Chapter Seventy-Six: Crimson Signal Fires (Part One)

“Crunching sound”—the heavy hammer descended, bringing a chilling crack. Yu Bo’s entire right hand was shattered beneath Sinclair’s war hammer.

He stared blankly at his palm for a long while before blood welled forth and the agonizing pain finally registered. Yu Bo screamed in anguish, his cry echoing through the war-torn Lanxie Avenue, amplifying its desolation.

Ye Ran let out a sigh of relief; fortunately, Sinclair hadn’t killed him in his rage. That would have been troublesome. Yet even so, the consequences would be dire. Yu Bo’s right hand was crushed, rendered useless, and if the temple pursued accountability, Sinclair would not escape punishment.

“Yu Bo—”

Sammo Bicchu, spear in hand, broke through Yunmeng’s spell and rushed to Yu Bo’s side. Seeing his ruined hand, Sammo’s heart clenched.

He cast a gloomy glance at the two, saying, “Do you realize what consequences this will have?”

Sinclair gritted his teeth. “Debts must be repaid, blood for blood, that’s justice. Don’t think anyone’s life is more precious. He severed Xiao Meng’s hand, so I smashed his. If there’s vengeance, let it come to me. I’ll take it all.”

“Very well,” Sammo Bicchu repeated, then said nothing more, hoisted the unconscious Yu Bo onto his back, and strode away into the distance.

Ye Ran wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression unsettled. He felt none of the satisfaction of avenging a great feud; instead, his heart was weighed down with indescribable oppression.

The temple, the three great academies, Torrent City—so many entered the underground nest. Some died horribly, others were wounded. In the end, has anyone truly won?

No. All were losers.

In the distance, crimson wolf smoke soared skyward. Lanxie Avenue had become a living hell. For the first time, the residents of the affluent district tasted the terror of the monsters from the underground nest.

The zombie ants and their massive queen pressed their bulk over the broad avenue, spreading a bloody aura for miles.

Driven mad by the death of the Flame Mouse, the green giant lizard toppled building after building, collapsing swathes of houses.

A giant, pitch-black millipede wound itself around the iconic pillar of Lanxie Avenue. Its thirty-meter-long body coiled about the stone column, dozens of iron-hard legs digging in, its enormous maw opened in a thunderous roar.

Above, the clouds were torn asunder, the earth shook, dark clouds rolled—Torrent City seemed at the brink of apocalypse.

Below, at the edge of Redleaf Academy’s barrier, a fifty-meter-long golden-headed centipede repeatedly rammed the shield. Its entire body was fiery red, its feet bristling with spines, and its golden head was enormous, two long antennae unfurled nearly eight meters.

The ferocious golden-headed centipede’s every collision with the barrier conjured by the six elders produced a deep, muffled boom; the ground trembled, and even the buildings within Redleaf Academy swayed.

Panic swept through the academy’s students; despite all the faculty mobilizing, the wave of fear could not be stemmed.

After all, the pressure of death looming overhead was not something everyone could bear.

One expert after another threw themselves at the rampaging insect horde, but their efforts did little to slow the assault.

Atop the pillar, a purple-haired woman stood high above, sword of violet steel in hand, watching the carnage below with cold eyes.

Around her, furious winds howled, the force like blades. Even the combined efforts of Redleaf Academy’s elders, Lu Yanhe and Xises, could not suppress her aura.

The melee lasted but a moment before both were forced back, their eyes wide with shock as they looked upon the purple-haired woman.

Behind her, eight spider spears unfurled, each radiating violet energy. These spears could pierce flesh or combine into an indestructible shield. Even a martial expert like Lu Yanhe and a prodigy like Xises felt powerless against her.

“A high-ranking insect with signs of a breakthrough—risking it all at such a critical moment. Truly rare,” Xises adjusted his glasses, hands crossed, a mix of black and white energy swirling about him—one fiery, one icy.

The purple-haired woman pointed her sword, speaking with authority: “A century of struggle for survival, a millennium of bloody war—has any battle not been a fight for life against the odds? Has any not been a contest with fate? Has any not required the whole tribe’s strength to defy destiny and resist the heavens?”

“After our resurrection, we learned to endure humiliation, to bear burdens—even watching our descendants hunted, we endured till now. Who has driven my people to the edge, to a point where we can endure no more, retreat no further?”

Her sword remained still, but a violet blade of energy shot skyward like a dragon. Xises and Lu Yanhe darted aside to avoid the astonishing strike, their shock growing.

This fourth-ranked insect’s power seemed greater than the golden-headed centipede and the giant millipede; more terrifying still, she wielded her ancient blade with perfect ease, the pressure she exerted surpassing even the centipede.

“Whoosh!”

Two beams of light streaked across the sky from afar.

One, a dazzling gold, pierced the heavens like a colossal golden spear.

The other, a sphere of crimson, resembled a sun plummeting from the horizon.

With their arrival, dusk-shrouded Torrent City was illuminated as if it were midday, the radiant light bathing the land.

A sacred aura descended, rich fragrance wafting on the wind.

The giant monsters feasting on Lanxie Avenue suddenly recoiled in terror—the gold-eating ants and the rainbow spiders shrieked and scattered from the omnipresent light.

“It’s Athena and Apollo,” Lu Yanhe and Xises visibly relaxed at the sight of the two beams, as did the embattled experts.

Athena of the Sixth Temple and the Sun God of Scarlet Flame Palace had come together; the fierce battle was nearing its end.

The golden and crimson lights did not enter Torrent City, but hovered high above the forest outside its walls.

Those with sharp eyes could see Athena within the gold, holding a shield in one hand, a sword in the other, her face masked.

The Sun God Apollo was completely shrouded in the blinding crimson sun, only vaguely visible as he brandished his burning longbow, waves of scorching fire cascading from the heavens.

The formidable insects felt the oppressive might of the two deities, raising their heads with savage expressions, hissing loudly. Only the purple-haired woman stood unmoving atop the pillar, facing the golden light and heat.

Athena gazed coldly down upon Torrent City. “Remnants of the insect tribe—you shall face divine judgment.”

The insects looked up, faces twisted with fury. The golden-headed centipede let out a low growl and was first to slither from Lanxie Avenue, its massive body gliding toward the outskirts.

“Today, my tribe shall meet the gods.”

With a gust of wind, the purple-haired woman soared upward, violet energy swirling as a tempest erupted, lifting dust and smoke. She tilted her body and shot toward the two deities outside Torrent City, the purple storm trailing behind her.