I wanted to step closer, to fly forward and ascertain what was truly unfolding. Yet, the moment I unfurled my wings, an invisible barrier materialized, halting my progress completely.
I attempted to strike the unseen wall, but it was futile; the impact merely sent a jarring ache through my hands.
The torrent of forces intensified, growing ever larger. Even from my distant vantage point on the stone platform, the sheer force of the surging air currents, generated by the opposing sides, whipped my hair wildly backward.
As the two factions drew nearer, their focus remained solely on each other. Not a single soul among them seemed to notice the stone platform where I stood, mere miles away.
The black tide comprised countless unknown creatures, shrouded in dark energy and varying wildly in form. Their ranks were utterly chaotic, yet the aura emanating from them was profoundly chilling. In stark contrast, the white torrent was a disciplined host of deities, each adorned with pristine white wings and clad in gleaming light armor, arrayed in precise square formations.
Once within a certain proximity, both sides settled into a tense standoff. From the depths of the black legion, a humanoid entity, wreathed in an eerie, dark aura, stepped forth.
“Let us not resort to blows, I implore you. This path offers you no true advantage. Even should you emerge victorious, the cost, as you well know, would be astronomical. And what, precisely, would you gain from such a Pyrrhic victory? Would it not be wiser to emulate the more astute deities, and simply allow both sides to retreat a step?”
From the very heart of the white phalanx, a woman emerged, clad in crimson light armor and wielding a single-handed sword. My gaze immediately sharpened, yet it wasn’t the striking figure in blood-red armor that captivated me. Rather, it was the woman who followed closely behind her, adorned in gleaming silver-white armor, a slender rapier sheathed at her hip.
‘God’s Agent? How is she here? And this… this place… where exactly is this?’ I mumbled to myself, a profound sense of bewilderment washing over me. I tried to call out, but received no response.
“I apologize, but that is utterly impossible. Concede to you? Such an act would only ignite even greater chaos.” The woman in blood-red armor spoke with an unnervingly calm expression, her voice devoid of any discernible fluctuation.
“Do you truly believe, then, that you can unequivocally halt our advance? How utterly laughable.” The black humanoid creature’s voice, now stripped of its former deference, dripped with boundless scorn.
“And why, pray tell, do you assume we cannot stop you? Do you genuinely believe you possess any chance of defeating me?” The woman in blood-red armor retorted with an equally sharp, derisive tone. “It seems countless times, someone has vowed to kill me. And yet, here I remain, sigh~”
“Why would I need to defeat you myself? A personal victory holds little significance for me, you see. Oh, look, your reinforcements have arrived! Hehe.”
Following the disciplined ranks of winged deities, a legion clad in golden armor swiftly advanced. At their forefront stood a weathered, middle-aged man, whose gaze swept over the tense standoff. “Blood Lotus Tianqi,” he declared, his voice cutting through the air, “you are implicated in colluding with alien races, thereby jeopardizing the fundamental existence of the divine lineage. The Heavenly Punishment Legion is now here to apprehend you on charges of divine treason.”
Witnessing this unfolding scene, the woman in crimson armor clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white, as if she might draw blood. She had long anticipated such a betrayal, yet to see it manifest before her eyes ignited a far more potent and bitter ache within her heart.
“Colluding with alien races?” the woman in crimson armor roared, her voice laced with fury. “The alien race is standing right beside you! Why do you not move to punish them instead?!”
“My apologies,” the middle-aged man replied, his expression utterly impassive, “but that is not the ultimate objective of my presence here.”
“Do you comprehend the consequences of your actions?” the crimson-clad woman bellowed, her usual composure completely shattered. “To eliminate but one individual, you are willing to sacrifice millions, tens of millions, of divine lives! Each fallen deity signifies the annihilation of several, perhaps even dozens, of minor worlds, and with them, the demise of countless innocent beings! What kind of gods, I ask you, would commit such atrocities?!”
The middle-aged man remained silent, but the alien creature on the side let out a sinister chuckle. “Well now, little girl,” it purred, its voice dripping with insidious temptation, “if you wish to avoid death, simply eliminate him. Rest assured, I shall not intervene. Unleash your fury to its fullest extent.”
The middle-aged man’s face instantly stiffened, his features contorting with profound rage as he glared at the humanoid alien. “You…” he began, his voice choked with indignation.
The crimson-clad woman drew a deep, steadying breath, regaining a semblance of her composure. “Cease your tiresome banter, alien,” she declared, her voice firm. “Today, you shall not advance a single step beyond this point. And you, Heavenly Punisher, do not delude yourself into thinking you can stop me from eradicating those repulsive vermin. If you insist on interfering… then we shall all perish together!”
The middle-aged man raised the greatsword in his hand, its gleaming blade now aimed directly at the crimson-clad woman. “Please do not make this any more difficult than it needs to be,” he stated, his voice devoid of emotion. “My mission compels me. Forgive my offense.” With his words, an overwhelming surge of divine power erupted, its formidable aura instantly locking onto the woman.
“Since you are so unwilling to continue living, then… hehe.” The humanoid alien sneered, a peculiar, dark energy slowly beginning to emanate and spread from its form.
‘To think it has truly come to this,’ the crimson-clad woman mused, her gaze drifting skyward with a hint of melancholy. ‘For the sake of the Divine Realm, this is the only path.’
She raised her hand towards the heavens, and from her palm, a cascade of brilliant light scattered outwards.
A resonant thud reverberated across the sky. Then, a colossal six-pointed star array materialized, followed moments later by a thunderous dragon’s roar that tore through the very fabric of space. It erupted over the land, shaking the heavens themselves with its raw power.