Chapter 195

Chapter 195: The Islands are Moving!

"Those chaotic followers were starting to enter the ambush zone!"

"All units, aim carefully."

"Be patient; wait until they were all inside!"

Inside the Soul Network, Mr. Dekhaka, the war leader of the First Paratroopers, was assigning tasks methodically.

He stood on the body of a Triton Empire warrior.

Around him lay several fallen warriors, including one of noble "Hata-class."

Behind him, a group of Deuterium Clan and Protium Clan members were clearing the battlefield under a Chosen Warrior’s command, dragging away and hiding the bodies.

From their clothing, it was clear they were servants, grooms, porters, and ordinary shopkeepers.

They were all lowly individuals, outside the nobility.

The Triton Empire strictly banned class mobility and especially stopped the deity’s "grace" from spreading to the lower Deuterium and Protium clans.

So, although these Deuterium and Protium people had been corrupted by Chaos to varying degrees, none turned seriously mutated; the few who got more blessings were just lackeys to the Trinitum Clan.

This let the Chosen Ones warriors of the First Paratroopers avoid the mess of killing everyone in the Bubble World; they only needed to use Holy Light for group healing.

After driving out the Chaos Energy, the Deuterium and Protium clans willingly joined the "Giant God faith" and agreed to serve as a helper army for the Chosen Ones warriors.

Guided by these locals who knew the land and paths, the Chosen Ones quietly took out all hidden guards near the ambush spot, each sneaking to their firing points.

While the First Paratroopers might not have been the strongest war organization, they were surely the best at hiding, sneaking, slipping in, and covering their tracks.

Living saint Sulya started the First Paratrooper for just this reason!

"Good, reports from the sky watchers show the enemy still didn’t sense anything odd."

Several "disposable paper flight reconnaissance constructs," powered by Holy Light from the Sun, were made on the spot by special technical officers using magic and paper.

Though they couldn’t fight, they were tough and cheap, perfect as throwaway scouts.

They looked like birds now, flying high up.

Below these paper birds marched the endless Triton Empire garrison troops.

"The scout squad leader reports the enemy is fully in the ambush area."

The key news came through the Soul Network.

War leader Dekhaka decided.

"First squad, hit the front of their line."

"Second squad, you take the rear."

"Third squad and the new recruits, you’re the core force here."

"Watch out; when the first and second squads use fire to bunch them up, get ready to hit them with ‘magic melting bombs!’"

"Now…"

"Whoosh—!"

War leader Dekhaka gave a sign, and the curious Protium and Deuterium folks at the narrow "alley entrance" scattered to the sides as planned!

Then…

"Boom—!"

A warrior wearing a full-cover helmet stood at the narrow alley entrance, holding a magic gun.

"Boom! Boom!"

"Boom!"

Gunfire erupted!

His first shot knocked down a man who looked like an officer; that man’s head shattered like a watermelon.

The second and third shots precisely hit two vehicle operators who had poked their heads out.

Seeing their companion’s brains and bone fragments splatter onto them, and their headless bodies fall to the ground, chaos broke out right away in the ranks.

And at that moment…

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Boom… Boom…"

The sound of heavy magic guns firing rang out from all sides!

Screams erupted among the advancing troops!

—-

The "royal guard fleet," which was just getting ready to move, got bad news at once.

"What!?"

"The gladiators in the grand arena had rebelled!?"

"They were slaughtering the nobles?!"

"The garrison troops that rushed to help them ran into heavy fire and a big ambush!?"

"From all the shooting, the enemy might have had tens of thousands of men, and even big guns!?"

"What… what crazy news is this!?"

The commander of the royal guard fleet, Montecarl, rubbed his temples, troubled deeply.

The news shocked him so much that his mind almost short-circuited.

"A gladiator rebellion?"

"Were their soul brands fake!?"

"And in the homeland of the great Triton Empire, under the feet of the mighty Azure Emperor, how could a hostile army of ten thousand pop up?"

"Had the garrison troops gone mad?"

"Did they really think His Majesty the Azure Emperor was fake?"

The very heart of the Triton Empire was the Emperor Wood Solar Trees.

It was said that old seals held the "Ancient God," who once ruled the whole Triton Empire. He caused disasters, moved lands around easily, and made fierce beasts that ate innocent passersby.

All Trinitum Clan members lived under the shadow of the Ancient God, never sure if they’d live another day.

It was the great "Great Primordial Deity" and the "Azure Emperor" who sent messengers to bring "righteous faith" to the entire world. Under the growing influence of this "righteous faith," they summoned the true forms of the "Azure Emperor" and the "Great Primordial Deity."

After fierce battles, they slew the deities of the Ancient God faction and planted the towering sacred tree—"Emperor Wood Solar Trees." The Ancient God was then sealed beneath the tree’s countless roots.

This giant tree stood at the very heart of the Triton Empire’s rule.

It should have been the most heavily defended place.

Moreover, it was a domain suppressed by the great "Azure Emperor’s" divine might.

Here, any enemy of the Azure Emperor or the Great Primordial Deity would feel terror and suffer uncontrollable oppression.

Besides, the Azure Emperor’s eyes were ever-watchful. How could He possibly overlook an enemy army ten thousand strong?

Montecarl scratched his head, pacing back and forth in the command room.

Should he hunt down the infiltrating evil god to claim god-slaying glory, or rush back to support the grand arena?

"Send all ground troops to reinforce them first!" he decided.

"They carry heavy weapons!"

"No gladiator uprising can stand against tanks!"

"As for us…"

Montecarl wrestled with the choice again.

"Returning might cost us the glory of slaying a god."

"Those reports sound too wild to be true anyway."

"But if we ignore the ‘Emperor Wood Solar Trees’ and disaster strikes, the Azure Emperor’s wrath will be terrible!"

These dilemmas tormented Montecarl, leaving him paralyzed.

Yet fortune smiled on this commander of the royal guard fleet—he soon had bigger worries.

Because…

"By the gods, what’s that!?"

"An island rising from the sea?"

"A massive one!"

"It moves! It swims!"

"Closer! It’s coming closer!"

…

The sailors’ panicked shouts stoked Montecarl’s fury.

He stormed onto the internal deck with its transparent "magic glass."

"Silence this instant!" he roared.

"Where’s your imperial discipline!?"

"If it’s just some reef surfacing—"

His scolding died abruptly.

Because…

"Whoosh—!"

A monstrous wave erupted from the sea!

Battleships and cruisers alike tossed like twigs in the churning water.

"Wha—!?"

"Ah!"

Montecarl screamed as the violent lurch threw him down. He tumbled across the deck,

crashing against the gunwale with a sickening thud.

"AAAAH—!"

"NOOO—!"

He shrieked in pure, primal terror!

Montecarl realized it wasn’t waves rocking the ships—but colossal hands testing their weight!

Now those hands finished their examination. They closed around the vessels and lifted!

A hundred-thousand-ton battleship, forged from divine bone and divine skin, rose in those monstrous hands—hundreds of meters, nearly a kilometer high!

Then…

An abyssal maw opened, bottomless and vast, casting darkness over Montecarl and the entire ship!

Then…

"GULP!"

The abyss swallowed them whole!