Chapter 533: The Crusade Against the Blood Realm
Ethan watched as the Serpent-Turtle’s essence blood flowed into the divine contract. With a flick of his finger, the array of light shot upward, piercing the clouds.
"The pact is sealed. Heaven and Earth bear witness, the Grand Path affirms. Should any dare violate this, they will be struck down by divine lightning!"
A profound, ethereal voice echoed in every ear, ancient and absolute.
"What do I get if you lose?" the old turtle suddenly asked, just as the contract was affirmed by the Grand Path.
Ethan blinked. "Uh... you never said what you wanted, and now the contract’s finished. What do you suggest?" He spread his hands, then pointed lazily at the sky. "Maybe you can negotiate with them? See if they’ll amend it?"
His expression was the kind that could make anyone’s blood boil.
"You... you, you, you..." The yellow-robed elder’s nose almost twisted in rage. Uncle Jed and Bongo turned crimson, struggling not to burst out, while the Dragon Child folded in on herself with laughter, her forehead pressed to her knees.
"You all..." The elder felt utterly humiliated.
"Don’t ’you all’ me. I won’t lose anyway. Shatterstar—appear!" Ethan snapped, his playfulness evaporating.
Whoosh.
The colossal form of the Shatterstar mech materialized from thin air, towering above them.
"That... that’s just a pile of scrap iron. And you say you won’t lose?" The yellow-robed elder gestured furiously at the machine.
Ethan ignored him and stepped forward, vanishing into the mech’s chest. "Don’t say I’m picking on you. Come in. I’ll show you something." His voice boomed out, amplified by the mech’s systems.
Whoosh.
Before the words had even settled, a streak of crimson light darted inside. Uncle Jed had already rushed in. The Dragon Child and Bongo followed at once, slipping into the entrance. The elder hesitated, grinding his teeth, then finally entered as well.
"You all—" Ethan started, glaring at them, but the rest of his words faltered.
"We wanted to see it too..." The Dragon Child looked up at him with wide eyes, her curiosity impossible to refuse. Even Bongo, normally so stiff, nodded with earnest vigor. Uncle Jed, meanwhile, was already poking around the cockpit, doing his best not to meet Ethan’s gaze.
"...Fine," Ethan sighed, dropping heavily into the pilot’s seat.
He had planned to send the Dragon Child and the others to wipe out the Blood Clan. Micah was already under crushing strain, holding the grand array together on the other side. They were besieged by an endless tide of Blood Clan creatures. The array retaliated, but its strength was mostly defensive—its offensive reach against outside forces was weak.
But now that everyone had followed him inside, there was no leaving them behind. He would have to shoulder the fight himself.
Ethan interfaced with Shatterstar, locking into control mode.
"Activate precision targeting. Initiate combat assessment scan. Measure attack tolerance of all non-human entities within range. Set precision targeting to maximum power—one-shot kill." His commands came rapid-fire, smooth and decisive.
[Precision targeting activated. Scan complete. Power setting confirmed. Please set simultaneous attack limit: 1–99,999. Higher limits will extend energy recovery time for subsequent attacks.]
"Set quantity to maximum!" Ethan barked. He wanted the battle over in an instant. Every second mattered. He still had to reach that other world... and meet the armored figure.
His chest was tight with urgency. Normally, he would never reveal Shatterstar so openly. But if he wanted this fight to end swiftly, there was no choice. That figure... that gentle voice. That woman. Who was she? And why, whenever he thought of her, did he feel the inexplicable urge to cry?
[Simultaneous attack limit set to 99,999! Due to the extremely high value, attack interval is 30 seconds.]
"Good. Commence attack. And activate close-quarters combat system."
As the words left his lips, the Scale of the Earth Guardian—etched onto his arm earlier—flared into being. A thought later, the Twilight War Spear took form in his right hand, a weapon two thousand meters long, its shaft crackling with power.
Sizzle... sizzle...
All across Shatterstar’s frame, laser emitters snapped to life. Each one locked onto a Blood Clan beast with merciless precision. In a blink, swaths of monsters were vaporized into scarlet mist, their remains swept into the portal yawning behind Shatterstar. They were not destroyed—merely sent back to their origin world, where they would inevitably be resurrected.
But the moment their forms knit back together, they were thrust straight into another battlefield.
That world was dim, its skies crimson, the air suffused with malice. Below, black-armored legions clashed with endless tides of red. Every warrior on that field radiated crushing power—each stronger than Uncle Jed himself. No wonder Jed had admitted he couldn’t survive here.
High above the battlefield, two figures faced one another. One red, one black.
The red being radiated monstrous energy. Its entire body was plated in bone spikes, grotesque and shifting as though it were stitched together from countless creatures. Eight arms unfurled from its torso, each gripping a different weapon, each dripping with bloodlust.
Opposite it floated the black-armored figure—the very same Ethan had seen in his dreams. Sleek, dark armor sealed away her form completely.
"Lord of the Underworld," the red monstrosity hissed, its voice like grinding stone, "what is the meaning of this? You dare send legions of black-armored soldiers to invade my Blood Realm?"
"Invasion?" The armored figure let out a cold laugh, her voice neutral yet carrying unmistakable contempt. "You dare speak of invasion? How many worlds have your Blood Clan consumed? And you dare call this wasteland a realm? You’re nothing but mongrels spawned from the Void Realm. The Divine Realm fell silent, the Void Realm grew bold, and now the mice believe themselves kings. You devour countless worlds, butcher their living, twist their very souls into your foul essence. You block those souls from reaching my Underworld. And you ask if this is an invasion?"
Her voice rose, sharp and resonant, carrying a weight that shook even the skies. "This is no invasion. This... is a crusade."
The word struck like thunder. Darkness poured across the sky, a killing intent so vast it seemed to blot out the heavens.
"You—do not forget the pact you signed with him!" The red figure’s bravado faltered. It spat the words like a desperate shield.
"The pact?" The armored figure’s laugh was short and scornful. "I signed no such thing. If I had, the Grand Path would have erased me ages ago. Do you really think I’d be standing here if I had sworn fealty to that law?"
Her tone cut like a blade, and the red creature staggered in disbelief.
"What? Who are you? Has the Underworld changed Lords again? Impossible! A major world cannot change its ruler without him knowing!" The word again dripped with panic, and again it invoked that shadowy "him."
"That," she said, her voice hard as iron, "is none of your concern. What matters is this: today, I will take your soul to my Throne Hall, and consign you to ten thousand years in the wheel of reincarnation."
A longsword of pure darkness formed in her grip, its edge glinting like an abyssal flame.