An endless army was pouring out of the countless spatial rifts opened by Xu Liangchen's command. Dragons shrouded in crimson auras, celestial knights, demon legions, and giant war beasts advanced through the darkness like a wave of the apocalypse The mana radiated by the army was so dense that the light of nearby stars began to fade. Planets were cracking open, unable to withstand the crushing pressure bearing down on them, while asteroid belts were torn to shreds by an invisible force.
Xu Liangchen pointed his sword forward.
"Attack… Leave none alive!"
With the command given, millions of soldiers charged forward simultaneously The silence of space was replaced by battle cries that shook the universe
Ömer Jin-Hoo, however, stood motionless exactly where he was There was not the slightest hint of fear or panic on his face. His dull, purple-black eyes watched the approaching army, and his breathing did not even falter, as if he already knew the outcome Behind him, his generals had readied their weapons Neroth scraped his claws against the ground while Ignarion rested his heavy sword on his shoulder. Morvath's eyes gleamed with dark energy, and shadow flames swirled around Clairael. Baran and Vidal waited for their king's command without uttering a single word.
Ömer closed his eyes.
For a brief moment, it felt as though the entire battlefield fell silent.
Then, a single word escaped his lips.
"…Vatra."
The word did not echo through the universe.
It was felt as a universal decree.
Suddenly, Ömer's shadow began to expand.
First a few kilometers…
Then large enough to swallow planets…
And finally, it transformed into a boundless darkness that enveloped the entire battlefield.
Within the darkness, hundreds of thousands of purple eyes opened one by one First, heavily armored shadow knights emerged.
Then the spear units…
Colossal war giants…
Winged shadow creatures…
Dragon slayers…
Legions of mages…
And finally, the shadow dragons…
Their numbers were so vast that space itself had become invisible As each new soldier materialized, black chains rose from within the shadows, and the very fabric of the universe cracked as if it were being rewritten
Xu Liangchen's army faltered for the first time.
What stood before them was no longer just an army.
This was…
A calamity.
Every single shadow soldier dropped to one knee Millions of soldiers bowed their heads at the exact same time Then, a single roar rose.
"MY KING!"
Even Xu Liangchen's generals involuntarily recoiled Never before had they witnessed such absolute loyalty Ömer Jin-Hoo slowly opened his eyes He turned his gaze toward Xu Liangchen His tone of voice was neither loud nor angry
On the contrary, it was terrifyingly calm.
"Forward."
A single-word command was all it took.
The next instant, millions of shadow soldiers surged forward in unison Space looked as though it had turned into a black tsunami
When the shadow army collided with Xu Liangchen's crimson legions, the resulting wave of mana tore through millions of kilometers of void. Countless meteors were shattered, the lights of stars flickered, and the depths of the galaxy were filled with the echoes of war The greatest battle in the history of the universe had begun This was no longer merely a clash between two armies; it was a war of two sovereigns' wills, of two eras, and of two destinies. The victor would not just win a battle, but would decide the future of the entire universe
The most powerful generals of the two Monarchs had found each other.
Neroth vs. Zyphros
Shooting out from the purple shadows like a bolt of lightning, Neroth reached the speed of light in a single instant and appeared right in front of Zyphros.
"I will not let you pass."
The moment the words left his mouth, his claws plunged into Zyphros's chest.
BOOOOM!
The impact was so devastating that Zyphros was thrown across kilometers, piercing through dozens of planets before finally grinding to a halt. His armor was cracked, and blood began to trickle from his mouth.
Yet, he smiled.
He raised the black daggers in his hands. Blue lightning began to coil around the blades.
"I've been waiting for you, too."
In a flash, he vanished.
Leaving behind nothing but trailing streaks of electricity.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Thousands of blade strikes per second began to rain down around Neroth. With every collision, purple and blue sparks filled space, and waves of energy turned nearby asteroids to dust Neroth, however, did not take a single step back.
Morvath vs Nyvance
At the other end of space, two old enemies locked eyes.
A mocking smile played on Morvath's lips.
"You were weak back when we were on Earth… You still haven't changed, Troy Vance."
Nyvance's face contorted with rage.
"I WILL KILL YOU!"
Lifting his colossal battle-axe, he channeled all his mana into a single strike.
Morvath remained entirely unfazed.
He merely clenched his fist Two attacks
Amidst the resulting devastation, the two generals were still staring at each other.
The battle had only just begun.
Ignarion vs Tharion
Raising his flame-red sword, Ignarion surged forward in a single motion Tharion countered with his own massive blade.
Steel clashed against steel.
The sparks illuminated millions of kilometers of void.
Then, Ignarion suddenly accelerated.
One…
Two…
Three…
The rapid succession of strikes forced Tharion onto the absolute defensive.
On the final blow, Ignarion smirked slightly.
"You are weak."
CRACK!
Tharion's helm was split clean in two For the first time, fear surfaced in his eyes.
Clairael vs Shadryth
As purple shadows blanketed the sky, Shadryth compressed dark stellar energy between his palms As the energy condensed, the very fabric of space began to warp.
A black blade materialized in his hand.
"Cosmic Sword."
With a single swoop, he brought it down upon Clairael.
BOOM!
Clairael was blasted back for miles.
Yet, before hitting the ground, she unfurled her wings.
Her purple eyes flared.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth.
A colossal beam of energy, born from the fusion of purple and black mana, pierced through space and struck Shadryth.
The explosion was as violent as a small star collapsing into a supernova Shadryth's armor shattered His body was covered in severe wounds And yet he did not fall to his knees.
Baran vs Elyndra
The clash between Baran and Elyndra was like the collision of two natural disasters. Every punch vibrated through the texture of space; every sword stroke tore rifts into the void While the crimson aura surrounding Elyndra constantly expanded, Baran's shadow mana rippled outward in dark, surging waves Neither gave an inch, each only striking back harder.
Vidal vs. Kaelthar
Vidal was silent Kaelthar was furious.
Kaelthar made the first move He thrust his giant spear forward, tearing through space.
Vidal dodged to the side at the very last second
One…
Two…
Three…
Moving too fast for the eye to follow, he slipped behind his opponent He unleashed a flurry of rapid strikes with his daggers Though Kaelthar retaliated, Vidal's sheer speed was beginning to overwhelm him While millions of soldiers annihilated one another, the battle of the generals had become the epicenter of all fronts Every clash obliterated entire new star systems, and mana storms shook galaxies. Time and space fluctuated across the universe, and reality itself began to crack under the pressure of these colossal forces Yet, amidst all this chaos, there was only one thing everyone could feel A far greater power
Ömer Jin-Hoo and Xu Liangchen had finally begun walking toward each other The confrontation of the two Ancient Monarchs meant that all the battles fought so far were merely the prelude. A profound silence fell; even the generals instinctively understood that the clash of these two beings would decide the fate of the universe. What would happen in the next moment would shape the future not just of galaxies, but of existence itself
The mana radiated by the two of them was so incredibly dense that the void of space around them began to warp. The flow of time grew irregular, and even light itself bent around their presence. Dead planets nearby shattered into cosmic dust, pulverized solely by the pressure of their auras Xu Liangchen smiled slowly.
"How much you have changed… Ömer."
As the four Dark Monarchs behind him raised their weapons simultaneously, Xu continued to speak.
"I suppose you have undergone an awakening now beautiful However, the strength of your might is not enough to stop me. Throughout my life, I have always been the strongest. I defeated everyone, I never gave up. I am the chosen one."
Ömer offered no reaction whatsoever.
His dull, purple-black eyes remained locked entirely on Xu.
Silence…
Finally, Ömer uttered a single sentence.
"You talk too much."
The smile vanished from Xu's face.
In an instant…
BOOM!
Both disappeared at the exact same time The spot where they had been standing transformed into nothing but a colossal void where space itself had been torn apart.
The next moment…
Billions of kilometers away, their fists collided.
The shockwave generated by the impact ripped surrounding star systems from their places. As planets were hurled from their orbits, the darkness of space was illuminated by vibrant purple and crimson lights Xu swung his right fist toward Ömer's face
Ömer evaded the blow, pulling his head back by mere millimeters Simultaneously, he drove his knee straight into Xu's abdomen Xu was blasted backward past the speed of light.
Piercing through dozens of planets, Xu finally crashed into the core of a massive star.
Within seconds, the star went supernova.
Yet, out of the explosion, Xu emerged laughing The wounds on his body were instantly healing, mended by his crimson mana.
"Beautiful…"
"This is exactly the power I wanted to see."
He spread his arms wide.
Thousands of crimson magic circles materialized behind him From each one, energy spears shaped like dragons began to emerge.
"The Emperor's Infinite Rain!"
Millions of energy spears shot toward Ömer all at once The concept of a sky no longer existed The entirety of the universe was blanketed in a crimson light.
Ömer closed his eyes.
He took a deep breath.
Then…
He slowly raised his right hand.
As he closed his fingers, his shadow began to stretch toward infinity A colossal dark gate ground open behind him From within the gate, countless shadow silhouettes far too many to calculate came into view
Ömer's voice resonated through the entire universe.
"Kneel."
With that single word, every single energy spear froze mid-air.
Then, one by one, they shattered and vanished into the darkness.
Xu's eyes widened for the very first time.
"This… is impossible…"
Ömer kept walking forward.
Xu involuntarily took a few steps back.
For the first time He truly felt that Ömer could kill him But right at that exact moment From the darkest depths of deep space, an overwhelming wave of mana rippled out one that even the Monarchs themselves could feel Every single fighting army stopped simultaneously.
Neroth raised his head.
Ignarion's eyes widened.
Clairael's face turned dead serious.
Even Xu Liangchen turned around in terror Space itself was beginning to crack Out of the endless darkness, a colossal eye slowly blinked open And in that moment, everyone whispered the exact same name.
"…Oblivor…"
Paralyzed by fear, Vorgath was saying that everything was over now, and that He had returned.