Chapter 416: Claiming The Territory

That was where Fedrick’s territory lay.

Fedrick was the person who attacked them immediately after their arrival in this world. His territory was extremely isolated, and because his spies had already been captured by Genesis Kingdom players, Fedrick likely had no idea how drastically the situation had changed.

Caelus smiled.

He and Sylvia rose into the air and traveled toward Fedrick’s territory.

A massive barrier surrounded the region.

Caelus did not even slow down.

He reached out and casually destroyed it.

CRACK!

The barrier shattered into countless fragments of light.

The Following instant, Fedrick’s furious voice immediately echoed throughout the territory.

"Who dares break into my kingdom?!"

Fedrick shot into the sky, flames swirling around his body as he prepared to confront whoever dared invade him.

The instant he saw Caelus and Sylvia, his expression changed.

"Aren’t you the new Ascenders?"

His surprise quickly turned into a vicious grin.

"Perfect. I was actually planning to invade your region and take it for myself."

He looked over Caelus and Sylvia with complete arrogance.

"But you came here yourself. That saves me the trouble."

Fedrick released his aura.

The pressure of an Overlord spread across the battlefield.

"I finally broke through! I’m no longer afraid of Glaciana or anyone else who might have threatened me before!"

Caelus looked at him calmly.

"Why did you attack our nation when we first arrived?"

Fedrick laughed as though the answer should be obvious.

"Because I wanted to destroy you and take your territory."

He spread his arms wide, flames dancing across his palms.

"Do you know how many regions I’ve already conquered? How many players I’ve killed to establish my current position?"

His eyes shifted toward Sylvia with an especially unpleasant expression.

"I’m going to kill both of you. Starting with her."

Caelus’s expression immediately became cold.

Fedrick raised both hands toward the sky.

"Inferno Dominion!"

FWOOOOSH!

Massive pillars of flame erupted from the ground, surrounding Caelus and Sylvia in a cage of fire. The temperature soared instantly as the flames burned hot enough to melt stone.

Fedrick laughed triumphantly.

"This is my strongest skill! Nothing can survive inside my Inferno Dominion!"

The flames closed in from every direction, compressing toward the center where Caelus and Sylvia stood.

Caelus did not move.

He simply looked at the approaching flames with complete indifference.

Then he flicked his wrist.

WHOOSH!

The entire Inferno Dominion was extinguished in an instant. The pillars of fire collapsed into nothing. The surrounding heat vanished as though it had never existed.

Fedrick’s laughter died in his throat.

"What?!"

He immediately launched another attack.

"Crimson Phoenix Annihilation!"

A massive bird of flame materialized behind him. It spread its wings and dove toward Caelus with enough force to level an entire city.

Caelus caught it with one hand.

CRACK!

The phoenix shattered like glass against his palm. Fragments of fire scattered in every direction before dissolving into smoke.

Fedrick’s face turned pale.

"Impossible! That attack could destroy an entire kingdom in a Tier 2 World!"

He desperately gathered every ounce of fire mana within his body.

"Solar Extinction!"

A miniature sun formed above his head. The light was blinding, and the heat radiating from it caused the air itself to distort.

He hurled it directly at Caelus.

Before it could reach him, Caelus disappeared.

BOOM!

A violent impact erupted.

Fedrick was slammed into the ground before he could understand what happened. The earth cracked beneath him as Caelus’s fist connected with his chest. The miniature sun he had created flickered and died, its power completely disrupted by the impact.

Caelus grabbed him by the throat and lifted him from the crater.

Fedrick tried to summon more flames, but Caelus’s grip tightened. Every spark that appeared around his body was immediately crushed by the overwhelming pressure.

He screamed as Caelus tore apart his defenses through sheer physical force. Every flame he summoned was extinguished instantly. Every barrier he created was shattered before it could fully form.

He was utterly incapable of fighting back.

Fedrick’s expression changed from arrogance to terror.

He finally understood that whatever level Caelus had reached was completely beyond his comprehension.

"W-Wait! I’ll surrender! I’ll give you everything!"

Caelus did not give him another opportunity to speak.

CRACK.

The battle was over before it even began.

Sylvia walked toward Caelus from behind and wrapped her arms around him.

"Calm down, hubby. People like that always say whatever they want. You don’t need to get angry over them."

She kissed his cheek, clearly enjoying the fact that Caelus had protected her without hesitation.

Caelus’s cold expression finally softened.

He turned around and embraced Sylvia.

"Let’s reach the top together, Sylvia. We’ll rule this world, and after that, we’ll have plenty of time to live however we want."

Sylvia became visibly delighted.

"Yes!"

Caelus then turned toward the enormous territory below them.

He raised his voice so every player in Fedrick’s kingdom could hear him.

"Starting today, Fedrick is dead. This territory is now part of the Genesis Kingdom."

He continued without hesitation.

"Nobody needs to fear me. You will not be mistreated. As long as you follow the laws of the Genesis Kingdom, you are free to live however you want."

Caelus expected resistance.

Instead, the territory erupted in cheers.

The people were celebrating Fedrick’s death.

Caelus was momentarily surprised before realizing that the reaction made perfect sense. Fedrick had ruled through fear. The moment his death removed that threat, the people had little reason to mourn him.

Caelus laughed.

The conquest brought more than 100 million players into the Genesis Kingdom. The sheer number revealed just how enormous Fedrick’s territory had been.

With another massive region now under his control, Caelus turned toward Sylvia.

"Let’s check out the Heavenly Spirit World."

Sylvia immediately agreed.

The Heavenly Spirit World was the territory of the Heavenly Faction. It was the same faction connected to the mysterious inheritance and Adam’s warnings.

Caelus intended to bring the entire planet under his control.

The two prepared to leave the planet and travel through space directly toward the Heavenly Spirit World.

Before they could depart, however, a figure suddenly appeared before them.

WHOOSH!

It was John.

"Wait, Star King. Star Queen."

Caelus and Sylvia stopped.

John’s sudden appearance and the urgency in his voice suggested that there was something important he needed to tell them before they left.