"Is that…Avalon?!"
It was unknown who first spoke those words, but once they were put forth into the world, they spread like wildfire.
After all, even before the city began floating, it was a central location in the unnamed world. More than just a few of these soldiers had visited it before.
Now, looking closely at the city in the sky, they began to see the resemblance. The steampunk architectural style that diverged from the unnamed world's overall aesthetic, the general technological expertise it took to even create something like a flying city, and many other factors seemed to confirm this conclusion without leaving any room for doubt.
Because, in the end, this conclusion was the undeniable truth!
Standing at the forefront of the flying siege weapon and looking down on the battlefield from atop it was a single woman, quiet and unassuming amongst Avalon's domineering ambiance.
But unknown to those who ignored her presence, a single word from her could easily decide their fates.
This woman was none other than Lynn Carter!
Looking down at the scene below, saying she was shocked was an understatement. In reality, Lynn never expected things to turn out this way.
She had been laying down plans to collapse the unnamed world's societal structure for many years, and after finally deciding to launch Avalon, she'd acted on those plans.
Ignoring this battlefield that she believed would just be one of many, she took her forces around the world and conquered Hub Cities without reservation. Now that many days had passed, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Lynn held the most political power in the world. She was nearly its ruler!
But standing in the way of her truly ascending to this position were the two organizations she despised the most. The two organizations that put on a false show of good and evil to lull the citizens of this world into a false sense of understanding and security.
The reason she conquered the remaining Hub Cities before visiting the main battlefield was precisely to undermine a large portion of the influence these two organizations held. Through absolute power and striking charisma, she was able to bring many of the seeds she planted into bloom, easily taking control of the world.
Finally, it was time for her to face her enemies directly. Any schemes were useless in front of absolute power, she wished to illustrate this point to those who were so used to scheming in the dark.
However, when she arrived, the scene she saw far surpassed her expectations.
It wasn't just a battle anymore, this was a full-scale war! And in the center of all that chaos was a whirlpool of World Energy!
As the person who stirred him into action, it wasn't difficult for Lynn to understand who was within that barrier. Especially after seeing Rose, Ruyue, and Aishia surrounding that barrier like Death Guards, her conclusion became set in stone. She had been following his progress from the start, so she naturally knew about those who were close to him.
Lynn invested in Damien because she believed the chaos he stirred up would benefit her goals, but she never expected him to do it so flawlessly. Due to his actions, the large battle in the Outer Wilds became an all-out war where no single side could hold back any of their cards. Almost all of the experts of the unnamed world, regardless of affiliation, had been gathered in one place.
For Lynn, who desired to destroy both Niflheim and Asgard with her entire being, was there a better outcome?
Her eyes became complicated as she realized this, but in the end, she only sighed. There was nothing for her to contemplate over. Since her enemies were gathered in one place, her course of action was already set.
"Open fire on Niflheim and Asgard. If even a single fighter from Shadow Garden or the Cloud Plane is injured as collateral, it'll be your heads on the line."
Lynn's cold command rang out, and Avalon responded immediately. Everyone in this city worshipped her like a go; they wouldn't dare to even think about betraying her expectations.
As the cannons primed and all weapons turned towards the battlefield, a single thought entered the mind of every soldier, whether ally or enemy.
When that city began its siege…
They were fucked.
***
Compared to the chaos taking place outside, the scenery within the Authorities in the sky was far different.
Currently, Wrath was looking at Albeus and the Drunken Old Immortal with a condescending smirk. Beads of sweat dripped down his brow and blood leaked from various parts of his body, but his demeanor was still that of an Emperor.
After engaging in battle with these two, he was able to slowly regain his calm and reign in his madness. He didn't need anything interfering with his rational thinking at this critical moment.
Whoosh!
An unassuming breeze passed by Wrath's body, but he dodged without hesitation. After all, this breeze was a coagulation of Laws. Even he wouldn't be unscathed if he let it hit him, a point which could be easily proven by witnessing the state of his body.
"Do you think anything you do here has relevance? I am not shameless enough to say that you two pose no threat to me, however, it is true that you will not be able to kill me no matter how hard you try."
In response to Wrath's words, Albeus spat, "Pah! Stop the nonsense and fight me already!"
He already knew this fact. It wasn't hard to guess it. Wrath had been concealing himself far too deeply, this was something Albeus realized through their small bouts so far.
He and the Drunken Old Immortal working together could only stand equal to Wrath, and this was only because of how casual their battle had been up until this point. If they truly fought with everything they had, it was unknown who would come out on top.
However, their goal was never to kill or even defeat Wrath. They only wished to stall him long enough for the Seed to bloom safely. When that happened, their true battle would begin.
"Why so serious?" The Drunken Old Immortal stumbled. "The Seed is useless to you, anyway. You can't control the power it possesses. Even if you consume it, you will only implode from the burden!"
Compared to Albeus, he knew far more about what the Seed entailed. Even then, most of the information he had was hard to imagine.
As a Demigod himself, he could be said to have reached the peak of the universe. Without leaving for the Heavenly World, ascending to True Godhood was impossible.
The universe simply couldn't bear the burden of housing a God.
Therefore, Demigods were the true peak. Yet, the Seed was an existence that surpassed even them.
The legends he read from the Ancient Texts were incredibly vague, with many portions lost in the annals of time, but from what he could make out, if the Seed was allowed to bloom to its full potential, even at the Demigod level, it would surpass the universe.
To possess such a thing, and to even try to consume it for his own benefit, the Drunken Old Immortal couldn't decide whether Wrath was absurdly stupid or hiding a pivotal card.
But would Wrath ever reveal himself to his enemy?
"An ant with a hint of knowledge thinks he can compare to me? You do not understand what the Seed entails. You do not understand how imperative its existence is to my race. To consume it?! That is a meager goal. I will not only consume the Seed, I will usurp it and take its place! A mere junior who is just undergoing his first Baptism isn't qualified to house it!"
Wrath didn't bother conversing with his enemies anymore. Even if he told them everything he knew, they still wouldn't understand.
Besides, his focus was never on them. Whether it be the war, the Demigods around him, or even the world itself, they all faded from his vision.
The only thing Wrath could see was the slowly fading World Energy Barrier that was turning into a whirlpool connecting the Heavens and Earth.
