The ambiance of the 3000 Beast Mountain Range broke in an instant.
A hole was shattered in the trunk of the World Tree, and in its place stood a portal shining with black and white light.
OOOOOOOOOOOH!
As if responding to the appearance of the portal, thunderous bellows rang out from a select few mountains. But even though the number of bellows was small, their volume was enough to shake the entire mountain range.
BOOOOOOM!
At that moment, the Endless Snow and Endless Flame Mountains burst into rubble. From their peaks all the way down to the foundation that rooted them to the ground, black tentacles sprung out and destroyed the land.
The screams of those who lived on those mountains were drowned out by the sound of their destruction.
Millions of tentacles sprung forth from the rubble of the mountains, clutching onto the ground around them and hoisting the body they were attached to out of the abyss that stood below.
4 massive black masses appeared not long after. Each one had hundreds of thousands of tentacles. Their appearances were grotesque, like a slime that was chimera'd together with the body parts of various random beasts.
They were the Heaven Swallowing Beasts that resided under the mountains, the ones Damien ran into when he first entered the Endless Snow Mountain, and the ones thought to be the protectors of the mountain range.
But their current actions were totally opposite of that role.
Within the Primordial Undying Realm, the various ritual sacrifices met their end, leading to the deaths of all remaining powers inside. And within the main realm, Hun Fang and Qing Tan stood in front of a portal.
Their gazes were filled with pity towards the geniuses left in the realm. But in the end, they simply shook their heads and walked through the portal. They had no other choice.
Qing Tan sighed inwardly. 'Even though the chance of it happening is negligible, I hope you can survive through this catastrophe.'
While they disappeared, the foundations of the Primordial Undying Realm began to crumble.
[KAKAKAKAKAKAKA!]
The Nox Demigod's uproarious laughter rang throughout. And the void in which he and Alaric had resided for a hundred thousand years was shattered.
A wisp of black light exited through the portal in the World Tree. It zipped through the 3000 Beast Mountain Range in an instant, arriving in front of the Heaven Swallowing Beasts and submerging within one of them.
It was the Nox Demigod's soul.
After a hundred thousand years, his body had already been destroyed and refined into the secret realm. Just like Alaric, he was forced to take drastic measures.
And what better measure was there than massive beasts who had power matching the caliber of his soul?
If it wasn't for them, then the plan for his escape would've never been possible. After all, the body of a mortal could never house the soul of a Demigod.
Alaric watched it happen and sighed. Even if he had been preparing for this day to come, seeing so many beings sacrificed with only the slightest movements was still paining his heart.
But 100,000 years was enough to wear down his chivalrous spirit. He saw the birth and death of so many beings, and his view on life and death as a whole had shifted.
And so, he quickly removed the Primordial Undying Tree from the secret realm and merged it back into his main body before the secret realm collapsed.
The endless vitality of the World Tree, or rather, the true Primordial Undying Tree, seemed to have multiplied exponentially.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The land around the World Tree was ripped asunder as roots thicker than airplanes emerged from the ground. The endless crown of the World Tree also extended, those tens of thousands of branches elongating and becoming prepared for action.
And as Alaric prepared, the Nox Demigod wasn't staying still either. The four Heaven Swallowing Beasts' tentacles latched onto each other, merging into one. Their main bodies soon did the same.
A creature that towered above even mountains appeared within a short amount of time, its grandiosity not in the least bit losing out to the World Tree.
On two sides of the 3000 Beast Mountain Range, two different colossuses radiating opposing auras stood facing each other. The sight could be seen regardless of where one was within the mountain range.
Panic spread through the beings who were caught between these two beings. Chaos reigned as they attempted to flee for their lives.
But where could they go? The 3000 Beast Mountain Range was sealed off from the outside world, which also took away any hope they could've had for surviving.
[This clash…I have been waiting for it for too many years.]
The Nox Demigod's voice pervaded the world. Just hearing it caused hundreds of thousands of weaker beasts to burst into blood mist.
[Indeed. However, this time, I have the capital to battle you on equal grounds.]
Alaric responded. Although he was also using his True Voice to speak, the damage to the surroundings had been consciously minimized by him as he spoke. As such, there were no unnecessary casualties.
It was the most he could do for those poor mortals who were forced into extermination by his negligence.
[You…]
He spoke once more.
[Even after all these years, I still have not heard your name.]
Even though it didn't have a face, the form of the Heaven Swallowing Beast seemed to change to resemble something akin to a smirk.
[Those of our race who have reached my level have a rule. Our true names are only ever told to those who we share blood with, and those who we have sworn to kill.]
[And I do not meet the latter requirement?]
[Perhaps at one point, I resented you. However, Old Fool, haven't these years changed our perspectives? This fight may be inevitable, but my grudge against you has faded with the flow of time.]
Alaric inwardly gritted his teeth.
[Whether your grudge has faded or not, mine still remains. If it weren't for you…perhaps I would have been able to return to my family, perhaps I would have been able to live my life in an era where I was welcome…]
[However, now I live in a world where I don't belong. A world where everyone I once knew would have died many generations ago. I did not bear this grudge when we first landed in our predicament, but it grew with time. It seems our perceptions of the time we spent trapped differ greatly.]
[Kakakaka! This is why you lowly beings are looked down upon by our great race. To have such concern and attachment is nothing more than a burden. As long as you have power, nothing else matters. Old Fool, you should understand my mind by now, am I wrong?]
[I have heard your pointless ramblings thousands of times already, but I will never understand the thought process of scum like you. Enough talking. Even if I die today, I will bring you down with me.]
[Kakaka! I am looking forward to how you plan to do so!]
And the instant those words fell, it happened.
A world-shattering clash that almost destroyed the mountain range in a single instant.
