Chapter 329: Let The Chaos Begin
We arrived in the dense forest just a few hundred meters from the Holts’ base. The air shimmered faintly around us—subtle distortions twisting the view.I narrowed my eyes, trying to grasp how Dante was hiding us so well, how the space bent around us like layers of thin glass. But I reminded myself this wasn’t the time to get distracted. We had a job to do.
I turned to him.
"They have dynamic portal devices," I said quietly. "I’m not sure how many... can you find them?"
Dante gave a short nod, raised his hand, and tapped the air gently in front of us. Ripples pulsed outward, fading into the woods.
"To track those devices," he said, "you need to look for spatial ripples. They’re constantly pinging their location to alternate coordinates. That’s how they move so fast."
I nodded and expanded my perception outward, threading it through the trees and deeper toward the base. Within seconds, I sensed two unstable pulses.
"Found two," I whispered.
Dante nodded again.
"There are three," he said. "The third one is with Hugh, the grandmaster. I’ve already dealt with it."
I looked through the gaps in the foliage ahead. Beyond the trees, the massive stone statue of Azalea stood tall, and Holt soldiers wandered casually beneath it—laughing, chatting, oblivious to what was coming. A few patrolled lazily but there were a lot of them. Mostly, I found Master ranked individuals everywhere.
I pushed my perception deeper, slipping it inside the base like threads of Essence. I mapped every corridor, every hidden portal room, and then further still, into the darkness beneath the surface.
I found the prisons. Glowing lines etched into stone. Humans. Nagas. Abominations—all trapped, barely moving. The main teleportation gates were four in total, guarded by three Masters deep on the lowest level. That chamber would be the key to everything. We had to keep it intact.
I turned to Dante.
"Can you teleport someone inside without alerting Hugh?"
"I can," he said. "But the moment I do that, Hugh will know."
I nodded and summoned Knight.
A wave of crimson mist surged from my core, and Knight emerged from it, solid and silent. He stood tall, sensing the others around us and instantly entering a ready stance, claws extended.
I gave him his orders mentally, to kill and protect the portals.
Then I looked at Dante.
"Teleport him near the portals. He’ll defend that place."
Dante turned to Knight, and for the first time, I saw something rare in his expression—genuine surprise.
"What in the hell is that?" he muttered, his eyes wide.
He turned to me.
I just grinned. "Secret."
He scoffed, but his expression turned serious.
"All right, I’m going. Good luck, kids."
He stepped forward, placed his hand on Knight’s shoulder, and the two of them vanished.
I took a steadying breath, then summoned Silver and Lyrate. Mist, light, and energy swirled together as both appeared.
I turned to Steve and North, my expression serious.
"Both of you go inside the base. Take Lyrate with you. Your goal is simple: free the prisoners and secure the portal room."
They nodded, summoning their weapons.
I turned away from them and stared ahead, at that towering monument of Azalea. The statue loomed in the center of the open area, easily five hundred meters tall. A glowing yellow barrier formed a dome over the area, radiating a soft golden light that looked peaceful... almost sacred.
But it wasn’t. It was nothing more than a lie, a pretty mask covering filth.
"And let me give you the perfect way inside," I muttered, my voice low.
I kept my perception locked on the portal room underground. As soon as I sensed Knight materialize in place, holding his position in the shadows, I spoke to Steve and North again, "Wait for my signal."
Then I stepped onto Silver’s back.
He tilted his head slightly, understanding, and with a loud screech, launched us skyward like a streak of crimson mist. In mere seconds, we were floating above the statue, the wind howling around us, the base far below.
From this height, I could see everything. Soldiers patrolling, chatting, laughing, completely unaware of what was about to hit them.
I let my Essence and presence rise.
The air shifted.
Then I spoke my voice wrapped in Will and Psynapse, amplified through the barrier itself so every soul inside could hear me.
"My name is Billion Ironhart," I declared, voice rumbling across the entire base and realm like thunder. "Commander of the Masters. A soldier of the Empire."
Heads turned. Movement stopped. Silence fell across the base.
"And today is the last day the Holts will exist within the Empire."
Gasps echoed. Faces filled with confusion, then disbelief.
Some began to shout and step away from the statue. Others openly challenged me and asked me to come down. I could see confusion and panic settle in as I raised my hand toward the statue..
I floated high in the sky, just outside the glowing golden barrier that protected the Holts’ base. The statue stood tall and defiant beneath me.
I narrowed my eyes and whispered.
"Collapsing Heaven."
The moment the words left my mouth, the air changed.
Essence.
All of it, within a five-hundred-meter radius, screamed as if obeying a forgotten command. It churned, twisted, and surged upward like a tide reversing course.
Dust kicked up violently across the base. Cloaks and clothes fluttered. Soldiers stumbled back, shielding their eyes as the winds howled and the sky above them began to swirl.
A cyclone of pure Essence was forming above the barrier, wild and magnificent. The very air trembled under its weight. Loose debris was pulled upward.
Even the golden dome itself began to shimmer unnaturally under the pressure. The soldiers below had gone silent, frozen by awe and fear as the swirling vortex of Essence began to tighten, compressing on itself.
And then, just as it reached the size of a fist, still hovering above the barrier, I whispered one word.
"Explode."
BOOM!!!!!
The sound was unlike anything before it, an apocalyptic resonance that shook the skies. The point of Essence detonated.
The air cracked like glass.
A shockwave burst downward, but not in all directions—focused, directed like the blade of a god’s judgment.
It slammed into the golden barrier with such violence that the entire dome flickered , held for a heartbeat, then fractured with a sharp, echoing bang . Cracks webbed through it like lightning across glass, and with a groan, the entire thing shattered into golden shards of light that rained across the base.
The same shockwave continued downward, unimpeded now, crashing into the statue.
BOOM!!!!
The colossal structure couldn’t even resist. Deep fractures split it from top to base, and then, like it had been waiting for permission, the entire monument collapsed. Chunks of stone larger than buildings smashed into the area below. The sound of falling stone was drowned only by the screams.
Dozens of Masters below were caught in the blast. The shockwave flung them like leaves. Some were crushed instantly by debris. Others simply vanished in the force of the explosion.
Dust blanketed the field, rising in heavy clouds. Screams filled the air, mixing with the rumble of destruction.
Through it all, I hovered silently, watching the chaos unfold.
The barrier was down.
The statue was gone.