The Second Divine General drew a deep breath. The Darkness Origin within him surged like a tide, closing the transparent hole in his chest inch by inch.
His arms grew back, pale but steady as bedrock.
He slowly raised his head. The anger on his face had vanished, replaced by a dark, brooding smile.
"Heavenly Fortune Saint Emperor, I admit that arrow of yours was powerful."
The Second Divine General no longer sounded furious. His calm was far more frightening.
He looked around, sweeping his gaze over the powerful figures of the Demon World, Demon Realm, Ghost Realm, and Divine Realm. At last, his eyes settled on the Human Realm's ranks, and the corner of his mouth lifted.
"Now that the Epoch Battlefield has opened and we of the Ninth Epoch have entered the fray, another free-for-all like before would be rather dull. Why don't we fight differently?"
"A General Selection Duel!"
"What do you all think?"
At his words, the powers of every realm erupted in excitement.
Ordinarily, the Epoch Battlefield would have been another free-for-all.
But this time, every army could see that something was different!
The Ninth Epoch had entered the fray!
Normally, Ninth Epoch figures only appeared to preside over the Taboo Battlefield.
This time was plainly different.
With the Second Divine General's proposal, realization dawned on everyone.
A General Selection Duel!
The rules were unfamiliar to the Epoch Kings.
But every Taboo King knew them well.
They were the rules of the Taboo Battlefield!
Every Taboo King had experienced them!
Seeing the confusion on the faces of Blood Moon Ancestor and the others, the Sword Lord drew a deep breath and began explaining what a General Selection Duel entailed.
"What does 'general selection' mean?"
"It was originally the basic rule of the Taboo Battlefield."
"For