--- Chapter 168 ---
"How many casualties do we have on our side?" Huo Yuhao wiped the sweat on his face. "We have been fighting for slightly over two hours, which should feel like an eternity for some people, so the number shouldn't be low."
Hearing Huo Yuhao's question, a bitter smile cracked on Lily de Kemos's face. She sighed in frustration because the alliance was too weak to fend against the 10th Class Monsters' wave.
"We lost 60% of our army, mainly 8th Class Devil Warriors and low to mid 9th Class Devil Warriors. It only took one loose 10th Class Monster to sweep our army, which I couldn't control with my Devil's Taboo."
"Please forgive my lack of ability, Your Highness Theo." Lily lowered her head in shame.
Huo Yuhao looked down at kneeling Lily and commented, "It's not your fault, you know?"
"This is one of many risks of this world-ending war. It's not your fault for the alliance army to be so weak. So what if we lost 60% of it? You still save 40% of the people here, no? Their weakness is the reason behind their deaths."
"I give them the honor for fighting bravely for Titania Bolos, and losing lives is normal in this place. You can be sad, but that's for later. Focus on what you faced first."
"Swallow that sadness and turn it into motivation. Motivation to win this war."
Everyone heard Huo Yuhao's statement, clenching their hands tightly because he was correct. In war, life & death are within expectation.
"Rise your head, Lily de Kemos. The final stage hasn't started yet." Huo Yuhao added while glancing at the sky. "We still have something to do."
Lily de Kemos slowly raised her head, seeing Huo Yuhao with her pink pearl-like eyes. She blinked a few times and smiled because this person was the rightful ruler of this world.
"Lily." Huo Yuhao called her name gently, making the young empress's heart skip. Contrary to Lily de Kemos's belief, he suddenly threw some leather pouches at her.
"Huh?" Lily instinctively caught all of them.
"Those pouches are filled with recovery items such as antidotes to thousands of poisons, regeneration potions, and other life-saving things I created in the past 14 months at Black Pearl Castle." Huo Yuhao stated the content of the pouches.
"There are also Energy Boosters, which could increase one's inner energy for one hour. I advised you guys to use it in an emergency only because the Energy Booster draws your life force into raw strength. Meaning you'll die upon eating it. It's the last resort to protect everyone..."
"When I said you'll die, I really meant it." Making everyone swallow their saliva nervously.
Huo Yuhao received a report from Nox Alexandra and sighed because every part of the Titania Bolos swarmed by the monster race. Well, an extreme invasion from their side indeed.
However, it's time for a counterattack.
Bringing Lily closer, Huo Yuhao whispered something to the young empress's ears and caused her eyes to widen in shock. She solemnly looked at him and nodded in understanding.
"Leave it to me." She said while pumping her fist.
Huo Yuhao smiled amusingly and looked at everyone with his sparkling red eyes. "Everyone, the fate of this world is in your hands now. The alliance base on the central continent has gotten destroyed by the monster race, leaving only two survival camps."
"Your jobs now are to protect those bases. Protect those places until I close the gate on the Grand Marshal Mountain." He added casually, making his part sound not significant. Yet, everyone knows closing the gate is far worse than protecting the survival camps.
They could only hang their heads low when hearing his comment. After all, some rumor said 11th Class Monsters dwelled at the gate on Grand Marshal Mountain.
It's basically a death sentence.
"Trust me." Huo Yuhao's voice, which sounds aloof and cold, brushed their ears. "We can do this."
That smile of confidence.
These words or reassurance.
This young man.
They will remember this moment forever if they survive this world-ending event. There is no ounce of doubtful thought flashes in their minds when listening to this young man.
"We can do this." This line resonates for a moment that felt like an eternity.
...
...
Huo Yuhao fetched Admante Sisters and Nox Alexandra, returning to the Black Pearl Castle shortly after. They didn't have much time to prepare, but more than enough to get things ready.
Lining before Huo Yuhao, six beautiful women stared at him with great interest. They are waiting for him to say something.
"I have something to say... It's information you could only get because you are my slaves." He said with a wry smile.
Huo Yuhao cast a Spiritual Barrier in his room so that only selected people could hear this. Even though Huo Yuhao couldn't use Primordial Rune because this universe seems to reject it, the "Mystic Spiritual Arts." that Eluxia: Calamity Necromancer taught him is still usable.
He didn't use Mystic Spiritual Arts all this time because it consumed too much mental energy in his current state. His main body possessed immense mental power, which was close to infinite as the Spiritual Core Tree regenerated it more than he used, but Theomars' is different.
Theomars von Valstrax's innate mental energy and what Huo Yuhao intensively cultivated for more than two years isn't even close to 30% of his original reserve. Using Haki wasn't so energy-consuming as it's a nearly passive-like skill. However, Mystic Spiritual Arts are different.
Huo Yuhao opened his mouth and said, "Before that, let's keep this conversation to ourselves."
He applied a silence spell on his slaves, telling them the reason behind it a second later.
"I'm from another world."
"..." The Admante Sisters couldn't believe their ears for a second.
Meanwhile, Nox Alexandra rolled her eyes because this was within her scope of guess. It explained many things about Theomars' abnormality, whether it was his growth rate or insane ability.
"Knew it." She mumbled to herself.
Huo Yuhao ignored Nox Alexandra's comment and continued, "To be precise, I'm not Theomars von Admante. As I said, Theomars died already, and I occupied this body."
"Ah..." Mercedes recalled the moment she met her master for the first time. No wonder he acted more manly than her brother.
The sisters immediately had a realization.
Huo Yuhao shook his head and explained his problem to them, but not in detail because Evo's existence must remain secret forever. Even though he was sure they wouldn't betray him in any shape or form, he didn't want to risk it.
So, Huo Yuhao told them about cliche reincarnation shits from his past life. Of course, with some twists here and there.
Testing their loyalty, Huo Yuhao crossed his arms and said, "You can leave this room if you want and be free again. I won't do anything to stop you."
Huo Yuhao knew the answer.
And so do they.
"No, masters!" The Admante Sisters and Nox Alexandra panicky kneeled on the ground. "W-We can't live without you anymore."
"Can you just bring us to your world?" Nox Alexandra pleaded.
"Yes, bring us with you." Mercy added firmly.
"It's not like our status changes knowing this, you know?" Harmonia commented while fumbling with her fingers.
"Mm. We are still your slave, master." Triana nodded in delight.
"Pet, Pet too~!" Clara gazed at Huo Yuhao with pitiful animal eyes.
"Master, please don't leave me... Uuh." Alexy sobbed, lowering her head sadly.
'Looks what you have done, Theomars. Your hatred binds me with these women.' Huo Yuhao rubbed his temple, blaming Theomars von Admante's hatred toward his sister. He knew this was partly his fault for getting railed in vengeance.
Theomars is a victim, no mistake on this part.
Do these sisters of his deserve the torture he makes them experience? Absolutely.
Does Huo Yuhao care? Usually, not. Huo Yuhao was "briefly." influenced at his weakest mental point. And yes, it's justified.
He felt the gazes of these women and sighed, "It's up to your performances..."
"If you survive this war and follow my order properly, I'll keep you on my side." He decided to give them a chance.
After all, this place wasn't a simulation anymore. Evo's linking this world with the homeworld through a particular tunnel confirmed Huo Yuhao's suspicion about this emergency quest.
"WE WILL DO OUR BEST~!" The six women suddenly shouted with all her might, which left Huo Yuhao stunned.
Ah, he trained them too well.
Is this a win?
Huo Yuhao doesn't know.
Breaking the Spiritual Barrier, Huo Yuhao clapped his hand to gain his slaves' attention and said, "Recover your inner energy and stamina. Wear the armors I made for you. We'll launch a counterattack to the monster race in ten minutes."
"Nox, you stay."
"Go!"
The Admante Sisters left the room, wondering what Huo Yuhao wanted to do with Nox Alexandra.
"Nox Alexandra... Make sure no one, including your true body, knows a thing about this." Huo Yuhao commanded, which caused the green-haired beauty to giggle.
"Don't worry." Nox Alexandra smiled at him.
"My connection to the hive mind has been broken since entering this Shadow Warrior's body. You should have realized this ten days ago, right?"
"Even the current Alexandra or Alexy isn't part of Nox Emperor's incarnation. She's her own person."
Huo Yuhao didn't say a thing for a moment and suddenly added, "And Titania too."
"..." Nox Alexandra.
"You know this whole star is her domain, no? It's impossible-!."
"You can't?"
"No, I obviously can do it!"
"Then, do it."
Nox Alexandra pouted and complained, "Aih, you're indeed her heir."
"Don't you want to take Krolamine's title too, master~? It's way better than petty Valstrax and makes your overall power stronger than your current level. I guarantee that the power to rule a universe is no joking matter."
"I'll consider it." Huo Yuhao wore the Black Star Armor Sets.
"Touché." Nox Alexandra sighed in defeat.
Huo Yuhao didn't reject nor accept her offer. He hasn't met Nox Emperor herself, so not knowing the person he would inherit the title will be a hassle for now.
Titania is a pain for him already.
Huo Yuhao hasn't mastered Ancient Ink Devil's ability yet. Adding another one will break his balance.
'You won't talk to me, huh? Titania.'
He dismissed Nox Alexandra, stretching his body and entering an in-depth meditation on the floor. He wanted to form a Spiritual Core and Blood Core simultaneously, increasing his fighting power significantly.
It's a little bit late, but he could brute force it.
The Spiritual/Mental Core is an accumulation of Mental Energy in one's mind and condensed to support one's innate will. Huo Yuhao created one fast because he was skilled enough in this field. In the past, he rushed too much and forced Theomars' body to follow his will.
As for Blood Core, there is only Ancient Ink Devil's blood in his body. Far easier to manage compared to all bloodlines he had in the main body.
Slowly.
Slowly Huo Yuhao felt three forces rotate inside him, connecting and forming a trinity. There is the fourth force, but it contains the three like a boundless sea.
[You have formed "Spiritual Core." and "Blood Core."]
[You have gained the Trinity of Energy, Mind, and Body]
[You have re-comprehended a skill]
[Space Manipulation]
"Nice." Huo Yuhao opened his eyes.
"This makes everything easier now."
"My cultivation is still at 10th Class(Peak), but I should be able to break through sooner or later." He nodded, drinking a glass of water to quench his thirst.
"Let's start."
...
...
Iris and Brunhilde hovered in the sky, looking down on an enormous crater on a massive submerged mountain. Around 45 minutes ago, They spotted a blinking green light pouring out monsters in the capsule-like shell. It took them ten days to find this place.
"Iris, Brunhilde. I'll be there in a second."
"Get ready!" Huo Yuhao suddenly arrived with six women on his side.
"Yes, my liege!" Iris and Brunhilde responded at the same time.
Floating in the sky, Huo Yuhao closed his eyes and covered the whole ocean around the Grand Marshal Mountain with his Observation Haki.
He covered every corner, surrounding everything with his Eternal Shadow Realm. He wouldn't let a single monster escape.
[Objective: 12.679.402.118/100.000.000.001]
Huo Yuhao is going to finish the emergency quest today.
"Arise."
Titania Bolos rotated slowly, letting the sunshine on another part of it.
Yet, suddenly.
A pillar of darkness soared to the sky. It covered a quarter of Titania Bolos's surface.
BOOM!
Death began to crawl out.
The shadow overlapped the light, turning everything into a grayish world.
Ashes flying everywhere, brandishing the army of death toward billions of monster races.
A black-haired young man with scarlet eyes stood in front of the army of death, covering himself with sturdy shadowy armor. He grasped the air and summoned a halberd, stabbing the ocean below him.
BOOM!
The shockwaves alerted the monster in the area.
It was sudden, but the monster felt the same thing.
Death.
"Kill them all..."
"Leave no survivor."
ROAR!
A loud battle cry echoed on the battlefield, starting the intense battle between Huo Yuhao's army and Monster Race.
SWOOSH! BOOM!
Huo Yuhao jumped forward and greeted the monster race with a casual halberd thrust. "Fill my kill counts." He said indifferently.
It was just a simple thrust.
But everything immediately went into chaos.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
A wave of destruction penetrated the Grand Marshal Mountain's surface and demolished a good chunk of it. Huo Yuhao's attack exposed a crack underneath.
However, unlike the one near Black Pearl Castle, this crack is much larger and comparable to the 4/5 continent of Australia.
"Huh... Well, get into the rabbit hole." Huo Yuhao entered the gate, falling into a completely different dimension.
Huo Yuhao was "immediately." greeted with a vast plateau and dark surroundings. There is no source of light, but he can see clearly.
From afar, he could see a purple forest tree with billions of cocoons hanging on the branch. Something is pulsating in those cocoons.
"This plateau... It's floating above the abyss, a neverending black hole."
"Grrr... KROMAN!" A massive hand grabbed onto the plateau.
Huo Yuhao blinked and saw a giant-like monster the size of a literal mountain. This big boy is an 11th Class Monster.
"UUGH, DIE!" The monster possessed the armadillo's head, sucking the air and Huo Yuhao with great force.
Huo Yuhao grinned and pointed his halberd at the monster, sending a small bubble of his energy. "Take that."
The energy was "instantly." sucked by the monster and began to expand like no tomorrow, exploding when reaching a sufficient number.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Inner Destruction: Bubble Burst." Huo Yuhao heard Evo's notification.
[You have killed a monster]
"It just got started, hehe..."
The shadow army followed Huo Yuhao into the portal and tainted the plateau with dark patches.
Looking at the giant corpse of the 11th Class Monster, Huo Yuhao grinned and opened his mouth.
"Arise."