A Gamble at the Rites

At the Pontiff's command, the colossal war machine stretching from the Auerbach Grand Canyon to the Amulang Mountains rumbled to life.

The true caliber of McAllen's Royal Imperial Guards was laid bare. While ordinary guards were still reeling from the shock that the Fiendkind remained unvanquished, and many spectators in the stands were still gaping, frozen in disbelief, the Guards had already, under the Pontiff's orders, initiated their military operation with disciplined precision.

Tyr flew to the Pontiff's side. Under his direction, the Imperial Guards' Sacred Artifact Cannons were aimed at the turf of the Earth Burial Sacred Tomb. Boom, boom... Cannon fire flashed, blasting dozens of deep craters into the flat grassland!

With each crater, earth flew, revealing tunnel after tunnel leading into the Labyrinth of Life!

In an instant, the entire Fiendkind Corpse-Looting Factory was exposed to the sunlight!

The Fiendkind soldiers responsible for transporting corpses finally reacted. Some were blown to pieces on the spot, some retreated into the Labyrinth of Life, while others, filled with fierce resolve, thought: 'Red-Bloods! We finally meet again! It's because of you that our parents, wives, and children suffered untold hardships in that hellish place, the Subterranean Abyss!'

Hidden in the Subterranean Abyss for nearly a millennium, which Violet-Blood family hasn't seen relatives starve to death due to insufficient food?! Which Violet-Blood hasn't witnessed their kin perish in the Abyss's traps? Which Violet-Blood hasn't paid with blood and sweat for a return to the surface world?!

A young Fiendkind soldier, barely fourteen or fifteen, miraculously escaped the first wave of bombardment. He neither fled nor charged forward, but instead lifted his youthful, human-like face and desperately opened his eyes wide!

Yes, it was easy for humans to open their eyes in the sun, but this youth... was seeing sunlight for the first time in his life!

'Is this... sunlight?' he whispered. 'It's so hot, much hotter than the freezing sky of the Abyss... Father, Mother, little brother, I see the sun! I see the legendary sun!'

He drew the short blade from his waist and charged towards the surface. No small number of Fiendkind soldiers shared his thoughts and feelings. This group quickly rallied and surged towards the surface. Though it was a suicidal charge, who knew why they feared no death? Perhaps they simply wished to experience the warmth of sunlight for a few more moments? Who could say?

BOOM! The Sacred Artifact Cannon's light flashed. Of this wave of Fiendkind soldiers, only mangled remains were left. McAllen's Royal Imperial Guards quickly advanced, securing all tunnel entrances. They then aimed the Sacred Artifact Cannons deep into the tunnels, firing ceaselessly...

It was comical. The first battle between humans and Fiendkind was unfolding around dozens of tiny openings. The openings were too small; McAllen soldiers could only fire cannons into them, making a large-scale assault utterly impossible!

While some Fiendkind soldiers also wanted to charge out, how many could emerge from those tiny openings at once? In this confined space, large-scale combat was impossible!

This was also why Bonis absolutely had to seize Orbach's corpse to form the Lion Emperor's Roar. Without large-scale transport routes for troops, no matter how many soldiers the Fiendkind created, it would be in vain. If only a few hundred soldiers could emerge at a time, would that be a counterattack against humanity, or just providing them with more comedic fodder?

On the surface, the Pontiff swiftly directed the assembled Eminence Projects to form a temporary command post. Orders began to be relayed one after another.

Underground, Bonis calmly observed the chaotic Undead Base. He looked up at the wall above, which was already rigged with numerous 'little gifts.' Further up, lay the Auerbach Grand Canyon.

Beside Bonis, Brockman removed his robe, shielding Philip, who had begun to weaken upon the emergence of Holy Light. Brockman's expression was anxious. The Undead Legion was in chaos, Philip was still suffering, and his master had met his nemesis. What was to be done? His heart was a tangled mess!

At that moment, a Fiendkind General stumbled in. 'Marshal, we've been discovered by the Red-Bloods!' he gasped. 'The surface of the Corpse-Looting Factory has been blasted open. Those damned Red-Bloods are bombarding the Undead Factory below with Sacred Artifact Cannons, causing heavy casualties among our frontline soldiers... Now, those damned Red-Bloods are concentrating their Sacred Artifacts to blast the Life Tree's epidermis! Once they blast open a main path, we...'

Bonis said calmly, 'Our plan has gone awry. The Red-Bloods came prepared! Unless I'm mistaken, besides the frontal assault, our escape routes have also been sealed off! Lead our kin's soldiers, carve a bloody path using the Abyssal Keen Slaughter Formation, and make sure to bring as many of our soldiers back as possible, understood?'

'Yes, Marshal! But what about you...'

Bonis sneered, 'Before, for the sake of our great cause, we had to hide our identities and be cautious everywhere! But now that our identities are exposed, there's no need for such reservations. We'll simply go hard! Cover the retreat of our soldiers as quickly as possible. I will lead the Undead Legion to seize Orbach's corpse, and then I'll catch up to you!'

He glanced at the still-chaotic Undead Legion. He then called to Brockman, 'Councilor, it seems our opponents possess a power specifically tailored to counter the Undead. Cover Grand Speaker Philip and help him leave first!'

'No, I won't go! This is all my painstaking effort!'

Philip was extremely weak but stood up resolutely. Brockman quickly used his body to shield him from the light. Philip gazed longingly at the chaotic and rapidly diminishing Undead, stomping his foot and beating his chest. 'I poured over a year of effort into them, a whole year! I absolutely cannot abandon them now!'

Brockman urged, 'My lord, this Holy power is too potent. You should withdraw for now, we...'

Bonis interrupted Brockman. 'Philip, this is merely one base, with only a hundred thousand Undead. Don't forget, over half a million Undead have already entered the Subterranean Abyss in the past year... As a Commander, you must understand sacrifice! Brockman, you know what to do!'

Brockman gritted his teeth, then suddenly grabbed the weakened Philip and hoisted him onto his back. With Philip still suffering, unable to guide the way, he gritted out, 'Marshal, rest assured, Brockman will safely return my lord to the Abyss!'

'I've never doubted your loyalty to Philip. Go! All of you, leave. Only I and the Undead Legion shall remain here!'

In the vast Undead Base, only Bonis remained, along with the chaotic hundred thousand Undead!

Bonis looked up. 'Old friend,' he murmured, 'I had originally planned to spirit you away discreetly. But it seems your descendants aren't giving me that chance. In that case, I won't be polite to them either!'

As he spoke, he stroked the strange wall within the Labyrinth of Life, muttering, 'Life Tree, you've given us Violet-Bloods everything we needed to survive. But today, I must break off a branch of you, one of the Five Primordial Forces of this world... I'm sorry!'

Bonis vanished from his spot. The next moment, he reappeared above the first level of the Undead Factory. Dozens of openings were spewing the might of Sacred Artifact Cannons downwards, yet Bonis seemed oblivious. The rain of Sacred Artifact light couldn't harm him in the slightest!

Bonis slowly raised his hand. A cluster of black, blue, red, and yellow lights converged in his palm, forming a fist-sized orb of iridescent light. Then, another light appeared on the orb, a green that was not as intense as the previous four!

With a gentle wave of his hand...

Not a single sound was made. Not a hint of a prelude was seen. Not the slightest anomaly occurred!

Yet everything above the Undead Factory vanished. The epidermis of the Life Tree that Bonis had mentioned was gone, the thick earth was gone, and even the McAllen soldiers attacking the tunnels in the Corpse-Looting Factory were gone... The hundred-meter-deep underground space was now bathed in sunlight!

On the vast grassland, a chasm as wide as the Auerbach Grand Canyon had formed! It also served as a sufficiently wide transport route for troops!

That day, Deboning had exerted his full strength, yet couldn't harm even an inch of the Life Tree's epidermis!

Bonis's voice resounded, 'Undead soldiers, break out and slaughter everything!'

The chaotic Undead finally found an outlet for their fury. They surged like a tide from the base to the factory, then from the factory, streamed through the wide passage Bonis had opened, and charged towards the surface!

But Bonis was nowhere to be seen!

The next moment, he reappeared in the Undead Base. He gazed at the wall above, breathing faintly. 'I'm old!' he sighed. 'Ah, I don't seek eternal life; I only wish Heaven would grant me ten more years of life...'

He silently gazed at the location of Orbach's corpse above, seemingly recovering his over-expended battle qi, or perhaps waiting for something.

On the surface, the Earth Burial cemetery suddenly vanished into thin air. Countless Undead swarmed out, a sight that instantly plunged the temporary command post into chaos!

The Pontiff calmly declared, 'It's nothing. Bonis has simply arrived! Everyone calm down. My Raging Fire Scorcher Cannon has been preheated since this morning!'

'Your Majesty brought the Raging Fire Scorcher Cannon as well?' Rebadon the Beast Emperor dramatically pounded his chest!

The Pontiff chuckled lightly, 'The Undead have appeared, but Bonis has not. I can be certain he's currently biding his time to seize the corpse of Orbach, the Divine. Therefore, our decisive battle with Bonis will take place in the Auerbach Grand Canyon!'

The Pontiff surveyed the crowd. 'To ensure Bonis's demise, I require a suicide squad strong enough for the task,' he announced. 'These individuals might perish alongside Bonis, sharing the full force of the Raging Fire Scorcher Cannon.'

Just as Rebadon was about to speak, Hawkins interjected, 'Your Majesty and the Family Head bear vital responsibilities and cannot risk it! This suicidal mission falls to me and the Crimson Mausoleum Guards!'

The Saint Baton Clan Head, Lombaton, cast a cold glance at Du Chen. 'I believe the members of Du Chen's Divine Cult are better suited for this task!' he declared.

Huh! Had he ever offended this guy? Was it just because he'd had two secret convocations with his fickle wife?

Du Chen chuckled. 'Family Head Lombaton, I certainly won't shirk from dealing with Bonis! But I have an even more crucial mission!'

'What mission could be more important than Bonis?' Lombaton demanded sharply.

Du Chen smiled, gesturing to the Undead swarming out in the distance. 'You all can go deal with Bonis. As for me, I shall follow Du Chen, the Divine, and deal with these Undead!'

'Hmph, what a joke! Do you really think just a few of you can annihilate a hundred thousand Undead?' Lombaton scoffed. Things had unfolded too suddenly today; Lombaton hadn't had time to learn of the Pontiff's discussion with Du Chen.

Seeing the two bickering, the Pontiff subtly closed his eyes, offering no opinion.

With a great war imminent, Lombaton was being petty. The Pontiff clearly intended to use Du Chen to make Lombaton more obedient! Du Chen secretly curled his lips. 'Family Head, don't you believe it?' he challenged. 'Care to make a wager?'

Lombaton snorted, 'A wager, then! If you lose...'

Hawkins grabbed his Eldest Brother's arm, exclaiming indignantly, 'Eldest Brother! This isn't the time for petty battle qi disputes!'

'Get out of the way!' Lombaton snapped. 'I don't believe a few of them can handle a hundred thousand people. Does he think that 'Du Chen, the Divine' possesses the capabilities of Orbach, the Supreme Father God?'