News of the Chaos Forest and the battle of the Thunder Highlands spread like wildfire. When the world learned that the combined might of three top-ranked Heroes, the entire Radiant Church, the Sunset Empire, and a dozen other factions had been utterly defeated by the Great Demon King of Darkness City, despair swept through the ranks of warriors worldwide.
The no.1 Demon King, Zhang Nu, had become an unstoppable force. His power had reached an unfathomable level, beyond anything the world had ever seen. The rise of the Demon King faction was now an undeniable reality. There was no one left who could stand in his way.
While most of the Hero faction fell into despair upon hearing the news, a few exceptions remained.
The world beyond, the outer world---the vast, expansive realm---dwarfed the land, the underworld, and the oceans combined. In these distant and mysterious regions, ancient and enigmatic powers lay hidden. The Blazing Flame Celestial Kingdom was one such force, an ancient seraphim kingdom with a history predating the entire human era.
The crown prince of the Blazing Flame Kingdom, Takuto Sanya, was a formidable Hero, ranked 398th on the Hero leaderboard. However, what counted as formidable for him would likely amount to little more than cannon fodder against the no.1 Demon King, Zhang Nu. Takuto Sanya wasn't even worthy of challenging Zhang Nu in battle. Even Han Kexin, the second-in-command of Darkness City, was an insurmountable obstacle for him.
"The Radiant Church... actually lost?" Takuto Sanya had only recently learned about the Radiant Church's campaign against the Demon King. Before he could delve further into the situation, news of the church's defeat had already reached him.
But how could this be possible? Could the Demon King's forces really be that powerful?
Feeling deeply unsettled, Takuto Sanya decided to visit the Supreme Sanctuary of the Blazing Flame Celestial Kingdom. He believed this matter needed to be brought to the attention of the one within. The Supreme Sanctuary of the Blazing Flame Celestial Kingdom was the most sacred place in the entire kingdom. It was completely independent of the kingdom's power structure, and not even the emperor of the celestial kingdom had the authority to command the sanctuary's guardians. Only the most powerful beings of the Blazing Flame Kingdom had the privilege to enter the sanctuary and become eternal guardians.
As Takuto Sanya approached the sanctuary, he immediately felt an overwhelming pressure. The sanctuary was guarded by powerful eighteen-winged seraphim, the most renowned eternal guardians of the Blazing Flame Kingdom, each possessing immense strength.
Takuto Sanya declared, "I am the crown prince of the kingdom. I require an audience with the Grand Guardian!"
The Grand Guardian he referred to was the master of the Supreme Sanctuary, the chief warrior of the Blazing Flame Celestial Kingdom, and its most formidable protector---a figure of such prominence that even the emperor rarely had the chance to meet them.
One of the eighteen-winged seraphim responded coldly, "The master does not grant audiences to anyone. You must leave immediately." Despite being the crown prince, the sacred guardians showed no sign of deference.
But at that moment, a voice suddenly echoed from deep within the grand and ornate palace: "Let him in."
Upon hearing these words, the guardians finally stepped aside.
Takuto Sanya immediately entered the sanctuary. After passing through a series of opulent and dreamlike halls, he finally reached the innermost chamber of the sanctuary, where he saw a figure floating in midair.
It was a woman. Behind her, thirty-six resplendent wings shimmered with golden flames, perfectly complementing her long silver hair, giving her an aura of divine majesty. This was the Master of the Sanctuary. She also held another title---Emilia Ray, the no.4 Hero.
Emilia asked calmly, "What brings you here?"
Takuto Sanya quickly relayed the information he had just learned. "The Radiant Church is by no means a third-rate power. They not only possess a divine artifact but also wield forces that can rival those of the Blazing Flame Celestial Kingdom! Yet, despite this, they suffered a crushing defeat in their campaign against Darkness City. The legendary pope, even with the artifact in hand, was defeated by the Demon King!"
"You understand what this means!"
Emilia's brow furrowed. "Are you certain of this information?"
Takuto Sanya replied, "Absolutely. If the situation weren't so dire and beyond control, I wouldn't have come here specifically to seek you out!"
Emilia's expression darkened. "Although I have descended as the Master of the Supreme Sanctuary in the Blazing Flame Celestial Kingdom, I am bound by certain restrictions and cannot leave the sanctuary easily."
"I never imagined that the Demon King's power would grow to this extent in such a short time."
Takuto Sanya hurriedly asked, "Do you have any confidence in defeating Zhang Nu?"
Emilia shook her head. "Based on your description, if Zhang Nu was able to kill Lucas, who wielded the Heart of Holy Light, that's something even I couldn't achieve."
"The Heart of Holy Light is not just an artifact; it has absorbed the faith of billions of believers over countless millennia. For Zhang Nu to defeat Lucas without perishing himself indicates that Zhang Nu has undoubtedly become a divine being!"
Takuto Sanya exclaimed, "Then what are we to do? Are we just supposed to sit and wait for Darkness City to conquer everything?"
"Not necessarily," Emilia replied, as if something had just occurred to her.
Takuto Sanya seemed to see a glimmer of hope. "Is there still a way?"
Emilia nodded. "Since Zhang Nu has reached divine-class, we'll need another god to deal with him. I know the location of the no.1 Hero, Isaac."
This statement carried a lot of weight. A god to counter a god...Although Emilia was the no.4 Hero and incredibly powerful, she was still just a demigod. Her strength wasn't significantly greater than that of Lucas. The Supreme Sanctuary also housed an artifact, but its power wasn't stronger than that of the Heart of Holy Light.
Since Lucas had proven through experience that a demigod-level Hero with an artifact couldn't stand against the no.1 Demon King, it could only mean that the Demon King had ascended to divine level. But who was this divine being meant to counter him? Emilia mentioned the no.1 Hero, Isaac.
Takuto Sanya was shocked. "Are you saying that, like the no.1 Demon King Zhang Nu, the First Hero is also a divine being?"
Emilia nodded. "Yes, he was fortunate enough to descend into a fully intact Evil God."
"What? He descended into an Evil God!" Takuto Sanya was stunned.
He knew that some Heroes had become mighty beings like Emilia and Lucas, while others had risen to positions of supreme power, such as emperors of empires. But he had never imagined that a Hero could directly become a god.
Emilia continued, "But he wasn't entirely fortunate. The Evil God he occupied is in a deep slumber, and under natural conditions, it won't awaken for thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years."
It sounded like this no.1 Hero was under even greater constraints than Emilia. However, even though the Evil God was asleep, it didn't mean it was completely inactive. Isaac could still interact with the outside world through psychic projections or by controlling other living beings.
Takuto Sanya asked, "What should we do?"
Emilia replied, "It's simple. We need to find the location where he's slumbering and awaken him from the river of time."
Takuto Sanya asked, "Can Isaac really deal with Zhang Nu?"
Emilia responded, "At this level of confrontation, it's difficult for even me to predict the outcome. But even if Zhang Nu has ascended to divine status, he's still a newly emerged god.
"In contrast, the Evil God that Isaac has merged with is an ancient ruler, one who has spanned countless ages. Even among Evil gods, it's considered exceptionally powerful. If even Isaac can't stop Zhang Nu, then it means we've lost this game."
Hearing this, Takuto Sanya nodded. Although there was still no absolute certainty, it was clear that Isaac had a much better chance. Since there was still hope, they had to try. The Demon King's territory was expanding at an exponential rate; if they didn't put an end to this strongest Demon King soon, the situation would inevitably spiral out of control.
......
Meanwhile, in Darkness City, the battle had come to an end. The city had captured hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war, consisting of elites and powerful figures from various nations and factions. These prisoners were now at the mercy of the Demon King, their fates entirely dependent on his will.
Zhang Nu sat in his castle, with no trace of the Demon King remaining on him. He had reverted to his normal human appearance, his aura completely concealed, making it easy for an ordinary person standing before him to mistake him for just another human.
Standing beside him was a tall demon---none other than the Succubus Empress, Han Kexin. She was reporting, "We achieved a resounding victory in this battle. The casualties on our side have been arranged for resurrection at the altar."
"We have captured the current Pope of the Radiant Church, Dolores, along with several other leaders and top figures from various factions. These individuals can be controlled permanently through my enchantment."
"As long as we control these people, the territories and forces they currently govern will be swiftly infiltrated by us. Sooner or later, we will be able to take over without shedding a drop of blood."
Zhang Nu was pleased and asked, "How are things progressing with the Sunset Empire?"
Han Kexin responded, "Rest assured, we have already taken control of the crown prince of the Sunset Empire. With Regent Prince Carlos eliminated by us in the Thunder Highlands, his faction is now leaderless. I've dispatched our top experts to assist the crown prince in staging a coup upon his return to the Sunset Empire."
"It won't be long before the old emperor is dethroned, the regent's faction completely eradicated, and the new emperor publicly aligns the Sunset Empire with the Chaos Federation. We will be able to take over this empire without a single casualty!"
"Excellent! Excellent!" The Demon King was very satisfied.
Conquering an empire-level force hadn't been easy, but now, he was about to secure one effortlessly. While there would certainly be some unrest and localized conflicts, it was a small price to pay in comparison. And it wasn't just the Sunset Empire---the Chaos Sea to the south was also on the verge of being annexed. The Demon King's power was about to expand at an astonishing rate!