Chapter 8: Turmoil

Words : 2586 Updated : Oct 30th, 2025

Inside the borders of the Sunsolar Sect, Westo, a man with a vicious gleam in his eyes, set down his phone. His killing intent exploded, and he headed straight for the airport. "You dare lay a finger on the little princess of Godbane Hall? I'm going to skin you alive!" It was still dusk in Westo. Bathed in golden afterglow, a paladin in gilt armor perched atop a tall tree, shouting in mangled Aryn tongue, "Skyrend! You stroll into our sect's territory like you own the place. Do you really think Godbane Hall is untouchable?" The savage-eyed man was Skyrend, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Godbane Hall. A feral light flashed in Skyrend's eyes; his face twisted. "Beat it." A wave of murderous aura slammed into Vincenzo, the golden-armored knight. The killing aura was so strong that Vincenzo went pale, as if he could smell blood in the air. He knew that if he so much as tried to block the path, Skyrend would go for the throat and wouldn't stop until one of them was dead. It would turn into a bloodbath. The Sunsolar Sect had no wish to make a mortal enemy of Godbane Hall. So Vincenzo stayed put on the branch and didn't move. Only when Skyrend had left did he shout in defiance, "Next time you show up, don't expect me to go easy on you!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he spun and took off. True to his name, Skyrend's killing aura was suffocating. One wrong move and you'd fight to the bitter end. Vincenzo had no desire to cross swords with that battle-crazed monster. Besides, he had urgent news for the Pope. He had discovered Godbane Hall's divisions converging on Aryn, and Skyrend, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, was charging there without hesitation. Something irreconcilable was erupting between Aryn and Godbane Hall. Godbane Hall had long been an invisible shield for Aryn. If Godbane Hall and Aryn turned on each other, the Sunsolar Sect would finally get its chance. Meanwhile, in the Arctic, two fearsome teams faced off in a standoff. A lithe woman checked a message she'd just received. Her face tightened as she raised her voice: "All personnel, fall back now. Head to Aryn." "Yes, ma'am!" Every fighter in Godbane Hall gear answered in unison and pulled out fast. Across from them, the Beario elites exchanged shocked glances. Godbane Hall and Beario had discovered the same rare metal deposit in the Arctic. Neither side would give an inch, and clashes had already broken out. Today, Beario's War God had arrived. Scourge, one of Godbane Hall's Four Heavenly Kings, was also here. After a round of talks, neither side budged, and a fight was about to break out. No one expected Godbane Hall's forces to suddenly pull out. Vladimir, Beario's War God, watched their retreat and frowned. "Something big is happening in Godbane Hall. Otherwise, Scourge would never pull out like this." The "Scourge" he spoke of was the woman who'd given the order. Scourge was the only woman among the Four Heavenly Kings. "Scourge, why are we retreating? We're not afraid of Beario." "Yeah. If fists start flying, I guarantee I can take out those three Second-Rank fighters." "We paid a fortune to find this mine. Handing it over like this stings." Grumbling spread among the fighters at the sudden retreat. Scourge stared toward Aryn and said quietly, "Enough. We can always take the mine back." "The boss's daughter has been taken. We don't know if she's alive. We're heading to Aryn at full speed." At those words, everyone's face darkened; fury spiked. "What? Lord Yale has a daughter?" "I want to see which bastard dared grab our little princess. I'll make sure he doesn't leave a trace." "Move, move, move! My blade's itching already." The whole contingent burned with rage and raced for Aryn as fast as they could fly. At the same time, Chiton Sea, a Philipo police cutter was chasing several Aryn fishing boats. "Hahaha, look at those Aryn fishermen. They are like rats scrambling for any hole they can find." "They dare fish here? Think coming at night makes them invisible?" "Whoever falls behind gets rammed. The night's long. We can take our time." On deck, a young Philipo general laughed with reckless delight. Philipo had recently taken a beating at Aryn's hands, a humiliation no one spoke of. He didn't dare confront Aryn's navy directly, so he took it out on the fishermen. Just then, a uniformed officer hurried onto the deck, tense. "General Salvador, something unknown is closing in-fast." Salvador's smile vanished. He frowned. "Unknown object? How close?" The officer pointed to starboard and cried out, "Look! It's here!" Salvador followed his gaze, and his scalp prickled. In the moonlight, a burly man was sprinting across the surface of the sea, running atop the waves. His speed and power were so immense that two jets of water shot up behind him, geysering in his wake. "Go, go, go! Run! An Aryn heavy hitter is here!" Salvador's face drained, and he barked a frantic order to retreat. It was too late. The man skimming the sea closed in with terrifying speed, stopping just a hundred meters out. He stomped down, and the water for twenty meters caved in like a giant bowl pressed into the sea. He launched skyward, flew across the gap, and crashed onto the cutter. Boom! The mighty man slammed into the deck. The entire cutter shuddered. He was Dominus, one of Godbane Hall's Four Heavenly Kings. The Philipo crew nearly fainted in terror. Dominus stood over two meters tall, muscles knotted with brute strength. He pulled a photograph from his pocket and strode up to Salvador. By then, Salvador's legs were jelly. He trembled against the rail. "D-Don't kill me! My dad is Philipo's War God!" "You don't want to start a war between Aryn and Philipo, right?" He tried to use his father's name as a shield. Dominus sneered. "I already killed your father. Didn't you hear?" "I hear you're a little scumbag. I detoured just to take your head." "Dominus?" Salvador went sheet white, shrieking. "Dominus?" "You're Dominus, one of Godbane Hall's Four Heavenly Kings?" Dominus's gaze stayed cold. "If you're gonna run, you'd better run faster." Salvador blinked, confused. A heartbeat later, Dominus twisted and snapped his neck. As darkness closed in, Salvador vaguely heard Dominus's final words, "You can meet your old man in hell." Dominus strode into the cabin and finished the rest. When he returned to the deck, not a single soul aboard was left breathing. A seabird dropped from the sky, landing on Dominus's shoulder. He took a tiny note from its leg. One glance, and his aura erupted in a violent and raw manner. "That bastard dared snatch my niece? He's begging for death." Dominus stormed off at full tilt, leaving the lifeless cutter drifting in the dark. In the city of sin, Gotharn, Murica, an event that had set the whole nation buzzing, the Dark Duel was underway. A man in a demon mask stood atop a skyscraper. He was the idol of Murica's underground, both scum and legends: the Dark Knight. On the opposite rooftop, a figure encased head to toe in slick alloy armor stood waiting. He was the underworld kingpin, Demonia. Months earlier, the Dark Knight had burst onto the scene, challenging underground empires one after another and smashing more than a few of their dens. In the end, Demonia stepped up and challenged him to a showdown today. If the Dark Knight won, a huge chunk of territory would fall into his hands. Gotharn had become a no-go zone for the police. Members of countless underground factions packed the streets and alleys. The uproar drew in the military. Armored columns ringed the city, ready to stop the underworld from plunging the entire area into chaos. A deep bell rang. Every thug and enforcer held their breath, eyes locked on the two figures perched above. Thick iron chains stretched between the towers, linking the heights. At the bell, the Dark Knight and Demonia moved at once, streaking toward each other. They met midway on the same chain. Their hands flew too fast to see. Only deafening impacts reached the crowd below. Shockwaves fanned out in rings, setting the other chains swaying. A piercing whistle split the night. It was Godbane Hall's emergency signal. The Dark Knight's face tightened. He broke away at once, ready to leave. Demonia roared and lunged to cut him off. Rage flared in the Dark Knight. He stopped holding back. He spun, tore open Demonia's alloy armor, drove his hand into the man's heart, and punched clean through. Demonia stared in disbelief at the Dark Knight as his body dropped toward the pavement. Until his final breath, he'd never imagined the Dark Knight's true strength eclipsed his by so much. The Dark Knight didn't spare him a glance. He turned and walked away. The Dark Knight was only an identity he'd created for a secret mission. His true name was Rion, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Godbane Hall. Seeing Demonia fall in an instant, countless heavy hitters were struck dumb. They'd expected a clash of titans, only for the fight to end in a blink. Meanwhile, Godbane Hall's Nine Divine Envoys scattered around the world received the message and set out for Aryn with large contingents in tow. Governments across the globe learned that Godbane Hall's main force was massing, and the halls of power shook. Orders flew. Spy teams and elite agents scrambled, all bound for Aryn. Everyone felt the same chill in their bones. Aryn was on the verge of a massive turmoil.

Chapter 8: Turmoil

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