Chapter 654 — Confrontation

The leading Emperors chose to use their trump cards once more.

This time, facing what was a Rank 12 power, they knew they could no longer hold back at all.

Although traces of heartache flashed through their faces, never having expected they would be forced to this point so soon, they were quite decisive.

The War God waved his hand. Countless mechanical parts flew out of his body and began to click into place.

In the end, they transformed into a giant mecha that wrapped around his body and encased him.

Holding a giant cannon in each of his hands, the War God raised them and pulled the trigger.

The Cosmos Emperor’s body grew larger. A sea of stars formed around his skin before he unleashed his full strength, punching toward the sky.

The Heaven Emperor let out a savage growl. The sound of countless insects chirping echoed throughout the fortress as a dense black mist covered him and spread through his surroundings.

They were not the only ones unleashing their full power.

The other surviving Emperors also used their own methods.

In particular, the Mechanical Race quickly fused together, transforming into a giant amalgamation of mechanical parts and breaking through to Rank 11.

None of them had time to launch any more attacks, though.

Only a moment later, their various means and the descending palm met in the air.

There was neither a collision nor a violent aftermath.

A two-colored light flashed at the place of their collision.

Time seemed to freeze.

No sound could be heard. Everyone’s vision was flooded with a blinding light, rendering them unable to see anything around them.

It didn’t take long.

Only a moment later, all the phenomena faded away.

Everything returned to normal.

...Or at least, that was what one would think.

In reality, the moment the light faded, a completely different battlefield was revealed.

The many Emperors were nowhere to be seen.

Only the unknown man remained floating in the air, looking at the ground below with an utterly indifferent expression.

Vast amounts of essence continuously poured into his body, though they were incapable of helping him advance any further.

After he digested it, the man’s gaze swept through his surroundings.

He noticed several beings frantically escaping the fortress. Their auras were fluctuating, clear evidence that they were injured.

Clearly, not everyone had died from the previous blow.

There were some who were lucky and powerful enough to survive.

The man’s eyes flickered.

However, he didn’t take action to stop them.

After shaking his head lightly, he turned his head, shifting his attention toward the golden palace below.

With a thought, his body blurred, as though ascending in dimension.

When he materialized again, he had appeared in the hall where everything started.

His arrival shook Alpha to her very core.

She had seen through the eyes of her Mechanical army what had taken place outside and thus understood that her previous thoughts had been utterly wrong.

She would have never been able to compete with the being in front of her, even if she had the chance to assimilate her entire Mechanical army and enhance her strength.

Now that most of this army had been destroyed, and the man had only grown stronger as a result, she stood absolutely no chance against him.

Alpha’s instincts as a Devil screamed for her to flee.

Escape!

However, she ultimately gritted her teeth and stood her ground.

It was not as though she had any other choice.

If she were to flee at this moment, the unconscious Liora would remain completely defenseless.

Faced with such a being, she would have absolutely no chance of survival.

Countless thoughts raced through Alpha’s mind, and she weighed her options.

In the end, she made a ruthless decision that went against her instincts as both a Devil and a Mechanical being.

A determined expression flashed across her indifferent face.

Her aura began to riot.

The sound of gears rapidly turning spread throughout the hall and the formation core, resembling the soul-tearing sound of grinding teeth.

Alpha’s decision was simple:

Self-destruct!

She had no other choice.

Compared to allowing the unknown man to approach her Lord, she would rather bet that the aftermath of her death could kill him, or at least injure him.

She didn’t hold back.

Even the Mechanical Law she had recently integrated began to burn.

The Godhead-like object seemed to have turned into a real sun, catching on fire and burning from within.

Alpha’s momentum increased.

But she was unable to withstand the price of doing so.

Her skin began to crack, revealing the turning gears and metals within, while a sense of doom spread throughout the hall.

A trace of nostalgia flashed across her face before she gave the final command.

Just as she was about to explode, however, Alpha felt a faint movement behind her.

Before she could react, a hand gently pressed onto her shoulder.

Her momentum rapidly subsided.

Her cracked skin immediately recovered, while the flames consuming her Godhead dispersed on their own.

Alpha was stunned. She thought it was the unknown man’s doing.

She wanted to burst out with an even more overwhelming power when a voice suddenly rang out and stopped her.

"It’s okay."

"Everything is fine. There is no reason to resort to such desperate means."

Alpha immediately recognized the voice’s owner.

Who else could it be but Liora?

Indeed.

As she turned around and looked toward the voice’s source, she came face to face with her Lord.

Alpha’s eyes lit up.

"My Lord.", she saluted respectfully.

Inwardly, a sense of relief washed over her.

She didn’t know why, but although the unknown man was incredibly powerful, she possessed a blind confidence in Liora. She was certain that she would have a way to deal with him.

Liora merely nodded her head in response to her words.

After patting her shoulder one more time, she took a step forward, approaching the unknown man.

The two stood not far away, both looking at each other.

Their eyes met, clashing through the air.

The situation was somewhat similar to when the statue had pierced through the layers of space to observe her.

The difference, though, was that the man was now fully awake.

More importantly, he had long regained his strength.