At the forefront of the formation, there were tens of thousands of warriors, including werewolves, bloodkin, and some servants composed of humans and other races. They were robust but lacked armor, and their hands were empty. As they gazed at the abyss before them, despair filled their eyes.
With the sound of the military horn, the Eternal Night Alliance slowly advanced, using sharp spear tips to force the sacrifices forward. At the very front, they jostled each other, and some could no longer resist, falling into the abyss.
Whenever someone fell, a pillar of black fire would surge up from the bottom, consuming them. As more sacrifices fell, flames roared, but the strong could see that the residual fire at the bottom was visibly thinning. When the last batch of sacrifices fell, the black flame surged high and then extinguished entirely.
All the observing Eternal Night elites breathed a sigh of relief, their faces beaming with joy. A marquis exclaimed, “Your Majesty Clasus! I will go ahead and scout the path!”
A comrade beside the marquis immediately said, “Marquis Thuram, your strength is a bit lacking. Let me handle such a perilous task!”
“I should go!”
“No, it’s my turn!”
The demonic elites vied for the honor of being the first to enter the new world. Although the Inner World was fraught with danger, the first to enter would leave their name in history, so none of them was willing to concede.
As the dispute continued, the Everlasting Flame asked, “Lord Lev, do you have anyone who wishes to be the first to enter?”
Grand Duke Lev, standing further away, had maintained a humble posture. Hearing the question, he was somewhat surprised and replied, “My clan’s elites are honored to take on this duty!”
“Then let the spider demons lead the way.”
With the Everlasting Flame’s decree, the other elites could no longer contest, watching as a noble spider demon marquis leaped into the abyss.
Moments later, he flew back up, ignoring the black flames still burning on his body, and shouted, “The gateway to the Inner World! I’ve crossed it!”
He paused, drawing everyone’s gaze. The marquis’s tone became uncertain, “Utmost darkness… Is that… the source of darkness?!”
The Source of Darkness!
The crowd erupted into a commotion, discussions flaring up.
The Everlasting Flame’s azure flames flickered, revealing his inner excitement.
Several demonic elites could no longer hold back and rushed into the abyss, entering the Inner World. The Everlasting Flame remained calm, ordering the Eternal Night Alliance to set up defenses around the abyss before moving toward it, preparing to enter.
At that moment, a sliver of silver appeared in the distant sky, followed by unrest among the outer Eternal Night soldiers. The Everlasting Flame halted and turned towards the silver light.
In an instant, countless Imperial warships emerged from the clouds, charging toward the abyss.
Before the warships reached mid-air, dozens of figures soared out, heading straight for the Eternal Night formation.
The Everlasting Flame snorted and shot upwards into the sky.
Midway, he suddenly stopped and turned. In the void, King Zhenji stepped out calmly, smiling, “Clasus, where are you going?”
The Everlasting Flame extended a strand of azure flame, pointing at the hastily reforming troops below, and said, “We can fight, but now it only involves the Eternal Night. Soon, your forces will also enter the fray. Are you sure you want to fight here?”
King Zhenji stroked his beard, “What else? Have we come all this way to watch from the sidelines, or to enter the new world?”
This was impossible. The Everlasting Flame, stationed at Black Sun Valley, would not abandon the battlefield just to contain a human sovereign, even if it was King Zhenji.
The Everlasting Flame’s azure flames flickered, “Very well, let us fight here!”
The Imperial warships plunged into the battlefield, almost crashing into the Eternal Night Alliance’s positions. They unleashed a barrage of cannon fire, suppressing the enemy, and deployed soldiers to the ground.
The Imperial soldiers, upon landing, charged directly into the Eternal Night ranks, taking advantage of the chaos to plunge into battle, turning the front lines into a chaotic melee.
In the sky, the Everlasting Flame’s flames rose like a blue sun, continuously releasing rings of fire in all directions. King Zhenji’s form was elusive, moving unpredictably, making him difficult to catch.
The Everlasting Flame’s blue fire rings were immensely powerful, almost leaving no blind spots. Occasionally, when a wave hit the ground, both sides’ warriors caught in it would be reduced to ashes.
King Zhenji, moving like a celestial, found and passed through the slightest gaps in the fire rings. When he couldn’t avoid, he would endure the blow head-on.
However, the part of the Everlasting Flame’s fire that touched King Zhenji would instantly ignite, while the rest dimmed. He could focus most of his power on a single attack, compensating for the low per-area damage of the wide-ranging attack.
The Everlasting Flame’s fire rings burst forth endlessly, as if the demonic energy would never wane. King Zhenji, altering his usual combat style, flipped his hands, and a menacing multi-barreled machine gun appeared, emitting a terrifying roar. Countless force bullets pelted the Everlasting Flame, causing his flames to waver.
“Tempest!” The Everlasting Flame, seeing the legendary gun in King Zhenji’s hands, was not overly surprised, only snorted, “Qian Ye has indeed joined your human race.”
“He was always human. What joining are you talking about?” King Zhenji retorted.
Suddenly, a roar echoed, “Return Tempest!”
It was the King of Dark Light, Metatron, who stepped into the battlefield, intent on attacking King Zhenji alongside the Everlasting Flame.
But as Metatron took a step, the space before him rippled, and a man appeared. In the prime of his life, he wore the uniform of an Imperial marshal, though his aura did not stand out, suggesting he was an obscure deity.
“King of Dark Light, don’t rush. Tempest seems to have nothing to do with your bloodkin.”
Metatron’s gaze sharpened. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the man’s aura was far more profound than his appearance suggested. His uniform lacked insignia. Who would dress like that?
Metatron’s face showed a mix of surprise and doubt, recalling someone, but it seemed unbelievable, “Human Emperor? Why are you here?”
The Human Emperor replied calmly, “Why shouldn’t I be here? On the battlefield, there are no emperors, only sovereigns.”
Metatron snorted, “You’re just a new sovereign, yet you dare challenge me. Admirable courage!”
The Human Emperor responded, “Because I’m new to the peak, you, King of Dark Light, are a worthy opponent.”
This implied that once he consolidated his realm, Metatron would no longer be a match. Enraged by the Human Emperor’s sharp words, Metatron’s face turned ashen, and he drew his sword, unleashing a purple-black flame, slashing at the Human Emperor.
The Human Emperor’s frosty blade flashed, “Ta’a” unsheathed, and he deflected the flame with a casual swing, then launched a series of attacks against Metatron.
Metatron, believing his centuries of combat experience would overpower the Human Emperor, was instead overwhelmed by the majestic swordsmanship of the unknown Qin Emperor. Forced to defend, he could not regain the upper hand.
The battle between Metatron and the Human Emperor appeared more intense, but in reality, the Everlasting Flame and King Zhenji, both wielding legendary guns, posed great power and risk.
The four top elites fought in the sky, their aftershocks turning the area into a deadly zone. Warriors on both sides, swept by the radiant fire, vanished without a trace.
Compared to the Eternal Night, the Empire’s few thousand soldiers were at a disadvantage, fighting one against ten. Yet, the Imperial soldiers, fearless, engaged in fierce battles, holding the superior enemy at bay. When the fiery storm swept through, they and their foes turned to ash.
These elite Imperials were all death-squad members!
The clash of the sovereigns left a trail of carnage. The Eternal Night suffered far greater losses, and the Everlasting Flame understood the Empire’s intentions.
Yet, it was too late to change the battlefield. King Zhenji was no easy foe, and with both wielding legendary guns, any distraction would cede control. The dukes, unable to interfere, rushed into the abyss, entering the Inner World.
Imperial generals pursued, indicating a new battlefield within.
Those dukes and princes who had been observing also changed their plans, entering the Inner World. The ordinary troops on the ground were already decimated, and the Inner World’s gate needed more sacrifices to stabilize, so the loss of the Eternal Night’s tens of thousands was inevitable.
The aerial battle shifted subtly, favoring the Everlasting Flame.
Darkness Blessing was slightly stronger than Tempest, a demonic gun wielded skillfully by the Everlasting Flame. King Zhenji, using Tempest, was at a disadvantage, relying on it for range.
The environment was the biggest issue. The rules of the new world suppressed both sides, and with the Inner World’s dark source resonating with the Dawn source, especially affecting the pure Dawn attributes of the human sovereign, adapting would take time.
On the other side, Metatron, pressured by the Human Emperor’s formidable sword aura, held on. The Human Emperor, fighting in the new world for the first time, needed to adapt, delaying victory.
Both sides entered a stalemate.
Sovereign battles often lasted days. After the initial clash, both sides settled into a patient rhythm.
Though the Eternal Night had several dukes ready, the most feared Green Sun King of the Qin Empire was absent.
Even with the Eternal Night’s superior strength, a successful ambush by the Green Sun King could result in severe injuries or even death for any duke. No one wanted that fate.
This battle saw two silent imperial sovereigns, with another likely in reserve, and even the Qin Emperor left the mainland, a rare display of might.
The Black Sun Valley, its terrain hard, was being eroded by the fierce battle, a truly fearsome sight.
In the midst of the fierce battle, the Human Emperor suddenly sensed something, withdrawing his sword and retreating. Simultaneously, mirrors appeared in the air, enveloping the King of Dark Light.
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