A stirring symphony resounded through the void, pure black notes filling the emptiness and annihilating every demon that charged forward. Felix seized the opportunity the Witch King had created for him, transforming into a streak of blazing flame as he spread his blue-gold wings and struck with his sword toward the deepest part of the void.
The blade had arrived.
The flames were swallowed whole, yet even so, they left a scar upon the structure.
In this bizarre and fantastical world, Felix believed that so long as he believed his sword could leave a wound, then it would.
The structure could bear scars.
As long as his conviction remained firm, that alone was enough.
In a world where materialism had already collapsed and been swallowed away, Felix chose to trust his own heart, and the sword in his hand.
Crack.
Like a glass bursting, the sound tore open a massive hole in the void. It was brilliant, but wrong.
The twisted mosaic, the broken sounds, the wind and snow striking his face...
The structure split cleanly in two, and the empty world of nothingness slowly began to fill again with reality.
Felix turned his head and saw the tower of Leithanien within the void gradually sinking downward.
"Thank you for taking the initiative."
"Heh. In this void, if they dared provoke me, they would only be making fools of themselves."
The Witch King slowly shook his head, then settled back upon his throne. "The land of Terra has already been infiltrated. The world was full of holes, and the strange movements of the demons were only one sign of that, though the most serious."
"This is the limit of what I can do. The road ahead is now for you young people to pave."
"Do you know what lies behind that Stargate?"
"I do not."
The Witch King shook his head. "The only thing I can confirm is that my detection lost all effect the moment it touched the Stargate you mentioned. Beyond that gate... there may no longer even be Terra."
Felix watched as the Witch King gradually vanished into the void. Once more, he swung his sword and cut down the obstacles before him. Snowflakes drifted softly to the ground, only to be burned away by blue flames.
"Your Highness! Your Highness, can you hear me?"
The anxious shouts pulled Felix back to his senses. He turned and looked toward the battleship in the distance.
Without realizing it, he had already ventured alone deep into enemy territory.
But the results were gratifying.
In this battle, terranity had pushed forward several hundred kilometers, and they were now only a few battles away from the Stargate.
No...
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say they were only one step away.
"Withdraw. Confirm casualties. Then advance again."
Felix gave the order clearly. He sheathed his longsword and strode back toward the battleship. With the Stargate looming in the distance, the truth hidden behind it seemed to be slowly drawing near.
Although this battle had brought casualties, it was, overall, a great victory. The battleships roared forward, carrying the warriors deeper into the northern interior. With the help of the Seaborn, Kazdel's main force was able to move steadily across the snowfields.
The road ahead grew more and more difficult. In some places, it was no longer normal land at all, but a void consumed by nothingness. There was nothing there: no sound, no temperature, no light. After an entire scouting unit sent by the intelligence division was swallowed whole by the void, the research department decisively abandoned the suicidal idea of sending anyone else in to investigate.
Following behind Kazdel, the second batch of Yan's battleships also ventured into the deep northern reaches. General Zuo, who had been placed in command of this operation, carried upon his shoulders not only the future of Yan, but also the lives of the millions of soldiers advancing under his command.
He looked toward the distant horizon with a grave expression. "This is the fourth wave in three days. The deeper we advance into the Northern Territory, the more aggressive the demons become."
"The soldiers are ready to attack." The lieutenant bowed. "General, all are prepared. They are only waiting for the order to enter battle and slay the demons."
"Such is the fate of the battlefield." General Zuo pressed his lips together. "I never imagined that one day we would reverse the tide and go from defense to offense. Very well then, Chongyue, what are your thoughts?"
The young man aboard another battleship answered in a deep voice, "The Tianshi are ready. I will personally go to the front lines and fight."
General Zuo said no more. He simply gave a slow nod.
For this battle, the Emperor of Yan had chosen to cooperate with the fragments of the Sui Beast. Faced with a catastrophe that threatened the destruction of the world itself, even the Sui Beast's fragments had nowhere left to run. At worst, they could simply part ways afterward. Moreover, the Emperor of Yan was well aware of the relationship between the Sui fragments and the Liberation King. He would never choose to do something so foolish as harming his own allies while pleasing his enemies.
The prisoner who had once been held for centuries had now been released by Chongyue and placed in charge of strategic planning aboard Chongyue's battleship. In addition to him, the other Sui fragments were also aboard that ship. Whether on the front lines, in the rear treating the wounded and saving lives, or handling logistics, they were all doing their utmost to make use of their abilities.
The actions of the Sui fragments had unexpectedly allowed the warriors of Yan to truly understand just what kind of power these beings possessed.
It could only be said that the fragments of the Sui Beast were usually far too gentle, as if they never truly lost their temper. After witnessing the earth-shaking battle prowess of these fragments, Zuo Le, the Candleholder, could not help but wipe away a bead of cold sweat. The only reason he had managed to keep his post until now was because these Sui fragments still acknowledged him as one of Yan's own and did not make trouble for a junior like him. Otherwise, Zuo Le felt that on his very first day in office, he might well have been slapped to death.
"Nian, have you checked the protective equipment we gave the Tianshi yet?"
As she spoke, Shu pushed open the door and entered the workshop. She was carrying several generations of components, which she set down on the table. When she saw Nian still wearing her earphones and focusing intently on tinkering with the equipment, she could not help but sigh.
"Hey, Sister Shu, what brings you here?" Nian tilted her head. "Let me guess. Did the Tianshi and their people run out of blueprints for the new project, or is there a problem with the concept equipment I'm designing for the soldiers?"
Shu shook her head. "Big brother is going to the battlefield himself."
At those words, Nian's smile disappeared. She set down her tools. "Brother really is something. Though I know this is the burden and duty he has carried all these years, guarding Yumen... well, at this point, no one would dare object anyway, right?"
"Besides our elder brother, our younger sister is also going to the battlefield. What about our own tasks?"
"Elder brother thinks we should use one day to build a defensive outpost in the snowfield ahead, before the next wave of demons arrives."
"One day?"
Hearing Shu's words, Nian scratched her cheek and muttered, "Well, since we're already here, aren't we?"
She quickly rose from her chair and muttered under her breath, "When is this war ever going to end?"
"Does Sister Nian want it to end as soon as possible?"
"Of course. Fighting every day is no fun at all. Every moment, people are sacrificing themselves, and every moment, the flames of war are reignited. I don't want to go through a war like that again." Nian puffed out her cheeks and muttered quietly, "Besides, I haven't seen... since the war started."
Shu gently stroked Nian's hair. "I believe your feelings will surely reach his heart."
"Damn it. It's all because of those demons and their twisted laws. Long-distance communication has been completely ruined. Now we still have to rely on messengers to carry letters back and forth."
After complaining for a while, the two walked out into the narrow corridor. After passing two intersections, Shu temporarily parted ways with Nian, since she still needed to sort out the supplies. Nian, meanwhile, headed straight for the engineering department.
There, she saw the Daoist priests and the workers.
"A new mission has been assigned."
___
Resolute footsteps echoed from one end of the corridor to the other. Fully armed and led by Chongyue, the warriors of Yan marched proudly into the unknown snowfield.
The anti-aircraft guns had already locked onto the demon horde not far away, waiting only for Chongyue's command.
Ling found a spot for herself and leaned casually against the bridge railing, ready to watch.
She looked as if she might tumble over at any moment, yet she merely crossed her legs with careless ease, gazing out at the endless snowfield in the distance, a landscape that looked bugged and broken, while taking a sip of wine.
At a moment like this, she truly wished she could see Young Master, share a drink with him, and let him taste a sip of this wine. But with such a distance between them, the two of them could now meet only in dreams.
She drained the wine in one gulp and let out a long sigh. The azure dragon in her hand rose into the air from afar, then split into three towering dragons that surged forward.
"Anti-aircraft guns, fire!"
The three colossal azure dragons immediately began tearing through the demon horde. This was the first time the demons had ever faced such an enemy, and before they could mount any real resistance, most had already been killed or wounded. Yet when confronted with the anti-aircraft guns, they reacted very differently. Jet-black shields formed in their hands, and they raised them before themselves, beginning to swallow up the incredibly powerful bullets flying toward them.
"It seems the feedback from the anti-aircraft guns is no longer enough for us to keep relying on them." General Zuo took a deep breath. "Fortunately, we still have electromagnetic weapons... Chongyue, let's move."
"Understood."
Chongyue narrowed his eyes. Under the devastation wrought by the azure dragons, only a few thousand demons had managed to begin their charge. For the warriors of Yan, that number was still manageable.
Without hesitation, Chongyue launched his own attack.
Faced with the incoming demons, he showed not the slightest fear. With a smooth palm strike followed by a punch, he severed the heads of several demon warriors in succession. Then, with a swift twist of his body, he crushed the skulls of two more demons with a side kick. As he turned again, his arms moved like the wings of a roc, transforming into streams of golden light.
The force swept up dozens of demons at once and hurled them into the sky, where they shattered into pieces upon crashing back down.
Such methods might bring only temporary relief, but for now, they were enough.
The demons were evolving. After today's defeat, they would soon find a way to deal with Ling's azure summoned dragons. No one yet knew what form that countermeasure would take, but Chongyue did not slow his steps or his fists. In the end, this war would very likely become a true bloodbath.
The Terrans had tried everything: battleships, incendiary weapons, explosives. Yet as the demons continued to evolve, those weapons gradually lost the power they once held. Perhaps that meant one thing: the demons could never be defeated twice by the same method.
After securing this victory, Chongyue began reorganizing his forces. The next time he appeared, he was already leading the Tianshi and the engineering team in urgent work. Family affection was family affection, but an order was still an order.
Just as Chongyue was escorting the wounded back toward the battleship, General Zuo called him over. In his hand was a handwritten letter from Felix.
"The Liberation King is already advancing toward the Stargate. He needs our support."
"General Zuo, what do you mean?"
"After two days of rest, most of the demons' forces have already retreated toward the Stargate. What we must do next is move there as well, so that when the true decisive battle begins, we will be in position."
At those words, Chongyue smiled. "General Zuo, then let us do it this way. From this point onward, in every battle, I will lead from the front."
"In truth, that is how you have fought in every war before this as well." General Zuo bowed deeply to Chongyue, then slowly raised his hands in a formal salute. "I am counting on you now."
Chongyue smiled and accepted.
___
Vina also received a handwritten letter from Felix. Ever since they parted at the Kazdel war conference, Vina had not seen him again. Although the two of them had never stopped exchanging letters, Vina still found herself missing that brief warmth she had once felt at Felix's side.
"Report the situation, Horn."
"Yes. Victoria's tanks are awaiting the order to attack. Fifty percent are manned by soldiers of the Victoria Exemplary Army, and the other fifty percent by elite Tempest Platoons. We will strike straight at the enemy's heart and completely destroy the collapsed structure at the center of their formation."
Vina nodded. "Any news from the western front?"
"Not yet. The western front has been entrusted to Her Majesty Queen Eblana, so there should be no problems," Horn replied, hands behind her back. "Correspondence is frequent and uninterrupted."
"Mm."
Vina gave no particular reaction. Although she did not especially like Eblana, she still hoped Eblana would win on the western front. If she were to lose, Victoria would face enemies both from the north and the west, and that would be disastrous for Victoria.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to personally supervise the battle."
Under Vina's watchful gaze, Horn picked up her city-defense cannon and walked off the bridge.
The war in Victoria had officially begun. With its long-established industrial foundation, Victoria was also the third-largest power in terms of the number of battleships it possessed. After the roar of the electromagnetic cannons, the sweeping advance of the tanks, and the desperate assault of the Exemplary Army and the Tempest Platoons, this important strategic position had finally been captured.
Vina still felt that the pace was not fast enough. She looked at the position marked on the map, then at her own current location, and clenched her teeth.
"I still have to move faster."
___
In Laterano, battleships spat out volleys of Originium shells. Before them marched thousands of massive silver-white figures clad in mechanical armor, each one advancing slowly but steadily while carrying an Originium machine gun.
Do not ask how such absurd equipment came to exist. That had been Felix's decision. Because the armor had been enchanted with protective arts to resist corrosion, and because the demons' resistance to bullets was not yet particularly strong, the result was this strange sight: the great warriors of Laterano carrying machine guns and firing straight ahead.
The Pope held Felix's letter in his hand.
That day had finally come.
The final battle.
And beyond the Stargate, what exactly awaited them?