Salute To The General

And so, he harnessed every ounce of energy within his form.

His body inflated instantly, resembling a balloon poised to burst.

No sooner said than done, Nathan's blade descended upon Arlo's forehead without hesitation.

Yet, as his blade met Arlo's form, Nathan sensed that something was off.

As anticipated, as his blade sliced through Arlo's skull, Arlo's distended body erupted in an instantaneous explosion.

Boom!

Similar to a detonating missile.

Abruptly, a crater the size of a pond materialized in the area.

Even though Nathan recognized the anomaly the instant Arlo's body detonated and attempted to retreat, he was still caught in the shockwave of Arlo's erupting form, sending him hurtling dozens of meters through the air. As he landed, he managed to regain his balance with some difficulty.

A surge of agony coursed through his form, as though his life force and blood were being violently churned within him.

With a deep exhalation, he strained to suppress the turbulent energy surging within him. Only then did the discomfort in his chest gradually abate.

As he assessed his wounds, he discovered a myriad of small injuries, surprisingly inflicted by the force of Arlo's explosion.

The gods' vanguard dispatched to Earth had already suffered significant casualties. Out of the two marquises, one had perished and the other was severely wounded.

Such a profound loss would have induced nationwide mourning among the gods.

Witnessing Arlo's heroic demise left the nearby god warriors in a state of disarray, moving about like automatons.

Nathan aimed to exploit this moment to escape the encirclement before formulating his next steps.

Yet, just as he was poised to break free, a deep and potent voice resounded from a distance. "Nathan, how dare you slay my marquis? Today, you shall undoubtedly meet your end." The voice rumbled akin to resounding thunder.

While not overtly loud, it carried distinctly for dozens of miles around.

Nathan's countenance paled as he slowly shifted his gaze in the direction of the booming voice.

Cassandra, who was wounded, along with the other god warriors, all turned their attention toward the direction of the sound.

A minuscule black speck came into view, as diminutive as an ant.

It was advancing toward them.

This minuscule black speck continued to flicker, seeming to cover a hundred meters with each flicker.

He traversed the immense expanse in a mere matter of seconds, now standing before everyone else.

Cassandra promptly recognized the voice as belonging to Monte.

However, tears welled in her eyes as she laid eyes on him. She called out in a blend of exhilaration and sorrow, "The Great Elder has come!"

A single stone cast into a pond generated countless ripples.

The god warriors present, initially somewhat perplexed, erupted into cheers upon Monte's appearance.

"The Great Elder has arrived!"

"This is incredible!"

"Great Elder, swiftly vanquish this adversary and avenge Master Arlo..."

The god warriors, reinvigorated, resumed their battle cries, fervently vowing to avenge Arlo.This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Monte arrived on the scene.

He glanced at the dozens of god warriors' corpses scattered on the ground, then at the severely wounded Cassandra, and finally at Ale, who had been reduced to a mist of blood, leaving no body behind. A fleeting pang of grief darted through his eyes.

His voice turned even colder. "I

cannot recall the last instance I felt such profound sorrow. Nor can I reckon how long it's been since I last took direct action. While I harbored no desire to personally kill again, today I am prepared to make an exception for you. Nathan, brace

yourself for your demise!"

As his words concluded, he regarded Nathan icily, akin to a butcher sizing up a lamb prepared for slaughter.

Nathan's gaze held steady on Monte

as he retorted, "I've heard them

referring to you as the Great Elder, implying that you must be one of the

select potent entities among the gods. How many forces have you actually dispatched to Earth?"

With his hands resting behind him, Monte inquired in a chilling tone, "Do you truly wish to ascertain that? Regrettably, I have no inclination to expend words on someone who is on the brink of demise. Brace yourself to descend into hell, along with your queries."