Chapter 313: Battle Of Time

As Zhang Nu finished off Emperor Frelio, the battle involving Han Kexin was also nearing its end. Lycan God Will was a formidable figure, and if it were just about brute strength, even Han Kexin, fused with the phoenix, was no match for him. However, Han Kexin's abilities in controlling psychic and soul proved to be the perfect counter to this type of opponent. When the straightforward, brawny Will faced the adept manipulator Han Kexin, his impressive speed, strength, and ability to fight with duplicates couldn't be fully utilized. After a struggle, Will died frustratingly at Han Kexin's hands. This was the first time Han Kexin had killed an adversary so high in level and ranking, providing her with invaluable experience.

With the Emperor and the Hero, Will, gone, the main combat forces of the empire had fallen. What impact could the remaining imperial elites and the five Sword Saints hope to make?

In a state close to despair, Marquis Gabrulain and the five Sword Saints, under the control of Han Kexin and the Ent King Grootroot, were quickly annihilated by several powerful arcane incarnations summoned by the Great Demon King. As for the elite troops led by the emperor, though they were a highly trained unit, they stood no chance against hundreds of Level 5 and above demons, thousands of abyssal dragons, and thousands of high-level ents. It was nearly a clean sweep.

"Everything unfolded nearly as you planned," Han Kexin remarked as she approached Zhang Nu. "This battle has turned out to be far less challenging than anticipated, and it seems the capital will fall much easier than we thought."

Han Kexin could hardly believe it even now that the emperor had simply perished so suddenly. Indeed, if Emperor Frelio XVI had opted for caution, he could have remained safely within the capital. Supported by the empire's multitude of powerhouses and the capital's defenses and heritage, accumulated over thousands of years, it would have been exceedingly difficult for the Demon King to breach it swiftly.

However, Emperor Frelio did not choose this safer route. Driven to annihilate the Demon King's forces and decisively break their power, he ventured to the front lines himself. Tragically, this aggressive move backfired, leading to his downfall.

Zhang Nu cautioned, "We mustn't let our guard down yet. The imperial army remains a formidable force, particularly with several hidden powerhouses among them."

The capital is a massive city with a population ranging from ten to twenty million. Even though Zhang Nu's forces numbered around a million, controlling the capital without causing major upheaval would present a significant challenge, especially since the main body of the imperial army was still intact.

Especially noteworthy was a Hero ranked in the top fifty---Prophet of Doom, Primo. Zhang Nu sensed that Primo was not merely a Level 7 mythic with innate time magic capabilities. His right eye, which harbored a fragment of an Evil God, significantly amplified his temporal abilities. This fragment was crucial; it was linked to the three fragments in Zhang Nu's possession, originating from the Eight-Eyed Evil God. Specifically, it was one of the eyes, wielding and embodying the power of time---one of the most revered powers among the Eight-Eyed Evil God's diverse abilities.

This Eye of the Evil God could potentially be the most powerful and valuable fragment of the Eight-Eyed Evil God, and the most challenging to contend with. After ascending to Level 7, Prophet Primo likely awakened a portion of his godhood. This awakening enabled him to suppress the eye's influence, preventing irreversible deformations and mutations to his body, though undoubtedly, Primo had not fully unleashed the eye's power.

Such an opponent could not be taken lightly, even by Zhang Nu. While Zhang Nu could sense the fragment of the Evil God within Primo, Primo could also detect the fragments within Zhang Nu. However, the lingering effects of the magical fog meant that even Primo could not discern the specifics of the ongoing battle.

At that moment, Primo had a foreboding premonition. For someone of his caliber, proficient in time magic, such premonitions typically carried predictive power. He had never before experienced such an ominous feeling, which almost certainly indicated that something significant was occurring. Just then, the fog was pierced. Hundreds of energy swords, condensed from thunder and flame, shot towards him. These swords filled the space around Primo almost instantaneously.

"What?!" Primo's expression changed dramatically. As a Level 7 mage, he could acutely feel the terrifying and immense power concentrated within these thunder-flame swords.

"What's going on?" asked Primo with a grim expression.

Zhang Nu smiled and replied, "I am the Void Overlord, able to easily resist the forces of space and time. Your power cannot affect me."

It was known that Zhang Nu inherently possessed high resistance to space-time. If he activated his Time Dragon form, he could navigate through any distorted or chaotic space-time. Ever since activating the Void Overlord talent, Zhang Nu had been able to easily counter abnormal space-time effects, even those generated by the power of the Evil God's Eye, making it exceedingly difficult for Primo to truly impact him.

"Playing with time in front of me?" Zhang Nu taunted with a sneer as he began to gather his power.

Despite being shocked that Zhang Nu could ignore the abnormal changes in space-time, Primo was still confident in his ability to at least protect himself with such power, if not defeat the Demon King. However, at that moment, Zhang Nu made his move. He fully unleashed the power of the Eye of Domination, forming a powerful psychic sword Qi that slashed down with unexpected speed.

"What... a psychic attack!" Primo's face showed utter horror.

He feared no form of physical attack, whether it be elemental forces like wind, fire, water, earth, or even light, dark, and thunder, as all such attacks would be influenced by the flow of time around him. But psychic attacks were different! They had no trajectory to follow and were almost instantaneous, striking Primo directly!

Blood streamed from Primo's every orifice. Before he could even plead, another round of the Demon King's assault descended upon him. After a dozen rounds, the Demon King thoroughly overpowered the Hero. In a final, despairing gaze, Primo was struck by a breath infused with corrupted blood, rendering him momentarily silent. In the next instance, bolts of hellish lightning struck, decisively ending the battle.

[You've slain a Level 7 Hero, Skill stone +8, Mythic crystal +1, Hero leaderboard chest +1!]

As the fog cleared, everyone realized that the situation had spiraled completely out of control. The Emperor was dead, as were the Heroes Primo and Wil... Over a dozen beings, each at least a Level 6 monarch, had been utterly defeated by the Demon King in one fell swoop!

"It's over! All is lost!"

"The empire is on the brink of collapse!"

"We can no longer stand against the Demon King!"