155: Burning Heaven

On this day, in the Royal Capital, the sky was clear and vast.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, spilling onto the resplendent palace and reflecting a dazzling brilliance.

On the streets, pedestrians were as dense as a weave, and the hawking of vendors interwove with the playful laughter of children into a lively symphony.

Suddenly, the sky changed color.

The originally azure sky was dyed a deep crimson by a sudden appearance of fire clouds.

That red was as intense as blood, churning like magma, as if it wanted to swallow the entire world.

The residents of the Royal Capital were stunned by this sudden phenomenon.

They stopped in their tracks, looked up at the sky, their eyes filled with terror and confusion.

"Look! What is that?"

"My god, is the sky on fire?"

"This... what is happening? Is some disaster about to befall us?"

Exclamations and discussions spread through the crowd.

The emotion of panic spread as quickly as a plague.

On the throne, Blade Claw slowly raised his head, looking toward the burning sky.

In those deep eyes, there was not a trace of panic, only a calmness as unfathomable as an abyss.

Within those heaven-burning flames, a massive fire dragon phantom was vaguely visible.

That phantom was wrapped in raging flames; every breath it took caused the fire clouds to roll, and every movement made the space tremble.

Blade Claw watched the phantom and murmured to himself: "Has the time come? Teacher."

"My King..."

The guard beside him spoke with a trembling voice, clearly frightened by the spectacle.

Blade Claw ignored the guard and just quietly watched the sky.

Feeling the terrifying power leaking out, he compared it with his own strength in his heart.

Not long after, Blade Claw gave up, because he simply could not detect the upper limit of this power. Although he was very unwilling to admit it, it was indeed as Artemis had said; he still had a long way to go.

However, this was not necessarily a bad thing. Blade Claw's lips curled slightly upward; after all, he had been waiting for this day for a long time.

"Pass down the order."

Blade Claw spoke, his voice not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every official standing there.

"Send people to pacify the commoners and tell them that the moment to sacrifice themselves for the god has arrived; this is a test from the god for us."

"Have all the armies prepare. Also, tell them what I just said."

"Yes!"

The guards took the order and left, quickly conveying Blade Claw's command.

Blade Claw withdrew his gaze from the sky and slowly swept his eyes over those below.

Inside the great hall, the civil and military officials who had been relatively calm were now somewhat panicked.

Their faces turned pale, sweat beaded on their foreheads, and some were even trembling at the knees.

Blade Claw took in everyone's reactions and shook his head inwardly.

However, he could also understand. After all, if he didn't know the inside story, his own heart would probably be pounding too. After all, this scene of heavenly fire burning the city was simply too terrifying. Anyone who saw it would think that doomsday had arrived.

"Everyone." Blade Claw began, his voice still calm but carrying an unquestionable majesty, "You must have heard what I said earlier."

"I can tell you very clearly that those were not just perfunctory words, but the truth."

"I will ask one more time: are you prepared to sacrifice everything for the god?"

...

The chaos in the Royal Capital gradually subsided.

Although people were still afraid, at least they now had a pillar of support.

Blade Claw stood up and walked slowly out of the great hall.

He looked up, watching the increasingly intense heavenly fire.

The fire dragon phantom churned in the sea of fire, its form gradually becoming clear, to the point where even ordinary beasts could see it.

It roared at the sky, the sound deafening, as if it intended to shatter the entire Royal Capital.

With the solidification and roaring of the fire dragon phantom, the firmament was abruptly scorched by the intense fire, and at the same time, the heaven-burning flames began to spread, attempting to turn the entire azure sky red.

As the flames spread.

In the Feishuang Icefield, the land that was usually covered in ice and snow all year round was now actually feeling that scorching breath.

The accumulated snow melted, the ice cracked, revealing the frozen earth.

Rock Stele stood on the icefield, looking up at the sky.

The familiar azure had already been replaced by deep crimson.

"Is this... the power of the god who has protected us for generations?"

Rock Stele murmured to himself, complex emotions flashing in his eyes.

In the southern mountain ranges, the main altar of the Nightmare Immortal Cult.

Jonnison stood on the mountain peak, looking at the fire clouds that blotted out the sky, his gaze calm, with no trace of his previous negative emotions.

"Heh, Artemis, my friend, just as I expected, it really was you who ignited the flames of war."

This was reported later by a Believer.

"Your Holiness, out, outside... what... what should we do?"

In an instant, Jonnison changed his expression.

He did not answer, his face incomparably gloomy, just staring fixedly at the sky.

In the Giant Flower Forest, Bekara coiled atop a giant flower, looking at the sky, a ghostly light flickering in her snake-like pupils.

"Interesting... truly interesting... I thought the first one to act would be Kleid." Bekara whispered softly.

On the grasslands, Nanike stopped with a few wolf pups.

He looked up at the sky, his eyes grave.

"Is the war about to begin?"

He murmured to himself, looking at the little ones at his feet, feeling a faint sense of unease in his heart.

It was not just these places; across the entire world, wherever the fire clouds covered, everyone felt that terrifying pressure.

All the divine envoys stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sky.

On their faces were terror, gravity, excitement, or confusion...

Various emotions, all present.

But without exception, their gazes were all focused on the fire clouds.

Because they knew that the source of this phenomenon was none other than one of the highest-ranking spokespersons under the Lord, and the pusher of this drama—Artemis.

Just as everyone was filled with suspicion and uncertainty, a voice resonated across the world.

"Rats wandering the world! The drama has begun!"

This voice was deep and majestic, carrying an unquestionable dominance.

"World, attack with all your might. Let us see if we can perform a play that will shake your hearts!"

Mad words!

These are absolutely mad words!

Everyone who heard these words felt shocked.

One person, challenging all the divine envoys in the world?

This is simply insane!

"Lord Artemis, have you gone mad?"

"Who do you think you are? Just someone lucky enough to be chosen by the Lord, yet you dare to speak such wild words!"

"You have a death wish!"

"You are courting death!"

...

For a time, all kinds of voices rang out across the world.

There were voices of anger, mockery, disdain...

But even more were filled with disbelief.

They really could not understand why Artemis would make such a crazy move.

Did he really think he could defeat all the divine envoys in the world?

Even if low-level guys like us couldn't do anything to him, he at least still had to face the four existences of the same rank as him.

Facing these doubts, Artemis did not respond.

He just let the fire clouds churn and the flames rise.

The fire dragon phantom roared in the sky, as if declaring his determination to the world.