Screams of horror and despair echoed without stopping—but they lasted less than a minute. After that, the world fell into silence.
Suddenly, Ral began to emit a terrifying aura.
An intense Yin of death flowed around him like a demonic cloak. His eyes and body trembled; every last drop of power he had was consud to devour that massive army.
When the chaos faded, Awel saw three figures covered in ice at the bottom of the coffin. They were the three Primordial Chosen, who had joined forces and used the Disk of Destiny to resist.
With a dry breath, Awel moved and vanished.
She appeared behind the three—but now in her true form.
The dagger pulsed suddenly; on its blade, the sharpening runic seal activated.
The three had no ti to react. The void power inside them was petrified, and their bodies were completely frozen.
*Slash*
With a single clean and brutal strike, their bodies were split apart and then exploded, without them even managing to let out a scream.
It was over.
All the earthen walls collapsed.
At that mont, Eleri grabbed the little sparrow with both hands. Ral closed his eyes and passed out. All the enemies had already been devoured, destroyed inside his "stomach."
Awel was also breathing heavily. Then the two of them quickly moved toward Darian.
He was on the ground, holding Ailik, who had also passed out. Tir was just as exhausted, but Awel arrived and handed Ral to him. She didn't fail to give him a aningful look.
Tir swallowed hard and understood that look.
Awel and Eleri were the only ones to enter the inventory.
Darian carefully moved Ailik and handed her to Tir so he could hold her and take her away; his job was to look after her. Tir received her a bit awkwardly but nodded, holding her in his arms. Then he left with her and Ral.
At that mont, the Emperor rose from the middle of the rubble.
His white clothes were in tatters, and his face was twisted. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his gaze locking onto Darian, filled with fury.
**BUZZ!**
Without warning, space buzzed behind Darian. He turned and saw Alaric with a tense expression.
The Sacred Treasure was also watching everything and then decided to act.
Up above, the center of everything was the head of that Divine Nether Beast.
It was enormous—an unimaginable size to most people. Even after countless years, it hadn't rotted. The head had two horns and protruding fangs. Although its eyes had dried out, they still emitted a dark green light, like two lanterns.
The City's Sacred Treasure was also hovering above. Its size and shape resembled a crown of light resting on that head.
Originally, that Treasure represented the City of the Heaven Seal, but the city had lost its forr greatness. Its buildings lay in ruins, consud by decay, turning it into a desolate ghost city.
Thankfully, everyone had fled the place long ago. Even though Alaric was prepared and knew the City's current state, he still felt a deep pain.
That place had been guarded and cared for by the Celsiel family for millions of years, across thousands of generations. Yet in Alaric's generation, the Sacred Treasure turned against the family, ultimately leading to the City's ruin.
Born and raised there, Alaric carried countless mories of its forr glory. The City had once been a source of pride and joy. But now…
The head stopped its advance, remaining at a certain distance from the corpse, its gaze fixed on Alaric.
Suddenly, it opened its mouth.
"Little Alaric… it's ."
An extrely gentle voice erged, like that of a loving woman speaking to her own child. That maternal murmur was filled with emotion.
"I know it's you…" Alaric struggled to keep his composure, but when he spoke, his voice trembled with emotion. Pain flooded him uncontrollably. To the people of his family, the spirit of the Sacred Treasure had always been their supre elder.
That soul was like a mother who took care of everyone. And so, her betrayal was sothing he simply couldn't accept.
"My child, don't be sad. You should be happy for . I've taken back control. From now on, I'll only grow stronger until no one can ever intimidate our family again. A blood debt must be repaid with blood. I don't want you living burdened by anxiety and fear in this endless war against the Nether Beasts. Son, believe . My feelings for the Celsiel family have never changed. Co with , and from now on, the na of the Celsiel family will be respected and honored throughout this entire universe."
The female voice was filled with warmth.
Tears welled up in Alaric's eyes as he shook his head. "You're not the sa anymore... ever since you allowed the four clans to return to the city in the past, the forr City Lord already knew you had changed. You were no longer willing to stay alone fulfilling your duty, nor to remain under my family's control. Maybe you didn't feel this way when the Celsiel family was at its peak, but now that we've declined, you no longer want to protect us. That's why your first step was to curse , so I couldn't have descendants. That way, once I die, you'll be free."
Alaric's words weren't filled with anger; instead, they overflowed with respect. Despite the actions of the Sacred Treasure, he still held it in the highest regard. That figure was literally like a second mother to him, and because of that, the pain he felt at that mont was completely indescribable. But... he couldn't back down.
The Sacred Treasure fell silent for a mont before responding:
"It was my foolishness. I was tempted by the corruption coming from that Divine Nether Beast. However, I completely suppressed it; it can no longer affect . Now, all I need to do is fuse the head and the body, and I'll have total control over them. Together, we can begin a great era... do you think I didn't notice that you managed to have children? Don't you want to build a bright future for them? My boy, I also want to see those little ones grow up and love them the way I loved you. Please, believe ."
The Sacred Treasure's voice was gentle and deeply moving, striking directly at the most vulnerable point in Alaric's heart.
"There's no point in saying that. Do you rember the ancestral teachings of the Celsiel family? First, we must never cooperate with Nether Beasts, and second, we must never harm or cooperate with people who hurt the innocent," Alaric replied, shaking his head.
"Yet you absorbed all the power of the Divine Nether Beast, violating the first law. On top of that, you joined forces with those five powers that unquestionably oppress and slaughter the weak without hesitation, defying the second unshakable law..."
The Sacred Treasure's voice instantly turned dark and brutal. "What bullshit laws?! Enough already! Has right and wrong ever truly existed in this world? If soone is wrong, it just ans they're weak. As long as we have enough power, everything we do is right! How many tis throughout history have people considered innocent and pure, because of a treasure or so rare resource, been filled with greed and murdered others? There are no innocents; everyone can stab you in the back when it benefits them. Why are they allowed to betray us, but we're forbidden to retaliate, and even have to protect them? Tell , why?!"
The Treasure's voice overflowed with resentnt and bloodlust. The eyes of the giant head turned stern, and vast Nether power began to manifest.
Darian snorted. That figure's way of thinking was, in truth, very similar to his own. He also hated betrayal. And to pursue freedom and protect his family, in extre cases, he would resort to any ans necessary.
In short, if he were a soul born inside an item, forced to live forever under heavy restrictions, serving others... and watching the family he loved slowly rot and be destroyed, could he really endure that without trying sothing?
That figure's life was deeply miserable. Being unable to be born into a normal body, with even a minimum of freedom, must have been a trendous punishnt imposed on a soul by the laws of the world. If he were in the sa situation, he might have chosen the sa path.
Alaric's face twisted in pain, and he didn't respond. He was certain that, deep down, that figure still wanted to preserve the Celsiel family. But... the ends do not justify the ans.
Alaric also felt that figure's silent suffering. If he could grant it freedom, he would have done so already. But that was impossible. The Nether Beasts and the Primordial Empire would do anything to capture the Sacred Treasure and dominate it.
As he remained silent, the Sacred Treasure radiated a brilliant light.
The runes of the four clan masters trembled and then vanished.
When they reappeared, they were beneath the giant head.
Seeing this, Alaric took a deep breath. At that mont, he suddenly prostrated himself before the Sacred Treasure.
The female voice asked, in an enchanted tone, "Have you thought this through?"
"I'm sorry..." Alaric sobbed.
"Good child, there's nothing to apologize for. We—"
"I'm sorry for you… and for my ancestors. I failed to protect them..."
Alaric finished, and then suddenly, his violet-gold rune exploded. A rune identical to the City Lord's appeared between his hands.
He used a rune-cloning technique, splitting its power and temporarily breaking the Sacred Treasure's control over it.
Alaric made a sudden move, appearing in front of the Sacred Treasure and slamming his hands onto it.
"Betrayal!" that furious voice roared.
The instant Alaric's hands touched it, the entire world trembled. The Sacred Treasure ignited.
Everything happened in less than a minute. The Emperor, Darian, and the others saw and heard everything in silence.
But now, seeing this happen, the Emperor acted. He had to help.
He clenched both fists, and sothing shattered.
Suddenly, a terrifying spatial power erupted. Two gigantic portals appeared and imdiately stabilized.
"FAST! WE HAVE TO STOP THEM!"
The Emperor roared, and then...
From inside one of the passages, an intense and horrifying Nether power burst out. Footsteps echoed within it, and countless gigantic beastly figures erged.
At the front was a short female figure, resembling a Demoness. But in reality, she was a Nether Beast... and worse, she was at the Emperor Saint Realm.
From the other portal, another human appeared, wearing clothes bearing the sa symbol as the Emperor. He was also at the Emperor Saint Realm.
The other two most powerful beings in the universe appeared together. On top of that, Nether Beasts were summoned.
Darian smiled. At last, all the strongest beings in the universe had arrived for the party.
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