Chapter 208: The Clash Beneath the Central Skies
In the Southern Central Region of the Desert Red Star Continent, there were twenty sectioned lands. Across the greater Central Region, there were over one hundred—this was the true Land of Opportunity, even for Mortal Lords. It was also the area most frequently breached by creatures from the void and the reverse was equally true. Across Desert Red Star, Purple Starmist, and the other lower continents, the central lands shared one truth: they held the best chances to cross into a Middle Continent.
Within one of the southern sectioned lands—ruins breathing archaic air beneath towering, newly-sprouted trees—a vast magical formation flared beside a weathered building.
Elton, Christy, and Erica stumbled out in a flash, shock on their faces. A heartbeat later, they steadied.
"Master truly is a crude man for doing such a thing out of the blue…" Christy sighed.
"I almost thought I was going to pass out! I've never seen such a teleportation spell before. Even my spell is just for summoning myself to El Onyem," Erica said, hand to chest, calming her breath.
"Guys… we've got trouble." Elton's gaze swept the grounds as his Celestial Sense expanded.
Three separate groups surrounded them—clearly not allies—every eye wary and hostile.
To one side stood a faction of angel-like people, their presence serene yet sharp, giving an impression of birds without losing their celestial dignity.
Opposite them stood humans in stitched purple martial robes, each marked with an emblem—disciplined, organized, clearly a sect or clan.
The third faction was composed of barbaric-looking humans. The men were massive, with hair-covered faces, large eyes, and large ears; the women were otherwise normal in stature but had large ears and sharp, bushy eyebrows that lent them a fierce, untamed air. Together, they radiated a raw, savage pressure.
"Intruders! Who might you people be!" snapped one of the purple-robed men, killing intent threading his voice as he eyed both the newcomers and the other two factions.
The angel-like and barbaric factions leveled weapons as well, trading glances among themselves and then back to Elton's group.
"Damn," Elton groaned inwardly. He exhaled, then spoke evenly. "We're not here to cause trouble. Our sect sent us to complete a mission, that's all. My friends and I mean no harm. Who might you all be?"
Silence stretched as the three sides measured them.
"Hmph! What kind of mission sends you into this war zone?" a barbaric man roared, playing to the crowd. "We three factions fight for supremacy here! Maybe it's best to get rid of you!"
Elton could tell that the man was in fact partially putting up a bluff funnily enough.
Christy's voice reached Elton and Erica through the Celestial Sense link they had threaded together, her words riding their connection like a whisper: "Gege, I've scanned as far as I can with my eyes. I count at most seven Golden Lords and nine Gold Tier Fours. There are active formations on all three sides."
"In that case…" Elton murmured.
He stepped forward, a calm, heroic smile settling on his face, and drew on his Ki. He donned a white mask inlaid with golden stars. Erica and Christy mirrored him with their own masks.
Christy's Kokon Tengan ignited, her sacred gaze piercing the field as a mind-affecting ripple swept outward. Erica worked in tandem, her white liquid flames blooming into oppressive heat that warped the air, the two auras harmonizing into a single wall of pressure.
Elton's voice boomed, amplified by his Celestial Sense and Ki: "We are White Star Radiance! We're here to establish a base—and to defend this land against a demon army that will soon arrive!"
The pressure slammed across the clearing. Even Golden Lords and Gold Tier Fours felt their memories blur, struggling to recall the trio's faces from before the masks. A gust rolled past as the Winged Serpent emerged from Elton's dimensional space in humanoid form, a cold sneer on his lips.
"So you people are enemies after all!!" someone from the barbaric side roared, killing intent erupting as more warriors surged from the ruins.
"Tch—more obstacles. Dispose of them!" barked a leader from the purple-robed sect, his forces rallying in waves.
Only the angel-like faction hesitated. Their formation parted as a middle-aged man stepped forward—small feathered wings flexing gently, a white circlet hovering above his brow. His eyes opened; a beam of light lanced two feet from his gaze. He fixed on Elton—expression blank, voice clinical:
"…Could it be? The harbinger of disaster—and the one who forced the demon to reveal its hand back then? I cannot see his fate. Probability… sixty-eight percent.
"Aka Boshi no Tengan girl—evolved eyes? Seventy-two percent.
"Soloman clan woman—evolved bloodline? Seventy-six percent.
"Mutated Winged Serpent Demonic Beast, scattered fate… eighty-three percent."
Beside him, a beautiful angel-like woman with two wings just under two feet long listened intently. At the mention of demons, her eyes hardened. She glanced among her people, then back to Elton's group—choosing caution over bloodlust, as if to hear them out rather than rush the blade.
In the charged quiet that followed, formations thrummed, fingers tightened on hilts, and the Central skies seemed to lean in, waiting to see who would strike first.
"We vassals of the Cherub Nation would like to hear more about what you all have to say! Hmph! Why are you barbaric fools of the Olgar Clan, and you trash from the Purple Rumblings Martial Sect, so eager to attack?"
An angelic man from the Cherub Nation sneered disdainfully, shouting toward the other two factions and instantly setting them on edge.
"What is the meaning of this? So they were with you all along?" a woman from the Olgar Clan snapped in irritation as she and her clansmen glared at the Cherub warriors.
The disciples of the Purple Rumblings Martial Sect remained tense, killing intent still surging as they waited for a single command to strike.
"Did you not hear what I said?" the Cherub man barked. "We would like to hear more from them! Now then—you spoke of a demon invasion occurring around this area? Where did you receive such information, and why should we trust you?"
Elton surveyed the field, then fixed his gaze on the Cherub Nation group. He drew forth his sect identification token, its insignia gleaming faintly.
"Truth be told, we are disciples of the Bright Brilliant Blade Sect—and in my case, I hold a special position even among them. It was my master who told me."
The instant he mentioned that name, the Purple Rumblings disciples visibly flinched while the other two factions grew far more guarded.
Again the soft, emotionless murmur came from within the Cherub Nation's ranks as the middle-aged seer spoke:
"…Ninety percent. This is high enough. It is best we do not provoke this fellow. Perhaps we shall once again achieve that opportunity with him…"
Meanwhile, within the Purple Rumblings Martial Sect, a man stood hidden among his peers, his fists clenched. Their sect had long been at odds with the Bright Brilliant Blade Sect—twice they had waged branch-sect wars, and twice they had suffered crushing defeat. A third war nearly erupted, drawing in both main sects, but that conflict ended abruptly when two great elders and their former sect master vanished.
In the aftermath, the Bright Brilliant Blade Sect's master himself appeared before the Purple Rumblings Sect—three swings of his sword were all it took to bring devastation and demand repayment. The humiliation still burned. For years, they had clawed at lost pride.
"We can't act recklessly," the hidden man muttered grimly. "I don't know what this White Star Radiance is, but we must tread carefully when dealing with those damned sword maniacs."
Those who overheard him nodded, faces tight with resentment.
As for the Olgar Clan, they barked curses but made no move to fight.
"As you can see, in this territory we three factions are fighting for supremacy," the Cherub warrior said coolly. "Not far from here, four more factions contest another area while keeping eyes on us. Truly, most of the Central Region is the same—even the northern reaches under the Almighty Red Star Empire are little different. It is only natural that you newcomers be seen as another invading threat."
"I see…" Elton replied evenly. "Well, wherever the demon invasion appears—that's where we'll settle."
"Heh. You three, by yourselves? I highly doubt you could do much," a woman from the Purple Rumblings sneered, her eyes sharp.
"Eh? Who said it'll be just us?" Elton shrugged beneath his mask, tone half-wry. "We're simply the first arrivals. Our master forcibly transported us here at random."
The field fell into tense silence. None of the factions dared attack; they still couldn't fully gauge the trio's strength.
No—there was more to it.
First, the Winged Serpent's humanoid presence radiated faint Mortal Shedding power despite clear injury.
Second, the Cherub Nation's abrupt shift to caution unsettled the others.
Third, the Purple Rumblings recognized the dreaded name of the Bright Brilliant Blade Sect.
And finally, the Olgar Clan—
"So you low-class angels and you trash of a fallen sect are submitting out of fear because they bear the Bright Brilliant Blade Sect's name, eh? How pitiful!" boomed a massive, grizzled man with a long beard, thick brows, and shaggy hair. His rocky brown-and-green armor gleamed under the morning sun, a giant axe slung across his back.
"Heh! Since you newcomers are so mighty that they quake before you, how about you and your White Star Radiance join our Olgar Clan to crush the surrounding factions and aid us when this so-called demon invasion comes!"
"!!!"
"Y-you…"
Both the Cherub Nation and the Purple Rumblings Sect reeled in disbelief. Even Elton's group blinked.
"…I think those people are probably the most dangerous—especially with their shamelessness," Erica muttered flatly.
Elton and Christy exchanged looks and silently nodded in agreement.