Aurelion was confused by Strider's instructions. "Sir, we've got a hundred and fifty thousand men, so why not send all of them? Wouldn't that increase our chances of winning?"Strider glanced at Aurelion before jumping down from the tree. "None of our men have had a proper meal over the past seven days, so they won't be at their fighting best. Plus, we don’t need that many people. By my count, ten thousand of our elites will do the trick."Aurelion took a deep breath. He had no doubts about Strider's abilities. When the Eight Hollows invaded them, everyone saw how Strider had defended their country on Jerome's behalf. Thus, Aurelion said, "On your orders, sir." Strider instructed, "Have everyone bring all their food and redistribute them to our brothers who will be storming the base. Let's give them a proper meal before they go. We storm the base in two hours.""Yes, sir." Aurelion immediately made the arrangements.All the remaining food was gathered and Strider picked out five
Strider looked up at the giant shadow in the sky and continued, "Do you see those eyes up there? It's staring at us as we speak. We've lost more than half of our men, and I think it's the same everywhere else. There’s a chance they’re no longer alive. Also, I'm not actually worried about them. Instead, it's…""What is it?" Aurelion asked. Strider pointed to the sky. "The fact that it's watching us means there will be more monsters when we attack the base. What should we do then?""A-Are you saying the number of monsters will increase?" Aurelion asked in shock."I think that shadow is the one who sent all those monsters here, so if it's still watching us, there's no way it will allow us to reclaim our base so easily. The shadow will probably send more monsters when we make our move.""Is that why you aren’t sending all of our men into the base?" "The more men I send in, the more monsters we'll have to face. This is our only option. I need you to arrange for a second group if the
A bloody battle broke out at the foot of Evercrest Mountain. Horns sounded, lightning struck, and blood splattered through the air. The soldiers charged into the base, relentlessly fighting against the monsters. Strider led the charge, entering the enemy’s ranks with his team. They were going to take up the most advantageous position inside the base, allowing them access to more advanced weaponry.***While the battle at Evercrest Mountain ensued, Sage was leading her own group across a grassy plain thousands of kilometers away. They were outside Geras City, a third-tier city located on the Geras Plains. Sage had been defending the city's borders when the reset happened.There were close to fifty thousand men all over the plains, each of them armed and fighting against the monsters charging out of Geras City. Half of the eight hundred and seventy thousand soldiers under Sage’s command were lost during the reset. Now, she was left with approximately two hundred and thirty thousand.
Meanwhile, Remy was stuck in a tough battle. The eighteen-year-old, who had been unsuccessful in becoming the next legate, had left his siblings behind for the sake of taking over a city. He knew how important it was to have a city under his control at that moment, which would allow them access to wireless communication. Many cities all over Novemton engaged in battle. Some of them were led by members of Wyvern Peak who came together to try and secure resources, while others were groups of civilians fighting to survive.The whole world was fighting against the monsters, be it offensively or defensively.***Adrian led his group toward Novemton. Along the way, he told Helen and the other women what was happening. They finally learned how severe the situation was.The group was met with numerous monster attacks, but fortunately, none of them were injured or dead. Aside from making their way to Novemton, Adrian looked for more survivors. Whenever they passed a village or a county, h
There were two forces battling inside the city. Adrian could not determine how many civilians were inside Cloudton, and he did not know which side were the good guys. There was even a chance both sides were villains. There were many civilians within his own group, so he could not lead these ordinary people into the city in case something unexpected happened. The only thing he could do was send some people into Cloudton and decide what to do after gaining more information. The ladies were the best candidates for the task. As Helen and her sisters were beautiful, their infiltration into Cloudton would be close to effortless. Without hesitation, Helen said, "Okay, we'll head inside and take a look." She chose a dozen of her sisters and headed to Cloudton. “Susan, I need you to inform me immediately if anything happens. Be careful not to let anyone know you have a communicator.""Don't worry, sir. I'm really good at my job."Susan pulled a face at Adrian. She had joined Bloody Ro
Helen smiled. "We've disguised ourselves as helpless women, so I'm sure they’ll welcome us in a heartbeat. After all, women are extremely precious in this climate."And Helen’s words were indeed correct. Many women were spared from the reset but most were killed by the monsters, far more than the number of men killed. Because of this, the number of women in the world's population had decreased drastically, especially those as pretty as Helen and her sisters.Helen's sisters shivered when they heard this. "Those men will surely try something funny after we enter the city. What should we do?""Let's play it by ear. I'm sure decent men won’t take advantage of the situation." "Okay." Helen and the others approached Cloudton, and the guards noticed them. An armed young man's eyes went wide when he saw them and yelled, "Alain, it looks like those women are here to seek refuge."Everyone immediately turned over when they heard this. A middle-aged man by the name of Alain Fonzi rubbed
The other men raised their guns and surrounded the women. They smiled, unable to conceal their excitement. A few of them even began to choose which woman they would like to enjoy. Alain coughed and said, "They're not monsters, so put your guns down.” Everyone lowered their guns upon command. Alain acted like a gentleman as he walked toward Helen. "I'm sorry, but may I know where you all came from? Did something happen? You're currently in Cloudton. Are you here to seek refuge?"The women pretended to be weak, concealing their murderous intent. After all, each of these women was gorgeous but deadly. Any one of them could handle more than a hundred men in a fight and they had skill sets that surpassed many. Helen smiled. "We escaped from a nearby city. We're tired and exhausted and would like a place to seek shelter. What's the situation in Cloudton right now? Our city was overrun by monsters, so we had to escape. It was so difficult."Everyone smiled when they heard this. Hara
"Think about it. There aren't many women inside the city, let alone pretty ones. In fact, most of the people inside are fighting each other over the women. If you all go inside, the men will surely take you. When that happens…" Harald trailed off mid-sentence, allowing the women to come to their own conclusions.Helen seemed shocked. "Why would anyone behave this way? Can't we all just stick together during this chaos?" "There is no order among the men of the city. Some of them are trying to become the sole leader, and the place becomes more chaotic every day. I’m really worried about letting you ladies in." Alain sighed. "What should we do then? I'm starving, and it's been so long since I've taken a shower. I'd really love to have a bath right now." Susan looked frightened, but this excited the men even more.Harald said, "Don't worry. There may be bad men in the city, but I’m here, aren't I? If you ladies sneak into the city with me, I'll take you to my place directly. I live i
The Daemon Emperor was startled."What is happening? This power..."Formless energy was surging forward, pressuring his nerves and senses.Below, Andy and the others trembled uncontrollably."Who is it?" Finnian stared into the crimson mist.Even Andy was horrified, his gaze locked on the unfolding scene in disbelief, and asked, "What is this? What exactly is happening?" At this moment, Adrian abruptly opened his eyes.Apparently, the Daemon Emperor had once conspired with Adrian's subordinates to ambush him.However, Adrian had managed to annihilate the traitors and sealed this Daemon Emperor. Now, fate had brought them together again."If I killed you once, I can kill you again." Adrian stood tall, his white robes fluttering in the air.The Daemon Emperor was stunned into silence."This is impossible! You're not that mortal boy!""Is that so? In this life, your end has come, and so has the era of the daemons." Adrian's voice was calm yet resolute. He stretched out his han
Adrian's face hardened at the words. He despised threats above all else. While he understood what the mysterious entity desired, he couldn't yet fully comprehend its implications or find a way to counter it. His only choice was to focus on growing stronger.Within the hot spring, waves of raw, terrifying power surged and crashed violently against Adrian's body.The force, though beneficial, was brutal and overwhelming. Adrian's body struggled to endure, cracking as though it were disintegrating."Arghhh!"A heart-wrenching scream echoed as Adrian's flesh was torn apart and his aura gradually dimmed."Ahhh!"His agonized cries echoed once more. He could no longer withstand the pain.In the distance, a towering figure appeared and sneered. "What's this? Can't take it anymore? Pathetic. Humans are truly the epitome of stupidity."Suddenly, Adrian erupted with an explosive surge of energy, and in that instant, he broke through to the pinnacle of the Void Stage."Hmm? He actually b
At that moment, the crowd was speechless.Adrian had ascended as if it were the easiest thing in the world.Faced with such a sight, no one could say much beyond admiration. Even if the Holy Son claimed Adrian had cheated, many secretly wished they could cheat the same way.Lacking Adrian's means, all they could do was envy him.Finnian chuckled. "Haha! You really caught us all by surprise, kid. Still, I'll count this as you repaying me a favor."For Finnian, the outcome couldn't have been better. With a broad smile, he seemed to have achieved his desired result. Adrian's successful climb was all that mattered to him.Once Adrian had vanished, the focus shifted to the rest of the group and their trials.When Adrian opened his eyes again, his entire body ached, but an oddly comforting sensation flowed through him. Surveying his surroundings, he realized he was now in a pond."Where am I?" he asked.Though uncertain about the place, Adrian knew he had cleared the trial and arriv
The onlookers stared in bewilderment, their faces etched with confusion as they struggled to grasp the unfolding events.Meanwhile, Adrian seethed with barely contained rage. This wasn't his first encounter with such torment. Every few steps he ascended, another trial awaited.To Adrian, the relentless punishments felt suffocating. Yet he pressed on—this was the final stretch of the climb. "Adrian, hang in there!" Andy shouted, urging him to conquer the last step. To Andy, reaching that final step symbolized Adrian's growth. He had witnessed Adrian's remarkable resilience countless times and held unwavering faith in his potential. In Andy's eyes, Adrian was destined for greatness. Adrian's expression turned cold as he locked his gaze on the steps ahead. Determination flickered in his eyes. "If reaching the top guarantees a reward, it doesn't have to be me up there. As long as someone makes it, that's enough." With that, he shifted his focus to the void above and formed
Adrian felt as if every nerve in his body was beyond his control. A deep sense of grievance filled his heart as the divine thunder from the void relentlessly crashed down.Rage surged within him, but under the onslaught of endless forces, he felt weak and constrained.Still, he had no choice but to press forward. He knew victory was within reach if he could endure a little longer—giving up now would mean death.If he fell, the shame and humiliation would crush him.Below, the Holy Son and others waited, eager to see him fail and mock him. This left Adrian no option but to push forward, striving toward the void above and his ultimate goal.The violent forces continued to bombard him from the sky.With every step, the thunder's impact intensified tenfold. His soul, already battered from a fierce battle with a horde of beasts, now felt as though it was dragging his exhausted body forward.Anyone else would likely have succumbed to despair. After all, under such immense pressure, ev
The oppressive forces descending from the void seemed determined to halt Adrian’s ascent up the staircase.Yet he refused to yield. To him, these overwhelming challenges were merely obstacles to conquer.He pressed forward with relentless determination.Thunderbolts continued to rain down, but the ominous red light from before did not return—a relief, as he never wished to endure its crushing weight again.The memory of that light still haunted him, leaving a lingering sense of helplessness. Its suffocating pressure had drained his strength, reducing him to a gasping, powerless state.Despite the toll on his body and mind, Adrian remained singularly focused on reaching the final step. His burning desire for greater power drove him forward, unwavering and resolute.Step by step, he ascended, reaching the 95th step in what felt like an instant.Only five steps remained. His gaze locked onto the summit, and a wild glint lit his eyes. A daring idea sparked within him, consuming his
Adrian pondered his situation, his cold gaze reflecting simmering frustration. Yet deep down, he recognized that whoever had designed the staircase was far from ordinary.Creating such a formidable trial required unimaginable power.Even a pinnacle Void Stage expert—or perhaps someone of the Multiply Stage—might bow in reverence before the ladder's creator."He won't last much longer. The divine lightning in this void is utterly destructive. In moments, he'll be reduced to ashes," sneered the Holy Son, his sharp eyes gleaming with malice.To the Holy Son, Adrian's demise was inevitable. Adrian had dared to offend him, and he was certain such audacity could only lead to death.Adrian caught the Holy Son's words and cast him a frosty glare. His intent to kill was unmistakable, though now wasn't the time.The staircase was no place for personal vendettas—eliminating him here would require careful planning.He also knew the Holy Son carried seals of immense power. A reckless move co
Finnian's sharp gaze reflected a hint of admiration. "Kid, you owe me a big favor this time. You'd better treasure this opportunity."Adrian remained silent, unsure how to respond. His cold eyes revealed no emotion, though he fully grasped the challenges ahead.Fear was a luxury he couldn't afford—he'd come too far to back down now.Suddenly, a streak of red light surged from the void, hurtling toward Adrian with terrifying speed. His eyes widened in shock as the crimson beam struck him, slamming him against the staircase.Caught off guard, Adrian collapsed, sprawled helplessly on the steps.The crowd below watched in astonishment. No one had expected his seemingly indestructible body to be overwhelmed so easily.The Holy Son sneered. "Haha! It seems he's triggered some kind of taboo. Let's see how arrogant he is now!"His voice dripped with schadenfreude, his eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction as he relished Adrian's struggle.Despite the crushing force, Adrian refused
"What exactly is up there pulling me so strongly?" Adrian's expression hardened as he pondered the mysterious force drawing him upward.A surge of violent energy erupted across the sky, crashing down like a raging storm.Adrian advanced cautiously, each step deliberate and precise.Gone were the reckless strides of before—now he moved with steely determination, fully aware of the lurking dangers.He'd learned that the void's formidable forces seemed to target him directly, compelling him to proceed step by step. Any attempt to bypass its unseen barriers would provoke a devastating strike."Ridiculous," Adrian muttered. "If I've chosen to climb, nothing will stop me."The void's relentless power intensified.Bolts of thunder hammered down mercilessly, battering Adrian's body. Yet fear never crossed his mind.What was there to be afraid of?To him, the divine thunder wasn't an obstacle—it was a crucible, a tool to temper his body and strengthen his resolve.Despite the storm, A