As the old man's voice reverberated in the air, his gaunt palm emerged from the depths of the chaotic void and reached across the vastness of the universe.
Bang! Bang! Bang
As soon as the hand so much as grazed them, the otherwise fearsome soldiers of the army of the dead exploded and disintegrated into nothing
Chace felt a chill wash over him as he watched the obliteration of his troops. "Fall back!"
he shouted to the corpse soldiers outside the city walls, his steely voice cutting through the distant blasts.
As his command swept through the ranks, the low rumble of the army's retreating footsteps began.
The rumbling quickly turned into a thunderous roar as tide after tide of corpse soldiers stampeded back into the dark city.
But the old man's palm followed closely at their feet, effortlessly catching up to them.
The ranks of the corpse soldiers continued to be decimated as the hand swept through them.
In an instant, almost half of the force was wiped out.
Even the most formidable of the dark army, the grim reapers with their soul-harvesting sickles, proved no match.
Each of them had power enough to take on up to six sect ancestors. But the mighty palm simply swatted the reapers down like insects.
Everyone who witnessed the scene was stunned.
The old man's might exceeded all imagination.
Among those dazed at what they just saw was the leader of the Heavenly Palace.
He had always prided himself for being renowned as this universe's strongest warrior.
But in this moment, he knew, without question, that if he ever found himself at odds with the old man, he would not be able to withstand even a single blow.
He took solace in the thought that the old man, born at least thousands of years earlier than him, would naturally be thousands of years ahead in expertise.
His reveries were broken by the sound of the old man's hand slamming right outside the walls of the dark city.
Boom!
The impact caused the city to shake. As if summoned by the trembling sound, a black fog started to spread. It grew thicker and rose higher until it spewed like boiling water. Millions of black runes emerged and floated above the city, glowing with a black light.
Each rune blazed with the terrifying energy of a dark sun.
It was at this moment that the mighty palm swung over the city.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The runes exploded one after another, each one emitting piercing rays of black light aimed at the intruder.
The hand appeared to be unscathed from the attack, but it slowly moved back down.
The mighty palm slammed against the city walls and remained at rest for a while.
A stalemate in the battle appeared to have been reached.
"Huh! So the netherworld has decided to put their most precious card into play. How unexpected."
The old man, deep in the chaotic void, snorted. Half an hour passed before he decided to withdraw his hand.
In that half hour, Chace, Ervin and the other black-robed men remained standing at the city ramparts, waiting anxiously for the old man's next move.
A relieved thrill ran across the assembly as the old man's hand slowly retracted until it disappeared.
Now that the danger was gone, the frightened chattering broke out. Even Ervin, known for his arrogance, was unnerved.
"That was terrifying! Who in hell was that damned old man?" he exclaimed, a tremble in his voice.
Ervin turned to look at the pale faces of his companions. "Send a message back. Let's find out everything we can about this old man,"
he ordered, his face grim.
"Your Highness, it appears that we aren't able to deal with this old bastard for now. Perhaps it would be best for us to stay inside the Black Hell City. We cannot afford to act recklessly,"
one of his black-robed counselors responded.
Ervin heeded the advice and nodded in agreement.
All of a sudden, the leader of the Heavenly Palace called out to announce his presence, "Forgive my intrusion, sir. This is Ansell, the head of the Heavenly Palace."
"It's a great pleasure to meet you, sir," he continued.
In a flash, Ansell entered the chaotic void. He strode toward the old man and bowed low.
Ansell had been so impressed with the old man's power that he wasted no time trying to establish contact.
"So his name is Ansell!" People around whispered under their breath.
After all, hardly anyone had seen the leader of the Heavenly Palace in person before, and they didn't know his real name was Ansell neither.
The old man, however, seemed uninterested in engaging in diplomacy. "So after all these millennia, the netherworld's ambitions are still destroying the balance of the universe."
Before Ansell could respond, the old man added, "I already smell blood and this is not gonna end well. Act with caution and protect yourself."
The old man sighed, as if foreseeing the bad things to come.
His ominous words were meant as a warning not just for Ansell but for the entire universe.
The chaotic void where the old man stood started to vibrate as space-time disintegrated. A blinding light flashed around him.
The light cleared to reveal the old man was gone.
"Sir, please! The corpse soldiers are spreading throughout the universe! The destruction is getting direr by the day! Please, help us!"
Ansell pleaded desperately and repeatedly to the air, to no avail.
He could only stare at the roiling chaotic void where the old man stood just moments before.
Even as he continued calling out to the old man, it was dawning on Ansell that he was not coming back.
In the end, all there was to do was leave the chaotic void and return to the Real Space.
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