Chapter 1076: Destruction of the Ekatoe City: Madness

Soon, Souta arrived at the Champion’s Den. He descended and walked through the gate, as flying was forbidden within the city.

He immediately went to Athena’s Champion and noticed that the warriors seemed to be in a hurry. Souta walked and arrived at the portal.

What he found there surprised him.

“What?!” Souta widened his eyes.

“Tens of thousands of cities are being attacked right now. Even Division Commander Cicero has been dispatched to clean up the commotion in some of the big cities.”

A tall man with dark green hair stood before Souta. He wore black and dark red leather armor. He was the Chief Captain of the First Set Wisdom of the Pallas Division.

With the absence of the Division Commander, he was the one tasked with handling the

matters here at Athena’s Champion branch in the Champion’s Den.

“Recently, the frontline in the three theaters suffered a devastating loss. And in the Immortal Land, in the Fengdu Region, Gluttony has appeared.”

Besides that, tens of thousands of cities were under attack by various organizations, all backed by the Gluttony Army, so they had no fear.

“Have you noticed that the other God’s Legions around the Champion’s Den are on the move too?”

Souta nodded and inquired about the portal. He soon discovered that the other side of the portal had been destroyed, rendering it unusable.

Ekatoe City wasn’t the only one under attack; it was just one among the tens of thousands of cities.

“I have no choice but to fly there.” Souta muttered to himself.

Souta left Athena’s Champion and flew through the air. Unable to use the portal, it would take him time to get there. He just hoped they could hold on.

In the office, the Chief Captain of the First Wisdom Set glanced at the sky and then said, “Go to Ekatoe City. Grain Leader Souta needs some people there. Prioritize his safety above all else. We’ve received reports that some of the Heroes of the Gods have been ambushed. The situation is dire.”

Honestly, they only just found out that Ekatoe City was under attack after they noticed that the portal wasn’t working.

Most of the ordinary citizens in the Holy Lands weren’t affected, but those from the outside were greatly impacted. It was chaotic, especially around the perimeter of the three theaters.

There seemed to be an ancient Monster Lord there, wreaking havoc.

Swoosh!!

Souta was flying through the sky. He left the territory of Olympus and arrived at Mine Valley.

…

Ekatoe City.

Eilish looked over and saw her arm flying through the air, blood spraying in every direction. Her eyes narrowed in pain as she heard the desperate cry of her comrade.

“EILISH!!”

Their scream echoed in her ears before another wave of pain assaulted her body. The Messenger, cloaked in a dark robe, stretched out its hand, and darkness pierced through her

body.

Ugh!

When Eilish realized it, she was already lying on the ground. A huge gaping hole was visible in her chest, and blood was gushing out, forming a small pool around her.

The Messenger stood several meters away, holding a heart dripping with blood in its hand. Eilish turned her head and saw Alice, Amanda, and the others rushing toward her. She wanted to say something, but her throat was filled with blood. She couldn’t help but cough, spilling more blood.

‘No, don’t come here!’

Eilish looked down and saw the blood from her severed arm still gushing out.

‘I see..’

‘So I’ve reached my limit…’

She felt her strength slowly draining away, and her heart seemed to wither into nothingness.

‘I was looking forward to his praise. What do you think, Souta? Did I do it right? Perhaps, this is retribution. Back then, at Walpurgis Night, you killed many people to save my brother. You didn’t hesitate to forsake countless lives for my wish. But now, maybe this is also a form of karma. People in our city have died one after another, and I’m probably next.’

Eilish turned her eyes as her vision blurred. She saw a silhouette in her fading sight. It was familiar, so she tried to raise her other hand, but she couldn’t muster any strength left in her body.

“Y… Y-You’re… fi…nally… here…”

Eilish forced a smile, struggling with every breath, as the silhouette in her vision crouched down and gently wiped the blood from her cheek.

The Messenger of Gluttony turned its head and saw a figure beside Eilish. Alice, Amanda, and the rest paused, staring at the figure.

“S-Souta…” Alice muttered, her voice barely audible, while her eyes locked on his back.

A heavy silence fell over the battlefield.

Souta held Eilish’s hand without saying a word. His heart pounded wildly, emotions swelling within him, threatening to consume him.

Eilish’s vitality drained rapidly. Dark smoke lingered around her wounds, making them worse with every passing second.

“S-Souta… I…”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at his face. Despite her blurry vision, she knew it was

him.

“Did… I live a… great life?”

She asked, recalling everything she had endured-the hardships of searching for a cure for her brother’s illness, the friends she had lost, and all the pain she faced, until the day she met him

in the sub-world.

“Yeah,” Souta nodded, his voice breaking as he lowered his head. He saw the life in her eyes

slowly fade away.

He exhaled deeply, standing up, his gaze fixed on the sky.

Eilish had died.

He was too late.

Souta stepped forward, determination in his eyes. The Messenger of Gluttony turned toward him, sensing the change. Its aura began to rise, swelling with power.

“Souta, get a hold of yourself! Echidna said you have to control it! Tame it! Don’t let it control you!” Saya shouted in his mind.

Souta glanced at the sword in his hand and whispered, “It’s too late, Saya… It’s too heavy.”

As soon as he spoke those words, the [Vajra Sword Saya] slipped from his grip and fell to the ground. In the next instant, his energy erupted violently like a raging tide.

“ARGHHHHH!!!”

The ground was instantly drenched in blood as dark clouds gathered above, flashing with blood-colored lightning.

Souta clutched his head, his knees buckling as he fell to the ground. His emotions reached their breaking point, and his energy surged uncontrollably, forming a storm of darkness and

lightning that swept across the area.

Boom!!

People and objects alike were thrust away by the overwhelming force of the energy.

“S-Souta…” Isabella whispered, staring at the intense storm of energy swirling around him.

“It’s dangerous here… What should we do?” Amanda glanced at Alice.

“I…” Alice hesitated, her eyes fixed on the scene unfolding before her. She gritted her teeth and finally answered, “We need to retrieve Eilish, first.”

Swoosh!!

The Messenger of Gluttony stood undisturbed inside the violent storm of energy. He glanced

at Souta briefly before taking a step forward. His target was here, and it was time to finish his

job.

Ohm!

Souta roared, his voice full of rage. Four spider limbs erupted from his back as a massive skull emerged from the blood. The skull loomed behind him, its mouth wide open.

ROAR!!!!

Various roars echoed through the city. Doranjan felt a stinging pain in his head as he turned

his gaze toward the source of the chaotic energy storm.

“This is…?!”

Doranjan flapped his wings, his eyes scanning the other monsters. They were all writhing in

pain, as if something was forcefully stirring within them. Roars of agony echoed throughout the area as they struggled on the ground.

Torkez staggered forward, his body covered in injuries. He turned to the green dragon and shouted, “Doranjan!! You have to go now!! Bring all the other monsters with you!! Get out of

this city!”

If he wasn’t mistaken, this would lead to a monster tide. The monsters would lose themselves and turn into uncontrollable killing machines, only stopping once their energy and stamina

were completely depleted.

They had to get out before it was too late.

It would be a catastrophic disaster if a monster tide broke out here.

“I, who shall awaken…”

A voice that contained immense power reverberated through the air. Rifts opened in the sky,

and white smoke gushed out of them.

A wave of energy washed over the entire city. Torkez, Alice, Eztein, and the others couldn’t help but turn their heads, sensing the overwhelming malice in the air.

The Heads of the Dragon Council felt goosebumps crawling across their bodies.

ROAR!!! Kessa writhed madly on the ground as she felt a strange sensation bubbling inside her. It was

intense, forcefully trying to break free. Her energy surged uncontrollably.

Even Kessa was affected by it.

She had to leave, or it would be a great disaster if she succumbed to the monster tide. No one

would be able to stop her.

Boom!!

The situation descended into chaos. Everything had changed in an instant.

“Go!!” Torkez shouted.

He urged the people still alive to help the monsters evacuate the city.