“Cheng Wei, we can’t hold on much longer! Think of something!”

The battlefield vanguard officer urgently reported over the radio. The knights of the Expeditionary Order were nearly exhausted. On the other side, the magical attacks from the grand formation of mages were weakening, with some mages even vomiting blood due to the backlash of dark magic or forbidden techniques.

Chronos laughed arrogantly as he watched everything unfold. Although this was the human coalition’s desperate last stand, he had managed to barely defend himself using two divine weapons. He smugly thought that once this wave of attacks subsided, he could use Shiyu and Dark Jade to sweep the battlefield. By the time he recovered his power and regained his demonic god form, the Shadow Lord and the Eternal Night Lord would likely have also secured significant victories on their respective battlefields.

Just as the Lord of Time, Chronos, was immersed in his triumphant fantasy, a golden meteor streaked across the sky from the distant horizon of gray-blue, shimmering with ethereal white light. It blazed through the boundless land, leaving a brilliant tail of starlight in its wake.

When he slowed time to observe it with his Time Eye, Chronos’ arrogant smile froze instantly. He could never mistake what he saw—it was the Phantom Holy Sword, the very weapon that had once decapitated the ancient archdemon Uriel, one of Lucifer’s most powerful subordinates, in a single strike during the Battle of the Holy Capital! “That… that man… is General Guan Feng!”

The dazzling golden streak tore through the sky above the Grass Python, causing Arthas to widen his silver eyes in shock. The high-frame-rate footage on the screen provided a crystal-clear image. Arthas could hardly believe what he was seeing—the shirtless man with a purple dragon coiled around a pearl tattooed on his back, wielding the mighty fusion-powered light sword. Even Breton was stunned by the sight before him. Only now did the world learn that the legendary Holy Sword Knight who had slain the Seraph was none other than the long-hidden supreme commander of the Qiantang Empire, General Guan Feng!

At the very moment when the golden holy sword struck the green magic stone embedded in Chronos’ chest, Guan Feng’s blazing golden eyes met Chronos’ horrified emerald gaze.

Chronos, completely restrained, had no way to evade. The immense mass of Dark Jade, straining to maintain its defensive power, rendered him motionless, while Shiyu was already stretched to its limits blocking the knights’ and mages’ attacks. He had no means to counter this ultimate assault. And more importantly, this was the Holy Sword—capable of slaying gods!

As the radiant golden light flashed across the battlefield’s center, the massive black mirror formed by Dark Jade and the colossal white shield of Shiyu disintegrated into black-and-white mist before vanishing into nothingness.

The four thunderous forces that had been suppressing the Lord of Time were no longer obstructed and clashed violently with the golden holy sword’s energy. The resulting explosion warped the space around it, folding and twisting reality. A colossal mushroom cloud of light, resembling a nuclear detonation, illuminated the silent night sky as if turning it into daytime.

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Thick black clouds were torn apart like scattered dandelions by the shockwave, and hurricane-force winds ravaged the battlefield. Heavy armored mechs and equipment were tossed about like broken kites caught in a wind tunnel. Along the coastline of Bosti, once an idyllic paradise, waves over ten meters high surged violently, and the tsunami overturned abandoned military port structures, even capsizing colossal ships and aircraft carriers left from the old era.

The explosion’s aftermath was felt dozens of kilometers away. The tremendous blast lasted over ten minutes before gradually subsiding, leaving the battlefield in eerie silence, akin to the calm after the Big Bang. The ocean water, blasted into the air, now rained down as a torrential storm mixed with soil and metal debris. Towering columns of smoke rose into the sky, piercing through the fractured clouds, and golden beams of light filtered through, painting a scene of apocalyptic devastation.

Guan Feng’s figure flashed through the dense smoke, agile as the wind. Golden particles still clung to his body, radiating a dazzling brilliance like snowflakes drifting downward. However, even the indomitable Xianglong General had not emerged unscathed. Deep wounds crisscrossed his muscular chest and abdomen, and blood flowed in thin streams.

The coagulated blood on his chest stained the ancient dragon-patterned totem on his black attire. But Guan Feng had no time to worry about his injuries. His sharply defined features twitched slightly as he scanned the battlefield with piercing eyes, like a hawk searching for its prey. Meanwhile, the knights who had fought alongside him struggled to their feet after being knocked down by the blast, clearly bearing various degrees of injury.

“Did we succeed?”

Cheng Wei abruptly stood up from his seat at the temporary command post. The knights who had channeled all their energy into supporting Guan Feng remained fixated on the battle feed, holding their breath in anticipation.

Although Chronos’ presence had vanished, Guan Feng was certain that his deadly strike had hit its mark. Everyone had witnessed it firsthand. As the dust slowly settled, all that remained on the ground were the shattered fragments of a green gemstone—the very magic stone that once concentrated the Underworld Lord’s power. A thunderous cheer erupted across the battlefield. Knights and mages embraced in joy, some shedding tears of elation. Some raised their crosses in silent prayer, while others knelt in the direction of the moon, offering devout thanks to the heavens.

Arthas and Breton, unable to contain their excitement, prepared to descend as they observed the battlefield from above. Piloting the Grass Python, they steadily lowered their altitude from the stratosphere.

Just as Guan Feng finally let his guard down, exhaustion overtook him. He swayed unsteadily and collapsed. Struggling to wipe the blood from his face, he pulled a metal flask from his pocket and took a sip of whiskey. The fiery alcohol burned his throat, causing the overstrained warrior to cough violently. Yet, for the first time, he felt a sense of relief. His meticulously planned strategy had worked.

Breton adjusted the vector thrusters for landing, reducing altitude to just under a hundred meters when suddenly—a sharp impact struck the rear of the aircraft. The Grass Python shuddered violently before stabilizing.

“What did we hit?” Arthas frantically adjusted the loose electronic equipment that had been jarred by the collision.

“Uh… nothing showed up on radar. Damn it, what’s going on? I didn’t see anything either, and our Dragon-class aircraft has an active avoidance system… this doesn’t make sense…”

Breton turned to check the rear of the cabin. The moment his silver eyes caught sight of something, his pupils contracted in sheer terror. Arthas felt a chill and was about to ask when a chilling voice rang out.

“I never expected to be pushed this far. Oh, gods of Atlantis, look at your arrogant children—they dare to attempt the murder of their Lord.”

Chronos roared, spreading his arms wide. He stood atop the streamlined tail of the Grass Python.

A massive silver lightning bolt crashed down, shocking the celebratory crowd below. As they looked up at the black-winged, bare-chested figure standing atop the aircraft, his green eyes burning with eerie light, their joy turned to despair. The man they had just obliterated into dust… had returned.

The battlefield fell silent. Then, slowly but resolutely, the warriors steeled themselves for one final stand.