Chaos' Heir

Chapter 1616: Retreat

The far reaches of the separate universe weren’t exempt from the repercussions caused by the majestic battle unfolding in the empty depths of space.

That wasn’t only due to the sheer force unleashed in the battle itself. Each clash released apocalyptic waves that could obliterate entire celestial bodies, but they remained the tamest aspect of a fight featuring beings of unfathomable power.

Instead, what the separate universe itself did caused far more widespread and terrifying events, so violent that the army still on the celestial body had to start reacting to them.

After Khan’s arrival, the regulated universe’s army had retreated around the Leviathan-class ship, setting up a defensive formation in case the enemy forces decided to attack again.

Nevertheless, nothing of the sort happened. Actually, the regulated universe’s troops kept holding their positions while the pitch-black smoke that had started to return to the area retreated inside the celestial body, followed by the Scarlet Eyes’ soldiers.

One by one, the Scarlet Eyes’ warriors and bloated-backed monsters melted back into the celestial body’s surface, disappearing from the area. The event looked like a complete retreat, but the regulated universe’s army didn’t even think about cheering.

Heightened senses were superfluous in that situation. The very air had started to exude an ominous, oppressive aura, preventing any happy mood from arriving.

Moreover, earthquakes had begun to afflict the area, growing more violent with each passing second. The world itself seemed on the verge of falling apart, making the disappearing enemy the last of the army’s problems.

Lastly, the sky had long since depicted apocalyptic scenes. They were mostly unclear, happening too far away for the troops to capture any significant detail, but the fact that they noticed anything at all vouched for their overwhelming force.

At first, the world far past the celestial body’s orbit had merely twisted and shaken. Space had no real texture, but even the weaker troops saw it churning and bending, as if on the verge of collapsing.

Then, a red light had joined that twisted scene, too distant to inspect clearly, but shining brightly enough for its leftover glow to illuminate the celestial body.

That separate universe made of glowing darkness seemed to have gained a proper star, and most of the troops could only gape at the scene, so stunned they failed to consider how good that development was for them.

Lastly, something even brighter appeared among the depths of space, so blinding that the entirety of the celestial body’s sky turned pale-red.

Five long, red lines formed in the distance, their relatively detailed shapes vouching for their unfathomable sizes. The attack disappeared as quickly as it had come, but thunderous noises reached and took over the celestial body’s atmosphere.

The natural catastrophes that had begun to afflict the planet and its skies intensified together with the arrival of the thunderous roars. Everything became more violent, and massive crevices started to open under the earthquakes’ violence.

It seemed that the celestial body wasn’t long for this world, but no one moved yet. The troops did their best to retain their balance under those worldwide tremors, even relying on spells, but they didn’t abandon their position, no matter how dangerous that stay got.

Liiza had it both better and worse than the rest of the troops. Her red halo had waned, but she still felt its effects and could recognize its source in that faraway place in the depths of space.

Khan was still fighting, holding his ground against a literal God.

Nevertheless, Liiza’s deeper understanding also brought a dreadful awareness. She could sort of feel how beyond her level that battle was, and sensing it and its consequences sent chills down her spine.

If it weren’t for the reassuring thundering noises in Liiza’s brain, she would have long fallen prey to the instinctive fear that only a superior existence could cause.

Still, the intensifying catastrophes running through the planet and the entire universe deepened that fear. The longer Liiza remained immersed in that ominous aura, the more she understood it, eventually forcing her to cling to the left side of her chest to steady herself.

The gesture was obviously symbolic. Liiza wanted to draw spiritual strength from the tattoo hidden under her robe, and she succeeded to some extent.

Yet, the world kept falling apart, and the ominous aura only grew more pronounced. It seemed that the God had forsaken any ounce of self-restraint, updating everyone on the true nature of his universe in a trend that grew increasingly deadlier.

At that pace, even if Khan won, he wouldn’t have much to return to, so Liiza did the only sane thing that someone in her position could do.

“Colonel!” Liiza shouted, using her mana to make her voice surpass the ruckus caused by the earthquake. “Board the ship!”

Colonel Norrett obviously was in the army. After all, he was one of the evolved warriors in charge of leading it. His peculiar element had also allowed him to survive the deadly endeavor relatively unscathed, but no amount of skill or luck could make him deal with the surrounding catastrophe.

So, when the Colonel heard Liiza’s order, he didn’t hesitate to echo it, calling a general retreat toward areas far safer than the black planet. Of course, the Leviathan-class ship wouldn’t help with much if that whole universe fell apart, but those problems were above his pay grade.

The order applied to the elite team, too, which helped with the general retreat. Yet, three exceptions existed in the boarding process. Liiza, Lord Envoy, and Lord Enforcer didn’t move from their position, ignoring the intensifying tremors to continue looking at the distant space.

The trio’s stillness didn’t interrupt the retreat. That wasn’t the time to argue against orders in the end. It took some time, but the entire army eventually boarded the ship, which activated all its shields, leaving those three companions outside.

“Is Lord Blue Shaman winning?” Lord Envoy asked among the ruckus, his element unable to pierce the ominous aura, but somehow believing that Liiza could.

“Victory against a God is something even I don’t know how to define,” Liiza admitted before a red light flashed among her eyes’ whiteness. “But I know that my husband is angry.”