NOVPUB
Chapter 292: Total Destruction
Aldrian already knew everything about this place after reading the memories of the devils he had killed earlier. They finally discovered that the devils who infiltrated the Flamecrest family actually came from the fortress facing the Flamecrest Grand Duchy.
Similar to Sazim, which guards against the Rivas Grand Duchy, this fortress served as a defense against enemies from the Flamecrest family’s region.
Boraz Fortress.
After the fall of Sazim, the importance of this location grew significantly, as there was no "nearby" stronghold to the east. This forced Boraz to bear the additional burden left by Sazim’s absence. As a critical point of strategic value for the devils along this part of the border, it is a place they must protect at all costs. 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝙗.𝒄𝒐𝒎
Aldrian smiled at the two strongest devils present. This place—he was going to destroy it! He had already taken advantage of the few seconds earlier to establish his domain, turning the entire fortress into his territory. Upon arriving, he had teleported to the sky, knowing from the memories he had read that he will appear inside the hall.
It was no surprise that Aldrian acted without hesitation, teleporting as though he knew this place and immediately creating his domain over this place.
He then channeled the power of one of his main domains, the Doria Empire’s domain, into his body. His intent was to obliterate the entire fortress, and the power of the Doria Empire’s domain was more than enough to accomplish it.
His aura surged, growing much stronger and exerting immense pressure over the entire fortress. Even the surrounding space was affected by the sheer force of his aura. The entire fortress trembled under Aldrian’s overwhelming presence, and devils with cultivation levels lower than the duke stage collapsed to the ground, unable to stand.
They tried to look up at the sky and resist the overwhelming sensation, but their bodies refused to obey. The immense pressure, which even affected their very souls, compelled them to prostrate and worship Aldrian, making it nearly impossible to regain control. It felt like a natural instinct to succumb to such overwhelming power.
The devils above the duke stage also felt the pressure, but their condition was much better than the others. The higher their cultivation, the more they could resist the overwhelming aura, which was as terrifying as the heavens. In this fortress, there were three emperor-stage devils: the leader, the vice leader, and the chief guardian.
The chief guardian had already stepped out of his room and looked outside, steadying himself to avoid being affected by the pressure. As for the leader, he surveyed his surroundings and realized he couldn’t delay much longer. He needed to act quickly! Aldrian’s aura alone could affect thousands of devils, what more, then, of his true power?
"All of you who can still move, kill that man! He is the intruder! Don’t let him breathe—strike with everything you’ve got!" the leader shouted to the entire fortress as he unleashed his domain.
All the devils who could still move looked to the sky and began circulating their devil energy. From various parts of the fortress, different colored elemental strikes started to appear. Moments later, several of them launched their attacks at Aldrian. Some of the devils also activated the fortress’s formations to target him.
Aldrian did not stay still. He unleashed his gravity laws across the entire fortress. The attacks hurled toward him suddenly changed trajectory, crashing into the ground and causing significant damage to parts of the fortress. Many devils became victims of their own comrades’ strikes.
"He can control gravity! Protect yourselves using your energy—don’t let the gravity affect you!" the leader shouted as he flew toward Aldrian with his sword.
All the devils at the king and emperor stages followed, charging toward Aldrian to engage in close combat. The formations continued to strike at him, but none of the attacks had much effect. In fact, it seemed that Aldrian didn’t even care about them!
The killing array and anti-flight formations were ineffective against him and Sylphia. Every attack failed to reach him as the gravity altered their trajectories, causing the strikes to hit their own soldiers instead.
The emperor-stage devils also tried using their domain powers to impose their effects on Aldrian. However, all they saw was his calm gaze. Suddenly, they felt something stir within Aldrian. At first, it was only a small spark, but then they sensed the overwhelming aura of the heavens. In an instant, a flash of lightning erupted from Aldrian.
All the devils flying toward Aldrian stopped in mid-air, unable to believe what they were seeing. As if that wasn’t enough, Aldrian exuded his death energy, enveloping his body and making him appear like the king of underworld. Even Sylphia, standing beside him, felt her soul shudder, struck with fear by the sudden appearance of this energy. She had never felt anything like this before, as if death itself were standing before her.
The sky itself seemed to change, darkening and becoming cloudy, with lightning slithering between the clouds.
The leader of the fortress, observing Aldrian’s power, felt a deep sense of loss and despair. The ominous and terrifying aura emanating from Aldrian weighed heavily on him. Not only did he feel the might of the heavens radiating from his body, but now he also felt an overwhelming sense of dread, as though death itself awaited him if he dared approach Aldrian any further. However, he gritted his teeth and decided to use his devil form, with the other devils following suit.
Aldrian, observing their efforts without expression, finally unleashed his judgment upon the fortress. The powerful heavenly lightning, combined with the death energy radiating from his body, rampaged through the entire fortress, destroying everything it touched. The situation was truly catastrophic, as if it were doomsday itself.
The devils’ efforts to defend themselves from the lightning were futile. Every time the lightning struck their defenses—whether talismans, artifacts, or their own techniques—they were instantly destroyed. And once the lightning touched their bodies, they were reduced to ashes. There were no cries of agony, no voices of resentment—nothing they could do in the face of such overwhelming might.
The buildings and structures of the fortress collapsed instantly. The walls surrounding the fortress couldn’t withstand the lightning and crumbled. The defensive formations and the devils’ domains shattered in an instant.
Now, within a 10-kilometer radius, people could see the destruction as if a natural disaster had struck. The ground was torn apart, and no structures remained intact. The entire fortress had collapsed, and more than ten thousand devils perished. There were no remains of their bodies, as all of them had been reduced to ashes and scattered by the wind.
The 4,000-square-meter fortress, which had stood for millions of years and served as a stronghold for the devils in this region, was completely destroyed.
Sylphia, watching this from beside him, widened her eyes in shock. The scale of destruction was truly terrifying; it felt like an attack from an emperor-stage powerhouse, yet it could annihilate even emperor-stage devils with ease. This was the first time she had witnessed a technique capable of causing such massive destruction, with an effect so vast that even now, the sky still rumbled with thunder.
She sighed at the sight. Her lover was in another league, and she was confident that no one could compare to him, nor would anyone be able to defeat him. If he could unleash such an attack while still at the low Marquess stage, what would happen if he reached the emperor stage? Wouldn’t that mean he could pierce the heavens? The thought sent a shiver down her spine.
However, alongside her feelings of awe and reverence, there was also a sense of inferiority deep within her heart. Was she worthy to stand beside such a perfect man? A man who would engrave his name in the annals of the continent’s history? She had nothing to offer besides her status as the princess of the Ivory Empire. Her cultivation was still lacking, and she possessed nothing that could truly aid Aldrian.
She felt a pang of sadness when thinking like this, but then she felt her hand gently grasped by Aldrian. She looked up at his face, which was now adorned with a warm smile before he pulled her into a comforting embrace.
He had sensed her feelings of melancholy, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Although it could be considered cheating, he had read her thoughts and intentions, preferring to intervene rather than let her drown in her own negative emotions. After all, such thoughts could be poisonous.
"You don’t have to feel sad, nor let negativity cloud your thoughts when you’re beside me," Aldrian said, his voice soft yet reassuring. "The only thing that matters to me is that you love me, and that’s enough." He gazed into Sylphia’s eyes and gently cupped her cheek with his hand.
"However, if loving me isn’t enough for you, don’t worry. I’ll help you overcome that feeling of inferiority. You’ll come to be proud of who you are, and you’ll never feel unworthy beside me again, because you’ll be above anyone else. Don’t let yourself fall into negative emotions. Whatever you want to be, I’ll support you."
His soft voice, full of support, instantly lifted her spirits. She no longer cared if he always knew what she was thinking; she was simply grateful for the unwavering support he gave her. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around him, and Aldrian embraced her in return. It was a tender hug between lovers, amidst a land laid bare by destruction.
