Chapter 82: The Golden Army and the Wrath of the Great One

The war between the Races Protection Association and the Council had not subsided.

Across the vast plains, battles raged in more than one location.

The banners of the Association fluttered above defensive positions, while the black banners of the Council appeared on the horizon, announcing the arrival of more forces.

But on that day...

Something was different.

A new force had appeared on the horizon.

At first, the soldiers could only see tiny dots moving in the distance.

Then the dots began to grow larger.

As they approached, rows of soldiers marching in an organized formation became visible.

They wore gleaming golden armor that covered their entire bodies.

Golden helmets.

Golden breastplates.

Golden gauntlets.

And armored boots.

Every soldier carried a standardized weapon.

Above them, the banners of the Council fluttered in the wind.

Silence descended over the positions of the Races Protection Association.

One soldier said:

"What is that army?"

Another soldier answered:

"They're from the Council."

A third said:

"We know that."

Then he stared at the approaching army.

"But I've never seen an army like this before."

The golden army advanced without a single battle cry.

No disorder.

No shouting.

No random sounds.

Only synchronized footsteps.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Thousands of footsteps struck the earth at the exact same moment.

One of the Association's commanders said:

"They're frighteningly organized."

Another commander said:

"Watch their formation."

The army advanced farther.

Then a larger banner appeared at the front.

It was black, with the emblem of the Council at its center.

One of the Association's commanders raised his spyglass.

Then said:

"It's an entire unit."

One of the soldiers asked:

"How many are there?"

"Many."

He lowered the spyglass.

"But not half a million."

The commander said:

"That doesn't matter."

Then he looked at the golden ranks.

"We must assume they're stronger than the forces we've faced before."

At the headquarters of the Races Protection Association, the leaders of the various races were gathered around a massive map.

One of them said:

"The approaching army is different from the forces we've encountered."

Another said:

"Their armor is uniform."

A third added:

"And their formations have no obvious gaps."

One of the female commanders asked:

"Do we know which division they belong to?"

One of the scouts answered:

"No."

"Then who commands them?"

The scout hesitated.

"We don't know."

Silence filled the room.

Then the commander said:

"That's bad."

One of the leaders looked at her.

"Why?"

She answered:

"Because we know nothing about them."

Then she pointed toward the map.

"And we don't know how strong they are."

A commander from one of the beast races said:

"We don't need to know everything."

Then he gave a fierce smile.

"We'll find out when we break their armor."

One of the mages said:

"Don't underestimate them."

He turned toward him.

"And why not?"

The mage answered:

"Because they don't behave like an army that came here to intimidate us."

Then he looked toward the horizon.

"They behave like an army that came here to end the war."

Silence followed.

Then the orders were issued.

"Prepare yourselves."

Outside...

The fighters of the Association formed their ranks.

There were warriors from different races.

Some carried swords.

Others carried spears.

The mages stood in the rear ranks.

Winged warriors hovered above the army.

And enormous beasts stood at the front.

One of the commanders said:

"Do not let them break the first line."

Everyone raised their weapons.

On the opposite side...

The golden army stopped.

Tens of thousands of soldiers stopped at the exact same moment.

Silence descended.

Then one of the golden knights stepped forward.

He raised his weapon.

And shouted:

"In the name of the Council!"

Then he lowered his weapon.

"Advance."

The army moved.

"Now!"

one of the Association's commanders shouted.

The gigantic beasts charged.

Their speed was tremendous.

They crashed into the golden front line.

BOOOOM!

The earth trembled.

The Association's soldiers expected the golden ranks to retreat.

But...

They did not.

The soldiers held their positions.

Then the first rank moved forward.

At the same moment.

Dozens of spears struck the beasts' bodies.

CRAAACK!

The first beast fell.

Then the second.

Then the third.

The fighters' eyes widened.

One of them said:

"They're strong!"

The commander shouted:

"Attack!"

The swords surged forward.

They struck the golden armor.

CLAAANG!

But the armor did not break.

One of the warriors said:

"What?!"

The golden soldier raised his sword.

And struck him.

The warrior quickly retreated.

Then another fighter intervened.

He attacked the golden soldier from the side.

But a second soldier immediately appeared.

He blocked the attack.

Then counterattacked.

The movements of the golden army were terrifyingly synchronized.

Every soldier protected another.

Every opening was immediately closed.

Every attack was met with a counterattack.

One of the commanders said:

"They fight like a single body!"

In the sky...

The mages began casting their spells.

The sky erupted in flames.

Massive bolts of lightning crashed down upon the golden army.

BOOOOM!

Smoke rose into the air.

One of the soldiers shouted:

"We hit them!"

But when the smoke cleared...

The golden ranks emerged once again.

Some of their armor was damaged.

But the formation had not broken.

One of the mages said:

"Impossible..."

Then the commander shouted:

"Keep going!"

A second wave of magic was unleashed.

But the golden army began moving differently.

The soldiers raised their shields.

Suddenly...

A layer of golden energy appeared before them.

The spells collided with the barrier.

And exploded in the sky.

One of the Association's commanders said:

"They have a combined defensive formation!"

Then he shouted:

"Change the strategy!"

The battle began to descend into chaos.

Fighters from dozens of races clashed with the golden-armored soldiers.

The beasts attacked.

The mages bombarded them.

The winged warriors launched attacks from the sky.

But the golden army continued advancing.

One step.

Then another.

Then another.

Until one of the Association's lines began to retreat.

One of the soldiers shouted:

"They don't stop!"

His commander replied:

"Hold!"

"But they're breaking through!"

"Hold!"

Then a commander from one of the races charged forward himself.

He raised his weapon.

"Behind me!"

Dozens of fighters followed him.

They crashed into the golden army.

For a moment...

The advance stopped.

Then the Association began reclaiming some ground.

One of the fighters shouted:

"We did it!"

But one of the commanders did not smile.

He was staring at the golden ranks.

He said:

"No."

"What?"

"We didn't."

Then he narrowed his eyes.

"They haven't used all their strength yet."

Far from that battlefield...

The war continued throughout the world.

In one region, a small kingdom was resisting an army of the Council.

In another region, the forces of an empire had managed to reclaim a city they had lost days earlier.

But on a third front...

Three cities had fallen in a single day.

The world began to realize that the war was continuously expanding.

News traveled from one continent to another.

"The Races Protection Association is fighting a new army from the Council!"

"An army wearing golden armor!"

"They're advancing despite the Association's resistance!"

The news only increased the anxiety.

But on the battlefield...

Leon was seeing something else.

He stood in the middle of the battlefield.

His sword was in his hand.

But he was no longer looking at the golden army.

He was looking at the ground.

At the corpses.

At the fallen fighters.

At those who could no longer rise.

He heard the cry of a soldier.

Then another.

Then he saw a child from one of the races being dragged away from the battlefield.

He froze.

Then said:

"How much is enough?"

No one answered him.

He clenched his fist.

Anger was rising within him.

Then he closed his eyes.

"Master..."

Caesar's voice came to him.

"I'm here."

Leon said:

"Raise my power."

Caesar fell silent.

"To what level?"

Leon opened his eyes.

"The Divine Ascension Realm."

Silence followed.

Caesar said:

"If I do that, your strength may be exposed."

Leon answered:

"Then conceal it."

Caesar paused for a moment.

Then said:

"I will."

In the next instant...

Leon's power rose.

But it did not spread outward.

It was completely concealed.

Everyone continued to believe that Leon had not changed.

But the truth was different.

He had entered the Divine Ascension Realm.

Leon raised his head.

Then took a deep breath.

Suddenly...

His voice spread throughout the Central Continent.

"Azrael Netherval!"

The battles stopped.

The soldiers raised their heads.

Leon continued:

"Listen to me!"

His voice spread across the plains and cities.

"You think you rule the world because your armies have filled the continents!"

Then he said:

"But the world did not wrong you!"

His tone grew harsher.

"You brought all of this upon yourself!"

Then he shouted:

"And you deserve everything that happened to you!"

He raised his sword.

"I am Leon!"

"And I challenge you!"

Then he said:

"If you have the courage..."

"Come down yourself!"

"Face me!"

Then he added:

"And I will make you realize that the world will not bow forever before you!"

His voice ended.

Silence descended.

In the Kingdom of Light...

Valer, Lilian, Lunaria, Selena, Miranda, and Alex were gathered in the palace hall.

They were discussing the news of the war.

Valer said:

"The fronts are getting worse."

Alex said:

"And the Council keeps sending new forces."

Miranda said:

"Even the Races Protection Association is now in open war with them."

Suddenly...

The voice reached them.

"Azrael Netherval!"

Everyone froze.

Lilian raised her head.

Then said:

"Leon..."

They heard the rest of his words.

And when the challenge ended...

Silence filled the room.

Selena said:

"He challenged him."

Alex said:

"He even insulted him in front of the entire continent."

Lunaria said:

"And that means Azrael won't ignore him."

Lilian was pale.

She whispered:

"He'll go to him."

In Abaddon...

Azrael had heard all of Leon's words.

He did not move.

He did not speak.

He remained seated for several moments as silence surrounded him.

Then...

Azrael slowly raised his head.

The calm smile that had been on his face completely disappeared.

The temperature of the hall suddenly dropped.

Then Azrael opened his eyes.

At that moment...

His aura erupted.

It was not merely power.

It was rage.

Rage that caused space itself to tremble.

Then his voice emerged.

And this time, his voice was not directed at a single army.

It spread throughout the Central Continent, penetrating cities, plains, and battlefields.

"Leon Foyd..."

The battles stopped.

The soldiers raised their heads.

Then Azrael continued in a voice filled with rage that shook the heavens:

"With your words, you have touched the pride of this Great One."

Silence descended.

Then his tone became colder.

"And as the price for overstepping your boundaries..."

His words paused for a moment.

Then he said:

"I will torment you with a suffering the creatures of this world have never witnessed."

Faces froze.

He continued:

"Then, when you die..."

His voice lowered.

But that only made it more terrifying.

"I will grind your body into dust..."

His aura intensified.

"And scatter that dust across the worlds."

Then his final words came like a sentence of death:

"And I will seal your soul..."

He paused.

"And torment it until the end of time."

Azrael's voice thundered with immense rage, until it seemed that even the heavens themselves trembled beneath the weight of his words.

Everyone who heard him felt a chill run through their bodies.

This was not merely a threat.

It was a promise of a fate so horrifying that even warriors accustomed to witnessing death could feel the weight of his words.

On one of the battlefields, an Association fighter said with a trembling voice:

"He announced his fate before the entire world..."

Another said:

"Leon is no longer facing the Council's army."

Then he looked toward the sky.

"He's facing Azrael himself."

In a distant kingdom, one of the rulers immediately closed his council chamber after hearing the threat.

One of his advisors asked:

"Your Majesty?"

The ruler answered:

"Stop all discussion about supporting Leon."

"But why?"

The ruler looked at him seriously.

"Because I don't want Azrael to think our kingdom stands with him."

Silence followed.

Then he said:

"You heard what he said."

"Yes."

"Then understand what that means."

He looked toward the sky.

"His anger has become personal."

In another city, people spoke in hushed voices.

One man said:

"Can Leon survive?"

Another answered:

"I don't know."

Then he said:

"But I wouldn't want to be in his place when Azrael arrives."

As for the Council soldiers who heard their master's voice...

Not a single one dared to comment.

They knew that Azrael's anger was not something to be discussed.

In the palace of the Kingdom of Light...

Azrael's voice reached the palace.

When the members of the Foyd family heard his words...

No one spoke.

Valer stood before the window.

His face was pale.

His hands were tightly clenched.

Alex remained seated without moving.

His eyes were fixed on the floor.

Selena was trembling slightly.

Miranda could not hide the shock from her face.

Even Lunaria, who had maintained her composure throughout everything, could no longer conceal her concern.

But Lilian...

She was staring into the void.

As though she could hear nothing except Azrael's final words.

"And I will seal your soul..."

"And torment it until the end of time."

She placed a hand over her chest.

And said softly:

"No..."

Valer turned toward her.

"Lilian."

She raised her eyes toward him.

Fear was clearly visible within them.

She said:

"He isn't threatening him with death."

Silence followed.

Then she continued:

"He's threatening him with something worse."

Miranda said:

"We heard him."

Lilian shook her head.

"No."

Then she said:

"You don't understand."

Everyone looked at her.

She said:

"Azrael wasn't merely speaking in a moment of anger."

Then she took a deep breath.

"He announced before the entire world what he will do to Leon if he falls into his hands."

Valer clenched his fist.

He said:

"He won't reach him."

Lilian looked at him.

"How are you certain?"

He did not answer.

Lunaria then said calmly:

"We aren't certain."

Then she looked at everyone.

"That's why we have to move now."

Alex said:

"To the Races Protection Association."

She nodded.

"Yes."

Selena said:

"But what if Azrael reaches him before us?"

No one answered.

Then Valer said:

"We won't wait to find out."

He stood.

And said firmly:

"Prepare to leave."

Selena said:

"We'll all go."

As for Lilian...

She said nothing.

She only stared toward the horizon.

Then whispered:

"Hold on, Leon..."

She paused for a moment, then said with greater determination:

"We're coming for you."

Valer said:

"We won't allow Azrael to take him."

Alex added:

"Even if we have to cross the entire battlefield."

Lunaria said:

"Then we have no time to waste."

Lilian raised her head.

The fear disappeared from her eyes for a moment, replaced by clear determination.

She said:

"We'll reach Leon before Azrael."

And so...

The Foyd family was no longer thinking only about the war.

They now had a single objective.

Reach Leon.

Before Azrael descended personally onto the battlefield.

Meanwhile...

The war was still raging.

The golden-armored army continued its advance.

The Races Protection Association resisted with everything it had.

No one on the battlefield knew when Azrael would appear.

As for Leon...

He stood in the middle of the army, the power of the Divine Ascension Realm concealed within his body.

He knew that his words had reached Azrael.

And he now knew the magnitude of the consequences.

He raised his sword.

On the opposite side, the golden-armored army moved once again.

The Council's banners whipped in the wind.

The sounds of war rose once more.

But this time...

The battle was no longer merely a confrontation between the Races Protection Association and the Council.

For somewhere beyond the borders of the continent...

One person was preparing to descend personally.

Azrael Netherval.

And his target...

Leon Foyd.Ar