"As a spiritual descendant of the Warden, as a sword of Heaven's Will, I pledge to free this world of all demonic taint, even if for that I must erase all things and let it start anew!"
Dasra bellowed while silver flames blazed within his eyes, and the pressure of his daunting aura skyrocketed!
The Ant Queens were alarmed. Before, Dasra only managed to contend with them by relying on formations and a defensive God-Artifact. But he could absolutely not seize the offensive! Even if his cultivation experienced another breakthrough, how could he so effortlessly execute them?
But with those erupting silver flames and ordinary-looking sword that filled their bloodlines with their dread, they dared not probe further!
"Well said. Demons are the woes of the Three Realms, the primary source of sin and calamity. Virtue cannot change them; enlightenment forever eludes them. For the sake of Heaven's Will and the dream of eternal peace, we must wipe them all out, regardless of the cost!"
Mishri approved, and his eyes burned with the same battle-frenzy as Dasra while within his right hand, another Demon Searing Blade appeared. That one was his, of course. The Demon Searing Blade was the Warden's greatest accomplishment. A weapon that clearly imitated the God Executing Immortal Sword.
Under its assault, demons would feel their bloodline strength restrained, their battle-power shrink, and their defenses collapse. Without a shred of doubt, it was the perfect tool for demon hunting. However, there were several limitations. On the one hand, the Warden failed to produce one above the four-star God-Artifact level; on the other hand, the required ingredients were in short supply, and those of royal demon blood were more resilient to the effect.
Still, when facing a demon spawn, wielders of Demon Searing Blades would naturally feel their strength rise.
Only the most outstanding of Spiritual Descendants could receive the sword. Dasra and Mishri naturally belonged to the lot. And with their two stars Demon Searing Blades, throughout the Ancient Crystal World, they feared no demon spawn!
"Retreat."
The Ant Goddess ordered from within the World Tree. The situation was once again spiraling out of control. Never did she expect that the Celestial and Infernal Realm would both dispatch such crack troops! Worse, Demon Searing Blades now joined the fray.
However, she wasn't startled. On the contrary, she felt elated! As long as they fell into the World Tree, relying on its paramount defenses and her abilities, they could shoulder all offensive. Although that would delay her recovery time, at least they could hide without a hitch!
At that time, the Celestial and Infernal Armies would have no choice but to confront one another and exhaust themselves no end! Nessriane could see that though Anharya was startled by the arrival of the Celestial Host, surprise was the limit of his emotions. He didn't fear them!
That being the case, let the mongrels kill one another, and the world go in flames. When she recovered and completed the merge, the Zenith Ants would be the final winners! With Nessriane's command, the Ant Queens turned heels and flew back to the nest. But how could Dasra allow them to go back and forth?
His Demon Searing Blade cleft the air, releasing a ten meters long silver-flame slash that slammed into the runaway queens! Their Withering Formation kicked into gear, eroding enough of the blade's power to marginalize the blow and allow them to escape scot-free! Meanwhile, within the Hidden Forest, the second battalion that confronted Yvonne's troops was also recalled, thereby forcing a frustrated Ilkaalt to return to the headquarters.
Alas, the Saint-level Ants didn't receive such a chance. Masked within the Northern Khanate's troops, Konrad's Infernal Legion and Hidden Moon Pavilion unleashed unrestrained destruction upon them all, slaying them like cattle, and making them scream the names of their mothers.
The Southern, Western, Eastern, and Northern Barbarian Khanate saw all Zenith Ant Presence extinguished by the "Northern Khan's Armies." And seeing their impending extermination, and the path of retreat blocked, those demon ants had no other choice but to turn toward the Holy Continent to seek succor!
A lamentable move, for as soon as the remaining 900,000 ant armies reached the frontier of the Barbarian and Holy Continents, the Jade Dynasty's border troops, led by Krann himself, awaited in full battle-tray and slaughtered them to the last!
What a pity that the aftermath of all those battles saw the death of more than one billion barbarian citizens caught in the crossed fire!
Thus ended the first ant invasion.
And while all battled for dominion, extermination, or mere survival, they failed to realize that the energy released by every death descended into the ground and fueled the growth of a Chthonic Immortal!
If Konrad's understanding of Death was already paramount, the root of his own immortality and the underworld was something he didn't comprehend. But as he peered through the mysteries of the Fourth Layer, and thrived on the endless deaths, those mysteries slowly unveiled, and a black gate formed within his mind.
That gate led only to one place, Death's resting place. And only by opening it and slaying his Death, could Konrad Transcend and reach the next state of existence.
Meanwhile, with the small fries out of the way, the Demonic Legions and Celestial Host faced one another. Nessriane was right. As far as those two forces were concerned, they were their strongest enemies. Once they dealt with the threat they represented, they could take care of the rest. Anharya, in particular, saw the people of the Infernal Cult as lambs on the chopping block.
He could hack them at will and need not rush their slaughter.
"Just because you wield those toys, you think you can run amok before me? Joke, the Warden may be one of the two mightiest existences in the Three Realms, but being his descendants by no means makes you superior…to the blood of Ashara!"
Anharya proclaimed, and the blood armor draping him erupted with massive demonic energies that stimulated his bloodline to the limit! As it did, Ashara's mark appeared on his forehead, and he triggered his Blood Burning, allowing his battle-power to rise to new heights!
On top of its defensive abilities, this Blood Armor was an artifact allowing its wielder to cancel all the drawbacks of Ashara's Seal and use it with impunity. It went without saying that only his favored servants and scions could enjoy it.
"It's been a while since I bathed in the blood of devas!
Demonic Legions obey my command, slaughter them to the last, and offer their celestial blood in sacrifice to my royal grandfather!"
Anharya snarled, and as if lifted by a blood frenzy, he and the ten thousand man-strong armies he led turned into blood beams and flew into the Heavenly Host!
Dasra and the devas he led crossed the sky to land beside his brother and meet the demonic legions with full-strength!
*BOOOOM*
A cataclysmic explosion of God-Force and Divine Power burst within the sky, and bombarded the Ancient Crystal World!
And as the devas and demons' all-out confrontation erupted, Verena and Else were forced to admit that the task of minimizing damage was still leagues above their best estimations!
Thus began the Holy War!
