No one stood up to stop such a horrifyingly unethical scene. The other hunters, busy dividing up the magic shark's body, watched with grins, and some even complimented the person involved.
"Shadow, not bad. I never would've guessed, but you're as clean with your hands as I was. I killed my father right after he got injured during a hunt, just like you."
"Ha, your fathers were pathetic to lose their value to you. They deserved to die. My brats, though... even if I were gravely injured, they wouldn't dare touch me unless I was on my deathbed. After all, I would never teach them my breathing techniques unless I was on the verge of dying."
The group of hunters laughed loudly as they sailed back with their haul from the hunt, completely unaware that their actions were being meticulously observed from above. Millions of beings watched the scene unfold.
"This continent hasn't changed a bit. It's just like it was before—hardly any difference," Muria observed the screen with a cold gaze. He had prepared himself mentally before arriving, so he felt no anger. Scenes like this were all too common in this playground of evil gods.
"Your Highness, I request that you wipe these scum from existence," Mia, Muria's personal maid, stepped forward and asked him. The scene had utterly shattered her worldview, leaving her feeling nauseous. Until that moment, she had been hesitant about supporting Muria's war, but now she was fully behind him.
If the people living on the continent of Synapse were all like this, she wouldn't mind if they were all exterminated. Such beings were a waste of air.
"There's no need for anger, Mia. Scenes like this are everywhere on this continent," Muria said with a smile to comfort his outraged maid.
"That's why I'll wage an extermination war on this continent. Wherever my army passes, no native residents of this playground of evil gods will survive."
"We can't wage a war of extermination!" Just as Muria voiced his intention, Mikaela immediately objected. "Although this continent is a haven for evil gods, there are still innocents here. The newborn children, they haven't inherited the sins of their parents. They are innocent."
"Hmm!" Muria hesitated for a moment upon hearing Mikaela's words, then turned to her. The radiant glow of motherhood shone from her as she gently stroked her belly. He nodded, "Indeed, children are innocent. We must discern who deserves the sword before we raise it."
"However, those on that ship should be wiped out. They don't deserve to exist." Mikaela looked at the hunting ship heading towards the shore on the screen, her eyes filled with undisguised disgust.
Boom!
A thick pillar of blinding white light descended from the sky, enveloping the entire ship. In just a few moments, the ship was reduced to ashes, scattered across the sea, without so much as a scream or struggle.
As the hunting ship was completely obliterated, the polluted sky, previously filled with gray-black clouds, began to reveal an expansive domain in the sky.
Floating above were magnificent cities suspended in the air. Elemental brilliance shimmered on their surfaces, radiating an alluring glow that also hinted at lethal danger.
In one of the lower floating cities, a massive cannon retracted after delivering its strike.
Following this, circular portals opened between the floating cities, and seductive yet fierce Naga warriors, with the bodies of snakes and the upper torsos of humans, began to pour through, entering the sea below.
As the Nagas descended into the water, blood bloomed like flowers in the ocean, filling the once dead sea with an eerie, bloody vitality.
Alongside the Nagas, wave after wave of towering tide giants, their skin an oceanic blue, wielding massive halberds or anchors, leaped down from the floating cities.
"Your task is to eradicate all the demonic sea beasts in this ocean within ten days. My tide giant legion will assist you," Muria commanded as the Naga forces crossed the dimensional barriers to engage in battle near the coast of Synapse.
Meanwhile, in Wind King Castle, seven legendary Naga lords bowed respectfully before Muria. These were subordinates Muria had subdued through sheer force.
The seven legendary Naga lords were the first batch of troops sent by the Landis Ocean Kingdom to aid Muria. More reinforcements were expected to follow.
The kingdom of Landis was vast, and it wasn't possible for them to send all their elite forces at once. They needed to balance their internal security while supporting Muria, especially since they would receive a portion of the spoils after Muria's victory.
"Cloud Giant Legion, Five-Color Dragon Legion, Dragonborn Legion... prepare for a landing operation. In three days, sweep a 100-kilometer radius around Synapse. Kill all evil beings, except for newborns without consciousness. Leave none alive."
Murian's majestic voice echoed through the floating cloud city of Synapse, and with his command, countless cloud giants with snow-white skin mounted their griffins and took to the skies. Within moments, tens of thousands of cloud giants blotted out the sky as they flew towards the coast.
Following the giants, sleek and powerful five-colored dragons roared as they flew, led by ancient dragons, eager to unleash the destruction and slaughter that came naturally to them. Muria had restrained their nature for centuries, but now they could let loose.
At the same time, numerous airships took off from the floating cities, carrying Muria's dragonborn warriors and various creatures less adept at flying towards the battlefield below.
"How brutal!"
At the edge of one floating city, an ancient golden dragon in human form watched in shock. Below, the sea was filled with Nagas and tide giants slaughtering sea beasts, while the sky teemed with giants, dragons, and airships.
"A war of this scale must have caught the attention of the Eternal Ones, right?" Another ancient dragon joined in, marveling at the Synapse army's deployment.
"Undoubtedly. The gods can't ignore this even if they want to."
"I don't care what the gods think of this war. I just want to know how we can join it," said one dragon eagerly.
The other ancient dragons exchanged looks. None of them were Muria's subordinates, but rather professors at his academy. Muria could assign them teaching duties, but he didn't have the authority to command them in battle... or rather, he couldn't order them to fight without compensation.
However, Muria hadn't shown any intention of inviting them to join the war, frustrating these ancient dragons who were eager to profit from the conflict.
"This Synapse King is too stingy. He's incredibly wealthy, yet he refuses to invite us. If we joined, his army's casualties would decrease dramatically."
"Don't get your hopes up. He still has plenty of untapped power. Look at his wife's angelic army—they haven't even been deployed yet," one ancient dragon pointed upwards to the cloud city above.
"The real enemies in this war are the avatars of the evil gods. The regular forces on this continent can't stand up to his army."
"So only ancient dragons capable of fighting the evil gods' avatars might be invited by Muria?"
"That seems to be the case!"
…
While the ancient dragon professors of Synapse were pondering how to profit from Muria's war, in the heavens above, gods were taking notice of the conflict and turning their attention to the Synapse continent.
"Only two centuries of peace, and now another great commotion. Titan and Dragon child, Muria, why can't you quietly reach the pinnacle of legend and then enter the void?"
In the divine pantheon, a goddess murmured softly. Her voice was not concealed, and all the gods in the grand hall heard her.
"What is he up to this time?"
"Likely seeking revenge. He was hunted down pretty badly three hundred years ago."
"A group of children with bright futures!" Amidst the gods' discussion, a dragon god with five heads and two tails remained silent, staring intently at the battlefield below. "Yet none of them acknowledge me!"
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