By the time Azrael and Gaia reached the outskirts of the city, the sun had already begun its descent toward the horizon.
The first thing that greeted them was a ruined city wall.
Large sections of the wall had collapsed, and the once-majestic gate had been reduced to a pile of broken stone and splintered wood.
People moved throughout the area, carrying debris and attempting to clear the destruction left behind by the war.
Azrael glanced at the ruined walls without much interest.
Then he continued toward the entrance.
Gaia followed beside him.
They had barely taken a few steps when a figure blocked their path.
A guard.
He wore the armor of the Rain Empire, and his cultivation was at the Spiritual Warrior Realm.
The guard looked the two of them over from head to toe.
Azrael's clothes were still torn from the moment he had awakened, while Gaia's noble attire had become dirty and ragged after days of travel through the wilderness.
The guard immediately assumed they were survivors of the defeated kingdom.
A trace of contempt appeared in his eyes.
Then his gaze fell upon Gaia.
His eyes widened.
Despite her disheveled appearance, her extraordinary beauty was impossible to conceal.
For a moment, the guard was completely captivated.
But when he recovered, greed appeared in his eyes.
He looked at her body, then at her clothes.
Perhaps this woman had some valuables.
Perhaps he could take advantage of her.
His lips curled into a lecherous smile.
"You can enter for free."
He pointed toward Gaia.
Then his eyes shifted toward Azrael.
He carefully examined Azrael's face.
For some reason, the sight of that flawless, handsome face filled him with jealousy.
The jealousy quickly turned into anger.
He pointed at Azrael's face.
"You, peasant!"
His voice became louder.
"Kneel on your knees, and perhaps I'll allow you to pass."
Gaia glanced sideways at the guard.
A strange expression appeared on her face.
It was almost as though she were looking at a corpse.
She knew exactly what was about to happen.
Azrael did not even bother looking at him.
The guard's face darkened.
"You didn't hear me?"
He stepped forward and reached for Azrael's collar.
His hand had barely moved halfway—
BOOM!
An immense pressure erupted from Azrael's body.
It spread through the city like a colossal serpent wrapping itself around its prey.
The atmosphere itself seemed to freeze.
Everyone within the range of that terrifying aura went pale.
Ordinary people collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
Cultivators trembled beneath the pressure.
Even those with considerably higher cultivation felt their souls tremble.
As for the guard who had dared to reach for Azrael—
He was completely frozen.
Blood began flowing from his seven orifices.
His eyes were filled with terror.
He finally understood.
He had offended someone far beyond anything he could comprehend.
Azrael slowly turned his head toward him.
His expression was cold.
"Just a worthless, insignificant creature..."
His eyes became colder.
"...dared to raise his voice in my presence."
He casually waved his hand.
Puff!
The guard's body exploded into a cloud of blood mist.
Silence descended upon the city.
Azrael withdrew his pressure.
The people who had been pinned to the ground finally regained the ability to breathe.
He was about to enter the city when—
"WHO DARES ACT SO ARROGANTLY IN MY CITY?!"
The roar was infused with spiritual energy.
The sound wave swept across the city like a storm.
Ordinary humans caught within its path collapsed instantly, lifeless.
Cultivators below the Spiritual Lord Realm cried out in pain as blood began leaking from their ears.
Gaia's expression changed.
But before the sound could reach her, a thin layer of spiritual energy surrounded her body.
Azrael had protected her.
The terrifying roar could not harm her.
As the sound finally dissipated, a powerful aura erupted from the center of the city.
Peak Spiritual Lord Realm.
A middle-aged man rose into the sky.
His robes fluttered as he flew toward them.
When he arrived, he remained suspended in the air, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked down at Azrael.
He carried himself with arrogance.
He was clearly accustomed to standing above others.
He opened his mouth.
But before he could say a single word—
Something changed.
Azrael released his killing intent.
Boom!
The heavens seemed to darken.
The temperature dropped.
The sky itself appeared to tremble beneath the terrifying intent.
A suffocating sense of death spread throughout the city.
The middle-aged man's expression changed for the first time.
Azrael raised his head.
His crimson eyes were cold and merciless.
Then he spoke.
His voice sounded almost demonic, as though it had emerged directly from the depths of hell.
"You people..."
His killing intent intensified.
"...are truly determined to anger me today."
The instant his words fell—
Azrael disappeared.
The middle-aged man's pupils contracted.
Before he could react, Azrael appeared directly before him.
One hand reached forward.
It seized the man's face.
The man's expression became one of horror.
Azrael tightened his grip.
BOOM!
His head exploded like a crushed watermelon.
Blood and fragments scattered through the air.
Azrael released the headless corpse.
It fell from the sky.
Then Azrael rose above the city.
He looked down.
His expression was emotionless.
His hands formed a strange seal.
A crimson flame suddenly ignited above him.
The flame began expanding.
Larger.
Larger.
Until it became a small crimson sun suspended above the city.
The temperature rose dramatically.
The people below stared upward in horror.
Azrael slowly clenched his fist.
"Rain of Fire."
BOOM!
The crimson sun exploded.
Thousands of blazing arrows descended from the sky.
Yet they did not fall randomly.
It was as though invisible hands were guiding every single one.
Each flaming arrow found its target.
The soldiers of the Rain Empire.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One soldier after another was consumed by crimson flames.
Armor melted.
Bodies turned to ash.
The streets became covered in burning remnants.
In only a few moments, thousands of soldiers had been reduced to nothing but ashes.
The citizens stared in stunned silence.
They had expected another massacre.
They had expected the people of the defeated kingdom to continue suffering beneath the rule of the Rain Empire.
Instead—
The soldiers who had oppressed them were being slaughtered.
Right before their eyes.
The shock gradually transformed into disbelief.
Then disbelief became joy.
People began looking at one another.
Some cried.
Some laughed.
Some simply stood frozen, unable to believe what they were witnessing.
Gaia watched everything from the side.
She had seen Azrael's power before.
She had already witnessed him kill a Spiritual Lord Realm beast with a single punch.
She had seen him annihilate a guard without even moving.
But this was different.
He had just descended upon an entire city like a god of destruction.
Yet for the people of the city...
He had become something else.
A savior.
Gaia slowly turned her gaze toward him.
Azrael stood above the city, his black hair fluttering in the wind, his crimson eyes overlooking the destruction below.
For the first time in a very long while—
A spark of hope ignited within Gaia's golden eyes.
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