Decisive Battle Against Mid-Tier Gods

Wesker roared into the sky above the wasteland, his voice filled with the resolve of one burning his bridges: "Although you are a Mid-level God, the five of us are prepared to fight to the death! The outcome is not yet decided!"

There was no escaping this.

When a Low-level God faces a Mid-level God, the very essence of their divine power is at a disadvantage. If Wesker and his sister were alone, their mastery of the Laws of Light—with its inherent speed and purification—might have offered a sliver of hope for survival.

But they had their younger siblings from the clan behind them; if they were to carry the other Sanctuary-level fighters, escape was impossible.

Furthermore, there were those thirty-seven precious Ghost-faced Spiders. Unlike resources like Tiebo, Ghost-faced Spider silk was considered a rare treasure even in the Higher Planes. If lost, the punishment from the Ice Prison Royal City would be more than any of them could bear.

Therefore, Wesker had to make his stance clear; only by standing united could the five of them hope for a chance at survival.

Barn gripped his Mist Hidden spear, the tip wreathed in pale blue water-elemental divine power. He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Fukaloss and Gideon, adopting a posture of desperate, unyielding battle. While he appeared calm, he secretly sent a Soul Transmission to Declan: "You lot, run the moment you see an opening."

Declan's voice came back, laced with a sob: "I want to run too! But why are these Sanctuary-level fighters all so strong!"

On the ground, the slaughter between the Sanctuary-level fighters had already reached a fever pitch.

At first, Declan and the others had tried to defend the Ghost-faced Spiders while fending off their enemies. But after a few exchanges, they realized with despair that the enemies before them were worlds apart from the rabble they had encountered while seizing the orchard resource point.

The Sanctuary-level fighters under Blackwood's command were a mix of his long-time subordinates and elite God-level warriors from the former Azure Fire Royal City, now controlled by his Soul Seeds. Both groups were the cream of the crop, each standing at the threshold of the Sanctuary limit, their comprehension of the profound mysteries of the Laws far exceeding that of ordinary Sanctuary-level fighters.

Declan himself had only just touched the edge of the Sanctuary limit; he was no match for them in a head-on confrontation. What made him even more desperate was that the enemy's stealth and concealment techniques were even more refined than his own, despite him being a Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon specialized in such arts. His pride-and-joy concealment was rendered useless, and he found himself completely suppressed throughout the fight.

The other Sanctuary-level fighters from the Ice Prison side were in equally dire straits. Their two teams combined totaled only eleven, yet they were forced to face eighteen enemies of equal strength, instantly falling into a disadvantage. Among the enemy ranks, there was even a magical beast whose talent rivaled Blair's, rampaging through their lines and tearing their defenses apart.

For a time, neither side could afford to guard the Ghost-faced Spiders, both becoming fully consumed by a frenzied, life-or-death struggle.

High above in the sky, the battle between the God-level fighters was equally perilous.

The Mid-level God Blackwood held a bone blade, each swing scattering vast swathes of ghostly green flames. These flames were incredibly bizarre; they did not burn the soul, but specifically devoured divine power. Once they touched a target, they clung like maggots, using the divine power as fuel to burn ever brighter.

Fortunately, the five of them—Barn and the others—were all fast, even a notch quicker than the newly ascended Blackwood. Relying on nimble footwork, they barely managed to hold their ground, avoiding any casualties for the time being.

But one who walks by the river often gets their shoes wet.

Gideon failed to dodge in time, and a wisp of ghost fire grazed his left leg. The flames instantly latched on, burning with manic intensity. His eyes hardened; without a moment's hesitation, he mimicked the actions of Wesker's sister, ferociously channeling his earth-elemental divine power to sever his own burning left leg! Overcome by the excruciating pain, he let out a muffled grunt, retracted his damaged Earth-elemental God clone into his body, and summoned his true form—a violent Earth Violent Bear—roaring as he rejoined the fray.

"Gideon, are you alright?" Fukaloss asked, startled.

Gideon swung his massive paw, batting away the incoming flames, and said in a deep voice: "I'm fine! The strange thing is, these flames didn't harm my soul; they seem to target only the physical body and divine power."

A chill ran through the group. They had assumed that Blackwood, who primarily cultivated the Laws of Death, would be adept at soul attacks, but they had not expected his killing move to be this bizarre fire that targeted divine power.

Wesker, possessing the most combat experience, quickly analyzed: "This guy is a newly ascended Mid-level God. Although his soul received the blessing of the Laws of the World upon his breakthrough, the improvement is limited. Both his accumulation of Mid-level divine power and his total soul capacity are far inferior to an old-school Mid-level God."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Fukaloss's eyes: "So, as long as we can drag this out until his divine power and mental energy are exhausted, we have a chance to counter-kill?"

Barn's brows were locked in a tight frown, his tone grave: "I have a feeling it won't be that easy."

His premonition was soon proven true.

Just as the group thought they could wear down their opponent through maneuvering, the bone blade in Blackwood's hand suddenly erupted with power several times greater than before! The ghostly green flames surged like a volcanic eruption, transforming into a curtain that blotted out the sky and instantly engulfed the caught-off-guard sister of Wesker.

"Ah--!!"

The shrill scream was even more desperate than before. This time, the ferocity of the flames far exceeded anything they had seen; Wesker's sister didn't even have time to react by severing a limb to survive, and her entire body was swallowed by the flames, turning her into a burning torch.

"Sister!" Wesker's eyes were bloodshot, his heart shattered.

"Hehehe--" Blackwood's laughter was filled with mockery and cruelty, "Earlier, I was just playing with you using the Low-level divine power I had accumulated. I must admit, you lot do have some skill. Now, let me show you the true power of a Mid-level God!"

Just as Wesker had surmised, Blackwood had only recently broken through, and his reserves of Mid-level divine power were indeed meager. That was why he had initially only used his Mid-level God domain, his comprehension of the Laws, and his mental energy, combined with his stored Low-level divine power, in an attempt to quickly kill one or two people and scare off the rest.

But the tenacity of Barn's group had exceeded his expectations, especially Fukaloss, who cultivated both the Laws of Water and Death; her strength was not inferior to his own before he had broken through.

As his voice fell, the aura around Blackwood surged violently. It was pure and powerful Mid-level divine power, so tangible that it distorted the air and caused space itself to tremble. This was the absolute strength that a Mid-level God should possess—the power to crush a Low-level God!

Wesker looked despairingly at the burning torch, hoping for a miracle.

Finally, a snow-white doe struggled free from the flames; it was the true form of Wesker's sister. At the final moment, she had decisively abandoned her damaged Light-elemental God clone and escaped in her true form, barely saving her life. But the destruction of her God clone was a massive blow to her soul and strength, and she was now gasping for breath, swaying unsteadily.

However, the bad news came one after another.

A roar of grief and indignation suddenly erupted from the Sanctuary-level battlefield below.

Barn and the others looked down to see that the Sanctuary-level fighters on the Ice Prison side had been completely surrounded. Among Blackwood's subordinates were several Undead Holy Magi, who were continuously summoning skeletons, ghosts, and other undead creatures, drowning the entire battlefield like a tide and establishing an absolute numerical advantage.

The roar they had just heard was from one of Wesker's younger brothers, who, facing death while surrounded, had chosen to self-destruct!

"No!" Wesker's teeth cracked, but he could not save his brother.

With a "boom," the Sanctuary-limit magical beast self-destructed, its terrifying power taking him and two nearby enemies down together.

However, the enemies controlled by Soul Seeds would not stop their advance just because of a comrade's death. An Orc assassin specialized in stealth took advantage of the temporary chaos, bypassed Blair's blockade, and appeared behind Julia like a phantom.

Puchi!

The sharp dagger pierced into the back of Julia's head without resistance, exiting through her eye socket. Even with a defensive Divine Artifact protecting her, Julia could not block this fatal blow; she didn't even have time to let out a sound.

"Bastard!!"

Blair, who was closest to Julia, felt his eyes split with rage and let out a roar that shook the heavens. A terrifying chill erupted from his body, and a horrific Soul Freeze manifested as gray light, instantly covering the Orc assassin and freezing him alive into an ice sculpture. But this was not enough to quell his fury; he swung his giant axe, hacking down with all his might, shattering the ice sculpture and the assassin within into a spray of debris.

A member of the Wesker clan immediately cast a light-elemental healing spell, bathing Julia's broken body in soft, holy light, attempting to save her.

Barn and the others momentarily cast aside the enemies before them, looking over with hearts full of expectation.

But in the end, no miracle occurred.

That dagger had destroyed Julia's brain. Guided by the Death Law, her soul had already plummeted into the Underworld. Even if light magic could repair the wounds of the flesh, it could not summon back a soul that had already departed.

"Second Sister, go support the ground! Protect our younger brothers and sisters!" Wesker roared at his sister, who had just broken free, his eyes bloodshot.

Though Wesker's sister was dazed from the destruction of her divine avatar, she immediately steeled herself upon seeing the family descendants trapped in a desperate situation. Their family could not afford any more sacrifices.

The White Doe let out a mournful cry, transformed into a streak of white light, and dove downward, joining the chaotic battle of the Sanctuary on the ground. The addition of a god-level true body instantly relieved the immense pressure on the side of the Ice Prison.

Barn, Fukaloss, Gideon, and Wesker, forcing back the grief and rage in their hearts, gripped their weapons once more.

They had no time for sorrow.

For before them, Blackwood, who was exuding the complete pressure of a mid-level god, was approaching them step by step like the Grim Reaper.