Chapter 1281: The Collapse of Balance

At this moment, another Order of Everlife disciple appeared on Nelson’s projection.

This one was also a Legendary Lord hiding behind a broken cannon array, his hands clasped, lips moving in prayer, and golden-blue light pulsed in his chest.

Nelson’s eyes narrowed. "Good. His faith is quite strong."

The next moment, the Timeless Hourglass rotated.

Outside, the disciple suddenly felt cold. He looked around in confusion, but the battlefield was too chaotic. Explosions drowned thought. Death mist swallowed perception. He only assumed fear had shaken him.

But he was unaware of a translucent ring appearing around his soul totem, and after a few moments of pause, the Hourglass Reaping began. A thread of golden-blue lifespan peeled away soundlessly.

The disciple coughed, his face paling. "What is happening...?!"

But alas, no answer came as the thread vanished, and inside the vessel, the second bead formed.

Ellie took an involuntary step closer.

Nelson snapped, "Stop."

The word struck like a slap, and Ellie froze.

Nelson’s eyes were colder than she had ever seen. "This is not free power. This is power grown by a God. Every drop may contain a hook. Every harvest may leave a scent. Every moment we stay here, we are gambling against Reverend, Faceless Ancient, and the Undead Skyfall."

Lucy folded her arms. "Then why continue?"

Right at that moment, Nelson looked toward the battlefield, where the Myth of Black Archer’s battlefield had suddenly gone silent; his pupils tightened because the black-robed Quasi-Myth was gone.

The three Dukes who had been fighting him hovered in confusion.

Nelson’s heart sank.

Lucy noticed instantly. "What happened?"

Nelson did not answer at once as his eyes remained fixed on the empty space where the Myth of Black Archer should have been.

Ellie whispered, "Did he die?"

Nelson’s also thought so, since three Quasi-Myths against one and their relentless attacks, and now no aura or trace could be felt, so the Myth of Black Archer should have perished.

But Nelson felt something was wrong because the Myth of Black Archer never displayed his Celestial Astrolabe like the other Quasi-Myths.

"No, it’s not so easy for a Quasi-Myth to perish, at least not in such an insignificant way." His throat became dry as he said slowly, "From the start, that guy didn’t seem to be truly trying to fight them but avoiding it."

Lucy’s eyes sharpened as she instantly guessed what Nelson was implying. "Are you saying?"

Nelson nodded with a grave look, "Indeed, he fled the battlefield!"

On the other hand, the battlefield did not pause for the missing Myth of Black Archer; instead, it worsened.

The skeletal Executioner, the Nightmare Knight, and the Three-Headed Death Python stared at the empty space where their opponent had vanished. Then, almost together, their hollow eyes turned toward the other battles.

No hesitation, confusion, or fear could be seen in them but only hunger. The Executioner vanished first, appearing behind the Myth of Dark Blaze with twin crescent blades raised high.

The Nightmare Knight became a gray spear of death, charging into the Myth of Thunder’s already broken lightning field.

The Three-Headed Death Python slithered toward the Myth of Venom, its three skulls opening to release corpse flame, death venom, and compressed soul rot.

The already delicate balance of the battle instantly shattered.

"Black Archer!" Myth of Thunder roared through the coalition channel.

No answer came.

"Myth of Black Archer, respond!" Myth of Alchemy’s voice became solemn.

But there was still nothing.

The Myth of Thunder’s laughter stopped for the first time as the Nightmare Knight’s spear pierced through his thunder domain and struck his shoulder, and blood burst out while Black lightning crawled into the wound.

"Damn it!" Thunder roared.

Inside the hidden vessel, Ellie watched the projection in disbelief, "Wow, they’re losing."

Lucy’s expression was grave. "Not yet. But the rhythm is gone."

Nelson said nothing. His hands moved across the controls, directing the Timeless Hourglass toward another wounded Everlife disciple. He harvested another strand, but his gaze kept drifting toward the empty battlefield.

The Myth of Black Archer’s disappearance was too abrupt, but not out of expectations, since Nelson might’ve done the same under such disadvantageous odds against him.

Moreover, Myth of Black Archer failed to achieve the effect he wanted if he pretended to perish because he did it too cleanly, without leaving a corpse, soul burst, spatial residue, or death echo, which made it obvious that he had deserted, since it was not how Quasi-Myths died.

Nonetheless, now the Undead Armies have gained a huge advantage, making Nelson’s breathing grow heavier.

Ellie noticed. "Old man?"

"Keep harvesting," Nelson said after calming his nerves.

"You’re afraid."

Nelson’s eyes flashed. "Of course, I’m afraid. Only fools stop fearing monsters because another monster appears."

Lucy looked at him, knowing who he was referring to, and said with a hint of trepidation, "Do you think Faceless Ancient is still here?"

Nelson’s lips tightened as he said, "I think he is because he handled the Undead Lich King. He’s too much of an anomaly, and since there’s a sealed God to plunder, I don’t think he would leave so easily."

Ellie’s expression grew slightly pale as she thought out loud, "What if he finds us? He’ll surely kill us all!"

Nelson sighed helplessly as he retorted, "You should’ve thought about it before provoking him and then running away from the Unique Plains! But now it’s too late. Nonetheless, if he wanted us dead, we would not know until it was already over."

The Timeless Hourglass pulsed again, and another Everlife spark was stolen, then another, and another. Yet each successful harvest brought Nelson no comfort.

Because somewhere beyond the invisible boundary of the battlefield, the one person he feared most might already be stalking the Undead Skyfall Canyons.

If Jacob was really there, then the battle outside was nothing but a clown show!

---

The Myth of Inferno’s Fire Wyvern body crashed through three mountains before stabilizing in midair. His molten scales were cracked, and his left wing was torn. Yet his crimson eyes burned brighter than ever.

Before him, three Dukes of Death advanced without pause. The Poison Winged Wraith laughed madly. The Corpse Chimera dragged its half-melted body forward as new fleshless bones grew from its wounds. The skeletal wyvern burned with poisonous corpse-gray flames that devoured draconic fire.

The Myth of Inferno roared, and a miniature sun erupted from his Celestial Astrolabe. The three rotten Celestial Astrolabes opposite him pulsed with the same ancient gray glyph. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Death answered fire.

Elsewhere, Myth of Thunder was bleeding.

The Thunder Ogre’s enormous body was wrapped in black chains. The Death Giant’s hammer crushed his ribs. The Nightmare Knight’s spear pierced his thigh. The skeletal Thunder Beast swallowed his lightning and spat it back, corrupted.

Still, Myth of Thunder grinned, but the grin was no longer of excitement but of strain.

Dark Blaze was worse. His Infernal Fiend form stood beneath a sky of curses. Six burning eyes glowed from within black flame, yet every curse he devoured returned as two. The Executioner’s crescent blades repeatedly sliced through his infernal wings while the Soul Lantern Keeper’s lantern screamed with the voices of the dead.

Venom’s Abyssal Ghost Viper form coiled around an emerald moon of poison, but the Three-Headed Death Python and Abyssal Bone Serpent were devouring his domain from opposite sides.

Alchemy’s cauldron rang like a cracked bell. His refinement domain had once turned the battlefield into his laboratory. Now three undead alchemists were reversing every formula, feeding death into his arrays and forcing his own creations to rot.

The followers of the Mythical Coalition watched their gods bleed, and fear spread through the fleets.

Right now, it was no longer a battle of strength to fight for victory; instead, it had turned into a battle of endurance for survival!