The gathering of a Holy Army didn't require much time. In less than one hour, an army of more than one-hundred thousand assembled in the sky, facing the Anti-Divine-Power Screen that now separated Holy and Barbarian continents.
14000 Crossed Tribulation Saints, 900 Star Connecting Saints, 540 Star Manifesting Saints and 180 Star Fusing Saints filled the sky.
30 Quasi-Sages led them while 160000 lower ranked Saints stood at their backs.
A never before seen armada whose aura awed the Ancient Crystal World.
Before such legions, all shivered. All, except Konrad and his faction members.
In fact, as the army formed, Konrad's lips curled into a bright smile and delight clearly shone on his face.
Then, the earth quaked, littered by unending swarms of armored troops that assembled to follow the Saint's clash. On this occasion, following house Serkar's orders, the Barbarian Khans lowered their personal banners and dressed their soldiers in the same black armor.
However, as the cultivation of those soldiers greatly varied, it should have taken a tremendous amount of time for them to gather. But thanks to a skillful use of thousands of teleportation circles, the sixty-million-man strong army assembled before the screen, occupying the ground while the leading Saint bloated the sky.
"To the spiteful abomination named Konrad! Your vile deeds stretch from one corner of the world to the other!
This is an official declaration of war! On this day, the Infernal Cult and Celestial Church join hands to cleanse this world of your depraved self!
Surrender now, and we can spare your folks. Persist in damnation, and we shall unleash a maelstrom of destruction…upon the Holy Continent!"
The leading Quasi-Sages roared for the entire world to hear, and trapped between this clash of titans, the commoners wailed, not knowing where to seek shelter.
Konrad stood on his throne with Yvonne at his right and Else at his left.
"What an amusing declaration."
He appraised while standing from his throne.
"How many do you think can survive?"
Yvonne asked with a similar smile.
"None whatsoever."
Konrad replied.
"Not even the women?"
Else pursued, her words making Konrad chortle.
"This is not about lust. Swords and spears have no eyes, and since they choose to stand against me, I cannot exhaust myself to spare them."
Said Konrad before stepping into the air. Vanishing from the throne room, he crossed tens of thousands of miles to reappear in the sky before his foes. And though hundreds of miles stood between them, with their cultivation levels, they could effortlessly see one another.
"Vile deeds? You flatter me. However, you misunderstand. This is indeed a purge. A purge of the filth that dares stand in my supreme way."
Konrad declared before stretching out his arms. His words causing the leading Quasi-Sages to wonder if he'd gone mad from fright.
"Come at me if you dare. But know that once you barge into my realm, there is no way out."
He warned, his smile undisturbed. The words caused the Saint legions to sneer.
"Activate the battle-formations and summon the puppets! On this day, we remind the ants, why the sheep must obey the shepherd!"
The designed commander among the Quasi-Sages bellowed and alongside his peers, waved his hands.
Hundreds of thousands of holy crystals appeared in the sky, forming elemental pentagrams around the experts. First, the pentagrams linked them all in a battle-formation, causing their individual and overall battle-power to skyrocket.
Then, they further empowered them with elemental force. Those beneath the Crossed Tribulation Saints bathed in fire. Crossed Tribulation Saints in fire and water. Star Connecting Saints in fire, water, and earth. Star Manifesting Saints also had wind while the Star Fusing Saints and Quasi-Sages had a bonus of space force.
And if that wasn't enough, they summoned a battalion of Holy Puppets.
Empowered by the formation and backed by the puppets, the two factions' joint armies began their assault!
"Strike! Whoever captures this son of a bitch alive will be rewarded by the leaders themselves!"
The army commander proclaimed before giving the signal! Instantaneously, the legions of almost 200000 reinforced Saints dived past the screen to surround Konrad.
Meanwhile, the sixty-million barbarian troops below followed in their "footsteps," and crossed the screen to invade the Holy Flame Empire's northern border.
For indeed, it was at the Holy Flame Empire's northern border that this battle occurred!
…
Seeing Konrad called "Son of a bitch," Gulistan sighed.
"Why does it have to be an insult? He should bear the name with pride."
She monologued while keeping her eyes locked on the assault. As the troops crossed the screen, Gulistan's lips curled into a smile.
"Come on, boy, show me what else you got."
…
As soon as the troops dived past the screen, Konrad turned heels and ran. The move startling the assailing troops.
"After all this bragging, he just turns heels? No, it must be a trap."
The Quasi-Sage commander assessed. However, before he could submit the hypothesis to his subordinates, Konrad changed his trajectory, and in a flash, made dozens of circles around the invading army.
Hundreds of thousands of holy crystals remained in his wake, and by the time Konrad returned to the front, all intertwined in an intricate formation.
"He's a formation master?"
They realized too late.
But, when Konrad joined his hands, and they felt the vast warding force erupting from the crystals, they realized it was nothing more than a sealing formation.
"Do you think we need to escape before you?"
They snorted, then surrounded Konrad from all sides, paying no heed to the sealing formation.
His smile remained unchanged.
In tandem, the leading Quasi-Sages stretched out their hands, each releasing a dreadful elemental strike encompassing the power of the five elements. The horrendous waves of elemental power shredded space as they rushed toward Konrad.
Meanwhile, at the back, more than one-hundred-thousand Saints fired sixth circle spells of various intensity upon Konrad.
Still, he didn't budge.
"Lambs don't know they should run before the wolf bares his fangs.
Awaken, and end all things beneath the heavens:
CATASTROPHE!"
Konrad exclaimed and stretched out his right hand. Dazzling jade light erupted from his form, morphing into a massive jade greatsword whose pommel landed within his clutch.
Wielding it, the intensity of Konrad's aura rose to shocking heights.
His sword drew a perfect arc, releasing an overbearing force that spread throughout the atmosphere!
From the sky, thunderstorms dropped!
From the ground, thousands of enormous boulders rose!
And in-between, jade-colored flames erupted to meet the legion of Saints' assault!
Thus, the battle began!
