the fireball. The deadly sword energy enveloped the sword blade, blocking the fireball.
Just as Saros was forcefully blocking the fireball head-on, a sharp purple spear of light suddenly appeared at his side and effortlessly penetrated his armor, burying itself halfway into his body. It was an attack from the Grand Sage, less powerful than a grand magic spell but successful in its hidden nature, unleashed amidst the grandiose attack of Ciella.
"Although I dislike ambushing, there's no time to worry about that now," Dia said, retracting his left hand which had just released an instantaneous spell. He raised his staff again, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he looked at Saros.
"Well done, old man! Let's finish him off quickly!" Ciella said, showing no shame for the ambush.
"Cough... Hmph." The light spear that had pierced his body had dissipated, but Saros' momentum from his sword strikes had been broken.
Under this state, another attack would be difficult to withstand. After all, it was essentially a two-on-one situation. Although the Sword Demon's sword energy was helping him recover as quickly as possible, it was impossible to fully recover before the incoming magic spell.
Even if he could withstand another attack without dying, there was still Ciella, who was ready and waiting. Once he was hit by the first magic spell, there would be a torrential bombardment of magic that not even ten lives would be enough to survive.
"I can only retreat for now... Young master, you must..." Just as Saros was about to give in to retreat, a bright white light descended from above and enveloped him.
"Target locked, preparing Divine Judgement."
"Authorized by the War Angel, Divine Judgement initiated."
Ciella and Dia also noticed the anomaly in the sky. The gate to hell, opened by a forbidden spell, collapsed amidst violent tremors, tearing apart the dark clouds that shrouded the sky.
Pure white holy light replaced the sunlight, and above the shattered clouds, countless figures clad in silver light armor floated in mid-air with their wings slowly flapping. They chanted ancient hymns in an unknown language with perfect synchronization.
A gigantic blade made entirely of pure light slowly took shape, hovering high in the sky. It was a true giant sword, visually exuding an immense pressure akin to a mountain. It was nearly a kilometer in length, and if it were to fall, the whole earth would tremble.
"What the... are those Angels?" Ciella blinked, confirming that she wasn't mistaken before glancing at Dia with a hint of doubt. She realized that the Grand Sage was just as clueless as she was, also caught in a daze.
What day is it today... After the demons reignited the war in the main dimension, the long absent Angel Legion has returned to the world.
After The Age of Legendary War, Angel would occasionally descend upon the Main Dimension to show their existence, but legion-level battles like this have never occurred again.
"We should probably have a festival to commemorate this in the future," Ciella muttered.
"It's quite impressive that you can still complain at a time like this..." The Sage couldn't help but be led astray by Ciella's rhythm.
However, the Magic they were about to complete had dissipated—since the legendary Angel legion had appeared, the demons had no business with them.
Compared to the relaxed duo, Saros had already sensed the scent of death.
The sword in question was known as the Divine Judgment, a war weapon from ancient times. It symbolized the highest level of warfare for the Angel race, and when the sword of divine judgment descended, it would be difficult to avoid a great war.
"Once targeted by the holy light of judgment, even Holy Rank beings would kneel..." Although Saros also inherited the bloodline of demons, he had not yet reached the level of the ancient demon race. The effect of the Death-Bestowing Sword Qi's "resurrection" was not enough to revive him, so if he were killed, he would truly die.
Ciella clicked her tongue and suddenly realized something was wrong. "Wait a minute! If that thing falls, won't the Academy City be destroyed too?!" Although many places in the Academy City had been affected by the battle, there was still a huge difference from being reduced to ruins!
"Hold on! Don't release it yet! Don't you guys think about the innocent people who might get hurt... tsk... there don't seem to be any living people in the city anymore... It's not good if it lands on the plants and flowers either!"
Ciella waved her little hand and shouted loudly, but the Angel legion seemed to pay no attention at all. The giant blade called Divine Judgment fell from the sky after the last brief note as the ending.
The blade rubbed against the air, turning into a dazzling crimson color, like a meteor falling from the sky.
"There's no time, let's retreat first."
Día sighed helplessly and grabbed Ciella, preparing to activate spatial teleportation.
On the other side, Saros, still firmly locked by the holy light, felt as dead as ash. Before setting off, he had anticipated the possibility of the Angel's arrival, but as long as Atrox successfully merged with the demon seed soul, even a blazing Angel would be powerless against The Realm's power unless a deity intervened.
The problem was that the Angels came too fast. Based on previous experience, they should have had some time left. The speed of the Angel legion now... is as if they were fully prepared.
However, as long as the Young Lord succeeded, even if it meant sacrificing his own life or leading the complete annihilation of the legion, it would be worth it. After all, the combat power of one in The Realm was far beyond the reach of the others, even if they combined their forces.
In the scarce Holy Rank today, a The Realm-level individual was like a ceiling-level power. If Atrox could successfully stabilize his strength in The Realm by merging with the demon seed soul, he might even have a chance to contend for the position of Demon King in the power-oriented Devildom.
"Little one, don't rush to die. You are an important force in the future Devildom. Don't fall here," a voice echoed in Saros' ears just as he closed his eyes to await death.
"What... is that?" Who would dare to stay within the attack range of the Divine Judgment at a time like this?
Saros opened his eyes in astonishment and saw a small black dot flash by, blocking the path of the impending Sacred Judgment.
"It seems like I'm always saving the day. I have to be compensated for my efforts when I have to take another sword... A little hardship fee wouldn't hurt."
