Chapter 86: The Battle of the Five Ascenders

There was no time left for hesitation.

On the ground...

Two enormous armies collided.

On one side stood the alliance of the Racial Protection Association and the Heavenly Council.

On the other stood Azrael's two armies.

The Golden Army.

And the army of fiery creatures.

The front lines collided.

BOOOOOM!

The earth shook violently.

Magical spells exploded among the soldiers.

Weapons clashed.

And flames spread across the battlefield.

This was not merely a clash between two armies.

It was a catastrophe on a massive scale.

Every strike devastated the land.

Every explosion uprooted trees and shattered rocks.

As time passed, enormous numbers of soldiers fell.

Soldiers of the Racial Protection Association.

Soldiers of the Heavenly Council.

Fiery creatures.

And soldiers clad in golden armor.

Yet despite the armies being roughly equal in number...

There was a clear difference.

Azrael's two armies were slowly but steadily advancing.

His soldiers were not merely fighters gathered for war.

They had undergone training that had lasted for thousands of years.

Every movement.

Every formation.

Every attack.

Everything was calculated with precision.

As for the army of the Heavenly Council's alliance...

Despite its great strength and enormous numbers, most of its soldiers lacked the long combat experience possessed by Azrael's armies.

One of the Association's commanders shouted:

"They're advancing!"

Another commander yelled:

"Hold your positions!"

But the pressure continued.

Some of the alliance's formations began to retreat.

And in the sky...

Azrael watched everything.

He had no need to intervene.

His two armies were carrying out the task they had trained for over thousands of years.

Azrael lowered his eyes.

He looked at Andor.

Then at Silvos.

Then at Teresa.

And finally...

His gaze settled upon Leon.

A look of contempt appeared on his face.

Then he said:

"So, I understand now. You came to protect that little rat from my wrath."

Silence fell for a moment.

But only one word...

was enough to ignite Leon's anger.

"Little rat?"

His expression changed.

He was no longer calm.

His face twisted with fury.

His grip tightened around his sword.

Then an overwhelming power erupted from his body.

BOOOOOM!

Heavenly energy surged from his body like a storm.

His aura completely transformed.

His power rose at an astonishing speed.

First level...

Second...

Third...

Until it reached...

The Seventh Level of Divine Ascension!

The power Leon had received from Caesar had been fully unleashed.

Everyone's expressions froze.

Even the members of the Heavenly Council stared at him in shock.

Teresa said:

"Seventh level..."

As for Andor...

He stared silently at Leon.

He knew that Leon's strength was extraordinary.

But this level...

Exceeded all his expectations.

In the next moment...

Leon vanished from his position.

BOOM!

His body shot toward Azrael at tremendous speed.

He raised his sword.

And charged directly at him.

But Azrael did not move at first.

He simply watched him.

And when he saw that "little rat" charging toward him...

His expression changed.

The mockery disappeared.

So did the indifference.

His face became gloomy.

Cold.

And cruel in an icy manner.

The red lightning around his body intensified.

The black-purple dragon flames danced behind him.

Then he raised his axe.

The instant Leon reached him...

Azrael swung his axe.

BOOOOOOM!

The sword collided with the axe.

An enormous wave of power exploded through the sky.

The clouds were pushed back.

Space trembled.

Leon was sent flying several meters backward.

But he quickly regained his balance.

He raised his sword again.

His eyes were blazing with anger.

Azrael said coldly:

"So this is your strength."

Leon did not answer.

He charged again.

The sword collided with the axe.

Once.

Then a second time.

Then a third.

Every collision shook the heavens.

Down below...

The attention of many fighters was drawn away from the battle for a few moments.

They looked toward the battle taking place above them.

Andor tightened his grip on his weapon.

He looked at Silvos.

Then at Teresa.

He said:

"We have to help him."

Silvos replied:

"Yes."

As for the other two members of the Heavenly Council...

One of them looked toward the battlefield.

Then said:

"We'll go down."

The other nodded.

"The two generals are down there."

Then the two of them descended toward the ground.

They did not head toward Azrael.

Instead, they descended directly onto the battlefield.

Below...

The two generals were commanding Azrael's armies.

One commanded the Golden Army.

The other commanded the army of fiery creatures.

The two Heavenly Council members landed before them.

The Golden General raised his sword.

He said:

"You want to pass?"

One of the Council members answered:

"We will pass."

In the next moment...

The two sides collided.

BOOOOOM!

The battle between the four erupted.

Meanwhile, in the sky...

Andor, Silvos, and Teresa moved toward Leon and Azrael.

Leon noticed their approach.

He shouted:

"Don't interfere!"

The three stopped for a moment.

Leon looked at Azrael.

Then said:

"This confrontation is between him and me."

Andor remained silent.

As for Silvos...

He looked at Leon with a calm expression.

Teresa said:

"Leon, you're facing Azrael alone."

Then she raised her weapon.

"But we're not here to watch you die."

Leon looked at them for a moment.

Then his gaze returned to Azrael.

He said:

"I never said I would refuse your help."

He tightened his grip around his sword.

"Fight beside me."

Andor's expression changed.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"That's what I wanted to hear."

Silvos stepped forward.

As for Teresa...

She raised her weapon.

Then the three stood beside Leon.

Four people.

Facing one person.

But that person...

was Azrael.

The red lightning around his body stopped for a moment.

Azrael looked at the four before him.

Then he let out a short laugh.

"Four?"

He raised his axe.

"Looks like you've finally learned how to multiply quickly."

The expressions of the three hardened.

As for Leon...

He did not respond.

Instead, he raised his sword.

Heavenly energy intensified around his body.

Andor said:

"Don't underestimate him."

He looked at Azrael.

"His level is still unknown."

Teresa said:

"And that's what worries me the most."

As for Silvos...

He remained silent.

His eyes were fixed on Azrael.

He could not determine his level of power.

Nor the amount of energy he was concealing.

Not even the true extent of his abilities.

On the other side...

Azrael stood alone.

His axe rested on his shoulder.

Red lightning coiled around his body.

Black-purple dragon flames burned behind him.

He did not appear concerned in the slightest.

Leon said:

"Azrael."

Azrael raised his eyes.

"What?"

Leon said:

"This time, I won't fight you alone."

Azrael replied:

"It doesn't matter."

Then he raised his axe.

"Let everyone come."

In the next moment...

The four charged forward.

And Azrael charged toward them.

BOOOOOOOM!

The sky shook.

An enormous wave of heavenly energy and red lightning exploded outward.

A battle greater than the previous confrontation had begun.

Last time...

Four Divine Ascenders had fought in a single battle.

But now...

There were five.

Leon.

Andor.

Silvos.

Teresa.

And Azrael.

But there was one dangerous difference.

Azrael's level...

was still unknown.

And on the ground...

The four armies continued their battle.

The Golden Army.

The army of fiery creatures.

The army of the Racial Protection Association.

And the army of the Heavenly Council.

Blood covered the earth.

Flames filled the sky.

And the dead continued to fall without end.

Above the battlefield...

A confrontation that would determine everyone's fate had begun.

Who would prosper in the mortal world?

Who would perish?

Whose name would remain in the pages of history?

And whose name would be erased from them forever?

No one knew.

But one thing was certain...

This battle would not be merely a battle between five Divine Ascenders.

It was a battle that would decide the future of the entire mortal world.