"How did these natives' resistance suddenly become so strong?" Ōtsutsuki Ayu couldn't help but take a step back, her previous relaxed tone vanishing without a trace. "Didn't the ancient texts say they were an inferior civilization? How come they have so many experts? This sword energy... it could split mountains, right?"
Commander Ōtsutsuki Retsu drew his wooden sword, golden Chakra once again covering the blade, the clan crest on his forehead taut with effort. "Don't panic! It's just the dying struggle of some natives. Shō, take your squad and wipe out all the countries to the east; Mune, you go and deal with all the countries to the south; the rest of you, continue to follow me and clear out the natives ahead. We cannot let these ants ruin our great mission of finding the God Tree!"
"Yes!" Captain Ōtsutsuki Shō responded, waving his wooden staff and sending several black energy spikes shooting towards the sword aura in the east. However, the moment those sharp energy spikes touched the silver-white sword aura, they were instantly cleaved into black energy fragments, unable to even provide a moment's resistance. Ōtsutsuki Shō's expression changed; he could sense that the owner of that sword aura was incredibly fast, appearing at the edge of the Silver Shield Kingdom's ruins in the blink of an eye.
It was a man clad in silver-white armor, intricately patterned, with a heavy sword taller than himself strapped to his back. His mount was a winged griffin, its claws still stained with pebbles kicked up in flight. The man reined in the griffin, looking down at the Ōtsutsuki Clan amidst the ruins, his voice like ice. "Are you from the Eastern Continent? Why have you committed such inhuman acts?"
"Does this native even dare to ask our names?" Ōtsutsuki Shō sneered, pointing his wooden staff at the man. "Die!"
Several black Energy Bullet shot towards the man, but he simply drew his heavy sword from his back and swung it with all his might—an even thicker, silver-white sword aura erupted instantly, cleaving the black Energy Bullet in two, and continuing its momentum towards Ōtsutsuki Shō. Ōtsutsuki Shō raised his hand and erected a defensive wall with black energy, but the moment the sword aura struck the energy wall, it emitted a piercing cracking sound. The energy wall shattered like an eggshell breaking, Ōtsutsuki Shō was forced back by the shockwave.
"The First Sword Saint! It's the Silver Wing Sword Saint, the ruler of the Holy Radiance Kingdom!" Several Silver Shield Kingdom warriors still alive in the ruins screamed, their voices filled with desperate elation, " The Silver Wing Sword Saint has arrived! We're saved!"
"The First Sword Saint?" Ōtsutsuki Shō frowned, his Rinnegan over the man. He could see the energy within the man resembling a burning flame, not as pure as the Ōtsutsuki Clan's energy, but exceptionally condensed. "Just a native who has mastered a rudimentary form of energy manipulation, yet he dares to call himself a 'Saint'?"
He raised his hand, and the black energy blade condensed again, several times thicker than when it cleaved the city wall. "Since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, I'll send you down to join those ants first!"
The light blade slashed towards the Silver Wing Sword Saint, but just then, the dark clouds in the sky suddenly exploded, and a bolt of lightning as thick as Ōtsutsuki Shō's head. Shou dodged sharply to the side, and the lightning struck the ground, creating a large crater emitting black smoke. He looked up at the sky and saw a dozen or so mages dressed in red robes standing in the center of a magic circle in the clouds. The old man at the head held a staff inlaid with gems, the gems at the top of the staff flashing with dazzling light.
"The chief archmage of the Church of Flame! And the Ice Prism Grand Magister of the Frost Kingdom! They've both come!" Ōtsutsuki Ayu's voice was filled with disbelief. Having absorbed many native memories, he naturally understood the abilities and origins of these famous natives. His Byakugan could see that the magic circles formed by the mages were constantly absorbing the surrounding energy of heaven and earth. The dark clouds in the sky were growing thicker, and lightning and flames seemed to be pouring down like a torrential rain. "Their magical energy... seems to be continuously increasing!"
Ōtsutsuki Agin's Byakugan was fixed on the direction of the forest. The emerald green vines had already reached the edge of the ruins, and on the vines stood figures dressed in clothes woven from leaves, with pointed ears—elves, and some druids riding giant wolves and covered in tree bark. An elven archer drew his bow, the arrow tip wreathed in green energy, and shot it towards Agin. Agin slightly turned her body, the arrow grazing her shoulder and embedding itself in the broken wall. Instantly, dense vines sprouted from the arrow tip, binding the broken wall into a green sphere.
"These vines... can absorb energy!" Agin warned, having just sensed the energy from the arrow trying to pull at her own energy. "Be careful, don't get entangled in the vines!"
Just as Ōtsutsuki Tōru dodged a fire spell, several vines suddenly sprouted from the ground and wrapped around his ankles. He frowned, his Chakra surging as he tried to break free, but the vines seemed alive, tightening their grip even more. Moreover, he could feel his Chakra being slowly absorbed by the vines. "Damn it!" Tetsu drew his short sword and slashed at the vines. The blade sliced through the vines, severing them and sending him flying, but the wound on the vines instantly healed and began to grow again.
"That's not all!" The captain of the Ōtsutsuki Sō sect's voice was urgent. He had just dealt with a few mages when he saw countless figures rushing towards them on the western horizon—knights on warhorses, mages in robes, and others with strange energy fluctuations, like assassins lurking in the shadows. "It seems that all the kingdoms of the Western Continent have sent troops!"
Commander Ōtsutsuki Retsu's face darkened completely. He had originally thought that eliminating these natives would be a simple matter, but now it seemed that the situation was far more complicated than he had imagined. These natives of the Western Continent not only included sword saints Power of All Creation, but also grand mages who could summon lightning and flames for attacks, as well as the most troublesome elves and druids who could manipulate vines to absorb Chakra. Moreover, judging from the current situation, the strongest individuals from the entire Western Continent were gathering here.
"How could this be?" Lie muttered to himself. His Rinnegan swept across the entire Western Continent, and he suddenly sensed an invisible force enveloping the land—a force that was gentle yet carried an irresistible majesty, like the world's own World Will. A strange unease suddenly welled up in his heart, as if something dangerous was about to happen.
Meanwhile, atop the Holy Mountain at the westernmost edge of the Western Continent, in an ancient temple, several priests dressed in white robes knelt on the ground, praying to the crystal ball in the center of the temple. The once peaceful scene within the crystal ball was now covered with red cracks, from which golden energy spots and silver-white sword energy flashed intermittently.
"An oracle! An oracle!" A priest suddenly raised his head, his voice trembling. "The divine deity says that outsiders have invaded this land, and their power is enough to destroy our world. We must immediately gather all our strength and fight to the death at all costs!"
"It's not just the gods!" another priest exclaimed, his face pale as he stared at the crystal ball. " The World Will... the World Will is also issuing a warning! I can feel it; every blade of grass, every tree on this land is conveying fear!"
Outside the Holy Mountain, countless believers were rushing towards the temple, weapons in hand, their faces filled with pious yet resolute expressions. A pope in golden robes stood at the temple entrance, looking down at the surging crowd, his voice echoing throughout the entire Holy Mountain: "Children, outsiders want to destroy our homeland, want to deprive us of our right to live! Now, it is time to take up arms, for the Western Continent, for the gods, for ourselves, and fight to the end!"
"Fight to the end! Fight to the end!" The believers' shouts echoed like thunder, spreading towards the Silver Shield Kingdom.