“Shizen!!!” Venerate Maurice screamed out at the top of his lungs. His face was drained of blood, and his entire being was shivering. His job was to protect the young nature boy, no matter the cost. Yet, the Spirit Venerate had failed. Junius’ sword had pierced through Shizen’s skull, leaving no room for error. The Freak of the Dundlewoods… has died.

But it wasn’t without a cost.

“Junius!!!” Like Venerate Maurice before him, Ao hollered out. Leaping from his rested position, the World Serpent instantly rushed towards the falling body of Junius. The Kshatriya was riddled with holes, and almost half of his blood was spent. A critical condition was a light term to describe Junius’ current predicament. If nothing was done within the next ten minutes, the Kshatriya was certain to pass on into the netherworld, alongside the opponent that he’d just slain.

Ao immediately sent legions of spiritual energies into Junius’ broken body, hoping to somewhat stabilise his condition before carrying him to a healer. The rough mana of the Tier 9 Spirit Beast continued to pour into the young man and bit by bit, some of the colour that Junius had lost was rapidly coming back to him. Though it was far from complete. Still somewhat lucid, Junius attempted to grab hold of Ao’s wrist. The force of his hands was akin to that of a baby’s grip, fragile and easy to break at any moment. Thus, the World Serpent leaned in with a worried cry.

“Junius! Don’t think too much! I’ll get you to safety soon!!!” For the first time in over a thousand years, the World Serpent cried out from the bottom of his heart. It took his all to push out that thought that Junius might lose his life. Who could blame him? Junius was basically a soccer ball with dozens of holes pierced into it. However, before Ao could carry him out, the young man used what little strength he had to remind the World Serpent of one thing…

“T-The… S-Sp-Spirit… V-Venerate...” Junius’ finger pointed to the side, where Venerate Maurice lay standing. He stood rooted to the ground, utterly shellshocked by the death of Shizen. However, once Junius pointed his finger right at the man, the veteran mind of the Master Explorer came online.

The sacred duel to determine who would become the Champion of the Tree of Illusions had been concluded. Therefore, the ban on fighting had been lifted. Ao was now allowed to use all his spiritual abilities with impunity, and so was Venerate Maurice. Now that Shizen had passed on, there was a need to eliminate the sole witness of the battle. No one should know that Junius was hiding in a mansion near the Illusory Canyon and more importantly, Shin should never find out that Junius had killed one of his closest friends. Thus, even when he was on the verge of swimming down River Styx, Junius pointed towards Venerate Maurice, begging Ao to kill the man before he could escape.

“...” The World Serpent froze in his place. He was a peak Tier 9 Spirit Beast, one that possessed the power to defeat almost every single Spirit Venerate that ever existed. In fact, he could even give some of the weaker Spirit Saints and Primordial Beasts a run for their money. So, defeating and ultimately killing off Venerate Maurice wouldn’t be an issue. The true problem lay in what he had to give up.

If Ao decided to go for Venerate Maurice, it was almost a given that Junius would die. It was a miracle that he was still alive anyway. Once his spiritual energy left Junius’ body, the tough Kshatriya would succumb to his wounds, passing away into the abyss. However, if Ao allowed Venerate Maurice to run away, he would come back with the wrath of the Alliance, as well as the anger of Shin. At this point in time, Shin was among the most influential figures in the world. If he found out Junius’ location, an army would come knocking on the western region’s doorsteps.

Of all the bases that the Black Mask had, Junius’ region was by far the most underdeveloped. However, even though it was undeveloped, it didn’t mean that it wasn’t necessary. According to the Allfather’s plan, during the next phase of his master plan, Spirit Beasts from the Uncharted Wildnerness would march past Illusory Canyon, infesting the Kori Federation with a billion-strong Beast Horde. So, by all metrics, it was imperative that Ao not allow Venerate Maurice to escape and act as the man who blows the horn.

Yet… Ao hesitated.

Junius, or the fate of the Black Masks… If it were a few years before, Ao would unquestionably choose the Black Masks. Heck, if it was a few months earlier, Ao might have abandoned Junius, no matter how much he treasured his protege. However, the image of Junius’ child came to mind. The faces of Shia and Vellan, who wished Junius safe passage home as he kissed them goodbye.

Every second passed like an eternity. Junius’ pulse was getting weaker, and Venerate Maurice mental faculties were being restored. In due time, the Spirit Venerate would attempt his escape while Junius was still suffering. If Ao wanted to act, he had to move now. And so… He did.

Ao grabbed Junius in a princess carry, as a vast amount of spiritual energy flowed from his soul to the young man. The World Serpent didn’t even spare a single glance at Venerate Maurice. Instead, he kicked the ground in an epic stomp, sending his body flying into the skies above. The World Serpent had chosen sentiment over logic. He was going to save Junius even if it meant abandoning the west.

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“...” The tension that had been built up in Venerate Maurice’s veins instantly dissipated as he was left all alone in front of the Tree of Illusions. Bodies of the Black Masks that died still remained and a horrendous smell was already coming out from their bodies. The White Weeping Willow Tree remained untouched by the damage that Junius and Shizen had inflicted upon the earth. In fact, it was looking rather jovial, as if it had experienced the most epic movie humankind had ever produced.

Venerate Maurice looked down at his feet. He found that his legs were shaking and the strength of a Spirit Venerate had all but been drained. Maurice had to fight the urge to fall to his butt. The fight was over, but it was far from won. No, it was a significant loss. The middle-aged man glanced over his shoulder, only to notice the motionless body of the acclaimed genius. Then, he slapped his cheeks until they were red and bruised.

“Now is no time to mourn...” The Spirit Venerate said to himself, trying his hardest to wake up from that dream. “I must bring Shizen back… I must… Tell the world of the Black Masks...” He wanted vengeance. He wanted to rip Junius’ body limb from limb and feed them to the dogs. Alas, Maurice lacked power. It was by the World Serpent’s grace that he was still alive, so he had to make full use of it. The Spirit Venerate had to…

Return Shizen back to the Prince of Water.

❖❖❖

The great naval war between the Lantis Navy and the Black Masks was rapidly coming to its conclusion. After losing all of their longboats, every single Dalit, Shudra, Vaishya, Kshatriya and Brahmin was embroiled in a war to the death. Not to mention, the thousands of Spirit Beasts that joined their crusade were launching suicide bombing missions, just to thin down the Lantis Navy’s numbers.

Fatalities, broken ships… Both sides had them, but for the most part, it was the Lantis Navy that came out on top. Shin watched from the protection of Heigui Xuekang’s shield while Bingbing in her human form, locked her arms with his. A random tsunami in the middle of the ocean, created by the fight between Zishen and the Ghost Corsair, crashed onto the barrier. However, the Heigui Spirit Venerate’s mana stood firm.

At the corner, the battle between Admiral Zhangyu Ruogang and Meijing Xuenkai had reached its peak as well. The Abominable Cthulhu and the Killer Whale Spirits screamed in complete anger as they faced one another. It was a fight between a loyalist and a betrayer. There was no way that there would be good blood between them. The storms that they created became more and more devastating by the hour, as they kept aiming for one another’s throats.

Finally, the last Spirit Venerate battle, the epic between the Fleet Admiral and the Sword Baron Seymour Fielder was in its final stages. The Fleet Admiral used all of his power to push the Sword Baron back. His Mythic-Grade Harpoon had tipped the battlefield into his favour, and the Sword Baron was unable to get a single advantage over the dominant Spirit Venerate. Being a Fire-Elemental Spirit User didn’t help the man’s cause at all. Even though it looked like a stalemate to the inexperienced eyes, those with greater insights could tell that the Sword Baron was bound to lose within the next few moves.

“We’ve won,” Shin observed. “They should be giving the order to retreat anytime soon.”

“Yip? You can tell already?” Bingbing asked back.

The man nodded, utterly confident of his claim. “There’s nothing left for the Black Masks. Most of their Spirit Beasts had been killed. The Dalits and Shudras are all dead now. All of their resources have been spent… Now, their Spirit Venerates are just trying to cause as much mayhem as they possibly could so that their weaker members can escape. It’s… over...”

The Nineteenth Artificial Island tragedy had stuck deep in the souls of the Lantis Republic. Now by forcing the Black Masks to completely destroy their Paradise Hearts and mowing down their numbers, their grieved hearts were eased somewhat. As if on cue with Shin’s words, the escape flare had been fired, and the mass retreat had begun. The space that the Spirit Venerates created were being appropriately utilised, and hundreds of the most powerful Black Masks took to the skies.

The Lantis Navy was tempted to give chase, but they had their own problems to solve. Hundreds of their most capable men had fallen in battle, and Lady Seph’s Divine Rain had been completely drained out. Even if the Divine Healer wanted to heal the injured, she simply wasn’t able to do so. Therefore, they had to give up on the chase.

“Kekeke… Looks like my job here is done...” Meijing Xuenkai looked to the skies with a delighted smile. He turned over to his opponent and launched a simple kick at the Admiral. “Let’s settle this another time.”

“No! You’re staying here!!!” Zhangyu Ruogang hollered. It wasn’t easy, finding a turncoat that had caused the Lantis Republic that much pain before. If he let Meijing Xuenkai slip out of his fingers, who knows when would be the next time that they would meet.

“Not at all,” the Brahmin’s cold voice entered the Admiral’s ears. A humongous tidal wave emerged from the bottom of his feet, pushing the Spirit Venerate far away from the Brahmin as possible.

“Kekeke, if fate permits, we’ll meet on the battlefield once more...” With that declaration, Meijing Xuenkai leapt towards the skies, disappearing into the horizon at the speed of light.

“...” The Ghost Corsair looked at the Azure Dragon Lord floating in front of him. They had been at one another’s throats for the past few minutes now and had almost constantly been at a stalemate. Granted, Zishen was fighting a little defensively as he wanted to ensure Shin’s safety. Thus, with no more objectives for the Black Masks, there was no point for the Ghost Corsair to remain on the battlefield.

“I’m sorry…” The Ghost Corsair gave a simple apology for cowering out of their duel before disappearing in the same manner that Meijing Xuenkai did.

And that leaves the Sword Baron. He was being pressured by the Fleet Admiral and had a much harder time attempting an escape. Still, he was a Spirit Venerate that once dominated an entire region. With one final swing that consisted of all his might, Seymour pushed the Fleet Admiral a dozen kilometres away, giving him enough space to make his retreat. However, before he left, his eyes darted south and landed on Shin.

The Sword Baron was wearing a scowl, like a rabid dog looking at an intruder on its turf. His every plan, the masterful escape to smuggle out the Paradise Hearts, had been thwarted by the Prince of Water. It was no wonder that he was livid. Nonetheless, Shin was way too protected for anyone to kill. Unable to do anything, Seymour scoffed and took to the skies, joining the rest of his army in the retreat.

The Lantis Navy had won… They had tasted a victory sweeter than any revenge tale. They had now…

Crippled the Black Masks control over the East!