The Battlefield of Legends
The battlefield was a wasteland of shattered grounds.
Smoke and dust swirled in the air, heavy with the smell of scorched earth and broken stone. The once proud land had been reduced to ruin, its very essence tainted by the chaos that had erupted upon it. The air vibrated with raw energy, unstable and erratic, as if the world itself was struggling to hold its shape.
Jason wiped the blood off his mouth, his body in agony as the single strike from the Apostle leader had been truly devastating. The power in that strike shook his soul to the core. His Chaos Blade bristled with restrained fury as it reacted to the oppressive aura surrounding them.
But he wasn't done.
He couldn't be.
Falling from above, the golden aura from Diane quivered violently as an aftermath of the strike still shook space. Nevertheless, her breathing laboured heavily, she kept standing stock still—sturdy.
Her eyes, burning like hot coals with the stubborn will of the Forsaken Empress, engaged the Apostle leader.
Yet—that creature still remained standing.
A being of nothing, draped in robes of oblivion. The void-cloaked creature lifted its head slowly, where in the depths of its hood two soulless red embers fluttered to life. The robes fluttered, though no wind was present, as if the very presence was an affront to reality itself.
Then, for the first time, its voice changed.
"Interesting."
The single word was not spoken-it slithered through their minds, crawling into their thoughts like a whisper from the abyss. A chill ran down Jason's veins.
Diane had unleashed a full-powered attack. An attack that could shatter mountains, bend the heavens, and leave gods trembling.
And yet-this thing wasn't even fazed?
The Apostle leader extended a single finger.
Reality distorted.
A black hole of non-existence formed where its finger pointed.
Jason's instincts screamed.
"MOVE!"
Diane disappeared in a flash of golden light. A fraction of a second later—the space she once occupied collapsed inward, folding like a crushed scroll. A dark void expanded in its place, erasing everything it touched.
Jason clenched his jaw.
This wasn't just power.
This was a force that defied existence itself.
And yet, there was no room for fear.
Not now.
---
The Eternal Dao Sect Strikes Back
Lucas didn't hesitate.
A surge of Mastrova Lightning erupted around him, and his entire body crackling with energy, he exploded forward in a streak of blue-white destruction to reappear above the Apostle leader, his spear humming with absolute annihilation.
"RAAAAGH!"
He swung.
A single hand lifted off the Apostle leader's knee.
Lucas's devastating lightning spear clashed against an invisible force. Sparks flew. Thunder boomed. The air itself shook from the impact.
But—it didn't break through.
It was blocked. Easily.
Lucas's eyes went wide. "No way—"
Then, out of nowhere—he was hit.
Something invisible, yet irresistible, slammed into his chest, sending him flying. His body crashed into the far ruins, shattering stone as he tumbled into the debris.
"Lucas!"
Mary's voice rang out as she moved, and her twin blades erupted into a dark silver glow as she darted across the field, moving like a phantom, flickering in and out of vision, her swordsmanship at the zenith, each movement a blur of lethal precision.
The leader of the Apostles barely cocked its head.
"Moot."
The moment Mary closed in-her entire body froze.
Not from ice. Not from power.
From a force that denied movement itself.
Spatial Lock? No- something worse, Jason's eyes narrowed.
The Chaos Sovereign instincts in him were screaming-a warning of a capability that moved beyond mortal understanding. This isn't an ability.
It is an Absolute Law.
Mary's breath caught as she couldn't move. It was her body stuck in the middle of an attack, inching closer by the blade that touched the throat of the Apostle. Her strained muscles fought it, her will battled on but nothing changed.
Then, its other hand lifted.
Jason blood ran cold.
"NO!"
A pulse of dark energy erupted—aimed straight at Mary's heart.
But in that instant—
A shadow flickered.
A dagger glinted.
And suddenly—Joe was there.
Silent. Deadly. Precise.
His blade plunged into the Apostle's side, slicing through its void-like form.
The Apostle reacted.
For the first time since appearing—it winced.
"Impossible."
Joe's dagger twisted. His voice was low.
"Not impossible. You're just too arrogant to expect pain."
In that instant, Mary broke free.
Her blades sliced.
And the Apostle—was forced back.
---
The Unshaken Resolve
Jason's hand tightened on the hilt of his sword.
This was their answer.
No matter how strong this enemy was, no matter how hopeless the outlook, they could make it bleed.
And if it could bleed—
They could win.
Joe stepped back, his knife dripping black and burning with Apostle blood. He wiped it off casually. His eyes darted cold and amused.
"So? You still think we're not worth taking seriously?"
The Apostle didn't say anything for a very long time.
Then it grinned.
A sickening, unnatural grin that spread too far across its void-like face.
"Oh, this will be fun."
The earth beneath them rent apart.
Dark energy consumed the sky.
Jason exhaled.
His Chaos Blade flared to life.
Diane stepped forward, golden light bleeding from her very soul.
Lucas pulled himself from the rubble, lightning crackling as he wiped blood from his mouth.
Victor planted his war hammer in the earth, a storm of dust rising around him.
Cindy's charms flared, strengthening their defenses.
Joyner, Ben, Janet, and the rest prepared themselves.
This was no longer just a fight.
This was war.
And they weren't going to lose.
Not today.
---
Wrath of the Apostles
The sky had shattered when the Apostle leader raised both his hands.
A supernatural stillness fell over the battlefield.
Then—chaos exploded.
Tendrils burst from the ground, twisting and writhing like snakes made of pure void.
Jason cut through three tendrils, but more appeared.
Lucas, even with his wounds, called a storm. His Mastrova Lightning created an electrified barrier around the battlefield. Those tendrils that touched the barrier burned away in that instant.
Diane rose into the air, golden light burning away corruption that dared touch her. She lifted her hand, conjuring a golden sigil in the air.
The battlefield shifted.
A surge of divine energy exploded outward.
The tendrils disintegrated.
His golden eyes flickered.
"Ah. You are dangerous."
She didn't rise to the bait. Her gold gaze burned and she clenched her fist.
Another pulse of golden energy ripped outwards-to strike only at the Apostles.
The weakest ones shattered.
But the leader… just cocked its head.
Jason came forwards. "You're not untouchable as you seem."
The Apostle's gaze focussed on him.
Then it laughed.
A cold, eerie laugh that actually echoed across the battlefield.
"Then show me."
It lifted one hand.
The world shrieked.
Space and time warped with a shattered cacophony of screams on the battlefield.
His Chaos Sovereign power burst into action.
Diane's Forsaken Empress aura flared.
The rest stood firm.
It was finally here.
The true battle… had begun.