Chapter 476: The Great Demon King's Power
The war between Star City and Future City had captured the world’s attention.
Spies lurking near Future City used drones to broadcast live footage of the battle from high above.
The aerial footage was blurry and often shook violently from the shockwaves of combat, occasionally even glitching into static.
Yet every moment of the battle gripped the hearts of countless viewers watching the live stream.
Residents of other cities desperately hoped for an end to the war, but could only watch helplessly as their own kind slaughtered each other.
Humans had never been strangers to war. Before the cataclysm, the world order was dominated by humanity, divided into various nation-states.
That era had witnessed countless wars, both large and small.
But since the Domain Invasion and the arrival of the foreign race, humans had never again turned on each other in such a brutal, internecine conflict.
History and reality had taught those who lived through the cataclysm era a fundamental truth: conflicts between members of the same race could still be resolved through compromise, rooted as they were in shared ancestry.
Even before the cataclysm, wars had been governed by numerous human rights conventions.
These included prohibitions against attacking or bombarding undefended towns, villages, residences, and buildings; bans on attacking negotiating envoys; and requirements for humane treatment of prisoners of war.
Wars typically ended with one side’s compromise or surrender.
But wars against foreign race were a matter of life and death, leaving no room for negotiation.
No rules applied to the conflict between humans and the domain races; only the complete annihilation of one side could end the war.
From that moment on, humanity developed an intense sense of racial belonging and identity.
Now, witnessing their own kind slaughtering each other on live broadcasts, many felt a surge of grief and fury.
Public outrage swelled like a tidal wave, dragging city officials into the fray and forcing them to issue constant reassurances.
From the direction of Future City, the first rays of dawn pierced the night sky, emerging from the eastern horizon.
The torrential rain that had fallen all night finally ceased, and the dark clouds dispersed with the sudden appearance of morning light.
It was now seven in the morning.
The war had raged for six hours.
This battle lacked the strategic clashes of military advisors seen in historical war films, and there was no scheming, betrayal, or political intrigue.
Only brutal, head-on combat.
Both the dawn warriors and the Future City Defense Warriors had exhausted their physical reserves.
Exhaustion surged through their minds.
Their aching muscles had long ceased to obey their will, and even their weapon-wielding hands trembled uncontrollably, making it difficult to maintain their grip.
The only thing sustaining them was their unwavering conviction.
The dawn warriors’ conviction was to follow Feng Qi, fulfill their mission on this battlefront, become part of countless Sacrifice Lines, and dedicate themselves to the ultimate ideal world.
This was a spirit of uncompromising resolve.
Even knowing that this battlefront was doomed to fail and that humanity’s future was utterly bleak, they believed the light of hope would accompany their efforts, shining into other timelines. Humanity had not yet been completely defeated, and the torch of hope continued to be passed on.
To the Future City Defense Warriors, behind them lay the myriad lights of Future City, the homes of their parents, friends, children, and countless other residents whose futures they were sworn to protect.
Defeating the invaders was far more important than their own lives.
As City Defense Soldiers, safeguarding Future City was their sacred duty and responsibility.
Now that this mission had fallen upon their shoulders, retreat was unthinkable.
Driven by their respective convictions, the warriors continued to fight.
On the outskirts of the Central District of Future City, Feng Qi’s gaze swept across the scene. Countless City Defense Soldiers, their bodies drenched in blood and wielding cold weapons, stared coldly at them.
Behind the soldiers stood rows of armored vehicles and other advanced weaponry, their cold gun barrels raised high, the hum of charging energy echoing in the air.
This brief respite was merely the prelude to an even more brutal battle.
Relying on brute force to break through, Feng Qi had led the dawn warriors, pushing back the City Defense Soldiers from the south gate all the way to the Central District. Yet the defenders refused to fall, their fighting spirit stubbornly unbroken.
After a night of relentless combat, Feng Qi’s Blood Source Form remained active.
This was the first time he had maintained the form for such an extended period. Despite continuously absorbing blood to replenish his qi blood, his body was now operating at its limit, every muscle screaming with pain.
As he clenched his fist, dark-green flames erupted from his skin. He raised his head, let out a ferocious roar, and charged forward, leading the charge. The dawn warriors surged after him.
A new round of brutal clashes erupted once more.
Feng Qi had made his decision. He would now charge forward with unwavering momentum, crush the City Defense Legion blocking his path, and strike directly at the Technology Research Institute.
After a night of relentless combat, he noticed that the City Defense Force they were facing seemed to be constantly having its forces drained.
Feng Qi surmised that the withdrawn City Defense Soldiers were being urgently redeployed to the western battlefield.
The reason was simple: Mu Qing was there.
The notion that one person could rival an entire army was no exaggeration when it came to Mu Qing.
Throughout human history, purely in terms of combat prowess, no one seemed to match her.
Even before her defection, Mu Qing had already secured her place as the foremost War God of this era.
But after founding the Dawn Army, her War God reputation transformed into the infamous title of “Great Demon King.”
Mu Qing’s current combat strength might not yet match her historical peak.
After all, the Great Demon King Mu Qing of history had years of frontline experience, during which she consumed vast quantities of domain creatures, causing her combat power to skyrocket.
Feng Qi vividly recalled how, during the villain arc, Old Mist would often read the morning news.
He would then grumble and complain about Mu Qing’s rapid progress, lamenting how the gap between their strengths was widening.
This shows that Mu Qing’s true growth spurt occurred on the front lines.
Although her strength on this battlefield wasn’t at its peak, it was far from weak.
When he initiated this combat line, he had already planned for Mu Qing to be its core combat force.
During the construction of Star City, he gave Mu Qing only one mission:
Eat!
Eat to your heart’s content!
Eat whatever you want, however you want.
Spirit plants, spirit minerals, spirit beasts… if you want it, it’s yours in unlimited quantities.
Even though Mu Qing hasn’t reached her peak combat power yet, she already embodies the prototype of a Great Demon King.
He once tried to test the full extent of Mu Qing’s power, but all attempts failed.
The reason was simple: existing strength-testing instruments were completely inadequate for assessing her capabilities.
Take, for example, the room-sized force detectors used by universities and research institutes. To Mu Qing, these were mere toys she could shatter with a single punch, utterly incapable of measuring her true limits.
Even grip strength testers made from Super A-grade Alloy crumbled in her hand with a single squeeze.
She demonstrated the true meaning of “grasping iron like clay” with her sheer strength.
The Scarlet Research Institute had once designed various physical strength testing devices specifically for Mu Qing to assess her capabilities.
However, these devices quickly became mere toys, unable to keep up with Mu Qing’s rapid growth in power.
Wei Wei, Mu Qing’s guardian, had experienced this firsthand.
Wei Wei had once told him: “Mu Qing’s current age and physique are mismatched, likely due to malnutrition.”
In other words, the reason Mu Qing, who had been implanted with the Scarlet Rune Crystal, wasn’t growing properly was due to insufficient energy intake.
(End of the Chapter)