In the desolate expanse known as the no-man’s-land, near the eastern abyss node...

The atmosphere remained eerily calm today; there were no winds blowing and no fauna around the node.

The corrupted earth did not show any signs of spreading.

But that stillness was abruptly shattered when a heavy and suffocating demonic aura erupted into the surroundings without warning, spreading outward with such intensity that it immediately disrupted the natural balance of the area.

Stationed outside the abyss node were one hundred guards from the celestial army; all were positioned strategically to monitor any activity emerging from the rift, and their primary responsibility was to detect and report any signs of demonic insurgency so that higher authorities could respond without delay.

At that very moment, as the rift began releasing a dense and murky aura that carried an unmistakable sense of danger, every guard present felt the oppressive pressure pressing down on them, and it became clear to all of them that something far beyond routine activity was unfolding.

The captain of the guards, who was himself a dragon with considerable experience in such matters, reacted immediately without hesitation, reaching into his spatial ring and retrieving a communication token that was meant to alert the leadership of any emergency.

However, just as he began channeling mana into the artifact in order to activate it, a massive and bestial hand suddenly appeared behind him without any warning, gripping the back of his head with overwhelming force before snapping it effortlessly, as if it were no more resistant than a dry twig.

The sound of the snap echoed briefly, and the captain’s body went limp instantly; his lifeless form collapsed without any chance to resist or even comprehend what had happened.

The remaining guards, who had witnessed this sudden and brutal act, froze in shock as their eyes turned toward the source of the attack, and what they saw filled them with immediate dread.

Standing before them was a towering demon with the head of a bull; his presence was dominating the space around him as he held a massive black axe in his hand. The weapon’s surface was reflecting a dark sheen, while his skin carried a deep crimson hue that seemed to radiate a violent aura.

The demon breathed like a volcano, each exhale sounding like a distorted howl from the underworld, and as the celestial army soldiers observed him, they quickly realized that this was not an ordinary demon they were dealing with here, but one whose power far exceeded anything they were prepared to handle.

A low, gravelly voice escaped from the demon as he looked around at the assembled guards, his expression one of crude satisfaction. "Arrhhh... finally, I see delicious meat," he declared, and without hesitation, he bent down, picked up the corpse of the captain, and began devouring it in front of them as if it were a long-awaited meal. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The demon’s height exceeded ten feet, making him tower over the remaining guards, and the level of his cultivation was so high that none of them could accurately gauge it, which only deepened their fear.

Before they could recover or attempt to regroup, more movement emerged from the rift behind him, as several shadows began seeping outward, gradually taking form.

The ninety-nine remaining guards watched in horror as they found themselves surrounded by ten demons, each of them exuding an aura comparable to the bull-headed one, and it became evident that these were not random entities but individuals of significant rank and power.

A strange and unsettling laughter broke the silence as one of the demons stepped forward, a figure wrapped in bandages with a distorted appearance, holding a sword that seemed to hum faintly with energy.

"Khekhekhe... Thanks for the meal, I suppose," the sword-wielding demon said with a tone filled with mockery as he lifted his weapon.

Without any warning, he slashed forward, and several guards lost their heads in an instant; their bodies collapsed before they could even react, and this pattern continued relentlessly as the demons moved among them, striking with overwhelming force. Killing them like ants, the guard could not resist.

No matter how much the guards attempted to resist or coordinate a defense, their efforts proved futile against opponents of such overwhelming strength, and one by one, they fell, their numbers diminishing rapidly as the battlefield turned into a scene of carnage.

These ten demons were not ordinary invaders but the top 10 generals serving under the demon lord Amon, and their mission was to capture and deliver the son of Rudra Solaris alive to their master.

However, Amon had not imposed any restrictions on their actions regarding discretion or restraint, and as a result, they had no intention of limiting themselves.

For them, consuming the inhabitants of Aris was a form of indulgence, and the act of killing was something they engaged in without hesitation or remorse.

Among them, the top four generals carried cultivation levels that had reached the initial levels of godhood stage, while the remaining six were within the higher levels of divinity, making them an overwhelmingly powerful force.

Their intention for the day was not merely to complete their mission but to create as much destruction and chaos as possible while doing so.

Within a matter of minutes, every single guard had been slaughtered; their bodies then were either consumed or reduced to remains, and the demons proceeded to harvest their cores, swallowing them casually as if they were nothing more than small candies.

Far away from this location, separated by thousands of miles, Rominus the Titan Emperor sat beside a flowing river in a meditative posture; his presence was calm and completely detached. His focus remained on the flow of the river.

Beside him, a staff was planted firmly into the ground; its structure was reinforced with bands of blue jade and engraved with intricate symbols representing the river goddess.

For a brief period, everything around him remained stable, but then the flow of the river began to change, its current gradually becoming more forceful before turning visibly restless, and within less than a minute, large waves began rising from its surface.

Rominus opened his eyes slowly; his expression turned alert as he observed the disturbance.

"They are here," he said in a low and grim voice with certainity.

Standing nearby were several titan warriors, each clad in heavy blue armor and armed with formidable weapons such as special bladed maces and reinforced staffs; their presence was overwhelming, with each titan being a warrior of divinity stage.

Rominus rose to his feet and looked toward the sun in the sky for a brief moment before turning his attention back to his forces.

"Let’s go," he commanded, and without delay, he ascended into the sky.

The titan warriors followed immediately, forming organized formations as they took flight alongside him; the entire group moved as a unified force toward their destination.

***

Meanwhile, within the Riverdale Empire, Yue Qinglan sat within her chambers; her posture was composed, but her mind was not. It was engaged as she attempted to divine information that could assist in the ongoing conflict.

Since Tamasya’s and William’s fate lines were burned, she could not divine anything about them, prompting her to shift her focus toward other individuals.

She chose to attempt divination on Anastasia, but despite hours of continuous effort, every attempt yielded no result, and the repeated failures indicated that something unusual was interfering with her abilities.

Even when she expanded her attempts to include other individuals, the outcome remained unchanged, and it became clear that the situation was not limited to a single target.

Only after resorting to a legendary technique passed down by her master did she finally manage to enter the fate world.

Within that space, she searched for the corresponding fate line and followed it carefully, but what she discovered left her unsettled, as the line appeared to be burned and no longer intact.

From this, she inferred that William’s existence as a fateless individual had extended its influence, even affecting the fate line of Anasthasia.

Despite gaining this understanding, her unease did not diminish, and instead, it continued to grow as she felt an increasing urge to contribute to the battle, even though she could not clearly identify the reason behind that feeling.

Eventually, she decided to shift her focus once again, this time attempting to divine information about Winston.

However, accessing the fate world through legendary technique required a certain level of personal connection to the target, and since Winston did not know her personally and had minimal interaction with her due to their differing standings and opposing affiliations, she was unable to access his fate line.

As a result, she turned to her second most effective technique, known as dream vision.

Although this technique allowed her to glimpse possible futures, it lacked precision, presenting information in a cryptic and symbolic manner that required interpretation.

Despite its limitations, it remained her only option.

Yue closed her eyes and concentrated, activating the technique as her pupils transformed into blooming pink lotuses, signaling her entry into a dreamlike state.

Within the vision, she found herself in a vast and dark space where she saw William, not Winston but William the fateless; he was lying on the ground, and his body was pinned by a massive golden holy cross that had pierced through his chest.

The golden cross was a symbol of the light church.

Blood was spread around him, and his eyes appeared lifeless as they stared in her direction, creating a scene that conveyed a clear sense of impending danger.

Gasping sharply, Yue awakened from the vision, her body reacting immediately as fear took hold of her; her breathing became heavy and uneven as she tried to process what she had seen.

"DEAR HEAVENS!!!... I have to do something," she said urgently; she could not believe what she had witnessed.