"Boom!"


    The barrier, already on the verge of copse, could not withstand the frenzied assault of the Desire Demon.


    In just a moment, the barrier around Sterburg shattered, dissolving into specks of starlight that faded into the air.


    Victor and Shadowcloud exchanged a look, their eyes reflecting the gravity of the situation.


    Should the Desire Demon breach Sterburg, the city would be reduced to ruins without the need for a sacrificial array.


    Resolute, they prepared to engage with full force.


    Under no circumstances could they allow the Desire Demon to enter Sterburg.


    Victor''s eyes zed with the light of his sword, as the aura around his de surged violently.


    A fierce, soaring light of the sword erupted from him, as if intending to cleave the very sky.


    A white sword shadow, swift enough to split the heavens, emerged rapidly in the night sky.


    Then, the aura split from one into two, and two into four, until it became a vast, epassing rain of des.


    "Starfall de Rain!"


    With a cold gaze, Victor directed the torrential de rain towards the Desire Demon, turning them into arrows shooting through the dark.


    "Pffft, pffft, pffft..."


    The colossal size of the Desire Demon made it an easy target, unable to dodge the iing assault.


    The de rain, as expected, pierced its body, leaving it riddled with dense, sieve-like wounds.


    From the wounds of the Desire Demon flowed torrents of terrifying ck blood, cascading down from the sky like raindrops, painting a gruesome picture of destruction.


    Witnessing this scene, the hearts of those outside Sterburg tightened.


    They had seen with their own eyes the terrifying corrosive nature of this ck blood, against which even the barrier of Sterburg struggled to hold.


    Should this ck blood be allowed to fall upon Sterburg, it would only take moments for the entire city to be riddled with decay, transforming their homes into ruins.


    Even those who had sought refuge in shelters might not be spared.


    A sly smile yed on Rean''s lips.


    This had been one of his contingency ns all along.


    Even if there were issues with the sacrificial process, he could rely on this method to annihte everyone in Sterburg, offering them up to the Dusk Lord.


    Then, the Dusk Lord would still be able to descend upon this world!


    Shadowcloud, observing the ck rain of blood spilling from the sky, furrowed his brow.


    He doubted that Victor had not anticipated this.


    Looking towards Victor, he noticed his calm demeanor and felt reassured.


    Indeed, Victor had been prepared for this.


    In the next moment, a sh of silver light gleamed in Victor''s eyes.


    With no visible action on his part, a dense silver, seemingly formed from countless intersecting des of aura, had mysteriously appeared above Sterburg.


    This terrifying de, woven in the sky, sliced through the descending ck blood before it could reach the city.


    The sky''s lethal downpour was eradicated, and though some remnants slipped through, they could not inflict significant harm upon Sterburg.


    Rean''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    "How is this possible?!" he eximed, "When did you prepare this skill?!"


    Such a horrifying de couldn''t possibly be conjured in an instant.


    Otherwise, Rean would have likely fled at the first opportunity.


    Yet, he had not noticed Victor performing any actions indicative of casting such a skill.


    How had he managed to aplish this?


    Victor, multitasking between controlling the de and the de rain, did not entertain Rean''s query.


    This de had been covertly and gradually set up by Victor from the very start, not instantly conjured.


    The purpose behind arranging this de was to forestall the very situation now unfolding.


    Clearly, it had proven to be invaluable.


    At this moment, Rean''s attack had also reached Baron and the others.


    Facing the summoned dragons, Baron and hispanions dared not cken their efforts.


    They radiated with dazzling, multicolored lights, drawing upon their full strength.


    "Boom, boom, boom, boom!"


    In an instant, Sterburg was filled with the roaring of ck dragons and the sudden appearance of Gold sh.


    Powerful energy fluctuations swept across everything, instantaneously demolishing the surrounding buildings.


    In just the blink of an eye, a vast expanse of ruins and broken walls emerged within Sterburg.


    The terrifying nature of the awakeners was starkly evident at this moment; even the residual effects of their battle could inflict tremendous damage on a city.


    Should a cataclysmic-level warrior unleash destruction without restraint, it would not take long to decimate a city.


    In the underground shelters of Sterburg, countless people watched this scene unfold on screens, tears streaming down their faces.


    Among them were the elderly, women, and children.


    Most were ordinary individuals who had never witnessed such events; they trembled uncontrobly, yet couldn''t bring themselves to blink, fixated on the unfolding drama.


    They understood that this battle would determine their fate.


    Within themand center beneath the Dark Forest bar, members of Hidden Stars'' White Gloves watched the screen with bated breath.


    Scarlett Monroe''s hands were sped tightly together, her palms sweaty.


    At this juncture, all she could do was pray for Baron and his team''s victory.


    Above the skies of Sterburg, Rean was fully engaged in directing his dragon assault against Baron and the others, attempting to destroy Eldritch''s purification array.


    Shadowcloud, naturally, wouldn''t let such an opportune moment pass.


    His body lit up with a ghostly blue glow, his dagger faintly flickering with purple lightning.


    Shadowcloud''s gaze on Rean seemed to unveil numerous ck threads in his vision.


    These threads, dense and interwoven, were a chaotic mess.


    Quickly scanning them with his mind, he stopped at a particr red thread, hidden amidst the chaotic ck.


    This inconspicuous red line was Shadowcloud''s target.


    Under his mentalmand, the red line magnified in his vision.


    Suddenly, a gleam of blue light shed in Shadowcloud''s eyes, and his dagger''s purple lightning burst forth.


    Stepping through the air, the atmosphere exploded around him! In an instant, Shadowcloud vanished.


    The next moment, a dazzling purple light streaked across the sky like a shooting star.


    "Godyer de!"


    This was the skill Shadowcloud had once used to assassinate a dark god!


    Rean, who had been closely monitoring Shadowcloud, saw his pupils dte in shock.


    Without a second thought, he released control over the ck dragons, and his staff glowed with a dark light.


    In front of him, an ancient ck gate swiftly materialized, adorned with twisted, struggling corpses and monsters, topped by a giant ck skeleton.


    This skeleton, d in tattered robes with a ck scythe and chains in hand, its empty eyes aze with ck mes, stared down at Shadowcloud, emanating an aura of death.


    "Infernal Gate!"


    Chains wreathed in dark mist, as if traversing the dimensions of space and time, instantly bound Shadowcloud.


    However, Shadowcloud remained undeterred, his dagger still shing towards Rean with lightning speed.


    The purple light shed momentarily.


    Suddenly, a massive ck rift tore open in the sky.


    Rean''s body froze in ce, then was immediately engulfed in purple lightning, arm-thick bolts leaping around him, their terrifying power churning the space.


    "Ahhhh!" Rean let out a scream of utmost agony.


    His body was cleaved in two by a single strike, and the devastating god-killing thunder contained within that blow surged through his body, threatening to obliterate both his flesh and soul.


    In just the blink of an eye, Rean''s body was left in tatters.


    Under the assault of the Infernal Gate, Shadowcloud''s eyes and mouth bled profusely, indicating severe injuries.


    Yet, despite his body being a blurred mess of flesh and blood, Rean somehow clung to a thread of life.


    Twisting his battered, hole-ridden body, he staggered towards the Infernal Gate, attempting escape.


    Gasping for breath, Shadowcloud watched Rean with a fierce re.


    The cultists'' methods were unpredictably sinister, and unless obliterated utterly, there was no telling when they might return to wreak havoc.


    If the kill was to be made, it had to be absolute, reducing them to dust and ash!


    Seeing his foe nearing escape, Shadowcloud''s eyes hardened with resolve, and once again, a purple glow lit within them.


    Victor, engaged inbating the Desire Demon, turned sharply towards Shadowcloud, his voice heavy, "General Shadowcloud, enough!"


    Every use of the Godyer de inflicted tremendous harm upon Shadowcloud''s body.


    To invoke it twice in session was to embrace certain death.


    "Today, he must die..." Shadowcloud''s eyes were bloodshot as he forcefully expelled a mouthful of ck blood.


    The purple light from his dagger surged wildly, unleashing an explosion of purple lightning.


    "Rean, die!" Shadowcloud roared in rage.


    Blood streamed from his eyes as he ferociously swung his dagger towards Rean, who had just entered the Infernal Gate.


    A devastating purple light, so intense it could cleave the heavens, appeared once again.


    The force of the thunder seemed poised to split the earth asunder.


    Rean turned back in horror.


    Seeing the purple light advancing towards him again filled his eyes with utter terror.


    "Damn it, Shadowcloud, you mad dog!"


    Fuming at the thought of being dragged into death''s embrace, Rean scrambled into the Infernal Gate, frantically manipting it in a bid to evade the impending strike.


    The gates of the Infernal Gate closed swiftly.


    But in the final moment, the purple light also prated the Infernal Gate.


    "Boom!"


    The purple thunder exploded within, sending a head soaring into the air, its face etched with disbelief!