If one thing could be considered miraculous, it was the structural integrity of the Wild Continent.
Even with a massive war of 4th class beings who could single-handedly destroy continents and extreme peak masters who were even stronger than them taking place on its surface, neither the continent itself nor its atmosphere experienced even the slightest collapse.
Hell, the most atmospheric disturbance the Wild Continent had experienced since the opening of the Void Corridor was Damien's constant teleportation.
However, no matter how strong an environment was, if it wasn't in the Heavenly World, could it truly withstand the collision of forces just barely below Divinity?
This question was put to the test as Lucas' clash with Sir Theon intensified. Law fluctuations with untold profundity flew through the air like clouds, absolutely razing everything in their path.
Lucas was the head of Asuran Gate, an organization under Blood Asura Holy Land, which meant his main specialty was in Blood Laws, though his original affinity was for metal.
Lucas incorporated this original affinity into his Blood Laws and created an art that could manipulate the iron in blood, whether it was his own, his enemies, or even blood mana created through mana.
This concept somewhat limited his versatility, but his expertise in manipulation made him a deadly enemy.
Bang!
Sir Theon shot backward, his arms crossed in front of his chest. The armor that covered his forearms had been shattered by the previous attack.
Ptui!
Sir Theon spit out a mouthful of blood and furrowed his brows as he charged back into battle, attacking continuously to prevent Lucas from having any opportunities.
'He already got me. If I give him even a single moment of respite, I will lose here.' Sir Theon thought solemnly.
As mentioned before, Lucas' ability was to control the metal in blood, even his opponent's. The only caveat was that this ability had harsh activation requirements.
In the current situation where Lucas had been continuously barraging Sir Theon with blood and metal attacks and injuring him, these conditions had been met.
Every cut Sir Theon received, no matter how shallow they were, was corrupted by Lucas' mana. His mana had already formed a connection with Sir Theon's blood, almost nearing the point where Lucas could instantly control the Nox Supreme.
At this point, it was far too late for Sir Theon to counteract the corruption. Instead, he could only kill its originator before he could make use of it!
His mana raged into the surroundings, forming a human-sized projection behind him.
'Partial Divinity.'
Sir Theon activated his Demonic Providence. The projection melded into his body, turning into an aura of Divinity that encased him.
When it came to Demonic Providence, Sir Theon's was likely the most literal. He gained the ability to "borrow" the Divinities of Demigods who allowed him to. Naturally, not many Demigods would agree to such a thing, however, there were several exceptions.
One of which was the Saint Emperor who Sir Theon served.
Sir Theon felt a rush of power course through his body. He felt the unbridled freedom of a higher existence, the absolute gait by which a Divinity carried themselves.
His eyes sharpened. His muscles bulged. His attacks became exponentially fiercer and deadlier.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Terrifying bursts of black mana filled the atmosphere, taking on the properties of several elements as they did.
Lucas suddenly found himself in an extremely disadvantageous position.
His thoughts whirred as he tried to find a way out of his predicament.
However, there was no way he could compete with true Divine Mana.
His eyes hardened as a thought crossed his mind.
'Will I truly be forced to use that here?'
***
Within a certain flower space, a reeking smell permeated the air. Several blotches of black ink painted the ground below, evidence of the hard-fought battle that had just come to an end.
Of the several hundred Heaven's Army experts, only around 200 survived the fierce collision, and currently, they rested their bodies and healed their injuries.
As soon as they broke out of this place, they would need to go back to battle again. It was best to cherish every moment of respite they could get.
Apart from the main crowd, two people sat together. One was a beautiful woman, while the other was veiled in a cloak of shadows.
They sat in silence for a very long time.
There were many things that needed to be discussed, however, actually discussing them was a different matter.
Finally, Alexandra couldn't take it anymore.
"Rilia, just what happened to you?" She asked through mental transmission.
Rilia glanced over at her and sighed.
"My story…is not one worth listening to."
Unlike the voice that came from her mouth, the voice that came from Rilia's mental transmission was both beautiful and articulate.
Hearing it, Alexandra felt a pang in her heart.
She shook her head in refusal. "You are my savior and my comrade. Now that we've been through multiple life-or-death battles together, I know your character. Whatever is troubling you, I want to help you with."
"…"
Rilia sat silently for a while.
She was a person of few words and even fewer expressions, however, Alexandra could clearly feel the desolate emotion that clouded Rilia's mind at the moment.
"I was…" Rilia started.
"No, my story does not matter. The important matter now is to leave this place and placate the situation outside. This whole thing…this whole thing is a conspiracy!"
Rilia's heart suddenly spiked. Her mana flared unintentionally, slamming the unsuspecting Alexandra into a nearby wall.
"Ah…!" Rilia exclaimed in shock.
"It's fine," Alexandra responded as she brushed off her clothes and returned to her original spot.
"Continue. I want to hear what you have to say."
Rilia nodded.
"My experience in this secret realm has been a hell greater than hell itself, however, there is still one person I despise most in this world."
"It was him. It was he who orchestrated everything! The war in the Blood-Drenched Wilderness, the defeat of our Heaven's Army, it was all within his predictions!"
"However, this Void Corridor was unpredictable. It was something that no man could ever plan. It sucked us in, it foiled his grand scheme, but…it gave way to something greater!"
Rilia's aura flared again. Her killing intent rose into the sky as the gritted her teeth and continued speaking.
"For his own selfish desires, for his own goals, he is willing to sacrifice everyone and everything. Even if he didn't know this heavenly vine was carnivorous, he wouldn't act on it even if he knew."
Alexandra's eyes became more solemn with every sentence.
Even if she hadn't known Rilia for long, she'd heard the latter's reputation. She was an upright and logical woman, nothing like the behavior she was showing now.
And despite the horrors that she seemed to have gone through, she was still sane. This much could be understood by her general demeanor and ability to judge the situation.
With all this in mind…
"Just who could possibly make you so wary?" Alexandra asked.
Rilia opened her mouth. She spoke with her true voice rather than mental transmission, as if to enunciate the importance of her words.
"Lucas…Streem…"
"…is…a…traitor."
