610 - 619

Chapter 610: The One And Only Patroclus

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Everyone had thought that Samantha was a workaholic; but in fact, she didn't show any affection to anyone because she was still not over Wang Tong yet. She stared out of the window at the red planet where Wang Tong was now. She hoped that when she saw him again, this nightmare would be over.

Meanwhile on Earth, the humans had just finished an intense battle against the immortals. Bodies of dead Zergs covered the ground like a carpet, among which, a few humans dressed in Confederation uniform could be spotted.

Patroclus hovered in the air while wearing a suit of silver armor. He looked down his lance; in front of him stood Einherjar Li Zhedao.

Li Zhedao had tried all he could to avoid this fight. But, it turned out that he could not avoid the inevitable.

The fight had just started, but Li Zhedao was already injured in many places. However, he regarded the immortals with an unflinching stare. In these five years, the ranks of immortals had swelled. They used to be mainly commanders hiding behind a think line of Zergs. But now, they charged at the front like any other warrior. Many of these immortals would never make the cut before Patroclus relaxed the requirement of becoming an immortal. Those who got added to the immortals rank without the actual qualification were called partial immortals.

What Li Zhidao was worried about the most had happened: people had started to accept the immortals and join them.

Patroclus smiled thinly, "I have let Li Shiming escape, so you should be able to fight me without any concerns."

Li Zhidao knew better than anyone that this would be his last fight. He had been very careful and prudent while leading the soldiers of House Li, but he still let Patroclus catch a whiff of him. No one had expected Patroclus to show up on Earth, as all reports seemed to have indicated that he was still living on moon. After three days of intense fighting, most of the soldiers had already pulled back from the battlefield. That was when they got encircled by a group of immortals seemingly coming from nowhere.

Li Shiming had led the main force to breach the encirclement while Li Zhedao was with a small group of his most loyal soldiers to slow down the immortals' chase. As a commander, he should have saved his life first, since he was an Einherjar, and his life meant much more than that of Li Shiming. However, as a father, he could not send his son to die for him.

He stood before Patroclus and studied his face intensively. The young man's seemingly warm smile confused him. He remembered the first time he met Patroclus when he was only an innocent toddler. Li Zhedao had lived through many events, but the thought of what Patroclus had become pricked his heart like a thousand needles.

As an Einherjar, Li Zhedao could see many things that others couldn't. Therefore, he was able to see why Patroclus had made the decision to join the Zergs. However, anyone who had a good conscience would not have chosen Patroclus' option even if it were the only way.

Nevertheless, he was still perplexed as to why Patroclus would spare his son's life while he could have killed Li Shiming with ease. As a matter of fact, no one in this world had really understood Patroclus.

"Come at me, all of you."

"Haha, you think too little of me. This fight will be one on one…and please don't do what you have done last time." Patroclus took off his cloak. The last time the two fought was five years ago, and rumors had it that Li Zhedao fled the battlefield after only a few exchanges of blows.

The immortals behind Patroclus were watchful of Li Zhedao's smallest actions. They would carry out the divine lord's order to the letter. Einherjars represented the ultimate level of power in the human world, but their power was insignificant compared to the divine lord. They had witnessed not only Li Zhedao's defeat when the two fought last time, but also the human Einherjar fleeing the battlefield. They had him cornered this time, so he wouldn't be able to run away.

Patroclus was the most potent warrior that Li Zhedao had ever encountered. House Li and House Dower had been competitors for centuries, but even now, Li Zhedao did not know who the winner was.

Was it House Dower? It would if Patroclus could still be considered a Dower.

"Why do you look so melancholic? Life is an endless cycle…It's meaningless. It is the process that is important to us." Patroclus laughed as he pointed the silver lance at Li Zhedao.

"Maybe I am getting too old." Li Zhedao lifted his blade slowly as he locked his eyes with Patroclus'. Suddenly, the air was thick with the two warriors' soul energy, suffocating anyone who stood too close.

The immortals took a few steps back. This was going to be the fight of a century.

Although Patroclus was an immortal through and through, the battle with his father had deeply scarred him. After all, that was his father he had killed. Some immortals thought that it was a necessary evil for Patroclus to cut the ties with his past, but was it really that simple to erase a father from the son's mind completely?

After the battle, even Patroclus was shocked by his own actions. It was true what they said about Hose Dower: they were the sanest lunatics in the world.

The last time he had encountered Li Zhedao, the two had exchanged hundreds of blows; in the end, Li Zhedao had decided to retreat for strategic considerations. Einherjar Li knew the importance of his survival, and what his death would mean to the rest of the human soldiers.

However, there and then, it was time to find an end to their unfinished businesses. Li Zhedao conceded that as long as he could defeat Patroclus, the rest of the immortals would crumble immediately. Humanity's situation had become so dire that Li Zhedao knew he could no longer wait. He needed to strike out now before it was too late.

Li Zhedao twisted the blade, curving it and causing the tip to whiplash. A blade aura tumbled out from the slight curves and its tip, shooting straight at Patroclus.

Patroclus' block was almost lazy. The blade aura hit the silvery lance and shivered into insubstantial ripples of energy. The army of immortals took another long step back; even those seemingly insignificant ripples could kill them in an instant.

Li Zhedao's attack seemed ordinary, but it was impossible to evade. Patroclus knew that, and therefore, he had chosen to block it instead.

Li Zhedao gasped as he had gauged the power of Patroclus from that one single block. It had surged a lot ever since they last met; his transformation clearly had a lot to do with the sudden surge. No wonder he was able to kill his Einherjar father; his last block had said it all.

At Li Zhedao's level, every slightest move of his muscle had a purpose, and not a single sol of soul energy was wasted.

As the hook of Patroclus' gaze caught his opponent, he cranked up soul energy and sent a shockwave out of his sea of consciousness. His lance turned into a smear of silvery light as it plunged at Li Zhedao. Meanwhile, the Einherjar greeted the lance with his blade using the most ordinary move one could think of.

When the blade and the lance collided, a shockwave erupted from the impact, and both of the fighters disappeared into thin air. Half a heartbeat later, explosions came down from the sky. The earth trembled as it was bombarded by belligerent soul energy pulses one after another.

The Einherjar not only possessed an incredible power in them, but were also able to draw power from nature. At Li Zhedao's level, tapping into the natural energy had already become his instinct, and so did Patroclus.

Patroclus' perfect body meant that he wouldn't have to worry about any of the rouge energy that was present in nature.

That being said, Patroclus' body also had its shortcomings in the most unexpected places. However, the divine lord was able to either hide them or overcome them using his brain.

The immortals cheered for their divine lord; it was apparent that Patroclus had the upper hand from the outset.

Despite the belligerent attacks carried out in perfect moves, Li Zhedao was able to resolve each threat with a great degree of aplomb and grace. He might not have the initiative of the battle, but the flow of the combat was well under his control. Every strike from the divine lance carried so much energy that it threatened to shred him into pieces, but was easily resolved by his skillful moves. So far, Patroclus was not able to land a single solid blow on his opponent.

Li Zhedao was not only the patriarch of House Li, but also of the remaining human race on the earth. Even during the heydays of House Dower, it was not able to bring down house Li due to the legacy of general Li Feng. And when humans had to live in these reduced circumstances, House Li had become the beacon of hope more so than ever.

When it came down to battle experience, Patroclus was behind the veteran Einherjar by a long chalk.

That being said, the lack of experience did not amount to Patroclus being weak. It was quite the contrary, as every strike the divine lord delivered would be able to kill the old Einherjar in an instant.

As Patroclus doubled down on his attack, he pushed Li Zhedao closer to the verge of being subdued. The immortals cheered in elation; the thought of Li Zhedao's death filled their hearts with joy. The old Einherjar's death would be a devastating blow to the humans' morale. Who would be able to carry on his banner and rally the resistance force?

Lie Jintian? No, he was the weakest of all Einherjars.

Even the most powerful Einherjar was overwhelmed by Patroclus's attacks, much less Lie Jintian.

Despite the immortals' conviction that the battle was about to end, Li Zhedao held his ground firmly and didn't show any sign of faltering.

Patroclus' lips twisted into a satisfied smile; it had been a while since anyone could counter his attacks. As much as he genuinely enjoyed the moment, he wondered why Li Zhedao was still holding back his power.

Was he waiting for his slip up? Didn't he know that an immortal never slipped up? Or was he waiting for Patroclus's coup de grace?

Sunlight ran down from the cold edge of the lance, which shone even brighter than the sun itself. Standing inside the flow of the lance, Patroclus looked sublime.

Chapter 611: Divine Wind

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

The immortals were really a force to be reckoned with, particularly the ones that followed Patroclus the closest. They believed that the immortals were not only the future of the human race, but also the future of the universe.

It was this sense of honor that had driven these warriors to follow Patroclus wherever he went. Not everyone joined Patroclus because of the immortality that he had promised them; some of them did fall feverishly for Patroclus's cant.

Patroclus might not be the most unique human in history, but he was definitely the most complicated one. The harder an individual was to understand, the more followers he or she would attract. This was part of the human nature.

Seeing the light emitting from Patroclus, Li Zhedao suddenly felt he was too old for this. Despite Patroclus' overbearing soul energy that loomed over the entire battlefield, a wind blew from some unknown corner and threatened to dismantle the web of energy. Li Zhedao finally attacked.

He could have forsaken the humans, but he couldn't throw his family's reputation out of the window. It had been passed down from generations to him, and he couldn't let it get shattered in his own hands.

Everyone had one thing that he or she would not sell for any price, much less give it away for free. For Li Zhedao, that thing was his family's honor. This importance of family's name was deeply entrenched in the beliefs of all of House Li's members. The house started with Li Feng, a self-made hero, and it was their job to carry on Li Feng's banner until the end of time. Li Zhedao was the patriarch of the House Li first before he would consider himself an Einherjar.

Zenn!

The Sword of Vayu writhed its way through the netted interceptions of the lance. It went at his opponent like a flow of wind, a soft breezy one instead of a gale, so that it would pass right through the lance's effective jabs and thrusts.

In half a heartbeat, the blade hit its target and grazed Patroclus' handsome face. The GN force in the strike made sure that Patroclus' healing ability would not work on the wound.

In one strike, Li Zhedao had forced Patroclus's belligerence down a notch. The wind came up again, hemming Patroclus' soul energy to the left and right.

Li Zhedao had struck back when Patroclus's energy had reached the peak; however, it was able to diminish the threat significantly. Such was the power of the most powerful Einherjar of the world.

The Einherjar lifted his sword, and the wind echoed his move; he was about to strike again. Sensing danger, Patroclus fumbled a few feet back. There was nothing extraordinary in Li Zhedao's move, but it was enough to make the divine lord feel threatened. Li Zhedao attacked, and Patroclus retreated further back.

Even as Patroclus pulled back, his body was instantly covered with a dozen wounds. Still, Li Zhedao's move was simple and straightforward.

Li Zhedao didn't attack like this last time he fought with Patroclus. By then, Patroclus registered that his opponent had found the divine path that he was still looking for.

What was the divine path?

It was the source of everything.

Li Zhedao had found the source of himself, the source code to his power so he could hack it, blow it up, and make himself invincible.

He had found the key to the secret in his own blood, the blood of the Blade Warrior. He had understood that the ultimate power of the world was beyond the worldly burdens. It could not be measured by fame or sol readings; it was a thorough understanding of life itself.

Li Zhedao didn't design to pay the ultimate sacrifice when he decided to stay behind. He was here to set the world's problem to the right.

Everything had been smooth sailing for Patroclus so far; overconfidence had clouded his judgment and made him lower his guard.

Connecting his pulse with the movement of his blade, Li Zhedao had become one with the blade. He had transcended the blade attack to the attack of wind. This was what Li Zhedao had learned after he found the Divine Path. When the world seemed to have been disappointed at House Li's performance, the patriarch of the family proved that they still had it.

When the movement of the blade turned into gusts of wind, Li Zhedao had truly become the reincarnation of Vayu, the wind god. As an Einherjar who had found the divine path, Li Zhedao had reached a much higher state of consciousness than Patroclus regardless of the divine lord's invincible body. Once one found the divine path, he or she would be able to wield one elemental force. Li Zhedao's element was wind, and his key to the path was his responsibility.

Responsibility was a worldly idea, something to weight the cultivator down; however, Li Zhedao had the golden touch that turned a worldly thought into a vehicle on the divine path.

Talented, genius, those were never the words people would choose to describe Li Zhedao. He was considered the least talented Einherjar among the high ranking warriors, and it was because of his family's reputation that the public had crowned him as the number one Einherjar of the world. When his son grew up, even Li Shiming was considered more competent than him. His reputation further deteriorated after he ran away from the battlefield while fighting against Patroclus. He had become a laughing stock, the synonym for cowardice.

Although Li Zhedao had many excuses for his retreat—some were more believable than the others— the public was convinced that his mediocre talent had hampered his advancement. However, if people were to take a look at Li Zhedao there and then, they would know that they had been wrong.

By then, even the immortal army felt the threatening energy in the wind. The wind was Li Zhedao, and Li Zhedao was the wind. He was nowhere, but also everywhere.

Miles away, Li Shiming felt the breeze blowing at the nape of his neck. He reined the horse around and looked back at the cloud that covered sky. He knew that his father was in that cloud, looking down at him.

Li Shiming had misunderstood his father just like the others. He had been convinced that he would surpass his father. When that happened, he would take over the House Li and manage it properly. His father's leadership skill was as bad as his cultivation. His retreat from the battlefield was a humiliating, even to his son.

However, the retreat was what made Li Zhedao find his key. When Li Zhedao finally reached the divine path, he knew he was already beyond life and death.

He might not have been a talented warrior, but he was the first person to have entered the divine path in centuries.

"Young master, this is…"

Li Shiming nodded. He prayed that his father would succeed, and restore order to the world, as well as reputation to his family. Even if he could manage to wound Patroclus, it would still help the human resistance greatly.

Warriors of House Li had finally seen a sliver of hope. They finally realized why their house lord wanted to stay behind instead of retreating with them.

This was the final showdown between humans and the immortals.

When the wind howled, even a blade of grass could kill. Li Zhedao's movements were almost lazy, but Patroclus were unable to block any of his attacks. Soon, the divine lord's body was ridden with wounds.

Never once had the divine lord been overwhelmed by his opponent like this. Of all the fight that Patroclus had partaken in, he had only one defeat, and it was under very particular circumstances. If he didn't want to lure Wang Tong to use his soul essence skill, he might have won that match within seconds. Wang Tong stood no chance against Patroclus back then.

The second most memorable battle he had was with his father. It was going to be a tragedy for Patroclus regardless of the outcome, so he had decided to choose the lesser evil and kill his father.

The third one was this fight against Li Zhedao, the first human warrior to have found the divine path in three centuries.

The silvery lance twisted and turned, spilling out mercury-like energy; each droplet was a silent assassin that could kill in an instant. However, Li Zhedao's sword-wind blew them away like winter gale would to an old man's piddle.

KOM!

Patroclus was dealt another blow, and the impact sent him staggering back a dozen feet. The development silenced the immortal soldiers. A couple of divine lord's most loyal subject had thrown themselves at the human warrior. Before they reached their target, they were struck down by a flash of silvery energy.

Patroclus had gathered himself, and he announced, "I said this is a one on one fight." Even as Patroclus issued his command, the wound on his body was closing up and healing. He flashed out of sight and then reappeared in the sky above Li Zhedao.

"So, this is the power of the divine path? Haha, I had never seen it in you, but thank you for showing it to me."

Li Zhedao regarded Patroclus coldly and said, "I know you want to kill me for Li Shiming. You want him to find the divine path, but why?"

"Why do I need a reason?" Patroclus smiled thinly. "I do whatever I think is right. I never ask why. Since you have reached the divine path, are you a super Einherjar now?"

"Not even close, but I am on the right track." Li Zhedao pointed the blade at Patroclus, and the temperature suddenly dropped.

"Fake divine path…Haha! Well, my lance will be the judge as to whether or not you are on the right track." Patroclus laughed broadly.

Li Zhedao heaved a sigh and muttered, "What a pity…!"

The Einherjar raised his blade and summoned a wild whirlwind. It twisted and writhed around the blade as it kept on growing in size. All the natural energies were being sucked into the whirlwind, leaving none for Patroclus to borrow.

Chapter 612: The Final Silence

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

A battle between two warriors at such a high level was about claiming natural energy. By then, Li Zhedao had dominated the energy flow from all directions, turning the very air into Patroclus' deadliest enemy.

The immortals were shocked by the development as dread gripped their hearts. If Patroclus couldn't overcome this human warrior, no one could.

Although both Patroclus' soul energy and physical condition had surpassed Li Zhedao, once the Einherjar had found the divine path, he was no longer a human.

At least at this very moment, he was not a human, since only a god could use the divine power.

As the energy was concentrated in the cyclone, the airflow started to gain some substance. After a few seconds, a spinning white ball appeared in the air. Its surface was suffused with a milky white brightness. This was a murder machine netted using natural elements.

Regardless of how long Patroclus' soul energy could last, this spinning ball would not stop until it had completed Li Zhedao's bidding.

Li Zhedao had a grim look in his eyes. The attack he unleashed came with a hefty price, and it could only be used once every so often. However, Li Zhedao conceded that there was no better time to use it than now.

If he could kill Patroclus, he'd be able to meet his ancestors in the underworld with pride and dignity.

Everyone lived for a reason regardless of what other people thought of it, even if the reason was a lie. After all, how many people could really tell a lie from the truth of their lives?

As pressure mounted on Patroclus, his soul energy ebbed away. Without the support of the natural energy, Patroclus would not last long under such an overbearing attack.

The Blade of Vayu had already pierced through the glowing ball and thrust at Patroclus.

Clank!

KOM!

Rays of silver light lanced upward, threatening to pierce the clouds. As the silvery lance and the Blade of Vayu collided, the lance multiplied itself as if a lotus flower was blooming, each petal a shiny, sharp tip of a lance. Before the smear of silver congealed into one single solid lance, the lotus petals suddenly shot forward at Li Zhedao, who was forced to take a few steps back.

"Einherjar Li, we have just started," Patroclus said with a wry smile. However, he staggered slightly as if the impact had thrown him off balance.

While Li Zhedao marveled at Patroclus's resilience, he wagered that Patroclus would fall to the ground with one more blow of the divine strike.

He squeezed the blade and started the divine attack again. Patroclus was unfazed by the second attack as he spoke with a relaxed voice, "As the divine lord, I have an ability that I seldom use. I can copy any moves that land on me, even if it is a divine strike."

KOM!

With that, Patroclus executed the exact same move as an even brighter white glob appeared in front of him. It was even hungrier for power than the one across the field. As it devoured the natural energies around him, it created ripples of deadly energy waves. Many golden dark ones who were caught off guard by their leader's sudden move were sliced into pieces.

As the two warriors battled for the control of natural energy, they created a huge anomaly in the balance of energy. Massive storm clouds generated thunderclaps above the battlefield, the clouds roiling angrily as they were lighted up by flashes of lightning. It seemed that the world was going to end in a violent clash, in which a new balance of energy would be created.

KOM!

A violent explosion arose; Li Zhedao and Patroclus remained where they were, but both of them were injured. However, unlike Li Zhedao, whose injuries were permanent, Patroclus' wounds healed in an instant.

Li Zhedao started to sense the urgency of the situation. He reckoned that he had to do away with Patroclus soon before he got weakened further.

Li Zhedao could feel it in him that the injuries were draining his vitality away. He needed to act now.

Another gale came up along with a roar. Li Zhedao pointed his blade at the roiling clouds as lighting slithered down and sent a pulse of energy into the blade. Patroclus simply watched as if he was enjoying a wonderful show.

"This is the ultimate coup de grace of the tactics of Vayu, isn't it? It's a sacrifice, a suicide. It's beautiful, but ineffective nonetheless." Patroclus muttered to himself. Meanwhile, he commanded his Zerg army to pull as further back as possible.

The wind felt sharp against the skin even outside the center of the storm; inside, it would carve an immortal's flesh off like a knife slicing through butter. However, Patroclus was unharmed by the deadly current, increasing his soul energy slowly and steadily.

Li Zhedao's hair were standing upright, the tip swaying left and right at the behest of the wind. The blade of Vayu glowed more intensely, and same did the Einherjar's body. He felt the power rising in him, filling up his body and spilling out of his mouth, eyes, and ears. He slowly merged his body with pure energy in order to deliver the final strike. Humanity's fate rested on it; he could not fail.

Li Shiming watched the world undo itself from far away. There were no more storm clouds, no more sky, or land; everything was cast inside a murky ball of energy where lightning conspired with soul energy to smite the world within into oblivion.

It was hard for Li Shiming to accept the fact that Patroclus was able to withstand the divine power.

As bright lights poured out of Li Zhedao, his body was quickly engulfed by it. The deluge of deadly energy gained some speed as it devoured anything within its reach. Even the most powerful dark ones were reduced into ashes without even uttering a cry.

A ray of light—more intense than its glowing backdrop—formed where Li Zhedao was standing and launched at Patroclus. The center of the storm moved with it, claiming lives as its tendrils of death grounded hither and thither. When the light reached Patroclus, it seemed to him as if the world had become the storm, and it was coming at him.

Patroclus jabbed his lance forward at the center of the storm.

KOM!

The impact deprived the world of its meaning; the sky and the earth bore no more substance than feelings and memories, while space and time both groaned at the clash of gods.

After a long time, some surviving immortals dragged himself to their feet. The world had returned, but not all the living things in it. The angry dark clouds had become overcast; it rained like tears of the gods.

Both Patroclus and Li Zhedao still stood unmoved.

Li Zhedao reached out a hand, trying to catch the rain. But, the droplets fell straight through. The Einherjar smiled at this. "Right or wrong, only time may tell," he heard himself mutter.

The wind came up without the command of the Einherjar. Li Zhedao's body flickered and then drifted away with the wind as it turned into ghostly clouds of dust.

Rain fell on Patroclus and formed a trickle on his face, washing away the steak of tears. Eyes closed, Patroclus heaved a sigh; he had finally found his key to the divine path: perfection.

Miles away, Li Shiming spat out a mouthful of blood. He knew his father had failed because he could no longer sense his power in the wind. The new lord of House Li threw his head back and shouted, "Patroclus, I will make you pay!"

…

The news about the death of Einherjar Li Zhedao quickly spread across the battlefield, taking the wind out of the earth resistance's sails. Who would be able to protect them and guide them now?

When the news reached Mars, its huge negative impact on the soldiers' mind quickly trumped the joy of the recent success.

If even Einherjar Li Zhedao could not handle Patroclus, who could?

Desperation and despair slowly crept back into the minds of the soldiers. After Lie Jintian heard about the news, he left his command office and hiked to a secluded mountaintop to reflect on Li Zhedao's death. No one knew Li Zhedao better than him and Einherjar Andres. They used to be close friends, but then two of them had left him. Suddenly, Lie Jintian felt old.

News about the development on earth quickly reached the dark lord. When the messenger came to deliver the news, Moye was watching a recording of Wang Tong's fight with Harmon. The news agitated him; Patroclus' power was growing by the day while his campaign got stuck because of one person: Wang Tong.

"He is not that powerful," Moye said contemptuously.

"My lord, I think Wang Tong had held back his power. He is considered a god among humans. I think you will have to finish him yourself." Harmon said.

"Very well, let's wait here for him to come then!" Moye announced.

Meanwhile, Battle Wolf took a break after they had successfully infiltrated into the central area. When they heard about the death of Li Zhedao, they were gripped by a fit of dismay. What was the use of defeating the dark lord if they couldn't handle Patroclus? Were they simply doing Patroclus a favor?

Chapter 613: The Power Game

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

"The death of Li Zhedao has put us in a tough spot. I bet Lie Jintian is going to wage a full-on counterattack very soon."

"House Lie had been away too conservative in their approach, so I think it might not be a bad thing. If he doesn't fight back now, he might never have a chance again." Guan Dongyang put in. The team leaders were not optimistic about their situation. Although Wang Tong was a forward-thinking and competent leader, the overall development of the war troubled their thoughts and haunted their dreams.

Wang Tong cracked a smile and then said, "We can change the situation if want to. Our first step is to join forces with Michaux."

"Wait, you mean…" Hope flickered in Guan Dongyang's eyes.

"Haha, we don't have much time, that is for sure. But, we are also very close to success. If one fist it not enough to bring down Moye, we will use two." Wang Tong spoke figuratively. The death of Li Zhedao was going to usher in dramatic changes to the war; they were running out of time.

"We go straight after the dark lord?" Xiao Yuyu asked as concern flashed across her face.

"Of course! It had been our target from the start, hadn't it? If we play the timing right, we should have no problem killing Moye." Wang Tong said calmly. However, no one around him shared his confidence, as they felt that it would be too risky a move.

"Boss, tell us what to do." Tan Bu's body was awash with energy at the promise of killing the dark lord.

"We will play by the ear. I think Moye has taken an interest in me as well."

"Wang Tong, how confident are you about his fight? Moye isn't just any dark one. He is at least level twenty-seven." Ye Zi said cautiously.

"Hehe…If I can't even handle Moye, how would I face Patroclus later? Do you know why Patroclus killed Li Zhedao? He is urging me to finish off Moye as soon as possible." Everyone was confused by Wang Tong's contradicting words.

"Are you saying that Patroclus is actually good?" Lie Xuan asked with a confused look.

Guan Dongyang held onto her hand and said, "It is impossible! Patroclus never fight for anyone but himself."

"But, why would he do such a thing?" Lie Xuan asked.

Guan Dongyang cast Wang Tong a knowing glance. "That is because he considers Wang Tong, the only worthy opponent…In other words, the only key to finding the divine path. However, he needs to prepare before the final battle with Wang Tong. Does that make sense?"

Yin Tianzong nodded quietly. As one of the top human fighters, he could relate to the actions of someone as powerful as Patroclus. From the humans' perspective, he was a villain through and through. However, from a purely technical point of view, Patroclus had finally embarked on the quest to find the divine path. He had broken free from the shackles on his body; now it was time to liberate his own soul.

He wanted to make himself a god, and his followers immortals.

However, not every human could measure up to the standards; those who could not had to be abandoned, much like the sacrifice for a new god.

As Yin Tianzong put it, Wang Tong was the only person that had and still could defeat him. Patroclus could not be an invincible god while knowing that there was a human who could bring him down.

"So…if Wang Tong avoided fighting him, he would never become a god?" Wu Lin asked curiously.

"Hehe, yes and no. You have to understand that the fight between the two of them is inevitable." Xiao Yuyu said with a smile.

"Tianzong and Dongyang were both right. Although I have never seen it in person, I bet that it was Patroclus who had cornered Li Zhedao. Otherwise, their fight would have never happened. However, since Li Zhedao had reached the divine path, I am very surprised that Patroclus could have killed him. I wonder how Patroclus countered Li Zhedao's final coup de grace."

Wang Tong said. He wagered that although Li Zhedao had found the divine path, he had not ventured too far, and therefore, was not able to unleash the full power.

"How did you know that Patroclus had countered his attack?" Gaun Dongyang asked.

"Hehe…On the divine path, there is no way back." Wang tong left it at that, making everyone, except for Yin Tianzong, more confused than before.

Yin Tianzong had figured out the game between Wang Tong and Patroclus. Their race had long since started, and the death of their current opponents were their scores.

It also showed Yin Tianzong that neither of the two warriors was confident in defeating his competitor.

The competition had already started, and the killing of Li Zhedao was Patroclus' first move. If Wang Tong's didn't respond to it, it would make him look weak from the beginning.

As for Wang Tong, he never felt the competition being too much of a burden; instead, it only aroused his spirit. Their competition itself was also beyond win and loss. It was at a higher level than even the competition between Li Feng and Rilangalous.

Both Patroclus and Wang Tong had chosen their paths, and only one could survive when they crossed paths again. Five hundred years ago, Rilangalos had eventually given up his own path for Li Feng. That decision remained his greatest regret even until the day he died.

"Well, let's kill Moye! I want to see if he really has three heads and six arms! Once we are done with him, we will attack Moon!" Tan Bu shouted.

"Calm your underpants, please!" Duo Lun put a restraining hold on Tan Bu and pressed him down to his seat.

"Our priority right now is to find Michaux and Lie Jian. We cannot do it without their help. I don't think they will have any problem getting into the core district either." The soldiers were delighted by Wang Tong's decision, since many of them were from either the Sect or House Lie. Even Guan Dongyang looked forward to seeing Lie Jian again. Over the years, Lie Jian had offered a lot of help to Battle Wolf, and Guan Dongyang still felt grateful for his help till this day.

Once they had set their main objective, they no longer dawdled on discussions relating to sieging smaller settlements.

Although they were in the Zerg occupied territory, this had been humans' land for centuries. Therefore, the warriors were very familiar with the terrain. In addition, the central area had significantly less primitive Zergs than the outer regions, making their mission much easier to accomplish. The few primitive Zergs the central region had had also been shipped to the frontlines, creating openings for Wang Tong and his men to sneak through.

Wang Tong's only concern was the uncertainty in Michaux and Lie Jian, as he wondered if they could make it. And if they did, how many men would they bring with them?

Meanwhile, Michaux and Lie Jian had already made a plan to start a raid from both ends of the district and join forces at the center. However, when they finally met each other, the situation was much worse than they had thought. The two groups had only two hundred soldiers left in total, a far cry from the two thousand when they first started.

"The situation at the frontlines is getting better every day. But, the earth united front has been dealt a huge blow after Li Zhedao was killed. I don't think it will be long before we will have to deal with Patroclus." Lie Jian said. The expedition had taught him lessons, rounded his edges, and changed his perspective significantly. However, he remained unyielding and adamant before unprecedented difficulties. On the other side, Michaux had stayed not because he was fearless as Lie Jian, but because he never thought he would truly die. What was death if a soul could live forever?

Chapter 614: Into The Sewer

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

"Although we have fewer numbers, our mobility has improved because of that. Plus, we still have enough men to destroy Zerg cities." Michaux said.

"However, if we want to really change the situation, we will have to go meet the dark lord himself."

"I agree! We paid a steep price to get so close to Moye…We can't leave without making him feel pain. Moye's castle might be too much for us to take on right now, but we can make him feel annoyed at least by harassing the surrounding cities." Lie Jian grinned. He still had many tricks up his sleeve to use on the Zergs.

"What's your plan?"

"Hehe, let's take one city at a time. The first target could be Antonio. I know that city well…spent a lot of time there while I was…you know…getting around. I wonder how many of my girlfriends are still alive in there."

"Sounds good! Let's go after Antonio then." Michaux smiled. He did not mind the harsh military life, since his life in the tower did not boast comfort either. Unlike the public's imagination of a carefree life at the top of the ivory tower, Michaux's life consisted of only one thing: ascetic cultivation.

Anyway, despite his deep understanding of the Divine Path, he lacked the skills as a commander, in which Lie Jian excelled.

The two were almost a match made in heaven.

"We need to give the Zergs a surprise this time. Antonio has a complex sewer system, and I think we should use that to our advantage." It was needless to say that the dark ones would not sit around and let the human soldiers attack them unprepared. Therefore, it was essential for Li Jian and Michaux to use wits and gain the element of surprise.

In the night, Antonio City glowed under the starlit city. The defenders had left the city before the Zergs had arrived; therefore, the city had never seen war. Not only was the human city well preserved, but the Zergs also had added a lot of their own modifications, particularly around the downtown area, where the dark ones lived. Due to the smaller population of the dark ones, only a small portion of the downtown had been converted into Zerg style. The rest of the primitive Zergs lived at the outskirts of the city. Right now, even those areas were empty, since most Zergs were fighting at the front line.

Lie Jian and his men entered the sewer system. They were surprised to find out that it was cleaner than it was during the human occupancy. A few level twenty warriors moved in dead silence in the sewer; they were trained in the arts of sneaking around unnoticed among Zergs.

Lie Jian had been down here before, not alone of course, since he was always accompanied by his girlfriends. One of them was even a popular singer at the time.

"Get the bomb ready. We have ten minutes."

"Yes!"

While two soldiers were busy installing the explosives, the Zergs had detected the commotion and were on the move. However, they had not been able to pinpoint the human soldiers' exact location.

The dark ones would never come down into the sewers; those were the dirty jobs for the primitive Zergs. Luckily for the human soldiers, there weren't a lot of primitive Zergs in the city.

As soon as the explosives were installed, they pulled out of the sewer. The explosion would be the signal for the main force to attack when the city fell into chaos.

When the warriors returned from the sewer, Lie Jian noticed something was amiss the way the Zergs moved about in the city, and so did Michaux. Since they didn't have enough evidence to prove that they should ditch the plan, they brushed the thought off and carried out the attack.

However, ever since the two returned from the sewer, the nagging sensation became even stronger.

"Something is not right."

"Captain, something has gone wrong with the bomb. The first one should have detonated by now." A soldier announced.

"Pull back!" Lie Jain ordered firmly. Everything had been too easy; it was as if the Zergs had let them come into the city intentionally.

KOM!

At that moment, the ground broke apart as heaps of Zergs crawled out from the crevasses. Meanwhile, the sky was suddenly awash with dark ones; they were all charging toward the small group of human soldiers.

A large golden dark one was at the front of the flying formation. "Haha! I had been expecting Wang Tong, but it turns out to be Lie Jian. How disappointing! You think you can just come to my city, set some bombs up, and leave? "

There were a kind of zergs that were bred for sweeping bombs. They would swallow the bomb once they found it and denote in their incredibly sturdy belly.

This was a trap!

The dark lord had given the order to all the city lords to kill any human intruders on sight.

"Remember not to break their heads. Dark Lord wanted to suck on their brains. Haha!" The leader of the dark ones laughed.

It wasn't the first time that Michaux and Lie Jian had walked into a Zerg's trap, so they ordered the emergency retreat with aplomb. Their plan looked good on the paper, but it had overlooked one important fact that the Zergs were already on high alert after so many raids. By then, it was impossible to repeat surprise tactics. That was the exact reason why Wang Tong had started to attack the cities openly. The element of surprise was no longer with the human soldiers, but Battle Wolf was able to make up for it with their mobility and strength.

Lie Jian and his men were ill-prepared for such turn of events, so they were quickly surrounded by enemies. The METAL soldiers formed a line of defense in front of the casters as the latter prepared spells.

The fighting was brutal as the Zergs were determined to kill all of these intruders.

The dark ones were not stupid, and even if they were, the dark lord had made sure only the smart ones ran the city. After the few defeats, the dark lord had executed all dark ones whom he thought were unfit for their role, and promoted a number of more competent minions. He had promised heavy rewards for whoever was able to kill the leaders of these human insurgences.

After taking a long hard look at the dark ones as a whole, Moye realized that he needed to help his race bring out their potential. Executions were not his first choice, but it was effective in spurring the dark ones to think harder and use more wits. Moye was sure that mother supreme would be happy when the dark ones were able to step up their intelligence.

Moye was always under the impression that the mother supreme favored dark ones since only the dark ones were a hundred percent Zergs. There were too many variables in the power of an immortal: the host, the parasite, and the environment. Anything could go wrong.

Although Moye conceded that the dark ones seemed to fell short compared to the immortals at the current stage, he was confident that the dark ones would prevail in the long run.

Lie Jian and his soldiers retreated toward some cover as they tried to defend against the attacks. Thanks to Michaux's powerful counterattack, the dark ones had not yet had an opportunity to unleash a sudden downpour of bone shards on the human soldiers.

Their escape route had already been cut off, and the only way that was open to them was forward and into the city. Lie Jian didn't hesitate as he ordered the soldiers to rush into the city and find shelter.

These soldiers were not only elite warriors, but also survivors; they possessed both mettle and wits. After a few minutes, they had successfully entered the city and found protections under large buildings.

The Zerg Lord B-Jiezhe was furious at the development. He had been certain that they could kill all the humans outside the city wall. However, he had forgotten one person: Michaux, the most powerful human caster.

Michaux cast a large aerial spell: the Flame Light, which was meant to disorient enemies in a large area, and it worked wonderfully.

Once the spell was complete, it summoned a blinding light that shone more intensely than the sun. The light and the noise startled the attackers and broke their formation. When they gathered themselves again, the human soldiers were already retreating into the city, hiding under covers.

Suddenly, the Zergs' advantage in the open field was gone, and the battle turned into a street fight in which the power of each individual trumped the advantage in numbers.

Michaux and Lie Jian pulled their troops into a sturdy and large structure, while the Zergs quickly surrounded the building, trapping them inside.

B-Jiezhe was pleased by the development. He could almost see the change in his rank from B to A. He had mobilized all Zergs in the city to surround the humans on the ground, in the air, and even under the earth.

Wave after waves of Zergs threw themselves at the building, but they were pushed back by the resistance of the soldiers. The mastery casters rained deadly ice storm onto the mass of Zergs and managed to somewhat thin the Zergs' ranks.

These casters were particularly precious for the sect, since only a very few Martians could master the ice element. Michaux conceded that it would be a pity for them to die here.

Chapter 615: Hang In There

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

The human soldiers were lucky that they had brought enough energy crystals with them; otherwise, the casters would never have enough energy to deal with this many Zergs.

Lie Jian surveyed the area, and he knew that going out of the building was suicidal. The building was sturdy, and it would hold. He didn't just pick any building as a shelter; he knew this building well. This place used to be called the Torch of Antonio, and its bones were made out of a new metal called adamantium. It used to be a signal tower during the war, and it had become a tourist attraction during peacetime. It's sturdy shape and structure had left Lie Jian a deep impression years ago. Even after much modifications of the Zergs, he was able to recognize the structure with ease.

By then, the face of the structure was battered beyond recognition, but its structure was still sound. The slow progress made Jiezhe grimace. Not only were the human soldiers tough nuts to crack, so was their shelter as well. If he knew this funky looking building would give him so much trouble, he would have already demolished it.

While the Zergs were dropping like flies, Jiezhe confirmed the identities of the human leaders. As he cherished having caught two big fish, he doubled down on the assault and called in the reserve Zergs to join the battle. He ordered his soldiers to attack the humans round the clock until they gave up the fight due to exhaustion.

Lie Jian soon registered the Zerg lord's intent as he noticed that the Zergs worked in shifts to keep the pressure on them. It occurred to him that this seemingly safe building might as well be their coffin. Death did not scare the soldiers; their last wish was to show these Zergs their full power before they died.

Lie Jian kept calm and turned over the problem logically. Their best chance was to preserve strength and defend the building with only a quarter of the soldiers at one time. The rest of the soldiers would rest before it was their turn.

Not only did they have enough weapon and ammo, the fresh Zerg meat was laying around them everywhere. They had had much worse meals than this, such as rotten Zerg meat as well as mastery casters.

Lie Jian and his soldiers would do anything to survive.

The primitive desires and savagery that humans had buried deep under their pretense of civilization now shone feverishly in Lie Jian's eyes. He wanted to become the man who would ride on the back of the world; he would not fall here.

The world failure did not exist in Lie Jian's dictionary.

By then, the battle had lasted for over five hours, and neither the building nor the soldiers had shown any sign of wavering. Jiezhe's patience was wearing thin; the sight of the human soldiers devouring the Zerg meat also sent a chill down his spine. Some dark ones averted their eyes from such savagery. Even as half humans, they limited their menu to only the brains.

Perhaps this was the first time that the Zergs had met another race that had outdone them in terms of brutality.

With a strong shelter, medics, weapons, and food, the soldiers were ready for a prolonged battle. They were the best soldiers on Mars, and they wouldn't go down without putting up a fight.

Although there was no immediate threat, Lie Jian seemed troubled. After surveying their surroundings, he conceded that the situation would deteriorate quickly once the powerful dark ones finally showed up. Other than him and Michaux, there were another three legendary warriors, so they should be able to handle the Zergs in one city. However, the longer they stayed here, the more likely they would have to deal with Zergs from the dark lord's palace.

Their only option right then was to wait for any opportunities of breaking the encirclement.

"My lord, if the situation continues like this, it would only be a matter of time before we are swallowed by them. Let me lead a group to break an opening for you and the others to get out of here." Lie Shan suggested. Although he was only a level twenty-two METAL warrior, he was old enough to see the danger.

Lie Jian shook his head and said, "Uncle Shan, if we go out there now, we will all die. We should hold the line. This building is our only hope."

There was nothing else the human soldiers could do other than wait for the situation to change.

Meanwhile in the dark lord's castle…

"I see…Jiezhe has trapped Lie Jian and Michaux in the city? Haha! well done!"Moye was light-hearted after hearing the good news which had become increasingly rare of late. He was also pleased by the intelligence of his servant. Finally, the dark ones had started to learn their lessons.

The superiority of the dark ones shouldn't only come from their body, but also their wits. There were many things they still needed to learn, and Moye was confident that the dark ones would be ready to take over the world slowly but surely.

"My lord, the enemy has about three hundred soldiers, but they are all human elites. Plus, they are hiding inside a large structure so that they can easily defend Jeizhe's attacks. I think we need to weigh in before Jiezhe exhausts his force. He has done a good job in trapping the humans." Harmon said.

Harmon lived comfortably inside the dark lord's palace as a guest even after the catastrophic defeat. Moye knew that Harmon was not a combat oriented immortal, so the dark lord had kept him close and heeded his advice.

Despite Moye's hatred toward the immortals, he conceded that there were many things that the dark ones could learn from them. When Patroclus created the immortals, the focus was on perfecting the humans physically. However, it was their human mind that had outshone the dark ones.

Mankind had the tendency of using their strong suit, sharpening their skills in those areas even further. Therefore, a strong man would get stronger, and a smart man smarter; this was the nature of all living beings in the universe.

Thus, a Zerg would be born with superior strength, but when brute strength did not work for them, they also had to learn to flex their brain muscles.

"Take four of my purple guards with you…That should suffice." Moye nodded.

"As you wish, my lord." Harmon stood up and bowed to the dark lord.

The purple guards were the personal bodyguards of the dark lord. Any one of them would be at level twenty-three or above.

"Hurry then, before things get out of control!" Moye waved to dismiss the other. He was not all that interested in Lie Jian. His mind was set on only one person: Wang Tong. That person held the key to immortality, and he dreamed of extracting those secrets out one bit of brain matter at a time.

Moye was the only dark one who knew how to find the key by tracing along the connection between Wang Tong and the Blade Warrior. The ability to extract information from a human's mind was dictated by the dark one's level.

In addition, he wanted Michaux dead in order to seek revenge for the injury his predecessor had brought on him.

The source of a dark one's power was in its continual renewal of energy. However, so far, the dark ones were only able to absorb energy from another living creature. What Moye really wanted was to absorb power from the natural force, as a mastery caster would.

The dark lord had attempted it many times, but failed. Although they possessed a sea of consciousness, it was incompatible with the forces of nature.

It was the desire for the ability to use nature force that spurred the dark lord to transform Patroclus into an immortal. However, he had never thought that his experiment would have grown so powerful that he would threaten his position. He later conceded that he had overlooked Patroclus' ability; within less than a year, the former Ivantian prince had nearly convinced the mother supreme that the immortals were the future of the Zerg race. Although the immortals were difficult to produce, each one of them was a formidable commander on the battlefield. They had transformed the simple-minded primitive Zergs into an army of cunning and shrewd murderous machines.

Chapter 616: The Meaning Of Intelligence

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

The immortals were born as the dark one's sidekicks; however, they had turned the tables around and become equals of their masters. Patroclus' intention was clear: he would conquer the human world first, and transform as many humans into immortals as possible. By then, he would be regarded as the god by both the Zergs and the humans, making the immortals a master race of both.

The humans still fighting against Patroclus were born in the old human world and had the old mindset. As Patroclus would bring the war to an end, he could easily remold the humans' mind using religion and make his subjects worship him like a god and savior. While the humans could achieve immortality by binding themselves with a Zerg, the Zergs could also gain what they wanted for centuries: a soul.

It was a match made in heaven.

Moye was certain that the mother supreme wanted the dark ones to gain the upper hand in the competition, since the immortals were still half human in nature. However, like all Zergs, the mother supreme believed in the survival of the fittest; if the dark ones could not prove themselves worthy in time, the would be replaced.

Enough time had been wasted here in the solar system as mother supreme eagerly waited for the defeat of the human race and set sail to another system. Moye felt that he was running out of time.

Besides the competition, both Moye and Patroclus shared a second concern that could potentially render both of them irrelevant. It was the possibility of reconnecting with the Zergs' main force. The Zergs' main force could easily devour an entire planet in two seconds flat, so what would be the use of immortals and the dark ones? They would be spurned and cast aside right away.

Therefore, despite the rivalry, Moye and Patroclus had reached a consensus on one matter: they wouldn't welcome main force to the solar system. Once the dark ones were capable of thinking for themselves, they started to disobey the mother supreme's orders secretly.

…

The human soldiers inside Antonio had been fighting for over twelve hours. By then, the news about their situation had reached every corner of Mars. No one knew who had leaked the information, and some believed that it was the dark ones' scare tactics to deliver a blow to the human soldiers' morale.

Despite the waves after waves of Zergs being thrown at the human defenders, the dark ones were not able to take the structure down.

Michaux and Lie Jian were lighthearted after they sensed that the Zergs intended to capture them alive. This would leave lots of opportunities for them to strike back. The soldiers were all in high spirits, ready to kill as many Zergs as possible.

Even if they died, the stories of their bravery would live, and that would be enough.

Jiezhe couldn't help but admire the human soldiers' resolve. Both humans and Zergs were martial oriented races, but the human were even more obsessed with the beauty of war and death than the Zergs. To the human soldiers, dying on the battlefield was the ultimate form of art.

Jiezhe had just received orders from the dark lord: to keep the soldiers contained using any means necessary. The purple guards were already on their way.

These powerful warriors would be precious delicacies on the dining table of the dark lord. They were hard to come by, and even harder to catch.

Before Jiezhe had received these instructions, he thought about sending the tank Zerg to scorch the area where the building was standing. That would definitely kill the human soldiers inside. However, he thought better of it after he received Moye's instructions to keep those soldiers alive. Knowing the purple guards were coming, the Zerg lord finally felt that a heavy weight was off his mind.

Inside the large structure, some soldiers had already fallen asleep despite the din of war surrounding them. Most of the warriors had reached their limit, and any usage of soul energy would cause a severe headache.

No one knew how much longer they could last, but Lie Jian still kept his silence. Lie Jian didn't take a break, his mind racing constantly. He wagered that the Zergs were also gathering their elite warriors in order to subjugate them. He was racing against time; if the opportunity for breakthrough still didn't arrive in a few minutes, he might have to lead the charge himself in a last ditch effort to escape.

By then, many mastery casters had died in agony. Drawing too much natural energy would sometimes cause the sea of consciousness to collapse. Being devoured by rogue energy was the most painful way of dying. At that point, the best a field medic could do was soothe their pain and accelerate their death. This kind of death came very suddenly without any warning, since it was triggered as soon as the rogue energy inside of caster reached a threshold.

The Zergs intended to kill them slowly by consumption, and their plan had worked. Michaux was overtaken by guilt; if he hadn't decided to come to the Zerg land, his followers would not have suffered so much. On the contrary, Lei Jian was indifferent toward his soldiers' torment. Lack of compassion and care was a necessary prerequisite for a competent commander.

Lie Jian did not plan to die here, so he wondered that he would have to create an opportunity to escape one way or another.

"Lie Jian, they are going to break our line sooner or later. We need to do something. Let's charge out!" Michaux suggested.

Lie Jian shook his head. "No. This is a golden opportunity." Hope flashed across his face as a moment of epiphany struck him.

Michaux was confused, "What opportunity? What are you talking about? Do you want to sacrifice yourself?"

"Haha, dream on! I am waiting for Wang Tong!"

"Wang Tong? We don't even know where he is! Are you nuts?"

Lie Jian's lips twisted into a smile, "Trust me, he will come. Our goals are the same, and so I wager he must have already been looking for us. Now the whole world knows we are trapped in here, so he will come to us for sure."

Michaux grimaced; this was Lie Jian was an arrogant risk taker.

Michaux had heard bits and pieces of information about Wang Tong's arrival at the core district, but nothing had guaranteed that he would come for them. How could Lie Jian be so sure without even talking to Wang Tong? Plus, Lie Jian had not been very nice to Wang Tong from the start, so Michaux doubted that Wang Tong would offer his help willingly.

Michaux wanted to press Lie Jian for more questions, perhaps even change his mind; but he thought better of it. If Lie Jian could be persuaded, he might as well be someone else. Michaux swallowed down his doubts and agreed to Lie Jian's crazy plan.

"Your suggestion is not entirely bad either. We could start a counterattack and show these Zergs what we are made out of." Lie Jian looked through the window at the hordes of Zergs that charged at them mindlessly.

"Our first target will be their leader."Michaux smiled and said.

"Do you mind if I join you? " Lie Jian asked with a smile.

"Might as well." Michaux smiled back. By far, no one had seen these two warriors fighting side by side.

A fireball wheezed across the air and exploded in the mass of Zergs. "I am Lie Jian. I am your death!"

Lie Jian's army was covered with blue flames. A few powerful dark ones threw themselves at him, but they were reduced into ashes by his poison fire attack. He had fused his attack with natural forces, and it was so powerful that it could cut through the dark one with ease.

Jiezhe was first startled by the development, but quickly a smile appeared on his face. How stupid was Lie Jian to come out of his cover and challenge his entire army?

Lie Jian charged up his soul energy and started the onslaught. His heroic action had encouraged the soldiers fighting inside the building.

When the Zerg's attention was all set on Lie Jian, Michaux sneaked closer to the Zerg lord like a shadow in the moonless night.

Chapter 617: The Eighth Technology Revolution

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

The effect of mastery spells varied wildly, and not all the mastery spells were area-of-effect spells. Only high-level mastery casters such as Michaux could master such powerful spells.

On this planet, other than Wang Tong, the only other person who was capable of expanding one's elemental attribute was the young master of the Divine Mastery Sect.

It was impossible for any METAL warrior to get close to the Zerg lord due to his guards, but Michaux was not a METAL warrior.

Michaux's fingers knotted into a mastery sign that held the power of his spell, managing to lock onto the target using his soul energy without being noticed. Lie Jian continued to bombard the Zergs at the cost of huge consumption of his soul energy. Only the most aggressive attacks could attract the Zergs' attention. Luckily, the Zergs wanted to capture Lie Jian alive; therefore, he hadn't met with any life-threatening attacks so far.

"Uncle Shan, please give me a hand!" A glowing blue ice ball had already formed in Michaux's hands. Lie Shan nodded, picked up the former, and launched him into the air with his massive arms. Michaux immediately started the airborne mastery spell and flew toward the Zerg lord like a cannonball.

Jiezhe was engrossed in watching the fight with Lie Jian. When he finally registered danger, the young master was only a few dozen meters away from him. He paused, startled, then gathered himself and smiled. He felt grateful for his careful preparation while lamenting over the cunning strategies of the humans.

The Zerg race had always been the loser when it came down to one on one combat between soldiers of similar level. There were only a few breeds in the dark ones that boasted more powerful combat skill than humans. However, Jiezhe was not one of them, and neither did he want to be. Zergs' advantage was in numbers, and he preferred to stick with the old way.

Michaux was already slowing down, and in a second or so, Jiezhe's guards would surround him. However, in a split second before the guards took action, Jiezhe was totally defenseless. Michaux smiled and then unleashed in the spell.

Ice Lotus' Anguish!

The spell contained the power of the Divine Master, a level twenty-three mastery caster. Only a high-level caster such as Michaux was able to contain the power of the spell until the last moment.

The spell summoned a large ice lotus from under the ground. Everything was frozen solid within ten meters around Jiezhe.

The dark ones threw themselves at the assassin; after having exhausted his energy in the last spell, Michaux was defenseless. Right before the attack was about to land on Michaux, Lie Jian appeared above them with his fire attack, diving down toward the swarm of Zergs with abandon.

In an instant, all Zergs within Lie Jian's reach were cut down. He hovered over the body of Michaux and sheltered him from the attacks, then grasped the latter by the cloth and launched himself into the air. After two seconds, Michaux had also gathered himself. His heart still thumped in his chest; he had thought he was done for.

He didn't have time to reflect on what had happened as he started the mastery spells anew. Thousands of ice shards flew toward the pursuing Zergs. Although they were not powerful enough to kill any of the dark ones, the ice shards were effective in slowing them down.

KOM!

Lie Jian and Michaux both flew into a large building, filled with a satisfying adrenaline rush. The soldiers quickly waged a counterattack as they pushed the pursuing Zergs back. Meanwhile, the mastery casters rained death upon the Zergs that were attacking their defense.

The Zergs had lost their commander, and therefore, they were forced to halt their attack. This had given the human soldiers a precious moment to take a rest.

Michaux and Lie Jian smiled at each other knowingly. That was a close call, but it felt so damn awesome! Lie Jian was able to finish an EB unit just in time to save Michaux.

However, it wasn't long before the Zergs had chosen another dark one as their leader and started another round of attacks.

The golden dark ones guarding the Zerg lord were the most powerful dark ones of the city. Michaux's area spell was able to kill all of them in one strike.

The dark ones fought very differently from humans. They didn't need the powerful leaders to organize attacks on the spot, since they had a different method of communication. Therefore, the powerful dark ones could simply stand on the side and command the movement of their soldiers from afar. However, distance has failed to protect them from harm because their enemy was the mighty Divine Master.

The new Zerg lord was much inferior to Jiezhe in terms of mind and ability. Therefore, the Zergs' attacks were much less organized than before. Michaux and Lie Jian both realized that their best shot at escaping the encirclement had arrived. However, not everyone could make it out; some soldiers might have to pay the ultimate sacrifice so that the rest would make it out alive.

However, Lie Jian knew that Michaux would never agree to this action while knowing it would jeopardize the lives of his soldiers; therefore, he let his plan unspoken.

Lie Jian slashed his blade and killed another half a dozen Zergs. His patience was wearing thin; if Wang Tong truly had possessed those highly mobile mounts as the rumors claimed, he should be here by now.

After a while, Lie Jian retreated back to the building to rest. Seeing him return to the building, the new leader, a level C Zerg, heaved a sigh of relief. As a low-level dark one, he could barely pass the intelligence check, much less measure up to the standards of a commander. He conceded that the only thing he could do was keep these humans inside until the purple guards arrived.

As for attack formations, timing, and the logistics, the new leader knew none of that. His method was simple: block the exit of the building with as many Zergs as possible and wait.

The lack of assault meant that the soldiers could finally rest in peace. Some soldiers were eating dinner quietly, and most mastery casters were already fallen asleep. The METAL warrior could endure physical exhaustion, but if the mastery casters left their soul energy depletion unchecked, they would be killing themselves slowly from the inside.

Some more powerful warriors, such as the three chief medics, were cultivating and trying to replenish their sea of consciousness. Their beautiful faces were haunted by fatigue. They had devoted their lives to the Sect and to the Divine Master, and dying on the battlefield while defending the Divine Master would be their honor.

"Are you sure Wang Tong will make it? It has been twenty hours, and I wager that the Zergs' reinforcements should already be on their way." Lie Shan put in. As an old veteran of House Lie, he never believed in Wang Tong. In his eyes, Lie Jian's power and ability were as good as the younger generation could get.

"Yes, I am sure!" Lie Jian announced firmly. He had turned the problem over in his mind a hundred times, and each time, he reached the same conclusion: Wang Tong would arrive in time.

If they could join forces with Wang Tong, not only could they get out of here alive, but they could also deliver a death blow to the head of this operation: Moye.

Once Moye had been dealt with, the humans could wage massive counterattacks and eliminate the Zergs from Mars once and for all.

The mass production of the GN gun had lent Lie Jian confidence in humanity's ability to defeat the Zergs in the end.

'Thank the gods that Wang Tong had found Wang Tung. Are those two real brothers?' The thought amused Lie Jian as laughter escaped his lips.

Although Lie Jian was surprised by his own laughter—it seemed out of place in these reduced circumstances— it had lent confidence to his soldiers.

Nothing was more comforting than the sight of a relaxed and confident leader during the time of war.

Wang Tung sneezed; afterward, he cursed at the person whose thought of him and disturbed his work. Martians believed that the thought of somebody would make that person sneeze violently.

Wang Tung had moved his bed into the lab as his research was approaching the final stages. The first mass-produced GN gun was named after him, and the theory he proposed was named the Wang Tung Law.

By then, Wang Tung and his team had completed the research on the automatic GN crystal machine gun, and were already halfway through the design stage of the GN crystal cannon. Wang Tung's lab was not the only one that worked on it. Since the research results were all in the public domain, many other labs had joined efforts, further refining the technology. The newest subject in the field was the fusion weapon: a weapon that combined the conventional heat clip weapons with GN crystal energy guns. Wang Tong had never thought that one single breakthrough would cause so many changes in the field of science and engineering.

Thus it was, the eighth technology revolution had drawn back its curtain during the most desperate times in human history.

As the day was about to break, Lie Jian wagered that Wang Tong should be here anytime now, if he were to come at all.

A few more hours passed, and Wang Tong was still nowhere to be seen. Lie Jian wondered if he were wrong about Wang Tong. Maybe he never designed to come and save him. The sun rose slowly above the tall buildings, and the Zergs were ready to attack again.

Chapter 618: Gather Forces

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

They had missed the best opportunity to get out of here alive; Lie Jian wondered how long they could last here without Wang Tong's help.

Looking over at the distance, Michaux saw the land covered with Zergs; the thought of death had brought him relief. He didn't need to worry or struggle before his time came; he would only need to focus on the fight.

Lie Jian was at a loss. Did he overestimate Wang Tong's moral standards? The Wang Tong he knew would never sit around and let his fellow human warriors die. Wang Tong always looked at things from a humane perspective. Lie Jian was very certain of it, almost as certain as he believed in Li Shiming's selfishness.

In addition, Lie Jian believed that Wang Tong would come and help him because he knew the earthling never wanted to lord over him. However, if he were right about Wang Tong, why didn't he show up?

Suddenly, it occurred to Lie Jian that he had overlooked one key play: the dark ones. If he knew that Wang Tong would come to his rescue, so would the dark ones.

Perhaps the encirclement was never meant to kill them, but to lure Wang Tong out of his hiding.

Lie Jian was hit by a moment of epiphany, and he smacked his thigh and shouted, "Sh*t! It's a trap!"

Michaux gave Lie Jian a knowing glance; he had also figured out the Zergs' real intent. They had both thought that the Zergs wanted to capture them alive, but the reality seemed to suggest that there were more than what met the eyes. The Zergs were playing their little tricks to kill two birds with one stone.

"I hope Wang Tong is smart enough to realize that the other cities are all empty right now." Lie Jian's mind raced, and he reckoned that if all the Zergs of the region were being assigned to trap them in the building, Wang Tong should be able to take down many Zerg cities while they were undefended.

Michaux shook his head and favored Lie Jian a rueful smile. "I don't think Wang Tong would do that."

Lie Jian paused and then said: "You two are the same! Slow as a pig!"

Michaux gave him a massive shrug and then said, "OK, now let's focus on our problem, smarta*s."

"Very well! I am curious what had given these Zergs the confidence to stand before me! Everyone! Get up and listen! You are not allowed to die out there, and this is an order! You guys are all the toughest SOBs I have ever met…I order you to live the rest of your life as a hero once we get out of here!" Lie Jian shouted.

It was time to show the Zergs what they were made of!

KOM!

The Zergs started their attack while the determination in the soldiers' eyes gleamed with more intensity.

Meanwhile, Harmon and a group of dark ones were on their way to Antonio. Even though the group had been marching at an incredible speed, the long distance between the two cities meant that they wouldn't reach their destination in a day. The dark lord had ordered all the cities in the vicinity to reinforce the siege inside of Antonio and make sure Lie Jian and Michaux were contained within the building. As a former human, Harmon knew Wang Tong better than the dark ones: he was the exemplar of altruism and self-sacrifice for the greater good.

Even though Wang Tong knew that the rest of the cities were defenseless and ripe for plunder, he would not veer off his course and delay the rescue. Harmon marveled at the former's noble quality as much as he lamented over his predictability.

The report that came from the scouts claimed that Wang Tong had already risen to the bait.

If the Zergs were able to kill Wang Tong, Michaux, and Lie Jian in one decisive stroke, the rest of the human resistance would fall apart in a matter of days. The thought of change elated Harmon as he wondered what would it be like when the Zergs replaced the humans.

Based on his observation of the dark ones, he was certain that the world would be a much better place under the leadership of Patroclus and the immortals. The spread of immortals would not just stop within the human world. Jumping on the bandwagon of the space-faring Zergs, Patroclus could sow the seed of immortals far and wide across the universe and beyond.

Harmon knew deep down that Patroclus not only wanted to establish the immortal race, but also control the host race fully. It was impossible to completely eradicate the Zerg race just like one could not walk under the sun without a shadow. Even the gods like Blade warrior could not completely cleanse the world of Zergs. However, Patroclus had come up with an ingenious solution: if the Zergs could not be eradicated, then why not control them.

However, this was easier said than done.

Blade warrior was only one god-like entity, but Patroclus had striven to create an entire race that was the god's equal.

As everyone had expected, Wang Tong was on his way to rescue Lie Jian. Only after they had joined forces would they have enough strength to rival the dark lord in his own territory. Plus, Wang Tong wagered that Mars would need a strong leader after they had done away with Moye, and no one would be a better candidate than Michaux.

On their way to Antonio, they met many Zerg resistances. The dark ones had completely abandoned their cities in order to waylay Wang Tong and his entourage. Wang Tong was not tempted by the thoughts of taking those empty cities and kill the queen, since saving Lie Jian was his top priority right then.

Despite it being a trap, Wang Tong plunged right into Antonio with abandon. The effectiveness of the trap was yet to be seen.

The direwolves led the charge as they tore the Zergs into pieces while storming into their ranks. One second they were in the middle of the Zerg formation, and in the next, they were already a hundred meters away from the Zergs' flank, ready to charge the Zergs again.

Deep Blue was at the forefront of the pack, his deep, ocean-like eyes shooting out blue energy beams and slicing the dark ones in half. The magnificent beast had evolved significantly after devouring countless dark ones. The same thing was happening to all the other direwolves, albeit to a smaller degree.

These creatures were the results of the century-long breeding program, a perfect weapon that was supposed to bring destruction to the human world. As fate would have it, they were now the most loyal companions of human riders.

Not only were their offensive skills improving, so were their defensive abilities. Their icy blue scales had thickened significantly compared to when they were first born. It covered the length of the beasts like a thick caparison decorated with rich sapphires.

The Zergs' plan to waylay Wang Tong had worked to some degree as it forced him to take some detours to avoid unnecessary casualties. There was still a hard battle ahead of them, and they could not waste their energy on too many battles before they got to Lie Jian.

Wang Tong, Lie Jian, and Michaux had significantly staggered Moye's assault at the frontline. As more and more resources and attention got poured into the development at home, the Zergs' front line faltered.

The Zergs inside of Antonio had been at Lie Jian ever since daybreak. Meanwhile, Wang Tong led his soldiers to storm across the land to Lie Jian's rescue. He knew that the risk to those lives inside Antonio was increasing by the second.

On the front lines, Einherjar Lie Jintian had taken full advantage of the GN energy gun units and freed up elite METAL warriors to wager effective counterattacks at Zergs' war camp.

Although the move was risky, Lie Jintian was emboldened by the development in the Zerg homeland. There might not be a better time to strike back than now.

Lie Jintian knew that the human would only unleash their full potential under extreme circumstances, and circumstances would never get more extreme than this. It was time to strike back.

Lie Jintian's daring strategy could lead to a total collapse of the human defense line once the Zergs gathered strength again. However, this was a gamble that he willing to partake; this was the humans' last ditch effort in saving humanity.

The GN gun units were weak soldiers with very little soul energy, and their combat skills were practically non-existent. However, once they were given the gun and a direction to shoot, they could be deadlier than a group of Einherjars.

Standing on its last leg, humanity fought back with abandon.

Chapter 619: A Real Tough Nut

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

The human war machine started turning and quickly reached overdrive. The Martian main force was ready to lash out at the Zerg territory as the defenders fought bravely against the invaders.

The critical skill of any leader was to know the perfect timing to deliver the final blow.

The closer Wang Tong got to Antonio, the more resistance he encountered. As his movement became more evident under the tight scrutiny of the Zerg scouts, the dark ones were able to lay massive forces in his path ahead of time.

More importantly, these Zergs were designed to not only stop Wang Tong's group, but also kill them. This was a classic human battle tactic that had been used for thousands of years. As an avid strategist, Harmon could pull it off with his eyes closed.

As the news about Wang Tong's movement became clear, Harmon gained more confidence in his plan. He reported back to Moye and asked for more reinforcements. The number of soldiers he had should be enough to deal with Lie Jian and Michaux; however, he was not confident that they could handle Wang Tong. Harmon estimated that Wang Tong's power was around level twenty-six, so he requested some of the best warriors in the dark lord's castle.

Moye responded with unequivocal support and offered Harmon his entire purple guard. The leader of the purple guards was S-Diemu. They stormed toward Antonio to keep the two human warriors in check until the third arrived.

Harmon was relieved after Moye had sent his support. The S class blood kin was the strongest of all dark ones; they represented the ultimate power on Mars. Not even Lie Jintian would be able to save the three human soldiers from their doom.

Meanwhile, inside Antonio, the battle had taken a toll on the human soldiers. Despite their high spirits and resolve, their bodies were failing them. However, under the leadership of Michaux and Lie Jian, as well as their careful management, the casualties were contained to a minimum. After the long and hard day of battle, Lie Jian's signature sharp smirk had become dull and tired, but his eyes still gleamed with determination and conviction. In the night, the Zergs slowed down the attack like they did the night before.

It suddenly occurred to Lie Jian that although the day and night cycle meant nothing to the primitive Zergs, they were in sync with the dark one's biological clocks. While they rested at night, they only sent out a meager number of primitive Zergs to harass the humans, the effect of which was laughable.

The assault started again at the daybreak. After a night of rest, the human soldiers were once again brimmed with spirit and vigor.

Michaux and the Mastery casters showered the Zergs with ice bolts; they had decided to save the areal effect spells for the last. Although the group spells were powerful and were able to kill enemies in a large area, they could quickly deplete the soul energy of many casters at once.

Suddenly, riotous clamor came from the casters. The chief medic Enderlis was shot by a bone shard. The bone shard had buried itself in her chest, went through her body, and came out of her back. Life drained from her face immediately as she collapsed to the ground. Although Michaux didn't care about his own life, the development gripped his heart with pain. Enderlis wrenched away a few medics helping hands, willing to help someone who was still salvageable. Her lips thinned into a smile and then said, "Young master, please live!"

The field medics shared a bond that was stronger than that of sisters. The death of Enderlis was the last straw on their back, as they rushed to Michaux and demanded him to let them go out and fight.

The METAL soldiers quickly joined the medics and asked for permission to fight back. They had been waiting for help for three days to no avail. In the three days, they had suffered enough, and the waiting felt even worse than being killed by Zergs.

Michaux's face hardened as he was overtaken by grief. If he couldn't save his followers, what would be the point of finding the divine path?

There and then, Lie Jian was the only person who could still maintain his composure. He did not doubt that Michaux could claim the lives of half of the Zergs out there, but then what? Before nightfall, there would be twice as many Zergs joining the battle.

Even if they were able to break the encirclement and escape, they were still in the Zerg territory. It would only be a matter of time before they were trapped again.

"Calm down, Michaux! Calm down, all of you!" Lie Jian took Michaux by the arm. It was the first time he saw Michaux losing his marble.

Michaux paused and gritted his teeth. The room had fallen pin-drop silent. The human warriors' thoughts were stifled as the flame of anger scorched their minds. This was the most challenging circumstance they had ever encountered. But, no matter how loud the voice of opposition was, Lie Jian would never change his mind, even if it meant the death of all human soldiers.

After three days, the number of human warriors had dropped below two hundred. Every death meant a gruesome torment, tearing the surviving warriors apart from inside, nerve by nerve. Those who were gravely injured laid on their deathbeds silently. They didn't want to become dead weight, so might as well let their injury taken them.

Did they feel despair? Absolutely! They had lost their hope a while ago, and the only reason they wanted to be alive was to avenge their friends.

In the darkness, Lie Jian was the only person still awake. He looked out of the window into the darkness of the night and wavered. Tomorrow would be the last day of their resistance. If Wang Tong still didn't arrive, he would lead the charge out of the building.

As Lie Jian was about to return to his bed, he noticed a flickering blue flame in the distance.

Lie Jian thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, so he narrowed his eyes and looked. After a while, a slow smile broke over his face.

Wang Tong had finally arrived.

In the darkest hour of the night, right before the dawn, a voice boomed, "I am WANG TONG!"

And then, waves of beastly howls came from those blue flames. The terrifying howls made the soldiers' hair stand on their ends.

The beasts' howling sent a great burst of energy at the resting dark ones, stunning them in their sleep. Immediately, the beasts charged down the slope, into the dark ones' camp. Deep inside the dark ones' command center, a few dark ones accompanied Harmon out of his tent. The immortal looked over at the sea of blue flames and smiled, "That's him! "

The couple purple guards were about to rush to the battle, but were stopped by Harmon. "We are in no hurry. Let's wait until your captain is here."

Harmon wagered that the rest of the purple guards should arrive at the battlefield before morning. If they acted right now, he might risk scaring Wang Tong away. The fight between the purple guard and Wang Tong would provide a new insight into the strength of both combatants for Harmon.

Having fallen for Wang Tong's trap during the last battle, Harmon had taken his opponent more seriously and re-examined his strategy. This time, he would not let Wang Tong have his way.

The soldiers inside the building were woken up by the clamor of the war, and when they realized that Wang Tong had arrived, they quickly joined the battle. It wasn't long before the first icy blue beast showed up at the building. Afterward, Battle Wolf had completely taken over the defense of the building. Although they had been marching round the clock to get here, Battle Wolf was brimming with enthusiasm and didn't show any sign of fatigue. This was the direwolves' mealtime, so the beasts attacked the Zergs with extra ferociousness.

The sight of the hellish riders trampling over the dead bodies of Zergs while their beast mounts were feasting on the dark ones was a terrifying sign to behold, particularly for the dark ones. Soldiers from the Sect and House Lie watched the battle with amazement. Any doubts in those claims about the power of Battle wolf were gone.

After some time, Wang Tong finally made it to the building and met with Michaux and Lie Jian.

"Wang Tong, we are counting on you from here on. Don't lose even one of my men!" Lie Jian announced hotly and then collapsed to the ground due to exhaustion.

"Wang Tong, we need revenge!" Xiao Yuyu's voice trembled.

Enderlis' death was a grievous blow to Xiao Yuyu. The two of them were very close, and the latter always saw her as an older sister.

Michaux looked at Wang Tong and piped up, "You shouldn't have come here, Wang Tong! This is a trap, didn't you know that? We can't escape here, none of us!"

Wang Tong cracked a smile and then said, "Escape? Don't you want to kill them first?"

"Of course I do!"

"Well, we better hurry then…the sun is coming up. Follow me! Yin Tianzong, please look after these warriors."

"No problem." Yin Tianzong nodded.

"Hey! Hey! Shut up all of you! Boss needs some quiet time." Tan Bu shouted at everyone.