"So, this is the world that gave birth to three epic races? Such a scale is rare... but unfortunately, it's about to be destroyed. What a pity!"
After an unknown amount of time, the imperceptible gray mist approached the world of Erathia. Gazing at the glowing orb that nearly filled its entire field of vision, a voice of admiration echoed.
"However, you've given birth to a race that dared to offend us, and refused to pay the price!"
The Hidden Demon Lord recalled the previous negotiations between one of their powerful lords and the rulers of this world cluster. They had made several reasonable demands, all of which were rejected.
These demands included handing over the lord who had stolen their source-force secret technique, surrendering the three demon lords captured while pursuing the thief, and demanding that any who laid hands on members of the Sky Demon clan be destroyed, along with the self-destruction of the souls of all those who witnessed the secret technique.
All of these demands were reasonable, yet the three dominant races of this world cluster ignored their concessions and refused their goodwill.
The Hidden Demon Lord thought the natives were exceedingly ungrateful. They had been offered lenient terms, and yet they dared to reject them and go to war against the Sky Demons.
However, the Hidden Demon Lord was surprised by the power of these beings who called themselves Titans. They could each fight three demon lords of the same level. Some of the particularly fierce ones could even take on five at once, a level of combat power that was beyond comprehension.
It seemed as if this race was born to fight beings of equal strength. Their weapons, abilities, and even their followers—all were designed for battle against equal foes.
This was simply unbelievable. How could there be a race specialized in fighting those of the same level? How could such a race survive in the void?
The Hidden Demon Lord found it strange and couldn't fathom how such a race had endured and even grown stronger over time.
This conclusion came after being assigned to this battlefield and facing off against one of the Titans. The Hidden Demon Lord believed that engaging Titans head-on was foolish and that it would be more effective to sneak behind their defenses and attack their home world, delivering a far greater blow.
"Haha! What bug dares to spy on the world of Erathia?"
Just as the Hidden Demon Lord was about to infiltrate the world of Erathia, a voice, wild and scornful yet laced with delight, echoed from all directions. But no matter where he looked, the Hidden Demon Lord could not find the source.
This situation made the Hidden Demon Lord's heart tighten. He realized he had encountered a peer—another being whose skills were focused on secrecy and assassination.
And now a pressing issue stood before him: his hidden counterpart had found him, yet he hadn't detected the other's presence.
"My luck is really something!" The arrogant voice rang out once more. This time, the Hidden Demon Lord caught a trace, perhaps locating the source of this voice.
"Interesting! So you found me!"
"I am the Hidden Demon Lord of the Sky Demon clan! Today, you will fall by my hand!" As these words were spoken, a gentle breeze, barely disturbing the space, brushed over a spot near the barrier of the world of Erathia.
Then, a horrifying scene unfolded. Where the wind passed, the very fabric of the void was sliced like a tattered cloth, leaving countless dense slashes. This was the void, and yet it had been cut apart.
"Heh! How amusing! I am Cyric, the God of Murder, soon to ascend thanks to you!" The being who had discovered the demon proudly announced his name: Cyric, the notorious God of Murder.
This was not surprising, as Cyric was a god who held dominion over assassination. At this moment, he and the demon lord, both experts in stealth, began their battle.
Two entities, masters of hiding their presence and silently eliminating their foes, clashed. There was no outward sign of their conflict, but the cracks they tore in the void alarmed other patrolling gods.
"What's going on?" A weak god arrived first, confused by what he saw. To his eyes, the void was silently splitting into countless cracks, only to swiftly heal. It seemed as if some unknown powerful creature was rampaging.
"Cyric, what madness are you up to?" Soon, the God of the Dead, Myrkul, arrived and immediately recognized that these rifts were being torn by Cyric, the master of assassination.
Unfortunately, Myrkul couldn't detect the presence of the foreign evil god, the Hidden Demon Lord. He mistakenly thought that Cyric had gone mad again.
"He's fighting an epic from another realm. Don't interfere!" More gods arrived, observing the battle, though none could see the combatants. They could only judge their positions based on the growing number of void rifts.
"A foreign epic skilled in assassination? Cyric is lucky. Only he can handle such an opponent; there's nothing we can do." The Moon Goddess Selûne sighed regretfully as she watched the battlefield, where the action kept shifting.
"Just because we can't detect them doesn't mean we can't intervene," said the Fear Demon God, who had arrived with his demonic legion. After a moment's thought, he grinned wickedly.
"I don't need to know the exact location of the foreign epic to deal with him."
The Fear Demon God laughed, conjuring a blazing fireball brimming with terrifying power in his hand. To him, the foreign epic was nothing more than a sacrificial offering. This term reflected how most gods regarded foreign epics.
However, only a dead epic could be considered an offering. After all, no living epic would willingly allow themselves to be sacrificed to a god.
"What are you doing, you bastard!" An angry voice shouted from within the battlefield.
"What am I doing? Helping you, of course!" The Fear Demon God hurled the fireball, charged with immense power, without even knowing where Cyric or the Hidden Demon Lord were.
...
"Activate the life-detection array. Check everything again. Every creature tainted by the evil god's power must be eradicated. Leave none alive!"
A young man, wearing dual swords at his waist, issued commands aboard the flagship. His tailored white military uniform and a large cape gave him an air of majesty and authority.
"There's no need for this, Captain Solon. After all, the Sea God will come by and clean everything up later."
The crew groaned at Solon's orders. After a war at sea, there were always a few survivors—creatures with strong survival instincts. Clearing them out was no easy task.
"The Sea God only purifies the ocean, not the living. If we don't kill every last creature in this sea, the Sea God won't come."
Solon patiently explained, trying to motivate his men. They had once been undisciplined pirates, and only his direct subordinates had undergone proper military training.
Most of the pirates remained unruly, despite Solon having trained them again when he brought them from the Ionian subcontinent to the battlefield on the Synapse subcontinent.
As for the so-called Sea God, this title was what the pirates gave to the Sea Emperor Dragon after witnessing its incredible power. To them, the Sea Emperor Dragon was the true god of the sea.
For pirates who lived off the sea, the Sea Emperor Dragon was far more worthy of worship than the gods the priests spoke of, even though the Sea Emperor Dragon had no need for faith.
"Pull yourselves together. This is an order from Synapse, and we have to follow it."
"Ugh, Synapse again... Captain Solon is obsessed with that place. What's so good about it?"
Reluctantly, the pirates began scanning the sea for surviving creatures.
"This place isn't suited for us."
"I miss the old days."
"Ugh, every time we go back, we get so many cold stares. The people there act like even looking down at us is a favor."
"Synapse may be impressive, but for us, it's no different from hell. The creatures there don't respect us, yet the Captain keeps dragging us there."
"What Captain? According to Synapse's military regulations, you should call him Commander. By their standards, Captain Solon is a Major General."
As the pirates begrudgingly began their work under Solon's orders, someone suddenly shouted.
"What the hell is that?"
"You've been a pirate for so long, and you don't recognize it? That's a tsunami!" A pirate's voice trembled as he stared at the white line approaching from the distant horizon.
"But with the Sea God here, how can there be a tsunami?"
"Who knows? Maybe the Sea God is angry and wants to kill us."
"Stop talking and get over here to help with the ropes! Do you want to die?"
Just as the massive tsunami was about to crash into the pirate fleet, a distant dragon's roar echoed across the sea...
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