518: Chapter 453: Reinforcements Arrive, Marshal Personally Leads Elite Troops

Three days after the fall of the hundred Sword Cultivators, a gray-white energy tide surged out from the depths of the Return to Ruins rift again.

This time, it was not the main body of the Lord of Nothingness, nor a God-King Level Lord, but an overwhelming Chaos Beast tide—the final batch, numbering approximately five hundred million.

The godhead integrity of the Lord of Nothingness had recovered to seventy percent; it dared not emerge personally, but it had dispatched all remaining forces, intending to swamp the Great Wall of Civilization with human-wave tactics.

[Final Beast Tide · Data]

- Scale: Approx. 500 million

- Rank Distribution: LV100 - LV500 approx. 400 million, LV500 - LV800 approx. 80 million, LV800 - LV1000 approx. 20 million

- Movement Speed: 300 km/h

- Estimated Arrival: Approx. 3 days

On the ramparts of the Iron Wall Fortress, Lin Zhou's godhead integrity was only sixty-five percent, and the river of civilization's water level was only at fifty percent.

The Civilization Guardian Legion had fewer than five thousand combat-ready soldiers, of which only fifteen hundred veterans with a godhead Rank above LV500 remained.

The scales of the Dragon Vein Golden Scale were sixty percent repaired, Su Yueyao's Moon Essence was over-depleted, Wang Meng's left arm had not yet healed, and Lei Zhan's shield wall had only fifteen hundred shields left.

Everyone knew that this wave of beasts could not be stopped.

Lin Zhou stood above the city gate, watching the dark red sea of blood surging within the gray-white mist, silent for a long time.

He did not Order an attack, nor did he Order a retreat. He was simply waiting. Waiting for reinforcements that he did not even know would come.

In the early hours of the fourth day, when the vanguard of the beast tide was only one thousand kilometers away from the fortress, thousands of points of light appeared in the Void Realm in the direction of the New Universe.

They were not stars, but the silvery-white light of teleportation arrays. Thousands of teleportation arrays opened simultaneously, and a massive fleet sailed out from the light—not starships, but projections of Divine Kingdoms.

Thousands of Divine Kingdom projections unfolded in the Void Realm, illuminating the entire starry sky as if it were broad daylight.

[Reinforcements · Data]

- Number of Divine Kingdom Projections: Approx. 3,000

- Total Force: Approx. 500,000

- Origin: Various war zones of the Expeditionary Force, Cosmic Council Guards, Allied Forces of the New Universe

- Commander: Commander-in-Chief of the Human Expeditionary Force — Marshal

The figure of the Marshal stepped out from the largest Divine Kingdom projection. He was a white-haired old man, hunched over, looking as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

But his godhead Rank reached LV10000; he was a God King level existence. No energy fluctuations flowed around him because his power had been restrained to the extreme.

[Marshal · Data]

- Identity: Commander-in-Chief of the Human Expeditionary Force

- Godhead Rank: LV10000 (God King)

- Divine Domain: Order Divine Kingdom

- Characteristics: Order Domain — All Chaos, Confusion, and Return to Ruins rules within the range are invalidated

- Skill: Hand of Order (One palm can shatter stars)

The Marshal walked up to Lin Zhou and looked at him. "Child, you have worked hard. Leave the rest to me."

Lin Zhou saluted. "Marshal, the beast tide scale is five hundred million, the Lord of Nothingness's integrity is seventy percent, and it may emerge at any time."

"I know." The Marshal turned and faced the direction of the beast tide. He raised his right hand, palm facing the beast tide, and spread his five fingers.

There was no charging, no chanting, just a gentle push. In the Void Realm, a huge golden palm emerged, blotting out the sky and covering an area with a diameter of ten thousand kilometers.

As the palm pushed forward, wherever it passed, Chaos Beasts were crushed, the gray-white mist was evaporated, and the dark red sea of blood was cleared away.

[Marshal · Skill — Hand of Order]

- Coverage: Diameter of 10,000 km

- Attack Power: Full-force strike of a God King

- Effect: All Chaos units within the range are erased

- Kills: Approx. 400 million Chaos Beasts

With one palm, four hundred million Chaos Beasts turned into nothingness. The vanguard of the beast tide was wiped out, and the subsequent troops were pushed back and scattered by the aftermath.

In the Void Realm, only floating chaos crystals and rule fragments remained, like stars. The Marshal withdrew his hand and turned to look at Lin Zhou.

"There are one hundred million left, they fled. The Lord of Nothingness does not dare to come out." His voice was calm, as if he had just swatted a mosquito.

Lin Zhou was silent for a moment. "Marshal, your power..."

"Each use means one less." The Marshal raised his right hand, and there was a dark red crack on his palm—that was the trace of erosion by Return to Ruins energy.

"Three hundred years ago, I went deep into the Return to Ruins and fought the Lord of Nothingness. I wounded it, and it wounded me too. This crack is what it left behind. Three hundred years, it has never healed."

[Marshal · Status]

- godhead integrity: 80%

- Right Hand: Return to Ruins erosion (Permanent damage)

- Combat Time: Approx. 30 minutes (Exceeding this will cause godhead collapse)

"Thirty minutes..." Lin Zhou muttered.

"It is enough. The Lord of Nothingness's integrity is only seventy percent, and my integrity is eighty percent. Thirty minutes is enough to decide the outcome."

The Marshal did not rest. He led the 500,000 reinforcements and deployed defenses around the Iron Wall Fortress.

Three thousand Divine Kingdom projections surrounded the Great Wall of Civilization in the center, forming a huge circular defensive line.

The Order Domain unfolded, covering an area with a diameter of fifty thousand kilometers, also enveloping the Return to Ruins rift. Within the Domain, Chaos rules were invalidated, and the concentration of Return to Ruins energy dropped by ninety percent.

[Order Domain · Data]

- Coverage: Diameter of 50,000 km

- Effect: Chaos and Return to Ruins rules are invalidated, all friendly unit attributes +100%

- Consumption: 100,000 Divine Power per minute (Marshal)

- Duration: 30 minutes

Lin Zhou's river of civilization recovered its flow within the Order Domain. The water level rose from fifty percent back to sixty percent, and the godhead integrity recovered from sixty-five percent to seventy percent.

His memories—those deleted fragments—also began to reconstruct under the illumination of the Order Domain. He remembered some things, not all, but enough to let him know where he came from.

"Marshal, have you seen the main body of the Lord of Nothingness?" Lin Zhou asked.

"I have. Three hundred years ago, it had not fully formed, it was just a huge phantom. I shattered its left eye, and it left this crack on my right hand."

The Marshal raised his right hand, the dark red crack wriggling on his palm. "Three hundred years, it should have fully formed by now. Your Fire of Civilization wounded it, lowering its integrity. Now, its integrity is only seventy percent. This is the best time to kill it."

Lin Zhou nodded. "Marshal, how long can your Order Domain last?"

"Thirty minutes."

"That is enough."

The Marshal did not wait for the Lord of Nothingness to come out. He took the initiative to walk toward the Return to Ruins rift.

Lin Zhou, Wang Meng, Qin Qing, Su Yueyao, Lei Zhan, Iron Face, and Dragon Vein Golden Scale followed closely behind. The 500,000-strong army provided support from the rear.

In the Return to Ruins rift, dark red light surged. The Lord of Nothingness sensed the Marshal's aura and let out a low roar.

It dared not come out, but the rift could not stop the Marshal. The Marshal raised his left hand and slashed through the Void Realm.

The Return to Ruins rift was torn open, its width expanding from one hundred eighty kilometers to five hundred kilometers. Dark red light surged out from the rift, condensing into the main body of the Lord of Nothingness.

[Lord of Nothingness · Status]

- Integrity: 70%

- Left Eye: Blind (Wounded by Lin Zhou)

- Right Eye: Intact

- Characteristic: Rage (Attack Power +30%, Defense -20%)

The Lord of Nothingness saw the Marshal, its gray-white flame eyes filled with hatred. A beam of dark red light shot from its right eye, charging straight at the Marshal.

The Marshal raised his right hand, and the golden palm blocked the light beam. The light beam dissipated, and the dark red crack on the Marshal's palm expanded by a fraction.

[Marshal · Status]

- Right Hand Crack: Expanded

- godhead integrity: 80% → 75%

"Your power is weaker than it was three hundred years ago." The Marshal said calmly.

The Lord of Nothingness roared, and dark red tentacles lashed out at the Marshal. The Marshal severed the tentacles with his left hand, while his right hand slapped toward the head of the Lord of Nothingness.

The golden palm hit the right cheek of the Lord of Nothingness, and its integrity dropped from seventy percent to sixty percent.

[Lord of Nothingness · Integrity: 70% → 60%]

Lin Zhou rushed out from the flank, the Sword of Civilization slashing toward the right foot of the Lord of Nothingness.

Under the blessing of the Order Domain, the sword light's power recovered by eighty percent, cutting into the scales and leaving a wound twenty meters deep.

The Fire of Civilization burned within the wound, and the Lord of Nothingness's integrity dropped from sixty percent to fifty-nine percent.

Wang Meng, Lei Zhan, Qin Qing, and Iron Face attacked simultaneously. Flying Sword, shield wall, Net of Law, Fire of Justice—under the protection of the Order Domain, all skills recovered their power.

[Team · Siege]

- Wang Meng: Battle axe slashes left foot, integrity -0.5%

- Lei Zhan: Shield wall slams abdomen, integrity -0.5%

- Qin Qing: Net of Law entangles right arm, restricts movement

- Iron Face: Fire of Justice judges right eye, integrity -1%

- Su Yueyao: Moon Essence suppresses whole body, integrity -0.5%

- Dragon Vein Golden Scale: Dragon Breath scorches back, integrity -0.5%

The Lord of Nothingness's integrity dropped at a rate of one percent per second. Fifty-nine percent, fifty-eight percent, fifty-seven percent...

The Marshal's right hand struck three palms in succession. The first palm hit the chest of the Lord of Nothingness, and the integrity dropped to fifty percent.

The second palm hit the abdomen of the Lord of Nothingness, and the integrity dropped to forty percent. The third palm hit the head of the Lord of Nothingness, and the integrity dropped to thirty percent.

The Lord of Nothingness's right eye was shattered, blinding it completely. It struggled crazily, gray-white tentacles dancing wildly.

One tentacle struck the Marshal's right arm, the dark red crack on the Marshal's right hand expanded, and the godhead integrity dropped from seventy-five percent to sixty percent.

[Marshal · Status]

- godhead integrity: 75% → 60%

- Combat Time: Approx. 10 minutes

Lin Zhou rushed forward, compressing the river of civilization into a thin stream, shooting it into the wound on the chest of the Lord of Nothingness.

[river of civilization · Internal Purification]

- Target: Core of the Lord of Nothingness

- Consumption: 200,000 Divine Power

- Effect: Integrity 30% → 20%

The body of the Lord of Nothingness began to disintegrate. Dark red scales shattered, and gray-white mist surged wildly.

Its integrity dropped from twenty percent to ten percent, and from ten percent to five percent. Lin Zhou's Divine Power was exhausted, and the water level of the river of civilization dropped to thirty percent.

"Final strike!" The Marshal roared, and his right hand unleashed the final palm. The golden palm hit the head of the Lord of Nothingness, and its integrity dropped from five percent to zero.

[Lord of Nothingness · Status]

- Integrity: 0%

- Status: Disintegrating

The body of the Lord of Nothingness turned into gray-white points of light and dissipated. In the Return to Ruins rift, the dark red light began to recede.

The width of the rift began to shrink, from five hundred kilometers, to three hundred kilometers, to one hundred kilometers, and finally disappeared.

[Return to Ruins rift · Closed]

The Marshal knelt on one knee, the dark red crack on his right hand spreading to his forearm. His godhead integrity dropped to forty percent.

"Marshal!" Lin Zhou rushed over.

"It does not matter. The crack will not take my life. It is just that I will not be able to use my right hand in the future."

The Marshal stood up, looking at the direction where the Return to Ruins rift had disappeared. "The Lord of Nothingness is dead, the Return to Ruins rift is closed. The New Universe is safe."

The 500,000-strong army cheered in unison. Wang Meng raised his battle axe and roared at the sky. Qin Qing knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

Su Yueyao leaned on Lin Zhou's shoulder, her Moon Essence dim, but still burning. The Dragon Vein Golden Scale coiled on the city wall, emitting a low whine.

Lin Zhou did not cheer. He looked at the direction where the Return to Ruins rift had disappeared, silent for a long time.

The Lord of Nothingness was dead, the Return to Ruins rift was closed. But those who sacrificed themselves would not come back.

Elwin, Zhao Tiebi, the hundred Sword Cultivators, the two thousand fallen soldiers—their names were carved on the Heavenly Pillar, their swords were stuck in the city wall. Civilization remained, but the people were gone.

"Captain, what are you thinking about?" Su Yueyao asked softly.

"Thinking about those who will not come back."

"They did not come back, but they remained."

Su Yueyao pointed to the hundred Flying Swords on both sides of the city gate. The Fire of Civilization on the swords was still burning; the flame was small, but continuous.

"Their fire is still there."

Lin Zhou nodded. He walked down the city wall, went to both sides of the city gate, pulled up the hundred Flying Swords one by one, and re-inserted them into the city wall.

The position where each sword was inserted corresponded to a name.

"From today on, this city wall shall be called the 'Wall of Heroes'. These swords shall be called 'Kindling'."