As the two brothers were conversing, a violent lightning bolt tore through the night sky. The moment the thunder struck, it was as if day had broken, illuminating the terrified expressions of those engaged in battle.
BOOM——
Countless bolts of lightning descended from the heavens, tearing apart the earth. Amidst the shaking ground, the terrified screams of those facing death echoed.
Lu Zhi's dark eyes, illuminated by the electric light, turned silver-white in that brief instant. Where the lightning struck, all life was extinguished.
Whether they were Specters, Apostles, or Supernaturals, their lives were ruthlessly claimed by the indiscriminate lightning.
"Retreat—"
"Everyone, get out of here—"
Shen Lu and Xue Jinhuai's voices cut through the thunder. Huge golden shields lit up, and giant green mechs rose from the ground, blocking most of the lightning and protecting those who were powerless to resist.
The guild members, who had prepared for death, were so excited they could barely speak.
"The Puppet Master! It's, it's General Xue."
"Golden Shield, City of Bastion, it's the great Shen Lu!!!"
Jiang Yue turned and yelled, "I know you're excited to see your idols, but can you retreat first!"
"Yeah, we can't hold on much longer!" Gu Weiyu's condensed energy fists and Luo Shiyu's ice shields also took the brunt of the lightning for most people.
The crowd snapped back to reality. Many followed orders and withdrew from the battlefield, but many also wanted to stay and help.
"I know you want to contribute to protecting the country and your families," Yan Shao and Han Shuangyun arrived to join the increasingly perilous battlefield. "But as you can see, the lightning that is falling cannot be withstood without S-rank or above abilities."
"Look over there." Yan Shao pointed to the sky above the town where countless black vortices had appeared. Foreign Apostles and Specters were continuously invading China's territory from the vortices. Ordinary people had no means to resist and could only rely on other guild members and those who had awakened their abilities to protect the retreat of ordinary people. "That's where you are needed more."
CLANG—
An even more brutal bolt of lightning struck down.
The others with weaker strength heeded Yan Shao's advice and went to the places where they were needed to fend off enemy invasions.
"Everyone, listen to me." Xue Jinhuai stood atop the mech's head and shouted, "Everyone who has not reached S-rank psychic power, retreat from the lightning field. This is an order."
Shen Lu stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Xue Jinhuai. The golden shields expanded around them. The ferocious and violent lightning struck the shields, emitting terrifying, jarring sounds.
Jiang Yue and the others had only reached A+ rank so far. She was unable to participate in this battle. Reluctantly, she and Luo Shiyu withdrew from the lightning field to cover the evacuation of ordinary people within the city.
Military aircraft and special department vehicles quickly departed from the battlefield. As long as they entered the golden barrier outside the town, they were safe.
However, the golden barrier could only block Specters and the lightning from the night sky; it could not resist foreign Apostles.
Yan Shao noticed that this group of Apostles seemed to be converging on one location, and that location... was where Lu Zhi and Lu Chengxuan's guild was. What was there?
"Something is wrong. Notify all guild members to closely monitor the movements of these foreign Apostles." After issuing the announcement, Yan Shao thoughtfully looked towards Lu Zhi and Lu Chengxuan in the center of the lightning.
"Brother!" Lu Zhi, his face pale, pounded on the barrier. When the lightning struck, the ground collapsed, and sand and stones flew. He was suspended in the air, protected by the barrier set up by Shen Qi. However, Lu Chengxuan was outside and had been struck by lightning, his whereabouts unknown.
"I'm fine." In the darkness, purple lightning flickered. Intermittent electric light emanated from the collapsed ground beneath Lu Zhi's feet. Lu Chengxuan leaped out of the chasm unharmed, glanced at Lu Zhi, and said, "Nice barrier."
Seeing that Lu Chengxuan still had the mood to joke, Lu Zhi's lifted heart finally settled, and he felt a mixture of tears and laughter.
The rumbling thunder seemed to tear the night apart. A massive phantom suddenly appeared. It was one of the three high-ranking gods of the foreign Apostles, Tigel, the God of Lightning.
The expressions of the Zodiacs became solemn.
"Are they finally here?" Shen Lu smiled without warmth and said to Xue Jinhuai, "I never thought I'd get to fight a god in my lifetime."
Xue Jinhuai took off his military cap, threw away his gloves, and said coldly, "It's time to end this."
Humans, Specters, and gods. The victor survives, the defeated exits the world's stage forever.