CHAPTER 168: CHAPTER168-THE FALL OF HUMANITY?

"What the hell is going on?!"

A look of sheer terror washed over the Human Emperor’s face.

Instinctively, he looked up—and what he saw made his blood run cold.

From the skies above, monstrous giants were descending slowly. Not one, not two—but a full twenty-one of them!

He gasped in disbelief.

What was this madness?

And more terrifying still—he could faintly sense divine energy radiating from their immense bodies.

That aura... it was suffocating!

The Human Emperor’s heart tightened as an overwhelming sense of helplessness gripped him.

Could it be... a god?

Had a true god descended to the mortal realm?

The Artist threat hadn’t even been resolved yet—was a god now personally intervening to exterminate humanity?

So this was it... the long-prophesied Millennium Apocalypse. No matter what, it seemed humanity would not escape this time.

Despair crept across his face.

And yet—as the ruler of mankind, and its strongest warrior—he could not allow himself to falter, even in the face of annihilation.

He took a deep breath, calming his pounding heart, then ascended into the sky to meet the invaders head-on.

As he studied the terrifying creatures more closely, he noticed something strange.

Though each of these monsters radiated an overwhelming and savage aura, their energy signatures were inconsistent.

The Human Emperor even detected traces of abyssal and demonic energies.

But how could that be?

How could a single creature bear the auras of multiple different races?

Unless...

Unless these creatures were artificially assembled—stitched together by force.

That thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. His heart instantly tensed.

Yet within moments, he confirmed his suspicion—he was absolutely certain now.

These monstrous entities had been created by someone—deliberately.

Activating his detection skill, he probed deeper—and what he saw left him speechless.

T30.

These creatures were at Tier 30—an unfathomably high rank!

A mix of horror and curiosity swirled in his chest.

Who on earth could have crafted such fearsome beasts?

Don’t tell me... these are the work of the Artists?

If that’s true, then there’s no point in resisting. Humanity might as well kneel down and accept its execution.

Twenty-one of these monsters... It was enough to plunge even the Human Emperor into total despair.

He knew, deep down, that humanity had no chance of survival this time.

Summoning his treasured sword, he made his decision.

Even if there was no hope—he would charge.

If he must die, then let him die standing. Let him fall in battle, not cowering in fear.

At the same time, he pulled out his communicator and issued what could be his final command to his people.

"All citizens of humanity, hear this: the hour of life and death has arrived."

"Terrifying creatures have descended upon the northern frontier. The Millennium Apocalypse has begun. We have no retreat. Only battle remains!"

Once the message was sent, he activated the shared visual feed.

Across every communicator in the human realm, an image flickered into view—the oppressive, terrifying visage of [New Life].

Across the continent, hearts skipped a beat.

This... This was the raw dominance of a diamond-rank being. This was the suffocating pressure of divine power.

How could humanity possibly hope to defeat such a force?

What kind of cruel joke was this?

There was no doubt—humanity was finished.

A deep, bitter grief spread through the hearts of all.

Had a civilization that lasted over 5,000 years really come to its end?

Why?

Why was this iteration of the Millennium Apocalypse so terrifying?

Survive. Don’t throw your lives away meaninglessly.

As long as the spark of humanity endured, there would be hope.

"To all human brethren—I, the Human Emperor, order you to flee. At all costs, survive."

"If you live, there is still hope. The legacy of our people depends on you."

"And to all warriors—follow me in our final charge. For a true warrior, the battlefield is the only proper resting place!"

Before the absolute power of the enemy, even the Human Emperor—and the brilliant minds of the Royal Society—understood one thing clearly:

Humanity was doomed.

Whether through brute force or cunning strategy, the result would be the same.

It was like ten ants trying to fight a fully grown man—no matter what tactics they employed, it was meaningless.

The difference in power was simply too vast.

As the Human Emperor steeled himself for a suicidal final charge, a sudden communication came through.

It was from Daniel.

"Human Emperor, I think you’re misunderstanding something. Those creatures I sent over—they’re on our side."

...What?

Did he just say those monsters are allies?

Even with all his intellect and composure, the Human Emperor’s mind temporarily shut down.

What was Daniel talking about?!

Was he insane?

Was he seriously claiming that those terrifying things were friendlies?

On the other end of the communicator, Daniel seemed to anticipate the disbelief and explained further:

"Those beings floating over the northern frontier are called [New Life]. They’re Tier 30—diamond-rank lifeforms."

"I want you to know: they’re on our side. I sent them."

For a moment, the Human Emperor looked as though he had seen a ghost.

Even the corners of his mouth began to twitch involuntarily.

He immediately halted his attack orders and turned his full attention to examining the creatures again.

Soon, he noticed something he had missed before—traces of Anygate energy lingering around them.

So... these monsters really were teleported here?

By Daniel?

What in the gods’ names had Daniel been up to?

These were diamond-rank entities!

In all of human history—over a thousand years—there had never been a single confirmed diamond-rank lifeform.

Even in myths and legends, there were no mentions of such beings. The most powerful creatures on record had only been platinum rank.

Diamond-rank had always been a mere theoretical possibility.

And now Daniel was claiming to have summoned over twenty of them?

The Human Emperor felt like he was on the verge of a breakdown.

His chest tightened painfully.

He had always thought of himself as someone with a strong psychological constitution.

But since meeting Daniel, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d end up dying from cardiac arrest one day.

"Daniel, for the love of god, can you please explain—how did you pull this off?"

"Odin, that’s... kind of a long story," Daniel replied coolly. "I’ll explain everything later. For now, I need you to gather a group of mechanically skilled workers—I need their help."

"Also, bring in some scholars. Anyone with practical life skills. Just send over every useful person you’ve got."