"Retreat, it's dangerous here!"
The loud shout of a man with a large shield echoed across the battlefield. His unwavering gaze was fixed on the Blood Race ruler standing firmly in front of him.
Wasting no time, the Blood Race ruler activated his sword skill. A blue aura flared up from the sword in his hand, growing and extending until it reached five meters in length.
Two powerful slashes were unleashed, sending crossing waves of energy toward the man with the large shield. However, instead of dodging, the man only gave a slight smile. Calmly, he activated his shield skill.
The shield in his hand glowed, creating a holographic yellow duplicate with a hexagonal pattern. In an instant, the duplicate grew twenty times its original size, resembling a giant wall ready to block the fast-approaching sword waves.
The sword waves crashed into the large shield, but they couldn't inflict any significant damage. The man with the shield laughed in satisfaction.
"Hahaha... is that all you've got?" he said mockingly.
Without hesitation, he dashed forward, directly toward the Blood Race ruler. The shield in his hand transformed; its edge became sharp, and its surface was covered with long spikes, their tips glowing red.
The Blood Race ruler, seeing the man with the shield approaching, only sneered wickedly.
Similar battles were happening all across Indonesia, between the rulers of the Indonesian Alliance and the Blood Race rulers. At lower levels, the strength of both sides was almost balanced, but the battles between the leaders were at the peak of intensity, nearing a decisive end.
In the main city of the Indonesian Alliance, a major battle between Lord Arok and General Bowo was reaching its climax. The atmosphere of the war was tragic, with many corpses lying around, once the rulers of the Indonesian Alliance.
In the center of the city, General Bowo faced two formidable enemies: a fat middle-aged man and an old bald man holding a golden spear. The three warriors looked exhausted and severely injured. Lord Arok had a long slash wound on his arm, while several fingers of the old bald man were missing.
On the other hand, General Bowo had lost his left hand, leaving only his right hand holding a long blood sword.
"Hahaha... you'll die today, no matter what!" shouted Lord Arok with a hoarse voice.
Though his words were firm and victorious, there was deep sadness in his voice. His once sharp eyes were now empty, devoid of hope and purpose.
"Hahaha... you haven't won yet, old man. The alliance you built is already destroyed!!!!"
General Bowo replied loudly. He couldn't believe that the fat middle-aged man in front of him could be so terrifying. Lord Arok's void skill was extremely troublesome, and the attacks from the old bald man beside him were deadly.
"Lord Arok, what's wrong with you?" asked the old bald man beside Lord Arok, his eyes filled with confusion.
"This isn't like you. Come on, let's finish this quickly!" Immediately, the old man activated his golden spear skill.
His golden spear shot forward with incredible speed toward General Bowo. However, General Bowo didn't stand idle. His blood sword slashed with full power.
The two skills collided midway, creating a massive explosion of energy. Thick smoke billowed, obscuring the view.
General Bowo heightened his concentration, alert to every movement. Suddenly, an invisible energy wave came—a surprise attack from Lord Arok.
General Bowo's blood sword and Lord Arok's invisible sword clashed dozens of times in mere seconds.
"Damn it, that bald old man again!" General Bowo grumbled inwardly as he saw the old bald man joining the close combat.
The golden spear in the old man's hand was extremely skillful, targeting General Bowo's vital points. Exhaustion overtook General Bowo; his dwindling stamina and the imbalance caused by losing his left hand made it difficult to face the two strong opponents in front of him.
A powerful thrust from the old bald man pierced General Bowo's abdomen, cutting several centimeters deep.
Quickly, General Bowo leaped back.
"Haha... don't run!" Lord Arok seemed exhilarated by the fast-paced battle happening beside him. Without giving General Bowo a chance to catch his breath, he immediately approached his retreating opponent.
Lord Arok's invisible sword slash shot forward rapidly. General Bowo's pupils shrank; he knew that Lord Arok had activated his void skill.
"Master Wiko, I'm sorry, I can only go this far," General Bowo said inwardly. He felt resigned, all his skills were on cooldown, and his stamina was depleted. He no longer had the strength to hold on any longer.
General Bowo closed his eyes, awaiting Lord Arok's deadly attack.
One second, two seconds, five seconds passed.
General Bowo was still conscious. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a group of people standing in front of him. Leading them was a middle-aged man with golden feathers covering his body.
"Master Wiko, you've returned..." General Bowo said with a look of disbelief. He didn't expect Wiko Suryo to arrive at the last moment.
"Thank you, General Bowo," Wiko Suryo, now radiating a noble golden aura, replied. Beside him stood several others, each exuding immense power.
"Master Wiko? What is the meaning of this?" asked a man with a dragon tattoo on his left cheek. He looked at Lord Arok and the old bald man beside him with a disdainful gaze, as if they were nothing but trash on the side of the road.
"Sorry, Lord Kilan, but they are not the people I was referring to," Wiko Suryo replied politely, not wanting to offend the man with the dragon tattoo.
"Hmph... make it quick," said another man with a holy halo behind his back, sounding impatient.
"Alright, Lord Fian. I'll deal with these two first," Wiko Suryo responded, looking at Lord Arok and the old bald man with a firm gaze.
Golden feathers flew, raining down on Lord Arok and the old bald man. But that wasn't all; Wiko Suryo also attacked directly, drawing a weapon from his spatial storage ring.
The weapon he drew was a half-meter-long kris, with strange lightning patterns along the S-shaped blade. Holding the kris, Wiko Suryo's speed increased dramatically, and in an instant, he was in front of Lord Arok.
Wiko Suryo launched an attack, thrusting the kris directly into Lord Arok's chest.
Lord Arok's chest was pierced by the kris, the blade emerging from his back. He was shocked, unable to believe Wiko Suryo's speed. However, not giving up easily, he tried to slash back at Wiko Suryo in front of him.
Lord Arok's sword swept across a ten-meter area around him, including Wiko Suryo who was stabbing him.
Sensing the danger, Wiko Suryo quickly retreated.
"Lord Arok, are you alright?"
At this moment, the old bald man was supporting Lord Arok, who had fallen to his knees on the ground. Lord Arok's hand clutched his pierced chest, his gaze filled with seething rage. His eyes were locked onto Wiko Suryo with boundless hatred.
"Why? Why are you doing all this?" Lord Arok's voice trembled, filled with pain and betrayal. He had been very close to Wiko Suryo, a friend and ally who had helped him build the Indonesian Alliance. Yet, he couldn't understand the reason behind Wiko Suryo's actions, sacrificing the Indonesian people for inevitable destruction.
"Hahaha... You've been on this island for too long, Lord Arok. You also lack the vision to see far ahead," Wiko Suryo replied lightly, as if there was no burden in his heart. His gaze was cold, without a hint of regret as he looked at the injured Lord Arok.
"I've explained many times that this Divine Heavenly Realm is just a small dot compared to the higher realms out there. Why are we insisting on refusing to join a greater power?" Wiko Suryo continued, his voice full of conviction. For him, joining a power like the Blood Race was the best way to achieve rapid advancement.
Although the Blood Race's methods were brutal, requiring blood sacrifices, he believed that for the survival of the human race, anything had to be done.
"There are billions of other races in this universe, and the human race is just a newcomer, not even numbering more than 10 billion. Even if we are optimistic about our own strength, the reality is that compared to other powerful races, we are nothing. We have no competitive edge!"
Hearing all this, Lord Arok could only shake his head, his eyes reflecting deep disappointment. His mouth continuously cursed Wiko Suryo's mindset, which he considered twisted.
"Your mind has strayed far from our ancestors' teachings, Wiko! Ughk..." Lord Arok's voice was hoarse, fresh blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
"Ancestors? We're not on Earth anymore, Lord Arok," Wiko Suryo retorted mockingly. "It's time for you to leave those old thoughts behind. I'll send your soul to the ancestors' grave soon!"
After saying that, Wiko Suryo moved again at high speed, preparing his next deadly attack.