Unlike Faeast, Winterosch was ruled by its aristocrats. The king of Winterosch was like a leader of a big alliance. He had limited power at his disposal. So, he would have to curry the aristocrats' favors if he wanted to keep a firm grip on his position. That was why Nox said Winterosch was only a great nation in name.This command center was under the command of a Winterosch duke, Lord Berial."Good plan, duke. The Faeastian army thinks we're scared of them because there are no guards on the borders. They will come deeper into our land. If they want to attack the capital, the pass of Endriver Peak will be their doom."Even if they try to attack other cities, our nation has plenty of land, but few people scattered across the board. We've taken all the supplies from the cities on their way. Eventually, their soldiers will fall due to their lack of supplies," all the nobilities praised. Berial was also of the mind that his plan was flawless. This war would be a shoo-in for victory
All the nobilities in the military base were soon decapitated. The guards and advisors were slaughtered as well. A thousand or so corpses filled the land. After their mission was done, Keith led his team to their next assignment.Bear and his team took the transport aircraft and flew to Endriver Pass. Endriver's Pass was an important Winterosch town. It was the buffer between the path outside and the abundant land within. If this town were to fall, Faeast's army could march straight to the capital in two days. Black Tortoise's army was about thirty miles away from Endriver Pass. At their speed, they needed only an hour to get there. A battle was at hand. Yet, the defending forces of Endriver Pass fell into disarray. All three million soldiers were in chaos. Not too long ago, they had lost contact with the command center giving them their orders. To make matters worse, these soldiers came from three dozen different places.The commander in charge of Endriver Pass couldn't possib
"Someone send Diro an official challenge," said Black Tortoise.An official challenge written with mockery dripping between its lines was given to Diro a while later."Don't back off, Diro. Black Tortoise is nothing. He's Nox's weakest general!"'"Yeah! We can't have Faeast looking down on us!""Our warriors have a god's blood flowing in their veins! Faeastians are nothing but pigs! They are no threat!"The generals were all egging Diro on. It was obvious they wanted him to take the challenge. Winterosch was a nation that obeyed no one but the strong. If Diro refused to face the challenge, they would have a good reason to disobey him.Diro looked grim. The challenge was definitely sent as a provocation. However, Diro knew about the history between Winterosch and Faeast. They had no bad blood. Most of Winterosch was deep in the land of the snow. Every other spot was practically barren as well. They barely had any resources to develop those lands.Truth be told, Faeast would hel
The aristocrats were interested in what Diro was pitching. They were going to get all the glory. Plus, descendants of the divine would be here soon. Prior to this, they planned to have Diro fight Black Tortoise in single combat. If he won, then all would be well. If he lost and died… Well, they would just flee.Faeast's attack had nothing to do with them. However, they wouldn't let a chance to please the gods go now that it was right in their grasp. The aristocrats were scoffing at Diro a while ago, but now they were quick to agree with his plan.Black Tortoise was furious when he heard Diro's refusal. "He's telling us to retreat? Does he think war is a game? He wants to negotiate with us? He can't represent Winterosch! Even if he could, he should be begging for mercy instead of negotiating for it!"He commanded, "Heed my order! Attack that town now!" He cast Sacred Beast Seal When the gigantic beast stomped the ground. Winterosch soldiers' morale plummeted to the abyss the second
Jacques accepted the message, and the roar that came afterward made his skin crawl. "How dare you sell me out, you cur! I knew your family's a bunch of traitorous bastards! You sold us out just because that demon's got the upper hand?"Jacques was stunned. He had no idea what this guy was talking about."Shit, I knew it. Nox has already made his move." Aphrodite was not surprised. All they had to do was nothing, and everything Nox did in this battle would be futile. However, it was too late to change their course now.Jacques had no choice but to ask for clarification."Don't play dumb with me, you cur! You told Nox that the temple's sending in our warriors, and he ambushed them while they were on the way! He killed them all! "We lost a high priest because of you. The remaining three were taken out as of just now! Even the twelve guardians are dead! He almost got me too!"The Ice Temple guy was losing his head in his rage and fear. Aphrodite had a feeling something had gone horr
A high and mighty god, crawling like a dog before Nox. The vice-Lord didn't even dare make any sudden movement in the face of Nox's cold gaze, rightfully fearing he might have his head lopped off with one wrong move.A long while later, he whined fearfully, "I have done as you told me to, Lord Nox. You promised to spare me.""And I am a man of my word."The vice-Lord shed tears of happiness. He was glad that Nox was nothing like the Mystians. At least he was a man of his word. "Then, I shall take my leave." He got up and tried to scurry off."When did I say you could leave?" intoned Nox coldly.The vice-Lord shivered in his boots. He was too scared to even turn around and meet Nox's gaze. Instead, he crawled over to Nox."I did say I would spare you, but I said nothing about letting you leave so easily."The vice-Lord understood what he was saying. Nox would take away his powers. A mysterious talisman flew into the vice-Lord's back and controlled his live vein."Soulcatching Ta
"Alas, Aphrodite is no fool. There's a reason she managed to wrap two temples around her pinky."The vice-Lord had no answer to that. Although Jacques might not be able to come up with a counter plan so quickly, he would inform Aphrodite the moment he lost contact with the temples. She was certainly smart enough to come up with a plan."We're going to Mount Ragnarok." Nox controlled his sword with his energy and blasted off to Mount Ragnarok like a comet. The vice-Lord finally realized that this was Nox's plan.He hastily activated a Celestial technique and hopped onto a cloud to follow Nox. Mount Ragnarok was the place where the gods of Winterosch mythology rested. It was the last bastion of the world during the prophesied end days.After Faeast declared war on Winterosch, the emperor and a thousand of his followers retreated from the capital and went straight to Mount Ragnarok to avoid the coming battle.As the place where gods rested, there were Assad gods here. Hence, Winteros
Mount Ragnarok was the sacred land of the gods. Though it had barely any defensive force, there were a lot of divine servants here. Divine servants were the most loyal slaves of the gods.In a nation where gods reigned supreme, they were the upper class. Half of Winterosch's income was taken by these divine servants. They lived in the sacred land of the gods. Being ambassadors of the gods in the Mortal World, they enjoyed a high status.Unbeknownst to most people, they led decadent lives and gave in to all their desires. These fat pigs couldn't even run away from the agents of death. Some even went down on their knees and begged for mercy.The black-robed intruders did not stop just because someone begged for mercy. The emperor of Winterosch felt like he was losing his mind seeing this massacre happen. He spent so much money getting the support of these servants. He needed them to control the aristocrats so he could remain as emperor.His royal guards were all taken out. Without an
Their targets were the relics around the altars. The moment the whirlpool showed up, the black energy conjured black walls and kept Brundela on lockdown, cutting off all communications.Possessed by evil spirits, gods from ancient civilizations came back to life. In the underground graveyard, the dead came bursting out of their coffins, and skeletons with phantom flames flickering around them charged at the holy knights and James' secret agents.Nothing more needed to be said. The holy knights' leader led the charge. The other knights resolved to fight to the death as they battled the skeleton gods.James and his secret agents fired off at the enemies, but the bullets did nothing to the skeletons. All they managed was to light a big spark. Only grenades and howitzers could deal damage to them, and even then, the damage was light.The battle was fierce. Though the knights did not fear death, they were still weaker than the prehistoric gods. These skeletons were nigh invincible, and
Nox was hovering higher than the Ice Temple Lord, and he got everyone's attention."Who's that?""It's a Faeastian!""My God, it's the Nine-State Lord!" Nox was known throughout Faeast and the world. Brundela's council members had recognized him the moment he showed up. They had nothing but fear for gods, yet Nox was the strongest man in the Mortal World, so they respected him.The clouds in Brundela's skies were hanging heavily over the ground, and the icy aura they radiated was making everyone shiver. Winter seemed to have come early for Brundela. The temperature was dipping fast.Back in the control center, intelligence agents were watching the surveillance footage closely, and they noticed the altar. The Twilight Order and Ice Temple cultivators were there, strengthening the altars' seal the best they could. There were soldiers guarding the altar as well.For some reason, the secret agents had a feeling something bad was going to happen. Murphy's Law, as they said.Suddenly,
A sliver of energy flew out of the puppet and gathered natural energy around it. Then, the temperature rose at a blistering rate. Fortunately, Bard's reminder came just in time, and Vermilion Bird was prepared for this. She led her team away from the spot.A pillar of fire engulfed the building, and heat waves shot off in every direction, lethal and deadly. The light eventually faded, and all buildings in a few hundred yards were razed to the ground.If Vermilion Bird had killed the puppet without thinking just now, she would have lost all her men and suffered serious injuries. "That bitch! I'm going to make her into a human swine one day! I'll give her hell!" she cursed.Bard gasped. 'Yeah, women can be really terrifying.' Not one General was a normal person.This incident didn't escape Nox, of course. He saw it through his divine sense. "Heh, you can't fight the flow of history? You say that, Aphrodite, but you've done the same thing more than once. Schemes and plots when your ey
Aphrodite was a master manipulator. She knew the weaknesses of Nox's underlings, and she praised Bard, "At least you know where you stand, Bard. You never overreach. Though we failed to make you one of us, I still thought it'd be a shame to kill you."Bard smiled. "Oh, you're such an actor, Ms. Mousse. You know why we don't like you? Queenie is a genuine lady, just like our lord. You're far inferior to her. And don't flatter yourself. Of course, I know where I stand. I can't even reach the pinnacle of martial arts, let alone cultivation."No matter how smart I am, my lack of talents holds me back. I can never be made an important leader." He was only spared because he couldn't become a threat to the Mousses.Nox didn't use schemes because he didn't need them. Absolute power could trump any plot.Vermilion Bird clenched her teeth. "What is the meaning of this? The lord knows that the bitch is here?"Bard shook his head. Vermilion Bird was a smart woman, but Aphrodite made her lose
Aphrodite felt nothing but sorrow, and Vermilion Bird burst into laughter. "I expected nothing less from these people. Your men are just like their employers. Hey, knights, you guys want to find out more about Faeast martial arts? See those Mousse guys? They're masters. Deal with them."Vermilion Bird gave her orders. She knew these people would escape the moment she showed up. The knights flew off, going after the escaped Mousses. The Mousses were a family of warriors, while these knights were cultivators, to an extent. They wore mystical artifacts, and the Mousses' guys didn't have something like that.The battle was fierce but short. The Mousses' powerhouses were taken out, and the rest were dealt with by the Shadow Division."And now only you're left. Interesting, isn't it? Karma always bites you in the ass. You betrayed my lord, and now your men betray you. You deserve this," Vermilion Bird cursed."Yes, I deserve this, but as long as he wants to be the Nine-State Lord, then w
'The beating heart of this land?' The woman's underlings looked grim. They were supposed to be the master tacticians here. Yet, Nox played them like a cheap kazoo. 'He's a far better tactician than we expected!'Nox began his counterattack not long after the Ocean of Death incident. This woman was none other than Aphrodite, Nox's old flame. When she saw Brundela's fate stabilizing, she knew right then that things had gotten out of her hands."Tell the Mousses in Eropa to retreat right away. There is no need to stay here any longer. He's not attacking us because he's waiting for us to do the same. The moment our men try to start anything, he'll swoop in and take them all out. "No one can beat him if he decides to go all the way. Not even me," said Aphrodite.Suddenly, the Mousses' powerhouse noticed something. "I sense bloodlust. Who goes there? Show yourself!" The powerhouses unsheathed their weapons and stood around Aphrodite, protecting her.A group of black silhouettes appeare
Now they had one, and it was Elizabeth. Her speech awakened the bravery and courage lying within the people of Brundela. An overwhelming majority of the council members stood up and chanted, "Long live the queen! Long live Brundela!""Good." Nox noticed something. The fate of Brundela stopped its downward shift and was stabilizing."The Mortal World and mortals. The Realm of the Gods has been here for millennia, and still, I can't figure out how mortals work." The Ice Temple Lord was confused. These mortals were prone to deception and scams. They were weak and frail. Yet, they had the potential to unleash strength that could shock even the gods."It's solidarity. You guys wouldn't get it. You call yourselves gods and lock yourselves up in the Realm of the Gods. You try to enslave the world despite being so out of touch with it."Do you know why I call you false gods? True gods are omnipotent. Their word is law. They can change the rules that govern this world just by saying it, b
Ice Temple's Lord didn't even look at Dickson. The man was so crushed that there wasn't even a hint of arrogance left in his soul. The Ice Temple's Lord's technique locked his spirit. So, it was not severely weakened. Thus, He would die very soon, even without the Ice Temple's Lord attacking him."Please, leader of gods. You are the only true god. I swear my undying loyalty to you. Spare me, please!" Dickson begged for his life.Dickson finally met his match. The arrogant would-be king couldn't even do anything against the Ice Temple's Lord."Oh, I can save you, but what makes you think you're worth it? You're lower than scum, and you think you have the right to ask for my favor? Repent and pray, then I might make it quick for you. Refuse, and only unending hell awaits."That threat scared Dickson. He cried and begged for mercy. He cursed his own soul and put his faith in a god stronger than his master."And you think you deserve the gift of life, maggot? Open your eyes, mortals
Two cultivators were fighting in mid-air, while the other Ice Temple cultivators made an invisible barrier to keep them in, or the council hall would be destroyed from the impact of the fight.The battle was awe-inspiring, and Dickson became smug. So what if his enemy was a leader of gods? Perhaps he was no match for one, but the Assad gods could easily destroy him if a slave could fight him for a prolonged period.Ice Temple's Lord realized that Dickson couldn't feel pain as the essence had nearly devoured his spirit. He was nothing if not feral, and he did not fear death at all. A brilliant idea appeared in his mind. He could create an army of fearless gods if he could get his hands on this technique.Nox said telepathically, "How much longer are you going to take? He's just a useless tribute. Do you honestly want to keep this up until he burns himself away?"Ice Temple's Lord's pupils contracted, and he looked at Nox. Nox looked up from his book. The Ice Temple Lord thought th