Chapter 89: The Looming Cataclysm
Two days had passed since Elton unleashed his devastating White Star Smash skill on the demon alliance troop. Since then, numerous powers had escalated their efforts significantly. The Night's Light Devouring Church and a portion of their alliance had a major falling out with the Seven Sects and Clans Alliance, headed by the Bright Brilliant Blade Sect. The Church vehemently accused the Sect Alliance's people of attacking and interfering with their operations, though definitive proof remained elusive. The lack of concrete evidence did little to quell the rising tensions.
In the Daemon Region, widespread chaos and slaughter reigned supreme. What truly altered the trajectory of the already spiraling war was the direct involvement of Middle Stage Mortal Shedding Realm experts and even a few Late Stage ones, actively participating in the conflict. Powerful Trump Cards, capable of slaying Mortal Lords, were also unleashed with a terrifying frequency.
The Whispering Expanse itself was under wide-scale assault, as many powers now believed it was another opportune moment to forcefully invade the Whispering Expanse True World. Compared to the invasions centuries ago, a much greater factor was at play: the sects that had invaded from the region of countries within a certain radius of Brawlmanica in the Red Star Continent.
Conversely, experts from both the Whispering Expanse and within the Whispering Expanse True World were now making decisive moves to breach the dimensional gate into the Red Star Continent. In the midst of all this, it also became apparent that signs of destabilization were rapidly emerging: certain lands within the Pocket World began to fall into ruin, and many unexpected deaths occurred. The rapid movements of the Mortal Lords, especially those at the Late Stage, significantly accelerated this process, which was primarily why they had initially refrained from moving too much. Interestingly, the Whispering Expanse, the largest place in the entire Pocket World itself, proved to be one of the most chaotic and destabilizing areas.
A massive force, a mixed multitude of Demons, Demonic Beasts, and many other races, was currently moving towards a specific region of the Whispering Expanse. Suddenly, they ground to a halt at a single command.
"Everyone Halt!… You. What is your purpose for standing before us!"
Standing before the vast army was a man of the Hobbit race, a people from the Fae Region who once shared a bloody history with the Fanged Elves but had now become an allied force within the past century. He was dressed in robes woven from leaves and bark, with a shimmering silver, thorny crown on his head. His aura was undeniably majestic. He glanced past the endless ranks of warriors and cultivators, his gaze settling on the leader perched atop a large, flying Magical Vehicle.
"I'm here to stop you reckless fools, at least temporarily, for your sake as well as the sake of my kin," he stated with a blank facial expression, a mighty, suppressive aura lightly leaking from his body, causing the ground to subtly hum.
Before the commander who had spoken could make a rebuttal, the leader atop the Magical Vehicle spoke, his voice resonating with power. "Hmph. You must be one of the two Grand Elders of the Hobbit race. For you to appear before me like this, even knowing our temperament… You will not make it out of this place alive."
Suddenly, a vast aura shook the very land as the full power of a Late Stage Mortal Shedding Realm expert was unleashed from the Man, causing his armies to tremble. Nine other Mortal Shedding Realm experts of various levels below the Late Stage were also revealed among the army, their power adding to the oppressive weight. The Grand Elder of the Hobbit Race snorted, his own aura, that of a Late Stage Mortal Shedding expert, grandly erupting, smashing against the combined might of all the other experts.
At that moment, Magics and Ki attacks exploded from both sides, including those at the Gold Tier and below. The entire area quaked violently as spatial rips appeared in the air, and storms of chaotic power blasted throughout the region.
After less than two hours of this powerful face-off, the battle ended. Many from the invading army lay dead or injured, but the army itself was still vast in numbers. The space within the region was a shattered, chaotic mess, and the army could barely move from that area without the constant risk of dying in a spatial storm.
"Damn him! And he managed to escape in the end, though his injuries aren't light. We will be seeing each other again as we group up with the others…" the Late Stage Mortal Lord leader snarled, nursing his own slight injuries, a vicious gleam in his eyes.
This battle further established a dangerous precedent: the more powerful experts were losing more and more restraints in their actions, pushing the war to new, terrifying heights.
Four days passed. This day marked the true beginning of the cataclysmic war, involving the combined might of the Grand Fae Spirit Alliance and the Seven Sects and Clans Alliance, along with numerous other powers who chose to stand with them, versus the terrifying combined might of three colossal powers:
* The Grand Demonic Alliance, a formidable mix of Hobgoblin, Mirehearts, various other demonkin, and other races in general.
* The Black Crimson Movement Alliance, which included the Night's Light Devouring Church as one of its prominent forces.
* The Whispering Expanse True World Faction.
Things became so dire and chaotic that the other two large alliances within the Fae Region, facing immense pressure and heavier losses, chose to cooperate with the Fanged Elves.
In a particular battle zone within the Fae Region, the sheer scale of the war caused the very lands to tremble. Most of the Mortal Lords at the Middle and Early Stages were already mobilized, and many powerful Trump Cards of certain tiers had already been executed. The White Star Radiance group, on one specific battlefield, was engaged in heated exchanges against numerous opponents who specifically targeted them, still perceiving them as the Laughing Blue Reapers. It must also be noted that, even up until now, there were secretly many who allied themselves with the White Star Radiance, leading to many traitorous actions unfolding behind enemy lines.
On this wide battlefield, under the Nightbloom Jurisdiction, countless experts and armies continuously targeted her area. The pervasive scent of blood and death lingered heavy in the air from all sides.
"Hahahahaha!!!! Aeloria!! Why don't you come out already!! If you become mine, I promise that I will spare a lot of your friends and family!!" Norg shouted from within one of the powerful invading armies, his voice echoing menacingly.
Aeloria looked at him with an extremely cold and grim expression. She fought with the terrifying power of an incredibly powerful Golden Lord, exceptionally difficult to defeat.
"Norg, the moment I get my hands on you is when you're on the brink of death," she stated, her eyes glowing red, a somewhat sinister aura not matching her ethereal appearance.
"We will see about that!! Haaaaa!!" Norg screamed like a vicious madman, unleashing a powerful attack in tandem with his troops. Aeloria countered with an equally devastating attack alongside her allies. In another combat zone, Rudecka and her allied forces wreaked havoc against all enemy forces fighting along with the Fae Region experts, some of her enemies being from the Rudell Region.
"You traitorous bastards! You deserve death!"
Such verbal assaults were hurled at her and her companions regularly, but they could hardly afford to care. In the end, weren't many of these accusers also technically traitors, given who they were fighting side-by-side with?
Tetra-hand Witch Rudecka could hardly afford to care as she cast her powerful Magic spells against her opponents and empowered her allies with crucial boosts. Even while doing her absolute best, and despite the odds not looking favorable, she persevered. She looked at the vast armies everywhere with a deep pity, two of her four eyes faintly glowing as she watched the unseen slowly wrapping itself around everyone. A huge omen of death flooded the skies, and she did not dare to look any deeper, fearing her own demise. Deep in her heart and soul, she felt that she had made the right bet, but at the same time, she also realized how close she had been to truly being on the cusp of death had she not.
"Aeloria… Did you foresee such a disaster approaching?"