Atop the highest mountain, a fierce wind howled.
The High Gods stood on the summit, conversing, while the war raging hundreds of thousands of miles away was fully visible to their divine gazes.
"Utrecht!" The Chief Sovereign of Fate, 'Orif,' smiled as he glanced at the nearby Chief Sovereign of Destruction. "So this is your trump card — three hundred Seven-Star Demons, along with all these Divine Emissaries. I'm truly impressed that you could gather so many Seven-Star Demons who aren't afraid to die. A pity, though. Your side from Hell still has no real advantage."
"We'll see who has the last word when it's over!" The Chief Sovereign of Destruction watched the scene coldly.
On the Star River passage hundreds of thousands of miles away, the armies of Hell and the Celestial Realm had plunged into a frenzy. Led by three hundred-person squads of Seven-Star Demons and numerous Divine Emissaries, Hell's forces surged with overwhelming momentum. Vast numbers of warriors at the Six-Star Demon level, and even a rare few at the Seven-Star level, unleashed wave after wave of coordinated attacks in a frenzy of bloodlust.
The forces of Hell erupted like a flood breaking free of its dam.
And those constantly dodging, ambush-striking Divine Emissaries were like venomous serpents lurking within the floodwaters.
On the Celestial Realm's side, the Twelve-Winged Divine Angels showed no fear in their eyes. They led the Celestial army in fierce resistance, and one by one the Twelve-Winged Divine Angels fell. Yet for every one that perished, the losses inflicted on Hell's side were even greater.
"Those angels really are a handful," Belute chuckled lightly. "No fear of death, holding the Star River passage. Despite Hell's frenzy, they can't push forward a single step further."
"It's mainly because the Star River passage is only so wide and so tall," Lin Lei said, watching countless lives extinguished one after another, shaking his head. "In terms of sheer numbers, Hell far outstrips the Celestial Realm this time. But the passage is only so large. At any given moment, the most that can clash is about a thousand."
"Two or three hundred Twelve-Winged Divine Angels form battle arrays that fan out, practically sealing off the entire passage. And on either side of them, vast numbers of Celestial warriors provide support."
Lin Lei understood.
If the battlefield were different — say, a clash on open plains — a tide of soldiers rushing forward would make it impossible for a few hundred elites to change the tide of battle. But this was a decisive battle on the Star River passage. And on either side of the passage churned the spatial turbulence! Falling into it, with the strength of these warriors, meant certain death without any chance of survival.
"Hm? Those six have finally moved." Lin Lei couldn't help but smile.
Rasell, the black-robed 'Breller,' and the other four — six Divine Emissaries hidden among Hell's ranks — had finally made their move. Six Divine Emissaries, acting alone, were more than capable of killing dozens of Twelve-Winged Divine Angels. But now, all six of their bodies suddenly erupted with the power of High Gods.
Whoosh!
These six Divine Emissaries, who had endured and lain hidden for so long, surged forward like six bloodthirsty beasts pouncing upon a flock of sheep.
"Darkness!"
Breller transmitted to the other five.
Rumble~~~ Six torrents of High God power flowed between them, forming a perfect six-pointed star. Light flickered across the formation, and in an instant, the terrifying energy converged upon the black-robed 'Breller.' Carrying the combined might of all six, Breller coldly swung his blade forward—
The blade was black!
The slash of blade-light that surged forth shimmered with black radiance along its surface, while within, other colors of light swirled.
Boom!
Where the blade-light passed, space collapsed.
"No good!" The Chief Sovereign of Light, 'Augusta,' watching from hundreds of thousands of miles away, couldn't help but cry out.
The situation had indeed turned dire.
The blade-light moved with terrifying speed. Sweeping through, it instantly reduced an entire battle array of Twelve-Winged Divine Angels to dust. And it continued onward, plowing through a second battle array before finally losing its power and being scattered by various counterattacks.
One attack — twelve Twelve-Winged Divine Angels annihilated.
This sight instantly shifted the balance between the Celestial Realm and Hell.
In truth, this outcome was entirely expected. After all, the Twelve-Winged Divine Angels' battle arrays could annihilate dozens of Hell's warriors in a single strike. Six Divine Emissaries forming a 'Reincarnation Battle Array' to kill twelve angels was only natural — and that was because the angels were grouped in formation. Otherwise, dozens would have fallen without question.
"Ha ha! Kill!" Morale skyrocketed among Hell's forces.
"Take them down!" the Celestial Realm's military commanders immediately issued orders.
Almost simultaneously—
Six angel battle arrays, along with the Celestial warriors massed at the forefront, unleashed their most devastating attacks. The target: the six Divine Emissaries!
But at the very moment the Celestial Realm's forces began their coordinated assault, Breller and his five companions had already made their second decision.
"Wind!" Breller transmitted with a commanding shout.
Instantly, six streams of High God power once more flowed between them. This time, however, the composite High God power was wrapped in a layer of pale cyan High God energy.
Whoosh!
The six Divine Emissaries vanished like wind without a trace, plunging deep into Hell's ranks. The Celestial Realm's massive volley of attacks crashed down just an instant too late, utterly failing to touch any of them.
"That was satisfying!" the burly, iron-fleshed man laughed heartily. "Breller, that plan of yours really is excellent."
"Of course," the black-robed 'Breller' replied with a thin smile. "After one attack, forget about waiting for their response — immediately retreat deep into our own lines. Then strike again, and pull back once more. Hmph, the worst their attacks can do is kill a few ordinary soldiers. And if there's one thing Hell has no shortage of, it's ordinary soldiers."
Then Breller issued another command—
"Wind!"
The six Divine Emissaries suddenly scattered outward in every direction, spreading apart as they charged forward.
"Earth!"
Breller transmitted yet another order.
Six streams of High God power converged once more, with the thick, resonant power of the Earth High God enveloping the outermost layer. This immensely powerful energy gathered upon the burly man's frame. His massive figure threw a cold right punch forward — his fist like a mountain, crushing down upon the battlefield, shattering heaven and earth.
"Wind!"
The six Divine Emissaries retreated at blinding speed once again.
The angels suffered massive losses yet again. A full twelve Twelve-Winged Divine Angels fell once more.
Twelve, for the size of this angel army, might not seem like much. But with the speed of six Divine Emissaries, killing twelve at a time meant a hundred and twenty after ten strikes. This angelic legion had deployed two grand divisions — twelve hundred in total. And on this passage, there had originally been only six hundred Twelve-Winged Divine Angels.
Through the relentless slaughter, the majority had already been lost. Fewer than two hundred remained.