Chapter 1283: More than just War!

At that moment, one of the dead Dukes of Death suddenly twitched, and then the second, before the third, and nothing of this dreadful anomaly; the cheering stopped. Even the Myth of Reverend’s smile faded by the slightest degree.

Suddenly, across the undead army, one thousand Legendary King Rank undead suddenly froze, and their soul flames extinguished at the same time without any scream, struggle, or warning.

Thereafter, their bodies collapsed into ash, and from that ash rose rivers of gray light, and the rivers crossed the battlefield before they poured into the fallen Dukes.

The next moment, under the terrified gazes of everyone, bones began to reform, soul flames reignited, and the rotten Celestial Astrolabe was reconstructed with the same ancient gray glyph at its center.

At that moment, the dead Dukes stood again, and the coalition fell silent.

The Myth of Thunder’s grin vanished. "You’ve got to be kidding me."

The Myth of Alchemy’s expression turned grave. "This is not regeneration."

The Myth of Reverend narrowed his eyes as he said softly, "No, it is payment."

The Corpse Wyvern Lord looked toward Myth of Reverend, and for a moment, its hollow eyes contained something almost like mockery.

Thereafter, all the revived Dukes charged again, and the battle resumed with even greater violence. But Myth of Reverend no longer looked at them as his gaze shifted past the armies, the ravines, and past the invisible boundary no undead crossed.

His pupils thinned into vertical lines as he muttered, "There...!?"

Although he could not see what Jacob had seen and could not perceive the profound-colored spectrums clearly, he sensed the movement of something beneath the battlefield the moment those Dukes of Death were revived.

Even though the Myth of Reverend wasn’t completely certain, he could feel now that something was collecting everything like living vitality, undead essence, faith, fear, death, and even battle.

On the other hand, inside the hidden vessel, the Timeless Hourglass spun wildly, and Nelson staggered backward with astonishment.

Lucy caught him and asked, startled, "What happened?"

Nelson’s face was pale. "The battlefield... it’s not a battlefield."

Ellie’s eyes trembled.

Nelson looked toward the deepest canyons as he muttered, "It’s something else entirely, like an...altar!"

Right at that moment, the Undead Skyfall Canyons began to breathe, but not with air, with sacrifice. Across the battlefield, every death released a thread. Every wound released mist. Every shattered law spilled invisible fragments into the sky.

The living did not see them, the undead did not understand them, and even the Quasi-Myths only felt a growing pressure crawling over their souls.

But Myth of Reverend sensed enough, and his gentle expression turned solemn as he muttered with a hint of disbelief, "So, this was your purpose."

The moment the Undead Skyfall got the confirmation of its freedom, the armies he had recalled were no longer relevant, so he had arranged them and prepared for something far more profound than war.

The twenty-one Dukes were not commanders; they were ritual anchors, and the Legendary King undead were not soldiers; they were reserves. The entire battlefield was a sacrificial ceremony, and the Mythical Coalition had willingly marched into the center of it.

The moment the revived Dukes attacked, the invisible ritual accelerated, and thousands of undead soldiers collapsed without being struck before their essence vanished into the canyons.

Wounded coalition soldiers screamed as their vitality was pulled toward the same unseen destination. Even the Order of Everlife disciples clutched their chests as golden-blue lifespan trembled violently, barely able to hold onto their vitality because of their faith.

Inside the hidden vessel, Nelson had already noticed something amiss, and without even a sliver of hesitation, he roared, "Cut the harvesting!"

But the Timeless Hourglass resisted as the stolen Everlife beads shook like trapped stars.

Ellie grabbed the console. "We need to leave!"

Lucy’s eyes were cold but urgent. "Nelson."

"I know!" Nelson snapped.

But he did not move the vessel, for if they fled now, the distortion would break, and once the distortion broke, Myth of Reverend would find them. Lastly, if Myth of Reverend found them, all three of them would become offerings of another kind.

Nelson gritted his teeth and forced the hourglass to stabilize as he declared, "We wait!"

Ellie looked at him as if he were insane.

But Nelson was determined, his eyes bloodshot, as he gravely said, "One wrong movement and we die faster!"

Outside, the Myth of Reverend raised his hand again, and golden-blue light gathered around him, and for the first time, his smile disappeared completely.

"Everyone," He said softly, "stop killing."

The Myths froze, and the command was absurd, and too late because the Dukes of Death had already charged again, and deep beneath the canyons, something ancient stirred.

---

At this moment, beyond the battlefield, beyond the silent citadel, and beyond the empty throne and sealed treasury.

Jacob stood before the black-and-white seal, and the interlocking circles rippled like calm water disturbed by a falling leaf. He had not touched it nor solved it, yet the door opened.

Reality folded aside with terrifying politeness, as though the world itself had been instructed to make way.

Jacob’s pale flames burned quietly within his hollow sockets as a feeling of trepidation became stronger as he stared at the darkness ahead.

Behind him lay treasures capable of shaking the Legendary Plains, and before him lay something that made the Eyes of Judge blind.

Before Jacob could make up his mind, suddenly, the entire citadel shook, and it was not just this place but the entire Undead Skyfall Canyons that trembled.

---

Outside, every Duke of Death froze, and the revived ones turned toward the depths. The Corpse Wyvern Lord’s soul flames surged in horror. The Mythical Coalition felt the ground beneath reality shift.

The Myth Reverend’s head snapped toward the invisible perimeter, and his pupils narrowed to slits.

Nelson’s Timeless Hourglass cracked as a thin fracture spread across its bronze frame. Ellie screamed in horror, and Lucy’s expression changed for the first time.

Everyone present within the Undead Skyfall Canyons felt a profound oppression and terror spreading in their souls, for from beneath the battlefield, the sacrificial ceremony erupted.

Countless profound particles surged downward like rivers returning to the sea. Death essence, lifespan, faith, fear, law fragments, and undead authority all converged toward the same place.

Toward the prison, toward the open gate right where Jacob was standing right now!