1013 God of War's Astral Arts

"General! The enemy is right outside our city walls! They're demanding that we surrender the city!" A soldier reported to the general.

However, before he could even respond, a loud and arrogant voice resounded from outside the city, "Surrender and there won't be unnecessary bloodshed!"

"We have over a hundred thousand soldiers, all above Spirit Lord! You will not win this battle with your puny army!"

"I would also prefer for this city to be intact after we conquer it! You have half an hour to come to a decision!"

"I repeat! Surrender and we will spare your lives! The only one who has to die is the City Lord, Tian Xian!"

The place fell silent afterward. After a few moments of absolute silence, once everyone realized their situation, the entire City of Xian began panicking.

"City Lord! Save us!"

"Where is the God of War when we need him?!"

"Do you think a single person can get rid of our predicament?! Even if he's the God of War, there's no way that he would be able to defeat an army of 100,000 by himself!"

"What about his army?!"

"The army had suffered a huge loss recently after an intense battle that lasted for 30 days and nights straight! We barely have anyone left!"

"Damn it! Are we truly doomed?!"

"I have faith in the City Lord! He has never disappointed us before!"

"Open your damn eyes! This is an unwinnable battle!"

Time passed in an instant while the residents of the city panicked for 30 minutes straight.

The general outside the city spoke again, "Time is up! Thirty minutes have passed! We showed mercy, yet you ignored our generosity! Since this is how you want to play, we will play!"

"All forces— charge! Kill everyone who opposes!"

The 100,000 strong army began rushing towards the City of Xian.

However, an immense pressure suddenly enveloped the whole place, forcing the soldiers to halt their steps.

The soldiers outside the city and the residents in the city all lifted their heads to look towards the pagoda in the middle of the city, where a majestic figure with an overwhelming aura could be seen hovering in the sky, his presence demanding for everyone's submission.

"T-The City Lord! It's the City Lord! He's finally here to save us!"

"You idiot! Even if he's here, what can he do against such a powerful army?! We're still doomed!"

Meanwhile—

"Ahahaha! You have finally decided to crawl out of your rat hole, God of War!" The Red Lion Army's general laughed out loud, his laughter causing ripples in the air.

Yuan glanced at the Red Lion Army that surrounded the city.

"Surrender yourself, God of War! If you do, we won't lay a finger on your city or the residents!"

The people in the city swallowed nervously, and they all anxiously waited for Yuan's response.

Yuan took a deep breath and spoke, "I have a slightly different proposal. Get out of my face before I kill all of you."

The residents in the city began crying after hearing Yuan's words.

"We're all dead! It's over for this city!"

"The City Lord is too arrogant! All those victories must have got into his head and made him disconnected from reality!"

"If you want to commit suicide, go do it by yourself! Don't drag the rest of us into your madness!"

The residents of the city that had been loyal to him for many years have finally lost their hope and respect. After all, a righteous and reasonable City Lord would sacrifice himself for his city without hesitation.

However, Yuan ignored the complaints coming from beneath him, as he was sure that it was the Stairway to Heaven trying to stir his emotions.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he recited the technique he'd just learned inside his head.

When he opened his eyes, they glowed golden, and a subtle but visible golden aura started appearing from his body.

He summoned the Empyrean Overlord and spoke in a cold voice, "All of you will be my training puppets for today."

[God of War's Astral Arts!]

The people there watched as Yuan's golden aura started expanding at a rapid rate until it was large enough to cover the entire City of Xian.

Once it stopped growing, the aura began transforming until it resembled half a human wearing a golden armor. Furthermore, it had two massive arms that were wielding a large greatsword that resembled the Empyrean Overlord.

"What in heavens' name is that technique?!" The intruders cried out loud when they saw the giant behind Yuan, feeling as though they were ants before an elephant.

<Rank: Mythic>

<Description: Create a powerful astral avatar that can seize stars and destroy worlds with your Soul Strength. The stronger your Soul Strength, the more powerful the astral avatar>

'I need to finish this fast. I can feel my strength being exhausted at a ridiculous rate!' Yuan cried inwardly after realizing how much energy this technique required.

He took a deep breath before swinging the Empyrean Overlord in his grasp, and the astral avatar followed his movements, sweeping the army outside the city with its massive sword.

BOOM!

The entire ground viciously shook, and an unimaginable crater appeared in the ground where one of the armies stood.

As for the army, they were all completely flattened with a single strike— all 50,000 of them.

When the other army saw the destruction caused by the astral avatar, their faces paled.

"S-Scatter! SCATTER!" The general leading that army roared.

But alas, the astral avatar was already in a swinging motion.

The ground shook for a second time when the first earthquake hadn't even ended yet.

After killing all 100,000 soldiers from the Red Lion Army with two mere strikes, Yuan deactivated the technique and immediately returned to the pagoda to rest, not even bothering to look at the destruction he'd caused.

The entire city was dead silent afterward, and it would remain silent for many minutes with not a single person there believing what they had just witnessed.