The ancient battlefield rises with smoke and flames, the stench of corpses and the Blood Sea is unbearable, the Wind, Flower, Snow, Moon confuses the mind, the Sky Garden hangs high in the heavens, six Angels gaze down, awaiting their orders, as the four Divine Lords glower menacingly!

Such might is enough to terrify all living beings, such grandeur is enough to awe the gods. Never has there been such a spectacle on earth, nor such a peril in the Void Realm!

So no one could have anticipated that Ash would dare to strike first!

The resonant sword hum pierced the sky, Ash’s dual blades traced twin ink marks; faced with Godlike authority akin to an abyss, nothing displays his attitude clearer than this Wonder:

"Heart Hunting Throne"!

And the target Ash aimed at was not one of the six Angels, but rather—

The Abyss Lord!

The Abyss Lord, who had crawled out from the ancient battlefield’s mass grave, saw the inked sword mark approaching, lifted his ashen eyebrows, straightened his back, unmoved and unshaken. The ink marks containing Ash’s soul pressure passed through the Abyss Lord’s body, yet he was like a lake, only rippling slightly, not suffering any harm at all.

"Just as expected," Ash sighed with relief, his voice soothing the fears of his companions, "You have not truly descended to earth!"

From the beginning, Ash did not believe the Divine Lords could descend to earth; if they could come down themselves, why send so many Angels over? A saturation-style hostage-taking?

Ten World Secret Domains plus ten Angels are nothing compared to the actual descent of even one Six-winged God.

Moreover, Ash and his companions had just slain two Authority Angels of the Abyss Lord; if the Abyss Lord had already descended, it was impossible for him to simply watch as Najilfa and Vester fell. They couldn’t possibly be reducing the number of Angels in favor of Ash optimizing them and transferring the chill of the Abyss Heavenly Kingdom to earth, could they?

Furthermore, Ash noticed something significant: all the Angels were surprised by the appearance of the Divine Lords, indicating Ling Ting and the others had no knowledge the Divine Lords would come down.

If Ash was correct, the four Divine Lords originally didn’t intend to appear either, but didn’t expect the millennia-old Angels to be fooled by Ash, and with the Swordswoman nearly claiming the ancient battlefield, Ash managed to tear open the space of what seemed a certain-death scenario, forcing them to come out and regain control of the situation.

"Of course not, hunting the Source Angel could only be done with a Demon container, even if you’re as important as the Source Angel, we cannot descend in person."

The All-knowing Weaver laughed, "It’s not because we can’t, but because we don’t want to."

"Actually, not even a Demigod can easily descend to earth, fortunately, now with Level Six of Hell gone, the tight boundary of the world in the Void Realm has opened a brief vacuum period, allowing us to send Angels down to fetch you. If it were normal times, we’d have to engage in a cataclysmic clash with the Void Realm to possibly have Angels descend to earth, but during normal times you would likely be in Hell—a trip to Hell for Angels is much easier than coming to earth." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

At this, the All-knowing Weaver sighed and shrugged, "I was merely hiding as a hidden card in the World Secret Domain, never intending to instigate. Alas, Ling Ting, who has followed me for years, hasn’t learned any cunning, if I hadn’t appeared, she might just be your plaything, conned every week ten times over."

Ling Ting was both embarrassed and ashamed, "Weaver..."

"But you, Ash, after separating from Igula, you seem to have learned his clever strategies." The All-knowing Weaver laughed, "Or perhaps, it’s the Ghost Prophet that has tainted your innocence? Or the Sparkling Stake has awakened your instinct?"

Facing the All-knowing Weaver’s downcast gaze, Ash did not flinch, coldly saying, "Since you haven’t descended—"

"You have no chance of victory either."

The All-knowing Weaver closed her eyelids, "With us here, no accidents will occur."

The atmosphere instantly froze, Ash and the others felt as if plunged into an icy cellar, as if frost was forming in their veins. The Divine Lords may not be here in person, but nobody believed they were mere spectators on the sidelines; what’s more, just their presence was enough to demolish Ash and his companions’ morale.

"Still, I couldn’t hold back, if I’d known Abyss you were here, I wouldn’t have come out." She laughed lightly, "I thought you hadn’t come, especially after Vester died and you didn’t show, I didn’t expect you were waiting for Battle Intent. A pity, I quite liked that little wolf, it would have been great if you’d appeared sooner."

The Abyss Lord gave her a cold glance, scanned the Extreme Master of Blood Moon and the Imaginary Music Master, calmly said, "This time my men made a mistake, but you never intended to abide by the pact from the start, just hoping to come down first and retrieve the person yourselves, right?"

The All-knowing Weaver picked up the teacup and took a sip, smiling, "I have a connection with Ash, so it’s only natural for me to be the one to negotiate with him."

"Ash Heath is still a Blood Moonian." The Extreme Master of Blood Moon’s words caused everyone to pause, even Ash remembered that he was indeed a citizen of the Kingdom of Blood Moon — but the problem was, did the Kingdom of Blood Moon still recognize him, a death row prisoner stripped of political rights for life?

"Ash must be under my guardianship." The Imaginary Music Master appeared youthful, but his tone was mature and steady, and he resolutely swung his hand and said, "You don’t have a backup plan for cooperation with Dazzling Star, only thinking of reaching the Supreme of Magic, but Level Six of Hell is on the brink of decay, and the Void Realm faces the danger of overturning. If we can obtain the Supreme Holy Grail, that would be best, resolving the crisis together with Dazzling Star to uphold the Void Realm. But if not, Ash must cooperate with Dazzling Star, even if Dazzling Star were to reach the sole supreme power across heaven and earth, it’s better than letting the world become the burial ground for your ambitions!"

Apart from the eliminated Lord of Infinite Abyss, the remaining three factions were unyielding to one another, Divine Lords clashed with towering arrogance, and the Angels became mere backdrops. Vishi and Weiser exchanged a glance, clearly seeing the thrill in each other’s eyes. Their most crucial strategy now was to lower their presence and let the Divine Lords conflict, potentially giving them a sliver of hope—

Suddenly, Ash let out a sigh beside them, drawing a straight line with his dual swords at his feet, marking the muddy earth of the Ancient Battlefield, behind which lay the Ancient Battlefield, ahead was a mountain of corpses and rivers of blood, Wind, Flower, Snow, Moon, and Sky Garden.

"Sword Maiden, go and find a way to claim the Ancient Battlefield." Ash calmly said, "This line is the Sword Circle I guard, as long as I still breathe, I will not let any Angel step over this line."

The Witch, Silver Lamp, and Vishi were utterly dumbfounded, seeing Sonia’s face show signs of struggle, seemingly wanting to argue for a reallocation of responsibility, but ultimately, the Red-haired Swordswoman turned around without looking back and charged towards the Ancient Battlefield.

Sonia loved to whine and get jealous, was petty and double-standard, with 80% of the team’s conflicts originating from her stubborn persistence, yet Ash wouldn’t let go of her. So there was some doubt among everyone, wondering why, as long as Sonia wasn’t there, the whole team would become a gentle haven surrounding him, possibly able to bring in new members... But witnessing the scene before them, the Witch and the others seemed to finally find the real reason for the Sword Maiden’s unshakeable status.

Even for the Witch, who arrived the earliest, Ash and Sonia were already in an ambiguous state when she joined the team; when Silver Lamp joined, she witnessed their official announcement firsthand; although Vishi, who came last, hadn’t initially seen the Sword Maiden, during her half-year in the Kingdom of Allstars she was forced to hear Ash talk about his love for the Sword Maiden, and even later, she directly watched them flaunt their love without any middlemen taking a cut.

Thus, they never knew what Ash and Sonia were like before falling in love, as if this couple was destined for each other at first sight. But in the fog-covered Sea of Knowledge, the death-row prisoner from Shattered Lake Prison and the first-year student from Sword Flower University had formed a more noble and sacred contract even before love could arrive—

They were companions who knew and cherished each other.

Back then, they were merely Silver Mages with limited vision, only able to see the Legendary if they strained their necks, Sonia still dreaming of becoming a Songstress, while Ash only wanted to escape prison and find a peaceful place to relax. Yet, this did not hinder them from agreeing to walk together for the long haul, so Ash would rejoice in Sonia’s achievements, and Sonia would plan Ash’s escape. Even if their dreams change as their perspectives broaden in the future, their pure camaraderie would remain unaffected.

Even without love, Sonia would still betray the Kingdom of Stars for Ash, and even if they weren’t lovers, Ash would still take Sonia to greater heights. To them, love wasn’t a blessing but a curse; had they always remained companions, they wouldn’t be hurt by each other’s flaws or shackled by each other’s virtues.

So how could Ash possibly let go of Sonia? To him, Sonia was equivalent to another self. He trusted Sonia more than he trusted himself, and Sonia had never betrayed his trust... never!

"Felix, Dedarose, you stay behind the Sword Circle. Everyone else, step forward."

Ash took a step forward out of the Sword Circle, the Witch and the others, despite countless thoughts in their hearts, could only follow Ash into the desperate situation!

"I don’t know why you’re willing to waste time," Ash spread his Void Wings, the supreme tail feathers shining brightly, "but if you’re willing to wait for the Sword Maiden to control the Ancient Battlefield, all the better."

Vishi now realized too — the Ancient Battlefield required time for the Battle Intent to permeate; didn’t other World Secret Domains similarly have time enhancement mechanisms? Like the Sword Rain Pool, which could compress the battlefield space through accumulated rainwater!

As time passed, the Angels’ advantage would only grow stronger, foolishly relying on the Divine Lords to have internal strife, better yet pray for the god of Fat Lala to save them. Now their only breakthrough point was...

"Controlling the World Secret Domain isn’t simple," the All-knowing Weaver tilted her head, "do you really think your little girlfriend can bring back the Ancient Battlefield, delivering a ’beauty saves Fat Lala’ moment?"

"I also find it unlikely." Ash gripped his dual swords, "Since that’s the case, why don’t we discuss the terms after my surrender?"

"Haha, talking to you is really interesting, Ash." The All-knowing Weaver leaned her cheek and laughed, "But..."

"Still can’t give you any chance."

In words, the All-knowing Weaver within the pavilion lost all mirth, her expression cold and dignified.

"Intelligent Angel, Blessing Angel, Poetry Angel." She picked up the red teacup again and said nonchalantly, "Defeat them."

Six Angels spread their Void Wings, looking down from above at this group of ignorant fools, their Killing Intent surged over the earth like a tide, halting at the line of the Sword Circle. Behind the Sword Circle were Dedarose and Felix, along with Sonia on the Ancient Battlefield; before the Sword Circle were Ash, Diya, Weiser, Vishi, and the six Angels descending with divine punishment!