Chapter 789: Into Exilon
Under the dimming light of the sun, as dusk blanketed the horizon in hues of crimson and gold, ten thousand men stood at the heart of the Xaos Kingdom. Each and every one of them stood tall and proud, their eyes sharp and unwavering, their posture as firm and resolute as a spear. These were not ordinary soldiers.
These were elite warriors—the finest that Terra had to offer. Their discipline and focus were so profound that their very breathing was synchronized, forming a subtle rhythm like the slow beat of a war drum echoing across the battlefield.
Though they hailed from different Dukedoms scattered across the continents, each with unique traditions and cultures, they trained under a single unified doctrine. They had never needed to know the name of the warrior beside them. It was irrelevant. Their movements, honed through the same core combat philosophy, meshed seamlessly in battle.
This legion was forged to act as one, to strike as one, and to die as one if needed. Mistakes were not in their vocabulary, not out of arrogance but out of ingrained perfection. These men would rather die than allow an error to compromise their mission. And the Grand Marshal knew that well.
Hovering above and surrounding these elite soldiers were advanced weapons of war—automatons, sleek and deadly, modeled after the natural fauna of Exilon.
These creations, small to medium in size, were constructed with both lethality and stealth in mind. Ground-based units mimicked snakes, insects, and sand-dwelling creatures, their metallic forms camouflaged with earthy tones to blend seamlessly into any terrain. In the skies above, bird-like and insectoid drones fluttered silently, gliding and hovering unnoticed as they surveyed their surroundings.
Though the Xaos Kingdom had the capability to manufacture massive war machines—titanic constructs that could level cities in mere moments—such brute force was not an option, at least not during the first phase of the invasion. Subtlety and secrecy were paramount. Their enemy could not know they were coming.
Three weeks. That was all the time they had to prepare. For beings of legendary power, such as those that led the Xaos Kingdom, it was but the blink of an eye. And yet, in that blink, a force had been gathered—an army of unparalleled might and discipline. It was only possible through the sheer efficiency of Overlord and the tireless work of every citizen, engineer, and warrior within the Xaos Kingdom. The result was an elite invasion force unlike anything Terra had ever seen.
Floating high above the legions was the True Depravita of Wrath. His eyes, glowing faintly with a fiery golden hue, scanned the mass of soldiers below with calculated intensity. A faint smile touched his lips.
"These ten thousand alone," he thought to himself, "could carve through the Leviathan’s heart and end the war in a single strike."
For a moment, pride softened the fury within him. A decade ago, such a force would have been unimaginable. And now, they stood ready—not just as soldiers, but as harbingers of a new era.
But Vlad’s gaze soon shifted to the edge of the formation, where another group stood apart. The Royal Guards and the Bloodline Soldiers.
Although their outward appearance had not changed significantly, what lay beneath their skin had evolved beyond measure. Their genetic structure had been enhanced—refined through experimental procedures involving the genetic material of Vlad himself, and overseen by Overlord.
These warriors no longer relied on the traditional Force or even the arcane energies of Magic. Within their energy pools now swirled a new power—something Overlord had dubbed Pseudo-Depravita Aura.
This new energy, while not as overwhelming as the full Depravita Aura possessed by Vlad and the other True Depravitas, provided significantly greater physical enhancement than the Force and served as a superior catalyst for spellcasting compared to Magic. It elevated their combat potential by leaps and bounds. But their transformation did not stop there.
Their bodies had been inscribed with Legendary Runes and their bones tempered with alchemical infusions. Though still classified as Sages, their combined power enabled them to confront, and even defeat, full-fledged Legends. These were Nightmare Knights—warriors who, through synergy and overwhelming presence, could defy the hierarchy of power itself.
If resources had allowed, Overlord would have transformed the entire army into Nightmare Knights. But such a process demanded not only materials equivalent to those used in the forging of Legendary Armor sets, but also tremendous quantities of Divine Power. Moreover, only individuals with a Sage-tier Soul Force could survive the transformation without fatal flaws. Due to these limitations, only the Royal Guard and the Bloodline Soldiers—those destined to spearhead the frontline—were chosen for the transformation.
Once he finished assessing the strength of his troops, Vlad turned his attention to the five figures standing beside him in the sky.
Jormungandr, Ouroboros, and Fafnir—each one a True Depravita, each one a Legend in their own right. Together, they could challenge High Legends and slay lesser ones with ease. Then there was Freya, whose Depraivta Star had yet to fully awaken. Nevertheless, empowered by her Totems, she had already reached the High Legend Rank, and her combat prowess was nothing short of extraordinary.
The final presence was Overlord, the A.I. Chip Clone, and the Kingdom’s guiding mind. Thanks to a recent surge in worship and belief, he had evolved his Divine Avatar to the High Legend rank, and his cognitive capabilities rivaled that of a Superior Legend. In terms of raw mental processing and strategic foresight, none among them could compare. Only Vlad himself surpassed him in overall power.
The True Depravita of Wrath clenched his fist, his expression hardening as he approached the Interstellar Teleportation Formation. The arcane sigils within the platform began to glow with celestial energy, pulsing with immense power.
It was time.
Time to step onto enemy soil, to sever their wings before they could take flight, to annihilate anything that dared stand between them and their objective. This was not merely a military campaign—it was a trial by fire for the Xaos Kingdom. A test of their might on the grandest stage the universe could offer.
Would they prevail?
Would the Xaos Kingdom rise as a dominant force even among the great Lords of the stars?
Only time would tell.
But one thing was certain—war was coming, and the universe would tremble at the name Xaos.