Chapter 525

Die! Traitor!

Hmph! Trash, at most a bit harder to deal with than a succubus!

The arriving Gray Knights, though inferior to the Imperial Guard in individual combat power, seem far more efficient than Kang Sitan and six Imperial Guards at handling interdimensional debris.

Add to that a former Underworld King who has lived for over a hundred thousand years and even taught Magnus various spells…

Dozens of people somehow mustered the momentum of thousands, even ten thousand.

As for the fire lizards, although they have been amplified as much as possible by a host of evil gods and demons, fundamentally they remain creations of interdimensional space, so the Gray Knights' exclusive Moonlight Explosive Arrow still inflicts considerable damage and torment upon them.

Another pack of the false Emperor's lackeys!

Seeing the offspring he had carefully tended, trained, and hoped would help restore humanity's "glory" being slaughtered by a group of silver-powered-armor "lackeys", Wokan erupted in fury, charging forward, brandishing his war hammer to smash the newly arrived "lackeys".

Clang!!

However, Kang Sitan, who had been monitoring the battlefield, forcefully hurled a Cassius Gun, cutting off the assault of this Chaotic OriginalBody.

While throwing the spear, Kang Sitan also drew from his belt sheath a straight long sword resembling a "Han Sword", its blade etched with dragon patterns and its hilt inlaid with the most precious emerald.

Immediately after, Kang Sitan gripped with his left hand the sword named "Dragon Soul" bestowed by his father, easily cutting down fire lizards that dared approach, while his right hand, not idle, recalled the fallen Cassius Gun to strike Wokan.

After all, among everyone present, only he, the Imperial Guard commander, could contend with a fallen OriginalBody.

And Ha Di Si?

Although this former Underworld King, who has undergone plague doctor treatment and been bathed in the Emperor's Spiritual Energy, is already infinitely close to his peak and stronger than most Imperial Guards and Gray Knights…

He is, after all, a "mage".

Spiritual Energy might hinder Wokan to some extent, but once in close quarters, Ha Di Si will inevitably be "blasted" by the war hammer.

As for the "Dragon Soul" sword, it is a blade forged by Hephestus, who helped Sui Bian move the "Craftsmen's Factory" into the Empire's palace, pouring all his effort into creating a weapon stronger than the Sword of Governance.

However, the Sword of Governance is already standard issue for the Emperor, and Sui Bian originally intended to publicly display the Dragon Soul sword at the Empire's centennial.

Thus, before then, Sui Bian temporarily entrusted the Dragon Soul sword to Kang Sitan, who could, when necessary, use it to cut down or eliminate enemies that could endanger his life.

This also indirectly shows that the human Emperor seems to highly value the loyal, taciturn Imperial Guard commander.

Soon.

With Kang Sitan taking the initiative to hold the line, tasked with stalling the increasingly fierce Wokan, the Imperial Guard and Gray Knights easily converged among the fire lizards.

"Child!" At this moment, Ha Di Si waved a hand, turning a fire lizard into bone, and shouted loudly to Kang Sitan, who was blocking Wokan:

"We are ready! Come quickly, don't linger in battle!"

?

Kang Sitan, who had forcefully pried the war hammer open, did not know what Ha Di Si was planning, but at this point there was no room for his indecision; with his left hand he made a thrust with Dragon Soul, forcing Wokan to step back.

After all, even though the Chaotic OriginalBody may not fully grasp the external situation, being adept at forging and casting, it knows that being cut by Dragon Soul would be extremely troublesome.

Kang Sitan exploited this, and after creating distance from Wokan, leapt powerfully, instantly jumping back into the makeshift formation the brothers had built.

"Children! Let's go!"

Seeing Kang Sitan return to the formation, Ha Di Si immediately raised his clenched right hand, then forcefully dropped to a single knee, his right fist's tip touching the ground.

He watched as Wokan and the fire lizards prepared to encircle.

Twang twang twang…!

The gunfire that had been booming from the explosive arrow gun abruptly ceased, and the formation of Imperial Guard and Gray Knights vanished, leaving Wokan and countless fire lizards with nothing but empty space.

It should be said that when Ha Di Si's right fist struck the ground, an ethereal green "Soul" burst outward, instantly enveloping the entire formation, and then vanished into thin air before the Chaotic ones.

???

Even Wokan could not comprehend how the false Emperor's offspring escaped from this underground space supposedly protected by their deity.

Meanwhile.

On the leeward side of Sanosche, a temporarily windless, dried riverbed…

Swoosh——! in an instant.

A green light flashed.

Thump! Thump!

The ethereal Soul appeared in midair, hurling the Gray Knights and Imperial Guard out of its body, causing the giants to tumble crookedly onto the ground, raising dust and debris, and even Kang Sitan suffered the same.

Conversely, the prepared Ha Di Si landed gracefully, and reclaimed and dissipated the ethereal Soul that had led them out of the predicament.

Fortunately, the Imperial Guard and Gray Knights cared little about how awkward their landing was; after all they were brothers, and Ha Di Si, in a sense, was not an outsider—especially since this former Underworld King's age is measured in tens of thousands.

After re-forming the formation and staying alert, the quantum communications displayed on everyone's helmet screens and the information ticker finally returned to normal.

But there was no sudden burst of messages like a phone that ran out of battery then recharged, or switched from airplane mode to reconnect to the network.

Because for the Griffin, Moonlight Goddess, and the three stealth-class ships of the task force, the ten‑thousand‑strong forces led by Kang Sitan, Leon, and others that penetrated Sanosche's underground network were simply carrying out reconnaissance in order, having suffered no anomalies or attacks…

Of course, this phenomenon was caused by the evil god's meddling.

In fact, Hong Hou sensed subtle clues, but as an artificial intelligence, even though she now resembles a human more than a century ago, she still cannot fully grasp "sixth sense" and "intuition".

Primarily, Hong Hou had not focused her work on this side of Sanosche, so she did not pay attention or scrutinize it.

Seeing communications normal, Kang Sitan immediately activated his armor to generate a holographic screen before him, then uploaded the real-time footage of the underground space to the Moonlight Goddess‑class ship, which Hong Hou then forwarded to his father in the primary universe.

Having completed this, Kang Sitan finally exhaled a sigh of relief, then looked toward a short distance away, where Ha Di Si stood, eyes emitting a faint green glow, seemingly pondering something.

?

Noticing Kang Sitan's gaze, Ha Di Si ended his alternative meditation, stepped slowly toward Kang Sitan, tilted his head slightly, and smiled lightly: "What's wrong, child, any questions?"

"Nothing." Kang Sitan lightly shook his head.

"Hehe." Seeing this, Ha Di Si chuckled self‑deprecatingly, saying: "Child, although I am far from your OriginalBody brothers or even your Emperor father, I am still an Earth ancient god.

And…" At this point, Ha Di Si's words faltered, then the former Underworld King gazed at the night sky and continued:

"And don't forget, my brothers and I have all led our forces into the other dimension, directly engaging the evil gods hiding there."

"Although the result wasn't great, now, casting some 'minor' spells that even the evil gods can't comprehend, I, a full‑blown Hadi Si, can still manage…"

"So, child, you should be grateful I didn't choose to retire early; otherwise you and your brothers could never have emerged this soon."

"At this moment, Hadi Si resembled a harmlessly 'amiable' old man, delivering a slightly wistful tease."

"…"

"Kangsitein simply nodded wordlessly."

"Indeed, after the recent incident, the elite army commander who considered himself only second to the OriginalBody and his father personally experienced the truth of 'there are people beyond people, heavens beyond heavens.'"

"At the same time, Kangsitein understood the saying 'having an elder at home is like having a treasure.'"

"'Alright, child.' Hadi Si withdrew his gaze from the starry sky, spread his five fingers, palm out, summoned once more the lingering nether spirit that enveloped his body, and said to Kangsitein:"

"'Below Sanosche there are still many children to guide; you… um, seem not to need to take care, for on the surface nothing should be able to threaten you, hahaha!'"

"As his words faded, Hadi Si's figure vanished, leaving only his hearty laughter echoing for a long time."

"…"

"Kangsitein paused briefly, silently marveling at why, across various versions of Greek myth, the reputation of the underworld king Hadi Si is always the best."

"A brief silence."

"Kangsitein returned the dragon soul to its scabbard, then twirled his cloak in a full turn, and solemnly reminded the elite troops and Gray Knight brothers:"

"'Everyone, without Brother Tutmos accompanying us, we cannot rashly venture deeper into the netway; we must stand by for a response from the Empire before proceeding.'"

"Therefore, what we can do now is stay vigilant, ensure ground safety, and prevent evil gods and demons from launching direct attacks on our fleet."

"One more thing I am certain of: if Father learns of the incident erupting beneath Sanosche's surface, he will surely mobilize an OriginalBody and its main legion to deal with the Chaotic OriginalBody and the Astate…"

"This could well be the first large‑scale legion‑level deployment since the Empire's founding, and it will likely remain under Father's continual watch."

"In short, prepare for a war, brothers."

"…"

"Hearing Kangsitein's reminder, the brothers all nodded wordlessly in understanding."

"——————————"

"…"

"Before Hadi Si led Kangsitein and the others to a successful escape."

"Prime Universe, Earth."

"Inside the Meditation Hall of the Empire Palace…"

"'You two, any thoughts or better proposals regarding the training of Astate recruits?'"

"Sui Bian, seated on the golden throne, opened his eyes and asked the two AI secretaries who, except in special circumstances, are almost always at his left and right."

"Hearing this, Bai Hou turned first, facing Sui Bian and retorting, 'Your Majesty, why do you say that?'"

"'To explain why…' Sui Bian mused, 'the data shows that relying on a single prehistoric planet as their final training is a bit too simple.'"

"'Hmm… indeed.' Bai Hou nodded in agreement."

"As Sui Bian said, the prehistoric planet, now serving as the final 'stage' for recruits entering adulthood and soon to become reservists, no longer fits the current Human Empire."

"Even before the Human Empire was founded, Umbrella had already been regulating the annual number of completed G‑gland surgeries and eligible candidates for the prehistoric planet, ranging from 14,000 to 21,000."

"Yet even so, the prehistoric planet's natural capacity is reaching its limit."

"If Alei Xiya needs to keep Titans and dinosaur beasts at a certain number, artificial breeding technology must be employed; otherwise, by next autumn, over ten thousand Astate entering the mountain…"

"the mountain will be empty when they emerge."

"Of course, these are minor issues, as long as Sui Bian endures Alei Xiya's nagging, saying things like, 'Can't you make those kids behave a bit?'"

"or 'My god… I still have to use viruses to control animals so those kids can show strength, it's really exhausting!' and a series of other grumbling remarks."

"Although Sui Bian hasn't found it bothersome yet, the experience 'level' of the prehistoric planet is indeed too low, and the number of 'subhumans' living there keeps rising."

"All signs indicate that Astate recruits need a new testing ground."

"There's no choice; the newest generation of Astate, though growing as robust as the new Chromium people and requiring prolonged exposure to the yellow dwarf (Sun), already possess adult physiques comparable to the second generation wielding Thor's hammer (integrated with nanotech)."

"Thus the native organisms on the prehistoric planet are no longer threats; they are more like 'campfire ingredients' and an 'import source' for leather, furs, and skeletal‑tooth ornaments."

"Unless each native creature is individually enhanced, which would be time‑consuming and inefficient."

"'Your Majesty…' At this moment, the ever‑silent Hong Hou tried to propose, 'How about letting the recruits directly participate in combat?'"

"But Hong Hou's suggestion was met with a retort from 'Sister': 'How could there be so many wars for over ten thousand recruits to run around? What would the battalion HQ and commander think? You really have no political sense at all.'"

"'…' Hong Hou merely shrugged, ignoring Bai Hou's rebuttal."

"'War…' Yet Sui Bian seemed inspired, 'In the current universe there aren't many alien forms to deal with, but that doesn't mean other universes lack them.'"

"'Your Majesty, are you saying to open Space Gates for the recruits to other universes?' the two AI secretaries asked in unison."

"'Exactly.' Sui Bian shifted his position to lie back against the golden throne, continuing to explain to the two AI secretaries:"

"'Moreover, it requires sudden, unexpected encounters, fighting new cosmic alien forms unprepared, to better temper the mind…'"

"'Bai Hou, draft a confidentiality agreement; even my offspring cannot casually disclose this unique trial to the outside world or to untested candidates.'"

"(End of Chapter)"