Stratholme, Gilbert and the others chuckled as they watched the Godhunters pause after every step they took, overly cautious. The previously tense atmosphere became much more relaxed.
"At this rate, it will take them another day to actually enter Pandemonium. Haha, these Godhunters are really funny. It's not like we have any formidable defences on the outer perimeter," Stratholme remarked with a chuckle.
"They're terrified!" Ayermike pointed to a group of Godhunters in the spatial mirror and said, "Look closely at this bunch. There are still wounds on their bodies and their steps are rather disorderly. Even their movements seemed awkward and unnatural. It is obvious that they were severely injured in the last attack!"
The members of the House of Han had heard about Dhaka's misfortune in the Three Mountains near Han Hao's base. They couldn't help but cast a quick glance at Han Hao, feeling a sense of awe as they thought about how half of their opponent's army had just perished.
Standing in the chamber with them was Han Hao's main body. His secondary soul, which possessed his replica body, had now rejoined his main soul and body. The current Han Hao was in peak condition and stronger than ever. Although he was still no match for Dhaka or Asser, he was absolutely confident that he could defeat Dagmar, who was also a Death Energy cultivator.
"They won't attack for at least another day. We don't need to worry too much for now," Bollands remarked after calmly assessing the movement and distance of the Godhunters.
"I hope they all die! These degenerates should be cleansed from the universe!" Andrina shouted hatefully.
For whatever reason, Andrina was extremely hostile towards the Godhunters. If there was a magic button that could somehow wipe out every Godhunter in the world, she would smash it without hesitation. She would be triggered if she heard anything remotely related to Godhunters and would proclaim the extermination of them.
Han Hao took a quick glance at Andrina and made a mental note to keep his followers as far away from the strange little girl as possible. She knew how terrifying Andrina was, and that none of his followers were Andrina's match.
Besides, Andrina was the daughter of the Goddess of Fate, a close friend of Han Shuo, and had recently become Han Jin's lover. Even if Andrina killed a few of his followers in a rage, there was nothing Han Hao could do. He also thought that he should talk to Han Jin to prevent his sister-in-law from killing his followers.
"Let's get ready. It's time to activate all primary formations," Bollands said after taking a moment to assess the situation.
"Okay!" replied the Five Elite Zombies. They glanced at Han Hao and left the chamber.
There were dozens of demonic formations of varying sizes around Pandemonium. Some of them would consume yuan energy at an astonishing rate even when they were idle, especially those demonic formations with extremely terrifying power. Although Pandemonium had accumulated a considerable amount of Yuan over the years, it was not unlimited. Therefore, in order to conserve their Yuan reserves, most of the demonic formations were deactivated until the last possible moment.
Even though the Godhunter Alliance army was now right outside their territory and would attack soon, they could still wait a little longer before activating the energy-guzzling formations. However, considering Han Shuo's current absence, the Pandemonians dared not take any chances.
Han Hao left shortly after the five elite zombies left the room. Andrina thought for a moment before quietly catching up with Han Jin.
Over the past few days, Andrina had always been seen with Han Jin. It was as if they were inseparable. Not only were they attracted to each other, but they also seemed to be able to help each other with their cultivation, as if they knew each other better than they understood themselves.
"Everyone get ready. Order the House of Han guards to be stationed in every region. We must use not only the power of the demonic formations, but also the power of our army. Dhaka, Dagmar and Asser are all experts in the Overgod realm. Each of them is many times more powerful than the combined might of Hill and Sha-t'o of Witherbone City. We must not let our guard down," Bollands ordered with a straight face after Han Hao and the others had left.
The members of the House of Han understood the gravity of the situation. They stopped giggling and went back to work.
***
Outside Pandemonium, Dhaka, Dagmar and Asser discussed how to attack Pandemonium. Dagmar suggested that they should bombard Pandemonium with a burst of energy, destroying all its boundaries and defences.
Dhaka thought they should be more methodical. They should survey and probe the environment as much as possible before attempting an exploratory attack. And if it failed, they would inform other Godhunters and call for reinforcements.
Asser, however, had a completely different approach. He suggested that the three of them explore Pandemonium on their own. With their Overgod power, they should be able to escape easily, no matter what trap was set. Their combined power should be more than enough to handle both Han Shuo and Han Hao.
The three of them held firm to their own opinions. They were unable to reach a consensus.
It took a full day of discussion before they finally agreed to test Pandemonium's defences. They ordered their entire remaining army to assemble just outside the thick fog that shrouded Pandemonium.
At the Hegemons' command, the three groups of Godhunters simultaneously launched ranged attacks into the dense nebula.
Colourful bursts of energy were launched into the air. They followed a parabolic path and fell into the thick mist. A deafening rumble sounded from behind the impregnable veil as brilliant radiances of all colours erupted.
....
After a long time, the rumbling subsided and the flashes died down, but the three Hegemons did not get the result they wanted. In fact, they got nothing. They heard no pitiful screams and no members of the House of Han scurrying to escape the bombardment. They didn't even know if their attack had caused any damage or casualties.
"Dagmar, even you cannot feel any soul waves?" asked Dhaka in amazement.
By now, the immense hatred had vanished from Dagmar's eyes. He had temporarily put aside his thirst for revenge. In a deep voice he said, "I can feel a force that's preventing my soul from sensing anything far beyond the thick fog. It's like being blindfolded. My soul can't sense if there are any dead. In fact, I can't even sense the slightest presence within.
Asser's expression changed when he heard this. He immediately remembered their experience at the Three Mountains. "The situation is bad. I'm afraid we've fallen into another trap. We have to be extra careful in such uncertain circumstances!"
"Let's go in and have a look, the three of us." After some hesitation, Dagmar finally agreed to Asser's first suggestion.
Dhaka had already discussed it with Tyre. He had intended to use the battle on the Fringe to take control of the Godhunter Alliance. He thought that with the combined strength of the three of them, they could easily destroy Pandemonium. Little did they know that they would lose up to half their men before they could even engage the Pandemonians.
Because of this, Dhaka no longer dared to gamble with the lives of his men, for they were what he counted on to maintain any semblance of power in the Alliance. He didn't want to take any more risks, but if he didn't even go in to check, all their attacks would be a waste of energy. So he had no choice but to make his decision.
Asser agreed with Dhaka and turned to Dagmar. "I'm sure the three of us won't have any trouble going in."
At that moment, Dhaka suddenly felt some undulations coming from his space ring. He didn't make a sound, but secretly used his soul to check the message left on the magic mirror.
After a while, his face lit up with joy. "Come, let us check this place out for good. Ideally, we'll be able to destroy the defensive barriers altogether. Hmph, I doubt Pandemonium is as formidable as it looks!"
"Why the sudden change in tone, Dhaka?" Dagmar asked, taken aback by the sudden change in attitude.
""I have received Intel from a reliable source that Bryan is not in Pandemonium at the moment. Haha, it seems he's gone to Glacial Peak. There's no way he can make it back so quickly! We should destroy everything he has built here and wait for him to return before we kill him!
Dagmar and Asser suddenly turned and looked at each other before asking Dhaka suspiciously, "Are you sure?"
"One hundred percent," Dhaka replied confidently, but without explaining the source of his information. He grinned mischievously and said, "Come on, let's go!"
Dhaka then took the lead and stepped into the thick fog confidently and without hesitation. Dagmar and Asser hesitated for a moment but decided to trust Dhaka and followed him.
As soon as they entered the dense fog, they noticed that their senses were severely affected. Not only were their visions severely obstructed, even their divine souls could not travel far.
"Everyone be careful, this is a dangerous place. But as long as the three of us stick together, nothing should go wrong," Dhaka said after his fellow Hegemons had entered the mist.
Dhaka waited for a long time, but heard no answer.
"Dagmar! Asser! Where are you? Why don't you speak?" shouted a startled Dhaka. He heard nothing but the echo of his own voice, growing louder and louder, as if amplified by something. Then, as if triggered by his voice, an unknown energy suddenly swarmed towards him.