The Battle of the Apostles

The Dream Realm, the Trial Grounds.

This is one of the places where the Dream Realm and the Material Realm are most closely connected; it is the umbilical cord between the Dream Realm and the Material Realm.

Below the upper realm, above the lower realm.

All extraordinary individuals who participate in the Promotion Ritual arrive here in a daze during their dreams. It's like being thrown into the Deep Sea, but ultimately not sinking downwards—because "ascension" is a transcendence. Its direction is upwards.

The Dream Realm does not follow the laws of the Material Realm; it has a clear and orderly system of directions. Each region seems independent, yet also seems to overlap with others.

The "Trial Grounds" is a lake, yet also like an hourglass connecting two worlds. The upright pool is filled with warm amniotic fluid, while the inverted world is soaked in blood. One after another, transparent bubbles float steadily in the pool, each containing nine sleeping souls.

This is the essence of the Promotion Ritual.

Each bubble contains a miniature world.

Inside one of the bubbles, Akropolis's projection appears.

The elderly Lizardman, holding a snake staff, gazed intently at "the City Breaker," Enyo.

Enyo stopped in his tracks.

"It seems you still remember me, Akropolis!"

She showed no fear whatsoever, only grinning and saying, "It's probably been eight hundred years since we last met, old man! Do you still want to continue our cooperation?"

Enyo was beautiful, with a great figure and fair skin. Her face was painted with purple markings, which looked like special eyeshadow, or perhaps the markings of a cobra.

But compared to her appearance, her voice was extremely bold and rough. It was impossible to tell whether it was a male or female voice, and it carried like a war cry from a great distance.

Akropolis's expression was solemn.

Because He knew how difficult the person before Him was to deal with.

Enyo is one of Bear Angel's most loyal apostles. She is Giantess with long red hair who brings bloodshed with her every step.

On the Isle of Avalon, which is now known as the Giant Country, there was once a community of elves who lived there, and the elves were once separated from the giants. Vivian, Lancelot I's foster mother, was a descendant of that generation of elves before she became a fairy.

These elves, who do not reside in the Eternal Theocracy, are far more warlike than their fellow Theocracy. They possess technology far ahead of their time, and their capital was once known as the "City That Never Falls."

Enyo shattered the barrier and broke down the city gates during that battle. Her mother was the Priestess among giants, and her father was a giant bear—said to be the embodiment of the Supreme Heaven.

During that war, she drank strong liquor mixed with elven blood while unleashing destructive storms. After the city fell, she had no intention of ending the war, but rather reveled in the carnage. Thus Enyo, together with her brother Ares the Nation Destroyer, launched a massacre.

Ultimately, the siblings' atrocities provoked the wrath of the Candlelight. At the prayers of the elves, the Candlelight's apostle, "Eternal Vanguard" Kastenning, descended upon the Material Realm and slew the giants.

After their deaths, the brother and sister were elevated to apostles by the Supreme Heaven. He bestowed upon them new powers and gave Ares a Burning Flame Spear and Enyo a storm-swirling warhammer.

In the era when Bear Angel was still the Supreme Heaven, they were worshipped by the giants as the gods and goddesses of war. They were two of the four strongest apostles under the Supreme Heaven, jointly wielding the power of war.

"It has indeed been a long time."

Akropolis said coldly, "But I have never worked with you—don't make it sound like we're so close."

"What, is Bear Angel so short-handed that he has to send out City Breaker to deal with a mere mortal?"

Enyo revels in the cruelty of war, always driving both sides to the brink of emotional collapse. What begins as mere rational friction gradually escalates into an uncontrollable conflict, its intensity and bloodshed rising ever higher under the influence of hatred and death... This is the effect of Enyo.

Whenever war enters this brutal phase, it is time for Akropolis to come to the rescue. This is also why Enyo claims that they once cooperated.

After being defeated by the Crowned Angel in the Supreme Heaven and losing his leading position in the Way of Power, He was pierced through the body by the Holy Sword and fell to the ground as a crimson giant bear corpse.

His blood permeated the Dream Realm and dripped into the Material Realm, turning into a pool of Blood Pool. A emaciated bear cub, deprived of its mother's protection, drank His blood as milk and gradually grew up.

Having drunk the Supreme Heaven's Blood, He became the successor of the Supreme Heaven. When He ascended into the Dream Realm, the will of the Supreme Heaven was resurrected within Him. After slaying the "Brute Angel," who possessed attributes of both the Path of Love and the Path of Authority, He seized the Angel Shard and became the "Bear Angel" through the Path of Transcendence.

However, almost none of His former apostles returned.

The Path of Strength is inherently one of bullying the weak and preying on the weak. After He weakened, they naturally abandoned Him.

Of the four strongest apostles of the Supreme Heaven, the "Tyrant" was besieged and killed three times by the knights under the Silver Crowned Dragon and has not yet been resurrected; the "Rakshasa" was tamed by the Candle Heaven Holder; and the "Nation Destroyer" was bewitched by the beauty of the Shadow Angel and voluntarily became the Shadow Angel's follower.

The "City Breaker" Enyo before them was the strongest remaining apostle under Bear Angel.

"Are you going to stop me? You dare to stop me when you're just an avatar?"

Enyo raised the Invisible Hammer with great interest. "Then let's give it a try."

"...Oh."

Akropolis's gaze turned completely cold, and he let out a sneer.

If it were when Bear Angel was still in the Supreme Heaven, Akropolis would absolutely not be able to defeat Enyo.

After all, Akropolis was just a doctor and didn't have that much power.

The reason why the Supreme Heaven is called the "Supreme Heaven" is because its power is supreme.

In the process of defeating Him, the Crowned Angel received direct or indirect assistance from many Pillar God, celestial Lord of Scales and Feathers, and apostles, including the Hourglass, the Shadow Angel, the Ring Angel, the Ring Celestial Being, and the Banquet Master. Rather than saying that the Supreme Heaven died from the challenge of a fellow celestial being, it would be more accurate to say that He died from His own unbridled attitude.

But Bear Angel had only recently returned to his position as Tiansi, less than two hundred years at most. He couldn't grant Enyo much power... and with Enyo's own power alone, she might not be able to defeat him now.

It is the artifact of the Supreme Heaven that Akropolis once possessed, which still makes him somewhat wary.

The next moment, Enyo waist and took a big gulp.

"Ah----"

With a painful yet resounding roar, Enyo's skin was suddenly stained with the blood forced from her body.

Once this blood comes into contact with the air, it transforms into Blood Energy and condenses into a storm.

In an instant, a scarlet and violent storm erupted from her body.

Bears, wolves, falcons, horses—the scarlet storm transformed into countless wild beasts, accompanied by countless howling, blood-red skulls, sweeping in with an overwhelming, destructive force!

The entire world around them creaked and groaned, and the simulated space created by the power of the Pillar God crackled with red lightning, with cracks appearing and disappearing one after another.

She was too lazy to precisely kill the prey marked by the lord; instead, she planned to destroy everyone in one fell swoop! In any case, as the Ritual Host, Akropolis had to protect everyone and therefore had to face her attack head-on.

Even though Enyo is currently slightly weaker Akropolis, she would have the advantage if she were the one to launch the attack.

Even though those who once Path of Strength were mostly mindless brutes, they possessed a beast-like cunning in battle. Now, that cunning has become instinct.

"I've already warned you."

Akropolis chuckled and tapped his serpent staff, "Then die here."

That's perfect, he's stalled for enough time.

The world around me suddenly became blurry and fantastical.

The colors seemed to seep from the void, so slippery they were nauseating.

The invisible, intangible, colorless, and odorless "plague" spread around, transforming into ominous black markings that gradually appeared on Enyo's body—just as His daughter, the Medicine Angel, was the Goddess who controlled medicine and poison, He also held the power over the plague.

Akropolis had already poisoned her while they were talking. And by then, she was already showing signs of the poison.

But Enyo did not react at all.

So what if she herself is attacked or even killed?

The lord's goal was achieved.

You still couldn't protect them! Facing the howling, Crimson Storm that seemed intent on destroying everything, Akropolis remained unmoved. It was as if he had given up the fight.

He merely maintained the plague that was gradually spreading in the air, and his entire being gradually turned into a stone sculpture.

But just as this Akropolis came to a complete stop, another "Akropolis" suddenly appeared!

That is the true form of "Akropolis"!

"Finally made it."

A young and energetic voice came through.

It was not a ritual clone sent to preside over the ceremony, but the same apostle as Enyo! However, this Akropolis was not the frail, hunched old man who had to use a cane to walk unsteadily.

Akropolis is now a young man in his twenties or thirties.

His eyes were piercing and his muscles were bulging to a perfect degree. Black, glossy scales covered his body, and his tail was thick and powerful. More than Lizardman, he resembled a dragon standing upright.

He was not holding the serpent staff at this moment, but empty-handed.

—This is the "Rejuvenation Pill," one of the "Supreme Three Medicines" possessed by Akropolis!

The real Akropolis was just like that, young and vibrant.

Because He had already consumed the three elixirs He had created, breaking through the triple barriers of life, time, and destiny, achieving a transcendence beyond mortality! Resurrection, rejuvenation, and...

Suddenly, a pair of dragon wings billowed up from Akropolis's back.

His body continued to expand, and the snake scales on his body gradually turned into dragon scales.

—Immortality!