Chapter 534: 534

Several priests flinched at the tone in his voice.

"You were there," one bishop said nervously.

"And you faced him. He just broke through. He should not be stable so he should not have much control so you could have killed him."

Eric’s jaw tightened and his eyes darkened.

"He was in control," he said coldly.

Murmurs spread across the hall like a growing storm.

"What about the angels..." a storm priest whispered weakly. "Where are they?"

Eric did not hesitate.

"Dead."

The single word echoed like a hammer strike in the vast chamber.

"Not one or two," Eric continued, his voice low and steady now. "Hundreds. Thousands. He cut through them like they were made of paper."

A war priest staggered back a step and grabbed his chest. "Impossible..."

"He used Devour again," Eric said, his gaze sweeping slowly across every face in the hall.

"In front of everyone."

Several clergy members visibly paled and lowered their heads.

"The killing intent alone crushed weaker angels to the ground," Eric added. "Some collapsed before they could even raise their weapons."

One of the nature priests whispered in disbelief, "This is madness..."

"No," Eric snapped sharply, his voice echoing against the stone walls. "This is pretty normal."

He clenched his fists.

"If he was at his full power, it would have been worse."

The hall fell silent again.

Edwina stepped closer, lowering her voice. "And the gods?" she asked carefully.

Eric’s expression hardened.

"They intervened."

A ripple of relief passed through the assembly, but it died instantly when Eric continued.

"And he survived."

The relief turned into dread.

"The Goddess of Light sent judgment," Eric said slowly. "The God of Storms attacked. Creation twisted space itself. God of Destruction tried to erase him."

He paused for a long moment.

"And yet he withstood it."

A bishop grabbed the edge of a nearby table for support. "How?" he demanded weakly. "He just became a Demi-God. So how is he so strong? Just how..."

Eric’s eyes flashed dangerously.

"Because concealment swallowed the battlefield," he said through clenched teeth.

"Goddess Elaris interfered."

Several high-ranking priests exchanged horrified looks.

"The Queen of Concealment..." someone muttered.

Eric continued grimly, "Also she was not alone. The God of Gears. The Queen Fairy of Ice and Flames.All of them helped."

A collective gasp spread through the hall.

"They are siding with him?" another priest asked in disbelief.

Eric did not answer immediately. His silence was answer enough.

Edwina’s face tightened and her posture stiffened.

"This is worse than we thought," she said quietly.

"Yes," Eric agreed.

He lowered his gaze briefly.

"Last time Leonard was alone," he said in a low voice. "Yet alone he smashed everyone."

His words echoed heavily.

"But this time..."

He did not finish the sentence, but everyone understood.

Just thinking about what lay ahead filled the hall with dread and cold horror. Several minor clergy members clasped their prayer beads with shaking hands.

Edwina closed her eyes for a brief moment and then exhaled slowly.

"The only thing we can do now is pray to the gods and ask for their opinion," she said, her voice calm but strained.

She lifted her head and looked toward the crimson sky visible through the broken glass.

"Because we are not the only ones who need to be afraid of him."

Her eyes hardened slightly.

"There are also those lofty beings who are more afraid than us, because they cannot afford to fall."

........

Across the world, the crimson sky did not shine at once.

It stretched over mountains, forests, deserts, oceans, and frozen continents. The same terrifying glow reached every kingdom and every race. No one was spared from witnessing the moment when Leonard stepped into the Demi-God realm.

In the Iron Crown Empire, the imperial capital fell into complete silence.

Thousands of citizens had gathered in the main square after the crimson light first appeared. Market stalls were abandoned and merchants stood frozen beside their carts. Soldiers who once stood proudly in their armor now stared upward with stiff expressions, their hands slowly lowering from the hilts of their swords.

On the balcony of the imperial palace, Emperor Aldric stood with both hands gripping the stone railing. His knuckles had turned pale from the force of his grip as the cold night wind brushed against his cloak.

Behind him, ministers and generals whispered nervously among themselves.

"That voice... everyone heard it," one general said with difficulty, his eyes still fixed on the sky.

"The Slayer of Gods... Leonard," another muttered while shaking his head slowly as if trying to wake from a nightmare.

A court mage stepped forward carefully. His hands trembled slightly as he adjusted his robes. "Your Majesty... the phenomenon in the sky confirms it. That was the manifestation of a Demi-God reaching the peak realm."

Aldric slowly exhaled as he watched the crimson light pulse in the heavens.

"So the legend had really returned."

One of the ministers stepped closer, his face filled with fear. "If that man truly comes back to the world stage, the balance between empires will collapse."

Aldric kept staring at the sky. His eyes narrowed slightly while the wind pushed his cloak behind him.

"No," he said quietly.

"The balance had already collapsed."

The ministers fell silent after hearing those words. Even the guards standing at the edges of the balcony looked uneasy as the red glow reflected in their helmets.

......

Far to the north, in the Elf Dominion, ancient towers of crystal stood beneath a sky glowing red.

Bright warm wind drifted slowly through the endless forest while leaves rustled softly in the branches above. Hundreds of elves had gathered near the sacred lake where the water reflected the crimson sky like a mirror.

Their Queen stood at the edge of the lake while her silver cloak moved gently in the wind. Her posture remained calm, yet her eyes were locked onto the sky.

A young elf warrior stepped forward hesitantly and asked in a quiet voice, "Your Majesty... is that really him?"

The Queen’s calm eyes reflected the crimson light spreading across the heavens.

"Yes."

Her voice was steady but serious.

"The being who once led the crusade against humans."

"The one who fought the gods themselves."

"The one called Leonard."

The elves around her lowered their heads instinctively as if an ancient memory had awakened within their blood.

One elder stepped forward slowly while leaning on a wooden staff. His voice carried unease.

"If he truly returns... will another war begin?"

The Queen remained silent for a moment. The wind brushed across the lake and created gentle ripples in the crimson reflection.

"That depends."

Her gaze sharpened slightly.

"On whether the gods make the same mistake again."

The elves exchanged quiet looks. None of them dared to speak further as they continued watching the sky.

...

Deep beneath the mountains, in the Dwarven Kingdom, the sound of hammers slowly stopped.

The great forge halls were normally filled with roaring flames and the constant clash of metal. Now those sounds faded one by one as dwarves stepped outside their tunnels and looked upward toward the glowing crystals in the cavern ceiling.

Even the underground sky crystals reflected the crimson glow spreading across the world.

A bearded dwarf captain stared upward and muttered quietly, "By the ancestors..."

"That killing intent... I have never felt something like that."

The old King of the dwarves stepped forward with a heavy iron staff. His long beard moved slightly as he walked slowly toward the cavern entrance.

"I have," he said quietly.

The younger dwarves turned toward him with curiosity and concern.

"That feeling..." the King continued slowly while raising his head toward the glowing crystals, "is the same as the day Leonard cut apart the gates of Heaven."

A young smith blinked in disbelief. "You saw that battle?"

The King nodded slowly.

He sighed deeply while resting both hands on the head of his staff.

"It was terrifying. A man filled with vengeance knew no limits."