Chapter 556: War

Just three seconds later, in the uninhabited valley a hundred and twenty kilometers south of Atlanta, the many demigods gathered there furrowed their brows, all feeling stuck in a difficult position.

At that moment, a red-haired man stood on a high point in the valley, cursing: "Bullshit Matteola! I knew this would be trouble; that guy is notoriously unreliable. And starting a war directly inside Atlanta—what a crazy idea! I bet the mayor of Atlanta and the President will go insane! We might end up on the FBI's most wanted list."

"That's unlikely. He said he would try his best to lure the opposing demigods into the Dark World. If that fails, Atlanta's magic tower defense array can also play a role. If fully activated without regard for losses, it can barely withstand the destructive power of eight demigods."

Alexandra Howard snapped her fingers, sending out a spark that completely burned away the cigarette butt she had just thrown: "As long as we kill that grandfather and grandson, even if Atlanta suffers heavy losses and casualties, I think the President will accept it. He can't possibly kill all of us, can he?"

"The law cannot punish the majority, you mean? But there will still be some punishment."

This was a middle-aged man with brownish-red hair, wearing medieval knight armor: "That's something for you to consider. Affairs of America have nothing to do with us in the Old Continent. To be honest, I'm quite tempted myself. The terms Matteola privately offered me are pretty good."

"Just ten or twenty billion in money."

Lady Clara Kontsel gave a cold snort. The sorceress, who had the appearance of a little girl, said with an icy expression: "Let me remind you all: if we cannot fight in the designated battlefield, then the Void Night Lord and Andre's spatial abilities, their snipers, and the Sleep God Twins will all be utilized to the fullest! And Lucky Andre, if he is ruthless enough, can use the life force of the entire city's twenty million people as nourishment to boost the power of his many demigods to the extreme."

"But if we save the Fenrir wolf, we can also gain the help of the Sky Scepter and the National Progressive Association. Matteola has promised to deploy at least five demigods in this city, giving us an advantage in numbers. As for the Sleep God Twins, we have ways to counter them. I think George Matteola said one thing right: the Sky Scepter must never fall into the hands of Lucky Andre; that would be a disaster for all of us. Although this trouble was also caused by that general of the Violet Family—"

Then spoke a young man with a pale face, dark red pupils, eight magic rings on his fingers, and a crystal ball in his hand: "Of course, this war still carries great risks. What do you think, Philip?"

At this, everyone's gaze turned to Philip I, who was floating in the air. They all knew well that after this battle, the one who would bear the greatest pressure and consequences would be Philip and the Wiltonseten family after the great calamity.

He was also the one who had invited most of them, so only Philip I could decide whether to fight today.

At that moment, the demigod who had single-handedly founded the Wiltonseten family was also scanning the few people present.

Magician Ron Edmund, demigod-level magic swordsman Alexandra Howard, demigod sorceress Lady Clara Kontsel, demigod shadow walker Eden Kantelun, demigod warrior Marquis Lanstaff, vampire prince Utreid Gemichi, demigod hunter Ivan Bloy, demigod dragon-blooded sorcerer Cliff Ayers.

Except for the uninvited vampire prince, the others were all demigod-level experts invited by him and Alexandra Howard. This was the best he and Howard could do.

Only the demigod sorcerer Roland Benedict was not here. His old friend was currently in seclusion adjusting his state, preparing for the decisive battle that was supposed to take place a month later.

A flicker of hesitation and struggle passed through Philip I's eyes. Finally, he looked toward the vampire prince of the Gemichi family.

"Your Highness, if I decide to agree to George Matteola's request, how many combatants can the vampires contribute?"

"Not many, two or three."

Utreid Jimi frowned: "Just seven days ago, your president signed the war plan submitted by the military. The Grand Duchy of Bloodwing is about to face a high-intensity war and has no time for other matters. For now, I can only try to find a way through the Secret Party. The problem is that among us vampires, there are only a few who can contend with the Divine Right of Life and Death. And those limited to the vicinity of America are even fewer."

Philip I was not disappointed; Utreid's answer had already satisfied him. Only divine power could counter divine power. The two or three vampire demigods Utreid Jimi had invited were far more powerful than ordinary princes.

So he then looked at the mage beside him: "I lean toward joining the war, but Edmund, it depends on your will—whether we need to wait until that mythical armament is forged."

Ron Edmund stared fixedly at the sky over Atlanta to the north, a look of deep thought in his eyes.

And at this very moment, no one knew that in some corner of the city's southern suburbs, the Silver Wing Duke Monroe Kincaid, wrapped in silver-white bandages, was also gazing up at the sky with a cold, fierce glare.

He had evidently entered a state of full alert. His muscles were tense, his pupils tightly contracted, and the blood vessels on his body pulsed rhythmically, each rise and fall following a special cadence.

This lasted only twenty seconds before Monroe Kincaid, expressionless, reached out and summoned a magical image before him.

—The figure in the image was Margaret Wittenstein.

"I'm sorry, Margaret, but I must leave this city now. I can no longer do anything for that lucky Andrew."

Margaret was stunned for a moment, her face turning pale: "Mr. Kincaid, has something happened? Why the sudden departure? The situation in Atlanta is clearly improving, and the National Progress Association has already intervened."

"You're overthinking it, Margaret. It's precisely because these people have interfered that things are troublesome. That five-star special operations general of the Violet family and his advisory team are too arrogant."

As if feeling he had explained too much, Monroe Kincaid shook his head: "In any case, I've done my best. For the sake of that lucky Andrew, I've broken my own rules and stayed in this city for over half a year. So, Margaret, I may have to repay your mother's favor in other ways in the future."

"Also, let me give you one more reminder. You and your brother should leave this city now, the farther the better. Otherwise, this might be the last time we meet. Margaret, this is my final advice to you. Your enemy has obtained a trump card; he is now more terrifying than you imagine."

"Mr. Kincaid—"

Margaret wanted to say more, but Kincaid waved his hand and ended the communication. Then he turned without hesitation and stepped into the shadows. The direction he departed was toward the outskirts of Atlanta.

This scene was almost completely reflected in the eyes of another 'Li Mochen' in midair atop the 'Land of Fate' magic tower.

This avatar of Li Mochen was holding another rifle in the form of a 3721 Linfield, observing Monroe Kincaid's every move. Even as the latter continuously leaped through shadows, he could not escape the scope's sight.

And at this moment, if anyone familiar with firearms were here, they would see that in his hands was an almost complete version of 'Dragon's Might'—

The crimson glow on the sniper rifle resonated and shimmered with the scarlet dragon armor on his body.

"This is a wary fellow—"

After that renowned assassin had completely left Atlanta, far beyond his shooting range, the secondary body Li Mochen couldn't help but mutter, knowing that the three hundred strands of merit he had spent on directional divination might have been wasted.

However, Monroe Kincaid's departure still made him breathe a sigh of relief. He wasn't confident he could kill this man with one shot, and even if he could, it would likely consume a large amount of merit.

Given this killer's consistent modus operandi, choosing to leave meant giving up, so he could temporarily set aside some of his wariness toward this person.

…

The pursuit of the Fenrir wolf by Li Mochen and Delphinia finally encountered external interference after their fifteenth jump.

As the two stepped out of the void closely following the Fenrir wolf's figure, Li Mochen saw a figure as sturdy as an iron tower, wielding a pair of Viking battle axes, also emerging from the void not far ahead.

This man was at least two meters forty tall, with a body of knotted muscles that immediately revealed his Viking berserker lineage.

After stepping out of the void, he fixed his gaze on Li Mochen and the other for a moment, then his already iron-tower-like body expanded again, reaching over four meters in height, bursting the camouflage uniform without shoulder patches he wore. Meanwhile, his absurdly large battle axes had already swung forward with the momentum to split mountains and seas.

Li Mochen's pupils contracted slightly. This guy in front of him was not only a demigod berserker but also wielded the 'Authority of Strength' through his quasi-mythical weapons, and had achieved considerable success in the 'Domain of Divine Speed,' nearly reaching the level of divine authority.

At this moment, the intelligent system inside Light Demon No. 8 projected the man's information before Li Mochen's eyes—'Kum Wilton, Lieutenant General of Special Attack, Occupation: Magical Berserker, Age: 244, Retired in 3938 of the Bright Calendar, Currently serving the Mattiola (Violet) Family as a Special Security Consultant for Violet Security Company. Innate Abilities: Viking Fury, Divine Descent, Mastery of the Authority of Strength—'

Li Mochen didn't read the rest of the information, because this guy was not the enemy he needed to face.

He had already judged, when Delphinia began to erupt, that his wishful thinking was impossible, meaning his previous arrangements were unnecessary. To gain strategic and tactical advantages, they had to gather strength as quickly as possible and seize the 'Sky Scepter' from the Fenrir wolf at the fastest speed.

So, three minutes earlier, under his orders, his subordinates—including Viktor Maxim, Professor Alex Granger, and Professor Douglas Duncan—had already returned to Atlanta from the dark world one after another.

The next moment, the 'Blood-Eyed Angel' Robert Yvonne leaped out from behind him, intercepting Kum Wilton's Viking axes. The 'Fang of the Wind' main sword, as thick as a door panel, looked like a toothpick against the at least three-meter-wide Viking axes. Robert Yvonne's petite body, compared to Wilton's nearly five-meter-tall, mountain-like stature, appeared extremely small.

Yet the 'Blood-Eyed Angel' Robert easily parried Wilton's heavy axe strikes, sliding back only five steps before forcing the pair of Viking axes to rebound.

Robert was not particularly strong and didn't possess the Authority of Strength, but she was still a berserker with the 'Beowulf' bloodline. Moreover, her 'Fang of the Wind' had acquired the innate abilities of a demigod and twelve fifth-rank legends. Among these abilities, at least five significantly increased her strength, allowing her to hold her own even in a direct confrontation with the berserker before her.

"Boom!"

At this moment, the residual force and shockwaves from their clash radiated in all directions, instantly ravaging the street they were on, leaving it nearly riddled with holes.

Atlanta's magic tower array and the defensive arrays of surrounding buildings activated immediately. Yet even so, some nearby buildings shook violently, and large amounts of glass curtain walls shattered. Vehicles on the street were tossed about like toys, and a few people who hadn't managed to escape into buildings were crushed into pulp by their power.

Before Robert and Wilton's second clash began, Li Mochen and the Fenrir wolf had already left. The latter's situation had deteriorated to the extreme; aside from the Sky Scepter, almost all his magical tools and scrolls were exhausted, and he had used countless potions. Even his right arm had been severed by Li Mochen's Sakura Blood Blade.

Yet the Fenrir wolf's originally livid face showed a faint smile.

"Look, lucky Andre, you can't kill me! If I'm not mistaken, that's Lieutenant General Wilton. The National Progress Association and the Violet Family are ready to intervene directly. It seems the Sky Scepter in my hand still carries some weight, doesn't it?"

"Then I can only say they made a wrong choice."

Li Mochen was unfazed. At this moment, his blade was only inches from the Fenrir wolf. If Fenrir had no other tricks like 'Venus's Redemption,' then in one-thirtieth of a second, he could make this mad wolf's soul scatter.

But intervention from others happened just as he expected.

A towering fourteen-story magic tower loomed faintly in the spatial barrier between the astral plane and the material world.

That should be the magic tower 'Source of Whispers' belonging to the Violet Family's mage advisor Ib Garrison, whose owner was a powerful demigod mage.

A beam of magical light descended from the sky, causing the Fenrir wolf to flash fifty-seven meters away, temporarily evading Li Mochen's fatal strike.

But this one could do no more; the demigod mage Faust's magic tower 'Breath of Magic' also appeared in Atlanta's interplanar layer.

His tower was also fourteen stories high, and the moment it appeared, it fired three maximum-output 'Magical Annihilation Cannons' at the opponent.

This one's combat style was exceptionally fierce; while bombarding, he also maneuvered his fourteen-story tower to ram directly into the 'Source of Whispers.'

Meanwhile, Professor Alex Granger's 'Ideal Herb Garden' and Douglas Duncan's 'Gate of Forbidden Magic' also appeared, causing magical light to illuminate the entire sky over Atlanta.

At this moment, piercing alarms sounded throughout Atlanta. Red warning lights flashed high in the city's sky.

Vehicles on the streets were flung about, and everyone ran frantically, trying to reach the nearest bomb shelter or subway station.

The twenty-four magic towers also fully revealed their forms in Atlanta's high sky—a sign that the magic tower array was fully activated.

"Two more twelve-story magic towers—that should be Rott Linden's 'Glory Bastion' and Byron Linden's 'Steel Turret'! They must have received aid, both adding two stories. That's Richard Tyson's 'Magic Source Realm' of the Violet Family—"

On the ninety-fifth floor of the magnificent 'Amethyst' Building, Rossi Vanderik, heir of the Vanderik family, stood behind the glass curtain wall, pale-faced, watching the numerous mage towers in the cloudy sky: "The National Progress Association's demigod hunter 'Bloody Bond,' and 'Dragon Swordsman' Claude Kidd, the vampire clan's Methuselah prince Clodald Ventrue. Crazy! These people are all crazy—are they going to destroy this city of Atlanta?"

Beside him, Heinz Vanderik, the head of the Vanderik family, also had a greenish face: "George Mattiola!"

This one almost snarled through gritted teeth, his voice filled with biting hatred.

"The situation is very tricky!"

Another demigod of the Vanderlik family, Zoe Vanderlik, also wore a gloomy expression: "Right now, both sides have already deployed over sixteen demigods in combat. At this rate, the magic tower array can hold out for at most ten minutes."

Under his gaze, two demigods had already climbed onto Alex Granger's 'Ideal Herb Garden' and Douglas Duncan's 'Gate of Forbidden Magic.'

If he wasn't mistaken, they were the demigod warrior Marquis Lanstaff and the demigod dragon-blooded sorcerer Cliff Ayers. Their purpose was to pin down the opposition.

Although Alex Granger and Douglas Duncan were still only at the legendary level in terms of class rank, mages were among the top magic-energy professionals on the battlefield in both offensive and support capabilities. Given room to operate, killing above their level was routine for them.

Moreover, the magic towers of these two were exceptionally extraordinary and powerful, both possessing the potential to break through to 'forbidden spells.'

In addition, near Li Mochen and the others, two figures were also engaged in combat.

Both were demigod shadows. One was likely Philip I's old friend, the demigod shadow Eden Kantelun, and the other was the 'Red Widow' Caroline Zhukov.

What surprised him greatly was that the latter had exchanged dozens of rounds with Eden Kantelun, a demigod shadow who had ignited his divine fire for a full hundred and thirty years. Both far surpassed ordinary demigods in speed and hand speed, striking over a thousand times per second while maintaining over seventy percent of their full strength.

Both were armed with a gun and a dagger, causing bullets to fly and sparks to fly everywhere. Two nearby buildings had already collapsed under the shockwaves and overflow force of their clash.

"Another demigod after Victor Maxim—"

Zoe Vanderlik's eyes flashed with intense wariness: "I have to say, this Divine Authority of Life and Death is far too powerful."

His words carried a double meaning: one referred to the 'Red Widow' Caroline Zhukov, whose life potential had been exhausted, yet under Li Mochen's divine authority she had regained vitality and ascended to demigod; the other referred to the battle between the two demigod shadows at that moment.

The 'Red Widow's' combat talent and awareness were undoubtedly top-tier, having made countless federal agents tremble with fear during the Cold War a decade ago.

But after all, she had only just entered the demigod rank, and there was still a certain gap between her and Eden Kantelun, a mid-level demigod.

Yet at this moment, their clash was evenly matched. Caroline Zhukov even seemed to have a slight advantage—all thanks to Andrei's 'Divine Authority of Life and Death,' which drained the enemy's life force to enhance the life essence and strength of his own side. This allowed the Red Widow to attack recklessly, even though the extreme speed was ravaging her bones, her membranes, her flesh. It didn't matter; that lucky Andrei could restore her to perfect condition in an instant.

Of course, the Sleep God Twins also deserved credit.

Although neither had shown themselves, they were already making an impact. Across the battlefield, the mental will of many demigods on the side of Philip I and the National Progressive Association was weakened to varying degrees.

Though the Sleep God Twins hadn't managed to put them to sleep, they had greatly reduced their attack speed and slightly affected their frequency of spellcasting.

"I know many people fear him, afraid of that little one's growth. But no matter how much fear or wariness, it shouldn't come at the cost of destroying this city!"

Rosie Vanderlik's voice carried anger and impatience: "Father, I think we should do something. We must drive them into the dark world."

"You're right, Rosie—"

Heinz Vanderlik's tone was gratified, but his eyes flashed with bitterness: "The problem is, we currently lack a powerful spellcaster."

This was the Vanderlik family's predicament. With the death of the previous patriarch, the once powerful Vanderlik family no longer had a demigod at the peak of combat power, nor a demigod-level spellcaster.

This had also left them unable to protect the mythological armament 'Dragon's Might' they had already secured.

"Then let's end this war quickly!"

Zoe Vanderlik's expression was equally helpless: "We may have to pick a side, Heinz, unless we want this city completely destroyed."

"I know. The question is, which side do we stand on?"

Heinz Vanderlik's expression was complex: "'Blood-Eyed Angel' Robert Yvonne, the Sleep God Twins, Faust, Caroline Zhukov, Victor Maxim, Professor Alex Granger, Douglas Duncan, Rote Linden, Byron Linden—that's nine demigod-level combatants, isn't it?"

If one judged by the strength and background of both sides, siding with the National Progressive Association, which had three supreme families as its core, seemed the best choice.

But considering only the war that had already broken out, the strength displayed by that grandfather and grandson was also astonishingly formidable.

And in Heinz's perception, within the building called Wiltonstein Tower, several incredibly powerful auras were lying dormant.

"But I guess someone is more troubled than us right now. For instance, the mayor, Mr. Witt, the chairman of the Magic Tower Committee, and our president."