Chapter 283 - Inverse Domain
Back at the Light faction’s base, a God was discussing strategy with a group of angels and Holy Harpies. Both races belonged to the Light faction and shared humanoid forms with wings, but their differences were stark.
Angels bore wings on their backs, and the stronger ones had multiple pairs. By contrast, Holy Harpies had wings in place of arms. They couldn’t wield weapons and instead relied on launching their feathers like arrows. However, some talented angels within the base had learned to imitate that attack style.
Because they couldn't fight with conventional weapons, the angels viewed the Holy Harpies as inferior. Many mocked them openly, while others went as far as to claim they had no right to exist.
One of the Demigod Holy Harpies stood in front of the gathered forces and reported their latest progress. “Through our continued efforts, the Holy Harpies have secured over 80% of the current battlefront. The remaining 20% belongs to the Darkness faction's main base, where most of the vampires are entrenched, along with those repugnant locusts.
“It’s clear that the locusts are the core race of someone from the Divine Civilization. Once empowered by Divine Skills, their self-detonations become devastating.”
After hearing the report, a Demigod angel scoffed. “They are mere locusts, yet they frighten you so? Are the Holy Harpies truly such cowards?”
The Demigod Holy Harpy's wings tensed with fury, but she wisely refrained from arguing publicly. Instead, she turned to her god, William.
William was a true God and resented the angels' condescending attitude toward his Holy Harpies. They were his core race, life forms he had personally nurtured to their current strength. To insult them was to insult him directly.
Still, he held back. A God Cherub was present in the room, and he didn’t want to create unnecessary friction. He kept his tone even. “My race captured battlefield footage of the locusts’ detonations. Once reinforced with Divine Skills, their explosive power becomes overwhelming. A head-on clash is impossible.”
The mocking Demigod angel fell silent. Though he had no qualms about ridiculing the Holy Harpies, he wouldn’t dare insult William, a God from the Divine Civilization.
While the angel knew better than to challenge William, the Cherub felt no such restraint. He addressed William bluntly. “We have all seen and acknowledge the Holy Harpies' contributions and sacrifices, which deserve praise. However, their failure to capture the Darkness faction's main base cannot go unpunished.
“We sacrificed hundreds of millions of fodder troops to open a path for them. In the end, we gained nothing. The Holy Harpies must take responsibility.”
William nearly struck out in anger. Take responsibility? Why should I be the one punished for failing to capture the base? Does he think I’m so easy to scapegoat? He’s been fighting the Darkness faction for ages without pushing them back. If not for the Holy Harpies, they wouldn’t have been driven into their main base at all. This is absurd!
William wasn’t afraid of the Cherub himself, but the god backing him was another matter. The Cherub belonged to a Major God and held one of the highest ranks in the Light faction. Openly insulting him would be foolish.
William chose his words carefully before responding. “The Holy Harpies will accept responsibility for failing to occupy the Darkness faction's main base. However, since they cannot accomplish this monumental task, I believe the angels, who are a hundred times stronger, should be able to succeed.”
The Cherub found himself cornered by William's cunning logic. If he refused now, it would expose his previous accusations as mere excuses to shift blame. To maintain his position, he had no choice but to accept William's challenge and undertake the task of capturing the base.
“Indeed, our angel race is superior. We will complete what the Holy Harpies could not,” the Cherub declared.
Meanwhile, back within the Darkness faction's main base, Han Wu prepared for the inevitable counterattack. Though his locusts had secured a temporary victory, he knew he couldn't rely on them indefinitely. The Light faction would develop new tactics to counter the locusts' suicidal explosions in the next battle. Moreover, they would face not only Holy Harpies but angels as well.
Angels were a high-ranking race, born as Unique life forms with an inherent affinity for light. Nearly all possessed long-range light attacks that would decimate most of his locusts.
Only the vampires stood a chance against the angels. However, after days of relentless battle, many were injured and required substantial blood to recover. With no time for natural healing, Han Wu had no choice but to employ two Divine Skills to accelerate their recovery.
The Dark Pocket allowed him to consume corpses and convert them into energy, fueling his Defiance Divine Skill: Inverse Domain. Within this domain, all injuries reversed—the wounded mended, severed limbs regrew, and lost vision returned. The vampires quickly returned to peak condition.
Han Wu chose to keep their recovery a secret, planning to use them as his trump card.
Less than an hour after healing the vampires, the Light faction's army attacked. Angels led the charge, with the God Cherub at their helm, wielding a sword forged from holy light. His Divine Authority shielded his body as he swung repeatedly, slaughtering millions on the battlefield.
Three Demigod angels followed closely, backed by Divine Being angels whose strength already surpassed that of a High Lord.
William led the Holy Harpies, protecting the army's rear. He gazed upward at the locust swarm with awe. The one who had nurtured such forces must be extraordinarily gifted. He longed to defeat, capture, and imprison Han Wu within his divine realm to help cultivate his Holy Harpies.
Lost in these thoughts, William didn't notice when the first angel engaged the locusts. The simple-minded creatures exploded on contact. Though the angels anticipated the explosions, the force still staggered them, burning feathers and flesh. Even a High Lord-level angel fell to the blast.
Seeing one of his own perish, the Cherub raised his sword in fury. “Angels! Avenge our fallen brethren! Attack the base!”
The angels rallied, their morale soaring as they charged.
Han Wu stood atop the wall and used Souleater Gaze continuously. His eyes emitted an irresistible suction and drew in the dead angel's soul. The energy within was remarkably pure compared to that of the Holy Harpies’ souls.
After refining this energy, his Defiant Sword finally unlocked a new form—a shuriken forged from three feather-shaped metal blades. Its name was Soul Seeker.