In the presence of the three Dragon Kings and two Elven Kings, another figure appeared on the scene. This person was shrouded in a somber, concealing cloak, making it impossible to discern their true appearance or gauge their level of power. However, the fact that they effortlessly caught a strike from the Sword Saint of the Sunset Empire with their bare hands was a feat no ordinary person could achieve.
Duke Bachor demanded with a stern voice, "Who are you?"
Concealed within the cloak, Zhang Nu chuckled without revealing his face, "After contending with the Chaos Federation for so long, you haven't even discovered my existence. I'm not sure if I've overestimated you or if you've underestimated us."
As he spoke, the Darkness Three and the two Elven Kings all knelt on one knee.
"We greet our master!" "We greet Your Majesty!"
This scene, witnessed by all, sent shivers down their spines. The three titans of the Darkness City had been entangled with the empire for over a month. The names of the Darkness Three Dragons and the Elven Kings had already spread throughout the empire, becoming almost household names with numerous myths and rumors surrounding them. Yet, at this moment, the three mighty and mysterious Dragon Kings and the two elegant and noble Elven Kings were all kneeling before this enigmatic figure, their faces filled with respect and humility, displaying complete submission and utter lowliness.
This was beyond belief, even more shocking than the worst nightmare. It was a terrifying scene that one could scarcely imagine to be real.
Duke Bachor was overwhelmed with shock, absurdity, and despair! Could it be... that the target of the empire's research for over a month, for which the southern region of the empire had paid a tremendous price and had been locked in back-and-forth tug-of-war, wasn't actually the real Demon King? The three Dragon Kings and the high-ranking Elven Kings were merely subordinates of the true Demon King lurking in the shadows who had never made a move from start to finish!
Duke Bachor exclaimed in anger, "No, how can this be possible? Who exactly are you?"
Zhang Nu laughed. This revelation was too much for Bachor to bear. It's no wonder Bachor couldn't bring himself to believe or accept it, because if he did, wouldn't he become a laughing stock? It would be the greatest humiliation of his life!
Indeed, this was understandable. In fact, not just for Bachor or the empire, but for the majority of the lower and middle ranks within the Chaos Federation as well, it was hard to distinguish between the Dark Dragon King and the true Demon King. After all, they were of the same race, and the Dark Dragon King also exuded an imposing presence, very much like a final boss. In other words, because Zhang Nu did not often reveal his strength, it was easy for the citizens of the federation to mistake the Dark Dragon King as the lord of the Darkness City, without realizing that he was merely a shadow of the true Demon King.
Why did Zhang Nu seldom take personal action for so long? While part of the reason might be due to laziness, a more significant reason was that the timing wasn't right. If Zhang Nu had acted personally from the beginning, it would have been easy to expose the secrets of the Darkness City, inevitably attracting the full force of the empire's encirclement and suppression.
A month or two ago, Zhang Nu had just taken control of the Chaos Forest. At that time, the newly established Chaos Federation was not yet strong enough to confront the entire empire's wrath. If the empire had launched a full-scale crusade against the Chaos Forest, it would have posed a considerable threat.
However, things are different now. Zhang Nu has achieved the power level of a Level 6 legend. The Vice Lord of the Darkness City and Prime Minister of the Chaos Federation, Han Kexin, was now a Level 6 myth. The alliance of two supreme Demon Kings was already a catastrophic existence, not to mention the significant development of the Darkness City during this period and the recruitment of figures like the Empress Shui Lan. With the current strength of the Chaos Federation, it could withstand even a full-scale attack from the empire. For this reason, Zhang Nu need not be overly cautious. It is justifiable for him to take action personally on such occasions.
Zhang Nu lifted the disguise cloak he was wearing, revealing his tall, imposing, and domineering true form. Even though it would become incredibly difficult to advance further once one reached Level 6, Zhang Nu has never stopped becoming stronger. He would often enhance his attributes by acquiring attribute crystals from the Demon King's market and learning a large number of passive skill stones.
At this moment, Zhang Nu has significantly improved his strength compared to when he had just broken through to his current level. The moment Zhang Nu revealed his true face, a wave of almost tangible Dragon Fear, like a nuclear explosion, detonated instantaneously. The entire space was turned upside down, engulfed in this aura, causing everyone present to feel a suffocating pressure and be blasted into a state of dizziness.
[You have been hit by "Dragon Fear". HP -620. Stunned for 3 seconds!]
[You have been hit by "Dragon Fear". HP -621. Stunned for 3 seconds!]
Both the monarch-class Heroes were greatly alarmed. Dragon Fear was a fundamental talent of superior dragon-kind. Yet now, merely relying on Dragon Fear, they could inflict such significant damage on monarch beings like them. Units below Level 3 or 4 lord could lose their lives in an instant if enveloped by this Dragon Fear. It was terrifying! And this was just the Dragon Fear! Why was it so powerful and fierce?
However, what was even more shocking, or rather despairing, was the confirmation of this individual's identity. The power of this Dragon fear was far greater than that of the Dark Dragon King by dozens or even hundreds of times. This dragon's strength, status, and level were also undoubtedly far superior. The Demon King could not possibly be of a lower level than the units he summoned, so no matter how unbelievable it may seem, the fact remained. This was the true Demon King.
"From the moment our master descended," Long Yi said, "this game was already over."
"I advise you to surrender obediently. Any resistance is futile and ridiculous because your meager abilities are not worth mentioning in front of our master."
"Arghhhhh!" Bachor, the duke, was the first to break free from the influence of the Dragon Fear.
His hair and eyes turned blood red, veins bulged on his skin, and blood mist seeped out, gathering around his body like a cloud of blood-colored flames. This was clearly a skill that burned life essence to boost strength, providing a short-term explosive increase in power but at a serious cost, leading to severe consequences.
Bachor, with his hair standing on end and roaring angrily, declared, "Surrender? Ridiculous! I am the head of the Bachor family, a lineage that has lasted a thousand years. Even if it means gambling the honor and fate of the entire Bachor family, I will kill you all with my own hands today!"
Meanwhile, the others gradually recovered from the Dragon Fear as well. Each of them wore an unpleasant expression. The Demon King did not attack while they were under the influence of the Dragon Fear, which only meant that the Demon King was overly confident, certain of defeating everyone face-to-face.
"Be careful," warned the swordsman, "I can't see through his strength... and if even my Inner Eye can't perceive it, then his power must completely surpass monarch-class and reach the legendary mythic level!"
At Level 6, mythic-class strength was astoundingly powerful, capable of overpowering any individual. Despite this, it didn't mean certain defeat. United, everyone still held a glimmer of hope. The two monarch-class Heroes, five Level 6 overlord Heroes, and four ducal knights all began to gather their strength, ready for a final, desperate effort. The biggest problem was that the Demon King was not only extremely powerful himself but also had the support of the three Darkness Dragon Kings and the two Giantree City Elven Kings. If they had joined the battle to assist the Demon King, the situation would have become extremely difficult. The only option might have been to buy time and wear down the enemy's strength, finding a way to keep them occupied.
As it turned out, such concerns were unnecessary. With Zhang Nu personally present, there was hardly a need for anyone else to take action. Zhang Nu, too, intended to resolve the battle swiftly to avoid unnecessary attention.
"Dragon King's Sanctum!" With a light stomp, Zhang Nu engulfed the surroundings in an endless void. Everyone found themselves plunged into a pitch-black space, and to their horror, discovered that all magic had become unusable.
"Dominion of law!" they realized. "It was truly a mythic sanctum!"
The domain of a mythic entity had a stronger control effect than that of a monarch's domain. A mythic unit could also create a combat environment entirely beneficial to itself. For instance, Zhang Nu's domain was of the spatio-temporal attribute, allowing him to repel all other types of power within the domain, except for spatio-temporal abilities, effectively banning them all.
Unless the opponent also possessed spatio-temporal magic or reached the mythic level to directly manipulate the power of laws themselves, they would be unable to use magic within this domain. This was the law's dominion of the mythic sanctum, essentially the bane of all mages. If a mage found themselves in such a predicament, they would be almost completely incapacitated, except for divine magic or some limited pure energy magic. The only relief was that there were no pure mages present. Although several Heroes possessed magical abilities, they primarily relied on combat Qi and martial skills. Combat Qi, stemming from one's own life and spirit energy and not dependent on external laws, remained usable.
However, before they could contemplate further, they noticed the space around them beginning to collapse in a strange manner. This placed their bodies over a mini black hole, where the attraction of the black hole made it almost impossible to move, and the space and time itself was being stretched and deformed.
"Oh no!" they realized. "Space and time abilities!"
At the same time, the collapsing and deforming of space and time swirled like a vortex, creating spatial turbulence with immense destructive power capable of bypassing physical and magical defenses to inflict damage.
Bachor unleashed his fierce combat Qi, barely dispelling the surrounding spatio-temporal energy. "Die!" he roared, his combat Qi forming wings and his body enveloped in blood flames. Mobilizing every bit of power available, he overcame the resistance formed by the spatial collapse and thrust a spear towards Zhang Nu.
However, the moment the spear hit Zhang Nu, it passed right through him. Bachor's expression changed dramatically; he felt no sensation of hitting a solid body, as Zhang Nu manipulated space to dematerialize himself and effortlessly dodged the attack.
"The empire's Grand Duke," Zhang Nu remarked dismissively, "is just so-so."
With one hand, Zhang Nu grasped Bachor's neck as if holding a powerless chick and lifted him up. Bachor was horrified to find that the life force and mana within his body were being drained away at an alarming rate, like floodwaters bursting through a dam. In no time, the blood flames and combat Qi enveloping his body vanished. Bachor deeply felt the vast chasm between their powers.
Zhang Nu activated the Eye of Death, delivering a Death Stare straight away.
-78232!
All of Bachor's amulets, life-saving items, and various protective measures turned to ash under the strike. The terrifying necrotic energy instantly filled every corner of his body, penetrating every inch of flesh and cell.
"No!" Bachor roared in despair. "I won't accept this! How can there be such a powerful force! How can the Darkness City possess such power!"
Bachor's desperate howl echoed as he found himself utterly unable to contend with this force. He shattered like a clay figure, eventually disintegrating into dust and evaporating as if he had never existed.
[You've slain "Imperial Duke of the Southern Territory - Grand Duke Bachor"! Gold +50 million!]
Tsk, tsk. A duke was truly different. That gold for his head was quite lucrative!
The whole process happened too quickly. Before anyone else could even react, the renowned Grand Duke of the Southern Territory, Bachor, was eradicated by the Demon King with overwhelming superiority.
"Shit!" the Radiant Archbishop, Huan Yue shouted, determined to unleash her trump card.
As a high-ranking member of the Radiant Church, she had numerous powerful abilities at her disposal and wasn't about to go down without a fight, even against a formidable opponent. However, before she could execute her forbidden divine magic, with divine power still brewing, a sword suddenly cleaved her from behind. The Archbishop was split in half from head to toe, dying with her eyes wide open, seemingly unable to comprehend how such a thing could happen.
After Sword Saint Xiu Si unexpectedly killed the unguarded Archbishop, his sword swiftly turned towards a nearby Hero, bisecting two more Heroes in an instant.
"What the fuck is going on!"
"Are you betraying us?"
Xiu Si, with a look of despair, exclaimed, "No...my body...it's not under my control...I've been mentally controlled by him!"
It was then that everyone noticed the vertical eye on the Demon King's forehead, which had shifted from blood red to blue-white. This was the "Eye of Domination"! The Demon King had managed to control a Level 6 monarch-class being, a feat even the Succubus Queen would struggle to achieve, which could only be described as terrifying. Under the control of the Eye of Domination, Xiu Si turned against the remaining high-ranking Heroes, including their leaders.
Eventually, after suffering serious injuries from the retaliatory efforts of two dying Heroes who activated their last resorts, he roared in defiance. "You used me like a puppet! Arghhhhh! You're done!"
Xiu Si underwent a transformation, releasing all his mana from his body, which abandoned his severely injured physical form to become a mass of spiritual blades invisible to the naked eye. This was the Inner Sword, a high-level secret technique that launches an instantaneous, unavoidable attack. Zhang Nu didn't even evade; the so-called Inner Sword, essentially a psychic attack, was ineffective against him once he activated the Eye of Domination, not only causing no damage but also being absorbed by Zhang Nu.
At this point, the Hero was utterly despondent. His most potent move couldn't even scratch the Demon King. How could there be such a fearsome Demon King! At that moment, Zhang Nu made his move. A bolt of thunder and flame materialized into a long sword. Zhang Nu, with a teleportation, struck him with the blade
[You've slain a Level 6 Hero. Hero's soul +1! Skill stone +5! Monarch crystal +1!]"