"Senior Emppu?!" Carod also spotted the flying ship, his eyes widening.
There was no one among the legions who didn’t recognize that ship. It was Emppu’s personal property, the youngest member of the Charming Eyes Race at the Divine level in the empire. No one expected him to appear at this moment.
At the same time, they noticed the ship was dragging a massive corpse. It was the body of a demon beast, a giant with bat-like red wings, chained by a golden chain around its neck, being pulled along.
The corpse radiated a chilling aura, enough to instill terror in the hearts of those present. Even the captured demon beasts froze suddenly, not daring to make a sound.
"A Bloodwing Night King. Heavens, Senior really killed this terrifying beast…" Carod murmured.
That was one of the most powerful demon beast races in this world. It had a very ancient bloodline, capable of destroying an entire legion with a single member if attacked recklessly.
Suddenly, a deep voice echoed: "What’s going on here? Senior Emppu received word that someone was in trouble. Were you lying?"
One of the bodyguards stepped off the ship and spoke, scanning the battlefield. Seeing that everything was under control, he became furious.
Pouzek suddenly felt the world spin around him. He coughed up blood and almost wished for death. Why couldn’t he hold on for just a few more seconds? Just a few more seconds and he wouldn’t have had to beg for help or give everything to the Ninth Legion. Senior Emppu would have handled it.
Pouzek kneeled to the ground and sobbed. "Senior Emppu, please, deliver justice for me! They deceived me and made us lose thousands of warriors. They even stole our battle spoils! These murderous scoundrels don’t deserve a peaceful end!"
In the end, the powerful commander of the glorious Celestial Legion began to cry. Suddenly, all the warriors of the Third Legion stepped forward, kneeling to the ground and crying, creating a dramatic and touching scene worthy of an award.
"Senior Emppu, please, deliver justice for us!"
Then the bodyguard turned to the Ninth Legion with seriousness. Suddenly, everyone trembled and kneeled without resistance. Only a pair of golems remained calm and indifferent, observing him.
From inside the ship, a figure emerged. He was like a wall of muscle, taller than the whale and just as wide, but instead of fat, it was pure muscle.
He wore simple, worn clothes, no armor, with a large axe strapped to his back. His hair was short and black. He obviously had a pair of wings and golden eyes.
He stared at the pair of golems below, as if immediately noticing the anomaly they were.
"You… I don’t sense any sacred power. Are you undergoing an entrance test?" he said calmly.
"That’s correct," Bruno responded dryly.
"I like you, I feel strength in your body. Great, I’ll handle this personally. But… your cultivation is very low..." he said, trying to think quickly.
Alm and Bruno scoffed. He seemed like someone with muscles instead of a brain, very similar to another figure they had met.
Bruno remarked lightly: "Actions speak louder than words, right? Why think so much?"
"Yes! Good words," he laughed, nodding approvingly, "Show me what you’ve got, then I’ll feel with your fists if you’re up to no good."
He roared, then his wings flapped. At that moment, everyone on the ground felt a heavy pressure fall on their shoulders, as if gravity had multiplied a thousand times.
"Sir! You can’t go all out!" the bodyguard exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Hm? Fine, I won’t use any Qi," Emppu replied, understanding, and then looked at the round golem.
Alm and Bruno nodded, and the golem let out a deep sigh.
*CRASH!*
At that exact moment, a wave of power swept through the environment and a devastating boom echoed throughout the area, as if a heavenly thunder had been released within the body of the round figure.
The ground beneath the golem cracked, with fissures spreading in all directions, as if the very earth couldn’t support him. The space around him fragmented, distorting and twisting, as if a colossal beast was rising, about to unleash its fury.
Suddenly, a unique and terrifying sensation overtook everyone, both from the Ninth and Third Legions. It was as if their very souls were being detached from their bodies, a chilling shiver running through their nerves, as everyone, frozen, stared at the imposing and round figure.
The golem lifted his head and spoke calmly: "Come. One strike, right? I’m tired of all this commotion, and my allies need rest."
Emppu, seeing the magnitude of what was before him, couldn’t hide his happiness, his smile widening as if he had found the greatest treasure in the world. His golden eyes shone brightly, pulsating with an energy so pure it seemed to melt the very air around him.
He slammed one fist against the other. In an instant, the laws that governed reality distorted, bent, and adapted to his will. The air around him shimmered with a golden light as his body began to transform before everyone’s eyes.
In seconds, Emppu’s body appeared to be carved from solid gold, glowing with a blinding intensity. His stature grew at an alarming rate, reaching almost ten meters tall.
In the skies, his presence became a golden aurora, a colossus of light cutting through the horizon. The space-time around him shattered, distorted, and fragmented, as if reality itself could no longer keep up with him.
The air grew thick, charged with the promise of a brutal, incomprehensible physical duel about to unfold.
’Interesting. It’s similar to how Corin uses his bloodline to enhance his physique. We gave him physical cultivation, and he combined the two. But this one, his physique is on a whole new level, and he achieved it just with the power of his eyes.’ Alm analyzed lightly.
The golem snorted, and without delay, the golden figure shot from the skies, punching towards him.
Everyone on the ground felt their bodies tremble, utterly scared. But it was as if the two had disappeared. Then, they reappeared in the sky, facing each other, their fists clashing.
**RUMBLE!**
Everything shook as if it were the end of the world. The skies turned completely dark, and soon the entire environment had its light devoured.
But... the two figures were still in the air, standing face-to-face, their fists extended and touching.
"How...?" Pouzek murmured, trembling.
Everyone was equally stunned by what they had witnessed. Ruri, however, only smiled slightly, as if this was obvious.
Emppu was slightly trembling, while the round figure remained calm, as always, with no change. It was clear who had taken the worse end of the deal.
Everyone came to the same understanding. Despite Emppu not using any Qi, only relying on his raw physique, could a golem who was undergoing the entrance test and several realms below him really be compared to him?
No, in fact, the golem had an even stronger physique. If they were on equal footing, Emppu wouldn’t have had a chance against him.
Ruri sighed and controlled herself to keep the truth from being revealed to everyone. In reality, her master hadn’t even used a third of his real physical power.
’Heavens... how hard it is to try to be discreet. I liked it better when we deliberately tried to impress people, master.’ she murmured through the array.
Bruno looked into Emppu’s eyes, who sighed and calmly withdrew his fist, stabilizing himself. He had actually felt blood rising in his throat but controlled himself. If he had really spat blood, it would have been extremely humiliating.
After a few seconds, Emppu waved and said, "Excellent, you’re a well-trained warrior. Someone who’s trained so much and improved on his own isn’t someone who takes advantage of others. You certainly know that true power comes through your will and effort."
Alm and Bruno widened their eyes. Where did that wisdom come from? He wasn’t actually foolish; he just didn’t bother to think too much. He was a simple and straightforward man who preferred to act rather than overthink things. Unknowingly, they had hit the mark with those first words.
The round figure slowly returned to the ground, next to Ruri and the Ninth Legion. Then, without delay, Ruri spoke:
"Why are you all kneeling like fools? Shouldn’t you be working? If the demon beasts return, what will we do? Go clean the battlefield and fix the camp. We have work to do."
"You can’t take them! These are ours!" Pouzek roared as he woke up. He couldn’t allow that.
"Damn, are you really this shameless?" Ruri looked at him, stunned. "Just now, you swore in front of everyone that while we helped, the spoils would be ours."
"That... that was coerced, it doesn’t count!" Pouzek declared.
Although retreating would be an extreme loss of prestige, compared to the huge losses he had suffered, he didn’t care. Without these war spoils, he and the rest of the Third Legion would have to endure many bitter days.
This time, the Third Legion had lost thousands of warriors, and ignoring their other losses, just the compensation for their deaths would bankrupt them. Without these bodies to make up for the losses, they might even be forced to sell their war chariots and the divine ballista to cover it.
Without those weapons, they would have power equivalent to the Fifth or Sixth Legion. Not to mention, they would be left without resources and likely soon be like the old Ninth Legion. No one knew how many years it would take for them to recover.
These massive losses made Pouzek care about nothing else. The points were more important.
"Coerced? Hahaha, Lord Poop, from the beginning, you’ve been using schemes. We wanted to retake our camp, so you attracted many demon beasts to harm us. When we realized this, we ran, and you fell into your own trap. You begged us for help, so we risked our lives to save you. Now you say you were coerced? Hahaha, now you want Senior Emppu to fix things for you? Fine, let me see how he decides on this matter," Bruno said sarcastically.
"Senior Emppu, don’t listen to this nonsense! We were suddenly attacked by demon beasts and couldn’t deal with them. It was a coincidence!" Pouzek explained, panicking.
Emppu didn’t even spare him a second glance, simply saying coldly: "You’re safe now, so my responsibility is fulfilled. For anything else, you should report to the Elders to handle it. I’m hungry, and I came to help for nothing... If you dare lie to me again, don’t blame me for being cruel." He said, stepping onto the ship, and quickly moved, disappearing beyond the horizon.
With Emppu leaving, Pouzek was stunned. Soon, the entire Ninth Legion started clapping.
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"Just wait! You won’t escape!" Pouzek roared before leaving.
The three war chariots were now slightly damaged, and the cost to repair them would likely be huge, but it was hard to say if Pouzek would have enough for that. Meanwhile, the large ship seemed completely cracked, its defensive power having been used to the maximum. There was probably no chance of repair.
The chariots swayed slightly as they flew through the air. The divine ballista was also moving slowly, to the point that people were worried it might fall; the damage to it was extremely severe.
"Victory!"
The warriors of the Ninth Legion cheered, nearly in tears. They had never witnessed such bold tactics. They had retaken their camp and gained countless corpses without spilling a single drop of blood.
As they cleaned the battlefield, they understood why Pouzek had been so shameless as to go back on his word. There really were enough corpses there to justify his attitude. There was also a line of bodies stretching a long way, the result of using the divine ballista on their journey there.
Hours passed, and after everything was accounted for, Carod was almost catatonic. The points that could be exchanged could strengthen the overall power of the entire legion tenfold.
However, at that moment, several Elders arrived with a summons. It was an order requesting that everyone from the Ninth Legion return for an investigation. Their camp would temporarily be left in the care of those Elders for defense.
Alm, Bruno, and Ruri laughed sarcastically; they had already expected what would happen. Carod and everyone else were tense and caught off guard.