Hadrian saw it happen, and the rims of his eyes turned red.
His teeth ground so hard they clicked.
His fist clenched until the joints crackled.
"I'm taking you bastards with me!"
He hoisted his war axe and charged straight at the Tribunal Venerable.
His steps staggered.
His whole body swayed.
But his eyes locked on nothing except the kill.
He was going to kill the Tribunal Venerable.
He was going to avenge the brothers who had died here.
But before he made it more than a few steps, a streak of silver-white light dropped from the sky and blasted him away.
The light came down as fast as lightning.
Hadrian didn't even have time to react before it slammed into his chest.
His chest bones gave way on the spot.
Everything inside him lurched and twisted, and a huge mouthful of blood burst from between his lips.
Hadrian hit the ground hard.
Blood kept pouring out of his mouth.
His war axe had stabbed into the ground beside him.
The edge was chipped all over.
His eyes were still open.
But the rest of him would not move.
The silver-haired captain stood in the void, looking down at Hadrian.
There wasn't a shred of warmth in his eyes.
Hadrian’s blood still clung to the spear. The silver-white tip had been dyed a dark, ugly red.
"Insect." His voice came out cold enough to sink straight into the bone.
He lifted the spear, ready to finish Hadrian off.
A blinding silver light gathered at the tip.
It grew brighter and brighter, harsher with every breath, until the whole stretch of the city walls was flooded in silver.
Then, from inside the city, an old voice rang out.
"Stop!"
A silver-white blade-flare shot out from the city and slammed into the captain’s spear.
The blade-flare and spear collided.
A deafening blast ripped across the battlefield.
The captain was driven back several steps, and the spear in his hand nearly flew free.
Something shifted in his eyes.
The power in that strike was no weaker than his own.
Gideon stepped out of the city.
His silver-white hair streamed in the wind.
A longsword rested in his hand, and a piercing silver glow flowed along the blade.
Behind him came several dozen human cultivators.
Every last one of them stood above the fifth tier of the True Immortal Realm.
Bandages were still wrapped around their bodies. Some of them were still bleeding.
But their eyes were bright.
The captain narrowed his eyes. "Gideon? So you really are here."
Gideon looked at him. "The Celestial Alliance's lapdogs sure do know how to chase fast."
The captain let out a cold laugh. "Traitor, you think running to the Lower Realm would keep you safe?"
Gideon gave him nothing back.
He raised his longsword and leveled the point at the captain.
"Brothers, move!"
Several dozen human cultivators attacked at the same time.
Silver-white blade-flares, black demonic aura, blood-red axe light, and ice-blue divine radiance wove across the battlefield into a dazzling, violent spread of color.
Their cultivation was still below that of the five upper-realm celestial warriors.
But they had numbers, and they moved with clean, practiced coordination.
For the moment, they actually managed to tie all five of them down.
The captain's face darkened. "You want to die!"
A blinding silver light burst from his spear, and he drove it straight at Gideon's chest.
Gideon twisted aside and let the thrust skim past him. In the same motion, he slashed back with his sword at the captain's shoulder.
The two of them tangled together at once.
He always did this.
Whenever everything came down to the wire, he showed up.
Malachy Vane stared at the violet radiance.
A flicker of expectation passed through his eyes.
He wanted to know exactly what cultivation level Jared had broken through to.
True Immortal Realm Level One?
Or Level Two?
And more than that, could he beat those five upper-realm celestial warriors?
Windclear looked at the violet radiance and let out a long breath.
His broken sword had already shattered completely.
He stood upon the city walls with empty hands, his whole body covered in wounds.
But at that moment, he smiled.
He knew they finally had a chance.
Gideon Blackthorn looked toward the violet radiance, and his pupils tightened slightly.
He could tell from the chaotic force inside that the radiance was several times stronger than before.
"Chaotic force... True Immortal Realm Level Two... good kid." His voice was quiet, but the weight in it was unmistakable.
The violet radiance slowly began to fade.
Jared walked up from underground.
His green robe moved in the wind, and the Dragonslayer Sword at his waist caught the sunlight with a faint gleam.
Purple chaotic force curled around his body.
That glow wasn't violent. It was still, like a giant dragon asleep.
His eyes were violet, and inside his pupils, it looked as if stars were turning.
He stepped onto the city walls and looked at the cultivators still fighting.
He looked at the corpses lying in pools of blood.
He looked at the warriors still resisting with everything they had.
His fists clenched hard enough for his nails to bite into his palms.
"I'm sorry. I came late."
His voice was soft, but each word landed against every chest like a hammer blow.
Then he leaped into the air, turning into a streak of purple light as he shot toward the heart of the battlefield.

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