CHAPTER 57

Blood and flesh covered the battlefield, at the center of which stood the King of Death, while Count Maximan lay on the ground, limbless. Four hundred meters away, the Army of Darkness watched their farewell, as four legendary-ranked warriors surrounded the King of Death from all sides.

"My king, I do not wish to lose the honor of standing in your army!"

"My child, you have fulfilled your duties, and it was an honor to fight by your side. Now, rest in peace and let this old man finish the battle."

"My king..."

With those words, the flame in Maximan's eyes, which had once taken down two warlords single-handedly, dimmed and faded. The King of Death cast aside his broken sword and used his mana to forge a blade made of pure death, along with armor that rapidly drained his energy.

"You'd better attack now because if I fall, you will have no shield left!"

With that, Hazard and three other legendary-ranked warriors appeared in the sky, followed by thirty mares and five thousand liches.

The other legendary-ranked warriors included a heavily armored figure wielding a colossal sword and emanating a powerful miasmic mana, another shrouded entirely in a cloak that failed to conceal his aura of undeath, and finally, a massive bone worm that trembled and writhed in a grotesque manner.

"I did not expect you to survive! But now, all of you can die together!"

At that moment, all except the bone worm raised their hands toward the Army of Darkness, as death lightning crackled around their fingers. The four legendary-ranked warriors of the Army of Darkness immediately sensed danger.

"Activate the barriers!"

"Magical shield!"

But they were either too slow, or the lightning was too fast. Three bolts of death-lightning, like dragons, descended upon the seventy-million-strong army, instantly vaporizing all beings below the warlord rank. Within five seconds, the magical shields and barriers began to shatter—even those protecting the legendary ranks. Seeing this, Vlad turned to Mordred with a furious glare.

"You bastard! I told you we should've taken down his fortress first!"

But his anger was met with Mordred's murderous intent.

"If the old man hadn't ordered me to cooperate with you, your head would be on a spike atop my banner!"

Their bickering, however, only gave Ashar enough time to carry out Hazard's command, targeting the legendary-ranked dwarf.

"Haha! My bone worm—"

The dark dwarves, known as the Fallen Dwarves, prided themselves on their resilience. Among them, King Laurin was especially renowned for his impenetrable defense. Yet, before his aging eyes could follow Ashar's movements, he was struck with a devastating blow. His defensive barriers, reinforced armor, skin-hardening spells, weight-enhancing abilities, and every defensive magic and artifact he possessed were completely ignored. The impact sent him flying, blood gushing from his mouth as he felt his ribs and elbow shattered. He had no chance to hit the ground, as two sharp bone hooks pierced his chest, lifting him into the sky while his hammer slipped from his grasp.

"They gave me wine in the harem so I could play dolls with the eunuchs!"

Laurin had no time to decipher the insane words of the undead monstrosity attacking him. He struggled to defend himself from the dozens of metal hooks that lashed at him every second, but his blood splattered like a rainbow. Darkness began to consume his vision.

"You bastards! This was not part of the deal!"

Just then, Janibas appeared above the flying bone worm, conjuring a spear of dark flames. In midair, he aimed to decapitate Ashar. But instead of severing his head, Ashar's body twisted unnaturally, flying towards Janibas like a magnet.

"What in the world is this thing?!"

Janibas—one of the most brilliant minds among the Dark Scholars, a creator of countless chimeras—could not comprehend the nature of this creature. Yet, if he had known, it would have been even more terrifying, for this entity was born before the world itself was formed.

"I arranged a wedding for my grandfather, and you bring dates to the feast?"

The insane voice echoed in his mind, corrupting his thoughts with every second. Feeling his sanity slipping away, Janibas immediately teleported far away, abandoning Laurin to his fate.

"Princes, this is bad!"

But the princes were struggling under the immense force of the death-lightning. At that moment, three enormous portals opened above their army.

"Come forth, Army of the Abyss!"

Hazard, exhausted from fending off warlords and overlords, activated his demonic summoning ability. With the aid of his two clones—disguised in demon-market garments to deceive the Army of Darkness—he unleashed thirty thousand abyssal demons of lord rank, their roars shaking the battlefield.

"Kill them all!"

Seeing the abyssal portals, the two princes teleported immediately to destroy them. They feared these portals even more than those of the Abyss itself. However, it seemed Hazard himself did not fully grasp the consequences of his actions. As waves of abyssal demon lords emerged, a gargantuan hand—mountainous in size—extended from one of the portals and struck the ground. A tremor rippled through the battlefield as Hazard shuddered, sensing power beyond even the legendary rank emanating from that hand.

"You fool! You're going to destroy this world!"

"Summoning abyssal beings wasn't enough for you?!"

With that, the two princes rushed toward the portal, trying to close it. However, black, bark-covered magic spread from the enormous hand, absorbing their blood, while ten million of their nearby dark forces instantly turned to ash.

"The Demon King of Life!!!"

Janibas screamed, and his followers swore they had never seen him flee so fast. But it was far from over. Another legendary-ranked warrior suddenly appeared—a wise old human sorcerer who summoned an army of lightning to strike at the hand. Another figure also emerged—someone Hazard had only recently encountered: Abraham, the progenitor of the vampires. Upon arrival, Abraham cast a murderous glare at Hazard and immediately attempted to obliterate the portal.

Yet, the chaos did not end there. A deafening roar shook the heavens as a thousand-meter-long golden dragon descended, tearing into the colossal hand with savage fury.

Hazard, overwhelmed by the events unfolding, trembled as two legendary-ranked warriors arrived to contain the catastrophe. But then, a voice echoed in his mind.

[Child, keep the portal stable.]

He instantly recognized the ancient and mighty voice.

[I will try my best!]

With that, realizing that a powerful demon was supporting him, Hazard redirected his attack toward the princes, grievously wounding Vlad and forcing Mordred into a defensive stance. However, this enraged Abraham, who finally lost his patience. In an instant, he teleported beside Hazard and severed his head.

"You dog of the Abyss—"

At that moment, the world itself seemed to weep. Time halted. Then, reality rewound.

Hazard found himself standing once again, his severed head inexplicably restored, the battlefield as it was before Abraham's arrival. It was as if Abraham had never existed in the first place.