Paragon of Sin

Chapter 1982: Overwhelming Force

"WHAT?!"

"Th-they're ALL Original Magistrates!!!"

"RUN!! RUN!!! RUN!!!!!"

Cries resounded as the Legion of Spirits began a fierce, charging stampede that shook the earth and churned the skies. They were hectic and distraught, imbued with genuine fear and disbelief at the sight. How was this possible?! They were immediately outnumbered, and their momentum formed by their superior cultivation base and numbers were instantly halted in its tracks. A faint scene of disarray emerged in their ranks.

The Legion of Spirits did not grant them any time to comprehend the situation as they rushed forward in a coordinated dash, especially as they generated a small opening. Zhan Zheng took notice of this instantly, issuing an order through telepathic soul communication, a unique skill of Spirits of War.

A squadron of archers took aim at the Battalion.

"FIRE!" As if replicating their enemy's command, Zhan Zheng issued the order. The squadron only contained two dozen archers, yet that was more than enough as they aimed upwards, and then-

WHOOSH!

Golden arrows shot forth without mercy. The arrows trembled for a brief moment, and then with a haze pulse, split into two arrows. These arrows then repeated the process, creating a total of four. Within less than a blink of a Heavenly Saint's eyes, the dozen archers had launched a flurry of arrows. A sky-covering cluster formed, entirely out of arrows.

Seeing this sight as a shadow loomed over their bodies, the fear within their hearts erupted at that moment as each arrow was certainly lethal. A single hit was all it would take. Fortunately for them, their commander, despite being caught off-guard, was quick to adjust for circumstances. A rare quality within leaders.

"Stand your ground. All men! DEFENSIVE POSITION: Ether's Mirror!" The command was a clear indicator for a specific formation to take place, likely attempting to disperse, defend against, or counter the arrows. Unfortunately, the arrows were too fast. Within moments, arrows pierced precisely into their formation, striking at the hearts of targets with eerie precision.

The 1,042 dwindled to 875 within a quarter of a second. The howls of pain were cut short as bodies ragdogged across the field, immediately disrupting any remaining momentum the battalion possessed. The worst was that the Battalion Commander, a genuine Mystic Overlord, was struck by several arrows as he brandished his spear to guard against the arrows. He only blocked a single one, taking an arrow to the knee, between the left ribs, and losing a finger.

"Ugh!" Grimacing in pain, the reality began to set in as fear erupted within his heart. When he looked at the unstoppable charge of the Legion, all courage began to dry out. They were fast, already closing the distance, and their vanguard was clashing with theirs.

The struggle lasted only a few milliseconds as weapons of war moved with great skill and frightening speed, blessed by the Law of War, tainted by its egregious power, claiming the entire vanguard of the battalion. Numbers shrunk further-665. Their frontline was mercilessly breached as blood was spilt across the fields. Their armor equipped with unique blood-absorbing formations didn't work if the soldiers were killed nor if their armor was damaged beyond repair. Each attempt at retaliation in desperation during that brief period yielded zero efforts as the armor of this Legion was flawlessly formed.

The inherent power within was founded on the Law of War and Wei Wuyin's Elemental Origin Intent. It possessed the flexible, force-dispersion effect of water, the hardness of metal, the reshaping ability of earth, and their weapons sliced through the armor with fire that burned with the heat and force of an erupting volcano.

"RETREAT!!!" The Battalion Commander officially issued the order to retreat. When facing an invincible enemy, the only thing a competent commander can do is issue this exact order. He, however, wasn't incompetent as he brought out a scroll. The scroll was made of paper-like steel, resembling aluminum, and when he rolled it out to buy some time, an aura of a True Sage boomed.

Wei Wuyin's eyes glowed. Typically, external items could only be used like scrolls or pellets if the Soldier or Commander had crafted them personally. However, there were some niche exceptions. Jing Jiu had relied on a unique technique of soul-refining, requiring Soul Light to link the item with the person.

Wei Wuyin didn't give it much consideration, yet this flexible steel scroll possessed soul runes that perfectly matched the Battalion Commander's aura. Witnessing this, he didn't try to intervene, only studying it briefly as Zhan Zheng took action.

WHOOSH!!!

His spear was launched like a lightning bolt, blasting away any soldiers from the enemy into pieces. It seemed to ignore space and time, gathering the power of the Law of Space and Time. The Battalion Commander was already in full retreat while activating the scroll, yet before he could fully unleash its might, he felt as if he had entered a quagmire as spatial and temporal dissonance distorted his perception. The spear that was quite a distance away seemed to blink beside him, striking at the scroll.

Boom!

His armored hand was blasted apart, the force traveling to his shoulder as he was immediately disarmed! The scroll was carried away. With bloodshot eyes, he glared at Zhan Zheng before the Legion Commander took a single step, flashing across the battlefield like a divine dragon, each step crushing the life and body of an enemy soldier. They didn't even get the chance to wail before their deaths.

A spiritual lock was formed around him, further sealing all escape routes as the Battalion Commander's nose began to bleed.

"SPIRITUALIST?!" He shouted in abject horror and disbelief as he witnessed the frightening power of a spiritual spell launched through a single gaze. Unfortunately, as his mouth was about to open, Zhan Zheng paid him no mind as his spear reappeared in his left hand and the scroll in the other. With a thrust, the spear pierced through the Battalion Commander's chest, sending a sanguine blooming lotus of his blood outwards. Eyes wide, the Battalion Commander gawked, desiring to speak, yet Zhan Zheng didn't give him a chance. A brief shake of his spear sent a vibration of power through it, reading the Battalion Commander unconscious.

With a brutal yank that was bone-slicing, he grabbed the neck of the Battalion Commander before the eyes of the stunned soldiers who had dominated this region of the Battlefield for quite a while. Flying upwards, he pulsed with a thunderous roaring blast, gathering the attention of all the enemy for a brief second.

This tactic instantly created an opening as the Soldiers of War didn't halt their weapons of war. They struck with vicious precision, claiming lives without hesitation. The number dipped to an all-time low: 74.

All the remaining soldiers that were shown a rare mercy were captured, any extraordinary attempt to flee or depart, whether it was unique spatial talismans granted to them as a survival tool for the Battlefield, likely by the Heavenly Daos' arrangement or their raw karmic fortune was seized and halted by the Law of Space.

"Commander Zhan! All prisoners of war have been secured!" A logistics officer who doubled as a member of the archer unit announced. On the bodies of each unconscious soldier were shackles of gold, emitting faint solar light, etched with esoteric spiritual runes. The only exception was the Battalion Commander in Legion Commander's Zhan Zheng hands.

He glanced at the half-dead yet still living body and tossed it towards the logistic officer as if it was trash. Prisoners of War only had a single right—to live for as long as their captors desired. The logistics officer caught the Battalion Commander and efficiently placed restraints on them.

"Clean up," Zhan Zheng ordered as he flickered away, arriving beside Wei Wuyin, who wielded the sanguine yet strangely illusory War Flag. The Spirits of War got busy, immediately looting all valuable materials and Identity Runes for War Souls from the deceased.

Wei Wuyin expected nothing less from the Legion of War that he had poured significant effort to grow. For example, the logistics officer was not an unfamiliar face, but an inhabitant of the Endless Purgatory. This was an individual who had survived the destruction of the Demonic Sovereign by the grace of talent, ability, and fortune. He was a genuine Heavenly Saint talented in organization and calculation, someone who created and cultivated using Enlightened Scholarly Mist, and fit perfectly in the Legion of War.

Many of the original members of the Legion of War were promoted elsewhere. They led their own unit. Wei Wuyin sent his spiritual sense toward the 299,999 sanguine stars within Athena's Heaven's Gate, and his eyes were thoughtful.

Zhan Zheng waited for Wei Wuyin to process his thoughts, silently waiting in a proper posture. In truth, emotions surged within his eyes as he stood there. Back then, Wei Wuyin was a mere mortal wielding their power, and now the Nexus War Flag and his entire Legion had undergone a great change that could conquer lesser galaxies such as the White Abyssal Galaxy whose strongest were Mystic Overlords.

With all his experiences and inherent knowledge of his limitations, which were former limitations now, he could never imagine wielding Laws so fluidly without igniting his Spiritual Soul to tap into the latent aura of the Law of War. It was an unbelievable moment. How could he not be emotional? However, none of it showed as he presented as a perfect commander.

Wei Wuyin was keenly attuned to the emotional states of his Spirits of War, so he briefly smiled, and then looked to Zhan Zheng. The Spirit of War reacted with only that slight prompt, "All designated individuals with the auras you've described as been captured."

Wei Wuyin nodded. He didn't want to kill the Blessed within the army, likely pushing his Calamity of Hell far ahead of schedule, at least at this moment, and had captured them as Prisoners of War. He also wanted to test a theory relating to the Law of War's Spoils of War foundation. Was it within his rights to claim...everything?

As he thought this, the sanguine War Flag fluttered as Athena drew in the bodies and remnant souls of the recently defeated and deceased. They were added as a storm of soul light flashed brightly, all entering the flag as if returning home. These were elites, so they had a good foundation to grow and develop.

He sensed that a few sanguine stars within Athena's Heaven's Gate pulsed with joyous excitement as if feeding a deep hunger. After seizing his spoils, he stared at the sanguine sky that had changed due to the immense slaughter occurring on the Battlefield.

"The race for the Last Daospark has begun. Those who wield true power are gathering those of fortune and strength to grow for their own ends, gathering War Souls the fastest they can. And this isn't even the main battlefield. The Galactic Battlefield is likely far more intense," Wei Wuyin said with a solemn tone.

"Shall we gather enough War Souls to ascend to the Galactic Battlefield?" Legion Commander Zhan Zheng inquired. He was willing to champion this cause, sending them to the higher levels.

"Not yet," Wei Wuyin remarked as his eyes glowed. "There's someone that's going wild."

As he said that, his gaze narrowed at the sanguine sky. This sanguine sky was not a natural phenomena, but one generated by immense slaughter on an epic scale. Moreover, the traces of a predatory aura existed within, focusing on him as long as he existed beneath the sky.

"Let's go. We have someone to check on," Wei Wuyin waved the war flag, and Zhan Zheng barked orders spiritually. The Legion got into an orderly marching formation with perfect pacing and organization. They were ready to march onwards.

Tilly rushed over, her eyes radiating genuine shock. Only when she arrived by Wei Wuyin's side did her turbulent emotions somewhat cool down. Wei Wuyin beamed and held out his hand for her to grab. She instinctively grabbed his hand, feeling the strength and warmth within that settled her soul.

Without a word, behind the Legion, they relocated.

A far, far away distance.

A heaven-piercing pillar of blood smashed against the sky, sending rippling waves of sanguine light. At the center

of this pillar was a barefooted figure, long hair, and serene expression.

When the Legion of War was summoned, the figure's eyes opened, revealing a fierce gaze of an apex predator. A touch of a savage smile surfaced on the figure's lips.