231: struggle

Crack—

That subtle cracking sound, like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly ignited the tension and greed that had already accumulated to the extreme on the Kalazange Great Plain!

The Seal, it's broken!

"Seize it—!"

It was unclear who let out the first hoarse roar, as if drawing back the curtain on war.

Boom!!

Almost simultaneously, several torrents of energy, powerful enough to distort space, erupted from the front of different military formations, aiming directly at the token of pioneering emitting a soft light in mid-air!

"Death wish!" One High-ranking Official's massive body moved first, brutally colliding with the energy impact nearest to him.

He didn't even bother to see who had launched the attack; his eyes were only on that floating rune mark.

"Stop him!" On the other side, a slender figure surrounded by wind blades shrieked sharply. Countless cyan wind blades swept out like a swarm of locusts, attempting to block Saras's path while simultaneously diverting a portion of power to sweep toward the token of pioneering.

Another High-ranking Official did not rush toward the token of pioneering immediately; he hovered calmly in front of his own troops, his compound eyes scanning the entire battlefield.

Several orders were precisely transmitted to his elite subordinates via a mental link.

A portion of the warriors formed a defensive formation, resisting stray projectiles and energy impacts from all directions; another portion, like a sharp knife, plunged directly into a small unit led by other High-ranking Officials attempting a flanking maneuver.

"Kill!!"

"For the tribe!"

"The token of pioneering is mine!"

The sounds of battle cries, the roar of energy collisions, the dull thuds of limbs being shattered, and the screams of the dying... instantly filled the entire plain.

Soldier against soldier, general against general.

The massive armies were fully mobilized at this moment.

On the ground, warriors of various forms fought frantically, energy beams crisscrossing, hard carapaces being torn apart, and strange bodily fluids spraying and splashing.

In the sky, those usually aloof "High-ranking Officials" had completely cast aside their reserve and pretenses, acting like the most primitive beasts, engaging in the most brutal struggle to compete for that sole "prey."

The entire Kalazange Great Plain had turned into a massive, bloody meat grinder.

The aftermath of the energy raged, plowing deep trenches into the ground, while the gale carried the stench of blood and burning, permeating the air and making one nauseous.

The battle had entered a white-hot phase; various factions were interlocked, fighting in an inextricable struggle with bloodshot eyes.

Every minute and every second, lives were fading away, and The Strong Ones were being wounded.

The token of pioneering was right there, emitting an alluring light, seemingly within reach yet unreachable.

Amidst this chaos and madness, in an inconspicuous corner within a military formation belonging to some fringe High-ranking Official, an unremarkable soldier was moving cautiously.

He was of medium build, wearing standard-issue, dust-covered armor, blending in among countless fighting comrades, as ordinary as a grain of sand on a beach.

At this moment, he was using a violent energy explosion in front as cover to quietly detach himself from his original battle formation.

No one noticed him.

Everyone's gaze was drawn to the fierce battle of the big shots in the sky and the token of pioneering that symbolized supreme authority.

In this soldier's eyes flickered a calmness—and... a burning intensity—that was completely inconsistent with his appearance.

He glanced at the "High-ranking Officials" fighting earth-shatteringly in the sky, a subtle curve tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He was draped in a tattered-looking gray cloak; this was his soul weapon.

Its ability was simple yet extremely effective—lowering presence.

As long as he covered himself with the cloak, he would blend into the shadows of the background; even if someone's gaze swept past, they would easily subconsciously ignore his existence.

He was like a ghost, weaving through the gaps of the chaotic battlefield.

Dodging flying energy currents and bypassing intense combat zones, he quietly approached the target everyone craved—the token of pioneering—bit by bit.

The opportunity had arrived!

In the sky, the High-ranking Officials bombarded each other violently again, the resulting energy shockwave sweeping in all directions, temporarily forcing back all existences attempting to approach the token of pioneering.

Yet the token of pioneering itself remained motionless in this shockwave like a reef in the waves.

Now is the time!

A sharp glint flashed in the soldier's eyes as he violently activated the cloak's power, reducing his presence to the absolute minimum.

He pushed off with his feet, moving like he was flying just above the ground, rushing toward the token of pioneering at astonishing speed!

His movements were swift and concealed; under the cover of the violent energy turbulence and countless fighting figures, almost no one noticed this small "accident."

Closer! Even closer!

That soft, milky-white light was already within reach!

The soldier's heart beat wildly; greed and excitement were almost bursting through his chest!

He raised the cloak, covered the token of pioneering, and then reached out, grabbing that rune mark exuding an ancient aura!

Success!

An indescribable sense of power instantly surged into his body, as if the authority of the entire world was beckoning to him!

In his ecstasy, the soldier immediately turned and sprinted toward the edge of the battlefield!

As long as he left here, found a place to hide, and achieved Fusion with this token of pioneering...

In the future, the entire Suradi Continent would be his!

Whatever damn High-ranking Officials, whatever Kuta or Saras, would all crawl at his feet!

He had almost already seen his own future of ruling the world!

His speed was pushed to the limit; under the cover of the cloak, he was like a gray phantom, about to rush out of this chaotic battlefield!

However, at the very moment he was about to step one foot off the edge of the Kalazange Great Plain and escape to safety—

Rumble!!!

A thick, incomparably massive bolt of pale-white lightning carrying a destructive aura struck down suddenly from the thick, lead-gray clouds without warning!

This lightning bolt seemed to have condensed the sky's fury, locking onto the sprinting gray phantom with absolute precision!

Its speed was so fast and its power so fierce that it didn't allow the soldier any time to react!

Sizzle—!

The lightning light pierced through his body!

The ecstasy and anticipation for the future on the soldier's face instantly froze, immediately replaced by extreme pain and disbelief.

His body, along with that cloak with its peculiar ability, could not withstand even a single instant in the center of the pale lightning; it quickly melted and vaporized like snow under the sun, eventually turning into the finest charred dust, scattering into the gale.

Without even being able to let out a scream, he was completely annihilated, body and soul!

With the soldier's death, the soul weapon cloak's ability to lower presence also instantly failed.

Hum...

The token of pioneering, previously covered by the cloak, lost its protection, and that soft, sacred, milky-white halo clearly reappeared in mid-air, floating quietly as if the thrilling theft and escape just now had never happened.

This sudden, shocking change, along with the pressure emitted by that terrifying lightning, caused an eerie pause in the originally fierce battle.

All the High-ranking Officials currently engaged in combat stopped their movements almost simultaneously, suddenly looking up toward where the lightning had struck, and... at the reappeared token of pioneering!

"Just now... what was that?!" One High-ranking Official's pupils constricted, his ferocious expression replaced by a trace of astonishment.

Another High-ranking Official's compound eyes flickered, rapidly analyzing everything that had just happened.

The other High-ranking Officials also wore expressions of solemnity.

They only now realized that just as they were fighting inextricably, someone had almost stolen the token of pioneering right under their noses!

And they didn't know why, but they had all chosen to ignore it in unison.

Furthermore, that lightning descending from the sky also proved that other guys had arrived!

But fortunately, it wasn't those few strongest ones who had arrived; this was now the final opportunity!

Several High-ranking Officials realized this simultaneously.

"Mine!!!"

With a roar that was almost unanimous, a new round of even crazier, more desperate contention erupted once again!