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Even while Konrad's secluded cultivation carried on, the world didn't stop spinning and the war carried on undisturbed. The Valkyries, or in this case The Valkyrie single-handedly battled the combined might of the deva and demons, forcing them to abandon their grudges and form and temporary truce to contend with her.
In terms of raw strength, The Valkyrie alone wasn't their match. But thanks to Konrad's Might Reversal Armor she succeeded in dragging them into the protracted battle the Jade Dynasty counted on. Thus, Verena and Else obtained enough time to enhance the World-Structure and reach a greater understanding of the laws in record time.
At the end of the first decade, they'd gone from Beginning to Advanced Law Mastery, and stood at the threshold of Wielding. There, the problems began. Regardless of talent and comprehension levels, of boons and foundation, Verena and Else were forced to accept…that they couldn't break through!
It was as if an ethereal fog stood before them, forever barring them from reaching the desired Wielding level! And indeed, this was the hurdle all demons and devas throughout the Three Realms faced. From within their very bloodline, a suppression existed that prevented them from reaching Primal Law Wielding through comprehension alone!
Of course, Primal Laws were Primal Laws. Even without Wielding, they managed to make the world-structure robust enough to endure the earthshaking battle that carried on.
*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*
Cataclysmic explosions erupted from the Barbarian Continent's sky and bamboozled the land! The World may be able to endure it, but that didn't mean the barbarians could! Earthquakes, volcanic explosions, thunderstorms, hurricanes and tidal waves, all swept the continent in disastrous proportions, causing millions of lives to fall daily.
Yes, millions died every day! Compared to this, Earth's World Wars qualified as petty skirmishes. The people howled! Sorrow, rancor and indignation abounded! They cursed the Gods, Celestial and Infernal alike! Their faith crumbled, and as the conflict reached its twentieth year, the shrines and statues of the Infernal Gods within the Barbarian Continent were deserted and shunned by their most loyal devotes!
But more atrocious was that the border tribes soon realized that the Holy Continent, the Jade Dynasty, bore no trace of the conflict!
Within the Jade Dynasty, the sky remained bright, the prairies verdant, children laughed alongside jovial parents, and the priestesses carried on with the usual blessings!
It was as if they stood in two completely different worlds!
When those words first spread, many barbarians didn't believe them. But soon, when proof filled their eyes, they were forced to accept that reality! In desperation, hordes of runaway families swathed the Jade Dynasty's borders. Alas, the border troops stood strong, barring any access with steel and spells!
"Only those that pay homage to and worship his Profane Highness, the August Jade Emperor, are qualified to enjoy the Jade Dynasty's peace and prosperity! You who give your allegiance to the Infernal Gods and False Idols, how are you qualified to stand within the cradle of his Profane Highness?
Roll or die!"
State Pillar Wolfgang Kracht, who marshalled one million troops snarled without mercy.
At that time, more than eighteen billion barbarian citizens had already perished, leaving behind almost thirty-one billion. To think that such a startling quantity of individuals perished in a measly twenty years would fill any earthling with waves of skepticism. After all, Earth didn't even have half that population.
Alas, such was the truth.
Death Zones may be rare occurrences, but among the demons and devas, none doubted that at this rate, another one would form! But what they didn't know was that the relentless siphoning of a certain existence's soul prevented the growth of such a force!
And when faced with the brutality of Wolfgang's booming voice, the runaway barbarians trembled no end! Although those past few decades forced them to abjure their worshipped Gods, rejection was one thing, switching faith, another.
The Infernal Faith had occupied the Barbarian Continent for ages. It had long since went beyond the realm of faith, it was a shared culture, an inheritance from the ancestors. How could they just abandon it in twenty to embrace a brand-new one?
And how young was that one? Although the Profane Prince awed the world with a succession of miracles, his faith had only existed for thirty years! Could the Infernal Kings and mighty Demons Gods be forsaken for thirty-years of a God-Emperor's rule?
But as the barbarians floundered with mixed opinions, war didn't stop, and still oppressed their kin!
Large blood boulders fell to squash legions of unfortunate barbarian citizens in a feast of blood and gore! In that instant, the recalcitrant were reawakened to the reality of their situation! They weren't the ones forsaken the Infernal Gods, the Infernal Gods were forsaking them!
At that time, a booming voice echoed from within the Infernal Cult!
"The Infernal Cult recognizes the error of its ways, abandons the false idols, and rejects the Infernal Rulers to bend before the Profane Prince's divine flag! He, is the One True God!"
All within the Infernal Cult proclaimed in unison, and the chorus of their thundering voices resounded within the Barbarian Continent!
Hearing this, the citizens wasted no more time!
"The Profane Prince is the One True God, the Self-Manifested, The Uncreated! All exist by virtue of his will; all perish by virtue of his wrath! We recognize the error of our ways, renounce the Infernal Rulers, and beseech him for salvation!
Your Profane Highness, please save us!"
Who first said those words is unknown. But right afterward, all followed!
"We recognize the error of our ways, renounce the Infernal Rulers, and beseech his Profane Highness for salvation!
Your Profane Highness, please save us!"
The Barbarian Continent roared and kowtowed toward the August Jade Dynasty, and as the united pledges and supplications of tens of billions echoed, even the warring demons and devas were startled!
"Preposterous ants! How dare they utter such words?
If we want you to perish, by right you should! How dare you rebel and seek succor in a false god?"
Anharya snarled and waved his hand, causing dazzling blood beams to shoot toward the pleading barbarians!
Alas, before his assault could go far, The Valkyrie appeared in his path, and with a wave of her gauntlet, sent the beams flying right back at him!
"You came to end their existence. Of course, they will seek salvation where it lies. Moronic demon, allow me to remind you of a simple truth; faith's greatest drive forever remains the fear of death."
The Valkyrie declared before rushing back into the armies she faced!
Meanwhile, as the barbarians pleaded, no response came from the Profane Prince. However, from within the Jade Capital, a voice echoed:
"His Profane Highness has heard your pleas. But years of misdeed makes your devotion hard to accept. If you believe, pray and wait. When his Profane Highness is convinced of your faith, he shall appear!"
The voice, that naturally belonged to Krann, echoed within the Barbarian's ears. And again, they despaired! But when the realization that no other path remained, they soon complied and fell into ardent prayers to prove their devotion to the Malevolent Protector they now entrusted themselves to!