Divinity. The Divine Envoy gripped the heart in his hand, as though he were holding the entire world in his grasp. The nascent Godhood of a Primal God resided within the heart.
A primordial super-energy. A spark. A seed capable of igniting the deepest latent energy within all life, unlocking the true treasury of the body, and achieving the most unfathomable leap in the hierarchy of existence.
The heart continued to beat, surging with divine energy. Unable to contain his excitement, the Divine Envoy pressed the heart against his chest and pushed it in. It melted into him like a drop of water merging into an ocean. The fresh, living heart seamlessly fused into his body.
His laughter erupted once more. A violent shockwave of sound rippled across the heavens, sweeping through the land. The outcome was sealed.
"Attack! Attack! Attack!" The Divine Envoy bellowed as he laughed maniacally.
In the distance, dozens of powerful energy spheres burst into the sky from the various military camps of the Yiggs Union forces.
These energy spheres contained the supreme decision-makers and mightiest individuals from Earth's major administrative powers: the Yiggs Union, the European Independent Nations Alliance, the Indi Empire, the Bayer Federation, and the Africa Alliance.
They soared into the air, blasting their formidable auras as they gathered behind the Divine Envoy. Yiggs' Supreme Commander, Wyde Howard. The European Independent Nations Alliance’s Chief Governor, Ael Hiddink. The Indi Empire’s Supreme Emperor, Ala Kamil. The Bayer Federation’s Iron-Blooded War God, Nicholas Kegin. And the Africa "Sky Chieftain," Moto Noa Sondoku Kawakilau Sabraoi Yeasu—whose name seemed to stretch endlessly.
These rulers stood at the pinnacle of their respective races and factions. They had each adopted different personas, chanted different slogans, and worn the same benevolent smiles of compassion and love to win the hearts of their people across the long years of their reigns. They were revered, admired, and regarded as the spiritual leaders of their nations.
But now, they stood silently behind the Divine Envoy. From their lofty vantage point, they looked down at the warriors who surged forward beneath them.
They had brought the strongest and most loyal warriors of their nations. Their most unwavering followers. Men and women willing to offer everything—their lives, their souls, and their faith. And yet, they were also... cannon fodder.
When the rulers needed to maintain control over their nations and grasp their irreplaceable power, these people were warriors, believers, and family. But when sacrifices were required to ascend even higher, they became mere stepping stones, fuel to be burned at will.
It was only when the eyes of these supreme beings fell upon the distant city that the cold indifference in their eyes ignited with blazing fervor.
The only base city in the world that had never fallen. A sacred land brimming with boundless wealth, hidden secrets, and unimaginable energy. It stood like a noble and powerful queen, forever distinguished, its purity highlighting the filth of the world.
But now, it was destined to fall. They would plunder everything within and take the spoils to the worry-free divine kingdom.
The Divine Envoy shouted once more. More Dimensional Gates were instantly opened. A frenzied beast tide surged into the gates, and appeared within Xiajing City in the blink of an eye.
The unconscious Tan Zhenwei could no longer seal these portals of death and destruction. Xiajing City plunged into hell in an instant.
Tan Baiqu held the unconscious Tan Zhenwei in her arms, sinking into utter despair. The beasts flooded in like an unstoppable torrent. She knew with absolute certainty that this time, there would be no miracle.
So this was the strength of those from beyond the heavens. They could annihilate a nation, a city, with such ease and whimsy. If you must be destroyed, then accept it quietly. Do not resist.
A deafening explosion shook the air. It had come from the direction of Great Xia’s military command center. A blinding pillar of light shot into the sky, sending out endless waves of energy rippling in all directions. The surrounding buildings were instantly reduced to rubble.
A figure burst out from the heart of the explosion, fleeing desperately. His body was drenched in blood, his flesh mangled beyond recognition and his face completely obliterated.
He had barely made it a dozen meters before his body suddenly lost all strength and plummeted from the sky, crashing into the dust below.
A moment later, another figure walked out from the pillar of light. He wore the military uniform of Great Xia, his chest adorned with countless tightly packed medals, layered like an unbreakable suit of armor.
He was tall and broad-shouldered. His cropped hair was pure white. Even his eyebrows shimmered silver. Yet, his body bore not a single wound. There wasn’t even a speck of dust on him.
Tan Baiqu recognized him instantly—it was Hua Zhongyue, the old War God of Great Xia, the nation’s only supreme marshal.
The War God! Could he turn the tide?
For a brief moment, a sliver of hope ignited in Tan Baiqu’s heart. But in the very next second, a gust of wind blew past, and Hua Zhongyue’s figure dissipated like a mirage woven from white clouds, fading into nothingness between heaven and earth.
"Long live the people of Great Xia."
It was as if a soldier had roared with unwavering resolve. Then, all fell silent. The color drained from Tan Baiqu’s face in an instant, leaving her deathly pale.
She understood what had happened. Great Xia’s War God had fallen. That final moment was the last farewell of an old soldier, one who had spent his life on the battlefield, bidding goodbye to the nation and people he had loved with all his heart.
Has Great Xia truly perished?
Tan Baiqu felt as if she were sinking into an abyss, her heart weighed down with unbearable despair.
The three Grand Commanders... they...
Outside the base city, the supreme beings of the great factions, led by Wyde Howard, could no longer contain their excitement in the face of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
At last, they moved. They tore through the sky like lightning, charging toward Xiajing City. But just as they were about to reach their prize, the three Cloud Vortex Barriers hovering in the air ahead suddenly began to shift. A strange energy began to spill outward.
"Be careful!" Wyde Howard shouted a warning.
Having dealt with Great Xia for so many years, they knew just how troublesome and terrifying these Grand Commanders could be.
Though they had seen with their own eyes how Hua Qinglian and the other two had been sealed within the Cloud Vortex Barriers, and though the Divine Envoy himself had declared that no one could break free once imprisoned within those barriers...
The ancient martial artists of Great Xia had a habit of creating miracles. Howard, Hiddink, and the others instinctively skidded to a halt in midair, eyes locked onto the Cloud Vortex Barriers with extreme vigilance.
The massive, egg-like white barriers started to crack. The second one shattered first. A scorching inferno erupted from within, engulfing the entire sky in flames.
At the heart of the blaze, a man and a woman clung tightly to each other. Their figures slowly disintegrated into nothingness, their life force vanishing completely.
"He’s dead. He really died."
"Who was that woman? Li Donglou burned his own life to perish with her."
They immediately recognized the man who had perished within the Cloud Vortex Barrier—one of Xiajing City's three Grand Commanders, Li Donglou.
The greatest enemy of the Western world... had died just like that. For a brief moment, Howard and the others weren’t sure how to feel. Perhaps it was fate that all grudges would be settled today. Perhaps civilization was about to meet its end and all of them would have to accept their final destinies.
The first Cloud Vortex Barrier shattered like a fragile eggshell.