Inside the Sky Annihilation Formation, Dhaka fought to no end. By now, thirty percent of his destructive energy had been depleted by the various forces oppressing him. As angry as he was, he was helpless against the forces within the formation, unable to break free from it. Not to mention the fact that he had to be constantly on the lookout for more insidious attacks.
After a while, the mysterious forces within the formation seemed to be affected by another force, as it weakened. Elated, Dhaka seized the opportunity to channel all of his destructive energy into a lance, which he used to pierce through the formation's bonds and break free.
Outside, the smiling Judas slowly held a cross away. He looked at Dhaka and asked, "What's wrong? Are you trapped as well?"
Dhaka's eyes lit up when he saw the cross. "Is this one of the four divine artefacts created by the God of Light?"
Judas was quite surprised, as he hadn't expected Dhaka to be aware of this as well. Nodding, he said, "That's right. The Holy Grail, the Olive Branch, the Crucifix and the Angel Sculpture were indeed forged by the God of Light. The olive branch is in Gyál's hands, while I have the Crucifix. Haha, if I didn't have one of the divine artefacts, even I wouldn't be able to get you out of there.
Surprised, Dhaka shook his head with a bitter laugh. "For you to possess the crucifix and not be eliminated by the God of Light, Judas, you are truly impressive."
"You flatter me too much," Judas said with a bow. "Praise the bright mercy of the God of Light that illuminates us all!"
...
In another formation, Han Shuo's expression changed as he followed Ossora. Suddenly, he seemed to stall in mid-flight. Han Shuo's consciousness was connected to every single formation in Pandemonium, and the changes coming from the Sky Annihilation Formation weren't lost on him. A sudden force had affected the Yuan Energy of the formation, allowing the trapped Dhaka to escape. At the same time, he felt another chilling aura that informed him of an approaching enemy.
Before Han Shuo could do anything, the Hegemon of Water, Tuckamore, suddenly appeared. He scanned the surroundings and smiled. "Interesting. I didn't think Pandemonium would have the upper hand!"
As Tuckamore appeared, Asser, who was being heavily pursued by Wasir and Salas, immediately broke free from their encirclement in a burst of energy. He came to Tuckamore's side and said, "Pandemonium is much harder to deal with than we thought. We need to work together to wipe it out!"
Tuckamore nodded. "I really didn't think that the toughest place in the Fringe would be Logue or Tyre, but rather Pandemonium."
Seeing Tuckamore and Asser together, Ossora also tried to join their side.
Han Shuo's expression was grim, but he didn't stop Ossora's movements as the dozens of stone pillars that held the formation together began to crack. The energy powering the formation suddenly vanished.
Dhaka and Judas finally appeared. As they took aim at Han Shuo, they made sure to keep their eyes on him, lest he make any sudden moves.
"I didn't think you'd come to Pandemonium as well," Han Shuo said to Tuckamore and Judas, "Where's Logue? Is Osteoburg finished?"
Judas was wearing an old, white, tattered robe. He had a gentle look on his face, quite unlike a bloodthirsty Hegemon. He smiled and replied, "Osteoburg is indeed finished, but that cunning Logue has managed to escape.
"What about Tyre?" Han Shuo asked after some thought.
Logue's escape was within his predictions. Given his cunning personality, he would definitely flee without regard for his subordinates if things got dangerous for him. It wasn't a great feat for him to leave on his own, considering how long he had been in Osteoburg.
However, Han Shuo was surprised that Judas and Tuckamore had come to Pandemonium instead of going to Tyre's base, which was closer. Their presence here meant that the battle against Tyre was over.
Judas hesitated for a moment before saying, "Tyre and his subordinates are gone. When Balintan and Kauze reached the Shrine of Destruction, they didn't see a single god, nor did they see Tyre. So the two of them came as well."
Han Shuo knew that the two of them were the Fire and Life Hegemons in charge of attacking the Shrine of Destruction, which was Tyre's base of operations in the Fringe. It appeared that the two had returned from the shrine empty-handed.
Although the Fringe was large, there were only five truly powerful factions: Logue's, Ossora's, Wasir's, Tyre's and Pandemonium. With Tyre gone, Logue on the run, and both Ossora and Wasir in Pandemonium, the place became the central location for the Godhunter Alliance to wipe out. As such, the Alliance Hegemons came to Pandemonium more by accident than by design.
Hearing Judas' explanation, Han Shuo's heart sank. He had thought that Tyre and Logue would either resist their attacks or come up with a plan. Little did he know that they would run away without offering any resistance and buy him time.
Han Shuo had planned to take out the divided forces of the Godhunter Alliance one by one. For one, the two Hegemons who had gone to Glacial Peak had been stuffed into the rift by him. They wouldn't be able to return to Elysium for thousands of years. Regis, Isaiah and Miller, on the other hand, had been sealed in the underground secret chamber while he was about to deal with Dagmar, Dhaka and Asser.
With just a little more time, his divide-and-conquer strategy would have worked, and Judas and the rest would have marched to their deaths. But the opposite happened. Not only had Judas and Tuckamore managed to save Dhaka, but they had also probably let Regis and the others out.
As if he had guessed what Han Shuo was thinking, Judas smiled and nodded. " "It is as you thought. Balintan and Kauze have gone in search of the three. They should be able to release them soon."
As Judas said this, Han Shuo felt his heart skip a beat. He could feel the strong undulations coming from the chamber where he had sealed Regis and the others, indicating that they were indeed about to be released.
He grimaced as he began to despair, thinking that there was really no way to predict fate. Even the best plans could be upset by the slightest variable. As long as Judas and Tuckamore had been a day late, he'd been able to deal with Ossora, Asser and Dhaka for good, while sealing off Regis, Isaiah and Miller forever.
Even if the rest came later, with Wasir, Salas, Han Hao and Andrina's powers and the advantage of being on home ground, he was confident that he would be able to stop at least two of the four from escaping Pandemonium.
Now things were out of his control. The real battle was about to begin, and he didn't feel he stood a chance.
At that moment, a white bone throne flew towards them from the distance and stopped beside Han Shuo. Sitting in the centre of the throne was Han Hao. He looked around wordlessly and hovered closer to Han Shuo. "Dagmar is dead."
His words startled everyone. Judas glanced at the sombre looking Dhaka before looking at Asser. Shaking his head with a look of resignation, he lamented, "I didn't think Dagmar would be so pathetic as to be wiped out by a former subordinate. To think that I even supported him..."
Han Shuo was slightly relieved to hear this news. After going through all his thoughts once more, he said, "It looks like there will have to be a fight. If I can kill one or two of you before the rest arrive, we might be able to survive!"
Dhaka grinned and said, "In your dreams! Don't think I don't know how Han Hao was able to defeat Dagmar. Hmph, even if he was able to kill him, he's no match for us!"
He glanced at Wasir and Salas, the latter making his eyes burn with hatred once more. "Those two, and you, have no chance against me, Judas, Tuckamore and Asser. You couldn't possibly kill one or two of us!"
However, Judas raised his hand to stop the mockery. He turned to Han Shuo and said, "Tell us the secrets of the energy you cultivate and Pandemonium. I will allow your divine soul and your women and children to leave, but Salas and Wasir must remain!"
For Judas, this battle no longer made much sense. He was basically in full control of the situation, so he could simply let Han Shuo's soul leave as a gesture of generosity. Han Shuo could always cultivate for a thousand years to regain his current strength, not to mention that his family and friends would be safe.
"Bryan, that sounds like a proposition you can accept," the cold Wasir said out of Han Shuo's expectations. He seemed neither elated nor dejected. It was as if he hadn't even heard what Judas had said. He didn't seem to care about his possible death