The Twisted Heavenly Bulwark is under attack.
The Celestials were already on the move. Their activity couldn't be hidden due to how big it was. Moreover, they do not have any intentions of keeping their movements hidden.
They were trying to punch a hole into the world's barrier. Such activity was bound to cause a huge commotion. Of course, since the Celestials weren't deliberately trying to hide their actions, the Hypogeans were also alerted by their movements.
It's not surprising that the Demon Emperor would know it right away.
And much to everyone's surprise, the Demon Emperor chose to follow suit instead of confronting the Celestials first.
There were a lot of demons who doubted the Demon Emperor's intent but didn't dare to say anything to not provoke his ire. Because judging from the aura he's released pretty recently, it is as clear as day that he's in an awful mood.
In truth, it wasn't just the Miraculous Son who woke up from the hypnosis. The Demon Emperor woke up from it too. It happened around the same time as the Miraculous Son.
Being an entity formed by malevolence itself, it's understandable that the Demon Emperor would feel angry about what happened to him.
He got played like a fiddle. He wasn't even able to resist at all. That is a straight-up punch to his pride and dignity. And to someone of his status, it'd be illogical if he didn't dare to return that favor.
Which is what lead him to his recent decision...
He'd be damned to let the Miraculous Son get a hold of those pesky locals first. He has to be the one to get them first so he can have his revenge.
And thus, the huge commotion began...
After a couple of years, Blue Planet is about to get rowdy again. The peace was short but sweet, it's rather unfortunate that it wasn't permanent but since Humanity had tasted it, they will try their best to make it permanent.
Fantasia was already alerted of the activities that are happening. The Morning Sun Federation as well as the Mystic Guild were already on the move.
Nobody was backing down from this. Even if they want to, they couldn't. The Last Bastion is the only remaining habitable place for Humanity.
Sure, the overall situation of the world got a lot better compared to the previous decades, and that's thanks to the combined efforts of the Guild and the Federation.
However, most of those places are still not optimal for Humans to live in. It's still a work in progress so for now, the Last Bastion was all they have.
Now, once again, their home will be facing an existential threat thanks to the invaders. Now's a perfect time for them to show how far they've come. Humanity's situation was far better compared to what it was in the past.
As Ashton said, the preparations they've made and their progress was enough. It will be enough.
Humanity will not fall this time. Just like always, they will win this battle and they will continue to do so until all the invaders are gone.
Ashton stood at the rooftop of the Morning Sun Federation's HQ.
He had a perfect view to see what exactly was going on above them.
Nothing was visible to the common eye. Only dark clouds and faint rumblings here and there. But for someone of his caliber? Everything was visible.
He could see how both the fleets of Celestials and Hypogeans used their ships to fire away at the protective barrier of their world.
Their energy consumption was immense but they didn't seem to care. It was obvious that they are truly determined to force their way in here.
Ashton can also feel the resentment and killing intent that the Miraculous Son and the Demon Emperor felt toward him.
Well, they haven't truly seen his face before so they don't have a proper target. Nonetheless, he knows that it's him.
Chirp!
Ashton blinked and looked over his shoulder to see Skylar perched in there. The songbird was in its tiny form so he didn't feel any weight from this.
"It's alright...I had planned for this outcome anyways." He said, seemingly replying to Skylar.
"..."
"Yes. It would've been better if it happened later or if it didn't happen at all. But what can I do? Even as I am right now, I can't be certain about what tomorrow would bring. All I could do is to prepare for it."
"..."
"That's right. Our soldiers are ready for this. All I have to do is to watch over them."
Ashton kept on watching over the skies. He could see the frantic efforts of both races to shatter the world's barrier.
His eyes narrowed as he whispered:
"Here we go..."
Crack!
It all started with that sound. It was faint, and only High-Evolutionary Cultivators could hear it. But even though it was weak, it enough for them to feel a sinking feeling in their stomachs.
Webs of cracks could be seen across the skies. It didn't take long before it covered the entire world itself.
"Jerry, launch the protective barrier for Last Bastion."
"Launching in five...four..."
Light climbed over the Last Bastion, this was the protective formation that has be built for this specific moment. They can't let the civilians suffer from this whole thing, much less allow those volatile creatures to enter their homes, so this formation was crucial.
And as soon as the formation was raised, the Twisted Heavenly Bulwark caved in.
This time, Ashton didn't prolong it nor he did do anything to stop it from happening. He knew that they couldn't escape this so they might as well welcome it with open arms.
After the destruction of the world's barrier, the sky visibly darkened.
The sun disappeared and the clouds were gone. It was replaced by hordes upon hordes of invaders blotting out the sky.
Such as scene was nearly apocalyptic. It painted an image of sheer horror and brought despair to many civilians. Just their numbers alone made this incredibly unfair.
"Aria, do your thing." Ashton said.
"Right away, Babe." Came in her reply.
Shortly after, a rumble was felt throughout Fantasia. While a lot of people were searching for the source of it, an unbelievable sight was happening throughout the entirety of Fantasia.
The Federal Centers that are scattered across the metropolis suddenly morphed into something that nobody could recognize.
Aria who had eyes all over the world, wore a cold expression as pulled a lever, which immediately caused all of those transformed Federal Centers to go wild.
They frantically fired lasers. Each laser vaporized the invaders that were approaching the Last Bastion mere seconds after they passed.
This was Humanity's warm greeting to the invaders. One that they certainly didn't expect at all.
They couldn't even defend themselves properly against that. It was scary as well since those lasers seem to be enough to actually kill them for real.
The movement of the lasers was unpredictable as well, and as frantic as they were going, they weren't harming anything that belongs to Humanity. They're only harmful against the invader army.
Aria wasn't done though.
On top of the lasers that are still going crazy. She launched rocket shells and salvos at their ships.
Explosions rocked the lands beneath them, and the ships that the invaders were using, suffered from the shells that Aria launched.
The invader army could barely believe this scene. They didn't expect the locals of this world to be so fierce.
It was super rare for those going against them to even put a scratch on their ships, much less destroy them. But humans? They're a different breed.
They lost their aircraft as soon as they came a tad bit close to Humanity's territory. They were destroyed so badly that there's no hope of salvaging them at all.
As a result of that, the invader army panicked. This was the first time that they met some seriously freaky creatures. Ones that are not afraid of them at all and didn't hesitate to attack them.
"HUMAANNS!!!"
BOOM!!
An explosive shout filled with rage and resentment echoed across the skies. What followed was a streak of black falling stars heading towards Last Bastion at supersonic speeds.
"BRING ME THE TRICKSTER!!!"
It was the Demon Emperor who could no longer hold his temper. He directly abandoned his seat to head straight to the locals in search of his target.
"!!!"
But before he could even come close, he felt a strong sense of trepidation stemming from the depths of his blackened heart, which caused him to swerve to the side, seemingly avoiding something.
And that was a smart move, for if he didn't do so, he'd probably end up bisected at this point.
A sharp light streaked past him. He turned around and saw to his shock that the sky has been parted behind him.
That was meant to be him if he didn't manage to avoid it. And that was akin to the cold water being splashed on his face, causing him to calm down and reign in his temper.
"Come on, Big Guy." The Demon Emperor heard someone say not too far from where he was. "Don't scream like that next time. Some people don't like it."
The speaker was a crimson-haired beauty holding a golden sword.
