The War Begins

But just then—

A figure in a blue-green robe flew in from far away above the mountains. Several Lowgods from the Thick Earth Tribe had been sparring nearby. The moment they spotted the newcomer, they were so startled that they hurriedly darted down. Sharp-eyed people standing below noticed the young man's medal and immediately cried out in shock, "Ah! He's a Fiend!"

The members of the Thick Earth Tribe who had been looking up turned pale with fright and scattered in every direction.

To these Lowgods living at the bottom of society, Fiends were beings beyond their reach, fit only to be gazed up at.

This hall was the Thick Earth Tribe's council chamber. Generally, only important matters were decided here.

The Thick Earth Tribe's clan chief sat in the seat of honor, imposing and dignified. He sensed Hodan's arrival, swept his gaze over the densely packed clansmen seated around the conference table, and cleared his throat. The sound spread through the hall like an epidemic. The clansmen, who had been chattering among themselves, fell silent one after another. In an instant, the entire hall was as quiet as a grave.

Only ten breaths later, the hall doors swung open. Standing outside with the guards was Hodan.

The Thick Earth Tribe's clan chief didn't even spare Hodan a glance. The chief steward, however, said politely, "May I ask which Fiend has arrived? I'm Sean, the chief steward of the Thick Earth Tribe."

Hodan replied calmly, "I'm Hodan, a Five-Star Fiend from Silvermoon City. I accepted your mission." He seemed completely unfazed by Alex's coldness.

Hodan also noticed the five Five-Star Fiends in the council chamber. They had evidently accepted the same war mission, but he had no intention of greeting them. He trusted his own strength more than he trusted working with strangers.

Hodan could understand Alex's disdain. After all, Hodan had registered as a Five-Star Fiend, while Alex was a Seven-Star Fiend. The nearly hundredfold gap in strength gave Alex every reason to look down on him. Besides, in Alex's eyes, Hodan was nothing more than cannon fodder he'd hired to wear down the Black Water Tribe. Had anyone ever seen someone treat cannon fodder politely?

"Heh. With Lord Hodan, a Five-Star Fiend, joining us, our chances should be even better. Please go and rest, Lord Hodan. A major battle will probably take place in about a month. We'll be counting on your help then."

The chief steward of the Thick Earth Tribe spoke with great sincerity. Though Hodan had said he was a Five-Star Fiend, this was a Six-Star Fiend mission. Anyone who dared accept it had to possess the strength of a Six-Star Fiend. The steward, unlike Alex, wasn't a Seven-Star Fiend, so he couldn't afford to offend Hodan.

Dawn broke, and the first light of morning approached. Most of the Black Water Tribe's residents had no idea that a dark cloud was about to descend upon them. When it finally burst, the bloody prelude to the Black Water Tribe's downfall would begin.

The Black Water Tribe produced a miraculous substance called black water. Bitterly cold, it could be used to quench weapons and greatly increase their hardness. With fighting constantly breaking out in Hell, demand for weapons was enormous, and there was great demand for this cold water that could strengthen them. It was the source of the Black Water Tribe's wealth, and the tribe kept a tight hold on it.

The Thick Earth Tribe planned to attack the Black Water Tribe because they had their eyes on this cold water. They wanted to seize control of it and make it their own source of wealth.

The Black Water Tribe's mountain range stretched for a thousand miles. Yet a thousand miles from the mountains—

Two Metal Lifeforms flew side by side toward the Black Water Tribe. Both gigantic monsters were astonishingly large, yet they flew at incredible speeds, producing deafening sonic booms as they traveled.

Suddenly, the Metal Lifeforms stopped above the Black Water Tribe.

"Enemy attack!"

Countless Thick Earth Tribe warriors poured out of the two Metal Lifeforms and launched a coordinated assault on the Black Water Tribe.

A piercing alarm rang throughout the Black Water Tribe. Hodan emerged from his cultivation and steeled himself, ready to strike at any moment.

In a large-scale battle like this, the first thing to do wasn't think about how many people to kill. It was to protect yourself.

The fighting at the front had nothing to do with Hodan. For now, he was just waiting for Alex to send word. Then he would go and help.

Alex hovered in midair. The fighting around him was fierce, and attacks occasionally flew his way, yet he stood firm like a reef amid crashing waves. No one could budge him.

Alex watched it all with cold indifference.

Warriors and residents of the tribe were dying, but he didn't care in the least. To him, they were expendable, useful only for wearing down the enemy tribe. As long as he stayed safe, he could recruit as many more warriors and residents as he wanted. Hell had no shortage of people.

Alex's voice was low and solemn. "Adam, Wot, Henry, surrender the Black Water Tribe's territory and leave. Otherwise, you'll die."

Adam, the burly blue-haired man; Wot, in his red robe; and Henry, dressed in black with black hair, all laughed.

"Alex, none of us can match you one-on-one. But you're not seriously going to tell me that you can take on two peak Six-Star Fiends and me, a Seven-Star Fiend, all by yourself?" the burly blue-haired Adam growled. In truth, none of them wanted to fight Alex.

They knew their own strength. Alex had been a renowned Seven-Star Fiend for years, and who knew how powerful he'd become by now? Even if the two of them at the peak of Six-Star and the one who'd only just reached Seven-Star could defeat him, they would pay a terrible price. One or two of them might even die, and that was unacceptable to them.

Alex wasn't moved by Adam's threat. If he'd been worried about it, he wouldn't have launched this war of annexation and hired so many Fiends to help him. The arrow was already loosed; there was no turning back.

"Attack!" Alex's voice suddenly sounded in Hodan's ear.

Whoosh! A streak of blue-green sword energy instantly cut through the sky. Ripples appeared in space wherever it passed. Hodan struck the moment Alex gave the order. Of course, he used only half his strength. He was here to complete a mission and, along the way, deepen his comprehension of the Death Rule.

He wasn't actually going to risk his life for Alex's tribe, so he held back plenty of strength in case something unexpected happened.

Attacks of every color also erupted from hidden spots. They came from the other Five-Star Fiends who had accepted the war mission.

"Damn Alex! That bastard actually hired so many Fiends. He's dead set on taking our tribe!" the burly blue-haired Adam said grimly.

Wot narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flickering within them, and shouted, "Kill!" Since Alex had no intention of letting them live, they wouldn't make things easy for him either.

As soon as the words fell, the two sides stopped talking and began fighting each other with all their might.

Boom!

Space shuddered, and terrifying shock waves spread in every direction.

Adam was fighting Alex. Wot and Henry were clearing out the Five-Star Fiends Alex had hired.

The others quickly found their opponents. Hodan fought Wot, while Adam kept Alex occupied. Henry went to slaughter the Five-Star Fiends Alex had invited.

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