The Realm was dying now, and there was no stopping it...

The intensity of their battles didn’t allow anyone to back out first, even while the world was crumbling right before their eyes.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Ozul opened spatial rifts precisely in front of the 5 who were fighting. Blaze stayed beside him, also having noticed what was happening.

Mirroring these actions, the Lord of Shadows and the Heavenly Emperor also helped their subordinates retreat by opening the spatial rifts for them.

The Lord of Shadows had it the worst, as getting an army of thousands of cultivators to retreat so quickly into another Realm was easier said than done.

As cracks in the spatial reality began to spread, the natural laws of the Realm began to deviate.

Billions of lives watched with unmatched despair as reality collapsed over their heads.

Previously, the weak prayed their homes wouldn’t be caught between the battle of the ’gods’ flying above the continent. Now, there was no hope. People stopped praying and focused on their loved ones.

They could only give each other one last look before their world ended.

And right as the last of the Empyreans stepped into their spatial portals, things became unbearable.

It started with suffocation and a pressure that even the cultivators found difficult to handle.

But the torture didn’t last long.

*HMBMM*

There was a hum akin to a defeated sigh. The last breath of the Realm Ego.

And from beyond the stars, the powerhouses observed as one of the 8 giant Realms exploded!

There was no sound, just an explosion.

Until...

*BOOM*

A wave of Spiritual Essence blasted in every direction, reaching even the other Realms.

...

The Virtues, the Shadows, the Guardians, and the Anomalies all observed with grave expressions.

No one was laughing, no one was excited.

Their battles had caused the loss of Billions, if not Trillions, of lives that had nothing to do with their war.

A whole Realm disappeared.

The reality of this fact struggled to settle down in their hearts.

The Heavenly Emperor stood up from his throne in anger at himself. He knew the Realm Ego was on the verge, and that is precisely why he had instructed the Guardians to quickly put an end to things.

He hadn’t expected 6 more beings at almost the same rank to appear out of nowhere, pushing the already dying Realm to its inevitable doom.

It was a situation he couldn’t salvage, no matter how hard he thought about it. Only with his presence could something be done, but his being alone was too heavy a burden for the Realm Ego.

Going there was just as bad as sitting here.

He shot a stare at his son, the man responsible for lighting the fire that had now consumed one of the Realms, leaving only ashes of all its history, its innocent lives.

Kami stood stunned, witnessing the destruction from the spatial portal.

He knew there would be casualties in the war he had started, and he was prepared to pay any price to make his father realize that he was ready.

The thousands dying for decades in their war hadn’t even phased him.

Yet, now he felt something rise in his chest.

It was heavy. It was a burden.

Something had taken root where his heart was supposed to be, and it was cold.

Meanwhile, the Lord of Shadows also continued to observe the dismantling of the Realm from afar.

He had lost half of the army fighting on the ground, but his mind was occupied with the thoughts of consequences.

His plans had accounted for the loss of millions of lives, but the complete destruction of such a big Realm even made him pause.

But Yasashii Hito had resolved himself the moment he chose this path.

’Whatever it takes...’

With that, he closed the spiritual rift, pulling Baoshi and Qingyu out of their daze.

His eyes washed over the 4 ’Shadows’ who were beaten and bruised, but sustained no major injuries.

"Account for the losses, rest later," he told them before turning around and leaving.

Unable to accept what had just happened, Baoshi followed to catch up,

"Stop!"

Yasashii Hito felt a throb in his temples. Frowning, he admitted, "No one could have predicted that. It was unfortunate, but this doesn’t stop the war."

Baoshi’s words were caught in her throat. She wasn’t annoyed that he could read her mind, but frustrated and angry that they had inadvertently caused this.

...

Back in the Realm of Abezan, Ozul took a deep breath.

He usually cared little for the loss of life, but this time it was different.

The reality of causing the death of so many beings, so many innocents, hit him all at once like a torrent of water drowning a man.

It didn’t help that he had gotten so much stronger, and with that, his emotions were unlike the dull blade they were before.

Looking at their confusion, he knew they wanted an explanation.

Sighing once again, he slumped down on the chair before stating, "The Realm couldn’t withstand the pressure. It was barely holding on, and then we arrived to kick the already unstable bucket of water."

Ember, Rai, and even Raven had assumed it to be some scheme of those hidden behind the curtain.

But knowing that they were the reason for this seemed to rattle their senses at once.

Despite the cruel nature they displayed at times, each one of them knew the cost of so many lives taken all at once.

The silence, which was previously only lingering in the room, finally settled in. It made its home in their hearts.

They wanted to say something, but words didn’t reach their tongue. What could they say? How could they justify this mass destruction?

"Meow!"

Jinx appeared, brushing her side against Ozul’s leg.

Despite the acute awareness that this strange cat had some relationship with the Celestial Beasts, her presence never failed to bring a sense of ease in the air. After all, she was still a cat.

Ozul picked her up and put her on his lap, slowly caressing her soft fur as he leaned back, slowly absorbing the reality of the situation.

. . .

A few days passed while everyone reeled in from the shock of what had happened.

Unfortunately, the loss of an entire Realm was still not enough to stop the war.

The Lord of Shadows still wanted revenge against the Heavenly Emperor, Kami still wanted to prove himself capable, and Ozul still wanted answers for his existence.

With the network Raven had created spread even in the other Realms, they had still found no semblance or record of anyone being remotely similar to his characteristics.

Only the Emperor might have the answers he was looking for.

The 6 who had been appropriately named as the Anomalies took this time to reflect on their powers. They had to refine their techniques since raw power didn’t seem to be enough.

While Ozul waited for any news about yet another confrontation, their routine was finally disturbed.

"The Lord wants to see you," said one of the Shadows after appearing right in their courtyard. Although his tone was neutral, one could see from his posture that he was trying his best to show respect.

Something tugged at the back of his head. Asking him not to involve himself any further in this war. Yet, his words betrayed him: "I will be there shortly."

The Shadow nodded and stepped back into the spatial portal.

Ozul noted that although this man was similar to the other 4, he wasn’t one of them.

’So, he had created more...’

Unfortunately, that was the extent of it. There were only 5 Shadows, one of whom Yasashii had kept by his side instead of sending into the battle.

He sent Blaze to call the rest of their group, and together they left for the realm shrouded in darkness.

...

As they were escorted to meet the Lord of the Shadows, they noticed the groups of disciplined cultivators marching everywhere in a certain direction.

With his keen senses, Ozul realized they were gathering in front of yet another giant spatial gate. The same kind Yasashii had used to teleport his armies before.

"You seem restless."

The voice jolted them as they noticed the Lord of Shadows a few meters ahead, calmly staring at them as if he were always there.

"What do you want?" Ozul asked, ignoring his comment.

"I regret that I did not take you seriously before, so let me correct my mistake," Yasashii spread his arms.

"My armies are ready. Why don’t you march with me? As my equal."

Those who heard him were shocked beyond words. This might be the first time the Lord of Shadows acknowledged someone.

But Ozul shook his head. Those words didn’t sway him since he never cared about such social hierarchies.

"There will be nothing left if you continue this."

Realization dawned on Yasashii as his frown relaxed.

"If that is your concern, then worry not. The past mistakes will not be repeated."

"How?"

"The Land Above All can bear the burden."

Baoshi and Qingyu didn’t show any reaction as they stood silently behind him. They knew this day was coming.

The 6 Anomalies, however, felt their hearts stir.

This was it. This might be the battle that decides everything. This might be the end of the decades-long war.

Ozul realized that if they were not informed like this, the news of this battle might have reached their ears too late.

After all, Raven was cautious and never set foot into the Land Above All, much less expand her information network there.

Yasashii Hito had previously been cautious of attacking the Emperor in his home, but now that the latter had revealed his cards, there was no need to hold back.

He merely planned for his subordinates to keep the others busy while he had his battle with the Emperor, but since Ozul’s group could balance the scales, it was foolish not to join hands.

Ozul realized that he was being used, but it also served his purpose, so he could only go with it.

"When?" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"We march tonight..." the Lord of Shadows spoke, his voice not just limited to them, but echoing throughout the Realm.

*Dhum Dhum Dhum*

"We march tonight!"

"We march tonight!"

"We march tonight!"

...