“I hope nothing goes wrong.” Fratis, her body radiating the divine light of dawn, clenched her fists tightly. She gazed upwards at Luca, who was blocked by the clone from the Abyssal Demon Realm. A trace of concern flashed across her beautiful eyes.
She really wanted to rush in and help Luca, but right now, the priority was to stop the monsters spilling out from the Abyssal Demon Realm, preventing them from reaching the outside world.
Yet, she also knew that a true emperor, no matter the situation, must prioritize the greater good. Otherwise, all their previous efforts would be in vain.
Fratis pulled her gaze away and looked down at the Clinton soldiers locked in fierce combat with countless monsters. With a wave of her hand, endless starlight poured from her fingertips.
Some of the monsters, already near the edge of the continent, barely had time to rejoice before they crashed against a transparent starlight shield. Blood erupted in bursts, and the shrieks of the beasts echoed throughout the sky.
“Long live Her Majesty the Queen!!” The soldiers of the Clinton Empire cheered in unison.
The soldiers of the Via Empire, however, turned their gazes to Rod, who was staring up at the sky. But the figure they worshipped as a god merely stood silently, showing no signs of intervening, leaving them disappointed.
Rod’s eyes flickered as he looked at the figure standing on the God-Locking Pillar, his expression unreadable. He seemed to be lost in thought.
…
“Is this the divine rank of the Lord of the Sun? Even in such a broken state, it still possesses such power. Truly deserving of its title as a high deity.” In the Abyssal Demon Realm, Zenobia’s clone observed with surprise as Luca effortlessly broke free from her divine spell’s suppression.
But it was just a moment of surprise. With Luca’s strength, escaping the Abyssal Demon Realm was nearly impossible.
She glanced at the elegant figure standing on the God-Locking Pillar, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Moreover, her true form should be close to breaking free…
Watching the calm and composed Zenobia clone, Luca realized that the opponent was only stalling for time. The urgency in his heart grew stronger.
Though Zenobia’s clone was no threat to him, it was more than enough to delay his progress. So, for him, the most important task now was to break free as soon as possible.
If Zenobia’s true form awoke, both he and Sophia would be trapped here.
Having made up his mind, Luca swung his Solar Divine Spear at Zenobia. Though she easily dodged it, Luca was already prepared. A black magic rune, shaped like a palm, appeared and emitted a faint dark glow.
Transcendent Level Magic Rune—Troll’s Hand!
The next moment, the sky above the Abyssal Demon Realm, shrouded in black mist, suddenly ripped apart. A massive black hand, seemingly endless, slammed down on Zenobia’s clone and the surrounding monsters with a deafening crash!
Boom! The earth suddenly cracked open, and black blood splattered in every direction!
Countless monsters were instantly crushed into a bloody pulp, unable to even let out a dying cry. Zenobia’s clone, however, transformed into a wisp of purple smoke and silently reappeared a hundred meters away.
But when she looked toward Luca’s location, she found that he had already vanished without a trace.
“Hmm?” Zenobia furrowed her brows and turned toward the exit of the Abyssal Demon Realm behind her. A shadow, shrouded by a howling black wind, was silently rushing toward it at great speed.
“Trying to escape? Do you think you can get away?!” Her gaze turned cold, her body emanating the power of sin and desire. In her hand, a long purple thorn whip materialized, and with a sharp wave, she lashed it directly toward Luca.
The whip sliced through the air, breaking space itself as it extended an immense distance, aimed directly at Luca’s back. If this strike landed, even Luca would suffer.
However, just as the purple whip was about to strike, it passed right through Luca’s body as if he were made of air.
At that moment, Zenobia’s clone realized with shock that it had been a Mirror Image clone. The real Luca, now concealing his presence, had already stealthily reached the exit, pulling Sophia along with him.
“This guy is like a rat. How does he have so many tricks up his sleeve…” Zenobia’s clone’s face darkened. Despite his unimpressive strength, Luca was incredibly quick to escape.
Her figure vanished in an instant, and she rapidly pursued him.
By now, Luca was close to escaping the Abyssal Demon Realm. Given that he was stronger than Zenobia’s clone at the moment, the likelihood of her catching up was slim.
As Luca saw the blinding light ahead, he let out a long sigh of relief.
No matter what, he had finally escaped.
But just at that moment, a figure surrounded in seven-colored light suddenly appeared at the entrance, causing Luca’s heart to drop again as he realized his brief sense of relief had been premature.
“How did this guy show up here?”
“Nice to meet you for the first time. Let me give you a little gift,” Rod stood at the entrance of the Abyssal Demon Realm, holding a scythe adorned with intricate silver runes. He flashed Luca a smile.
“Is that so? Then I’ll return the favor,” Luca’s face turned cold. Without waiting for Rod to make a move, he swung his Solar Divine Spear toward Rod’s head.
With a resounding clang, Rod’s scythe blocked the blow effortlessly. Luca was taken aback. The opponent’s strength seemed to be only at the Divine Realm level, yet he had managed to stop his attack.
It was then that Luca noticed something unusual. The silver runes on Rod’s scythe began to glow, and a layer of seven-colored light emerged, coating the entire weapon. This wasn’t just any ordinary scythe—it was forged from Source Power!
The seven-colored Source Power surged forward like a tidal wave. Luca’s body was thrown back by the immense force. He couldn’t help but curse inwardly, Do the people of the Via Empire have that much wealth?
Just then, Zenobia’s clone caught up from behind, surrounding Luca and Sophia from both sides. Simultaneously, the massive doors to the Abyssal Demon Realm began to close, trapping them in a deadly deadlock. The two of them were now cornered with no escape.
This bastard really deserves to die! Luca gritted his teeth, desperately trying to think of a way out. Think, think faster!
“Sorry…” Just as Luca was racking his brain for a solution, a weak voice came from his arms. Only then did he realize that, at some point, Sophia had regained consciousness.
Her face was pale, and she struggled to stand up, but her body was still weak.
“It’s not your fault,” Luca said, supporting her. He spoke firmly, “Don’t worry, we’ll get out of here.”
Sophia gave a small nod.
“Since you two are so close, why not just die together?” Zenobia’s voice came coldly as she slowly approached. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to prepare a shared tomb for you both.”
If Sophia and Zenobia fused, both her memories and consciousness would become a part of Zenobia. In a sense, it would be no different from dying.
Luca didn’t respond. Instead, he focused on gathering all of his magic runes, preparing for a final, desperate battle.
Countless monsters began to surround them, closing in layer by layer like an impenetrable tide. On the other side, Rod stood calmly behind them, blocking any escape routes.
Luca glanced at the rapidly closing entrance to the Abyssal Demon Realm. His face remained calm, but his mind was racing with possible solutions. Given the current situation, their chances of escaping were nearly zero.
The strategies he had tried before were unlikely to work now, so the only option left was to fight their way out.
Luca surveyed the monsters eyeing them hungrily, along with Zenobia’s clone and Rod, who stood coldly watching them.
He knew this would be a battle to the death.
Sophia’s expression remained remarkably calm, and the only sign of emotion she showed was a gentle look when her gaze met Luca’s.
Everyone stood still, waiting, eyes locked on each other, the atmosphere thick with tension.
Without any warning, Luca moved!
Boom!! He erupted with a dazzling array of multicolored light, and his aura surged to its maximum potential. His magic rune domain, Wind and Thunder Domain, Dreamweaving Domain, Solar Domain, and more activated simultaneously.
Countless magic runes filled the air. Faint purple light coalesced into armored giant soldiers wielding long swords. Black hurricanes and seas of thunder raged around them, covering thousands of meters. Raging rivers of water rolled through the sky, while Solar Divine Flame turned the ground beneath them into a golden sea of fire.
But it wasn’t just his professional domains. He also activated his magic rune frenzy, blood rage, Witch’s Power Surge, and various other enhancement skills, pushing his strength to its peak. Luca’s power reached an unimaginable height, and he was ready to face the deadly battle ahead.
Rod’s relaxed smile slowly faded, replaced by an expression of surprise and seriousness.
Luca’s true strength was far greater than he had imagined.
It wasn’t just him—Zenobia’s expression also changed. She couldn’t understand how many skills this guy was hiding.
Ignoring their changing expressions, Luca held Sophia tightly by the waist and said, “Hold on to me.”
Sophia nodded slightly, wrapping her arms around him. The next moment, Luca’s figure abruptly disappeared without any warning. There were no signs, and the surrounding monsters all looked around in confusion.
“Still trying to run?” Zenobia’s gaze immediately shifted toward Rod, and without hesitation, she lashed her whip toward his direction.
Rod’s expression changed sharply—not only because Zenobia’s attack was headed his way, but also because Luca had already appeared in front of him.
A long, vicious spear, engulfed in blazing flames, was hurtling straight toward his head. Reacting instinctively, he raised his scythe to block.
Boom! Rod suddenly felt a violent force explode in his chest, causing his eyes to widen in shock. He coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“You!” He stared at the arm that had pierced through his chest, stunned and unable to believe what had just happened.
“Who said you have to use a weapon to kill someone?” Luca pulled his hand out from Rod’s abdomen.
In his blood-soaked hand was an original crystal, roughly the size of a pigeon’s egg.
It was larger than the one he had obtained previously.
Without wasting any time, Luca immediately pulled Sophia with him and dashed toward the exit of the Abyssal Demon Realm.
Behind them, Rod’s eyes widened in disbelief as he crashed heavily to the ground.
The once mighty King of the Five Seas had fallen.