Chapter 125: Saint Cas—Arrival

Chapter 125: Saint Cas—Arrival

The terrifying voice rang out, and the pain came faster than the evolved mind could react.

Relying entirely on the survival instincts honed as a High-level Alien Beast Commander, Shan Huo abruptly retreated—no, he nearly somersaulted backward—barely avoiding the sword strike that could have severed his body. Under the force of that psychic power, horrifying wounds split open across his body.

Shan Huo’s psychic energy clashed violently with Amos’, but his terror only grew.

How strange—

This man’s psychic power was bottomless like an abyss.

The sudden explosive power of the last opponent had already been formidable, but the one before him now was clearly even stronger.

Where did these people come from?

Why had they appeared so abruptly?

It was as if there were no gradual escalation—they could directly oppose them.

Psychic energy—especially this terrifying, eerie psychic energy—

Should have been the most powerful weapon of the alien beasts. Yet now, it seemed perfectly suited for creatures like these.

Shan Huo stared into those crimson eyes as wounds multiplied across his body, his body shaking uncontrollably.

Damn it—where were the other beasts?

The moment those surveillance drones were destroyed, those idiots should have realized these threats needed immediate elimination.

But things were not as Shan Huo had imagined.

The surveillance drones failed to capture Amos’ arrival in the end—not even his failed ambush was recorded. The crushing psychic pressure forced all nearby devices to retreat, leaving the situation unreadable to the humans of other planets.

And when Shan Huo’s psychic energy collided violently with Amos’, the consciousness of his kin broadcast his terror with unmistakable clarity.

At their core, alien beasts were not a cooperative species. They were used to killing each other, lacking any sense of unity. Faced with a threat, their instinct was simply to eliminate it.

Rather than expend all their strength to resolve the matter immediately—or teach Saint Cas a lesson for provoking them—they preferred self-interest, waiting to exploit their enemy’s weaknesses.

For instance, the forces these beings represented—the Sacred Territory could not escape. And with pollution all around, the environment favored them. Only a fool would charge into a battlefield favorable to humans, like Shan Huo had, to fight head-on.

And from the feel of it… he hadn’t even won? Instead, primal terror had seeped into his very blood?

Cunning and malicious, the High-level Alien Beast Commanders quickly dispersed, melting into the polluted depths.

Though they'd once mocked the idea of fearing psychic energy, now that they faced it, none dared to confront it directly. Each hoped another would weaken the enemy, leaving them to claim the victory.

Some top commanders had already abandoned the so-called Survival Contest, advancing toward the region where the Sacred Territory had once stood.

Deep within the pollution, in a forbidden zone predating this sector of space—

Far predating the psychic barriers erected by the First Legion, known to some high-level beasts, this place was one of the original outbreak sites of the pollution’s spread.

Most of the original outbreak zones had long become beast-controlled territories. Only here, it remained a forbidden land.

And Ji Yu, who had been horrified by the massive skeletal remains on those planets and the oppressive psychic energy that kept him from advancing, now felt the waves of terror emanating from Shan Huo’s outburst.

That overwhelming fear instantly crushed the lingering presence left by these skeletal remains before him. Ji Yu's animalistic eyes abruptly contracted, turning ice-cold, before he finally charged onto one of the planets—

A colossal white bone, dragon-like but not fully a dragon, lay sprawled across the towering mountain ridge. Behind it, broken wing bones were scattered across the ground. In its final moments, it had maintained a posture gazing at the sky, radiating a fearsome, awe-inspiring majesty. Yet its stance didn’t seem like it had been slain—rather, it appeared to have chosen its resting place before sinking into final rest—

Until its flesh rotted away, leaving only bones.

This was the largest skeleton of them all, and the one radiating the strongest lingering psychic energy. Around it, the other bones lay in orderly rows, lying in silent repose in the depths of the pollution, undisturbed even by the beasts.

Similarly, the energy that should have drawn them in instead deterred them—none dared approach.

Ji Yu’s body was being crushed under the psychic pressure, only to rapidly heal again.

Until he reached the skull of the skeletal remains.

An even more intense fear now overwhelmed everything else, leaving the already crazed beast to a pitiful state, mindlessly repeating two words—power... power...

Meanwhile, the Hymn Organization, which had also received the garbled message transmitted by the ‘deity’ through the Divine Grace Stone, began to move.

After several days of reconnaissance, though Saint Cas’s barrier defenses remained intact, such an extensive frontline had finally begun to show some gaps. Moreover, that colossal, unstoppable entity had not been seen for a long time.

Small starships of the Hymn Organization began venturing into the polluted zone—

They dreamed of becoming another ‘Angel Race’ under the deity’s command, as if only this could satisfy their already corrupted and warped minds.

At the same time, Shenghua finally achieved her wish of reaching the top ranks.

The young woman leaned against the starship, cloaked. Across this cluster of small planets, all were followers loyal to her.

Just as Shenghua had once said, controlling people and playing their emotions were skills nobles like her needed to master—and she had always excelled in this subject.

Thinking of the fallen Bael Union, the tragic deaths of her entire family, the missing member of the Spirit Eye Clan, and the still-glowing eye ripped from the last Chairman of the Bael Union—who was also of the Spirit Eye Clan—

Shenghua’s body involuntarily convulsed.

The Hymn Organization—so disgusting—it made her sick—

Just show up already—then die already—

Shenghua fought to steady her nerves. The more she learned about this organization, the harder it became to steady her emotions. In the end, she anxiously bit her nails.

Calm down.

Calm down—Shenghua.

Look, this world still has beings like the Little Highness—kind, gentle, and endearing.

There’s still hope in this world—how wonderful.

*

Shan Huo was indeed strong, but against the enraged Amos, within moments, he was clearly outmatched.

Finn had initially been on guard for ambushes from the surrounding beasts.

But to his surprise, there was no movement at all.

In the end, Finn flapped his wings and flew to a nearby high platform.

There, he saw Xiao Chuzao standing atop the platform, gazing down intently.

The young one looked even more disheveled than before.

The feathers were even messier.

"No wonder Amos was pissed..."

Finn muttered softly.

He also reached out to fuss over Xiao Chuzao's wing, trying to assess how badly the little one's wing was injured.

Amos was really raging.

Now that Finn had relaxed, he began snarking internally—until he saw the blood streaking Chu Zao's wing.

He couldn't help but curse under his breath.

Rip him to shreds.

Chop him up—

He'd go in for the finishing blow later.

Chu Zao had been watching Amos intently, looking utterly wronged.

—It was almost comical. This little one had been raising hell outside, but the moment his guardian arrived, he acted all pitiful, whining and snitching before watching said guardian go ballistic.

Then again, these monsters clearly hadn't experienced Amos's wrath before. They had no idea that laying a finger on Xiao Chuzao would inevitably summon a furious, full-powered Crown Clan member.

When Finn tugged at his feathers, Chu Zao, flustered, yanked his wing back.

"Uncle Finn, are you okay?"

Before Finn could respond, the little one had already leaned in, worriedly pulling at his clothes to check his injuries.

"Just nicks. No big deal."

Finn waved it off casually, but the moment he spoke, Chu Zao's pretty little face crumpled.

The Crown Clan knew this routine. Ever since the little one was small, if he spotted so much as a scratch, his kicked-puppy look wrecked you.

"Amos is here, so Saint Cas's starships must be right behind. I'll head straight to the med bay later, alright? And don’t even think about logging this in that little notebook of yours—"

Finn glanced at Xiao Chuzao, who was still gripping his Cupid's bow, seemingly ready to jump in at any moment.

But given how Amos was currently—

Finn took one look at Amos, who was taking his rage out by pounding Shan Hu into pulp at lightning speed, and thought, *If you shoot an arrow now, you might accidentally hit Amos instead.*

Honestly, Amos was on another level of pissed.

If Finn tried to argue that Xiao Chuzao's mishap wasn't technically his fault, would Amos even listen?

Watching Shan Hu, Finn gave a tiny shudder at the thought.

Meanwhile, the retreat of the Monster Commanders caused the monsters in the area to gather. The remaining competition teams now faced even stronger beasts, prompting nations to recall their squads to safety.

The Eastern Alliance members cheated death.

The looming despair that had begun to creep in gradually fizzled out.

"That person is—"

Watching Amos's fluid movements, the glowing crown atop his head, and Finn and Chu Zao who had already landed nearby, the members of the Holy Land paused in disbelief before stammering.

"Hah..."

Chao Huangmu had nearly rushed out earlier. He was already outside his mech, and when the beast charged at Chu Zao, he almost lost control of his psychic power. Only now had he calmed down slightly. The shout jolted him back, his palms bearing crescent-shaped wounds from his nails digging in, pressed in by his neatly trimmed nails.

Chao Huangmu recomposed his smile as he looked at them.

"His Majesty Amos Dwight, Saint Cas's monarch."

The cosmos' notorious Dark Tyrant.

That area was uncharted corruption, and now His Majesty had arrived. In a way, his arrival was remarkably swift.

"As long as His Majesty is here, no problem is unsolvable."

Chao Huangmu spoke with certainty.

Meanwhile, Amos sneered coldly as he plunged his Psychic Sword through Shan Huo's chest—who was now powerless to evade.

He himself emerged virtually unscathed.

The members of the Eastern Alliance looked over, still shell-shocked from their close call.

"Is this... the homeland you've been searching for?"

Yu Ye and the others stared toward it.

Homeland... homeland...

Nothing was more heartening than knowing one's homeland still existed and was thriving.

At the same time, a distant roar reverberated from the horizon—

What was that sound?

They all looked up in unison.

Chu Zao also snapped his head upward.

Young Chuzao recognized it instantly.

Ebinino seemed unable to contain his agitation over the youngling and the faintly familiar psychic power. He had bulled through the corruption.

Acting on instinct, his bellow rang out as he drew closer.

Amos glanced up before looking back down at Shan Huo, now sprawled helplessly in the impact crater.

A different breed entirely.

Strong regenerative abilities, surpassing any beast he'd faced previously, and possessing unique abilities—though those abilities fell within the realm of psychic power, which posed little threat to Amos, a psychic powerhouse.

If beasts evolved into something like this, they would be incredibly difficult to kill.

Even with the merciless overkill tactics his mother, Ms. Solan, had described, there was still a risk of survivors.

What exactly was happening in this corner of the cosmos?

Allowing beasts to grow into these abominations.

Amos hadn't directly confronted the humans here, but just by observing the state of these alien beasts, it was clear that in this sector of space, the beasts were thriving—constantly evolving through devouring humans, growing into forms even the Crown Clan found extremely difficult to handle.

The creature in the pit had almost lost its human form, lying motionless, devoid of breath and seemingly any trace of psychic energy. Amos delivered a few more strikes.

But he had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Finn."

"Ah, coming, coming!"

Never had Finn been so 'obedient' as he was now, dutifully flying down to assist Amos in tying up loose ends, continuing to finish Shan Huo off.

Amos flew to Xiao Chuzao's side.

This time, the parent's emotions seemed to have settled somewhat, at least his aura had returned to its usual calm and composure.

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, gently wiping his little one's face while asking softly.

Despite his age, Chu Zao instinctively lifted his head, letting Amos clean away the dust he hadn't managed to wipe off earlier.

The earlier moments had been too rushed for Chu Zao to explain the situation clearly.

Now, with Amos wiping his face, he relaxed like a fledgling finally feeling safe, his wings unfurling behind him and launching into a briefing as he filled Amos in on everything that had happened.

He'd already mentioned the First Legion descendants earlier, and Amos glanced at the figures now in the Sacred Territory.

"I wasn’t sure if I’d been too rash just now," Chu Zao said.

"I thought since they were targeting the Sacred Territory, they’d definitely act later. Before leaving, I even told them to move temporarily from their original positions, and also—"

Chu Zao paused, looking at Amos.

"Was that the right thing to do, Dad? Neither you nor Mr. Hale were around, and Third Uncle’s even more clueless than I do. How is Great-Grandpa? Did I hear his voice earlier? Shouldn’t he be safely staying behind the barrier frontlines? Why did he suddenly come here—"

The little one was bursting with things to say to Amos.

After all, it had been a long time since he'd seen him.

Especially now that Amos was here, Chu Zao felt completely relaxed. Though he knew the danger hadn’t passed, his father was amazingly powerful—anything could be solved as long as he was around.

This conviction, held since his days as a little one, never wavered now.

"Dad already said it—Zao Zao did everything right. Zao Zao has grown into a little Crown Clan who can stand on his own, a pride to Dad and the entire Crown Clan. Your Great-Grandpa isn’t the easiest to communicate with, so he followed along."

Amos casually destroyed the filthy handkerchief, recalling how he’d used his psychic energy to thrash Ebinino earlier. He didn’t mention it to the worried little one in front of him, brushing past it lightly as he spoke.

"Seeing how well Zao Zao has taken care of himself, Dad is very relieved."

Though he said this, even after finding his little one, Amos’s tension hadn’t fully eased. He was clearly still on high alert, but he still comforted his child nonetheless.

Of course, his little one had done amazingly well.

"Oh and—I..."

Chu Zao paused briefly, looking at Amos.

"I just... really missed Dad—"

Amos’s eyes softened a little.

Then came the little one’s muttering again, "But acting like a kid... If I say it out loud, Third Uncle’d laugh at me."

Finn, mid-battle, caught this remark and suddenly remembered how Amos saw him. He looked up in horror.

"No way! Third Uncle wouldn’t dare laugh!"

No way, no way! Zao Zao, don’t say nonsense!

Amos pulled his little one close, finally letting out a quiet, relieved laugh.

"Dad missed you too, Zao Zao."

Chu Zao blinked his big eyes, then suddenly remembered something.

He rummaged through his pocket, searching.

"Oh, right, Dad! I kept notes on everything that happened during this time."

Chu Zao fumbled for the small notebook where he had recorded everything.

As he flipped through it, a handful of candy wrappers spilled out of his pocket.

Chu Zao paused, watching the wrappers flutter to the ground, then glanced at the notebook in his hand. More candy wrappers peeked out from the edges of his pocket.

They were from the candies he had stress-ate while inside the mech, the wrappers carelessly stuffed into his pocket and forgotten.

Though he was nearly an adult now, in front of his dad, Zao Zao wasn’t supposed to eat so many sweets...

Finn, who had been eavesdropping the moment Chu Zao mentioned the notebook, let out a snicker. Typical Finn—busted with all that candy!

Then he doubled down on his act, trying to show Amos his "sincerity."

Chu Zao hesitated, glanced at Third Uncle, then turned back and flipped open the notebook softly.

"Dad, let’s look at the notebook. I wrote down everything Third Uncle did."

Zao Zao: *Quick, distract him! Whether Third Uncle yells or not, Dad will see the whole picture!*

Amos paused, eyeing Chu Zao’s little notebook with a raised brow.

The little one, freshly recovered, was still dusty and looked downright pitiful.

As the family head, Amos knew he had to handle him gently.

But for the other troublemaker—

Amos stayed silent, but his eyes cut to Finn.

Finn, who had been trying so hard to prove himself, felt a sudden icy dread.

He turned his head—

And met Amos’s calculating look.

Finn: ...Crap!

What the hell? Are we settling scores already???

Finn turned around, about to say something more, when a dark figure loomed overhead, slowly bearing down.

From a small shadow to a gradually approaching form, the outline of Ebinino took shape. Meanwhile, the disgusting eyes of Shan Huo, which had been shattered into pulp after Finn's repeated attacks, stirred faintly in one place.

Chu Zao, more attuned to corruption, instinctively glanced over—

On the Survival Contest battlefield, the retreating teams watched the sky in horror as live broadcast equipment captured everything—massive, cratered, unmarked starships were rapidly entering the area.

These starships hovered in the air, moving as if navigating deep-sea waters, their movements eerily matched the observers' range. Starships had never evoked such a feeling—crushing pressure. These vessels were actually clearing out the lesser beasts!

That was supposed to be mech work!

You had to be under them to feel it—

What are these?

Why are they here? What’s with those insignias?

Why have we never seen them before?

Fei Man eyed the wreckage and spoke coldly: "Interference. Lock down the area."

"Understood!"

All broadcast equipment was instantly jammed the moment the Saint Cas fleet detected it. These behemoths began descending slowly near Chu Zao's coordinates.

In the Gesen Empire, the entire war room went dead silent.

Everyone stared at the now-blank screens, shaken.

"Lost...?"

The deaths of the imperial mech squad had dealt them a heavy blow, and now, the sudden appearance of such a starship fleet shattered their buoyed morale completely.

"Hold it together—they’re not monsters. We can still engage in normal diplomacy—yes, normal diplomacy. They might just be... unique. If they intend to establish a foothold here, they'll have to deal with our mighty Gesen Empire... Stay calm..."

Panic erupted. In the conference room, the only thing left was the overwhelming pressure exuded by the true might of an empire, as the last starship passed their screens.

Even if it was just Saint Cas's advance team.

It still announced—

The arrival of the Saint Cas Empire, led by the Crown Clan—the fiercest empire of them all.