Chapter 321: Battlefield

Judas remained motionless for several seconds after Selene and Kai disappeared back into Avalon, his expression gradually returning to its usual calm as he silently watched the barrier once again became invisible to the eyes. 

Although his face betrayed nothing, inwardly he was becoming increasingly uneasy. Everything that had happened since arriving on this island had gone completely against his expectations. First, Ignis had been killed by a formation of a caliber that should never have existed within a lower world. Then two ordinary mortals had spoken to him without the slightest trace of fear, even after learning they were dealing with representatives of the Divine Realm. 

Finally, his attempt to use Augustus as leverage had failed completely. He had expected panic, desperation, perhaps even hesitation. Instead, the girl simply replied, "You can try." and it still echoed inside his mind reminding him of their disrespect. He realised that confidence wasn't arrogance. It was the confidence of someone who genuinely believed the person being threatened was stronger than the one making the threat and that made him frown.

Beside him, one of the remaining gods frowned and finally broke the silence. "What now? Do we simply leave?" Judas slowly shook his head before turning toward Lunette. "Did you find anything?" 

The Goddess of Divination, who had remained quietly observing the barrier the entire time, nodded slowly, though there was an unusual hesitation in her expression. "I found several individuals whose threads of fate are closely connected to that girl," she answered while looking toward Avalon once more. "Unlike her, they are currently outside the barrier." 

Judas' eyes brightened slightly. "Good, then we still have another path." He was about to give further instructions when he noticed Lunette hadn't finished speaking. "But...?" he prompted. 

Lunette lowered her gaze thoughtfully. "There is something else." The hesitation in her voice immediately caused the other gods to look at her. Judas narrowed his eyes impatiently. "What is it?" 

Lunette drew a slow breath before continuing. "While tracing her connections, I discovered something... unusual. The strongest karmic thread connected to that girl doesn't exist within this world's tapestry." 

Silence immediately descended. One of the two remaining gods frowned in confusion. "What exactly does that mean?" 

Lunette closed her eyes briefly as though carefully choosing her words. "Every living being leaves behind a thread woven into the fabric of reality. Regardless of whether they're mortal, immortal, or divine, those threads remain anchored within the world they currently inhabit." She paused before slowly opening her eyes again. "However... the strongest thread connected to that girl simply... disappears into the fabric of reality." 

Judas frowned. "Disappears?" Lunette nodded. "It isn't severed, it simply vanished beyond the limits of this world's fate." She looked directly at Judas before adding quietly, "Which means the owner of that thread is alive... but currently doesn't exist anywhere within this world." 

Another heavy silence followed. One of the gods instinctively whispered, "Impossible..." Lunette slowly shook her head. "Not impossible. Merely... unprecedented." 

Judas felt a chill slowly crawl up his spine. His thoughts immediately returned to the conclusion they had reached earlier after inspecting the formation. ‘The creator vanished shortly after constructing the barrier... And Lunette cannot locate the strongest karmic connection because that person isn't inside this world... Does that mean…’ 

One conclusion naturally linked all mysteries together. Although they still didn't know the identity of the barrier’s creator, Judas had become almost certain that the mysterious creator of Avalon's defenses and the missing owner of that karmic thread were one and the same person. 

More importantly... that individual possessed the ability to freely leave one world and enter another. Even among the Divine Realm, only the Major Gods could even dream of accomplishing such a feat and that too by joining hands with other gods. The realization caused genuine fear to surface within his heart. 

For the first time in countless centuries, Judas questioned whether the mission assigned to them truly lay within their capabilities. Yet the thought vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. He forcibly suppressed the unease before it could spread to the others. 

Whatever awaited them, retreat was never an option. Lady Theia herself had issued the command. Defying a Major God wasn't merely disobedience, it was equivalent to signing one's own death warrant. Straightening his posture, Judas calmly looked toward the other three gods and spoke with a confidence he no longer completely felt. "There's no reason to panic." 

His steady voice immediately drew everyone's attention. "Even if our assumptions are correct, this matter ultimately exceeds our authority." He glanced briefly toward Avalon before continuing. "Lady Theia and the other Major Gods will descend within a few months. Whatever secrets this island hides... whatever mysterious expert built that formation... they will deal with it personally." 

The other gods exchanged uncertain glances before slowly nodding. Judas was right, they were merely Minor Gods. If an existence capable of freely traversing worlds truly existed, it wasn't their responsibility to confront such a being. Their mission remained unchanged, Augustus had to be found. 

"As for us," Judas continued, "we will simply carry out the task entrusted to us that is to capture Augustus. Everything else can wait until the higher pantheon descends." Lunette silently nodded before dispersing the silver runes floating around her body. "I've already identified several individuals closely connected to the girl who currently remain outside Avalon." 

Judas folded his hands behind his back. "Good." His eyes gradually turned toward the distant horizon where the battlefields of the Human Continent lay beyond countless mountain ranges. "Then we'll begin with them." The four divine figures dissolved into streaks of light before disappearing from the skies above Avalon. Within seconds, not even the slightest trace of their presence remained.

...

Thousands of kilometers away, the roar of battle continuously echoed across another region of the Human Continent. Smoke covered the sky while countless spells exploded across an endless battlefield stretching beyond the horizon. 

Tens of thousands of soldiers fought desperately against an equally massive demonic army as siege beasts, flying monsters, and war machines collided amidst rivers of fire and blood. Yet despite the ferocity of the conflict, the human forces showed none of the despair that had characterized the opening days of the invasion. 

Ever since the mysterious destruction of the demon armies surrounding the border cities, morale had completely reversed. Humanity was advancing once more. At the very center of the battlefield, six familiar figures fought side by side with flawless coordination. 

Months of continuous warfare had transformed them beyond recognition. Lisa, Finn, Leon, Eva, Natalya, and Sophia no longer resembled the inexperienced students of Velcrest Academy but battle hardened experts. Every one of them had stepped into the Sage Realm, the latest breakthrough belonging to Lisa herself only weeks earlier. 

Their combined strength had become enough to determine the outcome of battles involving hundreds of thousands of combatants. "Left flank!" Finn shouted while swinging both arms outward. Instantly, a colossal tornado erupted across the battlefield, swallowing thousands of advancing demons before launching them high into the air. 

Sophia immediately synchronized with him, her own wind manipulation merging seamlessly into the storm. What began as a tornado quickly evolved into a kingdom shaking hurricane. Countless wind blades condensed within the rotating currents, shredding every demon unfortunate enough to become trapped inside. 

Mountains in the distance visibly trembled beneath the pressure generated by the two Sage ranked wind manipulators working together. Before the surviving demons could recover, Leon calmly raised one hand toward the heavens. Brilliant pillars of light descended from above like divine spears, each impact vaporizing clusters of elite demonic soldiers while leaving the surrounding human troops completely unharmed. 

"Push forward!" Leon shouted. "Don't let them regroup!" The human army answered with thunderous cheers before charging once more. Meanwhile, Eva slammed both palms against the ground. Dense emerald light spread beneath the battlefield as enormous vines erupted from the earth. 

Within moments an entire forest seemed to come alive. Trees taller than castles burst upward while gigantic thorn-covered roots wrapped themselves around advancing demon generals. Several enormous carnivorous flowers bloomed simultaneously before swallowing dozens of high-ranking demons whole. 

"Natalya!" Eva called. "Now!" Natalya smiled coldly before extending both hands. The surrounding temperature plummeted instantly. Countless ice crystals materialized throughout the battlefield before rapidly expanding into a blizzard. 

The vines restraining the demon generals froze solid together with their prisoners. Then, with a simple clench of her fist, every frozen construct shattered into millions of glittering fragments. Several Archmage level demon generals never even had the opportunity to scream before disintegrating alongside the ice imprisoning them. 

Watching the battle unfold, Lisa quietly closed her eyes. Her illusion power spread invisibly across the battlefield like a silent mist. Unlike the others, there were no spectacular explosions announcing her attacks. Instead, chaos suddenly erupted within the demonic ranks. Entire battalions began attacking one another after mistaking allies for enemies. 

Even Sage ranked Demon commanders were not spared from her illusions as they shouted contradictory orders while generals and elite officers found themselves trapped inside convincing hallucinations where the battlefield no longer resembled reality. 

One particularly powerful demon general suddenly froze, convinced that an enormous abyss had opened beneath his feet. Before he realized the illusion, Finn's compressed wind blade cleanly severed his head. A commander desperately defended himself against imaginary enemies until Leon's light spear pierced straight through his head killing him. 

The six fought as though sharing a single mind. Every attack naturally flowed into the next, each person's abilities perfectly complementing everyone else's. Barely fifteen minutes after their arrival, the demon command structure had almost completely collapsed. 

High above the battlefield, two Sage Rank experts from the Church watched the entire scene with unconcealed astonishment. One of them slowly lowered his weapon before speaking in disbelief. "These six… I have heard they are from Brightwater City, how did a single city produce such powerhouses?" 

His companion nodded absentmindedly, never taking his eyes off the battlefield below. "They've eliminated almost every demon commander and general themselves." 

Another explosion erupted as Finn and Sophia's combined hurricane swept away the final organized resistance. Without commanders to lead them, the remaining demons rapidly fell into disorder while the human army surged forward with overwhelming momentum, victory had become inevitable. 

Then... the atmosphere suddenly changed. A strange pressure descended upon the battlefield. The fighting gradually slowed as countless soldiers instinctively looked upward. Four figures stood silently in the sky, watching everything below with calm and emotionless eyes. 

Even before they spoke a single word, every Sage Rank expert present felt an overwhelming pressure descend upon their hearts. The battlefield, which had only moments earlier echoed with victory, slowly fell into an uneasy silence.

***

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