Chapter 258

Chapter 258: Target, Themis’s Landmark—Sacred Tree!

"Heavy losses ahead!"

"Battleship withdrawal rate below fifty percent!"

"New report: ‘Glory of the Sacred Tree’ was attacked by Outer Gods from the Void during retreat and went silent!"

…

Bad news kept pouring in.

The Soul Network overflowed with battle-damage reports and silenced warships, the exchange ratio utterly devastating.

"Can’t be helped when facing gods…"

Sulya massaged her temple with one finger, forcing down frustration and anguish.

Though the "divine might" forged from "collective will" weakened the Outer Gods’ magic power, their close combat remained lethal. Whether with cutting or piercing mouthparts, they effortlessly sliced through any floating battleship section unprotected by "divine skin."

Unlike living organisms, these cold machines had near-zero fault tolerance—a single breach often triggered total collapse. Meanwhile, Outer Gods shrugged off lost limbs, retreating briefly before "ultra-rapid regeneration" restored them.

Even a blown-off head couldn’t stop their advance.

One side healed while breathing; the other faced ship abandonment from a single touch. Losses mounted inevitably.

Building these cutting-edge floating battleships demanded staggering resources—countless skilled laborers and endless man-hours.

Their crews represented the finest elites, second only to Chosen Warriors.

Such attrition was unsustainable…

Thankfully, most fleet personnel were Valaharl people. These near-mechanically birthed warriors spoke little, considering sacrifice for the Giant God their highest honor.

Only they could endure such casualties.

"Though battleships had full life-protection systems, explosions still allowed many to escape via pods post-disintegration."

"But…"

"It still hurts!"

Then, worse news arrived:

"First Living Saint!"

"Outer Gods from the Void are flooding back! Numbers multiplied severalfold!"

"The aerial fleet is collapsing!"

"Casualties too severe!"

Sulya drew a sharp breath.

Feigning indifference, she commanded: "Spare me casualty counts!"

"Advance everything by the plan!"

"Lure the Outer Gods to the target zone—as planned!"

But…

"Heh heh heh heh…"

The cold laughter of the Outer Gods from the Void echoed through the air.

"Foolish humans, blocking us this far was quite impressive."

"But it was time to lay our cards on the table!"

This voice made Sulya look up in surprise.

To her astonishment, she noticed a "grayish-white" figure faintly appearing above the Outer Gods, resembling a giant, fat bug!

"Wait a minute…"

"Did the Outer Gods also have a network like a ‘Soul Link’?"

"No…"

"These Outer Gods themselves were born from one single will!"

"They were all part of one Outer God!"

Sulya guessed right.

This time, Agareth had invested heavily; he had only hired one "Outer God" — the "Heavenly Legion King", who shared one will among countless bodies.

"Brave but foolish mortals, let me show you how strong I am!"

As he spoke…

"Whoosh!"

The Outer Gods, who had been scattered and fighting alone, suddenly started coordinating. They moved together, forming a large net that slowly surrounded and trapped all the floating battleships of the Giant God forces in the air.

Although their attack seemed to change, the fleet’s pressure shot up, like an unseen hand and mouth slowly crushing and eating the mortal fleet.

"If this kept up…"

"Total destruction was only a matter of time!"

But soon, the Heavenly Legion King’s voice threw everyone’s hearts into darkness.

"Total destruction?"

"No, we have a bigger goal."

"For example…"

"The third phase!"

With the Heavenly Legion King’s roar, the Outer Gods switched from their old annihilation tactics and pushed the mortal battleships toward the sea, toward Themis’s Sacred Ground — around the Holy Tree!

Perhaps here, wrecked ships falling into their own controlled sea would boost survival, but it also meant the enemy’s final target was Themis’s sacred place!

"Once we destroy the Holy Tree and crush Themis’s symbol, Agareth’s task for us will be done!"

"Hahaha!"

"Mortals!"

"I want you alive, to watch your proud Holy Tree fall!"

"Buzz!"

Another wave of Outer Gods rushed in through the broken Crystal Walls.

They buzzed and howled excitedly, emitting vibrating sounds as they charged toward the "World Tree"!

Now, the battleships in the sky were all held back, and the False Bodies on the ground were once again fighting with Agareth’s subordinate officials; no one could stop them anymore!

The Heavenly Legion King was a cautious god.

He would only act when he had complete control over the situation!

Now was the time for him to act!

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, from the charging group of Outer Gods from the Void, a particularly large Outer God rushed out; but honestly, it wasn’t that huge, just much bigger compared to the surrounding Outer Gods—about two or three times the size of a normal one!

He was the true form of the "Heavenly Legion King."

"Haha!"

"Let me destroy the first platform!"

"Thud!"

He landed steadily on the largest platform.

To be honest, the shape of this platform was completely different from the "planes leaves" that grew from the Fantasy Tree of Subspace. Not only was it much smaller, but the shape was also very different.

This "leaf" looked strange, as if it was split in two from the middle, with long, thorn-like jagged edges along its sides.

The "leaf blade" started to fold slightly along the central line, like a giant mouth opening.

For some reason, the Heavenly Legion King suddenly felt a bit scared.

"What… what’s there to be afraid of!"

"Growing like this!"

"Just bluffing!"

That moment of fear angered the Heavenly Legion King greatly.

He felt it was a disgrace.

He wanted to erase that shame!

"Buzz!"

He ordered his avatars to land one by one on the other leaf blades.

"Hiss!"

The Heavenly Legion King lifted his head, took a deep breath, and sensed the despair in the air.

"Very good!"

"Then, bite!"

"Mortals! Remember this moment!"

"Thud!"

He stomped his leg hard on the "platform"!

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the sound of something slicing through the air came.

"What!?"

The Heavenly Legion King could only gasp in shock before…

"Bang!"

The two "leaf blades" of the platform clamped shut fiercely, trapping the Heavenly Legion King tightly inside!