Chapters 886-890 | Ink East

Chapter 886: Revelations

As beautiful as Europa now was, it portend the end of the human race!

Blasts from the ships pummeled the planet but were swallowed up without so much as a whisper. Suddenly the planet was as deep as a black hole. No matter how much firepower was directed at it nothing left a mark.

“Hold your fire!” There was a flash of pin, and a figure appeared at Kang Hui’s shoulder. It was one of Skyfire Avenue’s founders, the Photographer.

Luo Xianni’s face was dark as she placed a hand on the admiral’s shoulder.

Kang Hui was understandably shaken. He snapped back at her. “Why?! We’re nearly there, we-“

Luo Xianni cut him off. “Shut up. Can’t you see that our attacks helped its evolution? The energy from them has boosted it, and now their immortal realm is almost complete. Keeping up your attack only hastens the process.”

Her reproach brought him back to his senses. Of course, ever since their attack on Europa began the planet had started to change. But what if she was wrong?

“Quickly! Do you want them to complete their process? They’ve reached the point of no return. Nothing your ships do now can harm it.” She tried again to convince him.

Kang Hui heaved a sigh. “Cease the attack,” he ordered. “All ships hold your fire.” He respected Luo Xianni and her status. She was, after all, the only Paragon alive who had stepped into the Infinite.

The flashes of cannon fire slowly tapered off. When the lights faded the scene that was revealed hung heavy on every heart. That place was no longer Europa. What had it become?

Luo Xianni scowled. “Lan Qing would have stopped you earlier.”

Kang Hui’s face reddened but he did not share his misgivings. “Your Majesty,” he said, “what should we do now?”

Her eyes flashed. “Wait. Wait for Lan Qing and the others. Those four are our only hope now. You’ve done all you can, the armada is of no use anymore. We were deceived by them from the very beginning.

Trap. The word gave Kang Hui pause but he quickly recovered. He broke out in a cold sweat and his face went pale.

“You mean, they meant to…”

Luo Xianni didn’t respond except to nod.

Kang Hui’s thoughts were in chaos but one thought rose to clarity above the others.

Yes! The aliens were strong and wise. Destroying humanity would only mean perfecting their strategy. In fact all they would have had to do was keep up the fight and total annihilation would have been inevitable for mankind. It was clear to everyone, especially once this final war had begun.

Once the home worlds were out of the equation, three bastions and twelve fleets from the human lands were repeatedly pummeled by the alien horde. Were it not for Lan Qing’s superior tactics they wouldn’t have come this far. Even then there were several times humanity was on the cusp of defeat.

For instance, the battle where most of their elite were on the field. If the armada had lost they would have been routed. Without the help of the Paragons they would have fallen before the Violet Prince for sure.

Strong as the horde was, how much more terrible would they be with the addition of the home worlds?

Those three planets were not comparable to a trio of bastion ships. Kang Hui had learned this the hard way in the Shattered Starfields. Against the planets and their horde, even the total might all of the Alliances – all their bastions, ships and soldiers – would likely fall.

Thinking about it, the aliens could have fought back with their full strength at any time. So then why didn’t they? They were smart enough not to make such a glaring oversight! He was beginning to see that they were wiser than he gave them credit for. There was a method to their madness, as it were, and even the destruction of their army was part of the plan.

In constantly engaging the humans the horde had weakened them and kept the armada busy, but never lashed out with their full might. For instance, they never once attacked with all of their elite aliens at one time. At the outset Lan Jue and Qianlin weren’t even Paragons much less having achieved Nirvana. If all of the alien generals had come for them then, humanity would have been utterly destroyed.

They chose not to. Instead they indulged the human fighters’ clever tactics and bold strategies. Step by step they gave up ground and allowed their prey to retake the planets around Europa. All along they threw up hurdles and roadblocks that weakened them and attacked their morale.

It was all planned, even down to the moment they allowed the humans to destroy their army and focus their attack on Europa.

The change that had overcome the West’s capitol only occurred after the concerted effort of the armada to destroy it. Was this merely coincidence? If one believed that the aliens completed their evolution at that very moment, who was in control? It certainly wasn’t Kang Hui’s side.

The possibilities stabbed at Kang Hui’s heart. He was finally thinking clearly.

The greatest possibility was that the aliens had planned everything from the start. Losing was part of their strategy, allowing a series of defeats to lull the humans into a false sense of security. All of it leading up to today, where they’d laid in wait for the moment when the armada would turn their guns on Europa. The remaining alien soldiers were a ruse to draw them in.

The final steps of their evolution must require a tremendous amount of energy. Energy like that released by bastions, energy Europa could swallow up and use to its own advantage. If this were true it meant the home worlds knew what was needed from the beginning. They’d masterfully guided the humans every step of the way to happily deliver the final piece.

What he and his soldiers had thought was the cusp of victory, was in fact the machinations of a vastly superior enemy. He’d given the order himself. His command gave the aliens precisely what they needed.

If all that were true than the entity they now faced was more terrifying than anything he could imagine. Everything had been perfectly calculated, exquisitely structured. It was too late now to take it all back.

Chapter 887: Insistence Leads to Ruin

Kang Hui was also struck by another thought, that of their hubris in thinking they understood their enemy. Namely, that the vital crystals were as important to the aliens as they were to humans. As the fighting grew more intense, humans took pains to capture vital crystals, thinking it was the crux of their effort to weaken the home worlds.

But in reality, was that so?

If the planets were willing to give up their elite representatives than these crystals couldn’t be as important as they expected. Their evolution was clearly more of a concern, at least to where losing scores of high-grade crystals meant little.

If he took what the Skyfire Avenue luminaries said to be true then it made even more sense. Evolution created a new alien reality that would protect them from the dangers of universal protogenia. Once that threat was dealt with the aliens could continue to strengthen without fear of having their life force drained. With this being the case, what use would they have for the vital energy of lesser creatures?

Kang Hui’s mind followed the string of considerations. Most of these crystals were created with energy stolen from humans and human worlds. Of course the beasts would be unperturbed by having them taken, since it was never theirs to begin with.

Kang Hui fell into his chair. These realizations came too late for them to make any changes to their tactics. All he could do was sit back and watch as their enemy achieved victory. Firing on the planet would only make it stronger.

The anger and disappointment churned his insides.

“I don’t blame you!” Luo Xianni’s voice had softened. “No one knew this was going to happen. I only saw it after the shot, when Europa began to change. A-Qing likely wouldn’t have done any better, so don’t be hard on yourself.”

Kang Hui turned his red, tired eyes onto the Photographer. “Your Majesty, what should we do? Watch them evolve and wait for death?” The death he spoke of wasn’t just him or this army, he spoke for all of mankind! He didn’t believe for a second that the aliens would forget the humans and move on. Kang Hui and his people were doomed the moment this process was complete.

Luo Xianni answered in a low, solemn voice. “I can try. Perhaps vital energy will succeed were cosmic energy has failed.”

Cosmic energy was a concept discovered once humanity left for the stars. This was a catch-all phrase for energy created through transmutation or mechanics – for instance, the blast from a war ship’s cannon. In contrast vital energy was the energy created by living things, like the powers of Adepts and Paragons.

It had been proven over the long struggle against the aliens that they were more susceptible to vital energy. Cosmic energy, it was now revealed, actually helped them. In that case their only other option was to try and use the might of one’s life force to defeat the beasts.

Lan Qing and the others were still insulated while they improved their cultivation. Luo Xianni was the strongest Paragon left. She knew that while she was not strong enough to defeat the aliens on her own, perhaps she could improve the chances for her sons.

A flickering portal of pink light appeared, and Luo Xianni stepped through. When she emerged she was far above Europa.

The three alien home worlds had entirely disappeared, dissolving into one. Only Europa remained, wreathed in the golden-purple mist.

Kang Hui didn’t have the same sensitivity of perception as the Photographer. She could sense that the former human planet had undergone a large and dramatic change. It was saturated with energy, but to what degree she could not know. The truth was somehow shielded from her.

What she could tell was that the pressure of universal protogenia eased the closer she came to the planet.

This meant that the aliens’ goal was a success. The greatest benefit of an immortal realm was protecting the denizens from the universe, and that’s precisely what she felt now. The thieves of vitality were protected against the strongest force that could be turned on them, making them an almost insurmountable force. This was so whether the three worlds had merged into one or were somehow still separate.

As she pondered these things Luo Xianni lifted her right hand. Pink light began to shimmer within. She paid no heed to the stresses of universal protogenia, to the danger of its attentions. The light of her powers stretched until it began a thousand-meter long sword gripped in her palm.

She thrust it downward in an attempt to impale Europa.

As she expected the golden fog gathered when it came in contact with her powers. The effect was markedly improved over the cannon fire conveyed by the armada. The mists gave her a strange, sticky sensation like it was some kind of protective membrane. Strong as the Photographer was, she was somewhat surprised to find she could not break its defenses.

“Your efforts are futile, do not waste your energy. At your strength you must feel the persecution of universal protogenia, the same torture we had to endure. You should stand with us. The creation and maintenance of an immortal realm will need strong patrons, and you have the qualifications to join us. Make the right choice, and soon you shall arise to godhood.”

The calm voice seemed to come from everywhere at once.

Luo Xianni ignored the voice and continued to pummel Europa. Though the golden haze shuddered under the weight of her onslaught it did not part. She knew it was a longshot, but to see her efforts fail caused Luo Xianni’s heart to sink.

Europa and the three evil beings that possessed it were calm. Their evolution was nearly complete. Luo Xianni and Kang Hui’s conjectures were right, through it all the human played right into the aliens’ hands. Even Lan Qing’s genius didn’t see the invisible machinations that controlled them. Every seeming success was allowed by the beasts, another step toward sealing their own doom.

“Your insistence only seals your fate. You are the architect of your own ruin.” Monarch’s voice grew cold and harsh. “In many ways I will have shed the concept of race when my evolution is complete. I have chosen the shape of your species because your people are the only ones with experience contending against the tyranny of the universe. You nearly succeeded. Why do you struggle, when it is our aim to create the legacy your fallen gods left behind? Be at peace, I shall not proceed to destroy your species – it holds no further use for me. Rising to immortality means that consuming the vitality of others is no longer necessary. Our only goal is strength. With the protection of our immortal realm and the aid of cosmic energy, it is enough. Your species can still offer enough resources to aid in our improvement. With time we will be more powerful than any species before us – strong enough to consume the fractured pieces of the immortal realm left behind by your predecessors. Eventually we will replace this universe with one of our own creation, and we will be the true masters!”

The fervent tone in Monarch’s voice was clear. This was its real plan, its deepest desire.

All the while anguish flooded Luo Xianni’s heart. Her attacks were impudent at best, and she looked on as the purple haze was slowly being absorbed. Hardly a trace of it remained but she could not harm the planet anyway. She listened to his haughty revelations, to his assurance that he could steal the shape of her species and adopt the potency that was their birthright. Once the purple was gone entirely, the process would be complete.

My sons, can your swords truly triumph over this monster?

Luo Xianni never once lost track of Lan Qing and Lan Jue’s auras, even now. She sensed problems when they first tried to employ the Banishing Strategy, the greatest of which was their deficient cultivation. The Banishing Blades were too powerful to wield and utilizing the Banishing Stance required a nearly unfathomable amount of strength. What’s more the threat of universal protogenia was always present. If they reached the Infinite there was real risk that summoning the Strategy would mean their undoing. Even the mightiest immortals feared the cosmos.

Her attacks subsided. Luo Xianni knew that nothing she did would work.

“Do you see? Take heart in your epiphany.” Monarch’s voice was almost warm, feminine.

“So now there’s only one of you?” Luo Xianni coolly asked.

Chapter 888: The Ignorance of Humanity

Monarch’s response was tepid. “Some sacrifices are necessary in order for our evolution to succeed. Ah, yes – from the fragments of your species’ DNA I acquired some knowledge. During the time of greatest influence your immortal realm had a caste of immortals called the Da Luo. I suspect that if things continue at their current rate I shall achieve this level in no more than a hundred years. From that point forward I can focus on strengthen this immortal realm. You must come, join me. You need only open your heart and allow me to place my mark on your soul. Then you shall be one of us.”

Luo Xianni sniffed a laugh. “Become one of you? You mean be devoured? Do you think I believe even one word of what you’ve said? It doesn’t matter what you turn into, you’re still an abomination. You will never been human – you can never teach a dog to stop eating shit [1. Best phrase ever. Use it with your friends and family.]. It doesn’t matter what you look like or what world you create, the facts will never change. You’ve done nothing more than profit off the hard work my species has done for millennia. So here is my response to your offer; I won’t be your food. Everything you’ve said is idiotic nonsense.”

For a moment Monarch was silent. When it spoke once again there was a tone of disappointment in its voice. “It appears you humans have grown wiser. Indeed, in my eyes your kind are nothing more than lesser life forms – so much wasted potential. You have lost any sense of how to utilize it, unlike your ancestors. The success of your forbearers to create an immortal realm was magnificent, but in all the time since you humans have squandered your birthright. You’re right, I must continue to feed. Achieving my perfection means I must continue to devour powerful genetic material. I can only get it from your kind. But why do you refuse me? Why is it so unacceptable to be a part of me? Of something greater?”

“Do you think your defiance means something? If you refuse, do you think I will not simply take what I want? If you submit yourself you will save yourself from suffering. I may even chose to preserve your consciousness. But for now… - hngh!”

The remaining fog around Europa gathered together into an enormous hand. It groped for Luo Xianni.

She was ready. In a flash she was far away and out of Monarch’s reach. She was unable to break its defenses, but at least until the monster’s evolution was complete she could still flee. However she could tell from the faded purple light around Europa that the evolution was mere moments from completion.

“It is just a matter of time. All you can do is wait for me to viit destruction upon your people!” Monarch hissed.

Just then several glints of light flickered around Middle Heaven. A series of figured emerged and were heading toward Luo Xianni.

After Luo Xianni’s revelations from before, the truth was quickly unraveled by others. Those that came toward here now were the rest of Skyfire Avenue’s Paragons.

“Aunt, what should we do?” It was the Wine Master who asked her. His face was stern, for though there appeared to be little they could do he could not wait for death!

She answered somberly. “The only thing we can do is wait for Lan Qing and the others to employ the Banishing Stance. Only, they haven’t – “

Before she could finish her thought four rays of light shined out from within Middle Heaven. Turquoise, white, red, blue. Like four heavenly spears they shot out toward where the Paragons had gathered. For a moment it was like all of space was painted in those magnificent colors. Suddenly four more figures joined them.

The lights weren’t from the Banishing Blades. They came from the bodies of Lan Qing, Lan Jue, the Pharmacist, and Zhou Qianlin.

Lan Qing’s entire body radiated the blue-green light, making him look fantastical. Lan Jue flashed with pulses of red light. Zhou Qianlin’s blue aura was ever changing. Finally, the Pharmacist’s light was the most pure, the snow-white purity of murderous intent.

The four of them appeared at precisely the right moment, pillars of strength in a sea of uncertainty. The Paragons were less anxious in their presence. There was a shimmer of light and Li Ke appeared from Lan Qing’s body.

“You’re successful?” The Wine Master asked Lan Jue. He sensed something inscrutable about the young man that wasn’t there before. As a Reflection of Heaven and Earth the old Paragon still couldn’t tell the depths of Lan Jue’s newfound abilities.

Lan Jue responded calmly. “It isn’t clear, we’ll only know once we try. There’s no time to lose.”

Indeed it was true, they couldn’t wait. Once the evolution was complete their chances of survival fell away to nothing. Everything rested on their ability to enact the Banishing Strategy before Monarch could succeed.

Lan Qing nodded his head. The four sword bearers floated out into space. They didn’t spread too far before stopping and turned to face one another. The lights that radiated from them became all the more resplendent.

Lan Jue’s eyes were sharp and glinted in the starlight. As bearer of Captus he was not leader of the four blades, but he was the strongest Paragon present. It fell to him to lead the attempt.

The reflection of the cosmos reflected in his deep eyes. Star twinkled back making his gaze bright and brilliant. It almost seemed to make all the universe brighter. His aura began to swell and expand. A purple crown appeared placed upon his head as his body became larger. It was his dharmic image, the Middle Heaven Great Emperor of the North Pole Star of Purple Subtlety.

Lan Jue’s Boundless Starlight Domain was contained within. Luo Xianni suddenly sensed her son’s aura surge, surpassing Nirvana and peeking into the realm of the Infinite. In the same moment the pressure of universal protogenia was evident all around them. She could feel Lan Jue’s life force draining.

In the midst of his transformation Zhou Qianlin was next. She swayed and grew, clad in a magnificent fluttering white robe. Guanyin, the Queen of Heaven! Her body flickered a hundred shades of blue, but there was also a shell of white light that emerged from her. The warm light spread until it hung over all four of them. To Lan Jue his body instantly felt lighter as the pain of universal protogenia was forced away.

Very quickly Qianlin’s powers also arose to the Infinite. It was a temporary increase from her dharma and Domain, but she nonetheless commanded supreme power.

Clearly the results of their quarantine were good, better than they might have anticipated. At least their cultivation had reached the upper levels of Nirvana. With Qianlin’s help Lan Qing and the Pharmacist enjoyed good stability from their empowered abilities.

As the four young warriors began to prepare, the Photographer turned to address the other Paragons. “We have to serve as their custodians, this is our last chance. No matter what, we must help them succeed.”

Her words were cryptic, but everyone knew precisely what she meant. This could very well be their final moments, victory or defeat were near at hand. Only the Banishing Strategy could save them. At Luo Xianni’s instructions they spread out and made a defensive line.

Kang Hui, still seated in the control room, had come back to his senses. When he saw the two brothers appear on his screens, his heart was filled with resolve.

“Listen up. Tyrannosaurus reposition to the fore. Middle Heaven, take up position in the rear…” The armada’s formation was restructured as per his commands.

Tyrannosaurus slowly moved to the front and blocked the Paragons from view of Europa. Poseidon was on their left, Heron on the right, and Middle Heaven behind. The ten fleets took up defensive positions.

If this was their last chance, Kang Hui wasn’t going to allow the aliens to interrupt it.

“You foolish humans. How can you not see that your opposition is in vain?” Monarch’s voice echoed again in everyone’s ear. It was harsh as ever, but if one listened closely they might hear something else in the monster’s voice.

The golden light that surrounded Europa, its shield, began to ripple. It started small, but soon became towering waves of energy that circumnavigated the planet.

It was afraid! Kang Hui’s eyes went wide. He could see the change coming over Europa from the bridge and knew that Monarch was urging more energy into its defenses. It could only mean the monster was afraid of what those swords might do.

The aliens had been ahead of them every step of the way, and their responses had always been spot on. This reaction had significance as well, namely that Monarch must have felt the danger headed its way. This returned a glint of hope to Kang Hui’s troubled heart. By now all the ships were in place, shields glimmered around every battleship and bastion. Lan Jue and the others were covered front, back, left, right, up and down. They were defended on all sides. All the strength of the human armada was turned toward defense, charged with making sure Lan Jue’s mission was a success.

Lan Jue floated calmly in space. “Not copper, not iron, not steel; Once hidden beneath the stones of Mount Meru.” Suddenly there was a flash of red around him and he was encased in a keen aura. All at once he was like Captus in human form. The power of the sword spilled out of his every pore.

Zhou Qianlin’s crystalline voice followed. “The perversion of yin-yang did not it make; What flame or fluid could dull its edge?” A hundred thousand copies of Demortus appeared, glittering blue like a crystal forest. They spread far and wide, so much that the Paragons defending them were forced to move farther back.

Chapter 889: Formation

The Pharmacist voice rang out. “Ultus – sharp, Occisus – death, Captus – universal red light, Demortus – the ever changing.” A surge of white light shot out and brought with it a stifling brutal aura. Slashes of Occisus’ energy criss-crossed the breadth of where its aura reached. The stronger her cultivation rose, the brighter Occisus burned.

Lan Qing was last to speak the words. “Immortals, eternal and marvelous, have their robes stained with blood.” The refreshing hue of Ultus arose as though summoned and coiled around him. Turquoise light shot into the sky and all at once the four Banishing Blades began to hum. Though the weapons themselves were yet to appear, all four of their bearers were illuminated by their power.

Halfway through their seclusion the four Paragons saw an increase to their cultivation, especially Lan Qing and the Pharmacist. Both of them broke through to Nirvana and in doing so understood how difficult enacting the Strategy would be. The more they learned of this unique power the more they saw what it would require. The sheer cost in energy was staggering to consider, only a true immortal could reliable stand it. The greatest weapon under heaven was aptly named, and just as dangerous to wield.

After some discussion – and with the help of Xuanyuan Shishi, Jun Yongye and Li Ke – they came to a bold decision. They would give their bodies fully to their swords, so that these great and terrible instruments of destruction would become a part of them.

The benefits of doing this were that they and the swords became inexorably linked. In many ways they became the Banishing Blades, and the blades became them. All the energy within them, including their protogenia and vital energy, could be used to galvanize the weapons. Thus their chances of successfully laying out the Banishing Strategy increased.

However this was not without dangers. After carefully studying the strategy they discovered that once the strategy was unleashed it could not be stopped. The swords would ravenously devour all the energy it could. If it worked all of their problems would be solved. But if it failed the four of them would be the first ones to lose their lives.

Before becoming one with the swords there had existed the possibility they could break off the strategy and at least escape with their lives. Such possibilities no longer existed now that they were united. IF the Strategy became unstable, they would die.

However, despite the dangers all four agreed. The time had come to burn the boats and turn their eyes forward – this was their last resort. People fought hardest to live when they were faced with the certainty of death. If they were given no option of retreat the four sword bearers would be bound to give their all.

This was not to say they didn’t examine contingencies. Triumph or defeat, they would have to submit to the will of heaven.

The four mighty emanations from the blades mingled among one another. Threads of ethereal light spread out from each person and made the scene indistinct. They wrapped around one another until they created a series of mystical runes – four in total, one of each sword bearer. The runes hovered over them causing reality to ripple from the injection of power.

They’d started close to each other, but as the runes appear there appeared a gulf. From outside it seemed large enough to swallow whole planets, and was growing larger.

Aboard Poseidon.

“Get out of the way!” Hua Li glared at Mo Xiao. His growling voice was anything but tender.

Mo Xiao threw open her arms in defiance. “I will not. I’m not letting you leave. There are already many Paragons looking over them, and besides you’re only in the Realm of Protogenia. Do you think there’s that big of a difference without you there? What does going out there achieve? Can’t you do more good staying here, commanding this bastion?”

Hua Li roared back at her. “Of course not! My friends and compatriots are out there putting it all on the line for humanity, and what am I doing sitting here? I need to be out there too, protecting them. I may not be the strongest of them but any help can make a difference.”

Mo Xiao’s eyes were full of pain. “He’s always been the most important thing to you, hasn’t she. This isn’t about your brothers, it’s about him.”

Hua Li paused for a moment. Glaring daggers, he hissed at her. “Get out of the way!”

“No! You’ll have to kill me first. Those aliens have almost completed their evolution, we should get far away from here. Every asset and every life of Poseidon Group is on this hip, our whole future. If we wait until their evolution is complete it will be too late. If you go out there now how can we retreat?”

“You’re still thinking about leaving, now of all times?” Hua Li screamed. “If you want to leave, then leave. I am not going anywhere, no matter what. I will live or die with my compatriots, fighting to the very last moment. You would see Poseidon Group running away when all of mankind was facing destruction?”

Hua Li took a threatening step forward, seeking to push Mo Xiao to the side and leave.

Mo Xiao, of course, was no match for him. She was pushed away but swung back and wrapped her arms around Hua Li’s waist.

“Don’t go, I’m begging you. Don’t go!” Tears ran freely down her face. In this moment she was nothing like the president of Poseidon Group. She was a normal woman, stricken and helpless.

“Release me.” Hua Li sighed, and the anger in his face eased. “I know we should leave – for the Group, for our family. I know. But I just can’t do it. When I leave take everyone and flee this place. The Group only needs you and… and our child. That’s all the family needs in case something happens to me. But you have to understand that I can’t go with you. For my comrades, for the family, it doesn’t matter. If the Banishing Strategy is successful and the aliens are slain, everything we’ve accomplished up to now would be wasted. We will have become the enemy of all humanity, deserters and scoundrels. It will be the end of us. Whatever way you look at it, I have to go out there.”

Choked with sobs, Mo Xiao replied. “I don’t care, I don’t. I just want you to be safe. You don’t have to love me, you don’t have to be my husband, I just don’t want anything to happen to you. I just want to be able to see you every day.”

An ache crossed Hua Li’s expression. “Enough, let me go. I have to do this. Just like you feel, I feel the same to the one in my heart. Don’t you think I know everything you’ve done?”

When his words washed over her Mo Xiao shook. Her arms went slack but she did not let go.

Hua Li tightly shut his eyes against the pain. “I’m right, it was you. But what can I do? Although we can’t truly be man and wife, how can I not know how you feel about me? And me, I am human and have my own selfish wishes. But I saw suffer terrible, silent all the while. Do you think I could stand that? What’s done is done, but I will never forget what you did. All I want is to fight by his side, even if it means my death. One last escapade. I’m sorry Mo Xiao. Maybe in the next life…”

Suddenly his body was encased in light, and the Poseidon Group’s patriarch shot off as a ray of light. Mo Xiao cried out with a heart-wrenching wail and fell to the floor. She lay there quivering with sobs, tears falling in torrents.

“A-Li… A Li…”

Messages from the various departments of the Poseidon family crackled through her communicator. They all made the same request; that they leave as quickly as possible.

The department heads were chosen for being intelligent, discerning individuals. Each of them knew what was happening to Europa. The aliens were evolving, and there was no way to stop them. Just as Mo Xiao had pleaded, they begged her for permission to leave on behalf of the family’s safety. But Hua Li had left, how could she give the order?

Mo Xiao clawed her way back to her command desk and fell into the chair. Gritting her teeth, she gave them her orders.

A few moments later a beam of blue light was blasting off from Poseidon into the distance. It was a vessel, perhaps the size of a Capital ship, with a hull that glittered crystalline blue from bow to stern. It seemed less metal and more gemstone.

The ship sped off into the recesses of space. In a blink, all trace of it was gone. The cries of a small infant rang through its largely empty halls.

Golden mist rotated rapidly around the planet, spreading out to create an effective shield. Gradually the mist became more transparent, and Europa’s situation was revealed to everyone. To everyone’s surprise there was no ferocity within the enveloping light. Instead the scene was stunningly beautiful.

Spectacular vistas appeared on the surface of Europa. Towering mountains and picturesque valleys spread as far as they could see. The planet was rife with all kinds of vegetation. Never had Europa looked so magnificent. However, any sign of the cities that once graced its surface was gone.

It had become a fairyland, like in the tales of old. Beneath the golden shell of light it was a paradise that took everyone’s breath away.

Europa continued to slowly spin, each rotation causing the golden light to ripple. As the seconds ticked by the golden shell became more transparent. It remained settled above the world perhaps ten thousand meters above its atmosphere.

Chapter 890: A Planet’s Transformation, Complete

Were it not for the fact that they knew this to be an enemy to their species, they would be stricken by its magnificence.

An Immortal Realm? Was this the paradise these monsters wished to build for themselves?

Kang Hui was similarly taken aback. He suddenly found himself questioning his doubt over the old tales. Before his eyes the aliens were establishing a new heaven, but an empty one. No gods roamed its vistas. All they felt was an impregnable quality.

No sooner had the throat crossed Kang Hui’s mind than the atmosphere of Europa gathered together. A glorious scene of golden clouds appeared before him, and from its depths appeared a single figure.

From the depths of space the admiral saw him, clear as if he were standing a few feet away. The bastion blocked the view for the Paragons, but they watched a stream of the feed on their communicators.

Monarch. Unmistakably, Monarch.

This was one different from his avatars. He was clad in an opulent robe of silk with a crown upon his head. Monarch looked like the Jade Emperor himself from the old Chinese tales. His golden attire was as stately as it was magnificent, silhouetted against the shining clouds behind. He looked transcendental.

Monarch’s ‘voice’ boomed far across space. “Witness this, the birth of an era; the era of new gods. Those who surrender will be lifted up as custodians of our new paradise. We will strive toward our goal of usurping the universe, together. Those who resist will be reduced to dust and lost to the darkness of time.”

The more he spoke the more it seemed like a tale from the pages of ancient history. This newly crafted utopia and its robe-clad master were exactly as they were described thousands of years ago.

Was it done? Was his ascension complete?

The Paragons surrounded Lan Qing and the others felt their hearts drop into their stomachs. They were a moment too late. Now they looked on helplessly at the culmination of the aliens’ plans. Three had become one, the Paragons shuddered to think how powerful this single being was.

Kang Hui sat silent on the bridge, staring at the scene unfold. He didn’t dare give the order to attack, he knew the calamity it would cause. Long ago the ships had put all power to their shields, though little help it would serve them. For now they just waited.

From a strictly scientific standpoint there was nothing to suggest this planet was a threat aside from its anomalous creation. Only, just then Europa began to move. It began by spinning, and picked up speed until it was kicked off its orbit. It slowly began to bear down on their position.

Needless to say it was a big deal when a planet shifted orbit. It was a common thing to witness.

Turning An Lun from a planet into a bastion had taken the East years of toil. It was only possible because of the world’s molinite core. There had never been anything like it before.

In contrast to An Lun, Europa was several times larger. As it moved, it destabilized the whole galaxy.

“Do you still not understand?” Monarch’s voice was cold and distant. The golden clouds beneath his feet began to swirl like a tempest around him. As they watched his body began to grow.

In mere moments Monarch was a colossus. He was a pillar that literally joined heaven and earth. So large in fact that Europa looked less like a plant and more like a vehicle for this humongous god. The aura that had protected it adapted to fit.

Monarch was already several times the size of Tyrannosaurus. Although the Paragons could also grow in size, even at their largest they were infinitesimal compared to this monster.

“Attack!” Kang Hui shouted.

Tyrannosaurus, having had its main guns charged and ready, fired a salvo. A beam of supercharged energy headed right for Monarch’s mouth.

“Naïve.” He scowled at the humans with thick disdain. Confident in his abilities Monarch stretched out his right hand to intercept the shot.

He was going to block a bastion’s main weapon with his bare hand! Stunned, the humans looked on as he caught the attack in the palm of his hand. Instantaneously a while light appeared around Monarch and caused him to grow even further. Shots from other bastions and ships didn’t even made the golden aura ripple. Each blow was sucked up like water.

“I have already told you, this is paradise. You mortals have no power here.” Europa heaved Monarch forward as the beast thrust a palm toward Tyrannosaurus.

Dodging wasn’t an option. Monarch’s sheer size outclassed Tyrannosaurus by several times.

Boom- -! The force of the impact seemed to make the whole universe shake. The explosion that followed was almost deafening.

The first vessels to erupt were the support vessels in front of Tyrannosaurus. Their strongest shields meant nothing, they were wisps of smoke before Monarch reached them. Once his palm began to rip through the ones that were left behind showed them this was a real physical entity, not some illusion.

Whatever unfortunate crew was the palm when it passed were destroyed. Majestic ships became burning balls of slag in the blink of an eye. Nothing seemed to stop it, until Monarch’s strike eventually came into contact with Tyrannosaurus.

Bo-o-omm--! The explosion tore across hundreds of thousands of kilometers. Monarch power was beyond humanity’s worst expectations.

Tyrannosaurus shield only held for three seconds, then it was knocked away. An enormous palm print was embedded across one hemisphere.

Spectators all across space were silent. Tyrannosaurus was one of the most outstanding achievements accomplished by man. Never would they have thought to see the day when it would be swatted away like a fly, yet that is precisely what happened.

What they did not know that their precious ship survived only by the grace of Monarch himself. If he’d willed it, put all of his power into that palm, he could have eliminated Tyrannosaurus entirely.

Without Tyrannosaurus, Lan Jue and the other Paragons were revealed to the newly ascended deity.

Heron was screaming in from the side with its guns aimed on Monarch. On the other flank, Poseidon was doing the same. Both of them engaged with cannon fire. No one expected their shots to do any damage, they only hoped to give the sword bearers more time.

Middle Heaven was moving in quick from the rear. It was already glowing orange, all of the core was being tapped. It looked like a giant comet. Their shots were meaningless, so the bastions aimed to put themselves physically between the Paragons and this monster.

A sneer slithered across Monarch’s face. As the bastions were bearing down on him, suddenly he was gone.

No, not gone. Smaller. In a blink of golden light his massive form was gone and the bastions lost their target and were in danger of running into each other. Pilots raced to get the ships under control and avoided a collision.

Middle Heaven was still heading right for Europa. It was flung back by that thin but impossibly firm aura of golden light.

Monarch returned to the size of an average human and appeared before the Paragons. Light surrounded him, lent from Europa. He did not rush to attack, deigning instead to peer in curiosity at the streamers of luminescence that hung in the air. They’d already begun to weave themselves into the Banishing Strategy. He allowed the sensation to wash over him in silence.

Everyone was afraid. If this being could slap aside an entire bastion, what sort of damage could it do to them?

The Banishing Strategy also seemed to be nearing completion. Lan Jue and the others were lost within the blazing amalgamation of light. The only sign they remained was the odd flicker of their respective hues. However no one could be sure when – and if – the Strategy would be completed.

“Is this your means of defeating me? Indeed it does possess a peculiar quality. Even as a god I can sense the danger in it.” Monarch spoke as though he were musing out loud, or like a mouse teasing a rat it had caught. He was in no rush, he wanted to sate his curiosity.

“Let me take a closer look.” He lifted his hand and two figured appeared in a flash of light. One was the Violet Prince, and the other was the three-heade,d six armed abomination Lan Jue had fought against.

Both of them were surrounded by golden light as well.

“Try to harm them. Let’s see how they react.” Monarch cooed.

He looked down on the humans with eyes full of arrogance, even though he knew the sort of power Ultus contained.

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