Chapter 455: A God King

Sylvia reached for her Death Authority as the first spear swept toward her. The Hollow King lifted his hand and caught its point between two fingers while the other three stopped in the space around him.

[Mystic Code Activated: Space.]

The spearheads shook without moving any closer and cracks spread down their golden shafts. Then he closed his hand and all four shattered at once.

CRACK!

Broken light scattered across the sky as the attackers pulled back toward the towers. Sylvia counted ten Divine Gods around them and felt the pressure from every one of them.

These were beings at the same level as the Mage Gods they had met in the other universe. Yet the Hollow King hadn’t even moved from where he stood.

"Stop attacking separately and use the tower formation to keep them inside!" One of the gods called.

Three defenders spread out below them and pressed their hands toward the palace. Light climbed from the towers to form a cage around the two intruders while the remaining three drew burning bows.

The first arrows struck the space that had stopped the spears and exploded against it. More followed through the fire as the cage began to shrink.

BOOM! BOOM!

Sylvia lost sight of the palace beneath the blasts, but none of the heat reached her. The Hollow King opened his palm and a round hole appeared in front of the next arrow.

It passed through and emerged behind the cage’s lower edge. The explosion struck the three gods holding it together and knocked one away from his position.

"He’s turning our attacks back on us! Stop firing toward the palace!"

The archers lowered their bows as the cage broke apart. Right then the Hollow King swept his hand toward the towers and folded their beams of light back into the sky.

The palace barrier burst overhead and its pieces rained across the grounds. Guards below abandoned the exposed walls as someone screamed for the inner gates to close.

One of the spear wielders took that chance to circle behind Sylvia. He drew a blade and rushed toward her while the others gathered power for another attack.

"Get the woman and make him stop!"

Sylvia turned as his sword came down, but the space between them stretched. He kept charging without getting any closer while she remained beside the Hollow King.

"You should have stayed with the others."

The Hollow King pulled his fingers back and the other gods were dragged toward their trapped companion. Their shields crashed together as he forced all ten into the same stretch of sky.

[Authority Activated: Creation.]

Black walls formed around them and blocked the paths they tried to open. One god drove his sword into the floor while another fired arrows into the same point to widen the damage.

"Concentrate here! We only need one opening!"

Their attacks tore chunks out of the wall, but new stone filled the gaps as fast as they appeared. The Hollow King raised his other hand and black flames curled around his wrist.

Sylvia recognized the fire that had burned the Heavenly Lord’s clone. Once it reached them there wouldn’t be much left for her to work with.

"Leave their souls to me."

He gave her a brief glance and sent the flames through the walls.

[Mystic Code Activated: Hollow Flames.]

"Put up your shields! The God King is coming!"

Golden barriers overlapped inside the prison as the fire poured over them. Sylvia watched their outer layers melt away while the defenders pushed closer together.

BANG!

The first shield broke and the fire rushed through the opening. Their bodies burned as they tried to force the flames back, but each failed defense exposed the person behind it.

One soul burst out through the roof and fled toward the palace. Sylvia reached for it as the other nine tore free of their falling bodies.

The escaping soul stopped above the tower and was pulled back toward her. Dark power spread beneath the others and gathered them together while the Hollow King let his prison fall apart.

Sylvia drew their souls into the shadows left by their bodies. Ten figures rose from the darkness and knelt before her with their weapons held low.

"Hehe, that’s ten Mage Gods for my army already."

Then, a guard on the wall dropped the bow he had been aiming at her. His companion dragged him toward the gate as a heavy pressure suddenly swept over the grounds.

"A God King is coming." The Hollow King said as he squinted his eyes.

Sylvia brought her summons closer as cracks spread across the nearest tower.

"What’s a God King? I thought Axiom Origin Rank came next."

"Someone who has taken half a step into that rank. The Axiom Origin’s restrictions prevent people in our universe from reaching it fully, but half a step is possible."

"Wasn’t that where the Enders stood too?"

"In rank, yes, but they were the Primordial’s children and carried its protection. They had Half-Primordial power that even an Axiom Origin Rank/Chaos God rank couldn’t stop."

A golden spear tore through the tower roof as a crowned man rose behind it. His gaze passed over the ruined defenses and stopped on the ten dark figures standing around Sylvia.

"You killed my guards and turned them into your servants? Do you think you can walk out of the Heavenly Faction’s grounds after this?"

He grabbed the spear and drove it forward as the remaining towers lit up beneath him. Their light fed into its point until a huge golden blade swept across the sky.

Sylvia ordered her summons back as the Hollow King stepped in front of her. He pressed his palm against the blade and forced its path upward.

BOOM!

The attack tore through the golden space above them and vanished into the distance. Meanwhile the God King shot under it and thrust his spear toward the Hollow King’s chest.

The Hollow King caught the shaft and held it still. The God King called to the guards below while trying to pull it free.

"Stay away from the inner palace! I’ll deal with these two!"

Gold chains rose from the towers and wrapped around the Hollow King’s arms. They pulled tight as the God King drove more power through the spear.

For a moment the guards below began cheering. Then the Hollow King pulled his hands apart and dragged the chains tight enough to rip their towers out of the ground.

CRACK!

The God King’s spear snapped between them and the broken end struck his chest. He crashed through the falling stones as the Hollow King swept them aside to keep them from hitting the palace.

The crowned man tried to rise with golden fire spilling from his wounds. However the Hollow King pressed one finger down and forced him against the broken court.

A wall of space held his limbs in place as he struggled beneath it. His crown rolled across the stones and stopped at the feet of a guard who no longer dared to move.

Sylvia sent her ten summons down to block the palace doors while the Hollow King looked beneath the building. The God King’s pressure had vanished and she could hear people fleeing through the halls.

"Looks like that bastard isn’t here. Let’s go get them because I can already sense their presence."