CHAPTER 835: UNLIKE ANYTHING THE EXILON’S FORCES HAD SHOWN BEFORE

Vlad’s eyes were calm yet focused as he stared intently at the screens before him, closely monitoring the movements of his forces across the three Zanis-controlled continents. His energy pulsed steadily through his body, cycling again and again in rhythmic waves. Though the continents in question lay far across the vast landmass of Exilon, if he pushed the power of the Law of Space to its absolute limit, Vlad could reach them in mere moments.

Of course, he wasn’t the only Legend ensuring the safety of the Xaos troops. Hidden high above the skies of each advancing battalion was a True Depravita, cloaked and invisible to even the sharpest senses. Their powers were only slightly beneath Vlad’s own, and more than enough to challenge and defeat any of the Legends native to Exilon if necessary.

It took less than a week for the Xaos Forces to reach the core strongholds at the heart of each enemy continent—and once again, they struck with unrelenting precision.

This time, however, the defenders were not caught unprepared. Word of the devastating performance of the Scout Drones in the Blizzard, Yeti, and Grizzly Continents had spread rapidly. The leaders of the strongholds had taken steps to counter the drone infiltration, setting up barriers and arcane surveillance grids. So intense was the paranoia that nothing—not even the smallest bird or insect—was allowed near the energy towers at the stronghold cores.

But Overlord had anticipated such a response.

The plan had already evolved.

Rather than attempting to infiltrate the towers directly, the Scout Drones positioned themselves in a massive ring surrounding the strongholds. These rings were monumental in scale—each requiring nearly seventy-five thousand drones to complete. A costly maneuver by any standard, but one the A.I. Chip Clone deemed worthwhile.

Once the rings were complete, the drones began to glow.

And then they exploded simultaneously, each unleashing a massive electromagnetic discharge that fused together into a colossal, spinning halo of electric might. What followed could only be described as an electromagnetic tsunami—waves of force so strong they dwarfed even the tallest buildings, cascading through the air and tearing through the energy matrices protecting the stronghold cores.

Each stronghold had two stationed Legends this time—lessons had clearly been learned from the previous failures—but not even the combined efforts of those pairs were enough to stop the electromagnetic tide. The wave slammed into the towers, disabling their core functions and rendering them completely inert.

Not even a second passed before the second phase began.

All across the strongholds, carefully hidden charges—left behind by the Scout Drones—detonated in unison. But these weren’t ordinary explosives. They didn’t release fire or shrapnel, nor did they endanger civilians. Instead, each released a shimmering pink mist, specifically engineered to neutralize the Blood Combustion Component—a key element of the Zanis Family’s strategies.

Before the confusion had time to settle, the True Depravitas of Gluttony, Greed, and Envy—Jormungandr, Ouroboros, and Fafnir—descended upon the strongholds. Each of them targeted a pair of Exilon’s defending Legends and dragged the battles far away from the civilian zones, forcing the duels into the open sky or wastelands.

Even though it was three against six, the True Depravitas showed no signs of being overwhelmed. After all, they had long hidden the full extent of their power. Beneath their usual restraint burned the strength of High-Tier Legends, and once unleashed, their blows reshaped the skies.

Then came the final phase of the invasion.

From high above, Sages and Sky Fighters dove from the sky, their speed making them seem like comets crashing into the battlefield. They bypassed the weakened defenses and immediately targeted commanders and generals, overwhelming them before they could issue any coordinated orders.

At the same time, Reapers emerged from beneath the earth, having tunneled deep under the strongholds using the paths mapped out by the drones. Their massive, bio-engineered bodies tore through defensive formations and frontline soldiers alike with ruthless efficiency—yet never once did they strike a civilian.

Finally, the ground shook.

The gates of the strongholds were blasted open by the arrival of Xaos Tanks, immense war machines capable of leveling cities. Behind them marched tens of thousands of Xaos Soldiers, each already prepared for their role. They swept through civilian areas not to kill—but to incapacitate, carefully striking at pressure points to render people unconscious before moving them to secure shelters.

The invasion was an overwhelming success.

One by one, the strongholds fell.

And as the final screen showed the Xaos banner raised over the third and final stronghold, Vlad smiled—wide and radiant. The wave of triumph surged through him.

In a single day, they had doubled their conquests. From controlling four continents just a month earlier, they now held seven. That was over one-third of the entire Exilon World—in under five years. A feat of unprecedented might and skill.

If things continued at this rate, the entire world—all nineteen continents—could be under Xaos Kingdom control within two years.

A super-world. Entirely under their command.

But just as Vlad allowed himself a moment to enjoy the thrill of victory, his eyes suddenly sharpened.

A warning alert flashed on one of the screens.

His gaze turned to one of the gates—and instantly, the joy in his heart transformed into wary focus.

An army had appeared.

In itself, that wasn’t surprising. Armies moved across Exilon constantly—this was a time of war, after all.

But this one... this one was different.

They had somehow evaded all surveillance. Not a single drone, magical sensor, or psychic probe had detected them until now. And what was worse—they had arrived just as the battle was ending, appearing close enough to the strongholds that they could march into them within minutes.

Even the A.I. Chip Clone, ever-calm and confident, showed a flicker of confusion. While he had lost a great number of Scout Drones to deactivate the strongholds’ magic formation, there was still a large number scanning the area, yet this force managed to bypass them.

That was unlike anything the Exilon’s forces had shown before.