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**Chapter: The Battle of Apocalypse (Part 1)**

Aristotle surged forward, wielding his longsword with a defiant roar aimed at the bald guard.

"Crack!"

The blade blazed with light, knocking loose fragments from the bald guard's stone fist, though it barely scratched his resilient rock body.

The bald guard's other fist followed swiftly. Aristotle swiftly extended his left hand, fingers twisting into a configuration that ignited a golden-red magical light between them, instantly forming an overlapping circular pattern resembling a shield.

"Boom!"

The bald guard's massive fist collided with the shield, shattering it instantly.

Craterus moved to assist Aristotle, but another enemy blocked his path, thrusting a backhanded blade.

"Charge!"

Craterus swiftly parried with his iron sword.

Noticing the diminishing flicker of holy light on his sword as the distance widened between him and the bald guard, Craterus recalled Forseti's words about its extra potency against evil. He realized the bald guard harbored malevolence, which heightened the sword's power.

Aristotle, weakened from a previous blow, was clearly outmatched. Craterus, eager to aid, found himself entangled by his own adversary, growing increasingly anxious.

Fortunately, his opponent activated an ability, transforming into a watery stream and thrusting forward with a short blade.

Seeing an opportunity, Craterus's body arced with electricity, meeting the attack head-on.

"Crack!"

The watery guard convulsed from the electrical surge, reverting to human form, promptly dispatched by a nearby Brotherhood wizard. His head rolled to the ground.

Seizing his chance, Craterus armed himself with a longsword and engaged the bald guard.

As they closed in, the sword's holy light flared violently once more.

"Holy Light... Guide me!" Craterus gritted his teeth, focusing his mind.

Though the bald guard noticed, he dismissed it, confident in his defenses, and met Craterus's iron sword head-on.

Yet, the outcome defied his expectations.

Upon contact, the iron sword erupted in dazzling golden light, akin to divine judgment descending, exuding an aura of invincibility.

Startled, the bald guard was too late to react as his arm was severed by the sword.

"Ah!!" he screamed, eyes wide with disbelief.

Craterus, somewhat surprised himself, grinned. "This sword bears divine might. Your end is near!"

Before he could finish, he lunged, swiftly overcoming the bald guard in a few deft moves. A surge of holy light accompanied his iron sword piercing through the bald guard's chest.

Beyond the realm of power users and magicians, ordinary humans clashed in their own skirmishes.

Near Ellie Fontina, Macedonian and Egyptian soldiers collided in disciplined phalanxes.

The true surprise, however, was the sudden appearance of Macedonian forces within the city.

"Hahaha, it seems Apocalypse's end draws nigh. Ellie Fontina, ancient city, soon you shall be mine!" declared Antigonus, commander of the Pike Legion and renowned Macedonian general.

Antigonus's troops had infiltrated the city via Khonshu's clandestine tunnels, bypassing magical defenses.

As Egypt's high priest and mastermind behind numerous national projects, Khonshu had intricately woven a web of secret passages and backdoors across Egypt. Ellie Fontina happened to harbor one such passage, facilitating the Macedonian incursion today.

Antigonus's forces clashed fiercely with the Egyptian army, a battle of mundane human strength, temporarily unrelated to the pyramid's ongoing struggle.

Meanwhile, within the pyramid's depths...

The alluring melody of a long-haired enchantress affected most of the men, but Shilut remained impassive.

He unleashed a torrent of mudslides, nearly petrifying the singing woman.

"Boom!" Diops's left eye discharged a beam, instantly obliterating her, flesh and stone flying in all directions.

"Boom boom boom!"

His beams intersected, felling several guards.

In response, the Plague Knight pounced on Diops, delivering a powerful blow that sent him sprawling.

Before he could strike again, Agamotto's magical whip lashed out. The Plague Knight reacted swiftly, deflecting it with both hands.

"Boom!" The forceful impact sent shockwaves rippling, disrupting the narrow confines and causing everyone to stagger.

Agamotto moved fluidly, conjuring golden-red energy into two magical fans, battling the advancing Plague Knight.

Khonshu engaged the War Knights.

With their tough hides and formidable strength, the War Knights surpassed average Aesirians. However, the demon guard's statue bolstered Kongsi, enabling him to handle them effortlessly while engaging other guards.

Diops continued firing beams sporadically, each strike incapacitating at least one guard and rapidly depleting their numbers.

Shilut employed mudslides to disrupt enemies, not lethal but highly effective in hampering their effectiveness.

For the moment, Forseti's team held the upper hand.

As for Forseti, he made straight for the secret chamber housing Apocalypse, knowing time was of the essence in the peak sunlight of the year. If they didn't act swiftly, Apocalypse's rebirth would be complete in mere minutes, spelling doom.

Assisted by his comrades, they swiftly approached the secret chamber's entrance, catching a glimpse inside.

It appeared Apocalypse's essence had fused with the golden liquid beneath the stone platform. The liquid flowed, emitting a blue glow that enveloped Howlett's platform.

Overseeing the ceremony was the Egyptian high priest and Death Knight, one of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen, stationed beside the stone platforms.

Noticing Forseti, the Death Knight gritted her teeth, hands outstretched as silver-white energy surged forth, forming a barrier that barred Forseti.

The Hammer of Justice!

Forseti raised Warhammer high, channeling divine flames into the warhammer. With a thunderous crash, the hammer struck the Death Knight's energy barrier.

"Boom--!"