Chapter 731: The Blood Battle Descends into Chaos

Many players shared news of the new teleportation point on the forum, instantly attracting a massive crowd. The number of players near the Imperial Boundary Monument continued to surge at a terrifying speed, reaching six figures within just a few minutes.

They wore all sorts of bizarre outfits: some clad in spiked scale armor, some cosplaying various comedic characters, and some even running around completely naked. The players were crammed together by the monument, the crowd so dense it triggered a stampede.

At that moment, players discovered this was a place not bound by imperial law—they could attack each other freely without worrying about the rules.

As a result, the situation grew even more chaotic. Everywhere, players could be heard shouting, arguing, and cursing. The noise was overwhelming.

"Stop pushing!"

"Which bastard Mage cast Thornskin on themselves? I just brushed past and lost half my health!"

"I can’t see a damn thing! Who the hell cast Smoke Cloud? Fuck, may your spells fizzle forever!"

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion lit up the crowd, blinding flames and red-hot shrapnel flying in all directions. A column of acrid smoke shot skyward as more than a dozen players were blown away.

The player at the explosion’s center died instantly, body riddled with shrapnel. The survivors weren’t much better off—charred skin, battered bodies, utterly disheveled.

"It was a grenade! Some dumbass threw a grenade into the crowd! Someone grab that fucker!"

"Catch him! Look at the guy in the red robe—I knew he was a nutjob from the Arcane Hermitage!"

"Get him!"

The players swarmed and surrounded the one in the Arcane Hermitage priest robes, catching him on the spot.

"What should we do with him?"

"Kill him! There’s no law here anyway!"

"Shit, that fucker just blew up the gear I just bought!"

Though pinned to the ground, the player showed no fear and even burst out laughing. "Hahaha! I’ve been wanting to do that for ages! Art is explosion!

Also, remember my name! I’m the Handsome Grenade King!"

With a roar, he yanked open his robe to reveal dozens of grenades strapped inside!

The moment the robe flared open, all the pins were pulled at once, trails of green smoke rising.

"Madman!"

"He’s suicidal!"

As his laughter echoed, panic spread. People screamed and scattered—but it was already too late. Dozens of high-powered fragmentation grenades were seconds from exploding.

"Boom!"

A cataclysmic blast engulfed over a hundred people. A towering column of smoke erupted, the shockwave flinging players hundreds of meters away.

The acrid smoke smothered the wasteland. A massive scorched crater marked the blast site, surrounded by mangled shrapnel, charred remains, and burned rags.

"Why are they fighting?"

"Heard some Arcane Hermitage dude self-destructed."

"Damn, kinda looks fun. Such a golden opportunity—how about we start a brawl too?"

"Perfect timing. That bastard who stole my kill a few days ago is nearby. Let’s go settle the score!"

That’s just how players are. One player starts chaos, and in the absence of restraint, everyone else joins in—not for reason, just for the thrill.

What started as individual madness quickly escalated into a full-blown riot, growing in scale by the minute.

Once everyone realized they could freely attack each other, the entire region descended into utter chaos. A massive player-versus-player war erupted.

Spells lit the sky, explosions thundered, bullets, shells, and beams crisscrossed the air. Many resorted to melee, fists pounding flesh, every strike aimed to kill.

Major guilds began coordinated attacks. Even solo players with old grudges started fighting, indulging their vendettas with unrestrained glee.

"Think you can escape after messing with Shaolin Temple?"

"Bang!"

A kindly-looking Monk player suddenly threw a punch that shattered a fleeing Rogue’s head, blood spraying across his own face.

Others noticed a force stationed nearby—the Hell Legion. Pointing at the devil soldiers, they asked, "Hey, what’s that over there? Looks like an army from Hell?"

"Red skin, horns—they must be devils!"

"Are they the enemy? Is the mission to conquer the Bronze Fortress and take Avernus?"

"Hell yeah, more war!"

The battle junkies were already pumped, itching for the chance to join a glorious war.

"So thrilling! I wanna raise a little devil as my pet, make it my battle partner!"

"Same here! I want a Succubus as a pet, fight side by side with her, hehe..."

"You sure that’s a proper pet?"

"..."

"So many devils... If we kill them all, how much EXP would we get?"

The devils nervously watched the bloodthirsty, insane players. Sweat ran down their foreheads uncontrollably.

"These are our reinforcements? The immortal army?"

"What a bunch of lunatics."

"Yeah, and now they want to attack us? Are these humans really trustworthy?"

"I don’t wanna fight alongside them. Who knows when one might explode."

The devils murmured among themselves, eyeing the players cautiously.

In the Nine Hells, devils hated and schemed against each other daily. Betrayal was common, as long as the surface order remained intact.

But even devil infighting wasn’t as savage and blatant as the chaos among the players.

These beings may look human, but their ruthless disregard for life had nothing to do with actual humans.

If not for the lack of Abyssal aura, the devils might have thought the players were demons in disguise.

Even Bael gave Cassius a strange look and muttered, "Your Majesty Cassius, this is the million-strong army you promised?

Are you sure they won’t all kill each other before the Blood War even begins?"

"Of course not."

Though Cassius felt slightly speechless, he still smiled and shook his head. "They are the Empire’s most loyal and courageous soldiers.

Trust me, when the time comes, they will unleash power that even I find astonishing."

Hearing Cassius’s words, Bael looked again at the players gleefully slaughtering each other, trying to spot the qualities Cassius mentioned—only to fall silent.

During the Zariel assassination, Bael had cooperated with these so-called "Soulless Ones." Their methods were wild and unpredictable, but they followed orders and got results.

But these people now?

Aside from killing each other, they had done nothing else. So what the hell were these lunatics even here for? A comedy act?

Or... was this another plot by the Ember Emperor, planting demon-like beings in Hell?

"Boom!"

Another explosion. A player lobbed a bomb into the densest part of the crowd, instantly blowing up dozens more.

Cassius didn’t explain further. He just let out two awkward chuckles.

The red dragon flapped its wide wings, stirring a wave of scorching wind, then soared into the sky, looming above the players.

Its golden slit pupils glinted with majestic light. Dragonfear blanketed the land, making all creatures submit. Even the players stopped fighting and turned skyward in unison.

"I can’t move... Guess we’re in another forced CG scene."

"Fuck, unlucky. I was one hit away from killing the bastard who stole my gear."

"So badass! Emperor Cass is the kind of dragon who comes with his own cutscenes. Wait, he’s a male dragon, right?"

Cassius swept his sharp gaze over the players, slowly flapped his wings, and opened his bloody maw, speaking in a thunderous voice: "My loyal subjects, you know that the Empire bears a deep blood feud with the Abyss. Those filthy bastards once invaded our lands but were repelled by our valiant warriors.

Now, those Abyssal scum seek to invade Avernus, dreaming of ruling Hell! I once declared: we shall fight demons in the plains, mountains, skies, oceans—even other realms!

Today, we join the eternal Blood War alongside the devils of Avernus, becoming new masters of this ancient battlefield!

Demons are filthy worms, twisted monsters who belong only in the darkest corners of the cosmos. Drive them back to the Abyss!"

"For the Empire!"

"Drive the demons back to the Abyss!"

Countless players roared with excitement, shouting at the top of their lungs to gain favor with the highest leader of their faction.

As Cassius finished speaking, all players saw a mission notification appear on their panels.

[Main Quest: Blood War]

Duration: Unlimited!

[The war between devils and demons has raged for hundreds of thousands of years. No one knows when it began, or when it will end—perhaps at the end of the universe?]

[These two fiendish forces endlessly slaughter each other across the multiverse, from Avernus to the Plains of a Thousand Portals. Peace is but a dream.]

[Most believe the Blood War is a cosmic calamity—the embodiment of chaos and order clashing in the universe’s shadow.]

[Now, the Ember Emperor and Bael, Avernus’s temporary lord, have joined forces to repel the Abyssal invasion. Starfall Army, you will fight alongside the devils and become part of this grand Blood War.]

[Warriors, for the Empire, and for ultimate order in the universe, drive the demons back to the Abyss!]

Quest Objective: Defend Avernus, kill demons, and achieve victory in this Blood War.

Quest Rewards: Based on the strength of slain demons and contributions to Avernus’s defense, players will earn faction reputation, gold, and war merit.

War merit can be exchanged for contracts, granting the power to summon Hell’s devils.

Guilds that engage in coordinated operations and make notable contributions will receive faction influence based on rankings, boosting their status in the Empire.

"Isn’t this just an upgraded version of that old [Kill the Demons] main quest?"

"Ugh, this again!"

"An unlimited quest? This place is a grind-fest paradise! So many demons—imagine all the EXP!"

"And we can earn hell contracts! Succubus waifu, here I come!"

"Blood War, hell yeah!"

"Hahaha! We’re finally part of a multiversal-level event!"

Veterans of the Abyss Wars were thrilled. Demon-related quests gave tons of EXP and were great for honing combat skills.

Way better than slaving away in the Empire like some mining peon!

Guild players were especially hyped by the [Faction Contribution] reward. Big-name guilds issued death orders: do whatever it takes to win.

The Empire’s hierarchy was strict. Organizations of different ranks had massive gaps in status.

Raising their guild’s rank meant rapid growth, priority access, and major perks for all members.

"Long live the Empire!"

"Hahaha! Blood War forever!"

Fired up by profits so close at hand, the players stopped killing each other and began prepping for war.

"Stop fighting! Get to work!"

Just moments ago, they were hacking each other like mortal enemies. Now they were allies, even helping one another.

Digging trenches, building fortifications, hauling weapons—these players threw themselves into the work like madmen, nothing like the lunatics from before.

After the quest dropped, player numbers continued surging. In just over ten minutes, the count passed one million.

The devils looked on in stunned disbelief.

"By the Lords of the Nine, are these even the same lunatics from before?"

"Are we under some illusion spell?"

Even the thousand-year-old Archdevil Bael twitched at the corners of his mouth, rendered speechless.

But then, something even more shocking happened.

—With a spatial tremor, the Machine God Cult’s hundred-meter-long aerospace airship appeared in Avernus’s sky, casting a massive shadow.

"That is..."

A massive metal sky-ladder connected the ship to the ground. Humanoid mechs and all-purpose vehicles poured out, loaded with supplies, descending to the surface.

"Move! This mission is critical! The Machine God Cult must take first place!"

"Teams Two and Three, build fortresses and move supplies! We’ll secure the front line!"

Soon, under the relentless, day-and-night effort of the Machine God Cult’s engineering corps, countless bunkers rose like mushrooms after rain, even a mighty steel fortress erupted from the earth.

In just a few days, organized buildings sprang up behind the front, tall walls enclosing them, forming the embryo of a city.

This was the so-called "Imperial Speed!"