CHAPTER 183: PREPARE FOR ANNIHILATION

[: Daniel’s POV :]

If there was ever a moment the entire world collectively agreed that "we’re screwed," it would have been this one.

There would have been a shrill warning was echoed throughout the world like some alarm clock.

Above us, there were ten massive Gates hung like ten moons, each glowing in a different color, and each were the size of a city.

Yeah, it was like the size of a city.

Xerath folded his arms, glaring up with his flaming eyes.

"This is definitely an omen."

"You sure got it right, buddy," Kaelgor added, his tail flicking anxiously.

Thrain grumbled, "Omen? This looks more like the end of the damn world."

"No," Brynja corrected calmly, hands on her hips.

"This is worse. I can feel it in my beard."

"Sweetheart," Thrain whispered, "you don’t have a beard."

"Spiritual beard," she snapped.

I tried not to laugh, but Kiel already burst out.

"Hahaha! Aunt Brynja, I swear—"

"Keep laughing, boy, and I’ll make you polish the ancestral anvils with your eyebrows," Brynja warned.

Kiel immediately shut up.

Caelira, elegant despite soot and battle wounds, eyed the gates with narrowed eyes.

"Aeriwen, stay close."

Aeriwen nodded silently, though her gaze kept drifting toward the giant golden Gate.

"Mother..." she whispered.

"All of them feels somehow alive."

"Exactly why you’re staying close," Caelira said.

Sylthara, the Dragon Empress, scoffed.

"Ten massive Gates... Hmph. I suppose whatever the other side had been sending had grew bored of sending weaklings."

Selena, Kaelgor’s wife, gave a soft sigh.

"Darling... are we sure that we didn’t accidentally provoke something cosmic again or maybe Daniel did?"

"HEY—!" I frowned.

"Why does everyone always assume I triggered world-ending events?"

Rika patted my back proudly.

"Because you usually do, little brother."

Even Mother hummed thoughtfully.

"To be fair, you do attract trouble"

"...I regret saving all of you now." I joked.

Lilith, serene and elegant even with her demonic aura flaring, glanced at the sky.

"The colors... each Gate holds a different energy signature. Not ranks, not origins... something foreign."

Xerath grunted.

"I don’t like foreign."

"You don’t like anything that isn’t spicy food or Lilith," Kiel muttered.

Xerath pointed at him.

"Boy, I can still ground you."

"You’re a Demon King, Dad. You can’t ground me."

"I’ll ground you into the floor."

Lilith sighed.

"Both of you behave. This is not the time."

Kaelgor squinted at the Gates.

"Well, I’m just going to say it,if something bigger than a city comes out of those, I’m moving out."

Selena pinched him.

"You are the King of Beasts. Act like it."

"They never said kings can’t run," he whispered.

Thrain slammed his hammer down, frustrated.

"So what’s the plan, Prince Daniel?"

Everyone turned to me.

Even the sky seemed to quiet down a little.

I exhaled slowly.

"Well... we wait."

"WE WHAT!?" Xerath shouted.

Rika blinked twice.

"That... doesn’t sound like you."

Mother tilted her head.

"You planning something?"

"Yes."

I smiled tiredly.

"Because whatever’s inside those Gates...

They’re already coming.

The ten colossal Gates pulsed violently, each one radiating a different hue, black, gold, violet, steel-gray, dawn-white, abyss-blue, molten-orange, prism-silver, apocalyptic crimson, and sanctified gold.

The sky trembled as though the gates manifestion was about to end as space warped around it like boiling water.

And then, the Gates screamed.

And the world went silent.

One of the gates, the black Gate erupted, and

dozens of dozens of obsidian-armored invaders poured out.

Moreover, there were some that appeared different from the rest, and it was none other than the Apostles.

The Apostles soared out with wings formed of fractal shadows.

Each Apostle wore a helmet shaped like a dragon skull, their bodies engraved with runes that devoured light.

Black flames curled around their feet, burning holes through space.

The aura and energy around them were different and suffocating that it had bend even the space.

And out them all, there was a certain apostle, perhaps the one that commands over all of them.

Thaf Apostle dragged a colossal spear formed from the vertebra of a cosmic wyrm.

"Ho? I never thought such a weak planet would be able to retaliate against our forces"

"It’s commendable but nothing more"

"In the end, your sky shall burn. Your rivers shall turn to ash just as the Sovereign of the Black Dragon demands"

"Aren’t they friendly bunch?" Victor muttered.

"More like edgy lizards," Rika added.

But this wasn’t the end, just the start of their appearance.

The other one, the gold Gate flashed like a supernova.

Dozens of invaders marched out in perfect formation, encased in star-forged armor with Apostles leading right at the front.

Each step left trails of starlight.

Their weapons resembled miniature galaxies, orbiting their hands.

Their leader spoke with a synthesized, multi-layered voiced.

"As I just though, I can’t really breathe in this stinky ass atmosphere"

"If it weren’t for the order of my Lord, I wouldn’t even dream of stepping in such a barren planet" It said.

"The Nova Empire shall bring an end to this world!"

Xerath blinked. "They’re shiny. I hate them already."

"Don’t you hate everything my dear?" Lilith teased.

Eventually, the violet Gate shimmered like a dream.

Invaders drifted out, floating, robed in cosmic dust like living nebulae.

Their faces were masks of starlight, constantly shifting.

And leading Apostle, whispered directly into the minds of all living beings.

"For daring to cut our forces, this world shall be punished!"

Aeriwen whimpered. "Mother, aren’t they creepy?"

Caelira nodded quickly.

"Yes sweetheart, very creepy."

The steel Gate cracked open with mechanical roars.

Dozens of titanic Invaders and Apostles marched out, each one a walking mountain of metal and gears.

Their bodies were bigger than dragons.

Their footfalls caused localized earthquakes.

Their leader slammed a hammer into the ground.

"The Lord of Iron Colossus Legion demand a price for killing our men. Hence, this world shall be the sacrifice"

Thrain groaned.

"I just can’t wait to Smith them!"

Brynja elbowed him harder.

The dawn-white Gate burst open.

Apostles descended like holy meteors, winged, radiant, halos spinning like sun-wheels.

Their armor glowed with unbearable purity.

But their eyes burned with cold judgment.

"You have defied the Dawn"

"Your sins blot the sky"

"We bring purification"

Rika whispered, "I feel judged and I didn’t even do anything yet."

The abyss-blue Gate oozed darkness.

Dozens of Apostles crawled out like silhouettes given shape.

Their forms constantly fluctuated between humanoid, beast, and mist.

Their voices echoed like being underwater.

"Light must drown, hope must sink.

This world shall fade beneath our tide of shadows"

Kiel gulped.

"Okay, I have the deep urge to punch them already."

The molten-orange Gate cracked with magma.

Apostles stepped out, each one a walking blacksmith deity, muscular, molten-skinned, wielding anvils and hammers infused with thunder.

"The God of stormforge demands tribute and all of you refused"

"So we shall claim your world by force!"

Kaelgor stared.

"Why does every one of them talk like they practiced in front of a mirror?"

Selena replied, "Because they probably did as they are embarrassed"

The prism-silver Gate opened silently.

Apostles emerged like monks carved from crystal, their eyes glowing with layered magical circles.

Their robes floated as if underwater.

"The Nexus Heart must be delivered to our Oracle of the Mystic Believers"

"Your interference violates sacred destiny"

"We bring inevitable correction"

Sylthara snorted. "Pretentious spell-slingers."

The crimson Gate tore open violently.

Apostles stormed out in droves, burned-looking, skeletal armor, cloaked in dying-world flames.

But unlike the others...tese ones radiated pure hatred.

Especially the leading Apostle.

His voice shook the air.

"YOU!" The Apostle pointed out to me and everyone turned to me.

"YOU killed our brethren! YOU erased our apostles and YOU even insulted our Sovereign"

Their killing intent made even the dragons flinch.

"We will tear your soul from this world, piece by piece until we drown this realm in APOCALYPSE"

Kiel whispered, "Bro... you really pissed these guys off."

I scratched my cheek. "I mean... yeah."

Even Melira coughed lightly.

"Son, next time, leave at least one Apostle alive for diplomacy."

I shrugged. "I tried. They but they kept dying without even me trying."

Eventually, the final Gate opened with blinding gold.

Dozens of immaculate Apostles descended, wings layered like living scripture.

Their expressions held no emotion.

"I have never expected that such barren realm like this would be able to retaliate against forces from 10 different factions"

"It makes me wonder what kind of secrets this world possessed"

"But none of it matters when soon...this world shall meet its end with the wish of our Fallen God"

Lilith groaned.

"Angels? Wonderful. Just what we needed."

There were ten Gates and ten armies with dozens of elite Apostles from each faction.

The sky was filled with thousands of divine-level threats.

Kaelgor exhaled. "So... anyone else thinking what I’m thinking?"

Xerath raised a hand. "I’m thinking we’re screwed."

Sylthara raised her hand. "Same."

Thrain raised his hand. "Aye."

Aeriwen raised her small hand. "Me too..."

Everyone stared at me.

And I cracked my knuckles.

"...I’m thinking," I said calmly,

"this might actually be fun."

The Apostolic armies bristled with killing intent.

"Prepare for annihilation!"

And I smiled.