CHAPTER 433: EMPYREAN SWORD REALM

"If the abyss is here too," he muttered coldly, "then this world is far from dead."

He stepped forward, vanishing like a blur of light and shadow. The next heartbeat, he appeared just above the horde of abyssal monsters.

Slash!

A single swing. No light, no noise—just an invisible cut.

And instantly the horde of abyssal monsters that seemed unkillable split into two, severing their soul and body, ending their life in a flash.

The warriors, still catching their breath, turned toward him in disbelief. What just happened right in front of them was quite shocking; a moment ago they were fighting for life, yet suddenly the almost immortal abyssal monster was killed.

Only after the shock did they look above and notice Apollo. They were shocked to see someone was able to easily kill those Abyssal monsters.

One of them—a young woman in silver armour, her sword trembling in exhaustion—stared wide-eyed at Apollo.

"You... who are you?" she gasped.

Apollo didn’t answer immediately. His sword was still lowered at his side, but the air around him shimmered faintly with invisible threads—the residual aura of his sword, sharp enough to slice through space itself. The ground beneath his feet was etched with faint, perfect lines, as though the world itself had been divided by his strike.

He slowly turned his gaze toward the survivors. His eyes glowed faintly with silvery light, calm yet deep enough to reflect a thousand battles.

"I am just a nobody who lost his way during a battle. So I was wondering if you can tell exactly where we are?"

He quickly lied, as he cannot say his true identity without exactly knowing what was going on here.

The woman hesitated, clearly uncertain whether to trust him. But the sheer power he displayed—and the calm confidence in his presence—made it difficult for her to treat him as an enemy.

Others were also equally doubtful, but they all seemed to wait for the woman’s decision, as she was clearly the leader of this group.

She nodded slowly. "You’re in the northern part of the Crimson Sword Domain, one of the three thousand domains of the Empyrean Sword Realm."

Apollo’s eyes flickered slightly at the woman’s words.

Crimson Sword Domain. Empyrean Sword Realm.

The names carried weight—ancient, resonant, like echoes from a forgotten age of swords.

"So this remnant world isn’t just a ruin... It’s an entire realm that should be ruled by sword warriors," he thought silently. "No wonder my Eternal Sword Rule resonates so strongly here."

The woman sheathed her trembling blade and steadied her breath, though her gaze remained cautious. "You shouldn’t be here," she continued. "The northern frontier is the most corrupted. The Abyss continues to pour through the rifts. Even we—sword bearers of the Crimson Domain—can barely hold them back."

"We cannot stay here; we already came quite deep in. We should leave before more hordes of monsters come out."

Apollo silently nodded, scanning the battlefield one more time. The ground still bled with black smoke where the abyssal creatures had fallen, their remains dissolving into nothingness. The corruption here was thick—too thick. Even the air seemed to resist breathing, filled with fragments of broken law.

The woman’s voice broke his thoughts. "Move!" she ordered her group, glancing back at Apollo. "If you truly lost your way, follow us. Staying here means death."

The group quickly began retreating across the fractured plain. Apollo followed quietly, keeping his senses spread wide. As they continued to move forward, the distortion in space, filled with a murky abyssal aura, became increasingly severe—similar to cracks in a glass mirror that had been crudely patched together.

It was clear the situation was quite dire and the world was already showing signs of crumbling.

He wanted to ask directly, but it wasn’t the right time, as even though he saved them, they were still on guard against him. Still, at least he met someone and can finally find a community or city.

After travelling for what felt like hours through the bleak expanse, they finally reached an outpost—an island of structure amid the desolation.

The settlement was quite big, covering a large area, but it was heavily fortified. Ancient stone walls rose from the cracked earth, each layer etched with glowing runes that pulsed faintly with silvery light.

The entire outpost was wrapped in an elaborate web of defensive formations—shields against corruption, barriers that shimmered like mirages, and blades of condensed sword power floating silently along the perimeter.

Soldiers in dark red armour stood atop the battlements, their gazes sharp despite the exhaustion visible in their movements. Each carried a sword inscribed with unique runic marks, radiating faint resonance with the domain’s energy.

As Apollo entered behind the group, he could feel the air shift. The moment he crossed the outer barrier, the oppressive aura of the Abyss weakened noticeably, replaced by a faint yet lingering vibration of sword essence.

The guards saluted the woman leading them. "Captain Tamora, you are back. But... why only a few?"

She seemed to sigh with sadness. "We met a horde of ravagers and were barely able to survive."

The man’s face fell, but he didn’t press further. His gaze slid toward Apollo, sensing the unfamiliar yet overwhelming presence that followed them.

"Who is he?"

"Someone who saved us," Tamora replied, still catching her breath. "But I don’t know where he’s from. Keep the gates closed—double the runic shield. The Abyss won’t wait long to strike again."

She didn’t try to hide her words from Apollo; everything was loud and clear.

"You come with us; I am going to take you to meet the commander of this outpost." She then started to lead Apollo while the rest of the group went to rehabilitate.

He nodded and followed her towards the main centre building of the outpost.

Around them, wounded soldiers were being carried toward medical tents while artificers repaired cracked runes and reforged shattered blades. The entire place was alive with grim determination—a last bastion standing against an endless night.

They quickly arrived at an old building as they went in.

"Commander, I brought someone whom you might like to meet."

"Come in." From within the room a heavy yet calm voice came out as the door opened.