It seemed as though Ruthren was surely going to get crushed under all the collective pressure from all the most powerful experts attacking him at the same time.
But instead of feeling worried, Ruthren laughed, making Damien's eyes widen as he shouted, "Everyone, get back!!"
Elor and Irene heard him as they also realized that something was off. But it was impossible to get back to where they were in a split second since they had charged forward with so much speed.
Black veins spread over Ruthren's face or, to be precise, the Lancaster Emperor's body before his eyes became gray and lifeless.
*BOOOOOM!*
The Lancaster Emperor's body suddenly exploded with a resounding explosion that shook the space and earth around it as a black light radiated for a while.
The beautiful green land throughout the island quaked while the shockwaves from the explosion radiated in all directions.
Everyone who had tried to attack Ruthren was blasted away, while some evaporated instantly. Even those who survived lost some limbs or were in a worse condition.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Damien had tried to spread his Anti-God energy around the others, especially Elor and Irene, to act as a shield against the explosion that was filled with a good amount of nethereal energy.
But the explosion was too quick, and he was unable to shield everyone in time, and even if he were able to shield some, he never got the time to solidify his energy.
Even he and his wives were also thrown back since the self-destruction of a High-Level Profound Ethereal Realm cultivator was close to the explosion of an atomic bomb, as Damien would put it. The Lancaster Emperor was surely at least as powerful as the Gale Emperor, and nobody would ever dare to stand near when someone of his power self-destructed.
The explosion of the ethereal core would be even more powerful than the strongest attack they could put out if they were alive.
Damien had used his Anti-Energy to protect his wives more than himself, and thus none of them suffered any serious injuries. As for him, he only suffered a few scratches, which have already begun to heal.
If he had only used ethereal energy, the damage would have been even higher.
Elor and Irene, fortunately, were able to use their ethereal energy to fully protect their vital organs in time after hearing the warning. Most of the others did as well, but their cultivation wasn't strong enough to save them from the full brunt of the explosion.
But despite protecting themselves in time, Elor, Irene, and Leon were feeling as if their energies were drained and feeling numbness all over their bodies.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"}) King Krisen had it the worst among them since he was farther away from Damien and the Anti-Energy wasn't able to properly mitigate the full force of the explosion. Despite circulating his ethereal energy in time, he had one of his arms blasted away and collapsed on the ground with injuries here and there.
The landmass near the explosion was completely annihilated instantly, while the air was filled with dark energy that even seemed to shut out the sunlight.
Damien was even more appalled to see that whatever was left of the land around him had turned a rotten color of black, the smell of death pervading his senses.
'No…This cannot be…' Damien could hear the wails and cries of the Forsaken people dying around him. They were all smiling just a few minutes ago, but now most of them were dead, especially the ones too powerless to save their lives.
After making sure his wives were okay, he looked around only to see death all around him. His vision stretched far as he saw many dead bodies lying around, especially outside the small straw houses where most of the commoners lived.
Damien couldn't even sense a wisp of life where the commoners stayed. With Ruthren's arrival in the Lancaster Emperor's body, they were instructed to stand back as far as possible since the collateral damage from fighting a Profound Ethereal Realm cultivator could affect them.
But even after backing away as far as they could, it did not help them when the shockwaves of the explosion annihilated them to dust.
All the children and the elderly except for the powerful senior cultivators must have died already.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"Oh no…They…" Lily felt her heart shiver, sensing that none of the children and the sweet and kind people she had talked and interacted with since the time she came here survived. Only just now, she had lost someone who was like a grandfather to her, and now…why did all these people have to die?
Reva's cold azure eyes were trembling as she saw how most of her people had died and even the ones who survived weren't in good shape. They were the only remaining ones of her people, something she, Irene, Elor, and even her own mother had sacrificed a lot to protect.
She had loved and protected them like her own family and as their young leader, but seeing the darkness around her made her realize how badly she had failed.
Yuria bit her lips, seeing how this beautiful place was turned into a place of death and despair within just seconds. Her hands clenched into fists, cursing Ruthren to rot in hell for killing so many innocent people. She had played with most of the children here, and seeing them all dead made her stomach harden.
Still, she looked at Lily and Reva, who seemed to have an empty expression, and helped them up.
She then looked at her father and was horrified to see one of his arms severed while he remained unconscious in a very bad state, "Papa!" She immediately rushed towards him with tears in her eyes.
Today was supposed to be the happiest day for all of them, especially for Damien and his women, but Ruthren just had to attack them today with so many Zirians gathered here.
Damien's blood was boiling with anger and resentment towards Ruthren for not only ruining his wedding day but also destroying the happiness of the ones he cared about as well.
Lily lost her grandfather, Reva lost almost all her people, and Yuria's father suffered serious injuries. Her father was the only remaining blood family for her.
But before anyone could even catch a breath, a mocking voice echoed in the region, "How impressive. Some of you still managed to survive?"
