Heavy rain poured down, accompanied by thunder and lightning.
A solitary figure, charred black from head to toe, stood alone in the sky, holding a broken longsword in its hand.
The sky tore open, and a majestic figure stepped out, carrying with it the lingering evil power.
The scene of devastation before him silenced Maxwell, who was about to offer words of comfort. His Iron Fist clenched, veins throbbing on his forehead. Holy Sword was his alma mater, and he felt a deep connection to it. Seeing the sight before him, the Moon Breaker was equally distressed.
But life goes on, and as the Pillar of the Nation the Alliance, he had to suppress these useless emotions, pull himself together, and clean up the mess.
"How much damage did you suffer?" Maxwell asked, barely suppressing his emotions.
Urta turned stiffly, half of his face melted by the dragon's breath into twisted and tangled flesh, making it impossible to discern any of his original features. Due to the influence of Aorlite's residual power, restoring his original appearance was not easy.
Taking a deep breath, Urta finally managed to shake off his dejection for the time being. "The losses are huge. Dead-Soul Dragon Octopus Tanduorsi has been rescued, and the Virtual Universe built around him has been forced to shut down temporarily. The other cultivation secret sites have also suffered varying degrees of damage."
Maxwell nodded slightly, then lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the broken longsword in Urta's hand. "How... how did the Holy Sword break?"
Pain flickered in Urta's remaining eye. "Aorlite had been hiding something. He actually brought a Demigod from the Dragon Clan — the Radiant Dragon Claw. He didn't reveal it at the beginning of the battle, but at the crucial moment, he suddenly drew the Radiant Dragon Claw and struck with all his might, breaking the Holy Sword in two from the back! I was careless..."
"It's not your fault!" Maxwell patted Urta on the shoulder, his brows furrowed with icy coldness. "This was a premeditated, multi-dimensional attack against the Alliance. The masterminds behind it were meticulously planned. Their goal wasn't just to split the Alliance, but more importantly, to disrupt the stability of Planet Oklo and even the Elven Plane!"
Urta looked up. "What's your basis?"
"If it were only targeting the Alliance, that evil god wouldn't have allowed his mutated followers to attack other countries."
"What's the meaning?"
"When the Holy Sword was attacked, some of the Alliance's armed forces launched uncontrolled attacks on countries including the Tia Empire, the Corte Alliance, the Winter Empire, the Dawn Empire, and even countries outside of Planet Oklo —it was an almost indiscriminate attack!" Maxwell said, his chest heaving violently, showing how serious the matter was.
Urta was taken aback and quickly asked, "What are the reactions from these countries?"
"Some are still relatively rational, maintaining basic restraint. They clearly understand that there's a lot more to this than meets the eye and don't want to be used as pawns. They're planning to wait until things stabilize before discussing it further! Others, however, are using this opportunity to launch a direct counterattack, even invading Alliance territory! In short, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is now completely overwhelmed..."
"Which country dares to invade Alliance territory?" Urta was furious, but Maxwell's words instantly pulled him out of his slump.
As a hardliner, Black Hole Urta's fiery temper was once renowned Alliance. It was only after he became the Dean of the Holy Sword that he became calmer, like a kind old grandfather next door. But in reality, he never changed; he simply sheathed his sword and carefully honed it.
Maxwell glanced at the old man with his flowing hair and beard, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes, and said, "The Iridescent Light Empire and the Soaring Dragon Empire!"
"It was them? That invaded territory... was it Planet Golden Bridge?"
Urta immediately realized what was happening.
Planet Golden Bridge is located on the border and is a disputed area. This is not the first time that the Crimson Alliance and the Iridescent Light and Soaring Dragon Soar Empires have clashed.
The difference is that, in the past, due to the harsh environment, the cost for Soaring Dragon and Iridescent Light to take action was far greater than that of the Alliance. After weighing the pros and cons, they did not launch a large-scale attack, but only sent small-scale forces to harass and support the resistance forces on Planet Golden Bridge, secretly fighting against the Alliance.
But things are different now. The Alliance has changed hands, and the Planet Golden Bridge garrison has even launched an offensive, giving the two great empires plenty of leverage. It would be strange if they didn't take action.
"That's right. Both countries simultaneously sent troops to occupy Planet Golden Bridge and issued a public announcement declaring the recapture of lost territory."
"You certainly know how to pick your timing!" Urta sneered, then continued, "So, what's the situation now?"
"I don't know!" Maxwell sighed.
"Why?"
"Communications have been interrupted; it's suspected that the communication base station has been damaged."
"How could this be? Where are the strategic information forces? Why aren't they rushing to repair it!"
"Headquarters has suffered Deadly Strike; everything is in complete chaos!"
"..."
Urta was stunned once again, finally realizing the Alliance's current predicament.
"So, old friend, time is of the essence. Pull yourself together, shake off these useless emotions, get your academy affairs sorted out, and attend the highest meeting in two hours!"
Leaving those words behind, Maxwell turned and walked into the spatial rift, disappearing from sight.
As Pillar of the Nation, he has too many things to do. His ability to come to the Holy Sword to take a look is more out of personal reasons, but he cannot delay for too long.
Maxwell is now like a lion king, surveying his territory, using his majestic roar to intimidate the restless hyenas and other hidden beasts.
Three other Pillar of the Nation did the same thing as him.
Due to its short development period, the Crimson Alliance is weaker in terms of individual power compared to several established empires.
But this does not include the number of top-tier experts.
The situation in the Alliance is strange.
Including the Blood Clan, there are a total of seven Peak Demigod.
There are only twenty-nine ordinary Demigod, that is, Demigod who have not reached the level of Divinity Sublimation. Among them, there are only four High-Rank Demigod, which is less than half as many as the Peak Demigod.
This ratio is clearly extremely abnormal.
It should be noted that the Tia Empire only has six Peak Demigod, but they know of as many as sixty-one Demigod, not counting the hidden Demigod powerhouses.
The Dawn Empire goes without saying; its hundreds of Demigod are like Stars in the sky, their numbers unmatched on the Planet Oklo.
Speaking of which, among the five high-magic planets in the Elven Plane, in terms of the number of individual powerful beings, it's not Planet Guta that ranks first, but Planet Oklo.
Perhaps because of the chaotic situation, the lack of a unified government, and the frequent wars between the two sides, it was easy for strong individuals to emerge.
In short, the Demigod of Planet Oklo are generally recognized as the most numerous and the most powerful!
The unusual number of Peak Demigod in the Alliance has naturally sparked much speculation, with the most reliable explanation being a certain scarce resource obtained during the last raid.
After all, it was around that time that Blood Clan and humans united to form the Crimson Alliance, and then rose to prominence at an astonishing speed. Those technological products that were ahead of their time could not have appeared out of thin air; the only explanation naturally lies in another dimension.
After a thousand years of twists and turns, on the eve of the final exploration, the two major allies split. Whether it was the inevitable turn of history or a cycle of cause and effect, no one can say for sure. Only time will tell.
After Maxwell left, Urta picked up the broken Holy Sword, stroked its blade, and murmured to himself, "Don't worry, one day I will find your other half and reforge the broken sword!"
"Aorlite..."
Sheathing his Holy Sword, Urta flashed to Mona's side.
At this moment, the latter is carefully piecing together Zyra's soul.
Demigod are not so easy to deal with.
Zyra burned her entire flesh and blood, and nearly half of her soul.
Iron Tiger Kamori and Blood Weeper Boros perished as a result.
All they got in return was a severely damaged defeat for Kudolin.
With the vitality of the Blood Clan, it won't be long before Kudolin recovers to his full strength.
The lower ranks attack the upper.
That sounds like a wonderful outcome.
In reality, very few people can actually do it.
Those who have climbed to this level, aren't they all chosen ones?
Which one of them wasn't once invincible, dominating their peers and wreaking havoc?
Fighting someone of a higher level without external assistance is almost impossible!
Urta was able to fight the ancient Gold Dragon Aorlite only because of the Legend quality Demigod Holy Sword. However, when the latter also took out the Legend Demigod Radiant Dragon Claw, Urta was quickly severely injured, and his Holy Sword was also broken by a sneak attack.
If it weren't for the news that Moon Breaker Maxwell and Star Vein Eusius had ended their battle, the former would likely have come to support the Holy Sword, Urta would have had a significant chance of perishing.
"Your Excellency Dean, do you have any way to save Zyra?" Upon seeing Urta, Mona's dim eyes suddenly lit up with hope.
Urta's lips moved, he hesitated for a moment, then sighed and left.
Then, the light in Mona's eyes went out instantly, and she lowered her head to continue piecing together Zyra's soul.
The Dark Rose's Ability Energy, once it reaches the Demigod level, can not only save itself but also be used on others.
If Mona hadn't sacrificed a petal at the crucial moment to save Zyra's soul, Jera's fate would have been the same as the other two—falling into the Underworld.
Even so, Mona only managed to save part of Zyra's soul. The rest of her soul was burned away by Zyra herself to turn into power, which meant it was completely lost. Reviving it would be extremely difficult.
"Perhaps, that person has a way..." Mona couldn't help but think of a masked man.
"If he can separate me from Mo Li, he should be able to save Zyra too, right?"
With that in mind, Mona took out her communicator and sent a message.
Urta then arrived at a sinkhole. Some unknown attack had pierced through the earth for thousands of meters, causing groundwater to gush out and form a lake with a diameter of ten thousand meters.
On the murky water floated severed limbs and a tattered Mage's robe, belonging to Vice Dean Louis.
In this battle, Louis also perished.
It perished after defeating four Epic.
Two of them are at the Peak Epic.
A brilliant record.
Urta carefully picked up the tattered robe and put it away.
"Your Excellency Dean, our Holy Sword is gone!!"
A voice, tinged with sobs, came from behind. Farui'an, who only had one leg and one arm left, flew over, his dirty face bearing an expression of utter grief.
By the time Farui'an reached his age, all his direct relatives within three generations had died. Holy Sword Academy was his home, and his students were his family. But now, his home was gone, leaving only his broken body standing on the ruins. The loneliness and bewilderment he felt were something that those who had never experienced it would never understand.
Urta whirled around, his wild hair flying, his dark eyes seeming to devour everything, utterly terrifying.
"As long as we live, the Holy Sword will not perish, Farui'an, pull yourself together! Don't you want to tear those bastards to shreds? With life on your side, anything is possible!!"
His words struck Farui'an like a heavy hammer, waking him up.
In reality, as a member of the academy's senior leadership, how could Farui'an be so fragile?
All he needed was a stimulus, a promise, and a direction to guide him through his confusion from Dean Urta.
Whether it's hatred or hope, having a goal will prevent one from sinking into despair.
"Go, gather the remaining teachers and students, I have something to say!"
"Meet up? Where?" Farui'an looked around; all he saw were broken walls and ruins.
"Right here, on the ruins!" Urta's voice was firm. At this moment, he had completely overcome his grief. All that remained in his heart was a raging fire, a flame of Revenge powerful enough to burn everything!
As the torrential rain poured down, the surviving teachers and students of the Holy Sword gathered like trickling streams.
Urta swept his arm across the sky, and the terrifying gravitational field instantly shattered the dark clouds. The rain stopped abruptly, and sunlight poured down through the remaining cotton-like black clouds.
Everyone looked up, feeling the warmth on their faces, and the gloom in their hearts was dispelled.
"Teachers and students..."
The aged yet powerful voice drew all attention to the old man with flowing hair and beard standing amidst the ruins.
"Our Holy Sword has just suffered a disaster unlike anything we've ever experienced since its founding."
I know you must be feeling confused and fearful right now.
Urta's gaze swept over everyone like the blazing sun, and those who met his eyes seemed to feel a tangible heat.
That's fire!
"But we have no time to be confused, no time to grieve. Our enemies are still watching from the shadows. What they want to see is the Holy Sword in a state of utter defeat. They want to laugh at us without restraint."
Do you think we can let these scum succeed?
Urta roared those words.
A powerful spiritual will, like a great furnace, enveloped everyone present.
This is a form of psychological intervention; extraordinary measures are necessary when needed!
Words alone are not enough to quickly reunite teachers and students.
Urta understood this.
"No!" The first roar rang out.
Then came a deafening roar, like a tsunami responding to a pack of wolves.
A flushed face, bulging veins in the neck, and bloodshot, bulging eyes...
Urta smiled.
He said, "Yes, no!"
Even now, we remain the proud Holy Sword! The mud and hardship will only fuel our progress. One day, we will rebuild our campus and resume enrollment. One day, we will retrieve the shattered cap badge from the mire, and the banner of our past will fly high before us.
"At that time, we will pile up the enemy's heads into a mound of skulls and forge their flesh and blood into a towering structure! At that time, the only voices that can mock us will echo from the enemy's remains, from their graves!"
At this point, the entire room fell silent, with only a sense of Revenge brewing within it!
Urta knew further words were pointless, so he spread his arms wide and shouted with all his might, "Revenge!!"
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
At this moment, even the midday sun seemed to have its light stolen by this group of people on the ruins!
Inside a grand hall that seemed both real and surreal, various colors of light shone, and the natural elements were incredibly abundant.
Above the dome, beams of light descended, transforming into different figures—all current high-ranking members of the Crimson Alliance.
There were about three hundred people present, including individual powerhouses of Demigod or above, as well as high-ranking officials of the Alliance government. The atmosphere was solemn like never before.
A figure walked onto the high platform, attracting the attention of everyone.
Alliance Leader Tarlov, Mela People, has fair skin and blond hair. He is an ordinary person without Transcendent powers, but due to genetic optimization surgery, his lifespan is over two hundred years, making him appear very young and full of energy.
The Alliance of the Crimson Alliance is the head of state, wielding supreme executive power. He is elected and re-elected every ten years, with a maximum of three consecutive terms.
Tarlov has been re-elected for the second time, and his base of support is strong, with his people everywhere in both the military and political circles.
The first person to bear the brunt of this upheaval in the Alliance is Alliance Chief Tarlov, since the problems arose during his term. Regardless of the reason, Tarlov is the person primarily responsible.
Therefore, his first words after taking office were an apology, without shirking responsibility.
However, the high-ranking members of the Alliance seated below clearly didn't want to hear these words. One of the elders spoke directly, his tone sharp, "Tarlov, we only have one question for you: can you get the Alliance back on track in the shortest amount of time?"
"Yes!" Tarlov said.
If he hesitates at this point, he might as well quit being the Alliance leader. The Alliance at this moment does not need a cowardly leader.
Regardless of whether you have the ability or not, you must have the right attitude!
Having received an affirmative answer, the old man sat down.
In the past, this opposition leader would have done everything in his power to bring Tarlov down, but in the current situation, the Alliance needs stability.
This is not only the will of a few Pillar of the Nation, but also the hope of countless citizens of the Alliance.
Any faction that dares to oppose it will be instantly torn apart by this surging tide.
His throat bobbed, he swallowed, and Tarlov composed himself before beginning to speak.
Let's skip the lengthy introduction and get straight to the point.
"The Alliance faces two main challenges."
"External enemies and internal strife!"
It must be said that Tarlov's ability to become the leader of the Alliance government is absolutely formidable; he clearly analyzes the issues.
"In terms of internal strife, the Blood Clan rank first."
"According to intelligence gathered from various sources, the Blood Clan are frantically plundering the Alliance's population and talent, dismantling and transporting various weapons production lines, with their destination being ' Planet Twilight.'"
Planet Twilight is the stronghold of the Blood Clan, a medium-level demon planet rich in resources, surrounded by several dangerous cosmic locations, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.
"This isn't even the worst of it. The Blood Clan have always controlled the Alliance's economic lifeline. After the betrayal of the three major families, 90% of the Alliance's industries have suffered heavy losses, and the economy has completely collapsed!"
"Besides the Blood Clan, the failure of the God-Creation Project had equally devastating consequences. A large number of high-ranking individuals who once God of Faith were transformed into zombies, causing irreparable damage!"
"Finally, there's the K11 Virus. It's now confirmed that this unknown virus is a targeted biological weapon attack, orchestrated by Ashes and the Blood Clan. The K11 Virus has now autonomously evolved to the point where it can infect Mid-Rank Transcendent Lifeform; if left to run rampant, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Blood Clan, mutated believers, viruses.
With three major internal conflicts unfolding, the atmosphere on the court became even more somber. The Alliance's top management felt as if a huge boulder was pressing on their hearts, and some even had some subtle thoughts.
If the situation continues to deteriorate, no one can guarantee that this subtle idea will not evolve into a large-scale defection, at which point the disintegration of the Alliance will be irreversible.
"Continue!" Maxwell spoke, his unique Haki spreading out, instantly suppressing the entire scene. Those little thoughts that had just arisen evaporated like frost under the scorching sun in the face of this unparalleled Haki.
Everyone has a dark side; the difference lies in whether or not one can successfully suppress it.
Right now, key figures in the Alliance like Maxwell are still managing to keep things in check, but if the situation is allowed to deteriorate, the future is uncertain.
Alliance Commander Tarlov glanced at the imposing, unmoving Moon Breaker, a sense of relief washing over him. His tone became even more composed. "As for external enemies, the Sea Dragon Alliance is the primary threat. Taking advantage of the Alliance's upheaval, both races have launched a full-scale offensive against the Alliance. Six colonies have already fallen. Due to the severe damage to communication systems by the Blood Clan and Ashes, many units are out of contact, forcing frontline commanders to make decisions independently. The situation is far from optimistic."
"The second threat is the foreign forces led by Ashes, including various assassin groups, scavengers, and space pirates. For these underground forces, the chaos within the Alliance is undoubtedly a cause for celebration."
"The third is the opportunistic behavior of other lawful powers, such as the Soaring Dragon Empire and the Iridescent Light Empire. Most of them are countries with territorial disputes with us, using the same pretext of defense and counterattack!"
At this point, Alliance Leader Tarlov couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. Their excuse was actually quite valid; from the outside perspective, it was indeed the Crimson Alliance that was being unreasonable and launching the attack first.
What?
You're saying all of this is a conspiracy by the Blood Clan, orchestrated by the terrorist organization Ashes?
I don't care.
What happens within your Alliance is none of my business.
Since it was the Alliance forces that attacked me, my retaliation was perfectly justified and only natural.
Even if the dispute eventually reaches the "Plane Development Bureau," the Crimson Alliance will still be in the wrong.
"The above summarizes the current state of the Alliance. The purpose of this meeting is to review our policies and strategies, and to determine which conflicts should be addressed first."
"To add to that, since the military has always been under our control, and His Excellency Maxwell has foreseen that the military's high command is prohibited from God of Faith, although a few scoundrels who secretly believe in gods, as well as the undercover agents planted by the Blood Clan, have caused some damage to the military, it hasn't been crippling."
"The military's overall combat capabilities are intact. As long as logistics keep up and communications are restored, quelling the internal strife is only a matter of time!"
After listening for a while, finally some good news came.
The military's situation brought a genuine sense of relief to everyone present.
Maxwell's prestige has risen again.
Without his foresight, if the military had truly been infiltrated by believers in the divine, the Alliance would have been finished!
For now, at least we still have the strength to fight back.
The Alliance army is known as the strongest force on Planet Oklo, no weaker than the Dawn Empire.
Otherwise, given the significant lag in individual strength, how could the Alliance possess such a high international standing?
It's all thanks to the army's fighting prowess!