Chapter 1331: Failure
The Tempest fired like a raging storm, but the drain on the wielder was just as terrifying. The Profundity Monarch was certain that Nighteye would not be able to hold out for more than three breaths’ time.
Yet one minute had passed and the Tempest was showing no signs of stopping. On the contrary, it was the Deicide Lightning that could not absorb enough energy to keep up with the Tempest and was slowly being pushed back by the hail of bullets.
The Profundity Monarch glanced over to find the entire base covered in a hazy glow of dark golden blood energy. There were birds flying out from the blood and toward the dark race experts. The experts would tremble once the birds landed on their bodies, but they would remain still and allow the bird to stay.
These sanguine birds would stab their sharp beaks into the experts' bodies, drawing out a steady stream of darkness origin power. The energy would then merge into the domain and flow into Nighteye’s body.
There was a bird on every Evernight soldier. The counts had at least ten on them, while the stronger marquises were almost covered in birds.
This was akin to an army of ten thousand elites, and the countless experts among them worked together to contend against the Profundity Monarch. That was why the Tempest’s firepower was so fierce and lasting.
The Profundity Monarch might be a heavenly monarch, but it was still quite straining for him to face the might of ten thousand Evernight elites at the same time. After all, fighting in the new world wasn’t quite as smooth as back in the Evernight World, even though the origin power here favored the daybreak side.
The trembling of his right hand grew worse and worse until the Deicide Lightning began to shoot sparks everywhere, almost as though it was about to break down. Where would the Profundity Monarch put his face if he were to be defeated by Nighteye?
Without further hesitation, the monarch spat out a thin stream of green origin power which duly entered the lightning. The Deicide Lightning was immediately ignited, growing several times stronger as it suppressed the stream of bullets and descended upon the base!
This was the Profundity Monarch’s full strength.
Seeing this ball of lightning and the green glow emanating from every crack, a look of despair finally emerged on the dark race experts’ faces. Even under the protection of the Tempest, they could sense that this was the last minute of their lives.
The unstoppable lightning sphere descended meter by meter. The beginning of the end would start the moment it came in contact with the ground. Even with the aid of the Tempest, those heaven-defying sanguine birds, and the combined strength of the entire dark race camp, Nighteye was still no match against the tremendous power of a heavenly monarch.
Yet she held firmly onto the Tempest and continued firing, determined to stop the green lightning. It would seem she had no intention of letting go until the last moment, and neither did she have fear in the face of death. On the contrary, there was only calmness and pride in her eyes.
This kind of expression made the Profundity Monarch feel rather uncomfortable. The other party was clearly a weak prey, but it simply wouldn’t accept its fate.
An indescribable feeling descended from the void just as the green lightning was about to reach the ground. It was as though an invisible hand had grabbed the Profundity Monarch’s heart, slowing it down by a beat.
The Profundity Monarch looked up with some difficulty, and through the normal-looking sky, he saw a single eye, a giant terrifying eye full of anger. In the depths of that pupil, there was boundless darkness and an attractive force drawing the spectator’s soul into it.
The monarch was drenched in sweat as he woke up in fright and quickly drew his consciousness back from the boundless darkness. He was shocked and terrified as he thought back to the legends. He understood that the use of his full strength had alarmed the malicious intent of the new world.
No matter what the source of that malice was, he could tell from the brief contact just now that he was not this mysterious entity’s match. No wonder none of the great dark monarchs under the three supremes dared make an appearance here.
He glanced at Nighteye with a flash of hesitation in his expression. He only needed half a minute more to kill this entire base and Nighteye, claiming both the Tempest and Awakening Dream for himself.
Only half a minute...
But the monarch could already sense something rushing through the void at shocking speed, a speed much faster than his own!
The Profundity Monarch made his decision in the blink of an eye. He withdrew his hand and took to the skies, flying back to the Imperial base like a stream of fire.
The old man didn’t need too long to decide between killing enemies and saving his life. He was a heavenly monarch, a cornerstone of the Empire. Risking his life to kill Nighteye and grab the two weapons wasn’t a good deal, not when the Empire was on alert and there was no clear direction regarding the war in the new world.
The mysterious entity in the void arrived so quickly that there was no room for the Profundity Monarch to hesitate.
The green lightning weakened after the monarch’s departure and was soon blasted apart by the Tempest. The remnant energy scattered into a shower of lightning.
The sanguine birds in Nighteye’s domain flew up to meet the green lightning, crashing into them in the air. Only a small part of the lightning bolts rained down but was once again weakened by the hazy blood energy. What little remained of the green lightning would turn even barons and viscounts into ash, let alone the elite soldiers. Only a count would be able to resist the damage.
Even his lingering might was that terrifying.
Nighteye retracted her domain and looked around. “Check casualties.”
The marquises and counts immediately got to work, ignoring their wounds and exhaustion.
After a short while, a glorious marquis got down on one knee before Nighteye. “Your Majesty, we suffered a total of two hundred and sixteen deaths. There were eleven titled experts among them, including a first-rank viscount.”
This death toll could be considered quite small, especially since they had just faced off against a heavenly monarch without a great dark monarch on their side.
Nighteye shot him a cold glance. “Useless!”
Despite their similar rank, the glorious marquis lowered his head until he was almost touching the ground. This respectful attitude was not something seen among peers; there was no need to do so even against a prince. Such etiquette was reserved for great dark monarchs.
He whispered, “I was too inexperienced, I had no idea Your Majesty was so powerful. I’m willing to give my life for you if you’ll give me another chance.”
This marquis was the fastest among those who had run away just now. He was also the one who had reached the farthest. Unfortunately, no one below the duke realm could escape the gravitational force of the Deicide Lightning.
Nighteye didn’t blame him, nor did she accept his loyalty. All she did was order the men to arrange double compensation for the deceased before heading back to rest.
Her subordinates would deal with the cleanup.
…
Back in the Imperial base, many soldiers heard a strange whistle all of a sudden. They looked about in all directions, not knowing what to do.
Song Zining rushed out of the command building at this point, his voice covering the entire base. “Prepare the hibernation chamber! Issue the signal for Airship One to leave within three minutes!”
Airship One was reserved specifically for the heavenly monarchs. The entire base kicked into action after hearing this order, all relevant people running about like madmen. Three minutes was too short, but an order was an order—heads would roll if they couldn’t accomplish it.
A small black dot appeared over the horizon and arrived above the base in a flash. It was the Profundity Monarch. Only at this point did a red signal flare shoot into the sky, indicating the location of Airship One.
Without so much as a word, the monarch’s silhouette flickered as he entered the airship. He was lying within the hibernation chamber following a second flash, its cover slowly closing over him.
The operators nearby felt their vision blur as the person appeared out of nowhere. Fortunately, they had practiced this procedure hundreds of times. They were beyond familiar, and almost everything was a reflexive action. The hibernation chamber was switched on almost immediately.
Layer upon layer of origin arrays activated. The glow within the hibernation chamber turned from white to red, then from red to blue, and finally settled on a peaceful light blue.
Through the cover, one could see a layer of frost forming over the Profundity Monarch’s brows. The old man’s eyes were shut tight, and there was neither a heartbeat nor any breathing. The temperature within the chamber was a hundred degrees below zero, freezing the monarch’s vitality and origin power.
The operation had just been completed when an indescribable sense of restlessness gripped everyone’s hearts. Everyone froze in place like wooden statues, afraid that the slightest movement would draw the enemy’s attention. A calamity would surely descend at that point.
Even Song Zining was stiff, his eyes on the ground three feet in front of him. He never glanced sideways at any point.
In the depths of the void, an eye containing lightning and thunder was scanning the Imperial base. The destruction and anger it represented were beyond clear, something even ordinary soldiers could sense.
Time seemed to have stopped in the entire base. No one dared to move, and everyone’s expression seemed to have frozen as well. Even the slightest movement might very well invite a destructive thunderstorm.
That gaze scanned back and forth until finally, it fell back empty-handed. The entire process was fairly short, but the span of time felt like centuries in everyone’s hearts.
Song Zining roared, “Take off!”
Airship One slowly took to the skies and flew swiftly back to the Empire.
Song Zining heaved a sigh of relief only when the airship vanished over the horizon.
Wei Potian walked over, still palpitating. “What was that just now?”
Song Zining said, “Probably the malicious intent of this world?”
“But this is too…” Wei Potian grabbed his hair, not knowing how to describe it. “Even Sky Demon wasn’t that terrifying, was it?”
Song Zining sighed. “How can something that can force the three supremes into hiding not be terrifying?”
Wei Potian was startled for a moment. “I used to think I was quite capable, that even divine champions and grand dukes aren’t that scary. But in this damned new world, a random six-armed creature can beat me black and blue, not to mention this kind of existence.”
“The sky we see in our little cage is limited, there’s actually an entire world outside of our prison. This is why the peak experts of every era would risk death to explore the void.”
“Prison? What prison?”
Song Zining pointed in the Empire’s direction. “The Evernight World we were born in is but a small island in the ocean, a natural prison if you will. This new world might be the boat that will carry us out of it. Meh, it’s useless telling you these things.”
Wei Potian slapped his forehead. “I remember! Didn’t that Anwen or whatever say the same thing?”
“Oh, Anwen. He’s indeed a genius, too bad he’s a demonkin.”
Wei Potian suddenly remembered. “Say, did the Profundity Monarch succeed?”
“How should I know?”
“The old man didn’t even say a word, don’t tell me he failed?” Wei Potian’s guess was full of evil.
Song Zining glared at him but said nothing. Wei Potian would often exhibit inappropriate naivety and resentment, but fortunately, it didn’t affect things all that much. Song Zining thus followed him.