Catalivo Empire, Royal Capital.

The once prosperous capital city is now silent and devoid of sound.

Those who could withdraw have already left, but whether they can find safety is uncertain, as one must question if there is truly a safe place on this continent now?

Onestor cannot answer this question.

The Catalivo Empire, under his command, was the most formidable military force on the Northern Continent, yet even they retreated before Naraku's monster army.

Others fared even worse.

Perhaps destruction is only a matter of time?

Onestor harbored such thoughts, choosing not to heed other nobles' advice to evacuate, but instead opting to personally cover the rear.

He wished to distance his subjects from this place.

He stood on the third-story tower, draped in a black cloak that seemed woven from raven feathers, extraordinarily dark.

The Catalivo Empire revered black.

No special reason, just that Onestor favored black.

Soon, on the horizon, appeared a colossal monster that seemed to support the sky and earth.

Its tentacles waved, scattering the clouds, and though the monster had not yet arrived, its presence was thunderous, striking the city walls like furious thunder.

Rumbling, as the Dread Emperor approached, the monstrosities beneath its feet became clearer.

Onestor gripped the sword in his hand and shouted forward, "Naraku, what has this world done to you, that you must destroy humanity?"

His shout was not drowned out by the gale winds of the Dread Emperor's march.

Naraku, cloaked in a silver-white baboon robe, stood atop the Dread Emperor, appearing utterly insignificant.

Indeed, if he remained silent, no one would notice someone standing on the Dread Emperor's head.

For the Dread Emperor was too eye-catching, too terrifying.

"Onestor, you have no shame in bearing the King's title, choosing to remain in the capital and voluntarily covering the rear at this time."

Naraku's voice was approving, and in a tempting tone, he said, "If you are willing to surrender, I can let you live, and I'm willing to use the Shikon Jewel to make you even stronger."

"Haha, Naraku, I am a King!"

Onestor let out a disdainful snicker, "There are only kings who lose their heads, not those who bow their heads!"

In his view, a king is not invincible and can die, but where he dies makes a significant difference!

A king who dies in the capital compared to one who dies in refuge abroad leaves entirely different impressions.

Onestor did not want the infamy of abandoning the city and fleeing to be recorded in history books.

Though uncertain if humanity's history would survive, he still stood his ground here, as reputation was what Onestor valued most.

Born of humble origins, it was only after awakening as an Angel Envoy that he began to rise to prominence. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Yet the desire to be remembered in history was not born after becoming an Angel Envoy.

He had always yearned for fame.

"Then you must die."

Naraku casually replied, his eyes gleaming coldly, as he disliked these resolute and unyielding individuals.

He favored those who could be easily swayed by words.

Watching people descend into degradation, rebellion, and mutual slaughter through his words gave Naraku a sense of deep satisfaction.

It validated his belief that people were inherently foolish.

He was not.

Even though Naraku was half-demon.

Yet in temperament and wisdom, he far surpassed those pure humans or monsters.

With the power of the Shikon Jewel, he could even ally himself with the most terrifying monster, the Dread Emperor.

This too was a fallen soul.

Naraku understood well that in the torrent of desire, the Dread Emperor lost itself, relentlessly pursuing power, leaving behind an empty shell of formidable strength.

It was its internal fragility that allowed the Shikon Jewel to easily control its actions.

Every mouth on the Dread Emperor's body opened, and scorching flames surged forth.

In the next second, scenes of fireballs falling like blazing suns appeared over the empire's royal capital.

The terrifying heat seemed to evaporate the air completely.

Onestor stood for less than a second before he was already drenched in sweat.

And that sweat evaporated in an instant, transforming into wisps of rising steam.

"What a breathtaking sight!"

Onestor let out a hearty laugh, not drawing the sword at his side, as it was merely a decorative piece.

He raised his hand, activating his powers, and cold air surged through the atmosphere.

In the blink of an eye, the walls were covered in a thick layer of frost, and an intense cold swept towards the massive fireballs in the sky.

Crackling sounds rose as the fireballs rapidly froze at a visible speed, and in an instant, each giant ice ball was suspended in the air, connected to the ground by towering ice pillars.

Onestor chose to evacuate soldiers and citizens early, facilitating the unrestrained use of his powers.

He lacked noble lineage, yet solely through strength, he had carved out the Northern Continent's most powerful empire.

"Kill." "Kill."

A group of oddly shaped monsters shouted this single word as they swiftly charged towards the ground.

As they rushed to the walls and prepared to leap, the cold air surrounding the walls surged forward.

Once the cold air passed, an ice sculpture of a monster stood there.

Within ten miles, no monster was left capable of movement.

Naraku gazed coldly from atop the Dread Emperor, feeling no regret or pity for the monsters' sacrifice.

In his eyes, everyone was merely a pawn in his game of world destruction.

In fact, Onestor's prowess only fueled Naraku's excitement.