The golden dark ones closed in and jabbed at Zachery using their bone spears, who seemed disappointed. "For f*ck's sake! Did you eat breakfast today?"

KOM! KOM! KOM!

Zachery punched at the dark ones, and in a blink, all of them were dead. Zachery looked around and found out that Kamikaze Zergs had surrounded him. He looked down and saw a blanket of Zergs swarming at him. 

Zachery didn't move and waited for them to come. In a heartbeat, the pirate king was completely wrapped inside a Zerg ball, over ten meters in diameter. 

Two seconds later, a few rays of intense light pierced through the Zerg ball from inside. 

KOM!

The sky rained Zerg blood as the ball shattered. Zachery launched himself high up and reached he reached the peak, then turned upside down and hammered a fist down onto the ground. 

The energy from the impact cracked the ground as it spread out in a gigantic circle. Any Zergs that were inside the circle were torn apart by the shockwave. 

The Pirate King was back, and more powerful than ever!

If Li Feng were still alive, he could kiss Zachery's a*s for not seeking revenge on him. He wouldn't give a damn about the humans, but he wouldn't allow the Zergs to exist under his watch either, nor would he allow anyone to stop Wang Tong from becoming the first emperor of the known universe!

The thought of helping Wang Tong to build his empire made Zachery's blood boil.

"KILL! KILL! KILL!"

These Zergs were the perfect sacrifice to commemorate Wang Tong's achievement. 

Even Li Feng knew that he should never underestimate the Pirate King; he was not only powerful but also cunning. If not for General Li Feng, he would have already claimed the entire confederation. Even Rilangalos was not his equal on the battlefield.

Zachery was back, and not only as the pirate king, but also as Wang Tong's godfather.

Time would change anyone, including Zachery. No longer did he rest his hopes for humanity in Xiao Zheng; his new family was Wang Tong. Zachery knew why the Blade Warrior had chosen Wang Tong as the keeper of the crystal. He wanted Zachery to continue working for him, which was fine; but Zachery never worked for free. He would only charge the bill to the rest of the humanity in the form of making Wang Tong an Emperor, the sole ruler of the universe.

He hated his new title: War God. It was not nearly as badass as Pirate King; nonetheless, this was a name befitting a hero. Zachery had never gotten along with the heroes he had met during his life, so it came as a surprise to him that he would have to dawn the mask of hero one day. The mask and his new name had attracted over a dozen powerful soldiers under his banner. It was an old trick; Zachery had watched as Li Feng pulled it off five hundred years ago as well.

Under the belligerent attacks of the Pirate King and his knights, the Zergs were near the brink of complete defeat. 

When the turn of the events was reported to the eastern warden A-Pajie, he was shocked. Before the battle began, Pajie was convinced that his units would overwhelm the human defense, and the initial reports had been in accordance with his estimates. However, the new absurd report claimed a human descending from the sky with a thousand swords. It was preposterous! The messenger who delivered the report was shaken beyond verbal capacity, so the warden decided to ride to the battlefield to see it for himself.

However, he was already too late. Lie Jintian had led the elite soldiers and stormed into his camp to start wreaking havoc. This had been a costly operation, and it was time to reap the benefit. 

Einherjar Lie Jintian no longer held back his power as he unleashed the full potential of the Tactics of the Blaze. He took the Zergs' lives with ease and deadly efficiency. 

Everyone knew that they had made it this far for only one thing: kill Zergs. They fought with abandon, as they were already dead in their minds. After some time, Lie Jintian found Pajie, who recognized his opponent. "That is the last Einherjar…Kill him!" He charged at Lei Jintian along with the golden dark ones. Ever since the creation of the EB units, the dark ones no longer feared the human Einherjars. However, Pajie had forgotten that the EB units were created by Patroclus, and not the dark ones. 

Pajie didn't overthink, so he led the charge with only a few golden dark ones in tow. He had completely forgotten how dangerous Einherjars were; all he saw was the opportunity for him to level up in rank.

Anyway, Lie Jintian quickly made him regret his actions. 

Without making a move, Lie Jintian had been charging up the energy inside him while the dark ones came at him foolishly. He would unleash all the power that had been built up in one devastating blow.

The dark ones were getting near as Lie Jintian straightened his back and maintained a calm look in his eyes. Before he punched out, the time seemed to have stopped for a second. 

KOMMM!

The fist roared as it was thrown forth, covered with flames that burned more intensely than the sun. As Lie Jintian executed the move, he boosted his soul energy further and reached level twenty-seven. 

Seeing that this attack was indefensible, Pajie tasted death in his mouth. 

Afterward, Lie Jintian pointed toward the enemy's camp and shouted, "Charge!" His elite soldiers answered his beckoning and charged forth. With the leader dead, the rest of the dark ones threw away their weapons and turned on their heels. 

Lie Jintian's surprise attack had cut off the Zergs' reinforcement while at the front line, Zachery had delivered a deathly blow to the Zergs.

What was worse, Wang Tong, Michaux, and Lie Jian had joined forces and repelled the Zergs' attack. They posed a direct threat to the dark lord's position in his home base. 

In the eyes of the Zergs, the humans possessed the divine power that they had been searching all over the universe. This divine power was not just another weapon of mass destruction; it was destruction itself. 

The humans were one step ahead of them and had claimed the power for themselves. 

Lie Jian, Yin Tianzong, Lie Shan, Xiao Libie, Vorenus, and another dozen legendary warriors had beefed up the human insurgents' defense significantly. Meanwhile, another few dozens of mastery casters had leveled up after partaking in preparing the spell of forbidden power. Eight of those mastery castes had leveled up to legendary level while Guan Dongyang and Xiao Yuyu leveled up to level twenty-two.

Tan Bu and Lun Duo were among the soldiers who had fought the hardest during the battle, and both of them had leveled up to legendary level after the war. 

Therefore, of the five hundred soldiers, eighteen were legendary METAL warriors, and fifteen were legendary casters. Mars had never seen a deadlier retinue before.

Battle was undoubtedly the best way to level up, since it pushed one's limits to the extreme. However, good guidance was also imperative for leveling up quickly. Nothing was better than a role model for the soldiers to aspire to, and in turn, increase their chances of leveling up.

Over a few months of pain and sacrifice, an army of the deadliest soldiers on Mars was born. With the help of their direwolves, they became invincible on the battlefield.

While standing on the last leg, the humans had a miraculous comeback, making one after another incredible war achievements. 

The citizens behind the front line had devoted themselves to helping the war with a newfound enthusiasm. Thus it was, the War God guarded the fort while the devil pierced into the heart of the Zerg territory.

Even Lie Jintian's power paled under comparison with that of the War God. Everyone was enthralled by the War God's power and believed that he was the protector of humanity. 

Wang Tong had also been crowned the same title. The moment he unleashed the forbidden power, Michaux had made up his mind to support him for the rest of his life. It was evident to him that he was the one chosen by the gods to lead humanity to their salvation.

As a member of the sect, Michaux was a firm believer of fate. He believed that there was an unseen force behind the course of history. Fate was not the prerogative of the gods; it was something far closer to the very fabric of the universe. Michaux had only a very few fleeting moments of epiphany on fate, and all of them happened during Wang Tong's battle. 

When Lie Jian woke up, Wang Tong had already taken up his spot as the leader of the new force. His best friends also gave him an unequivocal support in his claim. Lie Jian didn't protest; he knew only Wang Tong could lead them to victory.

United under one banner, the five hundred warriors marched toward the dark lord's castle.